Ptolemy vs. Copernicus essays

Ptolemy vs. Copernicus essays Throughout the history of astronomical theory, there have been two main theories on the setup and placement of the heavenly bodies within our observed universe. The two theories are the geocentric model, our earliest theory, wherein the earth is at the center of everything, and everything rotates around it, and the heliocentric model, introduced much later on, wherein the sun is at the center, and nothing except the moon rotates around the earth. Both these theories have been disputed and argued over until more contemporary astronomers put the argument to rest by basically proving the heliocentric idea to be much more realistic through observations of other objects, their motions in relation to earth, and mathematical calculations about these motions. The astronomer who first questioned the astronomical model that was laid forth by Aristotle in his book On the Heavens, and Physics around 350 BCE, was the Greek astronomer, Claudius Ptolemy, who introduced his idea mid- 2nd century CE. He lived and made most of his observations in Egypt, namely Alexandria, and recorded them in a single, impressive compilation called Almagest, which would contain the foundation for popularly accepted astronomical theory for the next 1000 years, going undisputed until the time of Copernicus, when the notion of a heliocentric universe began to become more accepted. In Ptolemy's model, Earth is placed at the center of the universe, though in some models it was very slightly off-centered. Next is the moon, rotating around Earth, followed by the orbit of Mercury, then Venus. The Sun was thought to be the fourth object out into space that was rotating around earth, followed by Mars, then Jupiter, and then Saturn. Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto were all not possible to observe without much more sophisticated equipment than was available at the time. The revolutionary aspect of Ptolemy's work was not inventing the theory of an earth-centered universe, because th...

Do You Suffer from Computer Stress Syndrome Youre Not Alone

Do You Suffer from Computer Stress Syndrome Youre Not Alone If I had to choose ONE thing that stresses me out me out more than anything else in my work life, it would be computer problems. It might not surprise you that I’m writing this blog because, on this very day, I am ready to tear my hair out due to multiple technical aggravators.There are thousands of articles and probably hundreds of books that talk about how to handle stress. But †¦ do any of them talk specifically about how to handle the stress of heart-stopping technical issues? I couldn’t find any in my admittedly basic-level internet search. I did however find a report entitled Combatting Computer Stress Syndrome that surveyed 1,000+ computer users, finding that two-thirds of them had experienced this phenomenon. Despite being self-proclaimed â€Å"savvy† users, people facing technical snafus had increased stress levels, in tandem with interrupted work or play time, loss of valuable data, dropped network or e-mail connections, and the inability to complete online purchases (that last one somehow did not garner my sympathies). My particular technical snafus today included the inability to access my QuickBooks file, some disappearing and/or inaccessible emails, and problems getting my MacMail to retrieve my business email. At the same time, I am deciding whether or not to begin implementing a CRM system – a project that sends me into overwhelm after just about 2 minutes of thinking about it. Even as I write, my heart is racing and my head pounding. If only there were a yoga class I could escape to at 8pm on a Sunday night! The article about Computer Stress Syndrome offered no solace, as it was focused on the quality of technical support – not on what to do when you are a business owner or other responsible professional facing time-sucking, aggravating and unexpected issues, or issues that you just have a hard time getting your mind around. Of course, decent tech support is essential to keeping stress levels from going through the roof. But needing to be on the phone with tech support at all is often the problem for me. I tend to postpone the inevitable for as long as possible. And what about business-related projects like the CRM that I need to deal with and that I respond to just like I would a technical problem? I would love to hire someone to take care of it for me, but it seems that no matter whom I enroll, I need to make decisions and figure things out so they know how to proceed. In many areas, I have no problem directing people and being involved in decision-making processes. But when it comes to technology I sink. The only thing I can figure out to lower my computer-induced stress levels is to take the time to solve the darned problem. In fact, I could not even complete the writing of this article until I spent an hour with Apple’s tech support team to make at least ONE of my technical issues go away. I think I have some limit, like I can handle it if there are 1-2 technical issues, but 3 or more and I’m toast. I have no further wisdom to share on this topic and am writing to ask for yours. Does anyone out there have a coping mechanism to deal with the insidious Computer Stress Syndrome? If so, please do share. You might change a lot of people’s lives for the better. 😉 I feel your pain. We writers are in a tough situation. We depend upon technology for our livelihoods, but as creatives, we need to escape it to nourish our souls and minds to keep the creative juices flowing. How to strike that balance is tough. Youre on the right track with solving one issue at a time, enlisting help, and escaping when necessary. Thats why I got into belly dancing. Gets me away from the monitor and out of the house, like your yoga. We need that! Just dont go crazy with a baseball bat like in the movie Office Space. But, you can always call me up, if you need someone to vent to. Log in to Reply The Essay Expert says: March 18, 2014 at 2:05 pm Thank you Kristin! I feel so understood!! Log in to Reply Michelle Robin says: March 18, 2014 at 11:27 pm Besides echoing Kristens advice of dealing with one thing at a time, I know a fantastic Mac technical help guy that specializes in creative professionals. Doing regular maintenance on your computer helps prevent problems. Log in to Reply Terri says: September 17, 2015 at 6:34 pm As someone who has worked in software engineering and studies computer science, technical issues are inevitable no matter how tech savvy you are. I use Windows and Ive probably re-installed the Windows operating system at least 10 times. The good news is that most technical issues can be fixed eventually as long as you are vigilant about backing up your data. If you have a good backup system, you can always recover from technical issues. You can always re-install the software, re-install the operating system, buy new computer parts, etc. So my answer is make sure you have a strong backup system. As long as you still have your data, you can recover. As bad as technical issues can be, losing your data is much much worse. For some advice about backups, see https://www.taobackup.com/ Log in to Reply

Journal 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Journal 8 - Essay Example At the ball, she encounters the prince, and this really lifts her mood. However, her joy is short-lived as she leaves the ball bearing in mind she may never see the prince again, but he searches for her using her glass slipper and finally finds her. They live happily ever after. The protagonist in the story is Cinderella who is saddened by the fact that she cannot go to the ball; this is her preliminary state. The Fairy Godmother avails all that Cinderella needs to go, but she also brings in disequilibrium by requiring that she returns before midnight. At the ball, Cinderella’s state of mind is varied and she grows happy when she meets the prince (286). Once again, she is crestfallen because she does not expect to see him again. Disequilibrium occurs when the prince uses her slipper to find her, and it appears that Cinderella might be happy once more. When he does find her, they live together in happiness, which is the ultimate state of mind. The story goes a long way in revealing the culture of those from who it comes. In this case, the story shows that women who are industrious and altruistic are compensated with riches and great joy. In addition, love is the foundation of any relationship and that getting married because of love leads to eternal

Patient satisfaction of Health Care service quality in Saudi Arabia Research Proposal - 1

Patient satisfaction of Health Care service quality in Saudi Arabia - Research Proposal Example The study that uses the recipients of the healthcare services as its respondents will also exhibit the cultural diversity in the country to ensure the sample is a representative of the general Saudi Arabian population. Questionnaires will be the key instrument for data collection and the obtained data will eventually be analyzed for the purposes and reflected upon in regard to subject under study. Conclusions and inferences will be made based on the accrued information for the purpose of recommending the suitable healthcare approaches for improving the service quality. Patient satisfaction refers to the feelings of an individual in form of pleasure or disappointment as a result of comparing the perceived performance outcome of healthcare services in relation to the expectations of the individual. In this case, therefore, a performance that is way below the expectations of the patient results in dissatisfaction, whereas the service whose perceived quality is within the patient’s expectations results in satisfaction and delight (Nguyen Thi, Briancon, Empereur and Guillemin, 2002). In the recent days, the healthcare service providers have had to awaken to the challenges, quality, competition, and the marketing realities posed by the consumers of their services. In line with these changes, there has been the emergence of an equally important and related issue, which is the relationship between the care provider and the patient concerning the general evaluation of the quality of health care service (Andaleeb, 2001). There is a marked level of fr ustration among the patients, especially with the recent commercialization of the health care services, weakened relationship between the client and care provider, and the proliferation and bureaucratization of the health care system (Pakdil& Harwood, 2005). In order to realize patient satisfaction in the

The Kennedy Space Center Essay Example for Free

The Kennedy Space Center Essay I am the most typical American man who is born in Pensacola Florida. Most people dream of visiting Florida, but I get to live there. What I find interesting about Florida is that it was part of Spain until 1845, when it became a State of the United States; making it the twenty seventh State to join the Union. Most of the population in other states has to shop at a grocery store for oranges or orange juice, but for myself, orange groves are nearby and I can smell the fresh ripe oranges that ripened on the trees and are available for my breakfasts for when ever I chose. What I find humorous at times when I hear other people speak of Florida is our Alligators and that we should be fearful of them. But we are not, they are just part of our life style and they are much protected from the government. Even if the Alligator is walking on a sidewalk, it is illegal to remove them, the ideal of the situation is to give them total respect and stay out of their way. With the ocean nearby, I get to fish when ever I can. Living with my grandparents, my grandpa always went with me. After casting out our lines, I always surrendered to one of his famous stories about the fish the got away. I chuckle to myself just remembering those stories, but one thing for sure; it was a time when my grandpa Willy and I would bond the most. At the end of the day, I would stand side by side with Grandpa Willy and clean our daily catch, often having races to see who could beat who. Sometimes the scales would fly! When it would be done and over, the smell of fresh fish would fill our senses, making all that work worth while. In my spare time, I sit in front of my television playing video games. Halo is my favorite! I like it because it is a combat game with lots of action. I get to be the Master Chief who fights to protect my planet. There are aliens who come from far away to fight to take over my planet and I have to fight them and kill them to protect the planet. I utilize all my army gear to fight these distorted aliens. I even go to their planets with my Banche which is a flying aircraft and is loaded with necessary weapons to succeed my strengths mission. The object is to take over their planet as well. If I use the Blanche, or the Warthog or I may chose to move in the tank, what ever the case may be, I am assured to have the necessary weapons to be successful. When I am not playing the video games, I am a typical male who checks out the â€Å"hotties† at the mall. My buds and I just hang around, trying to look not interested but we don’t miss a thing. But the ways I have some down time is to put on my headphones and jam to the â€Å"Beastie Boy’s†, and look through some car magazines. I like to get my hands dirty and love hearing my engine of my 1969 engine purr. I spent many pain staking hours working on that machine, but I successfully was able to soup up my car and am the envious of many of my peers as I drive it to my school. Finally, when I am done with school, I am going to concentrate on becoming a lawyer. Thinking of our Sunshine State and all of our sixty seven counties I feel there is room for someone like me who will work hard to help out with some areas like International Trade; Tourism, which Florida has seventy six point eight million visitors alone in 2004 and is the top traveled state; Space Industry, which employs something like fifteen thousand employees at the Kennedy Space Center; Agriculture, Florida leads with farming income from orange groves and orange juice and the University Research, five million dollars are being sponsored for research at the Florida University. I feel no matter what area of law I would go into, I would be protecting companies or people. No matter if I would be working in Space or working for the common farmer; what ever the case may be I feel it could be very challenging and interesting at the same time. Another area of my interest is in Math. Math comes easier for me and I feel no matter what area of any professions I may go into, Math will be really important to know. Whatever the case, I love working with people in general and math is definitely one of my and I think it could be fun teaching it to students. I can envision myself in front of a class with eager eyes looking up to me to learn a new gained knowledge of how math can be applied to our daily lives. Most people feel that how is Algebra, Core Math, Calculus, Trigiometry, we never really use in our daily lives; but in reality we use them daily without knowing that we do. People who work not only in teaching, but in some fields like Chemist, Farming, Architecture, Wood workers (cabinet makers), and in any field that constitutes measuring of some sort. Teaching it would be a challenge of its own. That would mean I would have to be more organized than what I am. I am still leaving my clothes on the floor, and I may even have separate piles of clothing if I get rushed like; a pile of clean clothes, pile of only worn once clothing and can be worn again if sprayed, and then there is the must be washed, we all know those ones when the jeans stand on their own legs without help and the shirts smell strongly of the partying of the night before. But still even if organization could be the worst challenge, I know that all of my commitment and hard work would pay off with my student’s achievements. Knowing a head of time that Math is one of the harder subjects to teach because it is the least interesting and sometimes really hard for some people, I know I would have to be sensitive to the children who do not have the same appreciation of Math as I do and make it as interesting as possible. How I would do that I am not sure as of yet, but I know I could achieve that goal. Knowing that math is all around us in our daily lives I will have to just grasp some of the ways they use it and incorporate it in the teaching for starters. What ever the case may be if I go into being a lawyer or teacher, I know that it will present its own challenges and with hard work and dedication I can achieve anything that I set my mind to. I love working with people, though I am a little shy at times, I know I can be a true asset to any field I venture into.

The Sinister Duke in Robert Brownings My Last Duchess Essay example --

The Sinister Duke in Robert Browning's My Last Duchess In Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," a portrait of the egocentric and power loving Duke of Ferrara is painted for us. Although the duke's monologue appears on the surface to be about his late wife, a close reading will show that the mention of his last duchess is merely a side note in his self-important speech. Browning uses the dramatic monologue form very skillfully to show us the controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits the duke possessed without ever mentioning them explicitly. The first two lines of the poem introduce us to the main topic of the duke's speech, a painting of his late wife: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,/Looking as if she were alive." We immediately begin to suspect that the duchess is no longer alive, but are not sure. The clever language Browning chose suggested that something was wrong, but left enough ambiguity to quickly capture our attention as readers. Also in these lines, we are given our first hint that the duchess really not all that important to the duke; he speaks of the painting as if it was the duchess, suggesting that his late wife was nothing more than her external appearance. Instead of the painting looking as if it were alive, the duchess looks as if she were alive. Again, this seemingly small detail gives a significant hint about what lies ahead in the poem. While the duke describes the history of the painting, he mentions the artist's name, Frà   Pandolf, three times (lines 3, 6, 16). The first mention of the name was all that was necessary to let the listener know who painted the work. The words the painter or the artist could easily have been substituted for the second two. The way in which the duke repeated... ...g with what he was trying to say. The duke knows that he has great skill in speech and he also knows that the emissary knows this. He is only saying that he does not possess skill in speech because he knows that his audience will not believe him. His show of modesty is merely an illusion, not true modesty. The overarching irony in Browning's "My Last Duchess" is that it really is not about the duchess, but instead about the controlling, jealous, and arrogant nature of the duke. In his monologue describing a painting of his former wife, the duke introduces us to his dark and sinister qualities. By giving us the Duke of Ferrara as an example, Robert Browning subtly condemns the nobility for their poor character. Works Cited Browning, Robert. â€Å"My Last Duchess.† Making Literature Matter. Ed. John Schilb, and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 1376-1378. The Sinister Duke in Robert Browning's My Last Duchess Essay example -- The Sinister Duke in Robert Browning's My Last Duchess In Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess," a portrait of the egocentric and power loving Duke of Ferrara is painted for us. Although the duke's monologue appears on the surface to be about his late wife, a close reading will show that the mention of his last duchess is merely a side note in his self-important speech. Browning uses the dramatic monologue form very skillfully to show us the controlling, jealous, and arrogant traits the duke possessed without ever mentioning them explicitly. The first two lines of the poem introduce us to the main topic of the duke's speech, a painting of his late wife: "That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,/Looking as if she were alive." We immediately begin to suspect that the duchess is no longer alive, but are not sure. The clever language Browning chose suggested that something was wrong, but left enough ambiguity to quickly capture our attention as readers. Also in these lines, we are given our first hint that the duchess really not all that important to the duke; he speaks of the painting as if it was the duchess, suggesting that his late wife was nothing more than her external appearance. Instead of the painting looking as if it were alive, the duchess looks as if she were alive. Again, this seemingly small detail gives a significant hint about what lies ahead in the poem. While the duke describes the history of the painting, he mentions the artist's name, Frà   Pandolf, three times (lines 3, 6, 16). The first mention of the name was all that was necessary to let the listener know who painted the work. The words the painter or the artist could easily have been substituted for the second two. The way in which the duke repeated... ...g with what he was trying to say. The duke knows that he has great skill in speech and he also knows that the emissary knows this. He is only saying that he does not possess skill in speech because he knows that his audience will not believe him. His show of modesty is merely an illusion, not true modesty. The overarching irony in Browning's "My Last Duchess" is that it really is not about the duchess, but instead about the controlling, jealous, and arrogant nature of the duke. In his monologue describing a painting of his former wife, the duke introduces us to his dark and sinister qualities. By giving us the Duke of Ferrara as an example, Robert Browning subtly condemns the nobility for their poor character. Works Cited Browning, Robert. â€Å"My Last Duchess.† Making Literature Matter. Ed. John Schilb, and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford, 2000. 1376-1378.

Morgan Components IESE MBA Case Report Essay

  The Director of the European Interior Components Product Line Team of Morgan Components Company, Sean O’Fearna is facing a difficult decision. He needs to respond to the price reduction request on a door panel project, which would take-off in six months. The initial contract was signed at a price of 90 euros between Asiacar and Plasticom. Morgan Components took ownership of the contract, as it acquired the Clondalkin plant of Plasticom. The project was seen infeasible by Morgan Components executives, even before the price reduction. Therefore, first a unit based cost breakdown analysis was applied. It was observed that with the current production processes, the minimum price that Morgan Components could afford was 80 euros. Then the possible process improvements and cost reduction alternatives were analyzed and redesigning the door panel to reduce its features was identified as a must. The other two alternatives of reducing scrap and in-house production of X-27 had their own shortcomings like high initial investments and going against company policies, and therefore should only be applied if the price was restricted to very low levels. (e.g. at 73 euros Alternative of reducing features should be supported by reducing scrap to maintain profitability. For all the price levels below 72 euros, all three measures should be taken) Then, the auto industry was analyzed with regards to the purchasing regimes in the first years of a new launched product. The outcome was that even a failure product driven to market by Asiacar would necessitate Asiacar to buy at least 30,000 units of door panels in total. (A moderate success would result in the purchase of 100,000 to 200,000 units and a real success would take the sales number of Morgan Components up to 300,000 units.) In the light of this analysis a comparison of worst case scenarios were made. The result showed that even in the worst case scenario of going on with the Asiacar contract, Morgan Components would be better off than canceling the contract. Moreover, a series of arguments were prepared for Sean O’Fearna to present his seniors within Morgan Components to convince them on this argument and  get permission to go on with Asiacar contract. Financial situation and the diversification policy of Morgan Components, under capacity production of the Clondalkin Plant and the importance of Asiacar as a client were among these. Then a price range was provided to Sean O’Fearna before his negotiations with Asiacar. He should keep the price at a level between 75 to 81 euros not to forgo the contract, while maintaining profitability. To be able to achieve this, the credibility of the Japanese supplier threat was argued and the risk of changing suppliers for Asiacar was quantified as 5 to 7 euros. Besides, counting on the fact that Clondalkin had the rights to redesign the door panels for Europe up to now, and Asiacar had already invested 2 million to Clondalkin redesigns, the Japanese threat was further diluted. However, these arguments would not mean much without Sean being able to put them clearly on the table during negotiations. Therefore a clear negotiation action plan was outlined in order for Sean to persuade Asiacar to carry on with the contract at a price level of 78, which would reduce the risk on Morgan Components and may even provide a profit of 1.8 million euros in the best case scenario, while, on the other hand, providing Asiacar a savings potential of 3.6 million euros. Problem Statement & Alternatives The main problem Sean O’Fearna is facing in the Morgan Components Case Study is that he needs to give a response to the 25% price reduction request of Asiacar. This reduction is requested on a door panel contract, for which some investments are already made and the process is to be started in six months. Sean is concerned about the potential losses that may arise after this price reduction, and the potential risks of canceling the whole contract. First of all Sean needs to decide on whether to carry on with the contract or cancel it right away, analyzing the cost structure of the door panels. Moreover, he may need to choose a way to modify his production processes to  reduce his costs. Afterwards, if he decides to carry on with the contract, he will need to decide on a minimum price that he may afford and come up with a price range, mutually acceptable for both Asiacar (AC) and Morgan Components (MC). Since Sean himself is not in a position in the organizational structure of MC to decide on such a critical issue all by himself, he will need to discuss the upcomings with his own superiors, before starting a negotiation with AC. In this context, he has to identify the strengths of his arguments that he should draw on during his dialogues with both MC executives and AC representatives. Criteria: All the decisions Sean needs to take are constrained in five main criteria, all of which will be taken into consideration to provide a framework for the analysis. First of all is the risk of canceling the contract right away. Since some investments has already been made and considering the Clondalkin Plant running with 60% capacity currently, quitting the contract will require firing some workers and in total incurring a non-recoverable loss of 3 million euros. Second important aspect is the profitability of the AC contract. Taking into account the potential risks contained within the structure of the contract, the cost structure of the door panel production should be re-analyzed to determine the maximum potential profit and potential losses that may occur at the end of the contract period. Third criterion is the MC organizational structure and corporate strategy. The organizational structure will affect the decisive ability of Sean himself and the possibility of that a certain modification in the cost allocation structure of the contract may be applied. Moreover, alternative cost cutting methods should be analyzed with regards to the strategies of  the company. The fourth key point is AC as a company and its current condition. The relations of MC with AC and the significance of AC to MC as a strategic client have important impact on the decisions of both Sean and the senior management of MC, who are seeking for diversification. Furthermore, the Japanese Supplier threat put forward by AC should be analyzed in the context of AC being in weak financial situation and currently running a revival plan. Finally, Sean and his relationship with the Clondalkin Plant and the Clondalkin town should regularly be considered during analysis, in the sense that he may not yet be able to think unbiased from MC’s side, since he has worked for long years at Clondalkin before MC bought the plant. Analyses of Alternatives in the Framework of Relevant Criteria: 1. To carry on with Asiacar contract or to cancel it right away The first issue to observe before making this decision for Sean is to figure out the losses the company is going to face. It is clearly stated in the case that the company is going to lose 3 million euros if the contract is cancelled now. So, Sean needs to check the alternative of going on with the contract and analyze the profitability of it, in order to make a net comparison. To have a better judgment of the profitability of the door panel contract, Sean first needs to analyze the costing methods of Plasticom and MC. He needs to spot out the Two main differences are in the labor costs and the corporate overheads. Assuming that wages might have been increased after the factory was bought by MC in order to increase motivation and gain worker loyalty. Moreover, since the wages might as well rise in the following five year contract period, the increased labor cost approach seems conservative, but logical. On the other hand, the corporate overheads are only an allocated portion of MC headquarters’ costs; they have no direct relation with this contract alone and do not affect the potential positive cash  flows. As Sean convinced MC executives not to consider the corporate overheads to carry on with the project before, they definitely will not be included in the analyses for such a critical decision of canceling the contract. The next step in the analysis of costs should be to decide whether AC is going to buy 300,000 units in the following five years and how the purchases will be distributed over years. It can be certainly understood from Sean’s doubts, that in the AC contract there’s no restriction for AC to buy 300,000 door panels. Also, big manufacturing companies tend to transfer market risks on to the supplier as a procurement strategy. It is often the case that if the product of a main company does not sell in the market, it is the supplier who suffers because of not being able to compensate initial investments. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze costs on per-unit base and to carefully differentiate variable costs and fixed costs. Exhibit-1 shows the recommended cost structure per unit door panel. The reason that indirect labor, maintenance and factory overheads were incurred as variable is that these costs tend to change with the volume of production and would disappear if there were not door panel production. Even factory overheads are allocated on to projects according to production volumes. So, it is obvious from Exhibit-1 that Sean cannot afford to carry on with the contract at a price of 68 euros per panel unless a cost reduction in the production process is made. Then, the decision of going on with the contract depends on the next decision step, which is; 2. To choose which alternative cost reduction methods to implement Sean has three alternative ways to reduce production costs of door panels. First of which, – now on to be called Alternative-1 – is to reduce the features of the panel design. Alternative-2 is to reduce scrap and Alternative-2 is to produce X-27 in-house. All possible combinations and outcomes of these process improvements are given in Exhibit-2. As it is seen, the Alternatives 2 and 3 are inefficient to reduce the cost below the 68-euro level. Their effect is more adequate when combined with  Alternative-1. On the other hand, the Alternatives 2 and 3 bring some shortcomings with them. First of all, Alternative-3 requires a non-strategic component to be manufactured in-house and may cause a supplier to go out of business. This is both against two critical criteria; MC corporate policies and Sean’s relations with Clondalkin. Moreover, both Alternative 2 and 3 require an increase of initial investments. This increases the risk undertaken by MC with regards to the fact that the amount of purchase and its distribution over the years is ambiguous. Exhibit-3 presents possible procurement regimes that may be followed by AC according to the success level of their new car model. A summary of Exhibit-3 may be that while a successful or moderately successful model would create a purchase of over 100,000 units of panels, the failure of AC would mean sales of below 100,000 units for MC, but particularly not below 30,000. This analysis enables us to compare worst-case scenarios and make a distinct comparison between canceling the contract and going on with it. Exhibit-4 demonstrates this comparison. According to this, it is clear that even if AC’s new model is a failure, MC would be better off by continuing with the contract with minimum condition of implementing cost reduction Alternative-1 is met. Sean should do everything he can to keep this contract, in order to minimize Clondalkin’s losses. 3. Affordable Price Range and the Effect of Price on Cost Reduction Alternatives Graph at Exhibit-5 illustrates the variation in breakeven points of the AC contract with different cost reduction alternatives at different price levels. This graph is essential in several ways: First, the minimum affordable price for MC is 72 euros, assuming that it is the probability to sell more than 300,000 units with this contract is very low. It also reveals the cons and pros of the alternative cost reduction methods. For example, if the price level is restricted to a level of 72 euros or below by AC, then the trade-offs of Alternatives 2 & 3 are less important compared to the  profitability increase they bring and both should be implemented immediately. If a price of 73 euros may be negotiated with AC, then the implementation Alternative-3 may be postponed or completely dropped due to its shortcomings and only Alternative 1 and 2 would be enough together to bring MC to a breakeven at 300,000 units. At even higher price levels, alternatives 2 and 3 lose their significance and MC may carry on the contract only with Alternative-1. However, can the price reduction request of 25% be negotiated with Asiacar? Is the Japanese threat credible? What are the arguments and strengths that Morgan Components has in hand to increase the requested price to a higher level? How important is this contract and the relationships with Asiacar for both Morgan Components and Sean himself? All these questions and more need to be answered in order to come up with a down to earth action plan that can be applied immediately to get Sean and Morgan Components out of this situation without any significant losses. Synthesis: In the light of the analysis made, my recommendation for Sean O’Fearna is to go on with the Asiacar contract with whatever means possible. This outcome is also supported by the criterion of Sean’s relationship with Clondalkin plant. He, having a strong reputation within Clondalkin, would not want to put the plant at risk by continuing at a capacity of 60% and not making decent profits. On the other hand, considering the organizational structure of Morgan Components, Sean is not at a position to take such a critical decision on his own. He needs to convince the senior executives of Morgan Components about carrying on with the contract. However, at this point, his strong relations with Clondalkin my turn out to be a disadvantage for him. Morgan Components executives, knowing Sean’s strong tie to Clondalkin may respond to this proposal biased. Therefore, Sean needs to support his arguments with fact, especially the data presented in the exhibits of this report, which clearly show that canceling the contract brings the worst possible outcome. Moreover, Sean must emphasize on the corporate vision of Morgan Components. Being 80% dependent on only one firm and being very eager about their diversification policy, creating new businesses with Asiacar has high importance of Morgan Components. Asiacar is not a completely new client for Morgan Components and the three plants of Plasticom were acquired by Morgan Components mainly to increase businesses with Asiacar. When compared to the 1.2 billion euro sales size of Morgan, the 27 million euro potential of this contract may seem small at first sight. However, at this crucial period where Morgan is trying to minimize its losses by all means, letting Asiacar down with this contract would put both current and future businesses of Morgan with Asiacar at stake. In addition to that the Asiacar contract will increase the capacity usage of the Clondalkin plant significantly from 60% to 90%. Clarifying all these critical aspects should get Sean the necessary permissions to start negotiations with Asiacar to continue business with them. The next step for Sean should be to analyze the possibility of negotiating the requested price of 68 euros with Asiacar. Greatest threat for Morgan Components is the possibility that Asiacar may transfer its supply to a Japanese supplier, which is currently supplying door panels for the Japanese version of the same Asiacar model. Nevertheless, if the nature of automotive industry is analyzed, it will be seen that most of the main manufacturers apply Just-In-Time production procedures, or even if not, they try to minimize their inventory by pressurizing suppliers with tight deadlines and minimum delivery lots. Supplying from Japan to a manufacturer in UK, other than bringing an additional logistics cost of 4 euros, is extremely risky for the manufacturer in the sense that it may increase lead-times and cause inventory pile-ups. Although it is difficult to quantify such a risk, Sean’s target price during his negotiations with Asiacar should definitely be higher than 72 euros. In that case, what should be the target price for Sean during his negotiations with the Asiacar representatives? Looking at Exhibit-3 again, aiming a price that would breakeven at 300,000 units is far too risky for  Morgan Components. On the contrary, trying to achieve a profit even if Asiacar’s new product fails would be too opportunistic and may cause an unpleasant response of direct change of supplier on the Asiacar side. Therefore, targeting a price range that would arrive at a breakeven at moderate success would be my suggestion. This price range may be deducted from Exhibit-5, and falls between 75 euros and 81 euros. Furthermore, the Clondalkin plant contains a key advantage regarding the Asiacar contract. Clondalkin is not a just a plant that is to produce a given design; Asiacar has provided Clondalkin the initial design and the redesign of the door panel and the necessary adaptations of the design for the European market is carried by the Clondalkin plant. Why is this issue so important? Because of the two vital criteria for Asiacar: Time restrictions and the necessary initial investments. First of all, there are only eight months left for the product launch of Asiacar, which is on May 2005. This means that the first samples of the door panels for the try-outs should be delivered to Asiacar at the latest by January 2005. Thus, the new supplier needs to redesign the product for European Markets, produce the mold, and start the production within 6 months. Would Asiacar take such big risk? Besides, Asiacar has provided 2 million euros of a total of 5 million euro investment on the redesign of the door panels. Now Asiacar has two possible option, which I recommend Sean to emphasize clearly during the negotiations: Asiacar is either going to provide the remaining 3 million euros and wait until Clondalkin completes the molds and then transfer them to Japan, or come down to accept a mutual agreement for with Morgan Components In order to be able to build on this argument without being offensive, my recommendation is that Sean should follow such an action plan: First he should mention that Morgan Components wants to support the revival plan of Asiacar and ready for sacrificing to an extent to maintain a sustainable relationship. However he should stress on the fact that pressurizing Morgan Components for a price reduction to 68 euros would result in the shut down of the whole company. He should support this by the data provided in Exhibit-6, which is the re-structured version of the cost breakdown in  Exhibit-1. Exhibit-6 will show Asiacar that below 81 euros, Morgan Components will theoretically not make profits for this contract. Moreover, reducing the price down to 81 euros would mean a potential saving of 2.7 million euros for Asiacar. He should also underline the risks and additional costs of working with a Japanese supplier and mention that a 68 euro price from a Japanese supplier would mean the ex act same cost to Asiacar to buy the panels at a 73 euro price from Morgan. Setting his minimum and maximum clearly to 73 and 81 euros, then Sean may start releasing the handles again. Depending on the reactions of the Asiacar representative, he may restate the importance of being an Asiacar supplier for Morgan Components and approach with the favor of going below 81 euros with the following conditions being guaranteed: More future contracts starting form 2005 and the renegotiation of the door panel prices at the end of 2005. Even after that, if Asiacar keeps insisting on very low price levels, the issue of having the current design in hand and having already expended the 2 million design fund should be raised, but without being offensive or destructive. The objective must be keeping the price in range of 75 to 81 euros. If Sean may apply my recommendation completely, he should come out of the Asiacar negotiations, with a price of around 78 euros. Having this price settled and implementing a redesign on the panel to reduce features (Cost Reduction Alternative-1), Morgan Components may expect a profit of nearly 1.8 million euros within the next five years, if the project is a complete success. Moreover, since the initial investments will be recovered after 170,000 units, the risk will be also minimized. Within very tight deadlines and such stressful conditions, following such a structured action plan may not be very easy for Sean O’Fearna to apply, however, with the above given key points in mind he should be able to achieve the outcome to save his professional reputation, Clondalkin Plant’s future and moreover, to provide a decent profit for his new company, Morgan  Components.

Digital Fortress Chapter 7

Susan's mind was racing-Ensei Tankado wrote a program that creates unbreakable codes! She could barely grasp the thought. â€Å"Digital Fortress,† Strathmore said. â€Å"That's what he's calling it. It's the ultimate counterintelligence weapon. If this program hits the market, every third grader with a modem will be able to send codes the NSA can't break. Our intelligence will be shot.† But Susan's thoughts were far removed from the political implications of Digital Fortress. She was still struggling to comprehend its existence. She'd spent her life breaking codes, firmly denying the existence of the ultimate code. Every code is breakable-the Bergofsky Principle! She felt like an atheist coming face to face with God. â€Å"If this code gets out,† she whispered, â€Å"cryptography will become a dead science.† Strathmore nodded. â€Å"That's the least of our problems.† â€Å"Can we pay Tankado off? I know he hates us, but can't we offer him a few million dollars? Convince him not to distribute?† Strathmore laughed. â€Å"A few million? Do you know what this thing is worth? Every government in the world will bid top dollar. Can you imagine telling the President that we're still cable-snooping the Iraqis but we can't read the intercepts anymore? This isn't just about the NSA, it's about the entire intelligence community. This facility provides support for everyone-the FBI, CIA, DEA; they'd all be flying blind. The drug cartels' shipments would become untraceable, major corporations could transfer money with no paper trail and leave the IRS out in the cold, terrorists could chat in total secrecy-it would be chaos.† â€Å"The EFF will have field day,† Susan said, pale. â€Å"The EFF doesn't have the first clue about what we do here,† Strathmore railed in disgust. â€Å"If they knew how many terrorist attacks we've stopped because we can decrypt codes, they'd change their tune.† Susan agreed, but she also knew the realities; the EFF would never know how important TRANSLTR was. TRANSLTR had helped foil dozens of attacks, but the information was highly classified and would never be released. The rationale behind the secrecy was simple: The government could not afford the mass hysteria caused by revealing the truth; no one knew how the public would react to the news that there had been two nuclear close calls by fundamentalist groups on U.S. soil in the last year. Nuclear attack, however, was not the only threat. Only last month TRANSLTR had thwarted one of the most ingeniously conceived terrorist attacks the NSA had ever witnessed. An anti-government organization had devised a plan, code-named Sherwood Forest. It targeted the New York Stock Exchange with the intention of â€Å"redistributing the wealth.† Over the course of six days, members of the group placed twenty-seven nonexplosive flux pods in the buildings surrounding the Exchange. These devices, when detonated, create a powerful blast of magnetism. The simultaneous discharge of these carefully placed pods would create a magnetic field so powerful that all magnetic media in the Stock Exchange would be erased-computer hard drives, massive ROM storage banks, tape backups, and even floppy disks. All records of who owned what would disintegrate permanently. Because pinpoint timing was necessary for simultaneous detonation of the devices, the flux pods were interconnected over Internet telephone lines. During the two-day countdown, the pods' internal clocks exchanged endless streams of encrypted synchronization data. The NSA intercepted the data-pulses as a network anomaly but ignored them as a seemingly harmless exchange of gibberish. But after TRANSLTR decrypted the data streams, analysts immediately recognized the sequence as a network-synchronized countdown. The pods were located and removed a full three hours before they were scheduled to go off. Susan knew that without TRANSLTR the NSA was helpless against advanced electronic terrorism. She eyed the Run-Monitor. It still read over fifteen hours. Even if Tankado's file broke right now, the NSA was sunk. Crypto would be relegated to breaking less than two codes a day. Even at the present rate of 150 a day, there was still a backlog of files awaiting decryption. â€Å"Tankado called me last month,† Strathmore said, interrupting Susan's thoughts. Susan looked up. â€Å"Tankado called you?† He nodded. â€Å"To warn me.† â€Å"Warn you? He hates you.† â€Å"He called to tell me he was perfecting an algorithm that wrote unbreakable codes. I didn't believe him.† â€Å"But why would he tell you about it?† Susan demanded. â€Å"Did he want you to buy it?† â€Å"No. It was blackmail.† Things suddenly began falling into place for Susan. â€Å"Of course,† she said, amazed. â€Å"He wanted you to clear his name.† â€Å"No,† Strathmore frowned. â€Å"Tankado wanted TRANSLTR.† â€Å"TRANSLTR?† â€Å"Yes. He ordered me to go public and tell the world we have TRANSLTR. He said if we admitted we can read public E-mail, he would destroy Digital Fortress.† Susan looked doubtful. Strathmore shrugged. â€Å"Either way, it's too late now. He's posted a complimentary copy of Digital Fortress at his Internet site. Everyone in the world can download it.† Susan went white. â€Å"He what!† â€Å"It's a publicity stunt. Nothing to worry about. The copy he posted is encrypted. People can download it, but nobody can open it. It's ingenious, really. The source code for Digital Fortress has been encrypted, locked shut.† Susan looked amazed. â€Å"Of course! So everybody can have a copy, but nobody can open it.† â€Å"Exactly. Tankado's dangling a carrot.† â€Å"Have you seen the algorithm?† The commander looked puzzled. â€Å"No, I told you it's encrypted.† Susan looked equally puzzled. â€Å"But we've got TRANSLTR; why not just decrypt it?† But when Susan saw Strathmore's face, she realized the rules had changed. â€Å"Oh my God.† She gasped, suddenly understanding. â€Å"Digital Fortress is encrypted with itself?† Strathmore nodded. â€Å"Bingo.† Susan was amazed. The formula for Digital Fortress had been encrypted using Digital Fortress. Tankado had posted a priceless mathematical recipe, but the text of the recipe had been scrambled. And it had used itself to do the scrambling. â€Å"It's Biggleman's Safe,† Susan stammered in awe. Strathmore nodded. Biggleman's Safe was a hypothetical cryptography scenario in which a safe builder wrote blueprints for an unbreakable safe. He wanted to keep the blueprints a secret, so he built the safe and locked the blueprints inside. Tankado had done the same thing with Digital Fortress. He'd protected his blueprints by encrypting them with the formula outlined in his blueprints. â€Å"And the file in TRANSLTR?† Susan asked. â€Å"I downloaded it from Tankado's Internet site like everyone else. The NSA is now the proud owner of the Digital Fortress algorithm; we just can't open it.† Susan marveled at Ensei Tankado's ingenuity. Without revealing his algorithm, he had proven to the NSA that it was unbreakable. Strathmore handed her a newspaper clipping. It was a translated blurb from the Nikkei Shimbun, the Japanese equivalent of the Wall Street Journal, stating that the Japanese programmer Ensei Tankado had completed a mathematical formula he claimed could write unbreakable codes. The formula was called Digital Fortress and was available for review on the Internet. The programmer would be auctioning it off to the highest bidder. The column went on to say that although there was enormous interest in Japan, the few U.S. software companies who had heard about Digital Fortress deemed the claim preposterous, akin to turning lead to gold. The formula, they said, was a hoax and not to be taken seriously. Susan looked up. â€Å"An auction?† Strathmore nodded. â€Å"Right now every software company in Japan has downloaded an encrypted copy of Digital Fortress and is trying to crack it open. Every second they can't, the bidding price climbs.† â€Å"That's absurd,† Susan shot back. â€Å"All the new encrypted files are uncrackable unless you have TRANSLTR. Digital Fortress could be nothing more than a generic, public-domain algorithm, and none of these companies could break it.† â€Å"But it's a brilliant marketing ploy,† Strathmore said. â€Å"Think about it-all brands of bulletproof glass stop bullets, but if a company dares you to put a bullet through theirs, suddenly everybody's trying.† â€Å"And the Japanese actually believe Digital Fortress is different? Better than everything else on the market?† â€Å"Tankado may have been shunned, but everybody knows he's a genius. He's practically a cult icon among hackers. If Tankado says the algorithm's unbreakable, it's unbreakable.† But they're all unbreakable as far as the public knows!† â€Å"Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Strathmore mused. â€Å"For the moment.† â€Å"What's that supposed to mean?† Strathmore sighed. â€Å"Twenty years ago no one imagined we'd be breaking twelve-bit stream ciphers. But technology progressed. It always does. Software manufacturers assume at some point computers like TRANSLTR will exist. Technology is progressing exponentially, and eventually current public-key algorithms will lose their security. Better algorithms will be needed to stay ahead of tomorrow's computers.† â€Å"And Digital Fortress is it?† â€Å"Exactly. An algorithm that resists brute force will never become obsolete, no matter how powerful code-breaking computers get. It could become a world standard overnight.† Susan pulled in a long breath. â€Å"God help us,† she whispered. â€Å"Can we make a bid?† Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"Tankado gave us our chance. He made that clear. It's too risky anyway; if we get caught, we're basically admitting that we're afraid of his algorithm. We'd be making a public confession not only that we have TRANSLTR but that Digital Fortress is immune.† â€Å"What's the time frame?† Strathmore frowned. â€Å"Tankado planned to announce the highest bidder tomorrow at noon.† Susan felt her stomach tighten. â€Å"Then what?† â€Å"The arrangement was that he would give the winner the pass-key.† â€Å"The pass-key?† â€Å"Part of the ploy. Everybody's already got the algorithm, so Tankado's auctioning off the pass-key that unlocks it.† Susan groaned. â€Å"Of course.† It was perfect. Clean and simple. Tankado had encrypted Digital Fortress, and he alone held the pass-key that unlocked it. She found it hard to fathom that somewhere out there-probably scrawled on a piece of paper in Tankado's pocket-there was a sixty-four-character pass-key that could end U.S. intelligence gathering forever. Susan suddenly felt ill as she imagined the scenario. Tankado would give his pass-key to the highest bidder, and that company would unlock the Digital Fortress file. Then it probably would embed the algorithm in a tamper-proof chip, and within five years every computer would come preloaded with a Digital Fortress chip. No commercial manufacturer had ever dreamed of creating an encryption chip because normal encryption algorithms eventually become obsolete. But Digital Fortress would never become obsolete; with a rotating cleartext function, no brute-force attack would ever find the right key. A new digital encryption standard. From now until forever. Every code unbreakable. Bankers, brokers, terrorists, spies. One world-one algorithm. Anarchy. â€Å"What are the options?† Susan probed. She was well aware that desperate times called for desperate measures, even at the NSA. â€Å"We can't remove him, if that's what you're asking.† It was exactly what Susan was asking. In her years with the NSA, Susan had heard rumors of its loose affiliations with the most skilled assassins in the world-hired hands brought in to do the intelligence community's dirty work. Strathmore shook his head. â€Å"Tankado's too smart to leave us an option like that.† Susan felt oddly relieved. â€Å"He's protected?† â€Å"Not exactly.† â€Å"In hiding?† Strathmore shrugged. â€Å"Tankado left Japan. He planned to check his bids by phone. But we know where he is.† â€Å"And you don't plan to make a move?† â€Å"No. He's got insurance. Tankado gave a copy of his pass-key to an anonymous third party†¦ in case anything happened.† Of course, Susan marveled. A guardian angel. â€Å"And I suppose if anything happens to Tankado, the mystery man sells the key?† â€Å"Worse. Anyone hits Tankado, and his partner publishes.† Susan looked confused. â€Å"His partner publishes the key?† Strathmore nodded. â€Å"Posts it on the Internet, puts it in newspapers, on billboards. In effect, he gives it away.† Susan's eyes widened. â€Å"Free downloads?† â€Å"Exactly. Tankado figured if he was dead, he wouldn't need the money-why not give the world a little farewell gift?† There was a long silence. Susan breathed deeply as if to absorb the terrifying truth. Ensei Tankado has created an unbreakable algorithm. He's holding us hostage. She suddenly stood. Her voice was determined. â€Å"We must contact Tankado! There must be a way to convince him not to release! We can offer him triple the highest bid! We can clear his name! Anything!† â€Å"Too late,† Strathmore said. He took a deep breath. â€Å"Ensei Tankado was found dead this morning in Seville, Spain.†

cell essays

cell essays Diabetes, Diabetes Mellitus, is a chronic illness this means that it has no cure and the symptoms persist over a long period of time. This illness is a result of an imbalance of hormones, insulin, produced in the pancreas. Insulin plays an important role in how the body uses food. Insulin enables the cells in the bloodstream to absorb and use glucose for fuel. If the pancreas produces too little or no insulin or if the insulin doesnt work properly the person may become diabetic. Therefore, diabetics are not able to properly convert food into fuels needed by the body to function, which can seriously lead to physical consequences. The pancreas, located behind the stomach, is a long, thin organ about the length of the hand. It is the organ that is responsible for the development of diabetes. The pancreas has two different types of cells, called alpha and beta cells, which produce insulin. Insulin is responsible for breaking down food that enters the body, turning into fuel that can be used by the body, and distributing it to the various parts of the body. The fuels needed for the body to function are known as glucose. Glucose is sugar manufactured when the carbohydrates we eat are digested. Carbohydrates are foods that contain a large amount of sugar or starch. Bread, fruit, ice cream, and cereal are good examples of foods that are high in carbohydrates. Glucose is the main provider of energy for the majority of bodily functions. The glucose level in the blood changes in response to a persons a daily activity, from eating a meal, to stressful situations. Attempts to transplant part of a normal pancreas into a diabetic have not been very successful. The operation is a difficult one and only about 40 percent of the transplanted organs are still working. One major problem is that some way has to be found to stop the digestive juices leaking out and digesting the insulin. Pancreatic transplants have mainly been attempted ...

Run-on Sentences and Fragments in ACT English Grammar Rule

Run-on Sentences and Fragments in ACT English Grammar Rule SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You may think that of all the grammatical concepts you will encounter on the ACT English, recognizing a correct sentence will be one of the easiest ones. But did you know that this is actually one of themost commonly-tested subjects because it can bevery tricky? Do you know what you need to have in order to have a complete sentence? Can you reliably tell the difference between a subordinate clause and an independent clause? Do you know how to use semicolons and conjunctive adverbs? Read this guide to see how the ACT manages to trick so many students with this seemingly easy concept. In this guide I will show you: What grammatically constitutes a complete sentence How prepositional phrases, appositives and relativeclauses can make sentences more difficult to understand How to recognize and fix fragments How to recognize and fix run-on sentences Strategies to attack these kinds of questions Examples of this kind of ACT question Test Yourself Can you recognize which of the following are correct sentences, and which are fragments and run-ons? My dog, Angel, barksat squirrels in the front yard. Angel, who is part greyhound and part rottweiler. After owning Angel for eight years, we got another dog, her name was Elsa. Elsa, who is a puppy, does not enjoy taking baths. Although she hated taking a bath, but she loved playing in the rain. Elsa licking Angel all over her face. Angel would become angry. Because the puppy would never leave her alone, Angel, who would growl and snap at her. At first Angel avoided her, soon she started to enjoy the puppy's presence. Answers: 1. Sentence; 2. Fragment; 3. Run-on; 4. Sentence; 5. Fragment; 6. Fragment; 7. Sentence; 8. Fragment; 9. Run-on What Is a Sentence? You may have heard in your English class that a sentence needs to have a subject and a verb. More specifically, a correct, complete sentence has to have at least oneindependent clause. The ACT will not test you on any of the grammatical terms we cover, but understanding the ideas is important. A simple sentence made of oneindependent clause has three main characteristics: A subject (a person or thing that is doing an action) A verb that is correctly conjugated to match the noun It expresses a complete thought and makes sense on its own Let's look at one of the above sentences and see if it matches this description. My dog, Angel, barksat squirrels in the front yard. The subject - the person or thing doing the action - is "dog." The verb, or action word, is "barks." The verb is correctly conjugated in the 3rd person singular to match the subject of the sentence, my dog. If you wanted to, you could get rid of the rest of the sentence and it would still technically make sense! My dog barks. There are some rare circumstances in which you will see a complete, correct sentence where you cannot as easily pick out the subject:direct commands. Stop! Help! Give me an umbrella! Though you can easily spot the action words in these sentences, it's less clear what the subject is. In commands, thesubject is always understood to be "you." This is because you are always telling someone else what to do when you give a command! This is the only time that it's ok to have a sentence without a clear subject. The ACT will rarely test this, but it's good to know just in case. You now know everything you need to know about simple sentences! But did you know that sentences can also becompound orcomplex? Let's go over these concepts next to see how the ACT might try to trick you. Compound Sentences A compound sentence is a sentence that hasmore than one independent clause - meaning two subjects and two verbs. This kind of constructioncan start to get tricky, because you have to make sure that they're joined together correctly. If they aren't, they're calledrun-on sentences.We'll discuss these more below. There are several different ways that you can join independent clauses together correctly to make a compound sentence. Join the sentences with a comma and a coordinating conjunction Coordinating conjunctions are probably the conjunctions you're most familiar with, includingand, but,andor.You can remember all of them with the acronym FANBOYS: F for A and N nor B but O or Y yet S so As an example, let's look at the following independent clauses: Ben and Kate always enjoyed eating Chinese food. They began to prefer Japanese food after traveling to Japan. Here is how you could join these two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction: Ben and Kate always enjoyed eating Chinese food, butthey began to prefer Japanese food after traveling to Japan. Remember that when using a coordinating conjunction to join two sentences, you mustalways use a comma. Join the sentences with a semicolon A semicolon is grammatically identical to a period. As such, you canjoin two sentenceswith a semicolon and nothing else. Ben and Kate always enjoyed eating Chinese food; they began to prefer Japanese food after traveling to Japan. Join the sentences with a semicolon (or period) and conjunctive adverb. There are several different conjunctive adverbs, but some of the most common ones are: however, nevertheless, therefore, moreover, and consequently. You can pair one of these words with a semicolon or a period toshow the relationship between the two sentences you are joining. Notice that the different adverbs show different relationships. However and nevertheless show a contrast. Thereforeandconsequently show a cause-and-effect relationship. Moreover adds emphasis and expand on information. Ben and Kate always enjoyed eating Chinese food; however, they began to prefer Japanese food after travelingto Japan. Remember when using this construction that you shouldalways have a commaafter the conjunctive adverb. Make one of the sentences a dependent clause We will talk more about dependent clauses in a moment, but this is how this tactic would look: Though Ben and Kate had always enjoyed eating Chinese food, they began to prefer Japanese food after traveling to Japan. Once again, note that the dependent clause is separated from the main clauseby a comma. You will also often find that you need to add a word or two when using this method in order to have the sentence make more sense, or rearrange the order of the words. Because of the many variables involved, this approachcan be one of the more difficult options for joining two sentences together. Let's look more into how dependent clauses are formed and how they are used. Sentences with Dependent Clauses So what is the difference between an independent clause and a dependent clause? Unlike independent clauses, which can stand on their own, adependent clause must be attached to an independent clause. Though dependent clauses have asubject andverb, theydon't make sense on their own. Instead, a dependent clause is usually used toexplain something about the independent clause that it is attached to.The dependent clause may tell background details about the independent clause, or where or why the independent clause is happening. Dependent clauses will begin with asubordinating conjunction that gives you a signal that it cannot stand on its own. For more on subordinating conjunctions, see this article. Although he loved his country, he moved abroad to find new opportunities. In this example, the independent clause is "he moved abroad to find new opportunities." This is able to stand on its own and makes perfect sense without any more information. In contrast, look at the dependent clause, "Although he loved his country." This gives background informationfor the independent clause that follows, butit does not make sense on its own.The reader is left wonderingwhat did he do? Remember that if you encounter a dependent clause on its own on the ACT, it will always be incorrect. I will discuss this in more detail below in the "Fragments" section. Sentences with Prepositional Phrases, Appositives, and RelativeClauses Prepositional Phrases Prepositional phrases can be added almost anywhere in a sentence to add more detail about how, where, or by whom something is done. You can find a list of the most common prepositions in the English language in this article.A prepositional phrase consists of (at least) a preposition and a noun that's called the object of the preposition. Let's look at some examples of how these are used: The young manin that coffee shop enjoys eating cake. (Prepositional phrase tells where man is) The young man enjoys eating cakein that coffee shop.(Prepositional phrase tells where he likes to eat cake. Remember that you should always be able to completely delete a prepositional phrase and still have a full sentence left over. If you don't, then your sentence is incorrect! The young man enjoys eating cake. CORRECT Like a dependent clause, a prepositional phrasecannot stand alone as a sentence. In that coffee shop. INCORRECT RelativeClauses Some sentences also haverelativeclauses. These clausesaren't necessary for the sentence to make sense; instead, they add extra information. Non-essential clauses will begin with arelative pronoun, such asthat, which, whoseor where.Since they'reclauses, theyshould always includeasubject and a verb. Let's look at an example: The young man, who was sitting in the cafe and eating cake, dreamed of getting a PhD. In this sentence, the subject of the relativeclause is "who." The verb is "was sitting." Relativeclauses can be completely removed from the sentence and you'll still have a complete sentence left over. The young man dreamed of getting a PhD. Note that this means that if you remove the non-essential clause and something doesn't seem right with the remaining sentence, you have a fragment on your hands! I'll discuss this more below. Appositives An appositive is a word or phrase that consists ofa noun or a pronoun and its modifiers that is placeddirectly next to another noun or pronoun that it's describing. The point of an appositive is to add more information about a noun in a sentence. Appositives should be surrounded by commas. Jeff, the young man, sat in the cafe and ate cake while he studied. In this sentence, "the young man" is an appositive fodescribing the noun "Jeff." As you may have guessed,you should be able to remove an appositive and have a complete sentence left over. Jeff sat in the cafe and ate cake while he studied. But what if you cross out an appositive, prepositional phrase, or non-essential clause, and the sentence you have doesn't seem quite right? Now that we've learned the correct ways to form sentences, let's look at some of the most common mistake sentences you will see on the ACT -fragments. What Is a Fragment? A fragment is an incomplete sentence. There are 6 main mistakes that can make a sentence a fragment: A â€Å"sentence† that lacks a verb A â€Å"sentence† that has an -ingor non-past tense -ed verb without a helping verb A â€Å"sentence† that lack a subject A â€Å"sentence† that begins with a subordinating conjunction and has no main clause A â€Å"sentence† that adds details to the main clause, but is separated from it A â€Å"sentence† that has a nonessential clause or prepositional phrase and incomplete main clause Let's look at each of these individually. Sentences That Don't Have a Verb How to recognize these fragments:ask what the subject of the sentence is doing. If you can't answer that question, it's most likely because there isn't a verb! Lewis, after driving two hundred miles.What did he do? Two pairs of trousers and three shirts.What about them? On Saturday this week.What is on Saturday? How to fix these fragments:you must add a verb to show an action or a state of being. Lewis, after driving two hundred miles,neededa drink. Hepacked two pairs of trousers and three shirts. On Saturday this weekis the wedding. Sentences with an -ing verb or non-past tense -ed verb and no helping verb How to recognize these fragments:whenever you see an â€Å"-ing† verb, or an â€Å"-ed† verb that doesn’t seem to be describing the past tense, there MUST bea helping verb with it or another verb somewhere else in the sentence. If it has neither, the sentence is a fragment. The man driving through the countryside. Lewis tired from his journey. The children watching television. There are three waysto fix these fragments:add a helping verb, or change the verb to another form if it's appropriate. The manwas driving through the countryside. OR The mandrovethrough the countryside. Lewiswas tired from his journey. The childrenwere watching television. OR The childrenwatched television. You can also fix this type of fragment byusing the -ed or -ingword as a an adjective (called a participle) and adding another verb. The mandriving through the countryside enjoyed the views. Lewis,tiredfrom his journey,slept. The childrenwatching televisionlaughed. Sentences That Lack a Subject How to recognize these fragments:ask yourself who is doing the action. You may notice that some of these examples have multiple issues, like the ones mentioned above - in that case, it's important to make sure that you have fixedall of the errors in the sentence. Parked the car.Who parked the car? Wanted to visit the historic town center.Who wanted to visit it? Thinking about buying a gift for the wedding.Who was thinking about it? To fix these fragments,add a subject and make sure the verb is present in a correct form. Lewis parked the car. He wanted to visit the historic town center. He wasthinking about buying a gift for the wedding. Dependent Clause Fragments How to recognize these fragments: the sentence has a subject and correctly conjugated verb, but begins with a subordinating conjunction and isn't attached to another main clause. The following words are common subordinating conjunctions. If the sentence begins with one of these, make sure it's attached to an independent clause. If not, it's a fragment! after although as because before ever since if in order just as since so that though unless until when whenever where whether whereas whichever while Let's look at some examples of this errors: After he parked the car. Since he wanted to go to the carnival. Becausehe was late. One way to fix these fragments is toconnect them to an independent clause. After he parked the car,he went into the hotel. Since he wanted to go to the carnival, he took a day off work. Because he was late,he missed the first part of the movie. You can also fix them bygetting rid of the subordinating conjunction.This turns them intoindependent clauses that can stand on their own. He parked the car. He wanted to go to the carnival. He was late. Added Detail Fragments How to recognize these fragments: look for words like "such as," "including," and "for example" that start a sentence, but explain something in a previous sentence.If this kind of constructionisn't attached to an independent clause with asubjectand averb, then it's a fragment. He likes exploring new places.Such asold towns and big cities. She likes a lot of different kinds of movies.For example,horror and comedy. I know many different dances, such as: the salsa, the polka, and the waltz. In orderto fix these fragments,add the detail fragment to the main sentence it is describing. He likes exploring new places, such as old towns and big cities. You can also turn the fragment into a complete sentence by adding a subject and a verb: She likes a lot of different kinds of movies. For example, she enjoys both horror and comedies. Finally,make sure that anything that comes before a colon can stand on its own as a sentence: I know many different dances:the salsa, the polka, and the waltz. Non-essential clause, appositive, or prepositional phrase fragments How to recognize these fragments:cross out the non-essential clause, prepositional phrase, or appositive.Do you have a complete sentence left over? If not, you have afragment. James,my cousin.→James, my cousin. MISSING VERB On my head.→ On my head. MISSING SUBJECT AND VERB. The girl, who was the best artist in the class.→ The girl, who was the best artist in the class. MISSING VERB Julia, my younger sister.→ Julia, my younger sister. MISSING VERB How to fix these fragments: Add a subject or verb as needed. Make sure that if you eliminate the prepositional phrase or non-essential clause, that there is a complete sentence left. James, my cousin, ate the whole pie.→ James, my cousin, ate the whole pie. CORRECT The bird sat on my head.→ The bird sat on my head. CORRECT The girl, who was the best artist in the class, won another award.→ The girl, who was the best artist in the class, won another award. CORRECT Julia, my younger sister,lives in Idaho.→ Julia, my younger sister, lives in Idaho. CORRECT What Is a Run-on? A run-on is when two or more sentences run together and are not separated by the correct punctuation. There are three main types of run-ons: Comma splices Fused sentences Sentences joined by a conjunctive adverb and commas Comma Splices A comma splice is when two complete independent clauses (full sentences) have been joined together by a comma and nothing else. A comma can never join together two complete sentences on its own. He had worked for the government for several years, he now wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. How to recognize these run-ons: when you see a sentence with a comma in the middle, check to see if there is a coordinating conjunction (see this article for more info) that joins the sentences together, or if one of the clauses is a subordinate clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction. If not, the sentence is a run-on. Fused sentences A fused sentence is when two or more sentences run right into each other, with no punctuation at all. He had worked for the government for several years he now wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. How to recognize these run-ons: look to see if you have two unconnected subjects and verbs, with no indication of more than one independent clause (see above the correct ways to join two independent clauses). Conjunctive adverb and a comma The final type of run-on is a bit trickier. Conjunctive adverbs are used with periods or semicolons to connect two independent clauses, so if they're paired with two commas instead, it creates a run-on: He had worked for the government for several years, however, now he wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. However, conjunctive adverbs that are connecting two complete sentences punctuated with a period or semicolon are sometimes moved into a sentence. This is perfectly acceptable: He had worked for the government for several years. Now, however, he wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. How to recognize these run-ons: when you see a conjunctive adverb (however, moreover, nevertheless, therefore, consequently, etc.) withcommas on either side of it,make sure it's being used to transition from a previous sentence and not to connect two independent clauses. To fix run-ons ...you will need to use the rules outlined in the first sectionto correctly join two sentences. #1: Create two separate sentences. He had worked for the government for several years. He now wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. #2: Use a comma and a FANBOYSconjunction He had worked for the government for several years, but he now wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. #3: Use a semicolon Remember that a semicolonis grammatically identical to a period -this concept is something the ACT tests a lot. He had worked for the government for several years; he now wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. #4: Use a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb He had worked for the government for several years; however, he now wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. #5: Make one of the clauses dependent Althoughhe had worked for the government for several years, he now wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. #6: If the two clauses have the same subject, re-write as a sentence with one subject and two verbs. Note that when you fix a sentence this way, you should notuse a comma with your FANBOYS conjunction. He had worked for the government for several years but now wanted to try a job in a small start-up company. Specific Strategies for Fragment and Run-onQuestions As you're reading through the different passages on ACT English, if you come across a question that you think may be about fragments or run-ons,use the following steps: Step 1 Carefully read the prompt if there is one. Sometimes the ACT will ask you to correct an error, and other times they will ask you to find the only answer that does NOT work. Step 2 After reading the sentence, does a mistake jump out at you? If not, look for the following telltale signs of a fragment or run-on: -ed or -ing verbs. Check for appropriate helping verbs. Clause that begins with a subordinating conjunction. Check if it is connected to a main clause. A separate sentence describing a previous sentence, with words like â€Å"for example.† Conjunctive adverbs like â€Å"however† surrounded by commas A semicolon followed by a FANBOYSconjunction A single comma in the middle of the sentence - often a sign of comma splice According to the ACT, not all mistakes are created equal.There are a few concepts they like to test more than others, andthey have some obvious markers. If the underlined section has acolon or semicolon, be on the lookout for afragment on either side. If the underlined section has acomma, it will very likely be acomma splice. Immediately cross out any answer choices that make the above errors. Step 3 If you are still uncertain about the correct answer: you can immediately eliminate anything that is grammatically identical. For example, a semicolon (;) is grammatically identical to a period and a new sentence. If one is incorrect, they will both be incorrect. Step 4 Select a final answer choice that follows the above rules and also follows the standard style rules used on ACT English: #1: No unnecessary prepositions or articles#2: Pronouns must have clear antecedents#3: Use fewer gerunds and participles if possible#4: No dangling or misplaced modifiers#5: No unnecessary commas#6: Choose the most concise option that is also grammatically correct. Old school...literally Let’s try one together†¦ Benjamin’s grandmother taught him to read, and he attended a one-room Quaker school when the farmwork slowed down during the winter. Which of the following alternatives to the underlined portion would NOT be acceptable? read; he read, and he also read he read. He From reading the prompt, I can see that the given sentence is correct as is, and so are three of the answer choices. This is a â€Å"backwards† question that asks us to find the only incorrect answer instead of the only correct one. I can see that there is a comma in the underlined portion, so I need to see how it’s being used. It’s pretty obvious that the comma is being used together with the FANBOYS conjunction â€Å"and." This is one of the correct ways of joining two independent clauses, as detailed above. From double checking I can see that I have two independent clauses with their own subjects and verbs: â€Å"Benjamin’s grandmother taught him to read† and â€Å"he attended a one-room Quaker school when the farmwork slowed down during the winter.† So which of the answer options also show correct ways to join two independent clauses? (A) has the independent clauses joined by a semicolon on its own. This is a correct way to join two independent clauses, so (A) is not the answer. (B) joins the two independent clauses together in the same way that the original sentence does, with a comma and a FANBOYS conjunction. The only thing that is different is that it adds an extra adverb, â€Å"also," which is unnecessary but not incorrect. (C) does not do anything to join the two clauses together - this is a classic example of a â€Å"fused† run-on sentence. Therefore, (C) is the correct answer as it is the only option that does not join the clauses together correctly. But what if you aren’t sure? Just to check†¦ (D) separates the two independent clauses with a period, which is another correct way of dividing two independent clauses, so (D) is not the answer. Now time to try some on your own! Practice ACT Questions 1. Joe realized the extent of the problem when his manager, Diane Watson, who had collated the material from the committee members present at the conference, began muttering, "It's all over now," this made him worry. NO CHANGE now" that now." This now," 2. The product manufacturer begins by creating a flexible steel grate. Across each opening, a wire mesh, evenly perforated, able to accommodate exactly one hook. NO CHANGE perforated, by being able perforated, which is able perforated, is able 3. It is a tribal dance that performed at weddings, births, and funerals. NO CHANGE dance in which it is performed dance, performing dance, performed 4. Around this time, the Glagolitic alphabet introduced by St. Cyril; became further integrated into the culture. NO CHANGE St. Cyril St. Cyril: St. Cyril, 5. To ensure the safetyof the drug, the pharmaceutical company had it tested in several trials, however, they found no evidence of averse side effects. NO CHANGE which who he 6. Peter the Great, who founded St. Petersburg to be Russia's "window to the West" and indirectly named the city after himself. NO CHANGE West," indirectly naming West," indirectly named West" and Answers: 1. C; 2. D; 3. D; 4. B; 5. B; 6. C What’s Next? Now that you’ve mastered one of the trickiest concepts on ACT English, time to check out some others! Read about how the ACT will test you on pronoun agreement, punctuation, and wordiness and redundancy. Need to review some of the basics before moving forward? Brush up on the fundamentals of grammar with our parts of speech guide. Want to make sure you have the right method of attack for this section? Read our guide about the best way to approach ACT English questions. Aiming high? Read this article for top tips for a 36 on ACT English from a perfect scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Political Geography Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political Geography - Term Paper Example Landlocked states have historically existed after the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. They were created after empires had been defeated and their territories had to be carved. The collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1991 led to the division of the country into a number of republics (Glassner, 2003). Several of these republics do not have access to coastal ports which forces to remain under the clout and influence of Russia. A number of Eastern European States do not have access to the seaports but this has been mitigated by their joining of the European Union. This allows them to have access to seaports and trade with some of the largest economies of the world. The independence of several African states led to many of them not having access to the seaports. Many of these countries have experienced political, economic, and social problems because they have been destabilized by their powerful neighbors. Landlocked states are categorized according to their geographical location. Asia has a number of countries which are landlocked. The number of landlocked states in Asia is few in number as compared with Europe and Africa. The Central Asian republics which obtained independence from the USSR in 1991 are dependent upon Russia for their exports and imports. Afghanistan does not have any sea outlet which forces it to depend upon Iran and Pakistan for trade (Glassner, 2003). Other countries include Nepal and Laos which are dependent upon their more powerful neighbors for trade and commerce. A number of Eastern European states which became independent after the revolutions of 1989 are encircled by terrain. Previously these nations were dependent upon the USSR for their exports and imports. The USSR used this as a leverage to dominate and influence its satellite states that did not have access to the coastal areas. Africa has the largest number of landlocked states in its various regions

Logos in Adverstising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Logos in Adverstising - Essay Example The paper tells that the logo that is used with fashion is one of the most important concepts that are used, specifically because it relates not only to the corporate identity but also to fashion statements. The products and the logos which are connected to these become the link to style that is used. The product of fashion then becomes dependent on the brand logo and the relationship which this creates to different consumers. Understanding and evaluating this links creates a stronger understanding of how brand identity can be altered with the fashion statements that are available. The concept of advertising and brand identity has become more important and relevant with the growth of businesses into modern times. It has been found that advertising is not only able to establish a company and the identity which they hold. It also creates a sense of value that is added to the company and the way in which consumers perceive this. Creating a sense of added value leads to a conscious choic e of one linking to the identity of the brand, specifically because the mind relates to the brand. The psychological relationship to the brand then continues to develop by creating a relationship to the consumer. If the brand identity is not strong, then the conscious choice of the consumer also focuses on how the product or service won’t be able to provide the best results. For the strong brand identity, is a relationship that the consumer creates that is developed from the belief that the brand is able to provide more value to one’s life, identity and the use of products that are associated with this. ... As the international brands continue to grow are more distinctions that fashion industries are required to make that help with the recognition of the brand. The image, advertising and the global campaigns that are created need to move across boundaries and focus on creating an international culture that recognizes and relates to the fashion which is established. The use of specific campaigns is one which creates separation from the identity and the celebrities which are used. However, the brand that is used is able to move across boundaries, specifically because it is recognized as the latest fashion statement of the brand, as opposed to a specific culture. As the world and the international concepts become even more established are specific associations with creating a strong identity against competitors and which helps with the recognition of the global consumer (Moore, Fernie, Burt, 919). Relationships of Brand Identity The concept of building a strong brand with fashion for the m arket is one that is shown through a variety of examples. Brand identity that is used within the international market is one which is identified specifically by creating a relationship with consumers. This moves outside of cultural identity and into attitudes which describe the clothing and fashion and which create a different response within the market. For example, the Hilfiger brand is one which is known to carry specific attributes and styles. Most describe this as couture clothing through the advertisements and brand name which follows this. The styles that follow continue with the overall creation of couture clothing that is recognized with the brand name. By keeping this specific attitude,