Exceptional needs children Essay

Michael Michael, a five-year-old male, just diagnosed with hearing loss and a speech disorder, has not learned to speak properly and is working with a speech therapist three times a week. Michael does not show any progress in learning letters or numbers. His parents are worried that he might be labeled in school and not allowed to participate in regular classroom activities. Michael is scheduled to start kindergarten in a month and the school psychologist wants to test him to see if he should be placed in special education classes. After speaking with Michael’s parents, it is found that he is an only child and does not play with children in the neighborhood. Although, he has occasionally play dates, Michael struggles to make friends. Due to children not responding to Michael when he tries to talk to them, there is little contact, causing Michael to be socially immature. To begin a plan to help Michael with his learning and social skills, there must be an understanding to why he has a hearing disorder as well as seeking strategies to support him in school. Use the definition laid out in IDEA to describe Michael’s hearing disorder and the competency based individualized strategies for supporting him in a school setting. According to (Heward, 2013) p. 313, Michael is suffering from deafness. His hearing loss is so severe that he is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification, which causes an effect on educational performance. Most special educators distinguish between children who are deaf and those who are hard of hearing. Michael is deaf and cannot use hearing to understand speech. If Michael was able to hear, he would be able to understanding and interpret speech without using any special device or techniques. Due to Michael’s deafness, a hearing aid, would not allow him to understand speech through the ears alone. Most deaf people use their vision as a primary sensory mode for learning and communication. Michael is unable to make friends and his  disabilities interfere with his social development. As a person that has worked with disabilities I feel that part of this is because he is an only child and when he has play dates Michael doesnâ €™t understand them completely and because of his hearing and language it is also because the people that come over the play have a hard time understanding him. It is possible that Michael is socially immature because he can’t be understood and is not at the age mentally as the rest of the children his age. I feel that if Michael had a sibling either younger or a couple years older he would have a better understanding of how to make friends because he would be around someone daily it would also help him to grow and become more mature. Since he is starting Kindergarten his year it would be great if he could get meet some of the kids earlier and make a friendship or play date with some class mates so he doesn’t get over whelmed as easy about the change. A hearing impairment can be considered a culture difference for Michael because he shares a language with other people that have this common issue and as he gets older social practices as well. Per our text many deaf people do not view themselves as disabled and consider hearing loss and inappropriate and demeaning term because it suggests a deficiency or pathology. It also refers to people in the individual way people who identify the Deaf culture prefer term such a teacher of the Deaf, school for the Deaf and the Deaf person (Hewa rd, W. L. 2013) Deaf culture is shared language (in the U.S. American Sign Language ASL) social practices, literature and beliefs of the Deaf community: members do not view deafness as a disability. One way that communication impacts â€Å"Deaf Culture is what individuals with disabilities identify with. As a professional we can help Michael bridge the social and culture gap to be able to interact more with his peers by insuring him that it is ok to make friends, and use the resources that he has been, his hearing aids if he has them are great to help with hearing to understand speech, because he is developed mainly through the auditory channel, even if it is delayed. As professionals we could give Michael step by step directions to follow and be able to do observation on Michael to measure his progress to date. As the professional working with Michael I would encourage him to wear his hearing aids if he has them and start a reward program for him for following the expected behavior, also remember to give him positive reinforcement, if he hears the positive reinforcement and the encouragement  and excitement in your actions then he will want to follow also because kids want to make their elder happy. As Michaels parents they could encourage play dates and interaction with other people his own age. If they are not planning on having any more children and Michael is going to remain an only child maybe the family can get some cousins to come and play on regular basis as well as children from around the neighborhood. Since he will be starting Kindergarten in a month the teacher in the class room could modify some of the learning lessons that she will teach to make them more on his level, also the teacher can communicate with all the others that are involved in the child’s life and come to a plan that is going to work for everyone and it can be used all around the board. All children that are exceptional need to be evaluated for their progress, I would have the teacher make some tally marks for the behavior for the day and let the child work towards a prize once that is completed I would ask the teacher to add the tally marks and make it so that it can be observed in a percentage for example out of 10 tries to hear and responds to the word that was said Michael will wear his hearing aids for 5 out of 10 trials, or 50% of the time if it is only 3 times out of the ten that Michael does this then it can be observed as 30 % of the time and it can be observed weekly and progress can be marked and measured to see what the progress would be. Also making use of all and any reinforcements that can be used will help the child to be successful. Since it is known that the child has a hearing problem it should be given out at first notice and then the child can sit up front in class and since most teachers have seating charts for their classroom it would not seem unusual for the child to be placed up front if others ask what the issue is later then it with consent the teacher can say something to make it known to the class, some children will tell anyway but as the teacher in the classroom she should encourage the other children in the classroom to interact with Michael so that he can be excited to go to school. And most important of all enjoy his learning and school experience. As we learned with Michael people that are deaf or blind lose some of the most important things in life and it is not an easy thing to overcome the person can live a wonderful life but needs the encouragement and support to do so. So for Michael our 5 year old male that is hearing impaired and has trouble with his speech with the help of all the resources that are available and  coaching Michael can grow to be a very smart male later in life. He will also learn to be respectful and his hearing and speech will improve. References Heward, W.L. (2013). Exceptional needs children (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Female Bounding Colour Purple Essay

Do you agree with the view that the British actions at Amritsar were justified in the aftermath of world war one The British actions at Amritsar were justified in the aftermath of world war one to an extent. The war seemed to boost the self esteem on Indians and unite them, suggesting threat against the raj, however the view in source 10 shows that there was no proof of a conspiracy, source 11 agrees with this but also shows why dyer might have acted in this way. Source 12 agrees with the fact that the actions were justified in the aftermath of world war one. The aftermath of world war one increased the self esteem if Indian as they were fighting alongside British soldiers, it also strengthened the arguments of the Indian politicians that India should be given a greater say in Indian affairs, this suggests that Indian nationalism was starting to progress. Muslims and Hindus had also joined together, forming the Lucknow pact, which shows that the Indians were becoming more powerful as they were joining together but the day of the massacre in Amritsar only included mostly Sikh people who were gathered to celebrate their religious festival showing that the attacks weren’t necessary. local officials also went on strike as a result of the aftermath of the war, suggesting that support for the raj was crumbling, showing that maybe the action of the British at Amritsar were due to the fear of Indian nationalism and the falling support for the raj. However source 10 clearly says that â€Å"it is not proven that any conspiracy had been formed† and that Dyer had acted â€Å"beyond the necessity of the case† showing that his action was not necessary and fair as there was no proof and evidence at the scene at jailaiwad bagh to justify that the actions of the British. Source 11 is a letter by Dyer saying that if he had hesitated it would have â€Å"induce attack† showing that the British might of felt that the Indians had gained power after world war one so they might attack . The source also suggests that there was no proof that there was going to be an attack, but dyer assumed it and therefore has fired without warning, this supports source 10 which says that it wasn’t proven that there was a â€Å"conspiracy†, showing that dyers actions were not necessary. However after world war one hartal were being organised to protest against the Rowlett acts, the two men who had started these hartals were arrested by the authorities, this lead to riots in Amritsar. The riots soon turned into an anti European attack, European women and children were beaten. Therefore source 11 could suggest that the reason Dyer fired without warning at the â€Å"dense crowd† was due to his fear of an attack as there were meetings being held in jalilawad bagh discussing the Rowlett acts, therefore dyer had presumed that a similar result to the Amritsar riots was bound to happen. The result of the riots at Amritsar support source 12, which is a letter by the European women thanking dyer for his actions which â€Å"saved the Punjab and thereby preserved the honour and lives of hundreds of women and children† this show that the women has felt threatened by what had happened at the riots which they also presumed would of happened at jailiawa bagh. However there was no proof on the day of the massacre that there was a conspiracy or any form of rebellion. To conclude, the British actions at Amritsar were justified in the aftermath of world war one to an extent , the Indian confidence had risen and they started to unite which shows that they were heading towards nationalism which was a threat to the raj, the Amritsar riots had also made an influence of the actions of dyer on the day of the massacre as many European women and children were killed , this might of showed that the same was bound to happen in jalianwala bagh as many people were gathered together and some were also discussing and protesting against the Rowlett acts. However as it says in source 10, â€Å"it is not proven that any conspiracy had been formed to overthrow British power† suggesting that dyers actions were necessary as there was no proof on the day.

True Crime Documentaries and Tv Shows

True crime documentaries and TV shows have grown in popular culture, but are more than entertainment; they have inspired the pursuit of many different careers. Television and movies are a major part of our everyday lives. Many of these movies and tv shows are influenced by real life situations giving them a natural and major influence on our behavior. There has always been study as to whether violence in movies and tv shows causes violent behavior in the younger generation. This has been shown by individuals in some U. S. chools violently imitating things they have seen in movies and shows. Research will also show that this violent behavior amongst the younger generation is increasing because of the influence of tv. The reason that television shows and movies influence us is that we try to associate with what we see. We try to find similarities between the characters and ourselves. Much of what we learn and associate with comes from documentaries. Some of the more popular documentari es are true crime mysteries. Along with these are documentaries about gang life and drugs.For the most part, these shows are meant to be educational in the matter of safety and the hope of teaching the population to make better decisions. Many tv shows such as CSI, Law and Order, Bones, and some others are meant for entertainment purposes. They are fictional dramas that may be based on true events. These true crime dramas have caused many different reactions. For some they are just entertainment and they do not associate anything from the episodes into their daily lives, but for many others, this is not the case.There is now something called the â€Å"CSI effect† where the exaggerated portrayal of forensic science on crime dramas actually influences public perception. Jurors are demanding more forensic evidence in criminal trials which actually raises the standard of proof for prosecutors. This turns into a â€Å"snowball† effect because as prosecutors demand more fore nsic evidence, so do the police in their investigations. The workload for crime laboratories has increased immensely and the number of forensic science programs in universities has greatly increased.The popularity of true life law enforcement shows such as Cops, DEA, Most Wanted, U. S. Marshals, and some others have also grown. Not only are these shows becoming more popular on an entertainment level, but they are also becoming recruitment tools. Many people have made the decision to join the Border Patrol solely on what they have learned from watching the popular series on tv. True crime documentaries and TV shows have grown in popular culture, but are more than entertainment; they have inspired the pursuit of many different careers.

Individualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individualism - Essay Example This means that external forces do not have the right over the desires or goals of an individual. This includes the government, institutions or the wider society. Logically, the focus of individualism is the individual. This is because the individual is the focus as people try to obtain liberation. Moreover, people have the right to realize themselves and obtain their freedom. It is also logical that individualism is closely associated with one’s lifestyle and behavior that are led by ethics and positions that are philosophical. The world idea seems to appreciate that western civilization has promoted individualism. This is because capitalism promoted individualism as every individual works towards his or her goals in life. However, some people did not seem to agree with this because capitalism did not provide employment to all people. However, people still fought until capitalism was re-introduced. Arguably, this means that even people in Russia believed that capitalism was t he best was towards achieving one’s goal. In summary, individualism focuses on an individual and allows him or her to independence, which in the idea has been enhanced through capitalism. Body Section One People have over the time argued on the connection between individualism and capitalism. Ironically, this is an ideology since individualism believes that one is above all else. However, capitalism can be argued to show individualism only from an economic point of view. This is because what one obtains economically belongs to him or her. This is unlike what communism believed in, that what one has belongs to the whole society. Moreover, individualism rose when capitalism was introduced. This is because people were allowed to do what they desire to as long as it did not negatively affect another individual. For example, one can make a decision of what to or not to sell in the market or even what to buy. This means that people were free to make their decisions without external input while in the market setting. Some of the essays also agree with the fact that capitalism contributed to individualism. However, individualism is just an illusion (Fromm 329). This means that individualism will never be fully achieved. Moreover, it presented to people a lifestyle that was categorized into classes. However, some argue that the world will be chaotic as each person seeks self or individual satisfaction. In my own experience, capitalism has given me a sense of independence. This is because while earning my money, I am in control of my life. Therefore, I can buy go, buy or do what I want since I have my financial freedom. On the other hand, I also have my goals that I work hard to attain regardless of the goals that my family and friends have set for their own lives. According to the essays, capitalism has contributed to individualism. However, each one notes that individualism is just an illusion because it does not exist wholly. This is because one cannot be a co mplete individual due to many factors that ties individual. For instance, the market may seem free, but the financial ability of an individual allows him to buy or not buy certain goods. Moreover, employees have to work in accordance to the terms set by the employees. Consequently, individualism is an illusion. Body Section Two Individualism is about a person, the self. Moreover, the individual has desires, needs and goals that are separate from other persons. Arguably, an individual looks into his or her interest , does also consider that of

Franchises as a Form of Business Start-up Essay

Franchises as a Form of Business Start-up - Essay Example The Franchisee finds it easier to pay the initial and the royalty fees which are way lower than the required capital cost. At a time when the cost has become an important aspect of the business, Franchising has become a winner for international companies that intend to penetrate as many markets as possible in their global business design strategy. McDonald's is among companies that have a franchise in an effort to expand their business within new markets. The organizations have profited from rapid expansion, use of effective business models and reduced cost entering new markets. From this note, franchising has become a popular practice due to its efficiency in business start-up. Â  In the modern business industry, organizations are experiencing pressure to start new businesses in the international market as one way of appealing to bigger geographical space. One major driver for expansionism in business is the saturation of local business markets. Before the 21st century, organization sharply focussed on the expansion of business within the local markets due to the increasing demand for products within such markets. However, the demand in the local markets has reached a plateau phase and organizations can make little profits from these markets (Francois & Wooton, 2010). When demand remains flat, organizations are at the risk of incurring losses as expenses go higher while the profit remains constant (Garg, Priem & Rasheed, 2013). Consequently, organizations are forced to move out of the local markets and consider entering into new markets. Therefore, fall in demand within local countries has forced organizations to consider appealing to a broader geographica l coverage as the only way to remain profitable. Â  Secondly, the upsurge of competition within local markets has motivated organizations to consider launching international business strategies.

Research methods Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Research methods - Assignment Example Besides, secondary materials are also going to be used to find out the requirements needed for the establishment of the facility among these, the historical background on tourism and hospitality development in the region, prospects in the development of the small scale hotels and bars in the region as well as the consumption trends and potentials of the people intended to use the facility upon its inception. An increasing trend has been purported in the United Kingdom over the last few years as a result of the rising trends in development and financial development in the region. The United Kingdom has been receiving a lot of international as well as regional attention as a destination for various persons and groups. Pegged on the fact that all persons visiting the united kingdom either on routine basis or occasionally has to stop over at some point for refreshment as well as for meals, establishing such a facility will be great option to generate money and build income base in the tourism sector. Tourism and hospitality sector has been experiences a booming demand in the region with the highest levels of demands registered during international and regional fairs such as during the United Kingdom’s public holidays and family days among others. Besides UK has been growing rapidly as an international destination for international fairs, conferences and workshops where several people always gather to participate in such related events and activities. Most of the big hotels and internationally recognized leisure and hospitality places in the region are very expensive offering classy services and accomplishments. These places are therefore not suitable for the quick- go services seekers who would want to take a little moment of their times for a stop over meals and drinks while on transit. There is therefore a big and prospective market for the restaurant and bar developers here given their limited number in some crucial points common

Decision Making Tools Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decision Making Tools - Assignment Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that quote (year) mentioned that the advantage with working with decision-making tools is that they ensure that the approach to decision making is always systematic. It also ensures that the one taking the decision can at least be guaranteed of a certain degree of an outcome, especially when a particular tool proves to be effective for a particular kind of decision (quote). So far in this course, there have been the utilization and use of a number of decision-making tools, all of which have been applied in different scenarios to solve identified problems. In this paper, a toolbox of techniques and analysis tools is constructed. Quote (year) referred to techniques and analysis tools simply as decision tools as they help in easing the whole decision-making process. The toolbox is, therefore, a simple collection of organized tools in a way that makes it possible to use each tool in solving a peculiar problem. When making the decision, there are several tools that can be used to satisfy different goals. One important thing about each of these tools is that they tend to solve one kind of problem or situation better than others (quote). Knowing this, the decision matrix is created by considering a number of factors or scenarios that can arise in any typical decision-making process. Based on differences in the factors, there is a weighting given to each of them. Then after, each decision-making tool is scored against one of the factors. When using the decision matrix for regular personal decisions, quote (year) advised on the need to have an un-weighted matrix before a weighted one. This makes it easier to bring out the key scoring that is done for each tool and how it fits each factor. Table one below is an example of four major decision-making tools may be scored against five major factors when taking the decision.

Build Environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Build Environment - Assignment Example Since there is no open space on both sides of the building, the structure can be insulated, steed aided, glass tinted with base insulators. Steel can be chosen for this building alongside timber and concrete work. Steel doesn't rust fast it is immune to creatures such as insects and termites, therefore, there less need for insecticides and pesticides. Steel is not combustible, and we can safely say that it is fireproof. Steel can withstand natural turbulence such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes. It has much earthing protection from lightning strikes. There would be less fear of the load bearing in placing interior walls because steel allows greater design in flexibility. In modern structures, the combination of steel and timber is a good choice. Steel framed buildings with glass panels and wood or timber would make a good combination to the conditions sited. Light framed structures of aluminium, steel and large glass panels are to be considered in this structure. Insulating concrete with the use of foam forms filled with concrete and structural insulated, foam panels faced with oriented strand board or (a good alternative) fibre cement, can both be used, as well as light gauge steel framing and the more detailed heavy-gauge steel framing. Because of its location, brick and block construction could be an option. Large glass panels are best for the front and rear side of the structure. Natur ally stained wood panels or danarra plywood is a good material for the woodworks of the building. Wood is a light material and it adds beauty when properly set. Aside from the use of the building for hotel and office spaces the location is most likely to be very suitable for commercial purposes. The ground floor of the building can be converted into commercial spaces. The office spaces can occupy the second floor up to the 10th floor. The hotel rooms would be on the 11th floor and up. A fire escape is to be located at the both ends of the building aside from a stairs that is to be build inside the building. The design of the stairs is one that goes around the elevator which is to be situated in the middle of the building. The front and back of the building will be covered with large glass panels. A separate comfort room for the male and female users are to be installed in every storey of the building. In providing a development of Fire Management Strategy for the building, a step by step guide to follow is recommended to assist them to comply with the requirements of Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. A fire safety strategy is neede d to give satisfaction to the functional requirement of the building. The fire safety measures must have the adequacy of means to prevent fire. There must be early warnings by automatic detection. The standard means of escape must be provided. There is also the provision for smoke control and control of rate of fire growth. The standard of active measures for fire extinguishment and control, the facilities to assist the fire service, training of staff in fire safety and fire routines, the continued control under other legislation to maintain and test fires safety measures and management of fire safety are considered. In understanding the nature of service installations from the builder's perspective, the importance of building services must be identified together with the methods used for fire protection. The (building regulations 2000), Approved Document B is the guidance on how to meet the

Financial Risk ManagementOption Trading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Risk ManagementOption Trading - Essay Example Commodity risk arises from the potential movement in the underlying commodity and as such includes energy products as commodity. (Jorion, 2007). The speculative trading in options by CAO indicate that the company was betting too much on speculations about the movement in the prices of the oil in international market which however, did not happened positively all the time and company plunged into troubles. Historically, it has been observed that the energy products are relatively more volatile as compared to other commodities and as such unorganized speculative activity in such products definitely result into losses for the firms. Credit Risk is another important aspect of overall risk management and firms have to relatively take care of the fact that credit worthiness of the parties with whom they are trading is good. Credit rating therefore plays a critical role in defining the future relationship of the counter parties to any transaction. The major role of credit ratings and credit rating agencies is therefore of providing an independent opinion based on certain specific criteria.(Servigny & Renault, 2004). The analysis of the given facts will indicate that the firm attempted to involve itself in trade with companies whose credit worthiness was not good in the market. By trading on their behalf, CAO actually attempted to acquire the credit of risk of those companies whose overall credit risk was relatively higher as compared to other companies. CAO entered on behalf of the airlines by offering identical contract terms to counter parties and in return of premium waiver of those air lines, CAO basically assumed the credit risk of all such airlines. The involvement of back to back transactions itself indicated that the CAO was more than willing to assume the credit risk of these airlines however, with more volatile increase in the oil prices, the overall net exposure of CAO

Forensic Accountants as Fraud Buggers Case Study

Forensic Accountants as Fraud Buggers - Case Study Example A forensic accountant must be equipped with investigative skills. These skills are important in gathering, evaluating and analyzing accounting data and audited information from business organizations (Ramaswamy, 2010). It is through these skills that a forensic accountant will be able to determine possible discrepancies and loopholes within audited accounting data and information (Carnes & Gierlasinski, 2001; DiGabriele, 2008). The effectiveness of a forensic accountant is measured by the ability to apply investigative skills to interpret accounting information and financial evidence to back misappropriation of resources within a business organization or company (Fleming, Pearson, Riley & Richard, 2008). Fraudsters within companies and business organizations often devise methods of embezzlement or fraud that are hard to detect. It is in this regard that a forensic accountant must have effective investigative skills to detect accounting problems which would not be determined by ordina ry auditing and accounting approaches (Bawaneh, 2011). Investigative skills also allow a forensic accountant to adhere to the ethics and regulations that govern investigations of criminal cases. Computing or technical skills are required for an effective forensic accountant. This is due to the fact that contemporary companies and business environments have adopted and implemented information technology methods in accounting and finance (Fleming, Pearson, Riley & Richard, 2008).... This is due to the fact that contemporary companies and business environments have adopted and implemented information technology methods in accounting and finance (Fleming, Pearson, Riley & Richard, 2008). Through computing skills, a forensic accountant is able to retrieve, analyzed and report financial evidence in electronic formats (Topping, 2008). More importantly a forensic accountant must be able to apply computer software and applications and other computer assisted tools to detect fraud or embezzlement of resources within companies (Fleming, Pearson, Riley & Richard, 2008). Modern business organizations are characterized by what is referred to as white collar crime in which technology is used to defraud or embezzle resources and hide evidence. It is in this sense that computing skills of a forensic accountant become significant (Carnes & Gierlasinski, 2001). Litigation skills area also required for effective forensic accountants. These skills are significant in the role of a forensic accountant as an arbitrator or mediator in legal accounting problems. These skills are also important because they enable forensic accountants to be effective experts and credible consultants who could be used by companies to detect and report fraud or embezzlement of resources. Through litigation skills, forensic accountants are able to evaluate damages and losses and find ways of resolving disputes among the disputants (Topping, 2008). Other important skills of a forensic accountant include analytical and forensic skills. Effective forensic accountants must have analytical skills that will empower them to determine the importance of the gathered financial evidence in reporting fraud (DiGabriele, 2008). Through analytical skills, forensic accountants analyze and professionally

Impact of Steve Jobs Essay Example for Free

Impact of Steve Jobs Essay The impact Steve Jobs had on Apple was immeasurable. He built the company from the ground up. Every product Apple has put out has been because of Steve Jobs. His knack for knowing what desires consumers want in a product is just one aspect of what Steve Jobs did to help Apple become one of the top consumer electronic companies in the world. Steve Jobs was a smart man and CEO. As the head of the Apple company, Jobs surrounded himself with smart men. This not only helped his company, but it helped Jobs when it came time to make big decisions regarding a project. After a project was initiated, engineers and designers had to work together on the project. Because Jobs believed that Apple’s greatest advantage was its integration of the project, from design to hardware to software to content, he wanted all departments at the company to work together in parallel. Jobs used the phrases of â€Å"deep collaboration† and â€Å"concurrent engineering† to describe this process. To make this â€Å"collaboration† happen, Jobs relied heavily on the hiring process. He would have candidates meet the top leaders of Apple. This included guys such as Cook, Tevanian, Schiller, Rubinstein, and Ive. After the interview, he would meet with his leaders without the candidate and decide whether the person would fit in at Apple. Jobs goal with all of this was to prevent what he called â€Å"the bozo explosion.† Jobs explained that â€Å"the bozo explosion† is when a company becomes loaded down with second-rate talent. Jobs’ hiring process took the candidate not only to the area they would be working in, but through other departments and had the candidates talk to them to see how they would fit in. From the start of the company, Jobs understood the needs and desires of his customers. He put products out there that the consumer wanted and his main desire was to get the product right. According to the Apple Marketing Philosophy, there were three points that were stressed. The first was empathy. This was meant to have an intimate connection with their customers. Apple will â€Å"truly understand the customer’s needs better than any other company. The second was focus. This meant that Apple would â€Å"eliminate all the unimportant opportunities.† The final point was impute. This meant that no matter how great the quality of the product, if it were presented in a sloppy manner, it will be perceived as sloppy. This most noticeably, was recognized with Apple’s packaging. When you opened the product and noticed the details of the packaging that would set the tone for the product. Jobs had a knack for bringing new products to the market that the consumers wanted to buy. He was also a perfectionist. One of Jobs’ talents was that he could look at a certain market filled with second-rate products and take advantage of it by perfecting it. He did this by simplifying the process, software, or the design of the product. For example, when designing iTunes, Jobs looked at what was available to the consumer at that point and came to the conclusion that they were so complicated to the user that only a genius could figure out half of their features. A fundamental part of perfecting products was minimalizing them. Jobs was a minimalist. In order to make products user friendly, Jobs knew that the consumer had to understand how to use them and like using them. Make it simple. According to Jobs, â€Å"Simplicity isn’t just a visual style; it’s not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of the complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep. You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.† Jobs used this minimalistic style in not only in the technology products he produced, but in the Apple stores he designed. Larry Ellison’s company, Oracle, was developing software for the checkout systems, a system that avoided having a register. According to Ellison, â€Å"if you looked at the stores and the products, you will see Jobs’ obsession with beauty as simplicity-this aesthetic and wonderful minimalism, which goes all the way to the checkout process in the stores.†

New York University Essay Example for Free

New York University Essay Bill Pope born in Bowling green, Kentucky, USA on 19th June 1952, he is a graduate from New York University with a master degree in fine art. While in university, he did many projects, he shot one of his best documentaries called â€Å"The Sixth Week† which was nominated and won the academy award for the best student documentary. After completing his study in the university, he started working on commercials and music videos for artist as Janet Jackson, Mick Jagger, Metallica Peter Gabriel, Chris Isaak and Motley Crue, among others. His best work won awards in both categories. Since then he had baged many awards which include: 1996-Independent Spirit Awards Best Cinematography, 1999-British Academy of Film and Television and Best Cinematography He developed a passion in cinema and filmmaking. He is an award winning American cinematographer, known for his work on Sam Raimis films and the Matrix trilogy. He had work with film production personalities such as Wachowski Brothers, Robert Zemeck, Editor Zach Staenberg, production designer Owen Paterson, visual-effects supervisor John Gaeta and other. Their collaboration has produced triumph works. Pope was nominated for the best cinematography for his work on Stings â€Å"We `ll be together tonight†. Pope received an MTV award for Best Cinematography. His successive film credits include Clueless (1995) and the feature-length pilot for the ABC television series Maximum Bob (1998), which was directed by former cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld. Since then he had been one of the most adored film directors of all time directing movies such as Janet Jackson: Design of the decade 1986-1996 which was produced in 1996, Bound (1996), Gridlocked (1997) and many other, many he played the role of the director of photography, these movies includes: Zero Effect (1998),Bedazzled (2000),The Matrix Reloaded (2003),Enter the Matrix (2003),The Matrix Revolutions (2003), Spider-Man 2 (2004),Team America: World Police (2004),Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006),Spider-Man 3 (2007) and the latest one which is the â€Å"The Spirit† (2008) There are element which influences pope for example, the family, Rights and The Black Power Movements as Social Sculpture, Criminality, Experimental/Popular Music, class and color-caste relations the U. S. and many others. MODE OF PRODUCTION Spider man film series are the most financially successful film. The series include the spider man 3 which was the best film financially. The Spider-Man film series which consisted of three superhero films spider -man in 2002, spider man 2 in 2004 and spider man 3 in 2007, based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name, which are portrayed by Tobey Maguire. Its rights were purchased in 1985 and moved through various production companies and studios, at one point having James Cameron to direct, before being secured by Sony Pictures Entertainment. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE Bill pope show interest in comic, fictitious and superhero films which he mostly direct. He been in the film industry almost two decade since late 1980`s to now and he seem to be strong as the time goes, he had directed a movie like We `ll be together tonight† by Sting (a bit of Classical Hollywood Studio Era), matrix (Hollywood Renaissance) and spider man-3 (Blockbuster Era). He had been a role model to many young directors would are interested in filmmaking arena. MISE EN SCENE Mise-en scene has evolved as a creative concept through the years in parallel with the evolution of film techniques and procedures. A filmmaker has to be carefully designing the composition and cinematic look of the material setting framed in the images added to their films. In cinematography affects there are mise en scene which means staging, which in French it means ‘having been put into the scene. This covers: Location, sets, props, Costumes, Lighting, and Movement within the frame and Sound. SOUND Sound is one of the main mise en scene which contributes to the quality of a cinema. Sound can be the priority aspect in a film; it goes in hand with the pictures. One cannot enjoy a film if either the sound or picture is not quality in the aspect of picture, the light comes in. The dialogue has to go well with the characters and match the time and place where the film is set. LIGHTING The lighting of a stage or plot is very essential when picture quality is concerned. It draws viewer attention to an object on the screen. Long time ago lighting in holly wood was not mean to draw attention but to eliminate darkness in the picture but today lighting is used to add effects. There are three main aspects to lighting: ? Key lighting which is used to highlight a particular object it is also called the hard light ? Fill light which light up the bordered space overall ? Backlighting it alter and bring out silhouettes and are commonly used in horror films. ? Source light create different effects ? Low-key it gives sharp contrast and deep shadows. LOCATION The fundamental planning of a location, be it anywhere is very it correspond to the characters dress. It gives a lot of information about the persons that fit in it, and even what to take place. PROPS They are parts of the sets or as tools or object used by actors. Props obtain special significance when they are used to communicate characters’ thoughts and feelings, powers and abilities in the primary themes of the film. COSTUME AND MAKE UP Costume and make up serves three fuction in a film ? It supports scenic realism to reproduces as real as possible, while clothing and facial signifies time and place of living. ? They describe parts of character or actor personality. ? They act as narrative make, their change makes someone understand and follow the story line. DIGITAL CINEMATOGRAPHY Digital technology is widely spreading in all sectors. In cinematography, the recent release is the new generation 2/3-inch 3-imager HD acquisition technology. It uses single sensor systems based on variants of the 35mm image format and can also found in market place. The promise of 4K in the NAB Digital Cinema Summit gathered global attention. They addressed issues concerning Hollywood and the global film industry’s transition to digital technology. This panel represents those creating these exciting new technologies. There are many challenge cinematographer encounter, the cinematographer need to develop a system where stereoscopic movie making is enhanced by the use of new set of creative tools in 3D image capture. REFERENCES www. nationmaster. com/encyclopedia/List-of-noted-film-director-and-cinematographer-collaborations 237k Cached Similar pages www. thedailypage. com/isthmus/article. If Spiderman Were Made in the 90s. RetroJunk. Retrieved on 2007-11-07. Leslie Simmons (2008-09-06). Two more Spider-Man films on the way, The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on 2008-09-06. http://www. centres. ex. ac. uk/bill. douglas/menu. html Larry Carroll (2008-10-16). Sam Raimi Talks ‘Spider-Man’ Sequel Double-Shoot, Futures of Kirsten Dunst The Lizard, MTV Splash Page. Retrieved on 2008-10-16 http://www. discoveryfilmfestival. org. uk

E-business Innovative Marketing Strategy

E-business Innovative Marketing Strategy Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background The term E-business is todays popular form of business by using old business models with the interaction of technology and gaining the most out of customer value and profits which is the future way of doing business. In E-business as like bubbles are bursting there is constant threats about security, but e-business is increasing to a whole new level, and will most likely keep doing so in the near future. In the latest years Internet has proved as a very important marketing tool. By the use of the Internet the companies have developed relationships with the customers by using different systems in promotion and sales. So the inception of Internet has had effect on the way the individuals and organizations communicate around the world (Doole and Lowe, 2004). Briefly, in the last years marketing has gone online taking advantage of the market opportunities. The estimates regarding the amount of business conducted electronically vary widely, but it is clear electronic business and electronic commerce have gained tremendous momentum worldwide over the past decade. Much media attention was given to the dot-com boom, but has since waned following the dot-com bust and economic downturn of the early 2000s. Despite the dot-com bust, it is clear many successful electronic businesses will evolve and thrive for many years, e.g., eBay and Ocado. Nonetheless, E-business sector has become an increasingly competitive and dynamic business environment within the past decade. Consumers perceive firms having a web site as more customer-oriented, responsive, informative, high-tech, sophisticated, and likely to stay in business longer (Griffith et al., 1998). These discerning and demanding consumers have led many innovative organizations to look for appropriate marketing strategy on the internet marketplace with the aim of building better business position; on the one hand value into service offerings, satisfying and maintaining loyal customer and on the other hand effectively making strategic decisions thereby increasing the overall business performance. The ability to retain and lock-in customers in the face of competition is a major concern for online businesses, especially those that invest heavily in advertising and customer acquisition stares. However, creation of loyal and a satisfied customer base is an important determinant of marketing success. Research shows that loyal customers buy more of company’s product, they are cheaper to serve, less sensitive to price and brings in more customers by word of mouth (Reichheld, 1996). Therefore, developing, managing and maintaining loyal marketing relationship of the internet market place for instance is harmonious to how well you are marketing. Thus knowing how well you are marketing as a firm and making innovative marketing strategy to perform better in future which is required and inevitable in such a marketplace as the internet. Obviously, decision making is essential about organization strategy to determine the future direction (Johnson Scholes, 1997). The prime function of management is perhaps to make the right strategic decisions. According to Johnson Scholes, (1997) strategic or long-term decisions are concerned with an organizations overall objectives. Such corporate decisions include major capital investments, sources of finance, and product and market choices. Practically, the long-term directions are affected by strategic decisions of an organisation and are generally about attempting to complete some benefit for the company. Therefore, with the range of a company’s action are likely to be affected: Does (and should) the company focus on one area of action, or does it have many? The issue of range of action is fundamental to strategic performance (Johnson Scholes, 1997). In marketing strategy pricing is one of the most talked about but least understood of all the key marketing levers (DiCamillo 1996). Price is also the easiest of the marketing mix variables to manipulate and can be done so very quickly (Guiltinan and Paul 1985). The proliferation of e-commerce has already had a significant impact on how and where consumers shop. It also has the potential to make dramatic changes in the way goods are priced and how purchase decisions are made. In Internet shopping the cost (in both time and money) of comparison shopping is drastically decreased and price is a major element in purchase decision. A marketing manager strategically sets pricing to achieve the company’s objective. 1.2 Rationale In e-business innovative marketing strategy change over the life cycle of a firm (Miller and Friesen, 1984) the strategy systems emerge over time, in response to changes in strategic goals, the business environment and the size of the firm. However the question of which marketing strategy is required for achieving to a goal or an objective. In this sense what marketing e-strategy required for? Implicitly, related to the current study by evaluating marketing e-strategy one firm going to make their future crucial decisions to improve their firm’s more in online business. Needless to say, marketing strategies depend upon basis for decision making and reflect the customers needs as well as the firms simultaneously. Companies and researches reflects the customers satisfaction and needs by calculating price, feature, amount, cycle time, effectiveness, output etc., of the products, services, and procedure as long as ways to calculate those things have to be present (Tapinos et al, 20 05). What is new and has attracted little attention to some extent is to evaluate marketing e-strategy using decision- making variables and to see the impact on strategic decisions. This clearly shows those not only find the appropriate marketing e-strategy but in order to better control, understand, and improve what firms do and must do. In this research there are two different cases virtual company; one is basically auction store eBay and another grocery store Ocado. The main reason to select different category companies because both are doing e-business and through this research it’s going to be defining their marketing e-strategies and implementing in the market are approximately same. That’s why this study evaluates two different category virtual stores and compares their marketing e-strategies. Therefore this study goes beyond just required marketing strategy using the internet as a market place but is a bold attempt to evaluate e-strategy using decision making variables and to see the impact on strategic decisions. 1.3 Significant of the Research The marketing discipline has been showing to different changes and powerful challenges into the business stadium with the induction and dispersion of the online phenomenon. Constantly since this new multimedia surroundings of exchange appeared, many research have been performed about how it will influence the nature and prospect of marketing activities. This research is an attempt to categorize and summarize the literature about online marketing and enlighten the study routes that will contribute to the development of the discipline. In reality, most firms will need to plan marketing strategies for both traditional or place aspects of the business, and the fast developing electronic or space dimensions of the business (Rayport ; Sviokla, 1994). Both approaches need to be co-ordinated in a cost effective manner whilst providing the customer with an effective and integrated solution. Some research has reported that the early adopters of e-business show a trend towards cost reductions and administrative efficiencies from e-procurement and self service applications used by customers and employees. By contrast, more mature users focus on strategic advantage and generate this through an evolutionary model of organisational change (Ash and Burn, 2005). Researchers have also recognised the importance of the extension of e-commerce use to small and medium sized businesses in order to realise improvements in efficiency and effectiveness (Hauge et. al, 2004) Managers need to contemplate their strategic approach to the electronic business opportunity in terms of both internal and external considerations at a particular point in time. Based on recent research (Perrott, 2002), this paper proposes a tentative framework that will assist managers to determine their organisation’s strategic positioning in the electronic arena. 1.4 Aims Objectives Aim To identify what might be appropriate marketing strategies for this new era e-business. Objectives To review literature on current developments in online marketing strategies. Identify the e-strategies of the cases eBay and Ocado. Review the strengths weaknesses of e-strategies. Identify immediate competition and implications for the cases eBay and Ocado. How do customers react to the marketing e-strategies? 1.5 Purpose and Research Questions The purpose of this thesis is to define required innovative marketing strategy of virtual stores using decision-making associated variables sternly to evaluate the impact on strategic marketing decisions. There are many issues connected to this research problem, but we will only focus on certain aspects and a complete picture will therefore not be provided. The research questions we intend to answer are: RQ1. What are the objectives for online marketing? RQ2. How can the online product offer be described? RQ3. How can the online pricing strategy be described? RQ4. How is the Web site used as a communication, promotion medium, distribution and transaction medium? RQ5. What influential innovative marketing e-strategy evaluation variables or indicators are associated with strategic marketing decisions in the online marketplace? 1.6 Scope and Limitations This research will show the continuing progress in digitization and networking that is manifested in the rapid spread of the internet, information about product attributes, marketing strategy and especially in pricing process – which has long been considered a concomitant part of any article placed on the market – is now distributed independently from the product itself. The growth in digitization has significantly increased a company’s freedom to both combine and diversify products, thereby enabling them to easily produce and offer a wide variety of product versions to their customers. Moreover, progress in networking has substantially increased the speed at which various product-related information can be distributed. At the same time, it has considerably expanded the range over which such information can be disseminated. This research identifies the major scope and content of the studies about Internet marketing and displays the current state of the discipline. It also enlightens the main avenues or niche routes for future research by clarifying under investigated or unsettled areas. The framework of this review can serve as a skeleton explaining the accumulated state of knowledge about Internet marketing and can be a useful starting point for studies aiming to expand the views about this area further. The current research has been limited and concentrated on required innovative marketing strategy up to company-level eBay and Ocado. The research is focused on evaluating virtual store marketing strategy for strategic decisions. Consequently, plethora of researchers have measured marketing strategy from diverse perspectives such as the financial perspective, process and supplier’s perspective, employee’s perspective innovation and development perspective. The current study mainly focuses on the customer’s perspective. The primary focus was on the online marketplace industry where the business model is emerging and fast spreading. Further the focal point will be on business to consumers (B2C). The companies studied involve UK firms providing service to UK users. The firms studied are eBay and Ocado. The study was limited to customers or users within London, city in UK. 1.7 Signposting of the Study Chapter One: Introduction In order to improve a product or services to satisfy a need of a customer, once have to be able to improve or change it to meet their needs. In order to improve or change it, there is the need to know what the customer desire or want. In order to know and understand it, once have to be required innovative marketing strategy in online market. This first chapter will present the background and rationale behind innovative marketing e-strategy especially in pricing and the impact on strategic decisions in the online marketplace. Further this section will present the issue regarding marketing e-strategy which will lead to the purpose of this study. Chapter Two: Literature Review This chapter provides relevant existing theories and models of marketing e-strategy specially pricing in the online market place as well as a model modified by the author. The working model builds upon the presented theories and is used as a foundation for the following analysis. Chapter Three: Research Methodology Strategy In this chapter, the research methodology strategy is presented. The research approach that has been adopted in order to answer the research questions and to meet the purpose is described and motivated. The research methods used in this work are as well described and discussed. Chapter Four: Empirical Analysis In this chapter the results of both the qualitative and quantitative research are presented. The results will follow the outline of the working model. A brief companies overview are also presented. Chapter Five: Analysis In this chapter the analysis and discussion of the empirical data will be presented. The analysis is assessed through the two major issues in the study along with the working model. Chapter Six: Conclusion This chapter includes the conclusions of the research as well as reflections for recommendations, a discussion of the limitations and suggestions for further studies. Chapter Two: Literature Review 2.1 Online Marketing Objectives Online marketing can be described as a system for selling products and services to target audiences who use the Internet and commercial online services by utilizing online tools and services in a strategic manner consistent with the company’s overall marketing program (Janal, 1997, p. 39). Before going online, the company needs to have a marketing plan that is consistent with the goals and objectives set by the company. It is necessary to decide what the company wants to accomplish by going online (Janal, 1997). Pitt, Berthon and Watson (1996) point out that the objectives for marketing through Web sites vary depending on the company, but that many organizations do not even have clear and quantified objectives for being present on the WWW. Companies must divert from the thinking that even a bad Web site is better than none at all, because without clear objectives it will be hard to make appropriate marketing strategy through the Web site’s effectiveness. The Web site can be characterized as something of a mix between personal selling and advertising and can move the customer through the six phases of the buying process: need recognition, information processing, develop specifications, search and evaluation, purchase and post-purchase evaluation. By attracting Internet surfers, establish contact with interested surfers, transform some of the interested surfers into interactive customers and keep these customers interactive, the Web site is acting as a mean to push the customer through the buying process. Converting surfers into customers can be considered a six-stage conversion process. The efficiency of the Web site in reaching the marketing communication objectives set for it, as well as in taking the surfer through the six stages of the conversion process, is shown in Table 2.1. (Pitt, Berthon Watson, 1996) Even though most companies wish their Web site to generate direct response orders and thereby set marketing communication objectives, there are many other objectives that can be achieved by marketing online (Mathiesen, 1995): Generate direct response orders. Increase brand awareness or corporate image. Gather information about customer preferences to help guide future product development. Improve customer service. Test consumer response to discounts or other special offers. Build a list of prospects for future promotions. Find business partners, dealers, or franchisees for company’s products. Recruit talent members, employees, subscribers, etc. Table 2.1: A Model of the Conversion Process on the Web *An overall average Web site efficiency index, which can be thought of as a summary of the entire process. Source: Adapted from Pitt, Berthon Watson, 1996, p. 8 According to Janal (1997), the Internet is the world’s most efficient marketing tool and helps companies disseminate sales and marketing messages, create one-to-one relationships, educate prospects and support existing customers on a worldwide scale. The Internet provides the possibility to deal with customers worldwide that have pre-selected a specific company. Firms can use the Internet to generate revenues by increasing sales to existing customers and by attracting new customers (Peterson, Balasubramanian Bronnenberg, 1997). The Internet is an important marketing tool because the market prefers the decentralized, open-access environment presented by the WWW for E-commerce (Hoffman Novak, 1996b). The Internet possesses unique features making it appropriate for creating close customer relationships (Honeycutt, Flaherty Benassi, 1998). Janal (1997) proposes that the flexible publishing platforms of the Internet and commercial online services gives the marketer the possibility to establish relationships with the consumers. The relationships are created through online sales, support and service. On the Internet, the customers and the company are interacting with each other and this gives a very intimate selling situation (Janal, 1997). However, no physical intimidation exists between buyer and seller and no middle parties may interrupt the communication process (Samli, Wills Herbig, 1997). Quelch and Klein (1996), as well as Sanden (1998) claim that the Internet is not constrained by either location or time. For the millions of individuals connected to the Internet, traditional limitations of time and distance no longer apply. The computer in Sweden or Hong Kong is just as close are the office next door. Messages can be sent to thousands of potential customers simultaneously with one keystroke (Cronin, 1994). Furthermore, the Web site is completely accessible, since it can be read 24 hours a day, 365 days per year (Samli, Wills Herbig, 1997). The Web site can be used to create customized sales presentations affecting several senses and appealing to logic and benefits. Consumers can pick the sales presentation and information they want (Janal, 1997). By using a variety of Internet resources, the company can create a customer-oriented environment while obtaining information about customers’ specific interests, responses to new product offerings and feedback on the company’s performance. Additionally, the Internet offers the possibility for online ordering and delivery. Customers logging on to the Internet can continue to receive enhanced support services through the network. (Cronin, 1994) The Internet provides quick feedback on the effectiveness of marketing activities, enabling performance-based marketing (Burke, 1997). Marketers can test both new product concepts and advertising copy over the Internet for instant feedback. In addition, the Internet permits new types of measurement tools, such as online surveys, bulletin boards, e-mail marketing lists, customer identification systems, advertising measurement and Web visitor tracking. (Quelch Klein, 1996) The fact that the Internet is neither time- nor location-bound can have a major impact on costs. Customers do much of the work that would normally be handled by office-clerks or human tellers (Sheth Sisodia, 1999). According to Sandà ©n (1998), the Internet increases the company’s efficiency. By publishing information on the WWW, the sales process can be improved and thus, the productivity rises considerably. In addition, the time spent to process orders is lowered dramatically. Less errors and facilitated processing has led to substantial time-savings. The automation of various administrative tasks is another reason for the increased efficiency and the possibility to serve a vast amount of customers effectively (Sheth Sisodia, 1999). Administration costs related to paper-based processes such as postage, printing, and handling, will be reduced. (ibm.com) The WWW is the least expensive printing press and offers the seller an unlimited amount of space to describe and demonstrate the product range. Add to this the low rent compared to storefront, and it is clear that selling online means low cost of entry (Hoffman Novak, 1996; Janal, 1997). Jà ¤ger and Winberg (1996) underline the cost-effectiveness of the WWW by claiming that the costs are independent of the number of people exposed to the message, as well as how much information that is to be presented. They compare the WWW to a printed catalogue, where the costs are very much depending on these factors. It is proposed that performing direct marketing through the Internet may be one-fourth less costly than through traditional channels. The great segmentation possibilities and the low cost for creating differentiated messages on the WWW are also mentioned. As a conclusion, Jà ¤ger and Winberg (1996) point out that the cost-effectiveness for presenting messages on the WWW is dependin g on whether the target group is on the Web. The success of the campaign in relation to the costs of executing it must also be considered in order to evaluate the cost-effectiveness. By marketing online, the company gains competitive advantages compared to companies who are not online. The Internet also reduces the issues of company size, since consumers only care that they find the product needed at the right price. (Janal, 1997; Sandà ©n, 1998; Sheth Sisodia, 1999) 2.2 The Online Product Offer According to Brà ¤nnback (1997), the focus in marketing automatically changes from physical to informational when uses the Internet. In the traditional marketplace, the idea of the product is physical or tangible and occasionally accompanied by intangible features or services. On the Web site, a picture or description of its features will replace the physical product, and thus, the product becomes informational rather than tangible. Not all products are suitable for online marketing. Peterson, Balasubramanian Bronnenberg (1997) categorize products and services along three dimensions that are relevant when discussing the product’s suitability for online marketing. The dimensions are: value proposition, degree of differentiation, and cost and frequency of purchase. Concerning the first dimension, goods can either be low-cost, frequently purchased goods, or high-cost, infrequently purchased goods. The product is more likely to fit internet-based marketing if it is infrequently purchased and expensive. Goods can be classified along the second dimension according to whether they are tangible and physical, or intangible and service related. Online marketing is particularly well suited for certain types of intangible or service related goods. The third dimension reflects to what extent the product is differentiable or not. The Internet is an effective segmentation tool when it comes to products or services that can be subject to differentiation. Peterson, Balasubramanian and Bronnenberg (1997) illustrate the product and service classification grid presented below. (Table 2.2) Table 2.2: Product and Service Classification Grid Low outlay, frequently purchased goods Value proposition

Abortion :: Abortion Pro Choice Argumentative

Abortion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abortion is one of the most controversial topics of all times. It has caused countless deaths and several violent confrontations between the two separate parties of opinion. The fight between pro-life and pro-choice supporters has been long and brutal. This is because, despite what several people may believe, abortion is neither right nor wrong. It is the matter of a personal opinion, where, each side can say with certainty that the other one is wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The question remains, should abortion be legal? Though some may disagree on this point, the fact is that legalized abortion is the only way to protect the lives of women around the world. If you look into American history to see the results of prohibiting abortions to women, you will see that no abortion means more women dead. The violence, which occurs today because of the pro-choice/pro-life conflicts is minimal in comparison to the thousands of hopeless women who turned to illegal abortions--either self-inflicted or preformed by the backroom "professionals"-- which resulted in infection, massive blood loss, and death. It is now since the abortion is legal better for women, because they have a place to go to where abortions can be performed in a clean environment and with minimum risks. The legalization of abortion is the only choice, no matter what side one takes in the debate. Women will try to do what they think is necessary to live as they wish, no matter w hat the risks are. In order to live as she chooses a woman may give up her freedom, her morals, her beliefs, her family, or even her life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abortion has been around for many years in every inhabited corner of the world. It has always been accepted as a mean to prevent the suffering of both the woman and her potential child. Abortion has been practiced widely in every society for many reasons including famine, war, poverty, overpopulation, or simply because a woman felt she was not ready for a child (Whitney 40). No one ever questioned a woman's right to this procedure. After all, who but God had the right to judge what a woman did with her own body? This thought process lasted till the 1800's. During the era of change people began to turn their attention in a new direction, the fetus. They began to protest abortion as cruel, inhumane, and murderous. Filled with a new sense of purpose and the glory of a fresh, righteous cause to uphold this new morality swept the countryside enveloping everyone in its wake.

Mom: Teacher, Counselor, Role Model, and Friend Essay -- Friendship Ess

Mom: Â  Teacher, Counselor, Role Model, and Friend When asked to identify the person who has had the most powerful influence in my life, the most obvious choice is my mom. She has been my teacher, counselor, role model, and friend for the past 17 years. For me, she has become a source of inspiration and a constant reminder of what true love really means. In considering my mother's position and influence as a role model, I am reminded of a quote from Charlotte Bronte's Villette: "In addition she gave me the originality of her character to study: the steadiness of her virtues...the power of her passions to admire, the truth of her feelings to trust. All these things she had, and for these things I clung to her." (Chap. 4) The virtues that stand out most poignantly in my mother's character are her dedication and self sacrifice. On the strength of her principles, she gave up a successful career in order to give my brother and I the strongest educational foundation possible. No obstacle seems insurmountable when it comes to our education; even when my algebra classes seemed to ha...

The Application of Social and Emotional Theory: Moving to a Retirement

Application of Social and Emotional Theory Psychosocial Theory Eric Erickson (1902-1994) was a psychoanalytical theorist who refined the study of personality development across the life stages (School of Arts, Development and Health Education, Massey University, 2012). His psychosocial theory (Newman & Newman, 2007) extended on the work of his mentor, and originating theorist; Sigmund Freud (Berk, 2012). Erickson’s theory divulged that individuals confront both negative and positive social pressures, at each life stage. How they deal with such experiences, and the learning, or lack of, acquired from them, determines how they cope and develop throughout their remaining life stages (Newman & Newman, 2007). Negative experiences not properly managed at any stage, adversely affect individual growth. Jean’s current situation relates to Erickson’s final psychosocial stage in late adulthood; integrity versus despair. This stage marks a period of self-reflection, and the associated value of one’s life. Integrity is achieved by individuals who are happy and content with their lives. On the contrary; despair and upset, are feelings expressed by those regretful of life choices, and missed opportunities, now too late to pursue. These negative emotions also exacerbate fears of their impending demise (Clairborne & Drewery, 2010; Berk, 2010). In Jean’s case, moving to a retirement village generated both feelings of despair, and ultimately integrity. She worried about her ability to look after Frank, and who would eventually take care of them both. Furthermore, Jean did not want to burden their children with their care. In fact, these are all too common concerns shared by those in late adulthood (Berk, 2010). The stress of... ...lving, and as with it, human nature. New research acknowledges this, and we can expect an emergence of new and revised developmental theories. References Berger, K.S. (2008). The developing person through the lifespan (7th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. Berk, L.E. (2010). Exploring lifespan development (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Clairborne, L. & Drewery, W. (2010). Human development: Family, place and culture. Sydney: McGraw-Hill. Newman, B. M., & Newman, P.R. (2007). Theories of human development. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Papalia, D.E., Olds, S. W. & Feldman, R.D. (2009). Human development (11th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill School of Arts, Development and Health Education, Massey University. (2012). 275.102 Human Development: Course material. Palmerston North, New Zealand: Author.

Romanticized Idealism

This is the story of Madam Bovary who approaches life with a novelistic, imaginative and idealistic approach.   This Character from her conduct reflect her own personality more and the fact her being a wife seems less associated with her vision of life. Emma, as her name was, was used to living in imaginary world either trying to create fantasy filled perfect life or stays longing for it. This never ending search lead to her to shape a unreal world around her and when eventually she faced the real life left her disappointed. The unimpressive character of her husband and his disinterest in Emma’s personality having an admiration of her physical beauty only, made her deject life and happiness completely. She wanted to romanticize every day of her life and once married her dreams stayed unfulfilled and left her desires burning inside her heart.   Emma seems to have an obvious character flaw that is her over romanticism leading her life to be discontent. She tried to love her husband but her emotions directed by her vision of an adventurous life ended her even more unhappy. She from her living pattern had the tendency to get bored with the monotony of life and had always looked for change. Charm and comfort of a wealthy life attracts her she was obsessed by the idea of having luxuries and facilities. She blamed her husband for discomfort and simple life. The modern day psychologists suggests that the reason behind these behaviors of characters in literature is to depict how the nature of any one is shaped by its heredity and psychological transformation is an evolutionary process, as a result the authors realizing this human psychic narrate the whole effect from their perspective to make people notice and solve few social problems (David P. Barash, Nanelle R. Barash, 2005). She feels her middle class, simple husband and modest home being responsible for her unhappiness and fails to understand that her unsatisfied nature causes her unease and memoirs of her initial life at farm and convent could never make her forget her past life. Emma's incompetence at being a wife according to the bourgeois habitus allows her to expand her competence as a woman by following the hexis of her female body. (Roland A. Champagne, 2002) Themes of the Madam Bovary Gustave Flaubert has attempted to use the theme of fate with several ambiguous interpretations of romanticism, greed, mockery and deception within the novel. The flaws possessed by different characters have been highlighted. Madam Bovary, as it appears, could be considered the most unlikable personification of a character but as we look at the behavior and conduct of each character we find that each of them contributes their share of encouragement that leads Emma to forget everything and follow her instincts. Its an established fact that ‘Fate’ is considered to the cause of greatest misfortunes a human faces, but when a woman due to her immaturity, lack of insight in life, inability to think critically and analyze situations end up destroying not only her own life but the life of her entire family, blaming fate seems quite an irrational explanation. When a man as experienced and cultured as her lover who deceived her just when she was about to elope with him tries to stand fate as responsible for him using her it’s not acceptable. Her husband, Mr. Charles was nothing but a naà ¯ve. He was no doubts a dull and useless man when it was the time to study   and try to learn the skills he wasted his time and missed classes consequently he proved to be a bad doctor and filled his own and his family’s life with misery. He was not living life merely passing time and seemed to have no interest in any thing. He is unintelligent so much so that despite of his mother and neighbors knowing that his wife is involved in extra-marital affairs, he couldn’t sense that, not even for a second. He failed to provide Emma not the kind of life she wanted but even couldn’t make her trust his love by making her feeling proud of him. This gulf of interest her husband possessed about everything in his life made Emma positive about her quest for a free life where she dreams to have everything she longs. Despite some idle cant about high ideals, what clearly attracts her is the artifice of this urban milieu, the ornate trappings and material excess. (Peter Gay, 1999) Romanticism of this lady contributed great for her own unhappiness. She had the tendency of looking at everything with a novelistic approach. A wish to make things perfect completely denying the realities of life and accepting them to normalize her life like every other human being tends to do. She has extremisms in her approach, when she wanted to pray she tried to become a complete devout, when she wanted to love she made it to the limits including her death was also a result of her uncontrolled attitude towards life. In the translated version of Madam Bovary: How false or perverted values debase and dehumanize those who hold such values. Emma Bovary idealizes romance, believing flirtation, trysts, secret letters, and gala balls are the the pith, the very soul, of love. She also prizes things–money, chic fashions, sumptuous surroundings, the tinkle of crystal. The dinner-dance she attends in Rouen is a microcosm of the haut monde in which she wants to live. (Eleanor Marx-Aveling) When a person is not responsible it’s too easy to take advantage of this attitude and its gets quite simple to deceive him. When Charles wife found such an attitude in her husband she availed the opportunity and tried to deceive him in every possible way. Deception lead a relationship to disastrous ends, her adultery for so long had been hidden by her husband, she with perfect mastery concealed her actions and not for once her husband even thought about his wife’s unfaithfulness. He didn’t try to keep a check on her not because very husband should suspect his wife but because a person is suppose to take care of those him or her loves, to protect them and be aware of their happiness. Greed is an evil force that makes men do anything in his power to satisfy it. The characters around Madam Bovary like Lheureux, who this sharp mind and understanding identified her nature and use her weakness to maximize his wealth. He had a liking for Charles property and he made it easy for Madam Bovary to take loans from him. He encouraged   her to make purchases and continued accumulating this debt till the day when   he could claim everything she had, thus leaving her frustrated and incapable to pay her debt with the guilt of causing her herself destruction. Emma had the false believe of associating happiness with wealth. She had a belief that money could buy happiness, she was extremely materialistic. Her exposure of balls and rich people made her illusionary life more idealized. She wants everything around her to be perfect.   She used to spend lavishly over useless things just to possess all expensive stuff. She had an obsession of stuffing her house with all the articles that were priced high. She used to spend too much on her lovers, who later turned her down when she needed them. Materialistic approach could not help inner emptiness. Emma’s self-centeredness and quixotic perception of reality cause her to ignore her child, deceive her husband, surrender to promiscuity and go so deeply in debt that she offers her body in payment. (Michael J. Cummings, 2004) Early in the story there is a ball at a grand house — an episode that awakes in Emma a dangerous taste for the high life. (Clive James, 2004) The mockery of her lovers who used her for their pleasure was destructive. Despite knowing the fact that she had a weak character they approached her. The insincerity of those lovers was never obvious for Emma, for she had a habit of living in her own imaginary world where everything had to be the way she wanted. She treated real life as being a spectator never enjoy the taste of reality and accept it to let happiness touch her soul. The lovers, they made her fool by using her while making her believe their love and when she needed them, they ran. She was an obvious stupid but in her conduct was not insincere. She was so fond of beauty, luxury, fantasized life and romance that she made herself vulnerable to the mockery of rich and cunning men around her.   One of her lover, in his trial to seduce her said: Does not this conspiracy of the world revolt you? Is there a single sentiment it does not condemn? The noblest instincts, the purest sympathies are persecuted, slandered; and if at length two poor souls do meet, all is so organized that they cannot blend together. Yet they will make the attempt; they will flutter their wings; they will call upon each other. Oh! No matter. Sooner or later, in six months, ten years, they will come together; will love; for fate has decreed it, and the yare born one for the other. (Gustave Flaubert, 1856) Fate no doubt dictates what happens in life but human beings being superiors to all the other creatures just because they posses mind have the capability to survive in even the worst circumstances caused by fate. Realistic approach towards things in life make people fight with great calamities. Women should have enough education so that they may understand themselves and the society, identify their potentials and exploit their possibilities. Given any of the consequences, man is capable enough to fight his fate and make impossibilities vanish from his life. Flaubert was tried on charges of immorality stemming from the publication of the novel; successfully defended him self arguing that the death of Emma shows the novel's upholding of morality and illustrates the consequences of sin. (Dr. Fidel Fajardo-Acosta, 2001) The story ends with Emma committing suicide. Her illusionary vision of life, yearn for pleasure   and comfort, need for dramatic romance made her blind to the welfare of her family, vulnerable to mockery of those who used her just for their pleasure and incapable of understanding the love of her husband who despite of having flaws in his character loved her sincerely. Discovery of her betrayal took her husbands life and left their daughter suffers alone in the whole world with a childhood started as a labor. About the book reviewers write: Consolation and a sense of proportion, a revulsion against chaos, a taste for life.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fictional suffering neutralized the suffering I was experiencing in real life. (Mario Vargas Llosa,1975) Perhaps we identify with Emma because we too feel emptiness at the center of things — an emptiness we try to fill with books, with fantasies, with sex, with things. Her yearning is nothing more or less than the human condition in the modern world. (Erica Jong, 1997) References Acosta, Fajardo, Fidel. (2001) World Literature Website 2001. Retrieved March 24, 2008 from, http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/flaubert/bovary.htm Aveling, Marx, Eleanor.( February 25, 2006). EBook #2413. Retrieved March 24, 20008, from,http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=223754 Barash, P. David. Barash, R. Nanelle. (2005) Madame Bovary’s Ovaries: a Darwinian Look at Literature. Retrieved (March 26, 2008). Fromhttp://denisdutton.com/barash_review.htm Champagne, A.   Roland, (2002). Emma's Incompetence as Madame Bovary Retrieved March 24, 2008 from, http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1034/j.1600-0730.2002.570202.x Cummings J. Michael (2004). A study Guide, Retrieved March 24, 20008, from, http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/Bovary.html#Type Flaubert, Gustave.(1856). Madame Bovary James,Clive. (2004). No Way, Madame Bovary. Retrieved (March 24, 2008). from, http://www.powells.com/review/2004_10_05.html Jong, Erica. (Sept. 15, 1997). Retrieved March 24, 2008 from, http://www.salon.com/sept97/bovary970915.html Llosa, Vargas, Mario. (1975) THE PERPETUAL ORGY   Flaubert and Madame Bovary. Peter Gay, (1999). Madame Bovary. Retrieved (March 24, 2008). From, http://brothersjudd.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/reviews.detail/book_id/327 ; ;

Dracula Queer Theory

The existence of alien and intolerable behavior generates fear into society’s mentality of the expected conduct. But does the ‘queer’ lurk under the bed? Or is it a part of all of us? The classic text â€Å"Dracula†, written by Bram Stoker, is valuable in understanding the course of society in its exploration of tabooed acts and mentalities, supported by the â€Å"Queer Theory† prevalent in the mid 1900’s. Although the queer theory describes the author’s subconscious drive for homosexual and feministic expression, Stoker’s stand point, however, is to highlight society’s vulnerability caused by their oppression of individuality and lack of conformity. Through this text we have been able to understand the flaws in a conformist society where individuality and the â€Å"different† are oppressed. Each community has their own particular morals and ethics, and when the actions of the different penetrates and ‘influences’ these expectations, those in power result to force in order to restore the original values that were compromised. Stoker’s warning of the supernatural feared the people of his century, anyone who appeared or acted ‘differently’ to what was expected, as represented through the characters in Dracula. It has been rumored that Dracula extends the element of the â€Å"Queer Theory† to a whole distinct level. Through analysis of Dracula’s behaviors, it is questioned whether or not Dracula indeed was queer himself. Besides the supernatural and gothic abilities that he encompassed, Dracula showed evidence of homosexuality. When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed in some sort of demonic fury† (Page 33), is evident of the desire for blood, which according to the ‘Queer Theory’ symbolizes his confused sexual desire for men. Dracula thus represents the disturbance in masculinity, as he enters his femininity; a further demonstration of the 1900’s ‘Queer Theory. ’ Therefore it can be argued that Dracula is valued by the social outcas ts of modern society as it gives hope to those who choose the express their individuality. Unusual behaviors are often intolerably indicated within a society that has strict expectations and values. Stoker’s upbringing revolved around women who were independent in their own ways, however societies expectations disallowed this aspect of humanity as men where thought to be the masculine and dominant figure. The queer theory suggests that Bram Stoker concealed his â€Å"mismatch of gender roles, sex and desires† (Judith Butler, 1994) due to the clashes of his personal upbringing with society’s expectations. Women being the submissive and weak figures reflected through the words of Stoker as he portrayed this bewilderedness through Dracula who himself becomes weak at any sense of unassertive or dominant sex. Dracula’s confusion is evident as he seduces the ‘devoted’ Lucy where he demonstrates the authoritative paternal figure yet. However, when he portrays his desire and possession of Jonathan, claiming â€Å"he belongs to [him]† (Page 46), he symbolizes the feminine teenage girl who has a fascination with the opposite sex.

Bloomberg Help Essay

Introduction In this tutorial I will provide an outline to the Bloomberg Essentials On Line training Program also known as BESS. The Bloomberg Essentials program provides a convenient way to learn the basics of Bloomberg Professional financial information system. The training consists of a series of videos (with scrolling transcripts), on-line Help screens and supporting documents. The video tutorial materials are organized into 8 modules as follows: 1. Bloomberg Core 1. Getting Started 2. Bloomberg News 3. Market Monitors and Launchpad 4. API (Bloomberg Data in Excel) 2. Bloomberg Market Sector 1. Equity Essentials 2. Fixed Income Essentials 3. FX (Foreign Exchange) Essentials 4. Commodity Essentials To earn a certificate or Acknowledgement of Completion, you must view the four Bloomberg Core videos and pass the Bloomberg Core Exam, then view at least one of the Bloomberg Market Sector videos and pass its corresponding exam. For example if you are interested in foreign exchange markets, you might consider viewing the FX Essentials training video and then taking the FX Essentials exam. Keep in mind that you only get two chances to take each exam so you need to put in some serious time and effort into the training materials and mastering the concepts before you take the exam. To get started with the BESS training, you should first create your own Bloomberg login. Bloomberg tracks your progress and exam scores using your unique login. A brief tutorial on creating a Bloomberg login can be foundhere. You may also wish to have a set of headphones or ear buds handy for listening to the Bloomberg videos without distracting others around you. The Bloomberg keyboard has a headphone jack th at (if configured properly) should allow you to listen to the videos in privacy. As you are viewing a video, open up an additional Bloomberg window and type in the commands as they are described. You can also pause the video to do more exploration of a particular function  or rewind the video to listen and watch an example again if you did not understand it the first time. Once the video is over, challenge yourself to run through all of the commands just introduced and then practice them to make sure they stay fresh in your memory. THE BLOOMBERG ESSENTIALS ON LINE TRAINING PROGRAM (BESS) Accessing BESS on Bloomberg To get started, log in to the Bloomberg Professional software using your own Bloomberg login account. If you do not have a Bloomberg account, click here for a brief tutorial on creating a new login. In any window, type in BESS (type the letters BESS followed by the Enter key) to display the Bloomberg Essentials screen as shown below: As you can see from the BESS screen, the videos for each of the modules can be launched by clicking on their titles. Along the bottom of the screen there are links to view and take exams, as well as a link to request the Acknowledgement of Completion. On the following pages, each of the videos is introduced along with some pointers for getting most out of your studying time. Bloomberg Getting Started Essentials The Getting Started Essentials training video is approximately 18 minutes long and provides a basic introduction to the Bloomberg including how the Bloomberg Terminal software is organized, key terms used throughout the Bloomberg system and the basics ways of navigating through the system. Some specific topics include broad market analysis, single security analysis, browsing News and obtaining help. When viewing this video pay particular attention to the key terms and definitions, the various ways of obtaining help, and the special function keys available on the Bloomberg keyboard. The video tutorial begins with a high level overview of Bloomberg’s menu based navigation system starting with the MAIN menu function. This function shows how Bloomberg’s data and screens are organized into market sectors, trading systems, customization and settings tools, Bloomberg Law and Government and Help and Support. The next section of the tutorial introduces the Bloomberg keyboard. The keys are color coded according to their overall purpose such as: Red Keys are used to log into the system (the Red DFLT key) and to cancel a current function(red Cancel key in the upper left corner). Green keys are used for navigation and obtaining help such as the block of green navigation keys on the right for Page Up, Page Down, End, Menu, etc. and the Green Help, Search, News, etc. keys along the top of the keyboard. Yellow keys are the market sector keys. Each one helps in identifying financial instruments or market sectors. These yellow market sector keys include Govt (for Government debt), CORP (for Corporate debt), MTGE for Mortgages, M-MKT for Money markets, MUNI for Municipal securities, PFD for preferred, EQUITY for equities, CMDT for Commodities, INDEX for indexes, CRNCY for currencies (foreign exchange) and finally CLIENT for portfolio management functions. Obtaining Help in Bloomberg There are a number of ways to obtain help in the Bloomberg system. As the tutorial continues, note that Pressing the green HELP key while on any screen will bring up a help screen that explains the function the screen is implementing as well as tips on using the screen and what each field or area of the screen represents. The picture below shows the help screen for the MOST function (Most active equities). Another way to obtain interactive help is to press the HELP key two times. This will open up a chat session with the Bloomberg help desk. Type in any question you might have and a Bloomberg help desk representative will walk you through any functions or screens to answer your question. The third way to obtain help is to press HELP key after typing in the name or ticker symbol of a financial instrument (or any word for that matter). The result will be a list of different search categories matching your query. For example, typing in BOB EVANS provides the search results that follow. Note Bloomberg found results in categories such as Companies, People, News, Law, Equities and Fixed Income.: Content Areas: News, Economics and World Indices The next section of the video tutorial focuses on four major content areas: News, Economic Calendar, World Equity Indices, and Economic Statistics. Bloomberg Top News To access Bloomberg Top News press the green NEWS key or type N . Bloomberg Economic Calendar The Bloomberg Economic calendar displays prior and announced economic report releases. To access Bloomberg Economic Calendar type ECO . Bloomberg World Equity Indices The Bloomberg World Equity Indices screen displays leading indices from equity markets around the world. This screen allows you to compare both current market levels as well as historical levels. To access the Bloomberg World Equities Indices screen type WEI . Bloomberg Economic Statistics The Bloomberg Economic Statistics screen can be used to display economic indicators such as Consumer Price Index (CPI), unemployment, housing, consumer confidence and many others for dozens of countries around the world. To access the Bloomberg Economic Statistics screen type ECST . Single Security Analysis The next set of functions demonstrated all work on a single security. So to get started with each one, we type in the ticker symbol of a company, then press the EQUITY (F8) key. Then follow this up by typing in the name of the function. Company Description The company description screen provides an overview of the company including its industry, current and historical price chart and data, recent searching and dividend data and other summary information. There are a total of 4 screens (press PG DOWN for additional screen). For example, assuming the target company is IBM, the command would be: IBM DES Bloomberg Historical Prices The HP function can be used to view a set of historical equity prices. For  example, assuming the target company is IBM, the command would be: IBM HP Bloomberg Graph Prices The GP function can be used to create a price graph of a security. Assuming the target company is IBM, the command would be: IBM GP Bloomberg Company News The CN function can be used to search for news articles mentioning a specific security. Assuming the target company is IBM, the command to search for news would be: IBM CN Bloomberg â€Å"Cheat Sheets† In addition to the help screens that Bloomberg provides, there are also â€Å"Cheat Sheets† – one or two page documents – that provide quick access to many of the different Bloomberg functions organized by asset type or by job function. To get started viewing Cheat sheets, use the function tt>CHEAT to bring up the screen: For example given the above CHEAT screen, click on the link 1) Getting Started to view the Getting Started cheat sheets as shown below: Clicking again on the 1) Getting Started link will display the actual cheat sheet for getting started. Various language versions are presented. Click on the link for the desired language and the two page PDF will be downloaded and open in Adobe Acrobat. Bloomberg Messaging System The last portion of the Getting Started tutorial video introduces the Bloomberg Messaging system. This is basically an e-mail system built into the Bloomberg software that allows you to send messages, screen captures and other materials to others on the Bloomberg network. To get started with the Bloomberg Messaging system, simply press the green MSG button or type in the function: MSG Messages are listed in the inbox – click on a message to view its contents. There is a yellow text box used to search for messages and buttons to create new messages, etc. Bloomberg News Essentials The Bloomberg News Essentials video is approximately 20 minutes long and focuses exclusively on the Bloomberg News functionality. Specific topics include drilling down from the top level news function N down through different news categories to specific news articles. Custom news searches, screens and alerts are also covered. When going through this material pay particular attention to how the Bloomberg news is organized and the various methods used to browse and search for news articles. The Bloomberg Top News Screen The video tutorial begins with a review of the BLoomberg Top News screen. To access Bloomberg Top News press the green NEWS key or type N or you can type TOP . The default top news screen shows top news world wide. There are a set of Topic heading along the left side in the gray colored sidebar. Clicking on any one of those topics narrows the news search down. Clicking on any news headline will bring up the full news article. Once the news story is displayed, it can be printed, bookmarked by clicking on the star icon (or option 91)), or forwarded to a colleague using the Send Story feature. These are shown in the upper right corner of the screen. If the news story has an attachment it will be available under the 97) selection. In this example there is a chart attached to the story. The search field is in the upper left corner and allows you to search for keywords within the story. Note that this story has 3 pages. By scrolling to the end of the story you can view a section of Related News and Information in addition to the author’s contact information. Customizing Top News The Top news screen can be customized to filter and display only those news headlines relevant to the user. For example, the Top News pages by including only relevant topics selected form the list of categories on the right as  shown here: Bloomberg News Advanced Search The Advanced Search feature can be used to build up a sophisticated search on Bloomberg news (beyond looking for simple keywords). From the Top News screen (N ), pull down the 97) Actions screen and click on the Create Advanced Search menu item. Searches can be saved and associated with alerts so that any new news article matching the advanced search criteria will be brought to your attention. For example, the advanced search below is set up to look for the phrases â€Å"Share Buyback† or â€Å"Stock Buyback† that appear in stories related to the Information technology and Telecommunications industries. The source of the news story should be Bloomberg News (BN). Bloomberg Launchpad Essentials The Bloomberg Launchpad is a graphical user interface that can be customized to create multiple screens or â€Å"Views† made up of market data, charts, news and other components. A view can consist of multiple pages that can be created, customized and saved. While going through this 30 minute video, it is easy to create your own Launchpad views along side the instructional video. Pay particular attention to the types of components (watch lists, news minder, etc.) that can be added to the Launchpad view and the different ways in which these components can be linked. For example, the Monitor (watch list) component has a number of ways in which individual and collections of securities can be added to the watch lists and then linked to other components such as News. Below is an example of a Bloomberg Launchpad view showing a number of different components (click for a larger image). A Market Monitor is in the upper left corner showing major market indexes for North America, Latin America (LATAM), Europe and Asia/Pacific. This monitor is linked to the News/Research pane below such that clicking on a market index will bring up Bloomberg News filtered for that specific index and region. The monitor is also linked to the line chart in the upper right corner so clicking on one of the indexes causes the chart to display. An Economic Calendar is displayed below the line chart showing historical economic indicator  releases. An intraday Market Map is displayed in the lower right corner and is also linked to the Market Monitor. The Market Map is an interactive map showing stocks by market capitalization broken down by industry and sector and colored according to their price gains (green) or losses (red) during the current trading day. Bloomberg API Essentials The Bloomberg API is a spreadsheet Add-in module for Microsoft Excel that provides various methods for bringing Bloomberg data directly into Excel. The Excel API video is the longest and probably the most detailed tutorial in the Essentials collection. Highlights of this 30 minute video include working with the different Wizards that are available to fetch different types of data. These wizards include: Data Navigation – Download data for a single security from a set of categories including Company Summary, Financial/Valuation, Consensus Estimates, Ownership, Peer Group Analysis, Options Credit and FX. Real-Time / Historical Navigation – Fetch real-time and historical market data including intraday and end-of-day data. Equity Screener – The Equities Screen feature allows you to screen stocks based on different criteria. Financials / Estimates – Provides the means to retrieve historical balance sheet and analyst estimates data. Technical Analysis navigator – Similar to the historical data wizard but includes a collection of technical analysis indicators. Ultimately given a description of the final data set required, you should be able to identify the appropriate Wizard to run and/or or Bloomberg Excel function to use to fetch that data. Other features described in the video are the Template Library which is a collection of pre-designed spreadsheets that can be further customized. Below is a picture of the Bloomberg Ribbon bar running in Microsoft Excel 2010. Bloomberg API – Data Navigation The Data Navigation wizard provides a convenient way to download a set of related data for a single security. After launching the wizard and selecting a security (Apple (AAPL) in this example), a list of categories are presented including Company Summary, Financial/Valuation, Consensus  Estimates, Ownership, Peer Group Analysis, Options Credit and FX as shown below: After navigating from Company Summary to Overview, the resulting data can be dropped into Excel using the â€Å"Drag to Excel† button as shown below: Bloomberg API – Real Time / Historical Data The Real Time / Historical data wizard provides a set of steps to ultimately create a formula (or set of formulas) in Excel that will fetch real-time data from the Bloomberg network or populate the spreadsheet with rows of historical data. The icon and drop down menus for the Import Data function are shown below: For example, the Real-Time/Current wizard prompts for a security (AAPL in this example) and then a set of fields (PX_LAST for last price, PX_BID for Bid Price and PX_ASK for Ask price were selected). the result is a set of three Bloomberg BDP functions (Bloomberg Data Point functions) that pull the data from the Bloomberg network into Excel as shown below (note the formula in cell B2): Additional Resources for the Bloomberg Excel API Bloomberg offers additional tutorials and other resources to help you learn even more about the API. An interactive Bloomberg Excel tutorial can launched using command function : XATP XAPI This tutorial launches MS Excel and provides a collection of example worksheets that document the various features of the Bloomberg Excel Add-in. Of particular interest are the large collection of BLoomberg-specific functions such as BDP, BDH, BDS, BCURVE, BEQS, and others. Bloomberg Equity Essentials The Bloomberg Equity Essentials video covers one of the four alternate Market Sectors for the Bloomberg Essentials program. This 35 minute video covers the main functions for researching equities (stocks) using the Bloomberg terminal. Bloomberg Fixed Income Essentials The Bloomberg Fixed Income Essentials video is 25 minute in duration and covers the main functions for searching and analyzing fixed income instruments such as corporate bonds, municipal bond and government treasuries. The Fixed Income video is one of four alternate Market Sector areas. Bloomberg Foreign Exchange (FX) Essentials The Bloomberg Foreign Exchange (FX) Essentials video is 35 minutes in length and covers various foreign exchange instruments such as spot FX, forwards, swaps and interest rate products. Bloomberg Commodities Essentials The Bloomberg Commodities Essentials covers the use of Bloomberg to monitor and analyze the spot and futures commodities markets. This video is 27 minutes long and represents one of the four alternate Market Sector specialties in the Bloomberg Essentials program. In the next pages I will provide some tips on taking the exams. Taking the Bloomberg Essentials Exams Once you have reviewed the four Core videos you will be eligible to take the Core Essentials exam. From the BESS screen click on the link to View and Take Exams. The Master Exams screen will appear as shown below: Usually the first exam to be taken will be the Core Essentials exam with Mnemonic COREESS. When you are ready to take the exam click on this link and the exam will launch. Taking the Bloomberg Essentials Core Exam When the Bloomberg Core Essentials (COREESS) exam launches it will present a notice about the grading policy for the exam. Note that the exam is not graded until answers to all 30 questions have been submitted. Pressing the Menu button will close this notice screen and the exam will start off with question number 1. Below is an example question and answer format (the actual question and answers have been obscured). Answering a question is a two step process: First click on your answer choices, and then click on the red Submit button at the bottom of the screen. You cannot proceed to the next question until the current question is submitted. Note also that the entire exam’s answers are not checked until the last question is submitted. Continue answering questions and Submitting answers until you reach the last (30th) question. Bloomberg University Bloomberg University is a collection of help and documentation guides along with schedules and sign-up sheets for Bloomberg training events. To access Bloomberg University use the code BU to bring up the screen: Of particular interest to new Bloomberg users are the various â€Å"Cheat Sheets† – one or two page documents that provide quick access to many of the different Bloomberg functions. TO get started viewing Cheat sheets, use the code CHEAT to bring up the screen: For example given the above CHEAT screen, click on the link 1) Getting Started to view the Getting Started cheat sheets as shown below: Clicking again on the 1) Getting Started link will display the actual cheat sheet for getting started. Various language versions are presented. Click on the link for the desired language and the two page PDF will be downloaded and open in Adobe Acrobat. Conclusions In this series of posts I have covered a very basic introduction to Bloomberg including creating your own Bloomberg account and going through the Bloomberg Essentials training.