McDonald’s global marketing strategy (GMS) Essay

1. Identify the key elements in McDonald’s global marketing strategy (GMS). In particular, how does McDonald’s approach the issue of standardization? Does McDonald’s think global and act local? Does it also think local and act global? McDonald’s global marketing strategy is based on combination of global and local marketing mix elements. For the first elements in McDonald’s global marketing strategy (GMS) is a vital elements in McDonald’s business model restaurants system that can be set up virtually anywhere in the world and the restaurants themselves offer the consumers a chance to experience for themselves a fast food legend. McDonald’s business model, depicted by the â€Å"three-legged stool† of owner/operators, suppliers, and company employees, is their foundation, and balancing the interests of all three groups. Second elements are McDonald’s offers core menu items like hamburgers, French fries and soft drinks in mo st countries. The popularity of American-style hamburgers, fries, and soft drinks is growing around the world, supporting Levitt’s view of the global village. For the price, the average price of Big Mac in the United States is $3.54. Globalization involves developing marketing strategies as though the world is a single entity, marketing standardized products in the same way everywhere. Globalized organizations employ standardized products, promotional campaigns, prices and distribution channels for all markets. Brand name, product characteristics, packaging and labeling are the easiest of the marketing mix variables to standardize. One of the aims of McDonald’s is to create a standardized set of items that taste the same whether in India, China or South Africa. McDonald’s seeks to serve its customers with the same quality product and experience, whether that restaurant is located in Moscow, Kiev or Russia. This requires standardized processes and similar quality ingredients. The table below is the examples of effective global marketing of McDonald’s: Marketing Mix Element

Native American Storytelling Lit Paper

Native American Storytelling November 12, 2012 ENG/301 Native American Storytelling Native American literature is the root of cultural storytelling, which is told through oral tradition, this consist of stories and songs verbally. Native American literature use literary conventions in the root of myth and symbolic examples in storytelling. The book â€Å"Native American Literature: A Brief Introduction and Anthology† gives good insight into the Native American ways of life and how storytelling is a part of that life.Short stories by Simon Oritz and Luther Standing Bear share life experience and cultural diversity. The reader can see how historical, social and political, and cultural ways play a role in the Native Americans storytelling. Storytelling is important in Native American literature. It began through â€Å"†¦both oral performances and in the imagination of written narratives, cannot be discovered in reductive social science translations or altogether understood in historical constructions of culture in one common name† (Vizenor, 1995, p. 1).Storytelling is the verbal source of stories; a well told story takes its reader on a quest or journey and well descriptive. â€Å"The metaphors in oral stories are mundane, abstruse, mysterious, unnamable, and more, but few collections in translation reveal the rich context of the songs and stories† (Vizenor, 1995, p. 7). Native American culture uses stories and songs to entertain as well as a way to teach the youth and inspire. Storytelling is an important tool in the Native American society. Storytelling is how Native Americans passed down the history, heritage, and traditions of their culture. Tragic wisdom is the source of native reason, the common sense gained from the adverse experience of discovery, colonialism, and culture domination† (Vizenor, 1995, p. 6). Native American literature use different types of literary conventions in storytelling traditions. According to Sinnaeve (2012) website, the Native American literary conventions are trickster, death, creation myths, and spiritual relationship to the land. â€Å"The trickster is an important literary and critical presence in contemporary Native American studies† (Cox, 2005, p. 252). Tricksters come in many forms â€Å"such as Raven, Spider and Coyote are haracters in Native American mythology who represent the underside of human nature† (Sinnaeve, 2012). â€Å"In this literary critical context, a trickster uses sleight of hand and tongue to evade, manipulate, and subvert the colonial world† (Cox, 2005, p. 252). In the poem â€Å"My Father’s Song† written by Simon Ortiz, the poem speaks of the importance of creation. The creation of life, land, and plantation, the story is about a boy who is learning to planet corn. â€Å"We planted corn one spring at Acu – we planted several times but this one particular time I remember the soft damp sand in my hand† (O rtiz, 1981/1995, p. 260).Within the field the boy and his father found a nest of mice, the father showed the boy how to gentle pick them up, and take them to the end â€Å"of the field and put them in the shade† (Ortiz, 1981/1995, p. 260). The purpose of literary conventions in storytelling helps to educate the new generation, â€Å"These stories have been carried down orally for generations, often by parents teaching their children about fundamental cultural truths† (Sinnaeve, 2012). The Native American people went through many changes throughout history, social and political, and cultural events. A social and political event was the education of young Native Americans.In 1879, many Native American children were put into the United States Government schools, to teach the youth of the White man’s ways and language. In the story â€Å"My People, the Sioux,† written by Luther Standing Bear, one learns of the hardship the children had to go through. â€Å"I t is my desire that all people know the truth about the first Americans and their relations with the United States Government† (Bear, 1975/1996, p. 33). In this story Bear tells the reader how Native American schools began. A man name Captain Pratt though, to better the White people he should â€Å"†¦get some young Indians children and educate them† (Bear, 1975/1996, p. 4). The United States government approved the education of Native American children. Captain Pratt was not prepared to start school, â€Å"He brought some of the Indian prisoners from Virginia with him, and they remained in the Carlisle Barracks until Captain Pratt could go to Dakota and return with his first consignment of ‘scholars’† (Bear, 1975/1996, p. 34). When the young Native Americans first arrived they had to sleep on the cold hard floor, later on they were given bags to fill up with straw to sleep on, but the children had to fill them up themselves.The children only had the blankets they brought from home. For breakfast the children had bread and water, and lunch meat, bread, and coffee. The children were all renamed with a white man’s name, but they were not taught how to pronounce the names. The author, Bear, was one of the first Native American boys to learn his name; in the story the reader can see how proud he was of his accomplishment. The children had their haircut as a White man’s haircut and soon after wore clothing as the White man. Bear and his cousin, although, bought White man’s clothes with the money their parents sent them.The Native American children choose a religion for themselves then attended Sunday school for those religions. â€Å"I did these duties all the time I was at Carlisle School, so in the early part of 1880, although I was a young boy of but twelve, I was busy learning everything my instructors handed me† (Bear, 1975/1996, p. 44). The root of storytelling is through the Native American cul ture. Storytelling takes the reader or listener on a journey of the culture and life experience of the people within the culture. Native Americans use literary convention, such as trickster, death, creation myths, etc. to create more allusion.It gives the story more purpose by teaching the reader through the story of the trickster character. Storytelling shares life experience, such as learning to read and write in Bear story â€Å"My People, the Sioux. † Although the reader can see how the White man treated the Native American children a bit harshly, the Native American children overcame it and received an education out of the experience. Native Americans use storytelling for different events and ways of life, such as pass down and education on the cultural history, traditions, knowledge, cares wisdom, morals, and lessons. Reference Bear, L. (1995). My People, the Sioux. In G.Vizenor (Eds) Native American literature. A brief introduction and anthology. New York, NY: Addison- Wesley. (Original works published in 1975) Bridges, K. (2011). South Ark: South Arkansas Community College. Retrieved from http://www. southark. edu/index. php/dr-ken-bridges/1392-united-states-since-1876 Cox, J. H. (2005). Living Sideways: Tricksters in American Indian Oral Traditions. Melus, 30(2), 252. Oritz, S. (1995). My Father’s Song. In G. Vizenor (Eds) Native American literature. A brief introduction and anthology. New York, NY: Addison-Wesley. (Original works published in 1981) Sinnaeve, V. (2012). Wise Geek. Retrieved from

Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Scholarship - Essay Example But all that changed when I met my present host family for the first time. There was a warm feeling of kindness and understanding from the moment we first met, and somehow they took me in, and treated me like they would treat their very own daughter. There was this instant feeling of connection, and I knew immediately that I was no longer alone. They helped me with English, and encouraged me to talk more and more in the language, urging me not to be shy, insisting that if I did not make mistakes, I would not learn. Slowly, all the chatter around me began to make sense, and it was a relief to be able to greet the people around me in a a language they understood. The family also encouraged me to take part in their life, and to understand the frank, welcoming American culture. In the course of my stay with them, I have been able to visit various American cities like Boston, New York, Kansas City, San Francisco and Los Angeles in their company. I have seen America like it actually is, and not as I saw it earlier on television, and my respect for this country has grown.

Popular culture 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Popular culture 4 - Assignment Example Through the private devices, teenagers could listen to songs done by artists such as the Beatles and Motown Sound. In the 1960, music faced dynamics in content because of the frequent unrest in US due to the civil rights movements, rise of rock music, and changes in hair style and clothes. Pop and rock and roll music development was massive because of the popular " Beat Generation". Such people included the likes of the Beatles, Jack Kerouac, and Bob Dylan. The first group to advertise themselves were the 13th Floor Elevators from Texas, at the end of 1965; producing an album entitled The Psychedelic Sound of the 13th Floor Elevators. It practically took off in California emerging music scene. In 1965, two major blues-rock bands debuted Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, whose extended guitar-heavy jams became a key feature of psychedelia. In the late 70s another genre of music containing elements of funk,  soul,  pop,  salsa and psychedelic that was most popular. When DJ David Mancuso, in New York ,opened a private dance club in his home, it became the beginning of the new era of disco-style club home. At this time, most of the non-disco artists had begun recording disco songs. Some films such as "Thank God It’s Friday" and the "Saturday Night Fever" played a significant part in popularising disco music. Different cities began producing similar sounds to suit their feelings. The New York Citys soul music became part of the disco sound towards the mid-1970s. Disco music dominated the airwaves from the year 1974 all through 1977. Most the charts in those days were full of disco songs, and many of them topped the charts. In like manner, many non-disco artists decided to record disco songs to remain relevant in the industry. This musical popular culture in this generation proves that it was the exploration era of new genres in the music industry. It gave birth to new sounds that are

History of Wireless Electricity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

History of Wireless Electricity - Research Paper Example When Maxwell presented a theory about electro-magnetic theory it stimulated the scientific environment and scientific investigators from all over the world started to look for its experimental proof or authentication. In fact, the scientists and investigators were sure about that it can be survived and achieved in an environment of keen anticipation, strangely encouraging to the response of any proof to this conclusion. Without a doubt, the history of science reveals that ideas and concepts are unpreserved. In fact, every new idea and concept beings improved perspective and understanding of nature and the environment and as a result of this improvement our thoughts and concepts are adapted and improved (Tesla, 2006; Bomber, 2006; Shinohara, 2010). Actually, in the 1891, Dr. Hertz did not present a new theory or an opinion. On the other hand, he just presented his ideas regarding equipment and how it supports to the theory which had already been presented by some other scientists. If we would have taken notice of it then it was not surprising that an electric circuit, processed through an interrupted current, release a wide variety of space signals, however nobody else ever tried to understand their character. So, Dr. Hertz was the first who actually presented a practical authentication that there were transversal signals and waves in the atmosphere. In this scenario, the majority of people considered this thought as his huge achievement. However, in actual fact it can be seen that the eternal value of this theory or idea was not so much in this theory as in the getting the concentration of investigators on the actions are being performed in the ambient means Hence, it gave the Hertz-wave theory a huge importance in the history of wireless energy transmission, in view of the fact that its charming control over the thoughts, had hushed resourceful endeavor in the wireless energy sector as well as retained it for more than twenty-five years (Tesla, 2006; Bomber, 2 006; Shinohara, 2010). However, in contrast, it does not seem feasible to allow too much for the positive and valuable consequences of the influential motivations that it has given in a number of fields. In fact, with regards to the transmission of signals and wires without using wires, the use of these radiations of this operation was absolutely clear. In addition, many times Dr. Hertz was asked the questions about the feasibility and usefulness of such kind of transmission model, and he never thought so, however in the end he was accurate in his prediction. In this scenario, one of the best ways that someone might have anticipated was a way of transmission of signals and communication like the heliographic and causes to experience the same or even more restrictions (Tesla, 2006; Bomber, 2006; Shinohara, 2010). Figure 1Tesla Tower, Image Source: (Mohammed, Ramasamy, & Shanmuganantham, 2010) It was the spring of 1891 when Dr. Nikola Tesla delivered a presentation using a high freque ncy machine at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) at Columbia College. This demonstration actually formed the basis of an original and hopefully departure. Even though, at that time there had been presented a large number of theories and laws on the subject of electrical resonance, however none of the theory actually focused on experimental and practical authentication of these facts. Hence, it is believed that the experiments performed by Dr. Nikola Tesla are believed to be the first public demonstration

Property Assessment Project Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Property Assessment Project - Research Paper Example t potential risks in a living area need to be carefully identified and the necessary steps taken to ensure that these threats are diminished or averted completely. Figure 1 contains an image of bottles that have not been given any labels. They have been placed at a strategic point, perhaps a table, for human use. Some of the bottles look similar in nature and have possibly been made out of the same materials. However, their contents differ depicting that they could indeed contain different items. These bottles contain something that is meant for human consumption. It is likely that various types of injuries could result if consumers gain access to such products. It is likely that should a consumer seek to consume these products, they could consume a potentially wrong product. There are consumers who are sensitive to certain products. This could be in the form of allergies, intolerances or simply aversions. Allergies could lead to potentially life threatening conditions such as anaphylaxis that require immediate medical attention. A consumer could have an allergy to some of the products used to design the items contained in these bottles making it potentially risky for them to consume (Grissinger, 2008). Intolerances and aversions can also lead to mild symptoms that could lead to mild irritation that could leave a completely bad taste in the consumers mouth. There are various regulations that have been stipulated as relates to food labeling. According to the United States Food and Drug Administration, it is imperative that food companies label their products with the exact ingredients that have been used to formulate their products. In addition, any product that has been developed using a set of stipulated allergens must be labeled appropriately. This ensures that consumers are aware of the products they are consuming beforehand (Grissinger, 2008). Failure to comply with these regulations could mean a law suit. People can seek damages against the food

Identtifying a Nation's Possibilities. Costa Rica Essay

Identtifying a Nation's Possibilities. Costa Rica - Essay Example In 1969, a constitutional amendment was adopted to limit to a single term the length of a President’s and Legislators tenure. This prohibition was however overturned in April 2003 effectively paving the way for the President to seek a second term. In that election, Oscar Arias Sanchez received 40% of the popular vote. The next elections are slated for February 2010. Costa Rica has a unicameral Legislative Assembly. The assembly at full seating has fifty-seven (57) members. The members are elected by direct popular vote to a single four-year term. The Legislature writes and enacts laws for the country. Elections into the Costa Rica Legislative Assembly were held in 5 February 2006, the next scheduled polls are to be in 2010. Costa Rica does not have provincial legislature, they were abolished in 1998. The Costa Rican Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Costa Rica highest court is the Corte Suprema or Supreme Court. The court is composed of twenty-two (22) elected Justices. The Justices are elected by for renewable eight-year terms. The terms are only renewable by the Legislative Assembly. Costa Rica’s legal system is based on Spanish civil law. There is judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court. Costa Rica is also a signatory of the International Criminal Justice jurisdiction. Although Costa Rica has no military; the Federal Government maintains a domestic Police force and an armed National Guard. President Jose Figueres Ferrer abolished the army in after the 1948 civil war. The abolition became an act of the constitution in 1949. Current President Oscar Arias Sanchez declared December 1 as the Military abolition day. Costa Rica’s political parties are very ideological with nationalist, progressive, libertarian, socialist and leftist agendas. The leading parties include Citizen Action Party (PAC), Costa Rican Renovation Party (PRC), Democratic Force Party (PFD), General Union Party ( PUGEN),

Writing is an important thing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing is an important thing - Essay Example Writing helps students achieve goals and objectives related to other subjects within and without the teaching and learning environment. As a writer, I have come to understand that writing is not as easy as it appears. Writing can be as simple as one could think, or as complex as it could ever get. On the same note, forms of writing are many and different. For this reason, the experiences of a writer are broad in terms of scope, and these experiences show one’s creativity and imagination in writing. Personally, when I joined this class I did not know what defines a well-written essay. With the free writing assignment, however, I learnt proper essay writing through getting information, organizing the content, and targeting the intended audience. When writing, it is important to capture the intended main idea. Through free writing, I have learnt how to identify the main ideas from a given piece of writing. Main ideas give meaning to any written piece. On the same note, the style and strategy of presenting written work matters as far as the audience is concerned. In this respect, I have learnt to address major factors that improve the quality of writing. In so doing, I have become a more competent writer. Over and above improving the quality of writing, I have understood synthesizing, comparing, and contrasting information and/or content of written work. In the process, I have become a writer who thinks outside the box when presented with a piece of information and/or text.

Of the Dawn of Free

Of the Dawn of Freedom Essay In â€Å"Of the Dawn of Freedom,† author W. B. Du Bois (1903) points out the historical basis for the persistence of racism as a problem. Written almost three decades after the civil war, the text is addressed to both African-American and White people who comfort themselves with the illusion that the granting of the right of suffrage to African-Americans instantly solved the problems of inequality. This is evident in how Du Bois illustrates that contrary to popular perception, the Civil War did not totally lead to the emancipation of African-Americans and that the subsequent â€Å"Negro suffrage ended a civil war by beginning a race feud† (34) wherein African-Americans became the subject of contempt of Southern White populations who fought against the abolition of slavery. Indeed, Du Bois’ observations accurately mirror the situation of African-Americans until today. Clearly, African-Americans are still subjected to deeply-held stereotypes that systematically degrade and debase them on the basis of what Du Bois calls â€Å"the color-line. (9) Despite the abolition of slavery, African-Americans continued to be socially-marginalized. Consequently, African-American’s situation as â€Å"a segregated servile caste† (37) after slavery was abolished only resulted in the formation of a double consciousness or an identity confusion owing to the lack of their clear role in society and their alienation from the dominant White culture. In effect, the abolition of slavery also uprooted both African-Americans and White Americans from the customs and clear norms that arose from centuries of slavery. Without the delineations of the slave order, African-Americans found it difficult to establish their identity especially as the White Americans did not want to accommodate the ex-slaves into the folds of society. It is therefore not surprising that African-Americans continue to be subjected to racist perceptions. As Du Bois rightly points out, the freedom of the Black Americans was immature in so far as the Whites regarded them not as their equals but looked condescendingly at the newly-freed Black people as their inferiors and â€Å"helpless wards. †(34)

George Gittoes White Earth Essay Example for Free

George Gittoes White Earth Essay George Gittoes art piece, White Earth is a dramatic oil on canvas depicting the political corruption a 15 year old boy had been pressured into. Gittoes, the renowned Australian artist has always created his pieces by inspiration of his life experiences. He has an immense passion for art and humanity so being an eye witness to suffrage of humanity all over the world is conveyed in his work. White Earth is another successful and captivating work. Gittoes was witness to an Afrikaaner Weerstands Beweging (AWB) Rally in South Africa of April 1994, where he saw a 15 year old boy submerged in the propaganda of Nazi in youths. The young boy gets on the stage silent with resentment as photographers begin to infinitely snap at him. Gittoes sympathy for the boy is emphasized as he retells them raping and torturing him. Too young to understand the political corruption he is stuck between being used by the ABW and being tortured by the international press. Trapped, as the victim of this controversial saga, his only escape is to close his eyes, however it is impossible to close his to ears to the Hate Speech delivered by Terre Blanche. Gittoes sympathized for his entrapment and compelling distressed state, so he depicts and dramatically distorts this experience through the art piece, White Earth. Being one to love expressionism, his passion for it gives meaning to convey and express emotions and feelings. He exaggerates the boy giving specific detail and emphasis to his ears. The distortion of his ears expresses the impossibility of closing his now larger ears. The figure to the right is racist Terre Blanche driving the propaganda into him, taking advantage of his naà ¯ve and young position. Distinct lines and vibrant colours on the boys face determine his resentment and struggle in his entrapment of what is around him. Once again George Gittoes amazes us with his brilliant techniques and skills. The strokes and their positioning all are part of his meaning in this sad  piece. Distortion not only occurs in his ears but all over his body, he appears larger as if we had grown up, Gittoes portraying his growth is too fast and unnatural due to the boys youth and already political career. White Earth along with many of George Gittoes work depicts inhumanity, suffrage and the struggle of people everywhere. It is on of his best works portraying the struggle of a boy stuck between two corruptions and expressing his longing to escape the entrapment. Art lovers all over the world have passion for this renowned piece and those hating suffrage and inhumanity will also be touched by this intricate story ever so sad yet breathtaking piece, by the profound and magnificent George Gittoes.

Reflective Essay On Learning Skills And Employment Education Essay

Reflective Essay On Learning Skills And Employment Education Essay Introduction After a long summer of fun and unemployment, it was finally time to get back to the real world. No more endless free time, it was time to get my brain working for something productive. I enrolled in a bachelor in software development, I was always fascinated by computers and being able to modifying it was always a dream for me. And what a surprise it was for me when I saw in my time table that I had a course called Academic Skills for Business, what is it? Im going to be software developer, why do I need it? After attending two lectures, I began taking interest in it, it made me see thing that I never thought of before. And then the assignment dropped. 2Â  500 Word, I dont even know if I carry that much vocabulary, but I saw it as a challenge. It will help me develop my writing skills and language, and its a great ways to analyze my progress through this course, maybe if I have some free time I will do it for my other courses. First chapter of the course, that describes the skills that employers look for In General and what skills we gain as a student. From what I understood there are five skills that are needed to be employed in a high level of responsibility job: Communication, human relations, work survival, leadership and research and planning. A good manager needs to acquire good relations with his subordinate, in order to motivate them; he should be able to take good initiative after analysing all the resource available and fight for his ideas to survive in the organisation. I already had a general idea of what employer where looking for but I was neglecting the human relation aspect, however it turns out to be the most important one. In order to get to the top ladder of an organisation, I need to work out my communication skill, which means getting the appropriate feedback, negotiating, perceiving nonverbal messages, interviewing. And to enforce my work survival by initiating new ideas, meeting goals and accepting responsibility. In order to fulfil my desire of success, I need to make changes in my life, and thats what distinguishes an adult form a teenager, the ability to make changes in your behaviours to adapt to the requirement of the society. The road to rich cant be made without compromises, if it isnt then the success wont be as tasty as if I had put effort and made sacrifice for it. Thankfully some of these skills will be developed thanks to high school. High school allow student to reinforce some technical skills that can be transferred to work. The most important one is the ability to meet deadlines, and i know what Im talking about, been one of the laziest person in the word, I had to catch up or I will be left alone, and planning was the solution to my laziness and lack of organisation ( I will go more in depth in the according section). It allows to develop writing skills with assignments like this one or the communication aspect, answer are more structured and feedback more centred to the subject. It also allow to work in a team, get a touch of the dynamic of a group, get of feel of group brainstorming and its draw backs. Time Management Here comes my black beast, hell for a lazy person like me. I always tried to manage my time but without success, I tried post-it, dairy, phone application but I always fail. Never used a method more than three consecutive day, I always give up so quickly, always postponing what I had to the day before for the next day, its just a mean cycle. But now things are more serious, the British system gives away to students a lot of time away from class but they assume that we are responsible enough to manage ours time wisely. But the draw backs for lazy students like me are huge, its an automatic fail if there is no adaptation to the system. So here is my challenge for this year: managing my time as wisely as possible. And thanks to this assignment, I realize that I have failed again, here I am 3 days before the dead line and I only wrote 1/3 of the essay earlier this day, counting each word and realizing how I could have done this work before with a simple planning. I was there when the sli des of this chapter were projected; I can still remember all advises that our teachers gave to us like setting goals, prioritizing assignments, make a weekly planning. Great ideas, I was even advising other students with the same strategies but I didnt apply it for myself, which is completely useless. Now here I am, facing my responsibility once again. This time I have to make BIG changes in my behavior, this nonchalance cant be supported anymore or It will automatically lead me to failure and thats not an option I was planning for my future. Starting from today, I will not use only one method for managing my time, but I will use all of them, I will try by any mean to keep a daily list of what have to do and plan for what I should do all the week that follow. Actions are the seed of fate deeds grow into destiny. Â  Harry S Truman. Its time to man up, all successful people achieved their dream by setting goal and fighting as much as possible to achieve them and even to go beyond , they put all their energy into it, and they are human being just like us. Mea culpa but here come the power of the human being, the ability to learn from their mistake and to adapt accordingly. When I first read the assignment I thought it was just another paper work but it reveal that I had more writing skill as I thought I had and looking back at what I did from the beginning of the semester made me realize that I evolved somehow , gain some maturity and with an anger of success and motivation. Creativity skills brainstorming Next lesson was creativity skills brainstorming, before attending this class I already had a good idea about it. But after couple of slides, I realized that my definition of brainstorming was vague compared to the one projected on the screen. This new definition distinguished brainstorming in too types: Individual Brainstorming and Group brainstorming. I always thought that brainstorming was a group activity, but I actually disagree in this statement -When you brainstorm on your own you will tend to produce a wider range of ideas than with group brainstorming (slides from chapter 3)-, when brainstorming is done lonely, it create a tighter range. First not having an external point of view narrow the ideas that could have emerged during a session, an external analysis create a judgment of an idea and opens the door to new opportunity that couldnt be founded lonely; however by brainstorming individually you can get more specific detail and draw a good image of the situation. Creative thinking is not a talent; it is a skill that can be learnt. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities which improves teamwork, productivity and where appropriate profits.(Edward de Bono) Brainstorming reinforce team work, dealing whit other schoolmates, we worked on a presentation about internet security and privacy for this course. It was an amazing experience; we applied the Simplex process after finding our subject. We began our first brainstorming session by finding the problem using trigger question like: what informational resources are we going to use? On what should we focus our research? How are we going to divide the tasks? How can we do a good presentation? The next meeting, after gathering as much relevant information as possible, we shared our result to let everyone aware of the content of the presentation, the main idea was to make a team work and not to just let everyone work on his own or it will create an heterogenic presentation. And we arise more questions about the planning and preparing the framework of our slides. The next time we met, we finalized the slides of our presentation and started preparing to face the audience. Hopefully no problem oc curred between the group and a nice atmosphere was created, I allowed us to get more familiar with each other and a better understanding of others point of view and way of thinking. Finally when the day of the presentation came, it was time for action, some of us were a little bit frighten and anxious but it all collapsed when the show began. It all went smoothly, we were mastering our research and audience, most of them werent aware of the content we were exposing, so we kept their attention for the whole hour. I really enjoyed this experience and Im ready to do as much possible team work using a structured method like the simplex process. Decision tree and Statistics A decision tree is a tree in which each branch node represents a choice between a number of alternatives, and each leaf node represents a classification or decision. In decision analysis, a decision tree can be used to visually and explicitly represent decisions and decision making. In data mining, a decision tree describes data but not decisions; rather the resulting classification tree can be an input for decision making. This page deals with decision trees in data mining. Data mining approaches to my course name database analysis and design, I read a book about it and found it really interesting because it deals with economic situation and that rimes with money. I was planning on continuing my studies threw the database analysis area and I will be dealing with decision tree a lot, so having a first look of it in my first years of college get me a quick touch to it.For example, we might have a decision tree to help a financial institution decide whether a person should be offered a loan: http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/%7Ebillw/cs9414/notes/ml/06prop/id3/dtree.gif Expected monetary value is a value based on probability that factors in all possible monetary outcomes of a given situation. The value is reached by multiplying the percentage of each possibility occurring by the monetary loss or gain associated with that outcome. At that point all of those values, positive and negative, are combined to reach the expected monetary value. This calculation is a valuable tool for those tasked with making a decision involving several possible outcomes, as it represents the most statistically accurate estimation of the eventual result. In order to calculate the EMV of a situation you should follow these steps: Define the alternative actions you are choosing from. These are labeled a1-ai. Define the states of nature which the is variable that will affect the various outcomes of a. These are labeled s1-sj. Set up a payoff table. List a1-ai as the columns and s1-sj as the rows. Fill in the values for each a and s option. Each value is the expected payoff for that occurrence (hence the name payoff table). Determine the probability for each s value. Find the EMV for each a value. Use the formula EMV(ai) = (s1 X ai) + + (sj X ai) Another notion was introduced: descriptive statistics. Basically it was some new math calculation like the average, the mean, the mode, the median, the range and the interange. Most of these feature have been familiar with me because I did some applied math to economy, however I had a blur vision of the bias until I start overdoing exercises about it at home. Then we continued on measure of variation, introducing the variance, the standard of deviation and variance of uncertainty. Conclusion Here we are, after 2 months of courses , I learn a lot threw these course and enjoyed myself attending it, writing this reflective essay really help me put thing into retrospective. My technical ability for the course is more than average and I intend to keep practicing to survival in this jungle called university. I found some energy to fight back and overcome this nonchalance that that keep me avoiding important thing and not managing my time wisely. Its time to act now. Finally, I still have hard time to believe I finally did it, just few words before the gargantuan milestone of 2Â  500 words, never thought I would have finish it in time and having fun doing it. It reveals writing skills that I never tough existed and learning so much about myself during the process. Putting everything on the paper helps you to draw a perfect picture of a period of time which helps you modifying your weakness and evaluating your evolution. Thank you for the reading; it was a pleasure to write it.

American Pie Essay -- Research Essays Term Papers

American Pie With every aspect of our lives we are making a point, arguing a belief, or refuting some other aspect of our existence. Aesthetic pieces, most avidly poems and songs, argue a message both in the lyrics and in the meaning posed between the lines. â€Å"American Pie,† in a multitude of ways, argues that American lives and memories are closely intertwined with the music of the time period. Not only does â€Å"American Pie† argue a message it also pulls many generations together. Today, thirty years after the initial release, â€Å"American Pie† still has an effect in our music and continues to be popular with all age groups. Don McLean accomplishes this task through using the context of the time period, placement of words, the words themselves, the punctuation and grammar, the rhythms, and many other facets involved. Because of this, the people of a nation and even the world are influenced. One major concept needed in order to understand any song thoroughly is to comprehend the period in which it was recorded and released. Don McLean released the song, â€Å"American Pie,† in 1971. During the late 1960s and the early 1970s, the United States was becoming progressively commercialized. With the commercialization, Americans began losing touch of the â€Å"little things in life,† and the things that make life worth living; instead they were more interested in the materialistic things. Throughout the time period there were many clashes around the world—most famous being the conflict in Vietnam. With the amount of turmoil that was present during the late 1960s and early 1970s, McLean writes about the 1950s (a period of calmness between two storms—the World Wars and Vietnam) as an escape for the people of his time. Several classics in other part... ... placement of words, the words themselves, appeals, imagery, figurative language, the punctuation and grammar, the rhythms, and all the other facets involved, shows that the people of a nation are influenced. Through all of these methods Don McLean uses â€Å"American Pie† to argue that American lives and memories are closely intertwined with the music of the time period. Not only does the argument and its message span over a period of time it inevitably pulled many generations together. Works Cited Howard, Allen. (November 3, 2001). Don McLean Online, American Pie Man’s Internet Home. [World Wide Web]. Available: http://www.don-mclean.com. [November 28, 2001]. McLean, Don. American Pie. American Pie. Released by United Artists (1971). Super70s.com. (2001). Super70s.com: Timeline. [World Wide Web]. Available: http://www.super70s.com. [December 1, 2001].

Comparing Platos Republic, Mores Utopia, and Gurneys Dinotopia Essay

Plato's Republic, More's Utopia, and Gurney's Dinotopia    Throughout history, mankind has struggled to lead better lives and improve their society for future generations. What do we continuously attempt to improve? What kind of changes are we trying to institute? In other words, what is an ideal society? Many people have very diversified views about a perfect civilization. In Plato's Republic, Sir Thomas More's Utopia, and James Gurney's Dinotopia, three imaginary societies are described, each with its own peculiarities and highlights. Various aspects of the nations described in these three novels, including their respective economies, governments, and social structures, will be compared and contrasted. A crucial aspect of any society would be its economy. In Utopia, business was conducted chiefly to import iron, and in many cases they traded on credit. The Utopians have no currency, though they trade their goods for gold in order to pay mercenaries in times of war. If one is in need of something, one merely has to inform the head of one's household and he will get it. Their society is arranged so that they reject many material things that our society would consider valuable, such as silver and diamonds. "The Utopians fail to understand why anyone should be so fascinated by the dull gleam of a tiny bit of stone, when he has all the stars in the sky to look at - or how anyone can be silly enough to think himself better than other people, because his clothes are made of finer woolen thread than theirs" (More 89). To minimize the importance of these materials, Utopians make everyday objects out of them, like chamber pots. In Dinotopia, people are given what they require, mu ch like Utopia, although the... ...h political and financial equality, forming the foundation for everlasting peace. This ideal society would be ruled by a government that truly represents the people and endeavors to direct its citizens on the route to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As Sir Francis Bacon said, "Man seeketh in society comfort, use, and protection." Works Cited Ferguson, John. Utopias of the Classical World. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1975. Manuel, Frank E. and Fritzie P. Manuel. Utopian Thought in the Western World. Cambridge, MA: Belknap-Harvard Press, 1979. More, Thomas. Utopia. Trans. Paul Turner. New York: Penguin Books, 1965. Plato. Republic. Trans. G.M.A. Grube. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing, 1974. Rice, Eugene E. and Anthony Grafton. The Foundations of Early Modern Europe, 1460-1559. 2nd. ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Co., 1994.