Huckelberry Finn Essays - English-language Films, Picaresque Novels

Huckelberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain contains symbolism associated with superstition. This is demonstrated by both the actions and beliefs of the characters and the events which occur in the story. The way in which friendship supersedes superstition and popular beliefs plays a major role throughout. Huck in particular is forced to mature and forget superstition when he is faced with the internal dilemma of his best friend, Jim, being a runaway slave. In Chapter one, Huck sees a spider crawling up his shoulder, so he flicks it into the flame of a candle, where it shrivles up before he could retrieve it. Huck realizes that it is a bad omen, which will bring bad luck. He becomes scared and shakes off his clothes, then proceeds to turn in his tracks three times. He then ties a lock of his hair with a thread to keep the witches away. You do that when you've lost a horseshoe that you've found, instead of nailing it up over the door, but I hadn't ever heard anybody say it was any way to keep of bad luck when you'd killed a spider.(Twain 5). In chapter four, Huck sees Pap's footprints in the snow. He then goes to Jim to ask him why Pap is here. Jim goes and gets a fist sized hairball, which was taken from an ox's stomach. Jim asks the hairball, ?Why is Pap here But the hairball won't answer. Jim says it needs money, so Huck gives Jim a counterfeit quarter that Huck had been bragging about earlier in the novel. Jim puts the quarter under the hairball. The hairball talks to Jim and Jim tells Huck that it says: ?Yo'ole father doan' know yit what he's a-gwyne to do. Sometimes he spec he'll go ?way, en den ag'in he spec he'll stay. De bes' way is tores' easy en let de ole man take his own way. Dey's two angles hoverin' roun' ?bout him. One uv'em is white en shiny, en t'other one is black. De white one gits him to go right a little while, den de black one sil in en gust it all up. A body can't tell yit which one gwyne to fetch him at de las'. But you is all right. You gwyne to have considable trouble in yo' life, en considable joy. Sometimes you gwyne to git hurt, en sometimes you gwyne to git sick; but every time you's gwyne to git well ag'in. Dey's two gals flyin' ?bout yo' in yo' life. One uv ?em's light en t'other one is dark. One is rich en t'other is po'. You's gwyne to marry de po' one fust en de rich one by en by. You wants to keep ?way fum de water as much as you kin, en don't run no resk, ?kase it's down in de bills dat you's gwyne to git hung.? (Twain 19). When Huck goes home and finds Pa there, it re-enforces his belief in the occult and also his trust in his friend Jim. In Chapter ten, Huck and Jim run into some ?good luck and some bad luck?. The mere concept of ?good luck and bad luck? may be in itself considered superstition, but more interesting events begin to unfold. While snooping around in an overcoat, Huck and Jim find eight dollars in one of the pockets. Then, after they eat some dinner on the Friday, they are lying in the grass, when Huck runs out of tobacco. He decides to go to the cavern to get some, and finds a rattlesnake. In southern culture it is ?bad luck? to touch the skin of a rattlesnake, however Huck kills it anyway, and rolls it up to its original shape and puts it on the foot of Jim's blanket as a decoration. Later, when night comes, Jim sits down on the blanket and the snake's mate is there. It lunges out, and it bites Jim on the heel. Jim tells Huck to chop off the snake's head, and to then skin the body of the snake. They then decide to cook part of it, and eat it. Huck decides that he will be nice to Jim, and try and make

A Stick of Dynamite Essays

A Stick of Dynamite Essays A Stick of Dynamite Essay A Stick of Dynamite Essay The interior, which contains great potential for change and the ability to quickly adapt to changes, is enclosed in a protective outer covering and at its tip is a fuse. This is the power of youth. The resilient nature of young people is like a stick of dynamite; it is highly explosive as it detonates rather than deflagrates. According to Mary McLeod Bethune1, We have a powerful potential in our youths and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends. Dynamite is capable of great good when its power is utilized in the right way. This fact can be applied to the power of young people. Like the dynamite, their spirited nature and their eagerness can be used to pave the way for positive new developments in society, to build bridges and link people together for a common cause, to construct highways so that there is a faster more efficient route in attaining dreams and to create numerous other projects that will benefit mankind. However, in the wrong hands the dynamite can be used to destroy instead of to create and young people have that same propensity for good or bad, therefore the strength of youth should never be underestimated or taken for granted. Young people are better suited for invention than judgement, execution than counsel, and new projects than settled business. The vivacity and charisma exuded by our youth has a similar effect on older people like the effect that the flame has on a moth. They are attracted to our colourful display of eagerness for life and our charm. The energy and strength of young people are resources that can be tapped into to produce positive results. Young people are idealistic as they untainted by the harsh cruelties of life. They are not aware of what cannot be done and so they often achieve greater things, as they are not limited by mental barriers. They have boundless energy; they never tire in working for dreams and ideals that they are passionate about. Also young people, tend to approach situations with a clean slate as they do not possess the prejudices of older adults. They do not hold grudges but instead work at maintaining long lasting relationships. The former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan2 once said that Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. they can be key agents for development and peace. If. they are left on societys margins, all of us will be impoverished. Therefore, we should utilize the power of these sticks of dynamite, which are our young people, for good, by lighting each fuse with a positive flame so that the world will explode into a profusion of prosperity and creativity.

Stimulus Bill Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stimulus Bill - Article Example it allowed the people to invest in the overall development of the society like in infrastructure, medical treatment issues, education and other basic needs of the people were addressed by this act. Further it took part in recycling of the energy too. The Act is based on a theory of economics which is called Keynesian Macroeconomic Theory. This theory suggests that when a recession strikes, the government should be modest and generous enough to put less money into the projects which are of private nature and likely to benefit the government and the state only, and start investing more on the things which will directly give relief and benefit to the general public. According to this theory, recession is not the time to secure your business or government, but to keep the public surviving and doing all which will keep them alive, happy and motivated to work or to get back to work. Although the Act seems to be a perfect package for the social welfare of the people, it was also criticized by some in terms of its very limited scope. They say that it covers less than one third of the spending. As it happens with every new thing presented, The view and recommendations of the economists about the act should also be discussed in order to get a better idea about the weaknesses and strengths. Some economista like Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, Larry Summers and Martin Feldstein have reservations about this act that it has a very small vision or it is an act with limited scope which does not benefit the sufficient number of people. They suggest that it should have been designed to encompass the larger wider population. Feldstein is generally in favour of such a package but questions the directness of this act on the investment on consumer spending. He says that this act should have been more direct on addressing the unemployment and the consumer spending. According to him some revision is needed in this act to make it more effective and beneficial. Krugman also says that it

Social Engineering ( Examining the latest scams) Essay

Social Engineering ( Examining the latest scams) - Essay Example They may be known as the authorized worker by having a number of types of urgent problem; social engineers frequently depend on the usual concern of people and on their faults. Appeal to egotism, request to power, and outdated questioning are classic social engineering methods (TechTarget, 2009; Allen, 2006). The concept of social engineering is the use of getting secret information through handling of legal users. A social engineer will usually utilize the Internet or phone to scam someone into disclosing secretes data as well as information or else acquiring them to perform any thing that is not lawful or against the normal rules. Through this technique, social engineers make use of the standard propensity of a person to keep faith on his or her word, relatively than making use of computer safety gaps. In addition, it is normally established on that â€Å"clients are the fragile link† in safety as well as this standard is what formulates social engineering practicable (TechT arget, 2009; Allen, 2006). This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the idea of social engineering. In this scenario this research is aimed to assess some of the main web based scams those make security much harder to manage in proficient manner. This research is aimed to assess some of the prime and recent scams regarding social engineering paradigm. This paper will also assess main attacking areas along with possible counter techniques to secure the social engineering attacks. Social engineering is fundamentally the technique of taking admittance to the systems, networks, buildings or else data by making use of the human mental characteristics, before breaching in or in other words making use of the practical hacking methods. For instance, in place of attempting to find out software flaw, a social engineer might call a worker plus pretense like an IT support person, attempting to deceive the worker into

Logistic Regression in Nursing Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Logistic Regression in Nursing Practice - Essay Example The other reasons are difficulty in leaving their job at hand to access healthcare, lack of time to pursue healthcare, vernacular issues and afraid of the medical care system. There have been very few studies which tried to correlate the conditions of US farmworkers that is being related to health care usage. Unfortunately, those studies lacked representativeness of the population and may have some bias associated with it to draw an inference. Thus the goal of this study was to draw fairly a true representative sample from the population of US farmworkers to reduce the component of bias in the statistical interpretations to be made. On the basis of sampling strategies as discussed, the study selected correlates based on previous literature and the behavioural model for vulnerable populations which imposes the fact the predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics that influence the health care usage. An ecological model was selected to specify the several levels of influence on be haviour, which provided the the overall framework for calculations. Thus the ultimate aim was to find out how each factor relates to health care usage in relation to various factors or correlates and to suggest the interventions needed to improve the health care usage based on these observations. The Way Regression Equation Is Used Regression equations are used to define the magnitude and direction of relation of one variable with another variable( simple regression) or the relation of a set of variables with another variable.(multiple regression equations like logistic regression equations based on ordinary least squares or linear regression equations). The variable which is studied is called the criterion (dependent variable, in this case the health care usage) and the variable/s on which the dependant variable depends are called the predictor (independent variables, in this case the individual variables, policy variables, ecological variables). Therefore in this study the Health care usage was correlated in the equation by bivariate models and multivariate models. Bivariate means predicting the health care usage depending upon another variable with which health care is correlated. In multivariate logistic regression model the health care usage was predicted holistically depending upon two or more variables because in bivariate model only one independent variable is considered. In multivariate logistic model many variables at a single time in relation to each other and health care usage can be evaluated which gives a more realistic view to the situation because individual variables, behavioural variables, ecological variables are all related to each other to finally impact health care usage. In other words the multiple regression equations provide a logical and at once glance of the weighted impact of all the independent variables on the dependent variable ( in this case health care usage pattern). In logistic equations the important aspect is to evaluate th e correlation coefficients which means how a variable is related to other that is whether increase in the value of one will increase or decrease the magnitude of another variable. This coefficient called product moment correlation(r) has a value from -1 to +1. This means more the positive magnitude more the increase in magnitude of one variable will increase the

Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation

Motivational Interviewing for Smoking Cessation Maria (titanium number: 47144) is a retired, 65-year-old lady who visited the clinic, for the replacement of her teeth in quadrant 4 (#33-36) after the removal of the old bridge and the abutments by a private dentist due to weakened abutments. According to the patient, her last visit to the dentist was 2 weeks before her first appointment with me. It was for the removal of the residual root of 44 which served as one of the abutments for the previous bridge. Maria brushes her teeth twice a day, using a soft bristle toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste. She also flosses and rinses her mouth with Listerine mouthwash twice a day. The patient has underlying cardiac arrhythmia, chronic bronchitis, fracture on vertebrae T5 and T7, depression, fibrocystic breast, hypertension, sciatica leg, scoliosis, type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis on her rotator cuffs as well as her knees. She is allergic to resedronate sodium. Socially, Maria is a smoker and she smokes 15 cigarettes a day since she was 17 and she is not thinking of quitting. She drinks occasionally. Upon oral examination, her oral hygiene is generally good with some mild plaque and calculus deposition. Her PSR score was 0 for all sextants, suggesting no active periodontal disease but generalized gingival recession was present. Her #24-27 as well as #34-36 was replaced by bridges. There were restorations on almost all of the dentitions with only 4 sound teeth. However, no active carious lesion was found. Tobacco smoking can cause damage to almost every system of the human’s body, contributing to a variety of diseases thus increasing the mortality rate.1 Moreover, studies have shown that smoking can affect oral health in diverse manners such as increasing occurrence of oral cancer, periodontitis as well as causing teeth discolouration.2 Therefore, it is the responsibility of a dental practitioner to address this issue. In Maria’s case, the habit of smoking is rather alarming because it not only can affect the oral health but her general wellness. From her medical history, it has been shown that she is suffering from multiple diseases that can be modified by tobacco smoking. Most significantly, smoking is the major cause of chronic bronchitis and can further exacerbate the symptoms.3 Hence, motivational interviewing was attempted to help Maria in quitting smoking. I started the motivational interviewing session by exploring the stage of change Maria was at. According to Maria, she has thought of quitting but it was very difficult because smoking provide her a means to relieve anxiety and depression. She also expressed that she was not ready to quit. From here, it can be deduced the she is at pre-contemplation stage. Subsequently, I asked for her permission to discuss about this issue, emphasizing that the decision of quitting is up to her. She agreed and in return, I give affirmation by thanking for her willingness to talk about quitting. To elicit the ‘change talk’, I started by further exploring the source of her barrier. She told me that her medical conditions and the need for surgery were making her depressed. From here, I presumed that her concern about health could be a good motivator. Then, I asked her the reason as to why she has thought of quitting. In response, she said that she wanted to be healthier and that she was aware of the disadvantages of smoking as her GP had always advised her to quit. Furthermore, smoking had also become a financial burden for her. At this point, I summarized that her goal was to improve her health. Hoping to develop a discrepancy between smoking and her goal, I asked her to think about the advantages of quitting smoking. She replied that by quitting smoking, she might be able to become healthier and save some money. When I asked her about her ability to make the change, she replied with ‘I really don’t know.’ As I was facing resistance, I tried t o find an alternative question. When she was asked about what she would do to make the change, I got a similar reply ‘I am not sure.’ With her permission, I introduced her to the quit line. Finally, I concluded with reiteration of the discrepancy between smoking and her goal to become healthier. A brief evaluative session was done before a restorative procedure when I updated her medical history. She told me that she just had a biopsy done, suspected with breast cancer and still using cigarette to relieve stress. Due to time pressure, the session stopped here. Judging from Maria’s response during the conversation, it can be seen that although I have successfully encouraged her to think and talk about the issue, the intention of quitting is low. The response ‘I really don’t know’ and ‘I am not sure’ suggest that she is highly in doubt of her ability to quit. In addition, it is clear that cigarette as a stress reliever is a strong ambivalence that stops her from quitting. I feel that the session was a good start for both Maria and I but there is still a lot of improvement needed. To illustrate, I lack the experience in giving appropriate affirmations. There were a few instances where my affirmations were rather awkward. Besides, I need to improve my skill in complex reflection. For instance, when she talked about the source of depression which was her health, I could have leaded her to a new thought whereby smoking cessation can improve health and hence, reducing the source of depression. I could have also asked Maria to compare the advantages and disadvantages of smoking. This might help her to recognize her goal and ambivalence better. As she has low confidence in quitting, there should be more discussion as to how help could make a difference.4 In conclusion, motivational interviewing can be a good approach to induce behavioural change in patients however practice is needed to develop the skills and to execute it effectively. References Doll R, Peto R, Boreham J, Sutherland I. Mortality in relation to smoking: 50 years’observations on male British doctors. BMJ 2004; 328:1519-1528. Sham AS, Cheung LK, Jin LJ, Corbet EF. The effects of tobacco use on oral health. Hong Kong Med J 2003; 9:271–277. Rebecca JT, Frank ES, Bernard R, Dimitrios T, Walter CW. Cigarette Smoking and Incidence of Chronic Bronchitis and Asthma in Women. Chest 1995; 108(6):1557-1561. David B. Rosegren. Building Motivational Interviewing Skills: A Practitioner Workbook. 1 edn. Washington: The Guilford Press, 2009.

Values in Contemporary Social Work Essay -- British Social Workers

Shared values are essential in the creating a successful relationship between the client and social worker. Social workers operate within society, not only to assist the individual but to create a more cohesive society. Values and ethics permeate the whole of social work practice and the society within which it practices (Shardlow 1989). Values are afforded a high position within social work, this is highlighted in: â€Å"Social work is a professional activity. Implicit in its practice are ethical principles which prescribe the professional responsibility of the social worker† (British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Code of Ethics). However, there is a danger that any list of values will become something which is quoted as opposed to a useful tool for practice. Values can be helpful as they enable the social worker to analyse their practice in relation to the expectations of the law and the needs of the people they work with. What are values? Is there a place for them in contemporary social work? Is it even possible to define what constitutes values in contemporary social work? Biestek created a list of seven principles with the intention of showing social workers how clients ought to behave. These principles may have been well meaning but they hardly reflect everything that is going on in contemporary society. The very existence of a list of morals can be damaging to social work as it creates a feeling of security based on the presumption that the list itself incorporates everything required for successful practice. Values determine what a person thinks they should do, which may not exactly be the same as what they want to do. Personal values allow us to evaluate the actions of others in relation to our own... ...) Ethical Issues in Social Work, Routledge National Association of Social Workers (1980) Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, NASW: Silver Spring, Maryland Payne, M (1997) Modern Social Work Theory. Second edition. MacMillan Plant, R. (1970) Social and Moral Theory in Casework, London, Routledge and Kegan Paul Repper, J. & Perkins, R. Social Inclusion and Recovery: a Model for Mental Health Practice, Bailliere Tindal Shardlow, S.M. (1989), The Values of Change in Social Work, Routledge: London Taylor-Gooby. P (1981) Social Theory and social welfare, Edward Arnold. London Thompson, N. (1997) Anti-discriminatory Practice (2nd Ed), London Macmillan Thompson, N. (2000) Theory and Practice in Human Services, Buckingham, Oxford University Press. Wilson, K. et al (2008) Social Work: An Introduction to Contemporary Practice. Pearson, London

Parris and Procter Essay

How does Miller use setting and action in Set 1of ‘the Crucible’ to establish atmosphere and set the scene for the events which are to unfold?  This essay recounts the various ways in which Arthur Miller uses setting and action to set the atmosphere for the coming events in ‘the Crucible’. During the 1950’s whilst ‘the Crucible’ was being written a phenomenon called McCarthyism was occurring. McCarthy, who was the US president at the time, was determined to hunt down communists in the USA. He was paranoid about Communists and McCarthyism is the name given to the paranoid behaviour of his government in the hunt for communists. Miller was called in front of the judge and was tried, as were a number of his friends, but Miller was not convicted although others were. This is where Miller’s idea for ‘the Crucible’ originated. The link between McCarthyism and the witch-hunt is persecution, which is a common parallel in both situations. Being based on a true story about a historical witch-hunt creates dramatic tension in that the audience are expecting a play based on fact rather than fiction. The audience at the time would have known that the play was about McCarthyism, and by claiming that the play was based on fact Miller creates excitement in the audience who are prepared for a factual account of McCarthyism. It is notable that Miller was unable to perform his play publicly in the US at the time and it had to be performed in Belgium. By using the Salem witch-hunts Miller introduces the audience to the theme of good and evil. The setting and actions in Set 1 establishes atmosphere in particular for the events that are to unfold in the rest of the play. Set 1 in Act 1 is a small, simple bedroom. Within the room there isn’t much furniture and the room appears to be very cold and inhospitable. The room is brightened up by the description of the morning sunlight streaming in through the window, but the window is described as narrow so dulling the image of the room and limiting the sunlight streaming in through the window. The audience then has an image of a small slit of light entering a room of darkness, which creates a visual drama between light and dark. Similarly, the set in Act 2 is described by Miller as ‘the low, dark and rather long living room of the time.’ Again the Set which is a room in Act 3 is described as ‘solemn, even forbidding. Heavy beams jut out, boards of random widths make up the walls.’ As in set 1 there are two ‘high’ windows with ‘sunlight pouring through’. Finally in set 4 Miller describes the prison cell as ‘in darkness but for the moonlight seeping through the bars.’ The set of act 1 indicates a similar parallel in the set of the scene of John Procter in a prison cell, with the light streaming through. Whilst the audience contemplates whether there is hope of Proctor not being accused of dealing in witchcraft, sunlight streams in to the courtroom from the high windows. This represents a glimmer of hope for John Procter. Proctor’s wife then lies to say that her husband is not a lecher, thinking that she is protecting him, and the audience sees all hope dashed away. Later in Set 4 in the prison cell Miller uses the metaphor of moonlight seeping through the bars to show that not all is lost in despair. In all these sets Miller uses the stylistic device of light coming through windows in dark rooms making the audience think that the whole story will be dark with small glimmers of hope throughout. The use of light and dark in the set draws on a parallel of good and evil, hope and despair, justice and injustice. By allowing darkness rather light to dominate so despair, injustice and evil form the dominant atmosphere. The changing atmosphere in the similar settings leaves the audience un-prepared for what is going to take place next. Set 1, as can be seen by examining the text further, the bedroom is always full of tension and it is never the set for anything calm. Bedrooms are normally where people go to relax and sleep but this bedroom is the place where people go to argue and accuse each other of waywardness. This particular bedroom doesn’t belong to anyone and is described as ‘A small upper bedroom’. Bedrooms are normally personalised and made comfortable for the persons whose room it is but this one is cold and bland. This at once tells the audience that this room will be the centre for grievances and dilemma. The first character the audience meets in Act 1 is Reverend Samuel Parris, who is described as in his middle forties. The audience instantaneously get the impression that Parris is a man easily angered as his first words spoken are â€Å"Out of here!† Here Miller adds the action of Parris â€Å"scrambling to his feet in a fury†, which immediately creates tension. Reverend Parris’ short temper and his desperate manner, which he uses to get what he wants, are seen here. His intense anger comes through again when he is arguing with John Proctor â€Å"Man! Don’t a minister deserve a house†¦.†. Parris’s greed shines through and the audience sees a man out to get what he wants and not what’s best for the Church, which he is meant to serve. The audience also see his pretentiousness â€Å"I am a graduate of Harvard College†. He seems to believe that he is superior to everyone else. The confrontation in set 1 Act 1 set the scene for what is to be a far more serious conflict between Parris and Procter in the courtroom. At this point a different atmosphere is created by the tension. Here again there is an argument between Parris and Procter, but roles are reversed, and Proctor seems to be in control. The tension is also amplified by the way in which Parris speaks â€Å"in deadly fear, to Elizabeth†. Deadly fear is strong language and emphasises to the audience that death is in the air. Set 1 Act 1 also prepares the audience for Act 4 Parris is seen out of character where he is grovelling and begging for Procter to confess to dealing with witchcraft, demonstrating the extent to which Parris will go to get a confession, which the audience knows is false.

Introduction to Programming in C++ Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Introduction to Programming in C++ Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Introduction to Programming in C++ A program is a sequence of instructions for a computer to execute. Every program is written in some programming language. The C++ (pronounced see-plus-plus) language is one of the newest and most powerful programming languages available. It allows the programmer to write efficient, structured, object-oriented programs. This chapter introduces some of the basic features of C++. You should compile and run each example in this chapter. 1.1 SIMPLE PROGRAMS Our first example illustrates the main parts of a C++ program. EXAMPLE 1.1 The Hello World Program #include iostream.h> // This program prints "Hello, World." main0 1 tout CC "Hello, World.n"; return 0; The #include directive on the first line is necessary for the program to have output. It refers to an external file named i o s t ream. h where information about the cou t object is provided. Note that the angle brackets and > are not part of the file name; they are used to indicate that this is a Standard C++ Library file. The second line is a comment, identified by the double slashes / /. Comments are included in programs to provide explanations for human readers. They are ignored by the compiler. The third line contains the function header main ( ) . This is required for every C++ program. It tells the compiler where the program begins. The parentheses ( > following main are also required. The fourth and seventh lines contain only the braces { and }. These enclose the body of the main ( > function and are also required for every C++ program. The fifth line contains the statement tout "Hello, World.n"; This tells the system to send the message II He1 lo, War Id. n " to the tout (see-out) object. That object is the standard output stream which usually represents the computer display screen. The name cou t stands for console output. The output should look like this: 1 2 INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING IN C++ [CHAP. 1 The n symbol is the newline symbol. Note that this single symbol is formed from the two characters and n'. Putting this symbol at the end of the quoted string tells the system to begin a new line after printing the preceding characters, thus ending the current line. The sixth line contains the statement return 0. That terminates the execution of the program and returns control to the computers operating system. The number 0 is used to signal that the program has ended successfully. The output statement on the fifth line includes several common C++ symbols. The symbol C is called the output operator or the insertion operator. It inserts the message into the output stream. The symbol n included at the end of the message stands for the newline character. Whenever it appears in an output message, it causes the current line of output to be terminated, thereby starting a new line. Note that both of these symbols ( and n) require two characters, side-by-side, with no space between them. Note the semicolon ; at the ends of the fifth and sixth lines. C++ requires every statement to end with a semicolon. It need not be at the end of a line. We may put several statements on the same line, and we may have one statement extend over several lines. But no matter how it is positioned on one or more lines, every statement must end with a semicolon. We can imagine the relationship of the tout obiect to the program and the displav screen like this: Hello, World. I#include iostream.h> main0 .{ tout "Hello, World.n"; > The output stream cou t acts as a conduit, piping the output from the program to the display screen (or printer or other output device), byte by byte. The program in Example 1.1 is not minimal. Only some of its parts are required for every program. In fact, a C++ program need not have any statements. Of course, such an empty program will not do anything. The next example shows the shortest possible C++ program. EXAMPLE 1.2 The Shortest C++ Program main0 0 This empty program does nothing. It simply reveals the required skeleton for every C++ program. The return 0; statement is not required by most compilers. Some compilers will issue a warning if it is omitted. We include it in each example in this first chapter. It is also recommended that you include at the beginning of every program a brief comment that describes what the program does. CHAP. l] INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING IN C++ 1.2 THE OUTPUT OPERATOR The symbol C is

Developing price policy

Developing price policy Introduction Pricing of products and services is of fundamental importance in the four elements of marketing mix that generates profit for business enterprises. According to Boone and Kurtz (2011), the factors that influence the price of commodities and services can be categorized as external and internal.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Developing price policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Pricing thus, is more than just simple calculations of the cost of production and setting up a markup (Giddens, Parcell Brees 2005). Consequently, pricing policy becomes a major component of enterprise marketing plan, which is part of the whole business plan (Boone Kurtz 2011). Moreover, pricing policy ultimately affects the other marketing mix elements of the product which in turn, impact on how the product is viewed by consumers and purchase decisions (Giddens, Parcell Brees 2005). Target market segment The target segment is a part of consumers that can be optimally served by the company’s projected and existing capacities at a profit. The introduction of more efficient technologies has enabled construction of lighter, less expensive, and more powerful radio and aircraft systems (Doyle 2002). As a result, there has been a global rise in the hobby of flying RC airplanes and the application of such airplanes in the military and scientific research organizations. The target market for the new RC airplane will be individual users, research stations, governments, and military units. However, it is worth noting that each of the target users mentioned is unique and requires different marketing and pricing strategies that can be adjusted in accordance to prevailing market conditions (Kotler 1997). Channel of distribution The sole objective of every business enterprise is to make profit by selling their commodities and services to consumers or ultimate users. In order for the producer of the commoditie s to achieve this objective, they must ensure that the goods they produce reach the consumer. The goods must follow a defined distribution network to reach the consumers via what is commonly referred to as trade channel or distribution channel (Kotler 1997). In fact, the trade channel acts as the link between the producer and the consumers; therefore, any channel of distribution comprises the producer, middlemen, and final buyers (Anderson James 1990). Selling the new RC airplanes will be done using the indirect method distribution channel; however, caution will be taken to ensure that middlemen are minimized. Minimizing the middlemen (Kotler 2003) is essential in ensuring profit maximization and that consumers are not overcharged since every middleman charges extra profit or commission for the goods they sell.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In fact, according to Anderson and James (1990), goods that are produced in large quantity cannot reach the final users or consumers at the right time and place without the input of middlemen. Consequently, they will be sold via two middlemen as depicted in figure 1.1 below. Fig: 1.1: Distribution Channel for the new RC airplanes Source: (Anderson James 1990) Prior research to adoption of pricing policy According to Aaker (1999), good policies are vital for the attainment of progress in both economic and social spheres. Price policy formulation; thus, is central to success of any business enterprise and more often the quality of price policies formed is depended on the capacity of the marketing team in the business and the strategies employed by the team (Frank 1998; Boone Kurtz 2011). Before making any price policies, it is important for the firm to carry out research on the factors affecting pricing; both internal and external. Furthermore, the pricing policy should compare all the available prici ng options and result in an acceptable price level range for the product (Uva 2001). Anderson and James (1990), note that performing prior research to determine most appropriate pricing strategies is important as the knowledge acquired can be used in assigning the best price markups for the products. To achieve an acceptable pricing policy, it is important for the marketing team to carry out prior research in the following areas;Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Developing price policy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More on the mix of products they intend to offer in the market, this is important because it limits or broadens the pricing strategies options available for the business to exploit; market research to be able to determine the target market and the best possible pricing goals and strategies for the targeted market demographics; the best method of distribution or channel of distributions of products ultimatel y impacts on the pricing strategies, for example, direct sales grants the producer more control over the product in terms of pricing, or displays as opposed to wholesale; research should be done on the approximate life cycle of each product since the life cycle of the product determines the quantity to produce at a particular time. For example, goods with estimated short life cycles require that they are produced in massive quantities to be able to generate bigger profit margins, while those with estimated long life cycles gives the producer time to attain their pricing objectives; policies such as government regulatory policies that may impose price regulations on your product by limiting the maximum prices that can be charged for the product; finally, the company ought to carry out prior research on the anticipated product demand. For example, projected high demands means that the consumers will highly unlikely be concerned with price of the product thus the producer has more flex ibility in choosing an appropriate pricing strategy (Uva 2001; NetMBA 2005). Pricing objective The pricing objective to be adopted by the company for the new RC airplanes will be quantity maximization since the company’s main mission is to become a leader in terms of market share amongst companies producing RC aircrafts. Consequently, the pricing objective of the company seeks to maximize the number of the new models of RC airplanes sold (Giddens, Parcell Brees 2005). Pricing strategies According to Kotler (2003), several pricing strategies exist for companies to choose from, however, some of these pricing strategies only work well with certain pricing objectives. Uva (2001) advises that a careful selection ought to be done by business managers when choosing a pricing objective as the choice of appropriate pricing strategies depends on the selected pricing objective. Moreover, each pricing objective works well with a particular set of pricing strategies (Figure 2.2). Finall y, it has been noted (Doyle 2000) that different pricing strategies can be successfully applied at different times to fit the changing market strategies, product life cycles, and market conditions. Figure 2.2: Pricing objective and strategies From figure 2.2 above, it can be noted that owing to the pricing objective of the company; quantity maximization, the best marketing strategies would be as follows: (1)Multiple pricing; (2) Good, better, best pricing; (3) Loss leader pricing; (4) penetration pricing; and (5) product bundle pricing (Uva 2001; Doyle 2002). Multiple pricing: aims at luring customers to make large purchases by offering slight discounts to customers who buy goods in large quantities. The prices of single items are slightly higher to those that purchased in bulk (Boone Kurtz 2011). For example, buying one new RC airplane will cost the customer approximately $ 85; the customer will be required to pay $ 165 for two RC airplanes. As a result, the customers will feel that they are getting discount for buying two items since $ 82.5 (165à ·2) is $ 2.5 less than $ 85.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, $ 82.5 is the price that the company would be charging for each new RC airplane if the company was not employing the multiple pricing strategies. The strategy will be able to generate more profit for the company by increasing the quantity of items sold, as well as through increasing prices for customers who purchase one item. Practically, the strategy penalizes the customer for purchasing one item since the price is typically set higher than it will cost; that is at $ 85 instead of $ 82.5. Good, better, best pricing: this is a pricing strategy in which the price of the same item increases with slight changes that are made to the product, for example, changes in packaging. The price can be offered in a series of three formats with the price of each series rising above the price of the previous series (Doyle 2002). The goods that are priced at ‘better† price and those that are priced at â€Å"best† price require more attention from the producer than those w ithâ€Å"good† price; however, the higher prices charged for them are worth the extra effort (Achrol 1997; Day Liam 1988). For example, the new RC can be categorized into those that are very heavy, slow, and noisy as being â€Å"good† price, while those that are less heavy, fast, and produce relatively low noise as â€Å"better† price and those that are light, faster, and have noise minimization capabilities as being priced at â€Å"best† prices. Loss leader pricing: in this strategy, the customers are enticed into visiting the shop that deals with different product or parts by reducing the price of one item. This is done with the hope that when customers visit the shop to make purchase of the cheaper item they may also buy other items (Alderson 1937). For example, in applying this strategy to the pricing of the new RC airplanes, the company will use other accessories such as the RC airplane battery as the loss leader product, thus customers who come to buy the RC airplane batteries may end up buying other accessories or even purchase a new model of the RC airplane. Penetration pricing: this is a strategy that is employed by business enterprises that want to break into a new market or segment of the market that is not previously served by the business. The main objective of the penetration pricing strategy is to attract and increase the market share of the product (Day Liam 1988). Therefore, applying the penetration pricing strategy requires that the business reduces the prices to a certain minimum in order to attract customers; however, this price must be increased once the management is satisfied that the objective has been attained as this strategy initially reduces profit margins significantly (Urbany 2001). For example, if the market research indicated that the competitors sold their RC aircrafts for $ 83 to $ 99, then the company will have to sell the new RC airplane models for about $ 80 in order to attract customers since there are already several other RC airplane sellers in the market and the company is new. This will be done for six months after which there will be a price review upwards as the price of $ 80 covers the production cost but it is the lowest of the market range. This pricing strategy achieves the objective of the quantity maximization by increasing number of items sold at low prices. At the same, the strategy can help in revenue maximization that results from the large numbers of purchases made (Whitefield, 1994). Product bundle pricing: this pricing strategy is applied when the producer wants to get rid of overstock or sell complementary products. The products are bundled together and the customer who buys the new item can get an older or complimentary good for less (Day Liam 1988; Doyle 2002). In respect to the new RC airplane models, the company may decide to sell the older versions or accessories that are compatible with the new models in bundles at lower prices. Product bundlin g will help the company achieve its objective by making it possible to sell items that might have not been sold. Procedure for price calculation In calculating the unit cost of the new RC airplane models, the company will apply the Conjoint Analysis (Curry 1996), which is a marketing research tool that is used to determine attributes the new product and how the new features affect the price of the new product. The choice to use conjoint analysis is supported by the fact that it is flexible and less expensive to carry out than concept testing (Trout 1998; Nagle Holden 2001; Rhim Cooper 2005). Suppose the company intended to produce sets of new RC airplanes, from the users’ perspective and experience, the new sets will be affected by some important product features, for example, speed, average plane life, and price. Table 1: Attributes of new RC airplane Average Speed Average plane life Price 80Km/hr 60 falls $ 82.5 70Km/hr 50 falls $ 85.0 60Km/hr 35 falls $ 90.0 From table 1, it clear that the markets â€Å"ideal† RC airplane is the one that has a speed of 80Km/hr, an average life of 60 falls, and is less expensive costing $ 82.5. However, from a manufacturing perspective the â€Å"ideal† new RC airplane is that which has a speed of 60Km/hr, has shorter life cycle of 35 falls, and cost more at $ 90 assuming that it cost less to manufacture RC airplanes that are slow and have shorter life cycles. Ranking the features conjointly between two buyers Table 2: Buyer 1 Average RC airplane life 60 falls 50 falls 35 falls Average Maximum Speed 80Km/hr 1 3 6 70Km/hr 2 5 8 60Km/hr 4 7 9 Table 3: Buyer 2 Average RC airplane life 60 falls 50 falls 35 falls Average Maximum Speed 80Km/hr 1 2 4 70Km/hr 3 5 6 60Km/hr 7 8 9 From table 2 and 3 the buyers tend to agree on the least preferred feature of the plane, but, buyer one tends to tradeoff average speed to ball life while buyer two makes an opposite tradeoff. Next is to figure out a set of values that when summed up produces buyer one’s rank as shown in table 3. Table 3: Set of values that produce buyer’s preferences Average RC airplane life 60 falls (90) 50 falls (50) 35 falls (0) Average Maximum Speed 80Km/hr (60) 1(150) 3(110) 6(60) 70Km/hr (30) 2(120) 5(80) 8(30) 60Km/hr(0) 4(90) 7(50) 9(0) Suppose table 4 represents the tradeoffs buyer one buyer one is willing to make between price and average airplane life: Table 4a Average RC airplane life 60 falls 50 falls 35 falls Price $ 82.5 1 4 7 $ 85 2 5 8 $ 90 3 6 9 Table 4b Average RC airplane life 60 falls (90) 50 falls (50) 35 falls (0) Price $ 82.5 (10) 1(100) 4(60) 7(10) $ 85 (5) 2(95) 5(55) 8(5) $ 90 (0) 3(90) 6(50) 9(0) From the analysis the company then ends up with a set of complete values known as utilities that capture buyer 1’s tradeoffs a shown in table five below. Table 5: Buyer 1 tradeoffs Average Maximum Speed Average RC airplane life Price 80Km/hr 60 60 falls 90 $ 82.5 10 70Km/hr 30 50 falls 50 $ 85 5 60Km/hr 0 35 falls 0 $ 90 0 The company will use the table above in calculating the price of the RC airplane to produce as follows: suppose the company intends to produce two models of RC airplane as show in table 6. Table 6 Speed RC airplane Long life RC airplane Speed 80Km/hr 70Km/hr Life cycle 50 falls 60 falls Price $ 85 $ 90 Then, the values for buyer one in table 5 when summed up provides the estimate of the buyer’s preferences as shown below in table 7. Table 7 Speed RC airplane Long life RC airplane Speed 80Km/hr 60 70Km/hr 30 Life cycle 50 falls 50 60 falls 90 Price $ 85 5 $ 90 0 Total utility 115 120 From table 7, it can be concluded that the customer is likely to prefer long life RC airplane over the faster model because it has the highest amount of utility. The company should produce life RC airplanes and sell them at about $ 90 per item. Due to multitude and complexity of factors involved in determining the price of products, assembling relevant information on the market conditions will determine the long term price changes. However, the short term price policies are tactical in nature as they endeavor to realize short term business objectives, and will be employed in relation to the goal they are intended to achieve. List of References Aaker, D A 1999, Managing brand equity: capitalizing on the value of a brand name, The Free Press, New York. Achrol, RS 1997, â€Å"Changes in the theory of inter-organizational relations in marketing: toward a network paradigm†, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 25 no. 1, pp. 56-71. Alderson, W 1937, â€Å"A Marketing view of competition†, Journal of Marketing, vol.1, pp.189-190 Anderson, J C James, A N 1990, â€Å"A Model of distributor firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships†, Journal of Marketing, vol.54, pp. 42-58. Boone , LE Kurtz DL 2011, Contemporary marketing, Cengage Learning, Belmont CA Curry J 1996, Understanding conjoint analysis in 15 minutes: Quirk’s Marketing Research Review, Sawtooth Technologies, Inc. Day, G S Liam F 1988, â€Å"Valuing market strategies†, Journal of Marketing, vol.2, pp. 45-57 Doyle, P 2000, Value based marketing: marketing strategies for corporate growth and shareholder value, Wiley, Chichester. Doyle, P 2002, Marketing management strategy, Prentice Hall, Harlow Frank, G 1998, Cost of production versus cost of production, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. Giddens, NJ, Parcell, Brees M 2005, Selecting an appropriate pricing strategy, viewed on https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/ Kotler, P 1997, Marketing management: analysis, planning, implementation and control, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Kotler, P 2003, Marketing management, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ Nagle, T Holden, R 2001, The strategy and tactics of pricing, Prenti ce Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. NetMBA 2005, Pricing strategy, viewed on netmba.com/marketing/pricing/ Rhim, H Cooper, LG 2005, â€Å"Assessing potential threats to incumbent brands: new product positioning under price competition in a multi segmented markets,† International Journal of Research in Marketing, vol. 22, no. 2, pp.159-182. Trout, J 1998, â€Å"Prices: simple guidelines to get them right,† Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 22, pp. 13-16. Urbany, JE 2001, â€Å"Are your prices too low?† Harvard Business Review, vol. 79, no. 9, pp. 26-28. Uva, W L 2001, Smart pricing strategies, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca. Whitefield, J 1994, Conflicts in construction: Avoiding, managing, resolving, MacMillan, New York.

MIS In The Construction Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

MIS In The Construction Industry - Essay Example For this purpose organizations implement information systems. This paper is going to assess the implementation of management information systems in the construction companies and business. In this paper I will define the management information systems, its uses, implementation areas and main benefits taken from these new implementations in construction industry. Data are collection of unrefined facts representing events taking place in organizations or the physical setting prior to they have been formed and managed into a structure that people can recognize and utilize. On the other hand, information refers to data that have been shaped into a structure that is significant and helpful or functional to human beings (Norton 4) and (Laudon and Laudon 7). â€Å"The term information system can be described technically as a collection of interrelated components that bring together, process, store, and distribute information to carry decision making and control in an organization† Information systems keep and maintain information about important people, places, and things inside the corporation or in the set up surrounding it (Laudon and Laudon 7) and (Hoffer, Prescott and McFadden 429). According to (Shelly, Cashman and Vermaat 620), â€Å"an information system consists of hardware, software, data, workers, and methods that work in collab oration to turn out functional and valuable information†. An information system helps out in every day, short-range, temporary, and long range activities of users. Various examples of users consist of store clerks, sales representatives, accountants, supervisors, managers of construction projects, executives, and customers (Shelly, Cashman and Vermaat 620). Management information system (MIS) is an information system that produces correct, on time, and structured information, so managers (construction managers) and other users can make decisions, supervise

Pivot Column Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Pivot Column - Assignment Example The column (r) becomes an r-nth column. In a tableau the pivot column is the column that has the most negative integer. If there are no negative indicators then the tableau is already considered final and the solution is already evident. The pivot row is the row with the smallest non-negative ratio (quotient). The pivot element is the number that sits at the intersection of the column with the most negative indictor (pivot column) and the row with the smallest quotient (pivot row). The example below is from â€Å"The Simplex Method† (n.d. web). This scenario was based on three different products ( s , t, u) and three different machines required to make those products. Note all calculations are done from the basic solution that x, y, and z, (number of units per product) are all zero. The original numbers used and the full calculation can be found in the reference section. In this first set of calculations the pivot column is in blue, the pivot row is in yellow and the pivot element is in green. The pivot element is found by first selecting the pivot column (the one with the most negative indicator) – in this example it is column 1 with -6. Then the constant on the right of the bar needs to be divided by the corresponding non-zero element in the pivot column and this will give you the smallest quotient (pivot row) and the intersection of these two (row and column) will give you the pivot