The Elizabethan Era

By definition, a class is a group of people with a related social standing. There are often distinct differences between the classes, denoted by characteristics such as one†s wealth, education, career, and health. These principles applied for the Elizabethan Era as well. Elizabeth herself was a member of the upper class, while other fairly successful people belonged to the middle class. Peasants were the lowest ranked class, usually because they were unfortunate enough to either contract a disease that disabled them from work, or they were farmers that were stricken with poverty when a harvesting season went bad. The â€Å"upper class† consisted mainly of nobility and wealthy landowners. Those in this class generally handled governmental affairs. They also had their children brought up with an education in music, math, and history. It wasn†t rare for many of them to be literate in multiple foreign languages, as well as their own, such as Latin, English, French, and Spanish. Also, the men usually received a better education than the women. The men of nobility were taught extra skills such as horse riding, hunting, shooting, and hawking as well. Because of this class†s social statute and wealth, they were easily able to treat themselves to the best of the food available during their time, especially meaty foods. But because of the large consumption of meat with few vegetables, many eventually suffered from diseases such as scurvy, which is weakness of the bone. The dinnerware consisted of wooden plates, like those of the lower classes, but these were accompanied by other delicacies of the Elizabethan period, such as chairs, forks, and glasses. The favorite drink of all the classes was beer, although the upper class favored wine imported from French vineyards. One custom between the people of this class and the peasants was known as the giving of â€Å"alms† to the poor. This was were a wealthy person would contribute money and sometimes provide supplementary shelter to a less fortunate person. Although the upper class was a minority in Elizabethan times as it is now, it kept the thriving European kingdom alive. The second class of the Elizabethan Period was the â€Å"middle class†. This class usually consisted of merchants and some landowners, although the number of peasants who rose and fell between this class and the lower class varied depending on the health of the seasonal harvest. Those in this class lead a fairly peaceful, easygoing life, other than common household chores and visits to the local market. If possible, they would hire a servant to keep up with some of the household chores, such as the tedious task of clothes washing. They sent their children to a formal school if they could afford it. The parents were so intent for their children to learn the material that they encouraged teachers to beat them if they made mistakes or became lazy. The middle class often could not afford some of the things taken for granted by the upper class, such as chairs instead of stools, forks, glasses, and a large selection of meats. The middle class drove the economy of Britain through its trades with other European countries. The peasants made up the lower class. These people were either ill, lazy, became laborers, or were just turned a bad hand during the harvest season. The laborers and servants served long hours each day handling the least favorable jobs, such as field work and laundry. During bad seasons, as many as 25% could not afford food, and often the most they ever ate was bread. In many cases they turned to thievery, otherwise they would starve. Some were lucky enough to receive â€Å"alms† from the wealthy, but many didn†t, because of their great number. The upper class pitied the peasants that were ill or that couldn†t find work, so they created a system to care for them. If there were able men that were just lazy and rather beg on the streets, a Parish, or the person in charge of the system locally, would send them to a larger city were they would be whipped and then sent back and assigned a job. If a man was ill, then they would often try to take him in and give him enough food to survive on. Widows and their families were also treated in the same manner. In the end, when harvest was well, every class benefited, and it created especially good seasons for the poor, otherwise it was the peasants who suffered most. The classes of the Elizabethan Period established a society which became a model for many present-day cultures. Though not perfect, it still exists today, even in America to some degree. The upper class was the wealthiest and had the most power, while the middle class was mostly involved in trade, and the lower class made up the remainder who were often ill or widowed.

Benefits of Early Literacy Learning Essay

Education is a fundamental aspect of a person’s social, economic, and emotional developmental. Starting education early is therefore advantageous. Focusing specifically on early literacy; statistics prove that an early literary development can radically improve a child’s chance for a formidable career. Early literacy developmental practices have been taking place for many years now. Many different literacy programs offer statistical and other information to demonstrate the benefits of learning literacy early. In true effect of the experimental learning and teaching; the instructors keep detailed records of the lessons taught and the grade improvements of the students. The other side of the early literacy learning is to have a control group that they are teaching without the focus on early literacy, thus being able to generate a detailed analysis of the children’s improvements and success rate. One high quality literacy program released details about their program and the outcome of the program on their students. As stated by two authors, â€Å"Strengths in the overall program that services provided resided in†¦ literacy links across the curriculum and throughout the day. † (Arthur and Makin) In this same educational facility they had a record of which programs were the strongest and which programs did not demonstrate as well. â€Å"There were seven ECLLS [Early Childhood Language and Literacy Scale] items on which more than 50 per cent of the rooms observed received a high rating (six or seven out of a total seven). These were as follows: furniture for routine care, play and learning room; room arrangement for play; encouraging children to communicate; fine motor activities; staff-child interactions; and program schedule and grouping. † Depicting the importance of structured play times and environmental factors can have on learning. Also stating the â€Å"Four services received a high rating for the new literacy subscale, with most settings scoring 3 out of seven. In the settings with the high ratings staff were extending children’s literacy through the following practices: reading environmental print with children; integrating literacy across the curriculum and throughout the day; engaging in literacy interactions with children; and promoting metalinguistic development† (Arthur and Makin) In this particular educational facility the staff used all resources to their advantage, from the simple hand washing sigh to other hygienic posters. The staff had set aside times for writing, play, and reading to help incorporate forms of literacy into all things done through the day. Through their curriculum and the observations of others this facility was able to statistically prove that an early start with literacy highly benefited these children. When considering the statistics there are some graphs that support, and show that early literacy is essential to doing well over all. â€Å"The impact of Teacher Responsively Education on Preschoolers’ Language and Literacy Skills,† provides direct evidence in standard chart format with a control group and tested group. (American Journal p323) Showing a direct relationship between early literacy and developmental improvement, a second graph from the American Journal, the graph shows the improvements from the fall testing and the spring testing of the impacts of early literacy. The graph shows the statistical improvement between the two testing times, providing direct evidence of the impact on the children tested. There are many facilities that provide the numbers on which the improvement was made; it spans all over the globe. Over all upon testing during the fall semester the control group initially started roughly at 3. 3%; where are the test group tested at a slightly higher 3. 4%. During the spring semester the control group tested lower still at print concept than the test group rising only . 28% from the initial testing scores. Reaching across the seas Australia has also been participating in the analysis of early literacy and its benefits on the overall aspect of children’s lives. In an article titled â€Å"Books, bytes and brains,† authors Hopkins, Brookes, and Green dive deeply into early literacy development and its impact on all areas of the lives of children. As stated in this article, â€Å"Literacy and numeracy are core life skills, the [acquisition of which has] profound consequences for individuals, families, communities and nations. † Literacy is essential these authors believe to a child’s overall future, â€Å"Improving literacy in contemporary society has been amply demonstrated to improve live chances for individuals across divers domains including health, mental health, housing, educational outcomes, employment opportunities, income levels, involvement with crime, and civic participation. † (Hopkins, Brookes, and Green) So many different areas are affected by a person’s literacy from the simple school grades to if they’ll end up in prison. Hopkins, ect al. states that â€Å"Traditional kinds of literacy skills are measured in programs such as NAPLAN are based on an understanding of a skilled reader as someone who ‘locates, understands, and interprets written information in prose and documents – including manuals, graphs, and schedules- to perform tasks; learns from text by determining the main idea or essential message; identifies relevant details, facts, and specifications; infers or locates the meaning of unknown or technical vocabulary; and judges the accuracy, appropriateness, style, and plausibility of reports, proposals, or theories of other writers. † With their definition of what an actual skilled reader is, it can seem almost impossible for a child to gain all those skills in their short school career. Therefore starting literacy early can give a child the advantage of gaining the firm foundation of those skills before they are being presented to them in the classroom. When starting the early foundation of early literacy there are some draw backs to the programs, or glitches that haven’t been worked out yet. â€Å"Analysis of data from the rating scales, staff interviews and parent focus groups indicates that a number of areas required further development. Even for those settings that rated highly for literacy. These include, building on home experiences; extending children’s home languages and literacies; utilizing technology and popular culture; and integrating literacy resources and staff-child interactions in dramatic play. † (Arthur, Makin) Improvement in these areas has been underway since the date of the article, in this program as well as others. Implementing home language and literacies could have a drastic effect on the early learning literacy because many homes now in America are not solely English speaking homes, where most lessons in school or an Early Learning Academy to teach early literacy are taught in English. Tying into home experiences can help a child more associate the lesson being taught because they can incorporate the object, lesson, or event with words or effective language skills. Even with the hiccups the early literacy programs have, there are visible benefits of the lessons they are teaching. Seeing the results of the early literacy programs is phenomenal, but looking at the other side research shows some negative effects of what happens when early literacy is not implemented. â€Å"Recent research shows that children who are ‘raised in a [non-academically] oriented environments have less experience using decontextualized language than their peers. †¦These children may communicate more readily through using images, physical activity, and symbolic representation’. † (Hopkins, Brookes and Green) With that research a child with the early literacy training entering the second grade for example has a better chance of being able to vocalize opinions or even understanding of a lesson than a child who has had no early literacy training. With education being at the heart of every aspect of life it is highly important to give children every chance to succeed. Word Count:1,244.

Homers the Iliad Essay

The Iliad is a Greek epic poem attributed to Homer. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy carries off Helen, wife of Menelaus. The epic describes the war waged by Achaean prince against Troy with an intention to recover Helen. Specifically, it deals with the anger of Achilles, the special hero of the poem at the slight put upon him by Agamemnon, leader of the host, and his final return to the field and slaying of Hector [MARGARET and JENNY, Para 1]. The Iliad is one of the most prominent among the ancient masterpieces in literature. It is about two countries that bitterly war over a single woman, Helen, the wife of Menelaus. The rivalry takes place for about ten years before the Argive armies (the Greeks) finally win out over the Trojans. Today, The Iliad is available to a contemporary audience in several different forms. It may be read, listened to, or viewed even by illiterates. The story’s author, Homer, has typically overcome the challenge of how to tell the story to the masses. He achieved it by singing the entire poem or perhaps several books at a time to them. Homer has employed the so called oral tradition of communication to reach the masses. In the epic, Homer has used certain terms which an average person in Ancient Greece could understand. These similes can be divided into several different categories: the descriptions of battles, people, and gods. In all cases, these similes are used to aid understanding in Greek oral tradition [Radman, Para 1]. The story suggests a battle between Troy and Greece in large scale. Since most of the listeners would never have seen such large wars, Homer has made an effort to link between what those people would understand and the actual events of the combat. The similes that Homer used to describe the various fighting scenes have nature as its basis to depict the actions of the warriors, or of entire ranks of men. If an average person who listens to the epic had never seen a war, he/she will never be able to visualize the actions being dictated. Therefore, Homer has used creative and elaborate descriptions of something common in an ordinary person’s lives, juxtaposed with the unfamiliar and it has allowed the listener to understand what the singer of the tale is trying to convey. The similes related to fighting are divided into two different categories: the type depicting animals in nature, and of the happenings of the natural world itself. When one goes through the text, he/she could notice similes on a single page of fighting, describing one or several people through animal behavior. This could be observed when the Trojans are fighting for the body of Patroclus. There the simile used links their armies to an angered hive of wasps. When the Trojans charge it, the simile goes like: they swarmed forth like wasps from a roadside nest when boys have made it their sport to set them seething, day after day tormenting them round their wayside hive—idiot boys! They make a menace for every man in sight. Any innocent traveler passing them on that road can stir them accidentally—up in arms in a flash, all in a swarm come pouring, each one raging down to fight for home and children †¦[Radman, Para 4] The movements of entire armies in a seething battle portray the images found in a typical life of an Ancient Greek. The other two frequently used references to the mass movements of troops are that of land and water. These references utilize the commonality of the elements so that Homer can describe some scenarios to the listeners who find it difficult to understand such scenes. Another simile that is used frequently in battles is when one person was singled out for a description of their fighting prowess. These similes call upon the graphic details of wolves in attack, or the ravaging of a lion. Menelaus is one of the Argive warriors and when he is fighting rigorously in the battle, the other would-be attackers are frightened-off by the intense ferocity of his initial attack. Homer describes this scenario as follows †¦ as a fierce mountain lion sure of his power, seizing the choicest head from a good grazing herd. First he cracks its neck, clamped in his huge jaws, mauling the kill then down in gulps he bolts it, blood and guts, and around him dogs and shepherds raise a fierce din but they keep their distance, lacking nerve to go in and take the lion on †¦[Radman, Para 7] There are several observations that can be made by looking at the similes of warriors in battle. The first is that the type of animal used to describe Menelaus and his actions represents his ferocious nature. In other instances, the lion is used to describe several fighters like Argives and Trojans. The second major use of simile is to describe people in combative and non-combative situations. Generally, these can be seen as a type of title for the person described. Only the major characters of the epic are named with such titles. The types of titles given in the story fall in to two categories: titles of mortal men and women, and those of the gods. Even mortals are given due importance in some scenes. As far as fighting is concerned, most of the similes are linked with the characters of Achilles, Agamemnon, Hector, and Ajax, along with other men who were often referred to in battle as having the characteristics of a lion. It reflects their skill, strength, and overall mighty presence. Other types of creatures that have nothing to with battle are used to describe some of the fighters. For instance, Achilles is once addressed as a dolphin while slaughtering Trojans in the Xanthus River. Trojans try hard to save their life from Achilles. Here is the text from the epic that describes the scenario: Like shoals of fish darting before some big-bellied dolphin, escaping, cramming the coves of a good deepwater harbor, terrified for their lives- he devours all he catches- so the Trojans down that terrible river’s onrush cowered under its bluffs [Radman, Para 12]. In the epic, a mortal is often compared to a deity. In many scenes, a man’s fighting skill is mentioned as divine. Generally, this is just an elaborate way to say that a person has done something really well. Everyone knows that the God Hephaestus, â€Å"the famous crippled Smith,† was the god of fire [Radman, Para 14]. As Patroclus makes a fire that is worthy of a God, it is surely a mighty blaze which Patroclus has created. The listeners of ancient Greece wondered at these great skills. Many of these similes aimed at embellishing a person’s qualities to make them all the more impressive. While describing Gods, similes are slightly more difficult to come by. As it will sound bad to compare a god to a mortal, Homer describes them by their specific abilities. In essence, he moves laterally instead of vertically. The entire epic is filled with many different types of similes used in the graphic depiction of battles, people, places, and gods. Hats off to Homer who has used the similes in such a creative way that even an illiterate can understand what Homer means to say in his poem. The similes not only assist a reader in trying to imagine what is being read, but also allow him/her to understand how relations are described to people who are less advanced than a modern culture. The epic serves a multi-functional purpose today. It is used as a tool to learn about a culture which has faded from the face of the planet into the obscurity of ancient tales and legends [Radman, Para 16]. Apart from teaching about the wars fought, the types of armor, weapons, and the strategies used in conquests of other countries in that time period, the epic also stresses on the most important usage of and gives an insight in to the social standards of the time, how that culture behaved, what they believed, and how they lived. People will learn from this classical epic for generations to come. An epic is considered to have gained a great success when it reaches even the masses

BSc (Hons) Computing & Web Technologies Coursework

BSc (Hons) Computing & Web Technologies - Coursework Example Over the years, e-commerce gained tremendous recognition and still going across the globe even to the remotest country ever. Dealing business through e-commerce entails fundamentals to succeed in this business approach. Establishing a successful online gateway for your targeted customer needs some internet elements established for the market. This may not only be limited to the physical server where the data are stored but may be detailed as far as visibility, accessibility and security concerns. E-commerce extends to provide and online ordering system and may apply to any business industry desiring to offer online business with their customers. This project aims to create an online Restaurant Order System which will be a web-based application that seeks to increase the number of customer by offering online order system subsequently increase sales. East Eat Chinese Takeaway is the prospect establishment for the implementation of the said system. The web application will provide menu details and provides a shopping cart for customers placing orders online. Eventually, a checkout tool is linked to the shopping cart to proceed with the payment. Delivery details will be asked during checkout. Keywords: Restaurant Order System, E-commerce, Online Shopping, Online Payments via Credit Cards 1 Introduction Today, many companies are shifting to web-centric computing to support their business enterprises. It is important to build resiliency into business operations, but it is just as important to build resiliency into a company's customer handling. One way to achieve this is by adopting

The Theme of Liberty to the People of America Essay

The Theme of Liberty to the People of America - Essay Example some of the people who came into America seeking freedom got the freedom they sought and this is evidenced by the American statue of Liberty. The statue is a gift from the people of France to the United States of America. It signified human liberty in America. However, things have progressively changed and over time, America has evolved as a society where people demanded: â€Å"Give ME Liberty.† The practice of democracy in the nation has become a lost art and Americans are becoming more desperate for the restoration nation. Many people have a general sense that the society is in disorder. The Native Americans and those who have lived there for the long feel that they have lost the liberty they originally had (Calloway 193) while recent immigrants feel that the liberty they had, sought or desired is not within their reach. Calloway (193) in this regard notes that at the end instead of idealistic notions that focused on the establishment of a new world, European imperial ambiti ons, institutions and patterns of settlement thrived. In an attempt to acquire and preserve liberty, Americans formed activist movements that advocate for their rights and liberties. This was mainly in the course of the 20th century, and these movements and groups achieved great social and civil changes. For example in 1920, The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was formed. This is a union in the US whose mission is to defend and preserve every right and liberty guaranteed to all people in the US. Walker (10) explains that in its history, the union was formed to protect the rights of contentious objectors.

Macroeconomics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Macroeconomics - Assignment Example The amount of trade deficit is 2008 is (422,905 - 460,665) = -37760. The amount of trade deficit is 2009 is (422,905 - 460,665) = -32023. iv. The value of real GDP in 2009 is (Nominal GDP of 2009/GDP deflator of 2009) = ? (1,373,636/ 101.4) million = ?13546.71 million. v. The current macroeconomic situation of the UK can be defined as economic recession. So, there has been no surprise that the economy has experienced a negative rate of growth form 2008 to 2009. The fall in consumption spending, investment, and net exports (exports minus imports) can be explained by the prevalence of ongoing economic recession which cause fall in demand. The rise in government expenditure can also be explained by the current macroeconomic situation. In order to deal with the recessionary situation, the government has undertaken certain measures to boost aggregate demand of the country. One of these corrective policies is increased government spending that has been reflected by increased government exp enditure form 2008 to 2009. 2. There is some problem with this question†¦ What are the coefficient of r in the expression for investment and the expression for real money demand? The coefficients are important as they denote the rate of response to change in interest rate. if there is no coefficient it should be assumed that coefficients are equal to 1. But this case is either impossible or very rare!!!! 3. The main forms of unemployment are as follows: Structural unemployment: Structural unemployment is a particular form of unemployment. This kind of unemployment takes place when a labor market becomes unable to offer jobs to everybody who wants to work due to the fact that the level and type of skills of unemployed individuals do not match with the skills required for the jobs available in the market. Structural unemployment usually lasts very long. Very often technological unemployment which results from substitution of workers by machines might be recognized as structural u nemployment. In order to deal with structural unemployment, there should be an increase in aggregate demand of the economy. If there is a fall in aggregate demand, then many individuals become unemployed and enter into the vicious circle of poverty, while their skills become obsolete. Since the present economic scenario of the UK can be characterized as economic recession, structural unemployment should be there in the economy as production has reduced drastically and the UK economy has failed to provide job to all who wish to work. Frictional Unemployment: Frictional unemployment takes place during the time period when a worker shifts one job to another. In other words, frictional unemployment takes place during transitioning from one job to the other. Very often, frictional unemployment is referred to as search unemployment. Very often this unemployment is voluntary in nature. Frictional unemployment can always be found in an economy. Thus in UK economy, it would be quite easy to find out frictional unemployment. Cyclical Unemployment: Cyclical unemployment is very often referred to as Keynesian unemployment. It is also known as deficient-demand unemployment. Cyclical unemployment takes place when there is scarcity of aggregate demand for providing jobs to everybody who are willing to work. When demands for goods and services reduces, the level

Choose one of brief Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Choose one of brief - Coursework Example Further, MiCSHA wanted to show what changes it intended to make and that is easy or the audience to understand. Brief one is underdeveloped compared to the second one. The use of e-Cigarette has become a major issue in the society today. Many people today advocate for the use of the e-cigarette as opposed to smoking the tobacco ones, and that has led to a clash of opinions from different quarters. The main idea is to generate as much information regarding the importance of these cigarettes and whether their threats to human health can be countered by using it. The prolonged utility of e-cigarettes can be dangerous to one’s health. The important thing should be the creation of a platform that allows everyone to make better use of the available innovations for the sake of meeting the health needs of everyone. This brief will seek to identify the strengths and define the importance of meeting the general needs of the society by coming up with ideal measures to prevent the harsh realities of tobacco smoking. This is not focused on just the impact of e-cigarettes but also on the financial and environmental aspects of adopting its use. It is a healthy option to tobacco smoking and allows one to choose levels of nicotine and flavoring compared to normal cigarettes that are predetermined. It also allows the individual to undergo similar feelings when working towards its consumption such as stress relief just as noted in normal cigarettes (Ross). For those looking to quit smoking, this is a good idea that will boost the chances of limiting nicotine consumption on a daily basis. It costs almost the same as the normal cigarettes and vaping is allowed in a variety of states. This means that it will be easier to continue enjoying these attributes while cutting down on nicotine and improving on health. With the potential benefits, it is very easy to use in the any part of the state and does not

Ralph Lauren Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ralph Lauren Corporation - Essay Example Today the company is operating 179full-services stores, 171 factory stores, and 281discounted based shop outlets. Different famous brands include Polo Ralph Lauren, Black Label, Purple Label, RLX Denim and sportswear for tennis, and sportswear for golf. The brands for women were also launched by Ralph Lauren; Black Label, Blue Label, RLX Lauren Ralph Lauren, and Denim & Supply for women. The brands for children include Ralph Lauren Children wears, Baby Ralph Lauren, etc.Other small-scale fashion brands include Club Monaco, Chap, and American Living. Polo Sport, Polo Denim, Ralph Lauren jeans co. and blue label were other famous brands of the company.The corporations running the restaurants under the name of RL and under the Rugby Ralph Lauren branding.Operating any company at such a big level as Ralph Lauren is a difficult task. The management head needs to be very interactive and fast thinkers. The decision-making parties must be experienced. Different marketing tools help the large r companies to make their marketing strategies successful and take their corporation to the high level of achievement. Marketing tools play important role in the strategy building process for advertisement of the brands and companies.A marketing strategy is a general promotion plot planned to encounter the wants and necessities of consumers. The idea should be founded on strong arms. A number of methods will then be engaged to make certain points that the promotion plan is efficiently and well delivered. Marketing procedures are the tackles used by the marketing section. The marketing section will set out to classify the utmostsuitable tools to achieve maximum profits and generate revenues. These marketing techniques include consumer promoting campaigns public relations, trade and, point-of-sale materials, editorial, publicity and sales literature

Home Depot company - Case Analysis and report Study

Home Depot company - Analysis and report - Case Study Example The other external directors include Mark Vadon, Brown J, Albert Carey, Duane Ackeman, Armando Codina, Gregory Brenneman, Helena F and Bonnie Hill. The board is made up of two females and eight males. The average years of the BOD of the company is 58.3 years with ages ranging from 43years to 71years?The ethnicity of the BOD is diverse with one Hispaniac who is Mr. Codina, One black, Ms Hill and Bousbib from France. The rest of the board members are Americans. The board members are highly qualified and all of them have had the expertise and experience of working in other companies in the top management level. The companies they have worked in include; facebook, PepsiCo, UPS and the General Electric. Some of the members of the BOD have their own companies that they are running and are competent enough to work in Home Depot. The education levels of the members are high with the least being a master’s level. Most of the board members have attained a Bachelors and masters in business and economics. A few members have Doctorates in business and one who is Ackerman having a bachelors degree in physics. The universities that the board members have attended for their degrees, Maste r’s and Doctorate are highly recognized in the world for quality education such as Harvard University. The board has been involved in major decision making in the company and they are the ones who give directions on how the company should be run. For example, in 2012, they made a decision of acquiring the Home Systems used in the US. Looking at the compensation that the board members receive, the rates defer for each member. Those board members who are employed in the company are compensated differently from those who are not employed by the company. The compensation is paid off in two forms which include shares and cash payment. In the year 2012, each nonemployee of the board received $280,000. $250,000

An Assessment of British Airways Dispute and its Employee Relations Essay

An Assessment of British Airways Dispute and its Employee Relations - Essay Example British Airways concentrates mainly on its management approach which is considered to be inward-looking. Moreover, the company also focuses on the retention of its different routes and the outcome has been unsatisfied customers. Under the management of Bob Ayling's, British Airways faced industrial action, the employees were protesting against cost reduction which was aimed at improving the airline’s profitability. Subsequent to the earlier strikes and the cost reduction plan, the morale of workforce deteriorated resulting in continued unrest since then. In 2005, the union members protested against the decision to leave out a group of workers, replacing them with the agency staff when the company failed to renew their contract. The company incurred a lot of costs due to this and several passengers were disrupted. In October 2006, the company faced dispute which resulted from a check-in Christian worker putting on his faith’s visible symbol. In 2007, the cabin crew plann ed a strike action, they were protesting against the salary changes. Later it was withdrawn before it took off. According to Books Llc, (2010), British airways and the union Unite relations have continued to be turbulent, especially in 2009 and 2010. It manly resulted from the proposed changes of the cabin crew working conditions as the company was facing the global financial crisis. On December2009, a strike ballot was conducted regarding the working practices changes. It was supported by many especially the Christmas 2009, planned action. However, the industrial action was declared illegal by the court. On February, a re-ballot was held. The negotiations that were ongoing did not stop the strike action which took place in March. The company punished the staff involved through the withdrawal of the travel perks. Today the company is still faced by different challenges and has been trying to find a lasting solution to this. Competitive nature of the business and the rationale behind management proposals British airways is ranked as the ninth airline worldwide with regard to the total number of passengers it can carries. The airline network in the international market is considered to be the strongest. This is because as compared to other airlines, it operates in several destinations internationally. British airways has its base at London Heathrow which is the best location. This location is known to be central to the European air travel and is the leading business hub. The airline connections to various destinations globally are convenient and timely and this is the company’s main advantage of being situated at London Heathrow. Some of the company’s operations which are short haul have been moved to London Gatwick. This came up as a result of the increasing air traffic in Heathrow. In both the international and the domestic market, the company is faced with competition. The company’s main competitors in the domestic markets include airline s like Easy Jet which incur lower costs. In the international level, it has to face several giants which include Lufthansa and American Airlines. British airways main business in both the international and the domestic routes is to provide air services that are scheduled to passengers and cargo. The scheduled passenger service and cargo service of the company are separate divisions that operate in an independent way. The scheduled passenger services contribute a greater percentage to the company’

Swot analysis Walmart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Swot analysis Walmart - Research Paper Example Introduction and Overview In this paper, I will focus upon a strategic and comprehensive analysis of the business tactics, market trends and economic trajectories of Wal-Mart, by attempting a SWOT analysis of the company’s pros and cons. Every successful business has their upsides as well negative aspects. A qualitatively superior standard of operation and well-sustained market shares can only be maintained through a balanced adaptation of both to suit particular business issues and requirements. As a leading brand, Wal-Mart has been the center of several business economic, socio-economic and political economic studies and research. An updated analysis of the company’s market strategies, trends and business highlights will be the primary focus of my paper. While Wal-Mart still retains an amount of prestige and holds a position in the market, it cannot be denied that it is no longer the sole retail giant in America. In a global age, the rapid increase of consumer demand has given rise to numerous small, medium and large retail corporations to provide products and customer services with the required speed ad ease to cause serious business threats to Wal-Mart. For more than 45 years, Wal-Mart has been able to remain successfully in the running against stringent rivalry and rising competing foreign market retailers. Its growth has suffered in the past years. Recent figures and statistics are not reassuring. While assessing the company’s varied and diverse business aspects, I will attempt to provide a detailed reading of the same by utilizing the simple but effective SWOT model of business analysis. 2. Methodology and Procedure As stated in the Introduction, the SWOT method of business analysis is simple but highly effective in producing a detailed, comprehensive and objective research on the four major aspects of any, small or big, business: the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. With this methodology, I will attempt a study and analysis of the inner workings and the relevant problems in the operations of Wal-Mart. The effectiveness of the SWOT method lies in its operational dynamics. It penetrates inward into the basic working and process involved in running the companies, ranging from the production to public relations to retail. I intend to apply this procedural business analytic model because I believe every little aspect of a business can be summed up under the four general headings that are the purview of the SWOT model, as mentioned above. In context of Wal-Mart, this method is particularly pertinent as a comparative study of the strengths and weaknesses of a business yields a greater economic and strategic perspective of current market trends. (Pahl & Richter 7) The company gains from an analysis of competitive advantage that is directly relatable to a firm’s performance in the market. A well-balanced and well-thought theoretical methodology ultimately has the capacity to lead to greater prod uctivity and client satisfaction, all resulting in more generation of revenue. (Hao 15) 3. SWOT Analysis of Wal-Mart: A Comprehensive Business Study Before attempting an application of the SWOT model, I will briefly give an overview of the company’s past and present profile. Figure 1. Company Overview (2012) Name Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Industries served Retail Geographic areas served Worldwide Headquarters Bentonville, US Current CEO Mike Duke Revenue $ 466.950 billion (2012) Profit $ 15.699 billion (2012) Employees 2.2 million

Develop MPI Essay Example for Free

Develop MPI Essay First, in today’s global economy, many companies are vying for a presence in the global markets. There are several ways to gain entry into a foreign market but many questions must be answered first to make sure there is a return on investment or an exit strategy. In the Foley Company case, Joanne has to determine what are her Company strategies advantages and disadvantages of entering Brazilian market for soybeans harvesters: First, she has to determine whether the Company is considering a standalone entry or entry through alliances. This could be a pivotal point in their decision because on one hand the lack of experience with foreign manufacturing operations could prove to be costly in a standalone entry for example. But as Mr. Osborne point it out this is also a â€Å"too good to lose† market, so an equity-base method of entry through alliances seemed to be a none-starter for Foley Company. But eventually, Ms. Poe has other options to consider for entry strategies: Contract Manufacturing, Licensing, Franchising or Exporting. Contract Manufacturing Contract manufacturing has a flexibility element to it as an entry method as it can be used as an added value to other method of entry. This is a major advantage. Ms. Poe could recommend this option in conjunction with franchising for example. Contract Manufacturing would also give the Foley Company a new look at the market in Brazil because the company has not seen this aspect of business in Brazil. Here, the company could focus on RD and other improvement to its machinery to gain competitive advantage. The advantages of this method of entry could be: low capital required, low risk, manageable exit strategy, easy to structure and direct the process. The disadvantages of this method could be: the Company could lose some control due to lack of international experience, difficult to account for the cultural and differences in quality of work and standards, locally accepted practices can be hard to gauge when selecting vendors of supplies of parts etc. can be a problem for a new entrant in the market especially when there is potential for major capital investment. Licensing Licensing method of entry for companies could be reinsuring for the Foley Company because the Company would be able to legally protect its assets  while in the process conducting market establishing its name in Brazil. But this is more to prepare the â€Å"field† by licensing its rights and expertize to local companies conduct to business on its behalf. The important elements here are protection by the local regulations. The advantages here could be: Less hurdles to enter in case of import complexities in Brazil, fast entry into the market, no capital upfront required to establish a presence. But the disadvantages could be: Decrease in sales (not fully engage yet), culture differences and interpretations, and more importantly, the licensee could collaborate with competitors or become competitors themselves which would complicate future deals in Brazil. Franchising By recommending franchising a method of entry, Ms. Poe could emphasize the fact in this case rapid expansion, where a franchise would maintain a business relationship with Foley Company which would grant it the right to distribute its soybeans harvesters using Foley’s brand in exchange for a fee. The creation of a network of owner operated dealers would increase its market share and expanded territories. Less advertising programs and costs, market penetration at high rate, brand equity. The disadvantage of this method of entry could be the cost of engaging locals by Foley Company and potential lack of connection between the company goals in US and it Brazilian counterpart might cause frictions because the local might not be fully vested into the â€Å"bigger picture†. My recommendation would be: Wholly Owned Subsidiaries: Like many Companies, The Foley Company could establish itself fully in Brazil. This would give the company ownership through wholly owned subsidiaries. This method would allow Foley Company to gain control over manufacturing operations and any profits centers completely without sharing with any potential partners. The drawback to this method of entry would be the high initial investment. There can’t be guarantees here because of other intangible like politics, social, economical facts can complicate matters sometimes. But in the long-run, this method of entry which can be done through Acquisition or Greenfield investment (building entirely new facility), would yield many advantages for the company, for example brand equity, increase its competitiveness in the market. With the right  synergies, the economic benefits, in my opinion would outweigh the costs while expanding the market. References http://www.coursesmart.com/SR/7071808/0077496191/331?__hdv=6.8 https://blackboard.neu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2239043_1%26url%3D Buckley, P.J., and Casson, M.C. 1998. Analyzing Foreign Market Entry Strategies: Extending the Internationalization Approach. Journal of International Business Studies: 539-561.

Primary Education The First Stage Of Compulsory Schooling Education Essay

Primary Education The First Stage Of Compulsory Schooling Education Essay Primary education is the first stage of compulsory schooling. The primary phase is split into key stages one and two. Key-Stage one is orchestrated for children 5-7 years of age. Key-Stage two covers the age range of 7-11 years of age. Following Key-Stage two children progress to secondary school and undertake Key-Stage three learning. Thus Primary education must prepare children for KS3, and beyond. Considering the diversity of the age range and ability range of children within the Primary phase, there are a number of theories about the purpose(s) of primary education and how they should be delivered to best suit children (toward Q10). However, all theories for best practice concur that children of primary school age are at a crucial stage of learning which can drastically affect their future learning and experiences. Thankfully the idea of primary school being a place where children are told stories and draw on their own with crayons as a transition to proper school is history. Primary education is now viewed as a valuable opportunity to teach children a number of complex skills which will form the foundations for a lifetime of future learning. The knowledge and skills taught in the early years of life will directly influence the childs success as an adult in a now multicultural society (Q18; affect of social influences). Thus, the thrust of primary education must be to create a rounded experience for all children, through a range of subjects, delivered in an enriched environment by a knowledgeable, dynamic teacher with an effective pedagogy (towards Q14). To begin this process, learning content and method of delivery of this must be appropriately designed for the individual child as part of a larger group. As with all activities, it is critical to gain and retain the interest of those involved to maximise the effectiveness of the activity. It is up to the teacher and team of staff to collaborate efficiently to deliver this successfully (toward Q6). The complex skills taught in primary education are delivered through three main areas; learning to read, learning to write (as part of literacy) and learning to manipulate numbers and all related content e.g. shape and space (numeracy). Since 2008 personal, social, health and economic (PHSE) has been added to the strategy for primary education. Through these topics, enhanced by interaction with peers and adults, children are able to learn the knowledge, attitudes and range of skills required to cope with the vast range of issues that they are likely to face throughout their maturation into and during adulthood. Of equal importance during this period is that children develop the schemas required to acquire skills and are able to recognise opportunities for development. Parents, teachers and other adults can provide the required guidance. By providing exceptional care throughout Primary education it is clear that potential can be maximised and utilised for the benefit of the individual and society (toward Q1). Therefore a programme for education is required. This was introduced as part of the Education Reform Act 1988 as the National Curriculum. The concept of key stages and educational objectives relating to these were also introduced. Furthermore the element of choice was also introduced to allow parents to specify their preferred choice of school for their child; league tables provided the necessary information for parents to choose. This inclusive approach signalled directly the importance of parental involvement and influence on the well-being, education and potential future attainment of their child. However, the introduction of league tables may have paradoxically shifted the focus from childrens attainment to getting results (following emphasis on exam results used as a measure of understanding of the prescribed Curriculum content). The prescription of the National Curriculum is under the direction and control of the Government advised by educational specialists guided by research into the ways in which children learn and what it is believed will be most beneficial throughout adulthood. The National Curriculum thus offers a list of the knowledge a child must gain. This approach provides consistency, guidance for educational institutions and a framework for future assessment of attainment. The content of the Curriculum is impacted by its two aims and four purposes. The first aim is that the school curriculum should aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and achieve. (National Curriculum handbook). The second aim is the school curriculum should aim to promote pupils spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life. These concepts clearly link closely with the invaluable objectives of the Every Child Matters policy. The four purposes of the National Curriculum are to establish an entitlement, to establish standards, to promote continuity and coherence and to promote public understanding (knowledge for Q15). The core statutory subjects of a national curriculum under the education act of 2002 are English, Maths, Science, Art and Design, Geography, History, ICT, Music and Physical Education. Additionally to this, all maintained schools have to teach Religious Education, which should reflect the Christian history of Great Britain. However, Religious Education should also consider practices and ideas of other religions represented in the UK; due to the movement of people, particularly to the UK, and the resultant shift in the majority, this teaching is and should be ever expanding. This is positive as Religious Education develops morals, spirituality and acceptance of others. Within a developing culture this acceptance and understanding should be encouraged, especially during the foundation-setting Primary phase. The school must be responsible through their ethos to highlight and harness the benefits of understanding and co-operation (toward Q2). For these reasons children should be encourag ed to mix with one another where possible. In September 2010, modern foreign languages will become an additional statutory requirement for delivery at Key Stage 2. The Department of children, schools and families suggests that children should also be taught personal, social and health education (PSHE). Ed Balls, of the previous Labour government confirmed that PSHE will become a statutory part of the national curriculum in 2011, but as we now have a new government this may change. PHSE can include a range of topics which aid children in their future lives. A number of beneficial topics can include drugs and alcohol education (DARE), emotional health and well-being, sex and relationship education, nutrition and physical activity, finance, safety and career education. Many of these topics are linked with the valuable outcomes of the Every Child Matters policy and allow the child to be healthy, to achieve and be safe. By learning about these topics, children can be encouraged to consider one another and the world that they live in (teaching toward Q19; promoting equality). Following this community cohesion can become possible, demonstrating clearl y the benefits of teaching PHSE. The notion of delivering PHSE through the Primary phase, rather than commencing during Secondary education, is a positive step as a preventative measure to avoid the current generation making the mistakes of previous generations. Whilst the National Curriculum sets out guidelines, each individual school is responsible for determining how they deliver the programmes of study for each of the subjects specified. The programme of study is prescribed for each subject and indicates what children should learn, as defined by the Education Act 1996, section 353b. This guide also provides a useful basis from which schedules can be planned. It is up to the teacher to decide upon the delivery to give maximum benefit to the pupils in their care. It is important for the school and teacher to deliver National Curriculum study programmes in imaginative ways (toward Q10) but not be constrained by the necessities of the Curriculum itself. Attainment targets define the expected standards of knowledge, skills and understanding for pupils in each key stage for each of the specified subjects and allows for appropriate assessment tools to be developed (http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/Values-aims-and-purposes/about-the-primary-curriculum/index.aspx). As attainment is not static and isolated to specific intervals, it is necessary for the teacher to monitor the developing achievements of the individual child, the child in the context of their peer group and relative to descriptors of attainment-level. With this in mind, it would be appropriate to ensure that class sizes do not exceed the maximal number of pupils beyond which the teacher cannot effectively plan for, teach and assess. As suggested, it is important to continually assess the abilities of pupils, and therefore their progress (towards Q12) and to report this to all involved in the education of the child, especially parents. I believe that the benefit of parental involvement cannot be overestimated; parents have an established relationship with the child and are therefore ideally placed to provide extra or remedial learning at this critical phase of education (facilitating Q5). Whilst the stipulated content of a National Curriculum aims to cater for all, it cannot always achieve this, especially if those children who fall both above and below the average are not considered. Furthermore providing a list of required learning content may be restrictive upon the ability of teaching staff and schools to provide suitably varied lessons for the group(s) of learning needs they are responsible for. Following the change of Government in May we cannot say if the National Curriculum, or even the notion of one, will remain consistent due to the difference in the ideas of Government ideology. This is particularly dynamic if the Educational Minister and her advisors of educational best-practice change (knowledge for Q15; remain aware of curriculum). For example, the Rose review (commissioned by the leaving government) and it suggestions for educational best practice for KS 1 and 2 may become obsolete. The Rose review considered the National Curriculum and the ability of teachers to effectively deliver learning content to children. Furthermore the review considers whether the curriculum needs to be altered to achieve the aforementioned key objective; in other words, what should children learn and how should this be delivered to facilitate successful learning. The Rose review states that too much time is spent revising and practising for exams rather than making sure that children have a love for learning. Teaching staff must be responsible for ensuring that children enjoy Primary school, especially as this will encourage enjoyment of further educational phases. To do this, the new curriculum must understand the way that children learn and develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, culturally, morally and spiritually. Furthermore Rose indicates that the current three core subjects (English, Maths and Science) should be replaced by four skills for learning and life (Literacy, Numeracy, ICT and Personal Development). The following areas of learning should feature within the Primary curriculum: understanding English, communication and languages mathematical understanding scientific and technological understanding historical, geographical and social understanding understanding physical development, health and well-being understanding the arts (Rose Review 2008 P17 Section 31) The above revised aims for the primary curriculum take influence from the values issued under the every child matters policy of the Education Act 2002. The new curriculum must also be well-planned and fun to ensure children have the opportunity to learn independently as well as be challenged and engage in practical activities (Q22). Giving children the opportunity to learn more about the world around them, through experiences in art, literature, and religious education and much more will facilitate this. The curriculum should allow many opportunities to use learned knowledge through cross curricular studies. With the Primary years in mind, the review recommends that high-quality play-based learning would benefit young children immensely as well as teaching parents the importance of play and read to/with their child (Q5 Q30). It is also critical that opportunities for spoken communication are taken to maximise the childs ability to learn to read and write. Phonics sessions will further aid development in this critical area. Encouraging use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) is important to allow children to use a number of the tools often needed to find employment and be financially healthy in todays technologically advanced society. Generally, the review pronounces that there needs to be more continuity through the stages of learning e.g. from EYFS to Key stage one and beyond to maintain success; the DCSF should give primary schools one extra in that day in 2010 to train/understand the new curriculum and transition between key stages. As stated by Rose, the curriculum should aim to teach pupils how to learn as well as the learning content. Having outstanding teachers in any education centre is crucial for pupils success here. Therefore, it is critical to consider ways that teachers can improve their pedagogy to deliver the required content (in whatever form it takes), for the benefit of the children in their class (toward Q10). Significantly, the review also suggests that it may be appropriate to restructure Key Stage 1 to include the Early Years Foundation Stage i.e. begin schooling and reap the rewards as early as possible, especially if parental involvement is successfully encouraged. Another research based review of the Curriculum, and ways to realise successful learning, is provided by the Cambridge report. The report suggests that a new primary curriculum be introduced which is broad, deep, balanced and offers high standards in all subjects; by separating literacy and numeracy they are afforded a higher level of emphasis and importance. Furthermore, new aims and values should be adopted within modern primary education. The 12 aims of the report focus on: The individual Well-being including mental, emotional and physical welfare (in line with Every Child Matters) Ensuring children have a thirst for engagement in their learning Empowering children with knowledge to meet and be adaptive to the changing challenges of the world Autonomy to promote aspirational thought (satisfying Q1) Self, others and the wider world Promote self-respect, respect for others, respect for diversity and difference as well as acceptance of others ideas and values (awareness for Q19, satisfying Q25) Promoting interdependence to develop sustainable positive relationships. Empowering local, national and global citizenship, encouraging children to make decisions in the world around them e.g. school council, as well as knowing about human rights, conflict resolution and social justice. Celebrating culture and community; schools should strive to become the centre of the community life and culture. Learning, knowing and doing Exploring, knowing, understanding and making sense, giving children the opportunity to actively experience the world around them (towards Q25). Fostering skills to make sure that pupils have the skills which learning, employment and rewarding life depend on. This includes all customary subjects in the curriculum as well as communication, creativity, intervention, problem solving, critical practice and human relations. Exciting imagination, giving children the opportunity to extend their knowledge outside the limits of their experiences. Enacting dialogue, to help children understand the need for communication and collaboration between teacher and pupils, and among pupil whilst becoming aware that knowledge is not just given but negotiated and recreated. This form of dialogue is central to effective pedagogy (facilitating Q2). It is highlighted that language, literacy and oracy (the capacity to express oneself in and understand speech) are critical to accomplishing these aims, as well as allowing aims to drive rather than follow the curriculum. Significantly, the report advocates extending the foundation stage to the age of six. Therefore the primary phase would include children 6-11 years of age, eliminating key stages one and two. Extending the foundation stage to 6 years old gives children the opportunity to develop personally, and learn to interact, before they embark on a journey harvesting knowledge. This can only work if there is the correct cooperation, communication and cohesion between foundation stage and the primary phase and their curricula (working toward Q32; development of effective team practice). This must be embraced by the teacher with pedagogy that is centred on personal accountability for effective teaching. This is obviously aided by providing adequate space, equipment and resources to ensure that pupils EYFS education provides solid foundations for the future. To aid the process it is imperative to ensure that disadvantaged and vulnerable children are given the help they need swiftly and successfully. To begin this, eradicating child poverty must be prioritised. Equally, opportunities must be provided for pupils with SEN, EAL or disability to progress to the same degree as their peers (Q19). Based on continuing research, the new Government has released a white paper for reform of the education system and the curriculum. The paper reflects much of the aforementioned, noting that the most important factor upon attainment is the quality of teaching/teachers. In order to help schools and their staff to deliver high quality teaching, the bureaucratic burden must be removed to allow focus on what is necessary for the children in their care. This burden is largely caused by the restrictive nature of the current Curriculum and the focus upon the attainment of qualifications which have the highest value in performance tables; often Primary schools over-rehearse teaching for the test (Q12, understand the value of assessment). I have experienced this with year 6 pupils preparing for SATs I felt that other subjects had been put aside to make way for the tests. The enjoyment of learning had been forgotten because of the pressures of ensuring each child passed. It was necessary to teach the children how to interpret and understand the questions rather suggesting that the assessment method may be unreliable. There appears to be a disparity between assessment, curriculum and the prescribed method of teaching i.e. utilising practical activities does not seem to match the way the children are tested. Furthermore, the National Curriculum should be tightened to contain less non-essential knowledge, especially in core subjects. By reducing the prescribed content and giving back decision making power to the school (about what, and more importantly how, to teach) it will be possible for children to gain the knowledge they to reflect the high standards expected of children in other nations. In order to improve, schools must be freed from compliance with Government initiatives to become self-improving. To aid this programme, schools should have access to regional league tables to identify and seek guidance from those schools from which they can learn (working toward Q5). In conclusion, Primary education must be grounded upon the needs of children as individuals. From this, guidelines for the content to be taught can be established. It is important that whilst the value of these guidelines is embraced, they do not become restrictive upon the imaginative element of pedagogy, allowing teaching staff to cater for all children as unique and valuable individuals. In doing so, children can learn how to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve and in doing so allow the child to make a positive contribution and achieve economic-well-being which are crucial to acceptance of the diverse culture we live in. Furthermore with guidance the child/growing adult will be free to develop social understanding/sensitivity to behave appropriately with others in numerous and changing social situations (Q1, Q19 and Q25). Adaptability and accountability of the teachers who mould young minds are paramount to childrens on-going success. As part of this group, I must strive to develop a pedagogy and effective relations with other members of the school which allows me to deliver teaching which enables children to maximise their potential (Q14, Q6, Q1). To continue to deliver this I must continue to embrace my desire for Continuous Professional Development (Q9).

Consumer Behaviour: Apple Iphone4 Users Vs Samsung

Consumer Behaviour: Apple Iphone4 Users Vs Samsung Samsung started off in the year 1938 by Byung-Chull Lee as a small company that started their exporting business in Korea They had exporting of fish, vegetables and fruit to China. It wasnt long before Samsung made their presence in flour mills as well as confectionary machines. After many years of striving there company decided for as a cooperation company in the year 1951. It was then they rapidly grew placing foot in various diversified businesses from heavy, chemical and petrochemical industries in 1958 which then led them to enter into Electronics in 1969. Samsung has now transformed into a one of the Leaders today in the Digital Electronics industry. They have Headquarter in the Samsung Town a town in Seoul, South Korea. Samsung had majorly influenced in the South Korean market and effected the various sectors i.e from economic growth, politics, media as well as the culture. Samsung is responsible for almost 20% of South Koreas exports and revenues. They have grabbed a sort of monopoly place in the South Korean companies. Samsung has set a benchmark in international businesses today and is considered as a role model. Apple Inc. was formed in the year 1976 by Steve Jobs, Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak. They began business selling computers, Apple I personal computer kit. Apple is an American based company that has focussed there entire business in the designing, manufacturing and selling various electronic devices, computer software and personal computers. There headquarters is in a suburban city called Cupertino located in California. The company deals in the Macintosh line of computers which are the initial successful hardware products, the iPod, iPhone, iPad. Apple operating system the Mac OS X operating system; the iTunes media browser; iLife is the suite required for multimedia and creativity software. Apple recently considered as one of the prime company in view of market capitalization, and the leading company in terms of technology in the world. Apple was stated as the admired company that was published by Fortune magazine 2011. The state of the art design and innovation in features was what made Apple to reach heights even without much of investments into advertisements, Apple had achieved a top solo grade in the consumer electronics industry which completely boosted its brand image to heights never attained by any other.. This gained them a devoted customer base that are die heart Apple brand, especially in the USA. Product Overview Samsung Galaxy S2 Apple iPhone 4S SIZE Dimensions 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm Weight 116 g 140 g DISPLAY Type Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors Size 480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches (~217 ppi pixel density) 640 x 960 pixels, 3.5 inches (~330 ppi pixel density) Gorilla Glass display Scratch-resistant oleophobic surface TouchWiz UI v4.0 Multi-touch input method Multi-touch input method Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate Three-axis gyro sensor Touch-sensitive controls Proximity sensor for auto turn-off Proximity sensor for auto turn-off Gyroscope sensor Internal 16GB/32GB storage, 1 GB RAM 16/32/64 GB storage, 512 MB RAM Card slot microSD, up to 32GB, 8 GB included, buy memory No CAMERA Primary 8 MP, 32642448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash 8 MP, 32642448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization Touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, HDR Video Yes, [emailprotected] Yes, [emailprotected], LED video light, video stabilization, geo-tagging Secondary Yes, 2 MP Yes, VGA FEATURES OS Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread), planned upgrade to v4.0 iOS 5 Chipset Exynos Apple A5 CPU Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 GPU Mali-400MP PowerVR SGX543MP2 Radio Stereo FM radio with RDS No GPS Yes, with A-GPS support Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS Java Yes, via Java MIDP emulator No Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic MicroSIM card support only NFC support (optional) Scratch-resistant glass back panel TV-out (via MHL A/V link) Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic SNS integration Siri natural language commands and dictation Digital compass iCloud cloud service BATTERY Standard battery, Li-Ion 1650 mAh Standard battery, Li-Po 1432 mAh Stand-by Up to 710 h (2G) / Up to 610 h (3G) Up to 200 h (2G) / Up to 200 h (3G) Talk time Up to 18 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 8 h 40 min (3G) Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 8 h (3G) Market and Competitor Analysis During Q2 of 2011 they had sales of 428.7 million units in the international sales of mobile devices to end users. A direct 16.5 percent increase from the second quarter of the previous year 2010 according to Gartner Inc. as shown in Table 1.1. Smartphones sales were up 74 percent year-on-year and accounted for 25 percent of overall sales in the second quarter of 2011, up from 17 percent in the second quarter of 2010. Consumers in developed markets are purchases midrange Android smartphones over feature phones, mainly seen due to carriers and manufacturers promotions. 1(Gatner) Since we are focussing on the smart-phone segment, we have considered companies such as Nokia, Samsung, Apple RIM. Nokia is still leads in market share in the overall industry. But we can see that in smartphone segment the sales is low due to the highly competitive market that reduced the customer demand towards Symbian. Samsung, attained a rapid growth in the Smartphone segment during the recent years. Galaxy-S2 sold about nearly 10milion units by end of November. The strong performance in smartphones helped in achieving a good crunch of market share to become the third best vendor in this segment. Apple, iphone 4S received a overwhelming response from the consumers as it had 4 million pre- orders. The growth mainly came from 42 new carriers and 15 New countries in Q2 2011. Total Apple sales coverage is in around 100 countries. RIM, market share in smart phone declined by 12% by Q2 2011. It had lost its position No.5 in the international mobile device to a Chinese vendor called ZTE. Among all the smart-phone segments our major focus is between iphone (4/4S) and Samsung Galaxy S2. From the below table of SWOT analysis it is seen that both have a threat of intense competition and highly developed market. Apple iphone(4/4S) is having a advantage of first mover. Samsung Galaxy S2 is considered to be a price-value product which is its major strength but lacks the Brand value in comparison to the Apple iphone. Samsung Galaxy S2 Strengths Price-value product Good Distribution channels Variety in Product Line for all segments 4G is available in S2 Rich User Interface Wide Screen, Gorilla glass Weakness Looks not impressive Lacks Brand value Opportunities Google Support Independent Hardware Unit New status symbol Threats Intense competition Highly Developed Market Apple iphone 4 Strengths First Mover Style/ Brand Rich User Interface User Base Hype Opportunities Existing Applications Loyal customer base Distribute itune content Siri Market Positioning Apple has already established a place in the minds of the people that it is a very high value product and is portrayed as a sign of perfection. Apple iphone quickly jumped the starting phase and straight away went to growth by their rising sales, growing number of competitors and strong awareness. This is made possible only by understanding the unrealized needs, design and ability to operate with any computer operating system. After the launch of iphone a new era of touch was created that made the other competitors to launch similar kind of product in this segment. Samsung being one of the major player introduced Corby which became a hit among the value consumers, and then in order to gain market share of the high end consumers they launched the Galaxy series. Targeting the females Samsung had launched Galaxy S2 in Pink colour which also gained a lot of new customers for them. In Q2 Q3 Apple had a sale of 38million worldwide whereas then Samsung had a sale of 10 million in the same quarters. Company Focussed Competition Focussed Pushes the Boundaries Leader: Apple Challenger: Samsung Stays within the Boundaries Niche: Lava/Spice Follower: LG/Motorola/HTC Apple: Prelaunch Strategy Public Relations Blogs Sneak Peak on RD info Buzz Viral marketing Launch Strategy Print Media TV Outdoor Media Social Media Apple.com Post Launch Strategy Carrier handled advertisement Apple.com Independent review websites Digital Campaigns Samsung also have push pull strategy for the product launches and promotion of the products. Compare to Apple, Samsung creates buzz among the consumers by showcasing their products in trade shows exhibitions. Samsung also launches the teaser videos and print media information to promote the product before the launch. In Dubai there are no banners or print media advertisements for Apple, however there are many banners available for Galaxy S2 at different places. Samsung have many official You Tube channels for the different geographic locations. To compete with Apple in USA Samsung launched an official signup page for Galaxy S2 where potential buyers can login to understand the various features of the phone and chat with the official customer support centre. As a challenger strategy Samsung is into aggressive advertisement against the Apple with series of new advertisement especially for US market in which they have shown the new technology innovation of 4G which is currently not su pported by any iPhone. For Samsung: Prelaunch Strategy Public Relations Exhibitions Trade shows Teaser Videos Print Media You Tube Videos Launch Strategy Print Media You Tube Videos Intense TV Advertising Outdoor Media Social Media Samsung.com Post Launch Strategy Banners Promoters Dealer Advertisements Offers Independent review websites Trade shows/Exhibitions Pricing Strategy iPhone is available in three different versions of Phone memory: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB whereas Samsung is only available in 16GB only. Both are available in Locked and unlocked versions. Locked versions are normally available in 2years contract in USA (ATtT), UAE (Etisalat du), India (Airtel Aircel). The below table gives the pricing of the two smart-phone giants in three different regions: In terms of pricing Apple has come up with many following strategies: To reach out to the Maximum consumers they have launched locked and unlocked versions with significant price differences in some countries. Their pricing differs depending on country to country in Asian countries they have positioned as a Luxury product. Prices are higher than their competitors because of people perceive them as the state of the art technology. Apple has fixed pricing strategy, changes in pricing occurs only when a newer version of the product is launched. In terms of pricing Samsung has come up with many following strategies: To reach out to the Maximum consumers they have launched locked and unlocked versions with significant price differences in some countries. Samsung provides a normal pricing structure irrespective of the geographical location. Samsung maintains prices at a competitive price with their competitors. Samsung is now gradually reducing prices in order to maximize sales and attract new customers to improve their market penetration. Consumer Behaviour Methodology We have conducted the consumer behaviour survey by framing a questionnaire and distributed it to the users of iPhone Samsung Galaxy S2 in DIAC(Dubai International Academic city). We have considered a sample size of 40 constituting of 20 Samsung Galaxy S2 users and 20 Apple iPhone 4 users(as iPhone 4S has not been officially launched in Dubai yet). With the feedback we have received through our survey we are conducting our statistical analysis and the results are as given below: The two main objectives of this survey was to understand the decision process of the consumer before purchasing the phone. The 2nd objective is to measure the level of consumer satisfaction among the two smartphone users. Product Attributes influencing the decision making in buying the phone: The three basic attributes which came as an important factor after analyzing the data are Brand value, Performance Features/Specifications. Brand Value is very important among the consumers of both Galaxy S2 iPhone4. It has been seen in our survey 59% were Apple users who got more influenced by Apple Brand to purchase their phone compared to Samsung that is 41%. Performance is an extremely important factor for both iPhone as well as Galaxy users. As shown in the piechart the S2 users were more influenced by performance of the phone as this one of the attribute that led them to prefer Samsung smartphones to the iPhone. Features/Specifications is an extremely important influential factor for purchasing phone for the users of iPhone and Galaxy S2. For Galaxy S2 it is inferred that 54% users were influenced by this to purchase the phone compared to iPhone which is just 46%. Medium of Attributes that led to this decision: This is to understand the various medium which has played a important role to facilitate the decision process. In both Samsung Galaxy S2 and iPhone4 word of mouth and advertising played a crucial role where as industrial publications and trade show events were not that impactful. As seen in the pie chart Samsung has 64% and iPhone 4 has just 36%. Being a challenger Galaxy S2 and shown above having high influence for its performance and specifications word of mouth has become an important factor. Samsung has been more influential with its advertisements compared to Apple as seen in the chart towards the left. They used Teaser videos and was more aggressive in their Advertising strategy for Galaxy S2. Inferences of the product through Advertisements: There were certain attributes shown in the Ad for the two products. After watching the Ads consumers had perceived that these attributes, Product is of High Quality, Brand Awareness, Were the Claims made believable are important than other attributes. Inspite of the aggressive advertisements strategy that Samsung had shown, Apple still managed to portray their product as a High Quality product from very few of their official advertisements. As we have seen the Brand value is a high influential factor while purchasing iPhone. This must have been generated through brand awareness in which advertisement is one of the factors. As we have seen from the Unique selling proposition, Apple had always shown advertisements stressing more upon their Applications. This claim made by them is more believable, as seen from the pie chart. Customers who relied on Internet Research for their Decision of their Phone It is seen from the people we surveyed that there are high number of people who use Internet to understand the overall specifications of the phone. From this we can infer that Internet is a major factor for making their decision for the product. From the results we derived its been seen that Review websites played a major role in the customers who bought Samsung Galaxy S2 whereas You Tube and Company websites were most influenced in the buying process of iPhone4 users. Its quite clear from the chart that most of these two smartphone users have experienced the phone prior to purchase. From the bar chart we interpret that the highest number of people using the Samsung Galaxy S2 got inspired by using their friends phone which led them to the purchase of the same. However, in the case of iPhone both friends phone and company showroom both play a vital role. As the major dealers like Sharaf DG and Jumbo they have a exclusive section for iPhone. Its clear from the bar charts that majority of iPhone users are all Die-Heart fans whereas Galaxy S2 users are all Inspired users who experienced the phone and then decided to have it. In this we can see that Apple has a strong Brand Loyal customer Base. Now we arrived to the final phase of our survey where we measure the customer satisfaction post purchase of the Phone From the Survey we inferred that majority of the users in both the brand smartphones are very` satisfied and agreeing that the phone is fun and easy to use. However, the iPhone4 had a higher count in the number of people who found it more fun and easy. We inferred from the pie chart that majority of the users of Galaxy S2 as well as iPhone4 were Very satisfied about the Quality made of the phone. However, the iPhone4 had a higher count in the number of people who had said has a better quality make of the case. The majority of consumers were very satisfied with the features which were suiting there need in both the smart phone as we can see from the graph. However, the Galaxy S2 had a higher count in the number of people who had the opinion that it suited their needs. The internet experience is having more satisfied consumer for iphone compare to Samsung galaxy S2. Nonetheless majority of the mobile users were very satisfied about their Internet access experience. When it comes to application majority of the two phone users were very satisfied with what their phone provided them. But then when we compare between the two phones we see that iPhone4 had more number of people who were very satisfied with their online Application store as they have an app for almost anything. Both the phone users had majority users who were very satisfied with the photo and video clarity their phone had, but comparing between the two phones its seen in the piechart, iPhone has more very satisfied customers in respect to Photo and camera clarity. Sound Performance was ranked very satisfied for both the phone user in majority, Galaxy S2 has more very satisfied customers compared to iPhone4 as we can see from the pie chart. Clearly from the bar chart its visible that iPhone users are not happy with the Battery Backup the phone provides, whereas for Galaxy S2 its having an uneven distribution so what we understand is the phone gives different battery backup depending on the purpose of what the user does the most. SWOT Analysis on basis of Consumer Behaviour Survey On the basis of our consumer behaviour survey we have redefined our SWOT Analysis Apple iPhone 4 Strengths First Mover Brand of High Quality Awareness Loyal User Base Photo Video Clarity Application store Use Internet Access Experience Weakness Limited Distribution channels Less Advertisement Less Word of Mouth Opportunities Existing Applications Loyal customer base Threats Gorilla Attack Intense competition Highly Developed Market Samsung Galaxy S2 Strengths Feature/Specification Performance Good Distribution channels Sound Performance Suiting Customer Needs Battery Backup Satisfaction Opportunities Word of Mouth Advertisement Recommendations For Samsung Samsung should focus on brand building strategies. Samsung should tactically plan and rectify, to create a feeling among the customers that Galaxy S2 is a reliable product of high quality. That company needs to focus on to influence people to opt their product in the coming future through internet and social media. For Apple Apple should focus more on advertisements. Apple should make their product available by opening more company stores. Apple should focus on the product availability on the global scale after the product launch. Conclusion It is seen from our studies that this industry is having a strong competitive scenario and technologically innovative segment. Due to its high aggressive nature there is a constant change in the innovation of the products within less span of time. In both the product Galaxy S2 iPhone4 having an edge over each other in some or the other attributes for e.g. Apple is known for its brand value where as Samsung is known for its performance. Samsung being a challenger is more aggressive towards its marketing strategy and in recent times they have started Gorilla attacks especially in American European Markets. Compare to Apple Samsung have wide range of distribution across worldwide which is their major strength. The major strength for Apple is its large loyal customer base without any effective marketing they are able to maintain it. There is a belief that the challenger may soon will become the leader in this segment but as we have seen in past that Apple has always brought innovation in their product and with this they have gain first mover advantage and able to capture high market share. So in future we believe that there will be a fierce competition in the smart phone segment not only between these two companies but with other companies coming in the picture to gain significant market share.

The Selling of Women in America Essay -- Research Essays

The Selling of Women in America Beautiful, skin-tight clothing, thin, blonde, long hair, and big breasted women are what people normally think of when they think of television commercials. This is very stereotypical but how stereotypical is it? Look at the media anymore and this is what the audience sees. There may be a change here and there with the hair color and how tight the clothing is but in all honestly this is what the public is seeing on television screens if they sit there and watch the television screens. Our society has brought about the sex appeal in women to sell their products. How true is all of this? From a series of surveys, an interview, observation, and case study I have chosen to prove that a certain â€Å"type† of woman is used in commercials and that she is used for her sex appeal in them. I surveyed five girls and five guys on whether or not they think that women are used as sex objects and if there is a certain type of women that is used for these commercials. An interview was also done with my friend Lindsay to go into more detail on this subject. Many different answers were given but there were specific types of answers that the majority of the ten interviewees answered with. In surveying these ten people that I have chosen I came up with some diverse answers and yet some similar ones. Sixty percent of the people surveyed reported that sports and sitcoms were the top two television programs watched. The main sports that are watched are football, basketball, hockey, and baseball, however, there were others mentioned. It was funny to see that the type of commercial that was mostly perceived by the surveyors was beer commercials, but other responses included sports, clothing, foo... ...tracted to her appearance referring to her a â€Å"hot† and they wouldn’t change a thing to her outfit. However, one of them said that they would use 1-800-COLLECT because of disliking other telephone services but not because the angel said to. But he did feel that she does leave the number floating around in his head because she is the one saying it. Women are clearly used in commercials for their sex appeal and it is not just any woman; it is a woman who is most likely big breasted, slim, attractive with long, blonde hair, smiling, tall, curvy, and model-like. Because of this â€Å"attractiveness† men and both women find themselves viewing commercials that have these types of women in them. From the surveys, interview, and case study I have found that these stereotypes are true and that yes, people may buy these products because of these beautiful, glamorous women.

Comparing Destiny, Fate, Free Will and Free Choice in Oedipus the King and Antigone :: comparison compare contrast essays

Oedipus and Antigone: Is Fate Determined? Is everything determined? This question has caused fierce debate and has plagued both the science and literary worlds. Fate and Prophecy have both appeared in literature, most notably in Ancient Greek and Roman plays. Two plays that stand out as being based on prophecy are Oedipus Rex and Antigone, both written by Sophocles. Sophocles may have eggagerated certain aspects of fate, but he had many correct observations concerning fate and destiny. I think that everything is determined because free will is just an illusion, time travel depends on it, probability dictates it. In the play Julius Caesar, Cassius tells Brutus, "Men at some times are masters of their fate." But is this true? Can we do anything we chose or is the universe's fate fixed? The answers to these questions we may never know. But we can guess. In Antigone, Creon is faced with a decision. Should he condemn Antigone to death or should he let her get away with a crime? He feels as if he has a choice between the two. But, he doesn't. It was determined that he would put Antigone in a cave and try to get her out after contemplating it carefully. No matter what he did, he could not have defied this. He had the choice between the two, but it was determined that no matter what advice he received from Haemon and Tieresius, he would inevitably choose to put her in the cave. As Oedipus portrayed, you cannot escape fate no matter how you try. The prospect of time travel depends on and proves that everything is determined. If you go back and find out you should have turned left when you turned right and change it, then you may think you have defied fate. But, you are utterly wrong. Most likely, like Oedipus, you will do exactly what was determined, and step right into the prophecy. Doing this will, in fact, create an alternate quantum reality in which it was fixed to happed that way! (If you want to understand this fully, read about Feynman's Sum Over Histories in any of Stephen Hawking's books). The prophet who had spoken to Oedipus about his fate knew what was predestined. If Oedipus had gone forward in time and seen what he had done, he would have tried to avoid that fate.

Ethics Issues Essay

Ethics Issues Shawnez M. Mckenzie MGT/216 August 12, 2010 Carrie Baird The nature of business ethics is described as, what is fair, and Just. According to Jentz, Miller, and Cross (2002) states, business ethics concentrates on the beliefs, which is right and wrong actions in the business world and the philosophy of morality and how moral principles are consequentially applied to a person’s daily life in the business or social environment. Although some issues seem unethical, it is not necessarily illegal (Rainer ; Turban, 2002, p. 2) Society states the terms ethical and oral are not the same and used interchangeably. Here are three specific examples of ethical issues within todays businesses. Bribery, embezzlement and deceptive advertising can be defined and discussed in this essay. Bribery is considered offenses related to the improper influencing of people in position of trust. Bribery is a white-collar crime, intentions must be clear and verified, and the crime of bribery m ust occur when the bribe is offered. Bribery can affect the local legal system, which can leave the citizens in doubt of who is trustworthy in maintain the laws. An example of bribery would be to influence a public official to act in a manner that services a particular private interest. Bribery affects communities with dishonesty and mistrust of authority in any business or organization. Second, is embezzlement it is the act of stealing funds from a business or organization that was entrust to safeguard, and fraudulently mislead financial records. Embezzlement affects the community and people when a banking intuition is involved. According to Fridell (2009), two bank employees embezzled 1. 3 million dollars over the course of our years, by using hundreds of separated banking transaction. The two women cost six victims their homes, savings and investments by pocketing the funds from the bank and going on lavished vacations. The act of embezzlement can financially affect the lives of others as well as the business. It could leave any company with shame and humiliation, if proper protocol or policy was not enforced or in place to avoid such a crime. However, the act of betrayal within any business, the organization needs to rebuild the trust of the community. Last, is deceptive advertising, is onsidered when businesses are misleading or making false statements regarding a product to mislead consumer. The purpose of the advertising are hopes that advertising would convince consumers to purchase their products. The Federal Trade Commission states, advertising must be truthful and non-misleading, advertiser must be able to support their claims; and advertisement cannot be dishonest with consumers. Under the FTC Deception Policy Statement, an ad is deceptive if it contains a statement or leave out information that is; likely to misinform consumers cting convincingly under the circumstances and â€Å"material† that is vital to a consumer’s decision to purchase or use products. Deceptive advertising as a are genuine and the business are trustworthy, which can affect how consumers and the community view unethical issues. In conclusion, business ethics focuses on what makes up the right and wrong theory in the business and how ethical principles and morals are useful by business people. More important, ethical or moral standards guide our behavior, as parents, children, or students who apply to our everyday lives in the business or social profession. As current members of the business world, we have a moral and business obligation to be ethical in how we deal with others, no matter in what capacity. References Federal Trade Commission, Inc. (2010) Consumer Protection. Retrieved from http://www. ftc. gov. gov Gaylord,J. , Miller, R. , cross, B. F. (2002). wests Business Law. USA. Rainer, K. , & Turban, E. (2008). Introduction to Information Systems. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Fridell, Z. (2009). Effects of embezzlement still felt as families, bank rebuild. Steamboat Today. Retrieved from http://www. steamboatpilot. com

Essay Writing

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a quantitative success: IIM study There are some good tidings for the Union Human Resource Development Ministry from its flagship enterprise, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), to universalise elementary education. A study conducted by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), has found that the SSA has met with considerable success quantitatively if not qualitatively.While quality remains an area of concern, the SSA has been able to bridge the enrolment, retention and achievement gaps between the sexes and among social groups. According to the IIM-A study titled `Shiksha Sangam: Innovations under the SSA,' the out-of-school population had come down from 28. 5 per cent of the six-to-14 year age group in 2001 to 6. 94 per cent by the end of 2005. Dropout rates at the primary level stands at about 12 per cent and 190 of the 400 districts were showing a declining trend in 2005-2006.The SSA has been able to bring Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ( SC/STs) — weak points in earlier efforts to universalise elementary education — into the educational mainstream. Greater share The share of SC/ST children at the primary level in 2004-2005 was actually greater than their respective proportion of the population: 20. 73 per cent in the case of SCs against a population share of 16. 2 per cent and 10. 69 per cent against a population share of 8. per cent. The gender gap in enrolment now stands at 4. 2 percentage points at the primary level and 8. 8 percentage points at the upper primary level. In 2005-2006, there were only 22 districts (of the 400 for which data was available) where the gender gap was more than 10 percentage points at the primary level. However, the success rate on this count in the upper primary level is not so good as 82 districts have reported a gap of more than 15 percentage points. Essay Writing Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is a quantitative success: IIM study There are some good tidings for the Union Human Resource Development Ministry from its flagship enterprise, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), to universalise elementary education. A study conducted by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), has found that the SSA has met with considerable success quantitatively if not qualitatively.While quality remains an area of concern, the SSA has been able to bridge the enrolment, retention and achievement gaps between the sexes and among social groups. According to the IIM-A study titled `Shiksha Sangam: Innovations under the SSA,' the out-of-school population had come down from 28. 5 per cent of the six-to-14 year age group in 2001 to 6. 94 per cent by the end of 2005. Dropout rates at the primary level stands at about 12 per cent and 190 of the 400 districts were showing a declining trend in 2005-2006.The SSA has been able to bring Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes ( SC/STs) — weak points in earlier efforts to universalise elementary education — into the educational mainstream. Greater share The share of SC/ST children at the primary level in 2004-2005 was actually greater than their respective proportion of the population: 20. 73 per cent in the case of SCs against a population share of 16. 2 per cent and 10. 69 per cent against a population share of 8. per cent. The gender gap in enrolment now stands at 4. 2 percentage points at the primary level and 8. 8 percentage points at the upper primary level. In 2005-2006, there were only 22 districts (of the 400 for which data was available) where the gender gap was more than 10 percentage points at the primary level. However, the success rate on this count in the upper primary level is not so good as 82 districts have reported a gap of more than 15 percentage points.