Facing the Giants Reaction Paper Essay

The secret of the team’s success is their faith to God. Their coach and the team itself seems to be hopeless and almost to give up, but their coach make a stand and seek God, His revelations and His sovereignty in their situation. Our events team almost has the same situation. We seem to be hopeless in mounting our own event because we are running out of time and we still don’t have an approved title. The good thing is, our professor gave us last chance and our event manager gathered all of us to discuss and vote for our titles proposal. Finally, we were able to hit the mark and get an approval because of our teamwork and perseverance even if there is no hope. This is a very good movie to watch for families and for people who are losing hope in their own situations. I realized that in life, there is nothing we can’t accomplish with faith. We have our own giants, but we cannot face them without God in our side. The movie shows that it is also important that our li ves should be guided by the Word of the Lord because His Words can renew our mindsets and spirits and His Word can light up our journey in this world. I also learned that, wherever God puts me, I must do my best not for myself, not for anybody else, but for His name to be glorified. My life must be a great testimony that will inspire and will encourage others. Giving up is never an option. If we feel like quitting, we must ask ourselves why we started. In everything we will do we must give our best and all that we have, all for our Lord. This movie gives its watchers something to treasure a lifetime. It will move every heart. I was teary eyed in the part where the son was saying sorry to his father after realizing that he really needs to respect his father. It is a good example to follow because nowadays, teenagers don’t have this respect for their parents. Movies nowadays will leave us stunned or give us some laughters but this movie gave us lessons that we can really apply to our families and career life.

Analysis of the Carlsberg Advertisements

Analysis of Carlsberg Advertisements Cultural differences and similarities between Denmark and Great Britain Consumer Behaviour RSM353 Chernenko Kirill The following examination of British and Danish versions of printed advertisements of Carlsberg beer is to determine role of culture in advertising and compare and contrast how the same brand is advertised in different cultures. I. Danish printed advertisement The poster shows 4 men in the forest having conversation and smiling, meanwhile everyone has a bottle in a hand.The background shows the connection to wild nature: large green trees together with five fallow dears, a magpie, a fox and a pheasant. The men have been hunting, possibly, and decided to take a break. The idea is to illustrate a moment of relaxation and enjoyment of Carlsberg beer in a good company. The slogan â€Å"Vores ol brygget pa det bedste vi har† (Our beer. Brewed from the best we have) at the bottom, involves different product characteristics. The first part â€Å"Vores ol† awakes the awareness of Danes, because their traditional beer connects people in Denmark.Per contra, the final part focuses on quality of a beverage, which worth to go hunting. The image and the content of a text box creates a unified whole. The advertisement illustrates the traditional myth of drinking beer since hunting is an old tradition and according to the text box â€Å"Only 11% of the Danish hunters are hunting to hunt† which implies social interaction with friends. And, therefore, the social belonging to that particular group is related to drinking beer.Furthermore, Carlsberg beer can be seen as a reward for hard-working process, going beyond the beverage and highlighting old traditional values which express the hunting myth. In addition, a humor takes special place in this print. Relaxed hunters are surrounded by animals, walking nearby very close. It seems that animals are not afraid of intruders. The beer is no longer just a beer. It b uilds community and harmony between the people, and also between the animals. This is a signal of weak uncertainty avoidance in Denmark.Carlsberg beer provides relaxing atmosphere and sense of peace as well as hygge (fun on Danish). Moreover, the poster represents the everyday culture, playing on the symbolic associations. Consequently, Carlsberg intends to tell a true story about the real product. Denmark is a very individualistic culture where independence is very important. Nevertheless, the Danish advertisement (the slogan â€Å"Vores ol†) contradicts individualism. Instead, the advertisement drives towards collectivism.It turns out that Danes are double-standard people: they keep distance from other people, sitting alone in public transit while they pursue the sense of belonging, seeking community involvement. Ultimately, Denmark is categorized as a low-context culture. That means that additional information and reasoning is required. Although this poster does not provid e explicit argumentation apart from slogan and little text box. In my opinion, information given is sufficient enough to deliver the message to Danish consumer. II. British printed advertisementUK version demonstrates 2 young men sitting on a terrace of a luxury house with a sea view and two beautiful young women in the background The woman standing next to swimming pool is showered by a cloud above. Next to her is another young woman, who is lying in the sun with a rainbow over her body. Aforesaid young men are both smiling and holding a bottle of beer. There is a snowing cloud between them, which keeps the beer on the table refrigerated. Perhaps, they talk to each other, sharing opinions and ideas about everything behind them, which is not realistic.It can be assumed that the man on the left is telling about his fantasy (which is the actual background of a print). This flight of imagination is correlated with a text box â€Å"Carlsberg don't do the weather, but if we did it would probably be the best weather in the world†. I will interpret it this way: Carlsberg is already producing the best beer in the world; if only Carlsberg made weather, it would also be the best in the world. The informal contradiction â€Å"don’t† is used to make the text ordinary, which links to the fact that Carlsberg beer is an everyday beer for any event, any time.According to this ad, the best weather is summertime, beautiful ladies either taking shower of rain or sunbathing and cold Carlsberg beer with a snowing cloud above. This idealistic lifestyle reflects the fantasies and desires of younger audience, which is the actual target population. This unrealistic weather is not only a castle in the sky, a dream, but also a myth of success which implies luxury, nice weather and exclusive alcoholic beverages. Young men stylish clothes and beautiful beach house proves that link.British small power distance is visible in this poster by the use of four independent yo ung people who are able to make ideals in countries, where individualism is highly valued. Beer-drinking culture in is also manifested in this advertisement. In Great Britain beer is a social drink, it is not consumed alone, it should be shared in a company. Just like in Denmark, British are double-standard people: individualistic community seekers. Overstatement in slogan â€Å"Probably the best beer in the world is a sign of masculine cultures, it is often used.The features of the product related to luxury and high status is another a signal of masculinity. On the other hand, slogan also has an understatement â€Å"probably† which represent feminine values. Weak uncertainty avoidance can be noticed in text box focused on what the product does rather than what it can. And again, if Carlsberg could modify the weather it would be just as good as their beer. Communication style is more high-context than low-context. This is caused by the indirect, implicit message the viewer h ave to understand (metaphor: snowing clouds performs the role of refrigerator). III.Cultural Differences and Similarities The above analysis of Carlsberg advertisements of Denmark and United Kingdom illustrates how dominant cultural values, believes and norms reflect the style and content of particular print. There are some characteristics in common while there are a few differences. In the first place, both advertisements involves myths. However, British one provides the myth of success, whereas Danish ad is linked to old Dane traditional values such as hunting and social interaction. Secondly, in both posters beer-drinking culture is related to social process and relaxing activity.The Denmark version possess harmony, peace and community while British focal point is high quality and exclusive luxury. Thirdly, both Denmark and Great Britain advertisements are high-context despite the fact that both countries are classified as low-context. Text boxes are not that informative such as the image scenario. Although Danish ad is more symbolic meanwhile British one has more high-context communication. Last but not least, in both prints all characters are smiling, expressing the joy and satisfaction. This is a distinctive feature of strong uncertainty avoidance cultures.On top of that, both countries are double-standard combining individualism with collectivism (as previously mentioned â€Å"individualistic community seekers†). Still, UK ad demonstrates more signs of highly individualistic values Appendix A Danish printed advertisement, 1999 Only 11% of the Danish hunters are hunting to hunt There is intelligence that can create intense peace as the taste of the original Carlsberg humble exclusively from flowers of the hemp plant Our beer. Brewed from the best we have Appendix B British printed advertisement, 2007

Cultural Diplomacy: a Filipino Perspective Essay

I. WHAT IS CULTURAL DIPLOMACY? Considered as a relatively new term in international relations and among governments, a commonly cited definition of cultural diplomacy is that of Milton Cummings, an American Political Scientist which defines Cultural Diplomacy as â€Å"the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding† between or among nations (Kang, 2013) or simply put, it pertains to a cultural form of international communication between and/or among nations (Kieldanowicz). It was only during the past decade when governments started to and have increasingly paid attention to the practice of Cultural Diplomacy and have acknowledged the growing importance of cultural dimensions in analyzing the ever-increasing complexity of foreign affairs (Kang, 2013). Art and culture are two important aspects of cultural diplomacy, as these are the forefront of many countries’ promotional efforts. The showcasing of a country’s cultural heritage, as made possible by cultural diplomacy, provides a country with the opportunity of showing who they are and create a positive image which will help them achieve their political aims (Kieldanowicz). This belief was echoed by Philippine DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario was quoted saying â€Å"DFA recognizes the impact of culture in modern diplomacy and sees it as an effective tool in protecting our national interest, in advancing our advocacies and in achieving the development agenda of the country in the international arena. Cultural diplomacy is described as â€Å"†¦a course of actions, which are based on and utilize the exchange of ideas, values, traditions and other aspects of culture or identity, whether to strengthen relationships, enhance socio-cultural cooperation or promote national interests; Cultural diplomacy can be practiced by either the public sector, private sector or civil society.† From this definition, we can gather that cultural diplomacy is similar to an agreement between two countries for the purpose of strengthening their relations through their cultures. II. PHILIPPINE ISSUES IN LINE WITH CULTURAL DIPLOMACY The first issue which the group considers significant in line with the establishment of cultural diplomacy is the young population’s patronization of Korean, Japanese and American pop culture. As previously mentioned, art and culture makes up our identity as Filipinos, however with the continuous and increasing â€Å"Japanesation, Koreanisation and Americanization† of our young generation, the young population is slowly losing its Filipino identity this then becomes a hindrance to the promotion of local Philippine culture, so the question is how could the Philippine local culture be promoted abroad if locally, there is difficulty in promoting, much less preserving it. III. PROJECTION OF ISSUES ON FOREIGN POLICY The ‘Japanesation’, ‘Koreanisation’ and ‘Westernization’ of the Filipino pop culture must be addressed by the Philippine government. We believe however, that action must first be taken in the local or domestic level and extend it later on to the international level by virtue of foreign policy. In line with this issue the government may sponsor students to study sociology with focus on Philippine culture, or establish art competitions such as song-writing and painting contests and the like. This will later on be reflected in the foreign policy by the establishment of government sponsorship of foreign students studying of Philippine culture and society. As we know, globalization is defined as â€Å"worldwide integration and development† and it has helped in improving the economy of different countries. Nowadays, there is a need for all the countries need to improve their exports to be able to make it in the international market. But despite that, globalization has also caused problems such as in cultural diplomacy, an example of this is the Business Process Outsourcing Industry. Even though the pay is nice in such an industry, there is an issue concerning cultural clashes. Since most of the BPOs came from the western side of the earth and then merely outsourced, there is a clash of what are the ways of living in one certain country and the ways of doing things when brought to the receiving country. There would be a lot of issues that would need to be addressed which causes in problems in cultural diplomacy. Let’s use the call center business as an example. Let’s us say that there is a new call center has been outsourced here in the Philippines. In the country where the call center originated they do no not celebrate Christmas or Lent but here in the Philippines we do celebrate these events. This is where the clash begins, because these are two different countries with two different cultures, it would be hard to make or form a cultural diplomacy. There is a need to have talks to address such issues and so that both parties can agree on decide on something to agree on to form a partnership through cultural diplomacy.

Chinese Culture and Political Police in China in the Movies Joy Luck Essay

Chinese Culture and Political Police in China in the Movies Joy Luck Club and Not One Less - Essay Example These films mainly about China, driven by means of the modernity’s blinding light, while, at the same time, no longer acknowledging its own children, in addition to its primitive past. In Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, there are four mothers, four daughters and four families whose histories change with the four winds according to the person narrating the stories. During 1949, four Chinese women, who happened to be recent immigrants to San Francisco, started meeting while eating dim sum, playing mahjong, and talking. Joy Luck Club is the name this group united by shared unspeakable loss, as well as hope, they referred to themselves. Instead of allowing themselves to sink in tragedy, they opt to gather by raising not only their spirits, but also money. Forty years down the line, the stories, as well as history persist (Tan 56). Amy Tan explores the sometimes painful, in most cases tender while always deep link between mothers and daughters with wit, as well as sensitivity. As every w oman exposes her secrets, attempting to unravel the truth concerning her life, the strings end up getting extensively tangled, while, at the same time extremely entwined. Apparently, mothers boast or despair over daughters, while daughters roll their eyes although they feel the inextricable tapering of their matriarchal ties. Amy happens to be an astute storyteller, who entices her readers into immersing themselves to these lives of complexity, as well as mystery. In Not One Less, Wei Minzhi who is a representative of an agrarian society, with all her backwardness, together with naivete, exemplifies the humanity that gets rejected by modern man pursuing an industrial civilization. Wei Minzhi is the replacement teacher of 13-years who is bigger than life; although she seems to be primitive, uncouth, silly, as well as immature; she happens to be China’s self-depiction as a third-world country along with a tenacity to modernize when she begins going to the city by foot thereby f inding her student, an act that is foolish yet heroic (Ebert 21). She turns out to be an expediently dumping ground for the pessimistic human emotions of the perfectly educated, which lecture her on rules, as well as etiquettes; with her solid resolution of letting no one be absent from her class, she exemplifies a spirit of the people on a pursuit for equitable growth, along with a more democratic society. She turns out to be a representation of China's resolve of being strong while catching up with the other part of the world. She happens to be courageous since she has a group of children behind her; to the point she is in control, they are capable of accomplishing things like moving numerous bricks to coming up with some money for her to purchasing a bus ticket. This means that, in Shui Quan elementary, there happens to be socialism still at work whereby people tend to share things such as coke while doing things within a collective manner; Wei Minzhi's courage, together with per sonal dignity lie on the continuation of this community. Wei Minzhi encounters the urbanites in the vast metropolis are a symbol of the â€Å"adult† world whereby Minzhi, together with Huike have a lot to learn as â€Å"children†; yet these city folks have suspicious morals: informed but uncaring, urbane but indifferent, wealthy but miserable; the ticket conductor tosses Minzhi out of the bus for not purchasing a ticket with the policeman guarding the television station’

International Business Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

International Business - Dissertation Example Introduction China has risen to become a leading player in international business. China’s rise has been gradual, since the late 1970’s to date. In prior years, China was a socialist state but in the past three decades, China has done a lot to convert itself into a consumerist economy. From the 1980’s China began to relax some of its restrictions on trade operations (Tseng & Zebregs, 2002). This relaxation of trade constraints has made China a very lucrative place for International Business. Foreign investment has had a huge impact on business development in China. This essay is going to discuss foreign investors, rules governing foreign investment in China, and how some of these rules have been relaxed to contain foreign entrepreneurs. Relevance statement The significance of this essay is that it will act as a supportive lead to people wishing to do business in China, especially foreign investors. In modern times, there has been a rush by investors to set up bus inesses in China. Competition for investment in China is very high and businessmen need to know what to expect of China’s trade regulations. ... For this reason, various works of literature have been written in a quest to understand how China has managed to get to the top of international business. As indicated earlier on in this essay, China had very strict laws on how to conduct business especially with foreigners. Nonetheless, China realized the disadvantages of such strict policies and improved its relations with international markets by initiating various government reforms towards the relaxation of trade policies. For example, Li (2001) states that the government of China did way with a provision that required all foreigners running firms in the country to locally source for raw materials. Today, foreign entrepreneurs in China are allowed to purchase raw materials form outside China, in order to facilitate the growth of their businesses. The fact that China accepts individual investors form foreign countries to operate in the country is an achievement. Previously, China only allowed investors to set up businesses by use of joint ventures. According to Graham & Harm (2006) joint ventures continue to be the most prominent form of foreign investment in China. Methodology In this essay, I will use qualitative methods such as interviews and questionnaires to collect information. I will also use quantitative techniques such as statistics to affirm the information. I will distribute questionnaires to various foreign investors in various regions in China. This will enable me get actual information on how the relaxation of various economic policies has eased foreign business in China. I will also interview government officials to find out what specific policies have been done away with, or relaxed to allow for more foreign investment. In order to obtain statistical data on the growth of foreign ventures

Macro4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macro4 - Essay Example By removing inflation, real GDP allows economists to make more accurate comparisons between countries and across multiple years. For example, let us consider a scenario where Nominal GDP in year N-1 was 500 and 525 in year N. The nominal GDP has grown by 5%. Now we look at three scenarios, one where inflation is 5% (country like UK), second where inflation is 1% (country like US) and the third where inflation is 10% (developing countries like India or China). If the economic policy makers were to consider only nominal GDP, all the three policy makers might consider similar fiscal policies. However, by looking at the real GDP, we are able to see that even though nominal growth of developing countries is higher, it is still lower than the inflation rate and the real GDP would actually have dropped. The goal of economic policy makers is to have low unemployment, stable prices and to stimulate growth. They have two sets of tools for this objective: 1) Fiscal policy – Government sp ending and Taxation 2) Monetary policy – Discount rate, Bank reserve ratio, and Open market operations So, the assumption made about what policy makers want to know when considering Real GDP more meaningful is the following: a) Are economic policies creating a real increase in the output? b) How much real demand is being created by government spending and taxation policy? c) Is the monetary policy able to drive growth at constant prices? 2. Why is GDP inadequate as a measure of social welfare? Can you think of any ways to make GDP a better measure of social welfare? GDP simply adds up all the products and services that are bought and sold. It makes no distinction between transactions that ass to the social welfare and those that diminish it. GDP assumes that all monetary transactions add to well-being without separating cost from benefit. For example, as a result of the recent earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, GDP would not take into account the loss caused by it but would act ually add up the cost spent in bringing things back to normal. Also, activities that actually are negative for the social welfare are added up in GDP – like lawyer fees in divorces or property damage and medical expenses due to crime. Further, GDP does not take into account some of the most important social welfare work that happens in our everyday lives – childcare, DIY home repairs, or even voluntary work. As an example of the ambiguity of GDP, if we hire someone to do the home repairs, GDP adds the income but if we do it ourselves, the DIY repair goes â€Å"unnoticed† in the GDP. In order to make GDP a better measure of social welfare, we could represent GDP like the balance sheet of a company showing separately the assets (monetary transactions that lead to social welfare and development) and the liabilities (monetary transactions that cause negative impact on social welfare or those that have been made in order to be back to normal after a disaster). The ne t of these assets and liabilities would then be a good indicator of how much actual social welfare has occurred in the country or over time. 4. a. Compute real GDP for each year. 1987 is the base year. Show your work. Year Nominal GDP GDP deflator Real GDP 1989 5 244 1,08 4 856 1990 5 514 1,13 4 880 1991 5 672 1,17 4 848 Real GDP in Year n = Nominal GDP in Year n GDP Deflator for that year Real GDP in 1989 = 5 244 / 1.08 = 4

Computer Network Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer Network Security - Essay Example It is now considered as a fundamental fact that if an application is connected and operates on the network, it can be exploited and compromised. Organizations are keen to build a layered defense of protection to counter cyber threats from internal and external entities. Likewise, there is a requirement to constantly monitor live traffic from and to the World Wide Web, remote connections, the real-time interaction of users to applications, Internet gateways and client interactions with the applications. Code reviews are essential, as patches from vendors must be tested first before implementation into the live environment. However, for effective implementation of patches, patch management practices must be documented and standardized. Likewise, there are effective tools available for performing effective patch management. Secondly, configuration management also plays an essential role in ensuring security for mission-critical aviation applications. For instance, if a faulty hardware c omponent is replaced with the new one, it is important to address issues with hardware compatibility, as any malfunctioned device may introduce the vulnerability. Thirdly, change management procedures must also be documented and approved by the respective application owners prior to any changes to the application. For instance, change request form requiring any changes within the application can be approved and documented for ensuring no vulnerable spots in the architecture and infrastructure. All the identified attack interfaces must be addressed by taking the following factors into consideration (Mitigating security threats by minimizing software attack surfaces.2008): Uninstall and prevent unnecessary features Default utilities and programs that are installed within the operating systems must be utilized (If required) Strong access management by user authentication Remove all default passwords on the application server

Influences of My Career Choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Influences of My Career Choice - Essay Example For one thing, having a job only means that I have an activity through which an individual can earn money. It is a regular activity in exchange of payment. It is not the same as having a career since having a career means that I would essentially be pursuing a lifelong ambition or the general course of progression towards lifelong goals. (Career vs. Job) So, I now knew that although I had a job, I may not want to be doing the same job for the rest of my life. Therefore, I needed to make plans that included developing a career plan for myself that I would follow until the day I retire. I need the career in order to give myself a sense of direction and financial motivation. By choosing a career for myself, I would finally be able to tell people that I knew what I would be doing for myself in the future. Techniques in career management Planning for my future career requires a more-or-less systematic approach, following those models and theories that management experts and practitioners have designed. While these are not hard and fast rules, they are advisory in providing a structure to how I am to plan out my career and work life. We will be using the Wheel of Life, the Greenhaus et al. Career Management Model, and Bolles’ (2008) Flower Diagram. Wheel of Life There are several conceptual tools which are helpful in defining our life goals and aspirations so that we could make a better choice among the possible career paths we could take. The diagram following provides a visual depiction of the theory. The wheel of life is made up of concentric circles showing graduated levels of each part. In applying this wheel in the course of deciding and building a career, it is important to balance our lives according to each part that makes up the wheel. I am aware that work and career, which is of such great importance to me, should also serve to balance personal growth and need for money against love life, hobbies and recreation, and of course family and friends. We must not also pursue career so intensely as to forget our health and fitness, particularly managing the stress that tends to build up at work. In my case, the overbearing influence of family, to be discussed later, has to be moderated by my desire for personal growth, earning money, and work and career. Even while growing up, due to our dire circumstances I was overly occupied with working due to our lack of money that I did not have a healthy balance between study, friends and recreation like other children. Over-emphasizing any of these aspects and neglecting the others will surely lead to my eventual frustration and unhappiness. The Greenhaus, et al. Career Management Model The following diagram depicts the Greenhaus, Callanan & Godshalk (2000) model. I find this model a good tool to use in trying to feel through what career path I choose for myself, and I believe I will continue to refer to it as a framework for gaining my bearings as I reach crucial junctures in my work life. T he model appears to be complicated, but I realize that I had been subconsciously doing the steps during my career planning. An instinctive awareness of my aspirations and capabilities and awareness of the desperation as well as opportunities in my environment have guided me to want better things and perceive a way to do them. Everytime I try out

Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism Essay

Explanation and Evaluation of Libertarianism - Essay Example For better understanding of libertarianism in general, let us look at some universal tenets of libertarianism. One of the main universal tenets of libertarianism is the belief in natural human rights.   Libertarianism, teaches that human beings have inalienable rights that should be respected by other people and even by the government (Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, web). These rights are the rights to life, property, and liberty. These three rights are negative rights in that they all entail freedom from non-interference from the government and from other people. Libertarianism teaches that individuals are ontologically prior to the state or to any other social grouping and for that reason, individuals are more important than the social organizations or the state. Libertarianism, therefore, advocates for respect of individualism. The second universal libertarianism principle is the belief in spontaneous order. Libertarians believe that social organizations and institutions that guarantee peace and order in the society develop spontaneously, through voluntary associations of members of the society, without any initiation or imposition by central authority. Libertarians view order and peace in the society as a condition sine qua non for flourishing of human beings in the society. The libertarians, however, are opposed to social organizations that are imposed upon the people by the central authority; the formations of such organizations are an infringement upon the natural rights of individual.

To what extent did Britain experience a 'cultural revolution' in the Essay

To what extent did Britain experience a 'cultural revolution' in the 1960s - Essay Example The Acts of parliament led to divorce, homosexuality and abortion thus declining the social standards. For instance, National Health Service Act of 1967 allowed for the local authorities to provide free contraceptive pills to women thus leading to secular Britain. The sixties is considered a period when the old framework of morality, authority and discipline in the society disintegrated and led to disrespect of law and order, decline in family values and tuneful music (Moore-Gilbert 1992). The Cultural Revolution was characterized by youthful culture, idealism. Protests, triumph of Afro-American models, changes in sexual behaviours such as gay liberation, and the emergence of new music. It is evident that Swinging Sixties changed British moral standards from Christian based virtues to more secular virtues due to legalisation of homosexuality and abortion (Sandbrook 2007). The technological development in music production technologies led to new music genres such as hard rock and new dressing styles that included unkempt long hair, afro hairstyle and sideburns. Premarital sex and commercialisation of pornography and nudity in television advertisements later led to emergency of sexually transmitted diseases, abortions and high divorce rates (Ferris 1993). The Cultural Revolution was evident in new dressing styles. Some fashion trends include new hairstyles like the beatle boots and mop-top haircut. The hippie movement also introduced bell-bottom jeans, paisley prints and batik fabrics that were common with the youth. In addition, mini-skirts were introduced and bikini family featured in the beach party film in 1963 (Marr 2008). Men also introduced new hairstyles that included crew cut, flattop hairstyle and longer parted hairstyles with sideburns. African women preferred the afro while other mainstream hairstyles included chignon hairstyle, twiggy and beehive hairdos (Marwick 1998). In my opinion, it is evident that the Cultural Revolution led to new fashion desi gns and fashion consciousness among British youth. The youthful population wanted casual wear that displayed their identity of being cool and trendy thus replicating with anti-social behaviours like drug abuse (Marr 2008). The Cultural Revolution is evident in the music industry. In the 1950s, Britain relied entirely on American music but Beatles ventured in American market in 1960s thus making Britain a centre of fashion and music. Many youths admired Beatlemania as pop music erupted with energy thus leading to cultural shifts. The Rolling stones band utilized sexy drawl and feminine pout that drew huge crowds to music concerts. Another striking aspect of the music was unkempt style and wild wear clothing. New music stars such as Cilla Black, Adam Faith and Cliff Richard emerged during the Cultural Revolution. The Zombies, the Animals and Dusty Springfield mainly used protest music that combined new fashion trends and youthful culture thus appealing to the US audience (Moore-Gilber t 1992). In addition, psychedelic music was common in order to enhance the experiences of hallucinogenic drugs while the traditional progressive folk bands shifted to rock and pop music (Sandbrook 2007). Heavy metal music started to gain audience in later 1960s and become popular in the next decade. Carnaby Street in London was

The Universal Declaration of the Rights of men and Citizen 1789 and Essay

The Universal Declaration of the Rights of men and Citizen 1789 and Modern Political Thought - Essay Example Reforms were put in place but this resulted in divisions because the Assembly adopted a position that was against the church and declared war on nations that supported the French king. Anarchy ensued and in 1792, the National Assembly declared itself as a National Convention. It abolished the monarchy, established a French Republic and executed King Louis XVI the following year (Wilde, 2009). The first part of the Revolution was characterized by moral and physical violence. The States-General met in 1789 in Versailles but were paralyzed by the refusal of the Third Estate (the Commons) to meet separately as a distinct, inferior body. On June 17, the Commons took the crucial revolutionary step of declaring their assembly to be the National Assembly, thereby destroying the States-General. This first assertion of the sovereign authority of the nation soon inspired a popular rising in Paris, marked by the storming of the Bastille on July 14. Concurrently, urban and rural revolts occurred throughout France. Suspicions generated by the political crisis had aggravated the discontent aroused by the failure of the 1788 harvest and an exceptionally severe winter. The peasants pillaged and burned the chateaus of the aristocracy destroying the records of their manorial dues (Sydenham, 1997). The revolutionary government declared war against Great Britain in January of 1793. In Cody’s treatise, it was mentioned that what followed was the Reign of Terror where all potential enemies of the ruling faction, regardless of their age, sex and physical condition, were executed. In October of 1795, a new system, the Directory replaced the revolutionary government and the first bicameral legislature in the history of France was instituted. The parliament was composed of 500 representatives and 250 senators while executive power was granted to five directors. After four years,

Cost Accounting Terminologies Essay Example for Free

Cost Accounting Terminologies Essay Cost accounting, as a tool of management, provides management with detailed records of the costs relating to products, operations or functions. Cost accounting refers to the process of determining and accumulating the cost of some particular product or activity. It also covers classification, analysis and interpretation of costs. The cost so determined and accumulated may be the estimated future costs for planning purposes, or actual (historical) costs for evaluating performance. The Institute of Cost and Management Accountant (ICMA), London, defined cost accounting as â€Å"the process of accounting for cost from the point at which expenditure incurred or committed to the establishment of its ultimate relationship with cost centers and cost units. In its widest usage it embraces the preparation of statistical data, the application of cost control methods and the ascertainment of profitability of activities carried out or planned.† Costing Cost accounting and costing have distinctly different meanings. The Institute of Cost and Management Accountant (ICMA), London, defined costing as the ascertainment of costs. Costing includes the â€Å"techniques† and â€Å"processes† of ascertaining costs. The technique refers to the principles or rules which are applied for ascertaining costs of products manufactured and services rendered. There are mainly two methods of costing job costing and process costing. The process includes the day to day routine of determining costs within the methods of costing adopted by the business enterprise. Within such a process, there could be historical costing, marginal costing, absorption costing and standard costing etc. Objectives of Cost Accounting There is a direct relationship among information needs of management and cost accounting objectives and techniques and tools used for analyses in cost accounting. Cost accounting has the following three important objectives: 1. To determine the product cost.  2. To facilitate planning and control of regular business activities. 3. To supply information for short and long-run decision. Product Costing The objective of determining the cost of products is the prime importance of cost accounting. The total product costs and cost per unit of product are important in making inventory valuation, deciding price of the product and managerial decision making. Planning and Control Another important objective of cost accounting is the creation of useful cost data and information for the purposes of planning and control by management. The different alternative plans are evaluated in terms of respective costs and associated benefits. The management control over business operations aims to establish balance between actual and budgeted performance. A properly designed cost accounting system includes the following steps in the control process: 1. Comparing actual performance with budgets and standard 2. Analyzing the variances between budget and standards and actual by causes, and management responsibility so that corrective actions may take place. 3. Providing managers with data and reports about their individual performances and performances of subordinates. Information for decision Another important objective of cost accounting system is to provide data and special analyses for short and long-run decisions of a non-recurring nature. Appropriate cost information must be accumulated to make a wide variety of short and long run decision. According to Henke and Spoede, the following are the cost information developed in cost accounting: 1. As a basis for valuing manufactured inventories and cost of goods sold in externally presented financial reports. 2. In controlling operations through the evaluation of operating results and the placement of responsibilities for the uses of organizational resources on the shoulders of specifically identifiable persons within the organization. 3. In planning operations through the establishment of cost and budgetary goals. 4. In making day- to- day operating decisions. The cost information is used for two purposes in most organizations: 1) the cost accounting systems provide information to evaluate the performance of an organizational unit or his manager, and 2) also provide the means for estimating the unit cost of products or services that the organization can manufacture or provide to others. a) Performance measurement: This measurement can be done by comparing current costs with those who were expected or standard costs budgeted cost to the degree of knowing which of them have been controlled. Deviations of expected with the current variances can be identified, evaluated and discussed by managers. b) Cost of goods and services: In manufacturing companies, the costs of goods must be measured to determine the cost of items transferred from work in process inventory to finished products. To meet the demands for information, a cost system should measure all the costs of manufacturing process and allocate a portion of those costs to each unit of output. The cost to obtain, maintain and manage the manufacturing plant or building should be added to the cost of material and productive work that requires each unit. The first are called indirect costs and the two last are called direct costs. c) Profit analysis. Information in costs is essential to analyze the profits obtained from a product or product line. The information on the cost of a product enables managers to assess the contribution margin the difference between the price and variable costs and the gross margin the difference between the price and the total cost of the product. d) Product mix. For the companies that offer more than one product or service the cost information is key to handle the mix of products or services offered to customers. With information on cost-profit, a manager can lead the effort in sales and advertising for products that generate greater value. The products that do not create any profit can be removed, have a price reassignation, or tied up with products that have greater utility. e) Price assignation. Regardless of where prices are determined by the forces of market demand, product differentiation and advertising offer to many managers some sort of idea to assign prices to products or services. The costs of products and trends commonly offer signals to managers that prices should be changed. An example could be the change in the cost of a material or critical component which can give a signal to reassess the price of a product or service. f) Cost of service. Many products require the seller to provide additional services to customers. In such cases, the information about the cost of service is so important for managers as the cost of production. The same for companies that offer services only, unless the cost of service is measured, there is no way to know whether providing the service is profitable or not, or whether changes in prices or advertising are needed. Looked from another angle, the uses that the administration of a company can give to the costs can be grouped into 4 categories, specified below Method of costing As state earlier, the term costing refers to the techniques and processes of determining cost of a product manufactured or a service rendered. Different methods are applied in business enterprises to ascertain cost depending upon the nature of the product, production method and specific business conditions. For example, in a textile or steel company, raw material passes through different stages and production is done continuously. In some other industries, production is done at different customers specific orders and each job is different from the other job.

Speedo Marketing Strategy

Speedo Marketing Strategy To being with our organisational orientation lets look at some of the definition about Marketing and Marketing concept. Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. (Approved October 2007 American Marketing Association Board of Directors) The right product, in the right place, at the right time, at the right price (Adcock) The achievement of corporate goals through meeting and exceeding customer needs better than the competition. (Jobber) Speedo is one of the leading brands in swim wear. Founded in 1910, in Australia by a young Scottish entrepreneur Alexander MacRae. Initially known as MacRae Knitting mills, the company was into undergarment business and due to the mounting response from Australian beach comers, MacRae integrated swimwear in his business. In 1920 swimwear popularity rose quickly because of the inclusion of swimming as a sport and mixed bathing. In 1928 they introduced a new model swimwear called Racerback outfit, which made the swimmers to swim faster. A new slogan was generated Speed on in your Speedos and the catchword became fashionable and finally a new name Speedo was coined. In 1951 Speedo Knitting Mills (Holdings) Ltd was integrated and turned into a public company (Sydney Stock exchange). Speedo started its operation in USA in 1959 and made into other international markets. It also moved into Europe by purchasing 30% share of Robert Shaw and Company Ltd. in Nottingham, England. The Japan and South Africa corporations approved licenses to Speedo to set up manufacture and division delivery in 1960. It made a significant deal with China in 1980. Many European Union provided license to the Speedo manufacturing and delivering. In 1980 it became official sponsor for Australia Institute of Sport. The Pentland Group took possession of Speedo in 1990 and finally the modern Speedo was born with new strategies and products. Today the Speedo trademark is protected in 175 countries with an annual turnover of $550 million. Since its inception, Speedo had been innovative in the competitive swimsuit market to design suits with the latest technology aimed at enhancing the swimmers performance. The technology and design of its suits brought Speedo to the forefront in performance swimming as more Olympic medals were won in Speedo than in any other athletic apparel brand. In 1928, the celebrated Swedish swimmer Arne Borg set a world record by wearing the Speedo swimwear and the brand won hearts of millions. The Speedos major success story in innovation starts way back in the 1950s when they were the first company to introduce normal wool into their fabric. They created roars in the 1950 Olympics by sponsoring the Australian swimming team in the new Speedo suit which broke records. Speedo had no turn back and was acknowledged as a market leader ever since in performance swimwear till the 2008 Olympics. They are successful to the extent that they command more than 70% of the market share in the US$200 million performance swimwear market globally. The 60s and 70s witnessed the unrivalled reign of Speedo in the performance segment. 49 medals were won in Mexico Olympics held in 1968, in which 22 set a world record by wearing Speedo. Speedo was the first to introduce nylon/elastane into the fabric in 1970 and even today the fabric is famous among the swimmers. More than 50 countries were sporting Speedo in Munich Olympics held in 1972. In 1976 Speedo became the official swimwear brand for the Montreal Olympics. In 1992, 1994 and 1996 Speedo came up with S2000, Endurance and Aquablade which were worn by most record breaking swimmers in Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics. Speedo launched Fast-skin swimsuit in 2000 Sydney Olympics which is made up of smooth crisp fabric and broke 13 world records. 2003 is a remarkable year for Speedo, as it turned to 75th year. Speedo launched Fast-skin series in 2004, which was worn by Michael Phelps and set a history in Athens Olympics by winning 8 medals. The LZR Racer the most advanced swimsuit launched by Speedo in his 80th year created history as 92% medals in swimming were won in the Speedo suit. In 1990 Speedo was bought by The Pentland Group and the new Speedo International LTD was born with new strategies and approach. Speedo an established name in the competitive swimwear segment was getting into the wider segment by focusing on commercial products with a sports attitude. Speedo implemented new marketing strategies through AD campaigns which was completely new to the company. Today Speedo is a Multi National Company operating in 175 countries with an annual turnover of $550 million. Speedo products are sold directly and through brand franchising and are available in departmental stores, speciality stores and sports goods stores. Speedo owned brand accelerate specially focused commercial wear for men and women sells pants, shirts, bags, caps, footwear etc. Speedo co branded AVP apparels sells beach volley products and accessories. Speedo sports water designed for athletes was launched in 2004 in collaboration with Fuze Beveraged Ltd. Speedo. Competitive advantage is fundamentally about the value that the customers put on the product assessed by how much they are willing to pay, and the organization that better serves the customers has the differential attribute or dimension to create better customer value (Jobber, D. 2006:p.53) Competitive Advantage of Speedo Speedo has been unique in the market since its inception a century ago. Speedo has a well earned reputation for excellence in quality, efficient in design and unique in its technology. Speedo has evolved themselves to both categories by introducing unique performance products at a higher price and commercial wear products at a normal price. The success of Speedo can be summarised as its competitive edge over other competitors over the last few decades. Speedo had faced fierce competition from multi-national companies known for its smart marketing activities like Nike, Adidas, TYR, Arena, Diana, Mizuno etc but was always in the top in competitive segment with more than 70% share in the $200 million industry. Speedo has evolved themselves into the competitive swimwear market and the commercial wear market, but it commands a competitive advantage only in the former. When it comes to Research and Development Speedo has gained a matchless competitive advantage with respect to its competitors. The main reason for this is Speedos commitment towards Research and Development. Speedo has always in the forefront in bringing out the best products with newest of technologies in the competitive swimwear market. Speedo started this in the 1950s by introducing wool into its fabric and the competitive advantage era of Speedo began. Since then till the year 2008 it had this competitive edge by bringing out the latest technology suit available in the market. They have worked with the best names in technology like the National aeronautics and space administration (NASA), reputed universities and private research agencies to develop its product. Introduction of the fast skin series, the fastest swimwear in the world in the 2008 Olympics When it comes to sponsored athletes Speedo has again gained the upper hand among its competitors. Speedo has sponsored most of the top ranking athletes in swimming like Michel Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Ryan Lochte, Katie Hoff, Libby Trickett, Eamon Sullivan, Rebecca Adlington etc. No other has companies such an elite list of sponsored swimmers. Threat of entry in a swimming firms industry: A new sports company that enters into the industry brings in the potential to gain a new market share. The existing competitors pose a threat to the new comers, but in the case of Speedo it has been dominant in the market since its inception. It is big hurdle for the upcoming companies to gain a considerable market share against the existing company as they are highly popular in the customers mind with their smart proven strategies. Access of distribution channels- The distribution channel is well connected and diversified globally. The products are reaching all parts of the world with the highly competitive supply chain management. Sometime this barrier is so high that to surmount it, a new contestant must create its own distribution channels. Cost disadvantage independent of size- Unless the competitors reduce the price but consistent with the product quality. They might record low sale rate, if they dont upgrade the quality of the product to sustain in the market. Capital requirements- The net worth of the company is vital for the capital requirement. The capital can be mobilised from various asset produces to bank official. The budget has to be distrusted for the growth of the company in various sectors like inventories, R D, advertising budget etc. Recession could be an advantage or demerit to an economy and other firms. Some organisations might see recession as an advantage because it motivates the market to run effectively mostly during long-term. Taking Speedo as an example, the organisation seen recession as an advantage to them because, during recession competition within the swimming industry is less, it causes brings down the cost of swimming. If there is high number of swimming industry, the lesser the information they get about each other performance being an advantage to the firms, and more likely output and prices will be at a competitive level. Speedo looks at competitive advantage which lies not only in activities but in the way they do relate to each other, to supplier activities, customer relationship and to customer activities. That the phrases competitive advantage and sustainable competitive advantage have become commonplace is testimony to the power of individual belief ideas. The foremost part in the Marketing Mix is the Companys product, since such provides the handy needs to customer past near they looked for in the market. The product widens by the marketing managers into brands is to make a unique position in the market as well as in the customers needs. The Four Ps of marketing mix is the key factor in the market. Most of the organisations depend on the marketing mix elements. They are Product, Price, Promotion and Place. Product Definition simply refers to anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use which may satisfy a want or need of an individual. Product base approach Quality is viewed as a precise and measurement variable. Speedo has ranked its product according to the price among of the desired attributed they posses. Because quality reflects the quantity of attributes that a product contains, and because attributes are considered costly to produce, higher quality goods will be more expensive. i. Conformance- It relates to reliability, as conformance stresses the extent to which ours products are designed and match pre-established standards. Conformance quality is meaningless if its not satisfactory to the customers. ii. Durability- how much use does one get from the Speedo product before it wears down and needs to be replaced. iii. Feature- secondary marketing mix that augment the basic function. iv. Reliability- the probability of a product breaking down applies particularly to customer durables, such as washing machine and to industry machinery. There are many verities in performance especially concentrated on swimming which is their major marketing product. After various transformations in the technology they have refined the product in aspect of performance in the sporty game swimming. Initially they started manufacturing with normal wool to silk to nylon and the latest is the Pulse fabric composed with lightweight woven fabric polyurethane panels to reduce drag. Based on the changes in the material used by Speedo, they have developed a new design for challenging swimmers which is the one that covers most part of the body. Speedo makes a full body suit (showing head, hands, and feet open), jumpers and endurances. The new suits manufactured has advantage, the material is used to reduce the drag which the performer can speed the strokes in the activities. This is approved by FINA and this is a popular product which it beating the new trend. There are various designs in the performance aspect such as Fastskin LZR Racer, Fastskin LZR Racer Tri-Pro, Fastskin FS Pro, Fastskin FSII, Endurance+ and 2010 FINA Approved suit. After three years of research and developed by Aqualab (Speedos global research and development facility) they came with a new product LZR Fast Racer suit specially for swimmers. As a part of their research Aqualab worked with a number of global partners including NASA, ANSYS, Otago University, and Australian Institute of sport to fabricate an Ultra lightweight, powerful and water repellent material to reduce muscle oscillation, skin vibration through powerful compression and to lower skin friction drag. The fabric is fast material and is a unique 3D three-piece pattern designed to optimize the shape of the swimmer. Scanning more than 400 bodies the pattern was from 30 to 3 piece pattern. The swimsuit is fully bonded and ultrasonically welded bonded seams to create a perfectly smooth and flexible streamlined surface finish. The Hydro form compression scheme is to compress fabric as per body shape with complete flexibility and optimum economy. The skin friction drag seams are bonded to lower sewn by 6% and the drag in LZR pulse is 8% lower than Fast Skin. This is approved by FINA 2010 especially for swimming, which is major marketing product. The LZR Racer Tri-Pro is Speedo Aqualabs RD expertise in understanding human activities and they have designed this product which is multi usage product used for swimming, biking and running which is a Triathlon product. The material used in LZR Racer the same is used in LZR Racer Tri-Pro which suits human body with respective to the environment. This suit dries up twice faster than a normal suit, which easily optimizes the body shape with good flexibility and with a fine smooth finish. This suit cover the body from shoulders to the laps, leaving the other parts like shoulders, arms and legs from laps to expose. The next advancement in swimwear technology was the FASTSKIN FS-Pro; made from the same material as the LZR Racer, it dried twice a s fast and lightweight. World class swimmers were consulted in developing this suit which again turned out to be a huge success. This was AQUALAB one of the most sophisticated product. The material for this suit was developed through biomimetrics (design based on nature) imitating the skin of certain aquatic animals especially shark. The material was highly stretchy with a colour and design similar to aquatic conditions and was imitating the shark, the fastest aquatic creature. The suit allows more oxygen to the swimmer adsorbs vibrations from the body and gives rigid support with less drag. The material used is super stretchy fabric, which allows moving freely with great comfort. This is an old product which every swimmer has to use in the early stages of learning which helps to retain a correct posture in swim. Endurance+ is 100% chlorine resistant, designed to last longer, dries more quickly and is 20 times more fade resistance than the commercial swimwear. The completer LZR Range of products is FINA approved as per 2010 rules. The products had created good demand due to the advanced, light weight, powerful material designed to opt shape of body flexible with a smooth finish by absorbing the body vibrations generated from the body and strengthens swimming power. The suit absorbs oxygen to the body by giving additional energy to the body; with a fast dry technology which is all applicable to FINA 2010 new rules. This is a whole range of safety precaution products from Speedo. Concentrated mainly on beginers, which includes swim vests, armbands, kickboards etc. Swim vest and arm bands allows the beginners to float above water without sinking. Kickboard is a product made of undrownable material which is held to stay above water and start peddling. Designed especially for women by women to identify the comfort in fitting by compress the stomach region and lifts up the breast which gives a good female structure. Speedo has a variety of equipments ranging from goggles, caps, MP3, Scuba gear, training aids, footwear etc each specially designed for aquatic activities. Goggles provide clarity vision in water and are UV protective, anti-fog, mirror lens witha rubber double head strap to fit in head perfectly and also safeguards eyes in chlorine water. Underwater MP3 can be used upto 3 metres under water, easy to operate, easy to charge via laptops which last for nine hours. Bio fuse footwear is designed to keep the surface wet by immediate exit of water from pores with good grip on wet floors and is ideal choose in beaches and pools. Speedo uses a tool called economic value to increase perception of value. It is regarded as an appropriate pricing method for this particular market. The terms used in this approach are defined as follows. a. Incremental or improvement value- This will represent the potential incremental satisfaction or profit that Speedo customer can expect from a product over other reference product. b. Reference product- It refers to any product that is accomplishing the same function as the product whose economic value is looked into by the customer. In Speedo, sensitivity pricing is regarded as a key element in the conceptualization of price. It not only assists in developing a marketing strategy but also helps to identify segments with different price sensitivity and the range within which price should be set. i. Price quality effect: Buyers are less sensitive to product price to the extent that higher price signals better quality. ii. Unique value effect: Buyers are more or less sensitive to product price; the more they value any unique attributes that differentiate from the competitors products. iii. Difficult comparison effect: Buyers may seek loyalty with approved supplies or established brand names. Pricing a product in a company has many formulas and strategies in order to come out with the best price. Pricing imitate the supply and demand bond. To understand the pricing strategies in simple, lets us look at the pricing strategies matrix. Premium pricing is about the goods or service where there is uniqueness in high price. This method is used when significant competitive reward exists. In Speedo the LZR Racer, Fast Skin FS Pro, Fast Skin FSII is positioned as their premium priced brand due to its uniqueness in the market. It is uncompromisingly priced around  £210- £550. Economy Pricing: The selling price of the product is kept low, targeting a specific range of low and middle class customers in the market. This strategy is also used in penetration pricing also in order to gain market share in the first place. Speedo fits in some of there products like goggles and caps at economy price to widen its customer base. Goggles range from  £3- £22 and caps from  £5- £17. Charging a higher rate for a product at its initial stage due its uniqueness or demand and then reducing the price once the demand is over or a similar product is been launched in the market. Speedo introduced LZR Racer swimwear and charged a higher rate due to the uniqueness and demand in the market. After a few months, competitors like TYR and Arena replicated the same product and produced at a low cost. Speedo skimmed their price to get in pace with the competition. Product Line Pricing: Bundling different products to sell it in a profitable rate to the customer is known as product line pricing. Speedo bundles caps, goggles, and jammer. For example the cap could be  £5, goggles  £3 and jammer  £60, but the whole package only costs  £68. Promotional Pricing: Promotional Pricing is where the commodities are marked below margin price in the shop for the time being to attract the customer, anticipating that they will buy more products. Speedo has a lot of special offers to make the customer buy more goods. For example Speedo offers direct online the Mens Skitty T-shirt is  £15, but the margin price for the T-shirt  £20. These are the wide range of products displayed in the quadrant manner. For example product such as FASTSKIN LZR Racer, LZR PRO, FS PRO, FS II are grouped into one phase. Geographical Pricing: Companies adapt to different pricing strategies according to the geography. Operating in 175 countries having customers with various outlook and economic structure, geographical pricing is very important for Speedo. For example Speedo introduces a product with a high price in developed countries, whereas it will introduce low price or medium products in underdeveloped countries. Another example of international pricing of Speedo is LZR Racer Elite Jammer which cost  £130 in Europe, where as it cost $260 in USA. Factors affecting price decisions: Promotions: Promotion is the third factor in marketing mix. It caters elements such as advertising, direct marketing, digital marketing, public relations and sales promotion. Speedo has been in the forefront in advertising and branding strategy. One of the important criterions in promotional mix is to influence end users to buy the product by integrating marketing communications. The message should reach the customers in such a way that it covers all aspects of distribution in the market. Speedo, marketing has worked with an aim of favouring the end users with reliability and contentment of the product. Speedos initiated there first promotional event in branding by sponsoring the Australian team in Speedo swimwear during the 1956 Olympics held in Melbourne. It turned out to be a tremendous success when the team won 8 gold medals boosting the brand value of Speedo. Speedos global market growth took place in the 60s where it witnessed stunning performances by athletes gaining 27 gold medals sporting Speedo suits. The campaigns done during the 1970s and 80s were more focussed in establishing fresh ventures by signing deals with Canada and China. By then Speedo gained the market in Europe and parts of Asia. Target Market: Speedo focuses more in Research Development where it produces advanced high performance designs for targeting right from the child who wants to learn swimming till the Olympic Gold Medallists. Their motto is to satisfy the goals of the swimmer with speed, contentment and flexibility. Communication Objectives: In business being a well established brand means it has to maintain its reputation by coming out with best of products in the market. These objectives are channelled to the consumers through media and other communication channels like websites, outdoor campaigns, online media, television, pamphlets, sponsorships etc. Promotional Methods: This includes various strategies to generate sales by getting into the public through various activities like: Sales Promotions: Discount offers, Price slashes, sales vouchers, clubbed offers with other products, combo offers like the purchase of Caps and goggles with a discount in price. Digital marketing Digital marketing has turned out to be the next big thing of the new millennium. It utilizes the digital mediums like internet, mobile, televisions and other interactive channels. Speedo has recently evolved to global online presence and digital marketing through social media space, fan pages, blogs and social media applications. Schemes like Free delivery with orders over 40 £, options like standard delivery and express delivery, sales are generated in volumes. Special offers like price discounts with Speedo coupons and online vouchers are also available. Advertising has been a key strategy of Speedo but with high selectivity. The million dollar campaign before the 2008 Olympics was the recent one which created a brand image that no brand has gained in the Olympics. The brand image is to such an extent that in India when you ask for a branded swimsuit then you will end up in getting Speedo. This is the effectiveness of Speedos advertising campaign even though done rarely. The Olympic Games are so integral to our brand strength, said Craig Brommers, VP-marketing. We want to use the Olympics as a springboard to talk about other parts of our business that are increasingly important. Speedo owns more than 70% market share of the performance and sport swimwear category, but that is a smaller part of our business as we expand. Publication:Brandweek, Date:Monday, March 8 2004 Effectiveness of advertising depends mainly on timing, trustworthiness, performance play, branding etc. Speedo has perfectly designed all these elements with perfect balance and that makes Speedo once again unique in the market. Speedo has famous athletes like Michael Phelps, Hannah Stockbauer and Kosuke Kitajima in their ad campaigns which increases there brand image further in the market Public Relation The PR department of Speedo works out rigorously as there are a number of product launches from Speedo international. It ensures that the company is maintaining the decorum of the products, media buzz, word of mouth and new product launches. The PR department well managed the crisis during the controversy about the swimsuit LZR Racer which took place during the Beijing Olympics held in 2008. Negativity sprouted up when some people want it banned during the competitions, since the levels of buoyancy are at unprecedented levels which they felt an unfair advantage for swimmers in the form of technological doping. But FINA (International Swimming Federation) disproved the false aspects imposed on Speedo and approved the LZR racer swimsuit. The PR department was at its best as they coordinated well with the media in solving the issues. ENDORSEMENTS SPONSORSHIPS: Olympic Games hes been an integral part of Speedos endorsements and sponsorships. 2008 was the most remarkable year as the Speedo sponsored athlete Phelps created waves in the Olympics when he bagged 8 gold medals with world record which is the best by any athlete in Olympic history. Speedo recently announced the extension of the sponsorship deal with the swimming legend Michael Phelps till 2013. Place is a key factor in marketing mix, as the produced goods has to be stored in suitable locations so that it can be channelled into proper distributions. Satisfying customer needs is not only the sole criterion for a manufacturer, but the calculation of the exact product requirement should also be met through proper channel intermediaries. In the case of Speedo, the key strategy remains focused in most of the Olympic event sponsorships. So, that the brand reaches the mass face value thereby gaining customer loyalty. The trading system for Speedo is more focused on marketing mix. The shelving of products in stores portrays a clean appearance, so that the sales would improve and traders would be benefited. The gap between the manufacturer and end user is filled by the marketing intermediaries such as (brokers, commission agents, retailers). The main function of the channel intermediaries is to resolve the difference between the buyer and seller where the seller produces large volumes with a limited goods range, whereas the buyer will require only limited goods with diversified range of products. In the case of Speedo the breaking bulk factor seems to work out well in the retailing sector where there is wide buying range of options for the customers to chose from. For example in goggles the Speedo brand has its products lined up for each purpose such as Racing, Training, Optical, Essential and Children. Minimising the number of transactions during the distribution will improve the efficiency of the business performance. By creating the hub the manufacturers will optimize the transactions which ultimately reduce the selling cost of the product. For Speedo the entry of digital marketing has reduced the distribution through commission agent which proves to be more efficient. The location and time are vital for any global business. In the case of Speedo it has diversified in the international markets and acquired a large clientele base irrespective of the geographic locations. Online purchases and free home delivery offers by the Speedo eases the customers purchase by saving their time gap. Channel Scheme factors: The channel decisions grip selection of the most efficient allocation channel. There are channel factors which influence the marketing channel integration. 1. Market factors 2. Producer factors 3. Product factors 4. Competitive factors 1. Market factors: The buying behaviour proves to be a challenge while considering the consumer expectation relating to the product. The customer tends to buy through direct outlets or retailer depending on their convenience. As in the case of Speedo majority of the customer either purchase online or through outlets. The strength of Speedos marketing lay with the proper distribution channel and network. 2. Producer factors: The deficient factor that the producer faces is the lacking of enough resources to coordinate its channel functions. The strategy of the channel might have its effects during the product mix that the producer initiates. In the case of Speedo the direct distribution proves to be price effective as it has different range of products. 3. Product factors: Speedo has a mix of intermediaries which ranges from direct online sales, agent, direct outlet, and direct distribution to the retailers. Since the life of the Speedo product is subject to long-term the direct distribution by the distributors will deny storing the products in large volume if the existing goods have not been sold. 4. Competitive factors: Speedo not only utilises the traditional distribution channels to sell its products but also has evolved themselves to the newly emerging distribution techniques like digital marketing which involves online sales etc. For example Speedo has spent millions Sheffield based agency; Quba has delivered a banner campaign for Speedo, following its success in the Olympics with swimmers Michael Phelps and Stephanie Rice. This is the first digital campaign for Speedo which was targeting young adults and teenagers. The agency also produced an interactive rich media banner featuring video of the athletes and the opportunity to enter the competition by submitting details into a form embedded into the banner itself. 34 variants of the banners were produced by the agency for oversees market in a very tight turnaround time. SWOT Analysis: SWOT analysis is the main instrument for the company to audit the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT). The strengths and weakness are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are the external factors. SWOT analysis is very helpful for the managers to plan at the first stage, since it shows the key factors of the organisation. SWOT Analysis The Marketing managers should know the SWOT analysis, so that they know the company mances and chance. The analysis is to make an impact in the growth of the organisation. 1. (S)trengths: The main strength for Speedo is the innovative of new product in the market. The latest new product of Speedo Shapeline Swimwear. The RD of Speedo resea

Computer Systems :: essays research papers

Computer Systems Push a single button and you are connected to the world. It has revolutionized our economy, culture, and lifestyle. It connects you to the world through the internet, where you can check e-mail or read the news. It also allows you to process and store important data and information. When you think of computers you think of a variety of things, such as games, the internet, and e-mail. The computer in our generation serves as a tool to educate and entertain. The technology for computers is growing rapidly, as many companies compete to advance hardware and software. Over the past years, the battle has been between Apple (Macs) and IBM (PCs). While both Macs and PCs make their product to suit the needs of the consumer, they are built differently. Therefore, Apples and PCs have two different strategies when it comes to selling a product. I think the biggest differences are shown in three main categories: design/style, software/performance, and reliability/cost. Apple is known best for their innovative and stylish designs. When you compare Macs and PCs side by side, you can easily distinguish which is which. First, Apple computers are becoming more compact in size. Their new system designs include the display (monitor) integrated with the rest of the computer. The Apple’s iMac is a good example of how compact their systems are becoming. The PC on the other hand, is laid out in separate components such as the display and speakers that you plug into the desktop. Second, Apple computers have a more contemporary look. This has proven to be a great marketing and selling strategy. This new distinctive look makes the computer more appealing to the customer. Macs came out with a variety of translucent colors such as green, blue, and orange. New Apple products are coming out with very clean-looking all white models. PCs, on the other hand, are usually sold in grey or black colors, depending upon the company you buy from. I think Apple intended to make their design more like an appliance, rather than a computer, which looks user friendly and consumer appealing. Third, Apple’s design makes it easy to set up, meaning that you don’t need to connect many cords to operate the system. Easy Set up is a big plus when it comes to buying a computer. And last of all, instead of looking like a box with slots, Apple has designed computers using more shape.

Which Fuel Releases the Most Energy Per Mole Measure by Heating Water :: Papers

Which Fuel Releases the Most Energy Per Mole Measure by Heating Water Hypothesis In this investigation I will burn alcohols to heat up a beaker of water. I will be burning five fuels which are called Methanol, Ethanol, Propanol, Butanol and Pentanol. In my investigation I predict that the alcohol Pentanol would release more energy than the other alcohols because as the chain length of the alkanes get longer, the more energy is released. Apparatus  · Retort stand  · Clamp  · Measuring cylinder  · Thermometer  · Heatproof mats  · Copper can  · Splint  · Chemicals(Methanol, Ethanol, Propanol, Butanol and Pentanol) Independent variables  · Using the same scales  · Same amount of water in copper beaker  · Same height of thermometer from water  · Temperature of water before experiment  · Weight of alcohol before experiment Fair Test To make it a fair test:  · I made sure I put the same amount of water in the copper can.  · I made sure that the water started with the same temperature with the same alcohol.  · I made sure that the height was the same from the water to the thermometer. Health and Safety  · Wear goggles  · Hide tie in the shirt  · Keep bags under the table Method I first got all the apparatus that I needed and set it up. I got a measuring cylinder and measured a 100 cm ³ of water and poured it in a copper can. Then I connected the copper can to the stand with a clamp. Then I would get a spirit lamp which is filled with alcohol and measure it. Then I would use a spirit to light it and put it under the copper can. Then I would heat and stir the water until the temperature has gone up another 10 degrees Celsius. I will then blow out the flame and put the cap on the burner quickly and reweigh the alcohol.

Comparing Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea Essay -- comparison compare

Comparing Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea Jean Rhys obviously had Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre in mind while writing Wide Sargasso Sea. Each novel contains events that echo other events or themes in the other. The destruction of Coulibri at the beginning of Wide Sargasso Sea reminds the reader of the fire at Thornfield towards the end of Jane Eyre. While each scene refers to events in its own book and clarifies events in its companion, one cannot conclude that Rhys simply reconstructed Thornfield's fall in Coulibri's. Though they exhibit some similarities, to directly compare these two scenes without considering their impact on the novels as whole works would be ridiculous. Each scene's main importance, and contribution to the overall intertextual meaning, lies elsewhere in the two works, not simply within the confines of the scenes themselves. The similarities between the two fire scenes might lead one to suspect that they are in some way parallel, yet their differences discount this oversimplified view. Both fires are set by arsonists described as insane. Bronte's Bertha is "the mad lady, who was as cunning as a witch" (Bronte 435). Rhys's Antoinette recalls "a horrible noise sprang up" from the attacking freedmen, "like animals howling, but worse" (Rhys 38). This madness, however, serves different purposes for each scene. Bronte uses madness to further degrade Bertha to the level of bestiality and insanity, a theme which she develops from the very moment the character is introduced until her fiery death in the destruction of Thornfield. By reducing Bertha to a single dimension, Bronte uses Bertha not as a character but as a tool with which to manipulate the flow of the plot. Rhys, however, uses madness toward a diffe... ...cott. "Fire and Eyre: Charlotte Bronte's War of Earthly Elements." The Brontes: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Ian Gregor. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1970. 110-36. Macpherson, Pat. Reflecting on Jane Eyre. London: Routledge, 1989. McLaughlin, M.B. "Past or Future Mindscapes: Pictures in Jane Eyre." Victorian Newsletter 41 (1972): 22-24. Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. London: Penguin, 1968. Sarvan, Charles.  ¡Ã‚ §Flight, Entrapment, and Madness in Jean Rhys ¡Ã‚ ¦ Wide Sargasso Sea. ¡Ã‚ ¨ The International Fiction Review. Vol 26.1&2:1999:82-96. Solomon, Eric. "Jane Eyre: Fire and Water." College English 25 (1964): 215-217. Staley, F. Thomas. "Jean Rhys." Dictionary of Literary Biography, British Novelists, 1890 -1929: Modernists. Detroit: Gale, 1985. Wyndham, F. Introduction. Wide Sargasso Sea. By Jean Rhys. London: Penguin, 1996. 1-15.

Conditions of the Vietnam War Essay

When fighting in a war, the brave soldiers are not only up against their enemy, but also against the chaotic obstacles born on the battlefield. The constant noise of slaughter, the gut-wrenching weather and the omnipresent fear of death were all elements of war that the soldiers had to coexist with. The odds of walking home after a war are extremely rare and those who were lucky enough to survive were unlucky enough to have had witnessed indescribable scenes of blood and murder. Those who have confronted the wrath of war are left psychologically traumatised and mentally unstable. The fighting conditions during the Vietnam War were excruciatingly tough. The Australian and American troops were forced to fight in a variety of weathers, including the tropical rains and blazing heat. Fighting in environments and conditions they were not yet accustomed to, they were drained of their energy and were demanded high levels of endurance. For some soldiers, the dry season was particularly difficult to fight in. they were required to fight through a haze of dust that penetrated their clothing, filled their pores and worked its way through their eyes and ears, resulting in conjunctivitis and ear infections. One soldier stated, â€Å"It can be a test of human endeavour inside a noisy metal box all day in forty degree heat, with eighty per cent relative humidity and no one has showered for a week.† Soldiers fought with damages to their bodies such as blisters, sunburn and dehydration, making it very difficult to move around and fight to the best of their ability. Other difficulties they faced were the threat of diseases such as malaria and dysentery which is caused by lack of sanitation and dehydration. Spiders, poisonous centipedes, snakes and leeches were some of the deadly creatures the soldiers tried their hardest to avoid. Proper food and clean water was very difficult to obtain as well. Soldiers ate from used cans and drank from dirt covered drink bottles. In a land where the ground explodes and it rains bullets, death is inevitable. Soldiers would be knee-deep in massacre and the vicinity would be infested with the body parts of comrade soldiers. War does not give time for soldiers to grieve and is constantly tainting the earth in the colour of red. Witnessing the death of a comrade is one thing, but to have to crawl, walk and run knowing that you may die a gruesome death at any moment is just as painfully terrifying. Soldiers who survived the Vietnam war were diagnosed with permanent paranoia and insanity. Whilst fighting an enemy on the battlefield, soldiers must simultaneously fight fear in their minds. Guerrilla Warfare During the Vietnam War, Guerrilla tactics were being put into action. Guerrilla Warfare consisted of small surprise attacks and ambushes instead of operating in major gunfire battles. Setting up booby-traps and tripwires were the preferred option as well as digging up complicated systems of underground tunnels in and around small villages. The Vietcong had the home field advantage, they used the rough terrain, thick forests and uneven landscape to their advantage against the American soldiers as they were unfamiliar to such difficult landforms. The Vietcong used their intelligence and stealth to outsmart the Americans and win the war. They did not wear any uniform so the Americans only saw them as ‘villagers with guns’. The Vietcong would also hide behind innocent civilians and use them as a shield against their enemy. They would also dig up American land mines and use the explosives as bombs of their own. Hit-and-run attacks were common and very effective in the fight against the Americans. With dangerous deft, the Vietcong would stealthy attack the Americans and leave before risking capture- incorporating the element of surprise. The Vietcong would escape through a complex network of underground tunnels, oblivious to the Americans. At the start of the war, the American soldiers had no idea of the tunnels’ existence and their unawareness produced great advantage to the Vietcong. The most extensive of the tunnel system laid in the ‘Iron Triangle’ in the Cu Chi distract, which covered approximately 400 kilometres. The Americans highly relied on their helicopters to combat the Vietcong’s skilfully hidden death traps. However, the Vietcong turned to heavy machinery as a form of retaliation against the American’s aerial attacks. The Vietcong would set up multiple booby-traps, hidden among the jungle floor of the forests. Majority of the booby-traps were covered in poison and venom which will increase the risk of infection. Some booby traps that were crafted and handmade by the Vietnamese villagers included: * The Bear Trap- when stepped on would fiercely clutch one’s foot by impaling it with sharp claws * Grenade Traps- a grenade strapped to a tripwire which will instantly explode, leaving no time to escape when triggered * ‘Bouncing Betty’- designed to cut someone in half, when stepped on would result in either paralysis or the complete amputation of a limb * Foot Trap- a hole that was dug knee deep and planted with stakes coated in poison pointing downwards, making it unescapable * Tiger Pit/ Punji Spike Pit- a hole approximately 5-6 feet deep, with the bottom covered in piercing, venomous stakes. It also has a grenade lying in await to ambush those who try to escape The fighting conditions in the Vietnam war were inhumane for both parties. Soldiers put their bodies through irritatingly uncomfortable situations and fought in fearsome scenarios, all whilst trying to keep their limbs intact. Battles arose within battles, whether it be the vicious weather or the unshakable fear of death, soldiers endured an admirable amount of physical and mental struggle. The rage of the Vietnam War claimed many courageous lives and defiled the minds of those who were able to walk away with the luxury of breath. Bibliography * http://vietnamawbb.weebly.com/guerrilla-warfare-and-war-of-attrition.html * http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/a/vietnamwar.htm * http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/guerrilla/index.html * http://www.vietnam-war.0catch.com/vietnam_war_nature.htm * http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/combat/viet-cong-tunnels.php * http://www.securenet.net/3rdbn5th/mike35/booby.htm * http://www.echo23marines6569.org/BoobyTraps.html * http://vietnam-war.commemoration.gov.au/armour/conditions.php * https://session.wikispaces.com/1/auth/auth?authToken=03a2e4971076358d2188756c8108eb2b5

Ex Poser Extensive Reading

ENGLISH TEST 8th Grade/level 4 March 2011 aepas 2010/2011 Name: __________________________________________ Number: _____ Class: ____Teacher: ______________________ _________________ Reduzido Nao Sat Satisfaz Sat. Bastante Excelente Enc. Ed. _____________________ Enc Ex Poser by Paul Jennings 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 There are two rich kids in our form. Sandra Morris and Ben Fox. They are both snobs. They think they are too good for the rest of us. Their parents have big cars and big houses. Both of them are quiet. They keep to themselves. I guess they don't want to mix with the ruffians like me.Ben Fox always wears expensive gym shoes and the latest fashions. He thinks he is good-looking with his blue eyes and blond hair. He is a real poser. Sandra Morris is the same. And she knows it. Blue eyes and blonde hair too. Skin like silk. Why do some kids get the best of everything? Me, I landed pimples. I've used everything I can on them. But still they bud and grow and burst. Just when y ou don't want them to. It's not fair. Anyway, today I have the chance to even things up. Boffin is bringing along his latest invention – a lie detector. Sandra Morris is the victim.She agreed to try it out because everyone knows that she would never tell a lie. What she doesn't know is that Boffin and I are going to ask her some very embarrassing questions. Boffin is a brain. His inventions always work. He is smarter than the teachers. Everyone knows that. And now he has brought a long his latest effort. A lie detector. He tapes two wires to Sandra's arm. â€Å"It doesn't hurt,† he says. â€Å"But it is deadly accurate. † He switches on the machine and a little needle swings into the middle of the dial. â€Å"Here's a trial question,† he says. â€Å"Are you a girl? † Sandra nods. You have to say yes or no,† he says. â€Å"Yes,† replies Sandra. The needle swings over to TRUTH. Maybe this thing really works. Boffin gives a big grin. â₠¬Å"This time tell a lie. † says Boffin. â€Å"Are you a girl? † he asks again. Sandra smiles with that lovely smile of hers. â€Å"No,† she says. A little laugh goes up but then all the kids in the room gasp. The needle points to LIE. This lie detector is a terrific invention! â€Å"OK,† says Boffin. â€Å"You only have seven questions, David. The batteries will go flat after another seven questions. † He sits down behind his machine and twiddles the knobs.This is going to be fun. I am going to find out a little bit about Sandra Morris and Ben Fox. It's going to be very interesti ng. Very interesting indeed. I ask my first question. â€Å"Have you ever kissed Ben Fox? † Sandra goes red. Ben Fox goes red. I have got them this time. I am sure they have something going between them. I will expose them. â€Å"No,† says Sandra. Everyone cranes their neck to see what the lie detector says. The needle points to TRUTH. This is not what I expec ted. And I only have six questions left. I can't let her off the hook. I am going to expose them both. Have you ever held his hand? † Again she says, â€Å"No. † And the needle says TRUTH. I am starting to feel guilty. Why am I doing this? I try another tack. â€Å"Are you in love? † I ask. A red flush starts to crawl up her neck. I am feeling really mean now. Fox is blushing like a sunset. â€Å"Yes,† she says. The needle points to TRUTH I shouldn't have let the kids talk me into doing this. I decide to put Sandra and Ben out of their agony. I won't actually name him. I'll spare her that. â€Å"Is he in this room? † I say. She looks at the red Ben Fox. â€Å"Yes,† she says. The needle points to TRUTH. â€Å"Has he got blue eyes? I ask. â€Å"No,† she says. â€Å"Brown? † I say. â€Å"No,† she says again. I don't know what to say next. I look at each kid in the class very carefully. Ben Fox has blue eyes. I was sure that she loved him. â€Å"This thing doesn't work,† I say to Boffin. â€Å"I can't see one kid who doesn't have either blue eyes or brown eyes. † â€Å"We can† says Boffin. They are all looking at me. I can feel my face turning red now. I wish I could sink through the floor but I get on with my last question. â€Å"Is he an idiot? † I ask. Sandra is very embarrassed. â€Å"Yes,† she says in a voice that is softer than a whisper. And he has green eyes. † I – READING-COMPREHENSION A – Say if the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Quote from the text to justify your answer. 1. Sandra and Ben Fox are upper class children. __________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Sandra and Ben are very talkative and extrovert kids. __________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Sandra has skin problems. _______________________________________________________ ___________________________ 4. Boffin bought a lie detector. _________________________________________________________________________________ ? ? ? ? B – Match the sentences with the words (write the numbers inside the squares) SENTENCES WORDS KEY 1. form (line 1) 1 a) direction 2. ruffians (line 3) 2 b) wide smile 3. pimples (line 7) 3 c) sound made by surprised person 4. burst (line 7) 4 d) class 5. grin (line 18) 5 e) convince me 6. Gasp (line 20) 6 f) badly behaved people 7. Tack (line 32) 7 g) explode 8. Talk me into (line 35) 8 h) spots on skin C – Read the following statements and find synonymous expressions in the text. 1.David has an opportunity to revenge himself. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. The lie detector is extremely correct. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. David wants to humiliate Sandra and Ben in public. _______________________________ ______________________________________________________ 4. David is certain that Sandra and Ben are having an affair. _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. David can’t make it easy for Sandra. ____________________________________________________________________________________ D – Give complete answers to these questions on the text. 1. What is David’s opinion about Ben and Sandra? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How does David describe himself? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 3.Do you think David has a high self-esteem? Quote two sentences from the text to justify your answer. ______________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Why did Sandra agree to try the lie detector? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. â€Å"Sandra smiles with that lovely smile of hers† (line 20). Comment on this sentence. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. â€Å"I wish I could sink through the floor† (line 45). How was David feeling at this point of the story? ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ II – LANGUAGE FUNCTION A – Complete with FOR or SINCE. 1. ________ two years 2. ________ two weeks 5. ________ one year . ________ last year 3. ________ six months 6. ________ 1999 8. ________ yesterday 4. ________ August B – Choose the correct option and write the corresponding letter in the blanks. 1) He _____ there when he was a child. 6) I _____ her since last year. a) has lived a) haven't seen b) lived b) didn't see 2) They _____ a few minutes ago. 7) She _____ ill since Thursday. a) Left a) Was b) b) have left b) has been 3) I _____ the project last night. 8) _____ to Rome? a) have finished a) Did you ever go b) finished b) Have you ever been 4) I can't get into my house because I _____ my keys. ) It stinks in here; someone _____ smoking. a) Lost a) Was b) have lost b) has been 5) I _____ up smoking last year. 10) I've known her since we _____ at school together. a) Gave a) Were b) have given b) have been C – Complete with the PRESENT PERFECT or the SIMPLE PAST. David _____________________ 1(have) pimples sice he was eleven and he _________________________ 2(try) everything he can on them, but they ____________________ 3(not disappear) for three years. In the past, when he ________________ 4(be) younger, his skin _____________________ 5(not have) any pimples and it _____________________ 6(look) like silk.D – Look at Barry’s plans for the weekend and form sentences about what he’s going to do. Use the expressions in the box. *listen to music *play chess *go on a picnic *clean the house *go cycling *cook a meal 1. _____________________________________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________________________________ 3. _____________________________________________________________________ 4. _____________________________________________________________________ 5. _____________________________________________________________________ 6. ________________________________________________________ _____________E – Read these sentences and choose the most appropriate answer. 1. I’m so excited! I †¦ my new dress on Friday night! 2. Poor little thing! Look at her face. She †¦. a) am going to wear a) are going to cry b) will wear b) is going to cry c) won’t wear c) will cry 3. You should have brought your umbrella. Look at those dark clouds! It †¦ a) isn’t going to rain b) is going to rain c) will rain 4. -â€Å"Ben is ill†. – â€Å"Is he? I †¦ him tonight. † 5. My cousins †¦ their holidays in London. I wish I could go with them! a) will spend b) won’t spend c) are going to spend 6. Tomorrow we †¦ our old friend Michael in town.We’re so excited! a) aren’t going to meet b) are going to meet c) will meet 7. I hope Caroline likes Robert Redford. I †¦ her to the cinema. a) are going to invite b) am going to invite c) will invite 8. I can’t walk home. I †¦ a taxi. a) am going to call b) will call c) won’t call a) will take b) won’t take c) am going to take F – Read the dialogue below and fill in with the correct form of the future . Bryce: What ____________________________ (you/do) today? Diana: I ___________________________ (clean) my room. It’s a mess. Bryce: Oh, but we have an exam on Monday. __________________________ (you/not study)?Diana: Yeah, I know†¦ but I promised my mum. Oh dear, what shall I do? Well, I ______________________ (try) to talk to her. Bryce: Wait! I ___________________________ (help) you clean your room and then we can study together. What do you say? Diana: __________________________________ (you/do) that for me? Bryce: Of course! What are friends for? Diana: Oh that’s really nice of you! III – WRITTEN PRODUCTION Write a short summary of the story â€Å"Ex Poser†. ____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________