The Petticoat Affair Manners free essay sample

Bringing much more necromancy than most would have thought and at the same time a woman who did not fit the mold of the normal submissive political wife in Washington or in Tennessee came to the forefront of public opinion. Mrs. . Eaton was unwilling to stop being her unconventional self and President Jackson was unwilling to stop supporting her regardless of political consequences. She was a threat to the value system of what women should be and how they should conduct themselves both in private and especially in public situations.The Jackson era although change was coming was still regressive in the ole of women and what they were to do in society. Washington and Tennessee society snubbed her. To be socially ostracizes brought Jackson into her corner as his late and beloved Rachel had been cannibalized and victimized by polite society, which he thought caused her death. The author gives a short but accurate biography of President Jacksons life, which lets the reader understand his dependence and loyalty for friends, and his demand for absolute loyalty from his associates. We will write a custom essay sample on The Petticoat Affair: Manners or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Friends were all he had in life especially after Rachel died.Her death made him more protective of women ND therefore a perfect defender of Mrs.. Eaton. Mrs.. Eaton was the daughter of an Inn Keeper, William ONeal where many of the politicians of the day stayed in Washington, D. C. Most male Senators and Congressmen stayed in boarding houses like the ONeal as Congress was in session only part of the year. She had married Mr.. Timberline who was a purser in the Navy, tried to run a store, then later went back to the Navy. Her overt personality coupled with two almost elopements, fueled her reputation which came into question when her husband died on ship and she aired John Henry Eaton.This was done even before the required mourning period had ended. Another inattention to polite society. He had been a boarder at her fathers house and became Jacksons Secretary of War. She was the daughter of a Scot Irish boarding house owner she having never been admitted to society, as John Calhoun stated but when marriage to Mr.. Eaton occurred she wanted entrance to Washington Society. Both her husband and herself wanted admittance to Washington society but were denied it as social rules had been bent or broken and the societys matrons ad to protect their system from the change threatened by Mrs.. Eaton. President Jacksons beloved Rachel was cannibalized and when rumors were circulated about Margaret to keep her out of society and to publicly justify that excel suasion Jackson supported Margaret with much passion. President Jackson saw conspiracy everywhere as he tried to help the innkeepers daughter. Mrs.. Eaton was backed in her attempts to become socially accepted by the President, his friend s, the Globe Newspaper and of course her husband. President Jacksons obsession with Mrs. .Eaton and his ideas hat it was a political conspiracy by Calhoun or Clay put this scandal in a position to almost stop government working that were not concerned with it. His enemies or friends like Van Burden who took advantage of the scandal and Jacksons obsession with it to further his political future fought back and forth completely rendering the administration useless on other important issues of the day. I am amazed at the correspondence the author has retrieved when other topics like the nullification crises was pending yet the President was writing and calling meetings to get acceptance of a lady by Washington society.As the scandal grew it took on Jacksons idea that it had all been created to hurt Jackson politically. His cabinet was eliminated and his government did little during this scandal. He concentrated on very little else in his first term. He went against his Vice President, against Duff Green, against half of his cabinet and still did not get her accepted by society. She had been free with her attentions toward men. Almost eloped twice, married twice, and was somewhat outrageous in her self-promotion in the early sasss. She was ahead of her time and not complacent to wait while society hanged.Her husband continually backed her and the media made it a political struggle especially as Jackson labeled it a conspiracy against his democracy. This was social and political history. Accounts are given from many personal diaries, memoirs, papers, and other minute historical sources. The reader almost sickens as the government comes to a stalemate over whether this lady is accepted or not accepted into society. It appears to be trivial until one remembers the Monica Leninism Scandal which caused an impeachment of a President recently because he had sex with and intern and lied about it.Have things changed or has government always been about power and blocking power regardless of the method. I think the reader is rewarded into being immersed into the Jackson presidency, his alliances, his fears, and his reasons to back Mrs.. Eaton. The history of this period becomes more meaningful as it is personalized. The argument that Mrs.. Eaton represents a threat to the organized expectations of women is put forth but isnt perfect. It seems that her personality and her husbands constant flaring up of the situation makes it a larger media event.The fault may lie with her husband and Jackson democracy. Not all were equal and his insistence of her being a society lady might not have been necessary. She could have not cared and he should have not pushed her rejection to involve the President. My criticism should not be on the characters, though but the book. The author does a thorough job explaining the atmosphere and backs it with much proof. The everyday happenings and letter writings make history able to be found by this author.

How to Fix Comma Splices Blog

How to Fix Comma Splices Blog How to Fix Comma Splices Comma splices are a common punctuation error. But would you know a comma splice if you saw one? More importantly, would you know how to fix one? If your answer to either question is â€Å"no,† then you’re in the right place. Read on to find out how to spot and fix comma splices. What Are Comma Splices? Comma splices are a type of run-on sentence. This occurs when two main clauses (i.e., full sentences that express a complete thought) are used together without the correct punctuation. In a comma splice, it is because two sentences have been joined with a comma: I love sandwiches, I eat them every day. Here, for example, â€Å"I love sandwiches† and â€Å"I eat them every day† are both full sentences. And while commas have many uses, they can’t be used to join two sentences. As such, if we see two sentences with just a comma in between them, we know we have a comma splice on our hands. If you see a comma splice in your writing, you can fix it in various ways: Placing a period between each clause Adding a coordinating conjunction after the comma Replacing the comma with a semicolon Changing the first clause into a subordinate clause We will look at each of these in a little more detail below. 1. Fixing a Comma Splice with a Period We use a period at the end of a sentence. So if we use one in place of the comma in the sentence above, we can fix the comma splice by presenting each clause as a separate sentence: I love sandwiches. I eat them every day. This is often the simplest way to fix comma splices. However, if you want to emphasize or clarify the connection between two sentences, you have a few alternatives available. 2. Fixing a Comma Splice with a Coordinating Conjunction Conjunctions are connecting words, so we can fix a comma splice by adding one after the comma: I love sandwiches, so I eat them every day. The advantage of using a conjunction is that we can show the reader how the clauses are connected. In this case we’ve used the word â€Å"so,† which means â€Å"for this reason.† We therefore know that the speaker eats sandwiches every day because of their love of bready snacks. Keep in mind, though, that we can only use coordinating conjunctions to connect two sentences. We’ll get to subordinating conjunctions later. 3. Fixing a Comma Splice with a Semicolon We can use a semicolon between two clauses to show they are related: I love sandwiches; I eat them every day. As with using â€Å"so† above, the semicolon here suggests a connection. However, the nature of the relationship here is less explicit. 4. Fixing a Comma Splice with a Subordinate Clause While commas can’t be used to connect two main clauses, they can be used when a subordinate clause comes before the main clause in a sentence. Thus, if we change the first clause in a sentence containing a comma splice into a subordinate clause, we can fix the error: Because I love sandwiches, I eat them every day. As shown above, a subordinate clause includes a subordinating conjunction – in this case, â€Å"because† – and does not form a full sentence by itself. But by changing the first clause into a subordinate clause, we now have a grammatical sentence. And the choice of subordinating conjunction here shows us the relationship between the clauses (i.e., the subordinating clause gives a reason for the main clause).

Bobs Your Uncle!

Bobs Your Uncle! Bobs Your Uncle! Bobs Your Uncle! By Maeve Maddox An expression I learned to love during the time I lived in England was Bobs your uncle! Thanks to international sports events, the saying is better known in the States now than it used to be. You tack it onto a set of instructions that are meant to lead to an easy solution: Question: How do I make this work? Answer: Put Tab A into Tab B, turn this little screw, and Bobs your uncle! Question: Can you direct me to the Green Man? Answer: Carry on to the corner, turn right, go past the greengrocers, turn right again, and Bobs your uncle! The expressions origin is shrouded in mystery. A frequent explanation cites the nepotism of British Prime Minister Robert Cecil, Lord Salisbury, who appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour to the post of Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887. The idea is that if your uncle happens to be the Prime Minister, anything is easy. The difficulty with this explanation is that the earliest known use of the phrase Bobs your uncle is from 1932. Another possibility offered is that it may derive from 18th thieves slang: all is bob, meaning all is safe. The Phrase Finder suggests that a music hall song published in 1931 may have been the source: Bobs your uncle Follow your Uncle Bob He knows what to do Hell look after you I think its more likely that the song derived from the saying. Well probably never discover the origin of this delightful expression. Its lack of discernible sense suggests an origin in the folk etymology that causes a misheard foreign word or phrase to dwindle into pronounceable English nonsense. For example: hocus-pocus: a scrambled version of Latin Hoc est corpus meum, this is my body, words from the Catholic Mass kickshaw: English approximation of French quelque chose, something (A kickshaw is a doodad, a whatnot, a thingamajig, a something or other.) Smackover: Arkansas place name thought to be from French chemin couvert, covered way love: tennis score notation (meaning zero), from French loeuf, egg (the shape of a zero resembles that of an egg) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Is Irony? (With Examples)15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their Synonyms15 Idioms for Periods of Time

Should Catholic Priests Marry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Should Catholic Priests Marry - Essay Example logically priests are believed to serve where Christ would have served if he was on earth and this will configure them to do as Christ did as he never got married. Though catholic priests are not allowed to marry, this paper will explore a number of ways which supports and show why catholic priest should marry It is evident that lager number of Christians value marriage a lot, and this is revealed in the book of Mathew when Jesus had a visit Peter’s house and saw the mother of his wife who was then ailing. This is one of the supports in which Catholic Priest should stand on, meaning that if one of the disciples who was close to Jesus was married then they themselves should also be married. Furthermore, Peter one of the apostles points out that state of being unmarried leads to sexual offences, and he shows this in the book of Corinthians, saying that there should be a relationship between two people, man and woman which leads to marriage. His point goes hand in hand with what is pointed out in the book of Genesis, where god commands people to fill the earth and this can only happen when people get married hence everyone must comply with bibles teaching implying that catholic priests should also marry. Today, it is all over the news on how priests struggle with celibacy and they are obligated to have secret relationships and this is detrimental to the church (Carrell). The current children sexual abuse which has wrecked the Roman Catholic is seen to have been contributed by unmarried priest, though there have been some efforts by the Catholic Churches to try and hide from the public such allegation. Priest should be given the chance to get families and celibacy in the Roman Catholics should be abandoned, so as to avoid such child abuse from the priests. This is because their conjugal rights will have been granted to them and they will not engage in these brutal acts. The above arguments do not mean that celibacy is never value or was never value by the

The Facts Behind Distracted Driving Debate Essay

The Facts Behind Distracted Driving Debate - Essay Example But not for the better it seems. According to a nationwide insurance study, 20 percent of drivers are either sending or receiving text messages while at the wheel of a moving vehicle. Even more startling is the information that these numbers increase to 66 percent when the driver is within the age range of 18 to 24 (Schulte). A sector of our society believes that teenagers are unfairly targeted in these experiments simply because they are young and often impulsive in their actions when at the wheel of their cars. But the reality of the situation is that these figures accurately describe the driving habits of some teenagers within the aforementioned age bracket. In fact, during a simulated test conducted by Car and Driver Magazine, the results of the distracted driving tests showed that when driving unimpaired, a person (regardless of age) requires at least .54 seconds to brake, while it took an average of 36 additional feet for a driver who is reading an email while at the wheel to c ome to a full stop. But more worrisome is the fact that an additional 70 feet of braking room is required by a driver who is composing a text while navigating a car (Austin). People who consider themselves experts at texting while driving claim that they always keep the additional space between them and the next car in order to allow for the required braking distance in the event of an emergency. However, this safety measure becomes irrelevant and useless considering the fact that these people still maintain their normal driving speed while multitasking at the wheel. These road hazards compose 73 percent of the distracted drivers on the road according to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – a statistic that results in 89 percent of road accidents involving other cars per the collated data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (â€Å"Facts about Using Cellphones While Driving†). Those drivers who consider themselves at multitask ing are not familiar with the five second rule. It only takes five seconds for one to take his eyes off the road and end up in a fatal accident with another car. That translates to at least 23 percent of all vehicular accidents caused by drivers whose eyes were taken off the road in order to respond to or read a text message. We can explain it in more visual terms this way: a car can travel 70 miles an hour, the equivalent of 100 yards, or the length of a football field. A distracted driver can cover that distance in 5 seconds (Wilkins). Most teenagers view their lives with a sense of invulnerability. They are adventurous and always willing to push their limits just to see what they can get away with. The most adventurous kind tends to think in terms of â€Å"It can never happen to me† when it comes to possible life altering situations. One of these cautionary tales is from a widely publicized 2008 texting while driving fatal car accident. Writer Bret Schulte retells the stor y as (â€Å"Outlawing Text Messaging While Driving†): A fiery crash made headlines in June when five female friends died in a collision with a tractor trailer just a week after graduating from their suburban Rochester, N.Y., high school. Police discovered the teenage driver had been texting moments before the crash. Similar accidents are happening with increasingly regularity nationwide. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety further solidifies the sense of invincibility carried by most of the teenagers with

Contributors of the Periodic Table of Elements Essay Example for Free

Contributors of the Periodic Table of Elements Essay The First International Congress of Chemists took place in September 1860 in Karlsruhe, Germany to review scientific matters that there was little agreement to. Following this congress led to the development of the periodic table of elements. Top contributors to the periodic table included Staislao Cannizzaro, Dmitri Mendeleev, Henry Gwyn-Jeffreys Moseley, John William Strutt, William Ramsay, Friedrich Ernst Dorn, and Glenn Seaborg. Stanislao Cannizzaro, born in 1826 and died in 1910, was an Italian chemist. He presented a method to measure atomic masses and to interpret the results of the measurements. Cannizzaro’s method aided scientists into agreeing standard values for atomic masses. The scientists then searched for relationships among atomic masses and other properties of the elements. Dmitri Mendeleev, born in 1834, was a Russian chemist, and is sometimes considered as the ‘father of the Periodic Table’. Mendeleev was in the process of writing a chemistry textbook and he wanted to organize the elements according to their properties. Mendeleev created a table where elements with similar properties were grouped together. Mendeleev’s table left several empty spaces because there were elements that had not been discovered yet. Then in 1871, Mendeleev predicted the existence and properties of three elements. His predictions were a success and it led to scientists accepting his periodic table. Henry Gwyn-Jeffreys Moseley, born in 1887, was an English scientist that discovered that atomic number, not atomic mass, was the basis for the organization of the Periodic Table. Moseley and Rutherford performed multiple experiments on 38 metals and Moseley discovered a pattern in which the positive charge of the nucleus increased by one unit from one element to the next when the elements are arranged as they are in the Periodic Table. His studies also led to the modern definition of atomic number and it provided justification for Mendeleev’s ordering of the Periodic Table by properties rather than just by atomic mass. Mendeleev’s Periodic Table did not include noble gases because at that time it was not discovered then. The English physicists John William Strutt and William Ramsay discovered four of he noble gases. Argon and helium were discovered by the two scientists in 1894. To fit argon and helium into the table, they proposed a new group that was placed between Group 17 and Group 1. Then, krypton and xenon were discovered by Ramsay in 1898. Radon, the final noble gas, was discovered in 1900 by a German scientist named Friedrich Ernst Dorn. Glenn Seaborg was an American scientist and he discovered all the transuranic elements from 94 to 102. With this discovery, he was the last person to majorly change the Periodic Table by placing the actinide series below the lanthanide series.

Duty and Change in Melville’s Bartleby Essay -- Philosophy, Rousseau

Natural philosophers of every century of human existence have asked what we owe to each other, society or government. In The Origin of Civil Society, Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that the only natural form of duty is to one’s family, and all other obligations are based on agreement (57). Henry David Thoreau, in 1849, wrote in Resistance to Civil Government (sometimes known as Civil Disobedience), â€Å"it is not a man's duty, as a matter of course, to devote himself to the eradication of any, even the most enormous wrong; he may still properly have other concerns to engage him; but it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support† (143). This sort of conflict, which has accompanied all men at the great changes in society, is what drives conflict in Herman Melville’s Bartleby, the Scrivener. Melville, like the Byzantine architects, crafts a work of art that studies a microcosm of the macrocosm. That is to say, by looking at the relationship between two people, Melville is able to explore the larger context around them, specifically the radical change of society in the mid-19th century. Like Thoreau, Bartleby’s famous word, â€Å"I would prefer not to,† send a shockwave through contemporary expectations and give rise to how a person approaches a situation. Bartleby and Thoreau are both transcendentalists, and look to return to a Rousseauian state of nature. They have both arrived there after a journey of self-examination – most definitely in Thoreau’s case, and most probably in Bartleby’s – and their non-conformist attitudes raise questions of what is expected of people with regard to their duty to society and each other. Bartleby in particular makes the nameless... ...say that Bartleby did nothing, but passive resistance is a powerful tool, whereby laws have been changed and governments have topped. Thoreau wrote â€Å"[a] man has not everything to do, but something; and because he cannot do everything, it is not necessary that he should do something wrong [emphasis in original]† (145). Bartleby, by following in the transcendentalist’s footsteps, does nothing, and makes a profound statement by it. Perhaps it was fated that Bartleby must die in the manner he did. After all, the narrator consulted the eminent pre-destination theologians Priestley and Edwards, and admits to believing that Bartleby’s presence â€Å"had been all predestinated from eternity† and that â€Å"it was not for a mere mortal like [the narrator] to fathom† (167). Accepting the idea that Bartleby is a microcosm of the macrocosm, this would imply that change is inevitable.

Red Bull Marketing Essay

From 1987, Red Bull was launched in Austria with the tag line â€Å"Red Bull verleiht Fluuugel† (Red Bull Gives You Wiiings). It wasn’t until 1992 that Red Bull began to roll out in other European countries. â€Å"Part of the growth strategy was to enter new markets slowly and methodically in order to maximise buzz and build anticipation† Keller, K. L (2008 *A) By 1997, Red Bull was available in 25 markets globally, including Western and Eastern Europe, New Zealand and South Africa. Over the decade since its inception Red Bulls sales by 200%, from 1. million units to over 200 million units, and by 2004 the company had worldwide annual sales of nearly 2 billion cans in 120 countries. The Marketing Strategy used by Red Bull was not to pound the market with their presence but to be seen as an exclusivity, and to be perceived as the drink for all occasions when needed. In this way, marketers left empty cans in nightclubs, placed samples and dispensers in universities and allowed the value of Red Bull to spread via word of mouth. Red Bull marketed the following properties: * Improves Physical Endurance Stimulates Metabolism and Eliminates Waste Substances * Improves Overall Feeling of Well-being * Improves Reaction Speed and Concentration * Increases Mental Alertness These characteristics of the Red Bull product opened itself up to a whole range of potential consumers and marketing situations. Because of its properties, Red Bull used the slogan â€Å"Revitalizes Mind and Body†, and positioned the drink using a premium pricing strategy, marking the price up by at least 10% on the most expensive competitors product. Norbert Krailhamer explains: We are much more expensive that [cola]. This is OK because ours is an efficiency product, so we can charge this price premium, which is the secret of its success†¦ Due to the respect for a price premium brand†¦ we can charge what is fair for the benefit† Keller, K. L (2008 *A) A large portion of Red Bull’s success has to do with the use of the distinctive Red Bulls and Rising Sun logo and slender 250mL can as seen on their sponsorship sign writing and general advertising. It is debatable whether or not Red Bull would be as popular and successful without this insignia. Evidence of this can be traced to the introduction of Red Bull in Germany , where the demand was so great that they sold out of canned stock and had to switch to glass bottles to keep up with the demand. As soon as the bottles were introduced the demand dropped. The success of Red Bulls marketing strategy can be highlighted with the bungled entry of Red Bull into the United Kingdom in 1995. The marketers believed that the United Kingdom was too different from the Austrian market, so altered the marketing plan. The changes occurred in three distinct ways: â€Å"Extract: 1) the company marketed Red Bull as a sports drink, not a stimulation drink; 2) it did not pursue a word-of-mouth strategy, choosing instead to sell via the largest beverage channels; and 3) it created new advertising and focused on billboards rather than electronic media. As a result, Red Bull was considered a failure in the United Kingdomafter losing more than $10 million during the first 18 months in that market. † Keller, K. L (2008 *A) 1. Introduction: Red Bull GmbH, the Austrian based energy drink manufacturer is a remarkable brand that has grown to surpass some of the worlds most established brands. After founder Dietrich Mateschitz returned from Asia with the rights to patent Red Bull and alter it to suit the Western market, he had a defined idea in his mind as to what he wanted to achieve with the energy drink. After trialing more than 200 designs and finally cementing the right combination of caffeine, taurine, carbonation and flavoring the â€Å"original† Red Bull flavor was established. What follows is the amazing story of how Red Bull was marketed in Austria and then from 1992 onwards into the rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and the United Kingdom. Some of the key stones in the Red Bull brand marketing triumph has been the simplicity of their marketing approach through application, the positioning of the product and the clever ways in which they have side stepped traditional channels when bringing the product to the market and building the buzz and anticipation of Red Bull rather than just solely relying on the decision making derived from traditional advertising methods. The diversity of the Red Bull brand has allowed itself to move with the market and remain the worlds most popular energy drink. Looking at the brands tangible flexibility can even be posed at the move in the market to sugar free beverages and the quick and succinct way that Red Bull acted in order to uphold its position and remain creditable at the same time. As of the 2009 financial year, Red Bull GmbH had net sales report of 3. 3billion dollars and now has 3900 employees worldwide. Source: BNET – Resources 2. Brand Positioning and Values From the day of inception, Dietrich Mateschitz had a clear plan for how he wanted to establish Red Bull. The current positioning has left Red Bull in a very strong position among the market place and the values that it represents are continually being lived up to through its corporate presence in our daily lives. The position of Red Bull is: â€Å"Revitalizes Mind and Body† this tangible benefit, direct from Red Bull endorses the product to satisfy consumer needs before they have even made a purchase. Red Bull has also positioned themselves as the â€Å"Premium Energy Drink† above all other energy drinks in the market. The key word in this phrase being ‘premium’ as Red Bull has an exclusive appeal and a higher market price than its competitors; factors that have been thought through very thoroughly by the Red Bull marketing team. The â€Å"Premium Pricing Strategy† that Red Bull has incorporated, dictates that Red Bull will be priced at a rate 10% higher than the most expensive competitors price to ensure the class standard of the Red Bull name and set the standard for all of the rest of the competitors. In addition to the Premium Pricing Strategy, Red Bull introduced the Seeding Program, whereby initially Red Bull would only be stocked in the best and most classy establishments, whether this be exclusive clubs, nightclubs, bars, sporting events and related events to build the necessary hype or buzz about Red Bull, and to enable the word of mouth from the social elite to filter down into the working class. Once the market place was saturated with Red Bull buzz, the general market received the product too. In addition to the Word of Mouth strategy, Red Bull would supplement this with event sponsorship, athlete endorsements, sampling, point of purchase marketing and select electronic advertising. This allowed Red Bull to cover the necessary avenues which potential consumers were likely to come into contact with the brand and go on to purchase the drink. The values of the Red Bull brand are derived from the benefits of the drink itself: * Improves Physical Endurance * Stimulates Metabolism and Eliminates Waste Substances. Improves Overall Feeling of Well-being Improves Reaction Speed and Concentration * Increases Mental Alertness The Red Bull brand encourages the consumer to go to their potential and offers an aid in doing so. But offering these benefits in their product, Red Bull values the extension of horizons and energetic approaches to life. This can be summed up through their corporate sponsorship of Extreme Sporting events, individual athletes, the creation of events or the sponsorship of teams. The reasoning behind this is that these events are fast paced, high energy, thrilling and require exactly what Red Bull has to offer. By encouraging these types of events and endorsing the elimination of comfort zones, Red Bull is positioning itself as a goal, a motivation and a stimulant that can be harnessed to achieve any goal. Red Bulls success can be likened to the single-minded approach they have used n order to connect with their target market; 14 – 19yr olds and then the next highest penetration 20 – 29yr olds. Red Bull is an active product in today’s trendy lifestyle habits and is being reflected through their values and displays encouragement of abnormal sporting activities. . The Red Bull Air Races† in Perth Australia; and sponsorship of Mark Webber and Formula One. From a nationality point of view, Red Bull chooses the idols of sport and eye catching events to promote itself as well as support the people in question. This is seen all around the world and has been a strong driver in the popularity of Red Bull in certain areas of the world. Because Red Bull is a stimulant drink, it makes sense to market to the whole variety of consumers in the market place. In its 23 years of operations, the initial people who would have used Red Bull for â€Å"party energy† at nightclubs and parties will now be moving through to the quieter portion of their lives, however this does not mean they will no longer need Red Bull. Working long or irregular hours, studying and going the added distance is still important; therefore Red Bull has applied its benefit across several generations and the cycle continues. 3. Brand Characteristics Red Bull is now a very distinctive product in the market place and can be recognized based on some key points. Two Red Bulls and Rising Sun Logo * Slender Silver 250mL can (with silver and blue pattern) The name Red Bull * Endorsed Events or Persons i. e. Mark Webber As opposed to other energy drinks on the market it is the most represented and advertised product on supermarket shelving in Australia, (per unit) and is represented by an 80:20 spread of cans to bottles in the standard 250mL variety(1). Dominant characteristics of Red Bull include its involvement in Extreme Sports, high-energy events and the encouragement of athletes and the involvement within comfort breaking activities. It is important to note that the Red Bull marketing strategy encourages the promotion of the brand through non-traditional channels and is not seen in the same context as traditional carbonated drinks, or energy drinks. This fact makes adds to the characteristics of the brand. People recognize Red Bull based on its involvement and support in events and occasions. Rather than times, controversies or lengthy advertising campaigns which try to deliver a message over a long period of time. The marketing message for Red Bull has remained consistent throughout the 23-year reign it has had in the marketplace; adding to the resilience of Red Bulls brand characteristics. The Red Bull Australia website promotes Red Bull as: â€Å"Red Bull  ® Energy Drink has always been and always will be more than just a hot secret for the night owl and the non-stop party-animal. It is appreciated by a wide range of people, such as the overworked taxi driver, the stressed manager, the exam-anxious student and the pressured journalist†¦. It is used by surfers in the summer and snowboarders in the winter. For day or night, for job or fun. People who need more energy learn to value Red Bull ® Energy Drink. And the number of people who do is increasing all the time. † Red Bull Australia 2010 The Red Bull Australia website explains, through a marketing set spiel the characteristics of the brand and the direct benefiters. The exert highlights very clearly the intentions of the brand and the way in which it is appreciated. 4. Product Benefits and Consumer Satisfaction Red Bull markets itself on the two phrases â€Å"Gives You Wings† and â€Å"Revitalizes Mind and Body†. This can be demonstrated through its ingredients: Caffeine, Taurine, Sucrose Glucuronolactone, Glucose and B-Group Vitamins. These six ingredients all combine to give Red Bull the kick that consumers need. * Improves Physical Endurance * Stimulates Metabolism and Eliminates Waste Substances * Improves Overall Feeling of Well-being * Improves Reaction Speed and Concentration * Increases Mental Alertness As stated earlier the benefits listed by Red Bull allow themselves to be focused on a wide variety of people, whether they be office workers, truck drivers, athletes, students or partying. The given benefits of Red Bull provide the reasoning to buy and continue re-buying. Consumer satisfaction based on the product benefits is evident through the sales figures that Red Bull has been generating, with positive growth of 10% or more per annum. Performance the American Market shows the Market share of Red Bull compared to its competitors: Based on its 42. 6% share of the energy drink market sales in 2006, it is evident that Red Bull is a satisfying and enticing product. A large portion of Red Bulls ability to satisfy both physically and mentally comes from the consumption of the drink and seeing the performance of those around the consumer who are either consuming Red Bull or endorsed by Red Bull. This positive reinforcement from the elements encourages the consumer to drink more and to be brand loyal to Red Bull. 5. Brand Communities Red Bull’s mass sponsorship and consumer loyalty would work considerably well with a network of dedicated Red Bull Communities, rather than just the Red Bull sponsored, run and presented events. The basic criteria for the Red Bull Brand Community have already been met with the purchase of a Red Bull Product, as they have features and needs that are common to the other consumers who had purchased Red Bull previously. Ways that Red Bull could maximize on this could be through loyalty reward schemes, groups, emailing lists, gatherings, committees or clubs. While the idea of a Red Bull Brand community is appealing the practical application of one of these communities would be an expensive and difficult task to manage. The on paper, and metaphorical idea of a Brand community is a safer, more cost effective and ultimately simple Utopia when thought through. The Brand Community idea is one that should have been conceived during the introduction to the market or while the market was considerably smaller and more manageable. Red Bull uses the basic premise of Brand Communities already with their Red Bull Events and Sponsorships, in which it is then upon the individual to become a consumer and subscribe to these communities. The stress between the brand, the individual and the culture in which both exist is not under any amount of tension in the current marketplace and does not need to be altered at any point in the near future. The Brand Community, which Red Bull could potentially highlight, contains around 1 Billion people globally and would require large amounts of money to communicate to all of these people, let alone bring attention to it and get consumers to act upon it. 6. Brand Equities Red Bull has at its disposal a large set of Brand Equity that it uses to distinguish itself from other energy drinks and its competitors. These include its logo, its amber coloring, its taste, advertising, packaging, pricing and its reputation as a reliable and beneficial product for onsumers. In comparison to its competitors, Red Bull prides itself on being an al rounder energy drink that can be consumed anytime, in the right conditions, at the right place and the right time. Which has worked well for Red Bull as they have positioned the brand specifically to suit any occasion and to answer â€Å"Yes† to any of the Three Right questions. The development of these brand equities has been a continuous run through the development of Red Bull as a brand and its establishment in all the countries it now occupies space in. The Red Bull logo is a key device in the success of Red Bull and is possibly the strongest asset that they have in terms of Brand Equity. Many comparisons of competitor energy drinks such as Rockstar, Monster and Sobe No Fear yielded results that consumers could not differentiate between the Red Bull and its competitors while using unmarked cups and blindfold tests according to Helium Comparison Tests. In a real market perspective this fact is worrying that competitors are fabricating similar tasting products and that they are indistinguishable from one another. However this instance is found across all products in any category when basing comparisons without brand equities such as packaging, logos and distinctive colorings. Red Bulls marketing strategy has ensured that the strength on the product based on its merits receives the credit it deserves. The initial slow entry into markets, creating buzz and desired anticipation of the products has proven valuable for Red Bulls long term existence and has given merit to them too, in that they did ot let down the people who had tried the product based on hype and anticipation, creating return buyers and brand loyalties. Red Bull’s price premium is considered a winner with the market place as people believe that paying for benefit is better than paying for volume, as can be seen with competitors such as Rockstar who sell only the 500mL cans of energy drink and who deliver solely on their marketability rather than on product benefit such as Red Bull has done. The pricing premium has ensured that Red Bull be taken on its quality rather than on a commodity measurement ike quantity. This perceived value given to it and received by consumers tightens the consumer’s loyalty to the brand. Red Bull has seen a long run of marketing in sporting events and endorsing athletes to create awareness to potential consumers of its benefits in sporting activities, on and off the field. This spending on endorsements and events is evidence to the wider community that Red Bull is not just about profiteering, but supports the sporting world and provides entertainment and encouragement to those people who would like to strive to this level. However know where does Red Bull market itself to state that it will put you in this position. The clever marketing strategies which Red Bull have used remain honest and aim solely to promote Red Bull in a positive light whilst involving the consumers it is reaching out to. The Brand Equity that Red Bull keeps is a well-earned set of criteria that has been nursed from the beginning of the brand back in 1987 in Austria. The expansion of Red Bull into more than 120 countries is a sign of strength and highlights the diverse regions of differing brand equities among varying cultures. The underlying success of Red Bull remains in the marketing strategy that put it ahead of the competition in the first place. Without this, the basics of brand equities would not exist and Red Bull would follow the same course of one of its competitors. Because of this I believe that Red Bulls greatest brand equity is the brand itself and its history among the market over the past 23 years. Combining all of the elements discussed previously and essential make up of campaigns, strategies, advertising, targeted markets, successes and failures. This long history will benefit Red Bull in the long term, as it will become even more cemented into the grain of society and stay as the go to energy drink, rather than the fad competition products which have entered into the market in order to unseat the firmly held Red Bull. As for the continuing growth of Red Bulls Brand equity listings that is to be foreseen in the future, but there is little doubt that it will continue to build positively as the Red Bull product range changes to suit the coming changes to the current market. When it does I have no doubt that Red Bull GmbH will be ready for it. . Conclusion The Red Bull Branding Story follows a long timeline of success and obstacles that Red Bull GmbH has turned into triumphs. Red Bull have managed to turn a small Austrian drinks company into a global giant as one of the fastest growing brands and now staying true to one of the most popular of the 21st Century. Over the course of the 23 years that Red Bull has been manufactured, we can see a growing trend and the synthetic need created by Red Bull for energy stimulation drinks; and now the popularity of them to a point where we could no longer exist without them. Red Bull has become part of pop culture and every day slang and jargon, which intensifies its impact on the market and its sustainability in the consumers mind. As far as brands go, Red Bull has remained faithful to its consumers and to its own marketing goals, with little to no changes to the marketing strategy, the product packaging and flavoring, besides of course the Sugar Free Red Bull. This steadfast approach to marketing has clearly worked and a comparison of Red Bull and other Energy drinks shows that these brands lack the same commitment that Red Bull has.

Abortions in America

Abortion is a very touchy topic in America. For several decades there has been a debate if abortions are legal or not. In this paper I will attempt to take you through the history of abortions with a specification on politics. The practice of abortion dates back to ancient times. Pregnancies were terminated through a number of methods, including tools, taking abortion herbs, the use of sharpened tools, abdominal pressure, and other techniques. In western parts of the world during the 20th century various women's rights groups, doctors, and social reformers successfully worked to have abortion bans repealed. Various anti-abortion laws have been on every state statute book since at least 1900. During this time, abortion was illegal in 30 states, and legal in 20 states under certain circumstances. These circumstances were rape, incest, and date drug. Abortions were seen as only need in life and death situations. The criminalization of abortion accelerated during the 1860’s. By the 1900’s it was generally punished as a felony. In the 1930’s approximately 800,000 abortions a year were performed by licensed physicians. In 1962 Colorado became the first state to legalize abortions but only under the circumstances I previously disclosed. Soon similar laws were passed in California, Oregon, and North Carolina. In 1970, Hawaii was the first state to legalize abortions on the request of the mother. This lead the way for New York, to repeal its laws and allow women to terminate their pregnancy up to 24 weeks. A law in Washington, DC allowed abortion to protect the life and health of the women, was challenged in the Supreme Court in 1971. The case was United States v. Vuitvch. In this case, the Supreme Court upheld the law, stating that â€Å"health† meant a women’s physical and mental well-being. This allowed women in Washington, DC to receive abortions. The Supreme Court decision, Roe v Wade set guidelines for the availability of abortion. The case established that the â€Å"must be considered against important state interests in regulation. † The Supreme Court ruled that the Texas statute forbidding abortion except when necessary to save the life of the mother was unconstitutional. The decision in this case was later modified by the Planned Parenthood v Casey case in 1992. It upheld the decision on central holding, but it revised the trimester system with the point of fetal viability. It defined fetal viability as the states right to verride the women’s autonomy. The Constitutional protection of women’s decision to terminate her pregnancy comes from the due process clause of the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment states that no state shall â€Å"deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law†. In a more recent case, on April 18, 2007 the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case Gonzales v. Carhart. The case dealt with the federal law â€Å"Partial Abortion Ban Act of 2003†. President George W. Bush signed it into law. The sentence that carried for breaking this law was up to 2. 5 years. Since 1995, The House of Representatives and U. S. Senate, which was led by the Congressional Republicans, tried several times to pass laws banning the specific type of abortion known as, partial abortions. After much emotion filled and long debates on the issue of partial abortions, President Bill Clinton vetoed the bills in April 1966. In October 1997 on the evidence that they did not include health expectations. Other tries of the Congress to override the veto were not successful. On October 2, 2003, the house approved once again the measure of banning partial abortions with a vote of 281-142. With this law in place, a doctor or physician could face up to 2 years in prison and could face civil lawsuits. Women who undergo partial abortions could not be prosecuted under this law. The law did include an exemption for women whose life was threatened without the partial abortions. On October 21, 2003 they passed a similar law with the help of demarcates with a vote of 64-34. The bill was signed by President George W. Bush on November of 2003. The federal judge blocked its enforcement in several states hours after it became law. The Supreme Court still enforced its ruling of a nationwide ban on the procedure of partial abortions from the case Gonzales v Carhart. The Supreme Court made a statement stating that just because there was a 5-4 ruling; The Partial Abortion Ban Act does not cause problems with the previous court decisions towards abortions. The current interpretation of the U. S. Constitution by The U. S. Supreme court based on the landmark case of Roe v Wade in 1973 is that abortion is legal but may be illegal by the states to a certain degree. This means abortions may be illegal from state to state but under the conditions of ape or incest for an example, an abortion can be performed in those states. Many states in America have passed laws to restrict late term abortions. Also, in many states, parental notification is required for minors to receive an abortion, and in clinics, it is mandatory to tell the patient abortion risk information before the procedure is started. The article that is most de bated from The Constitution when it comes to abortions, is the Fourteenth Amendment, which states: ’ All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. † The one problem with legalizing abortions is trying to determine when a fetus is able to live outside of the womb on its own. The majority rule in the case of Roe v Wade states that a fetus is viable at or after 28 weeks but can occur earlier. Viability can even occur as early as 24 weeks. With the technology advances over the last thirty years, a fetus is able to live outside of the womb a few weeks earlier than 24 weeks. These advances only make it harder to determine whether abortions are legal or illegal. To this date, in the youngest child to survive as a premature was delivered at weeks and 3 days. Due to the split laws between the federal government and state government, to get a legal abortion varies from state to state. Eighty-seven percent of U. S. territories and states have no abortion provider. Only seventeen states offer coverage of abortions under state healthcare plans. Legalizing abortions in the United States is a major issue that frequently arises during the nomination of people to the U. S. Supreme Court. With that being said, many nominees prefer to remain silent about that issue during their hearing because abortions may come up while their a judge. On April 1, 2004, President Bush signed The Unborn Victims of Violence Act. The act allows two specific charges to be filled against someone who kills a pregnant mother. One is for the mother and the other is for the fetus. The act specifically bans charges against the mother and the doctor when it comes to abortion procedures. Various states have various laws when it comes to abortions. In March 2006, South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed a law that made performing abortions a felony. It was repealed in November 2006. In February 2006, Mississippi’s House Public Health Committee voted to approve a ban on abortions. The bill died after the house and senate failed to agree on compromise legislation. Several states enacted â€Å"trigger laws† which would only take effect if the Roe v Wade decision was overturned. In February of 2009, The Personhood of Children Act, was passed by the North Dakota House of Representatives. The law was later defeated in the North Dakota Senate because if it was passed it would likely have been used to challenge Roe v. Wade. In February 2012, the Virginia House of Delegates passed House Bill 1 with a vote of 66-32. The law outlawed all Virginia abortions by declaring that the rights of persons apply from the moment sperm and egg unite. The second bill that was passed 63-36 vote, that requires a women to have an ultrasound before undergoing abortions. The public opinion towards abortions is split. It’s almost the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, majority of Americans believed abortion should be illegal in or most cases. This was conducted by the NBC News and The Wall Street Journal. Approx. seventy percent of respondents oppose Roe v. Wade being over turned; forty-eight percent supported it being over turned. This paper was written to address the abortion topic in America with a specific on politics. The paper stated the views and laws from the earliest days of abortions to now present day. The laws have changed over time, but still with decades to come you can count on abortions still to be a controversial.

The History and Domestication of Bananas

The History and Domestication of Bananas Bananas (Musa spp) are a tropical crop, and a staple in the wet tropic areas of Africa, the Americas, mainland and island Southeast Asia, South Asia, Melanesia and the Pacific islands. Perhaps 87% of the total bananas consumed worldwide today are locally consumed; the rest is distributed outside of the wet tropical regions in which they are grown. Today there are hundreds of fully domesticated banana varieties, and an uncertain number are still in various stages of domestication: that is to say, they still are inter-fertile with wild populations. Bananas are basically giant herbs, rather than trees, and there are approximately 50 species in the Musa genus, which includes the edible forms of bananas and plantains. The genus is split into four or five sections, based on the number of chromosomes in the plant, and the region where they are found. Furthermore, over a thousand different types of cultivars of bananas and plantains are recognized today. The different varieties are characterized by wide differences in peel color and thickness, flavor, fruit size, and resistance to disease. The bright yellow one found most frequently in western markets is called the Cavendish. Cultivating Bananas Bananas produce vegetative suckers at the base of the plant which can be removed and planted separately. Bananas are planted at a typical density of between 1500-2500 plants per square hectare. Between 9-14 months after planting, each plant produces some 20-40 kilograms of fruit. After the harvest, the plant is cut down, and one sucker is allowed to grow up to produce the next crop. Banana Phytoliths The evolution of bananas are difficult to study archaeologically, and so the domestication history was unknowable until recently. Banana pollen, seeds, and pseudostem impressions are quite rare or absent at archaeological sites, and much of the recent research has been focused on the relatively new technologies associated with opal phytoliths- basically silicon copies of cells created by the plant itself. Banana phytoliths are uniquely shaped: they are volcaniform, shaped like little volcanoes with a flat crater at the top. There are differences in the phytoliths between varieties of bananas, but variations between wild and domesticated versions are not as yet definitive, so additional forms of research need to be used to fully understand banana domestication. Genetics and Linguistics Genetics and linguistic studies also help in understanding banana history. Diploid and triploid forms of bananas have been identified, and their distribution throughout the world is a key piece of evidence. In addition, linguistic studies of local terms for bananas support the notion of the spread of the banana away from its point of origin: island southeast Asia. Exploitation of early wild forms of bananas has been noted at the Beli-Lena site of Sri Lanka by c 11,500-13,500 BP, Gua Chwawas in Malaysia by 10,700 BP, and Poyang Lake, China by 11,500 BP. Kuk Swamp, in Papua New Guinea, so far the earliest unequivocal evidence for banana cultivation, had wild bananas there throughout the Holocene, and banana phytoliths are associated with the earliest human occupations at Kuk Swamp, between ~10,220-9910 cal BP. Todays Hybridized Bananas Bananas have been cultivated and hybridized a number of times over several thousand years, so well concentrate on the original domestication, and leave the hybridization to botanists. All edible bananas today are hybridized from  Musa acuminata  (diploid) or  M. acuminata  crossed with  M. balbisiana  (triploid). Today,  M. acuminata  is found throughout mainland and island southeast Asia including the eastern half of the Indian subcontinent;  M. balbisiana  is mostly found in mainland Southeast Asia. Genetic changes from  M. acuminata  created by the domestication process include the suppression of seeds and the development of parthenocarpy: the ability of humans to create a new crop without the need for fertilization. Bananas Across the World Archaeological evidence from the  Kuk Swamp  of the highlands of New Guinea indicates that bananas were deliberately planted by at least as long ago as 5000-4490 BC (6950-6440 cal BP). Additional evidence indicates that  Musa acuminata  ssp  banksii  F. Muell was dispersed out of New Guinea and introduced into eastern Africa by ~3000 BC (Munsa and Nkang), and into South Asia (the Harappan site of Kot Diji) by 2500 cal BC, and probably earlier. The earliest banana evidence found in Africa is from  Munsa, a site in Uganda dated to 3220 cal BC, although there are problems with the stratigraphy and chronology. The earliest well-supported evidence is at Nkang, a site located in southern Cameroon, which contained banana phytoliths dated between 2,750 to 2,100 BP. Like  coconuts, bananas were most widely spread as a result of the sea exploration of the Pacific by Lapita peoples ca 3000 BP, of extensive trade voyages throughout the Indian Ocean by Arab traders, and of exploration of the Americas by Europeans. Sources Ball T, Vrydaghs L, Van Den Hauwe I, Manwaring J, and De Langhe E. 2006.  Differentiating banana phytoliths: wild and edible Musa acuminata and Musa Journal of Archaeological Science 33(9):1228-1236.balbisiana.   De Langhe E, Vrydaghs L, de Maret P, Perrier X, and Denham T. 2009. Why Bananas Matter: An introduction to the history of banana domestication.  Ethnobotany Research Applications  7:165-177. Open Access Denham T, Fullagar R, and Head L. 2009.  Plant exploitation on Sahul: From   Quaternary International  202(1-2):29-40.colonisation to the emergence of regional specialisation during the Holocene. Denham TP, Harberle SG, Lentfer C, Fullagar R, Field J, Therin M, Porch N, and Winsborough B. 2003.  Origins of Agriculture at Kuk Swamp in the Highlands of New Guinea.  Science  301(5630):189-193. Donohue M, and Denham T. 2009.  Banana (Musa spp.) Domestication in the Asia-Pacific Region: Linguistic and archaeobotanical perspectives.  Ethnobotany Research Applications  7:293-332. Open Access Heslop-Harrison JS, and Schwarzacher T. 2007.  Domestication, Genomics and the Future for Banana.  Annals of Botany  100(5):1073-1084. Lejju BJ, Robertshaw P, and Taylor D. 2006.  Africas earliest bananas?  Journal of Archaeological Science  33(1):102-113. Pearsall DM. 2008.  Plant . In: Pearsall DM, editor.  Encyclopedia of Archaeology. London: Elsevier Inc. p 1822-1842.domestication Perrier X, De Langhe E, Donohue M, Lentfer C, Vrydaghs L, Bakry F, Carreel F, Hippolyte I, Horry J-P, Jenny C et al. 2011.  Multidisciplinary perspectives on banana (Musa spp.) domestication.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  Early Edition.

Interpreting Statistics and Political Polls

Interpreting Statistics and Political Polls At any given time throughout a political campaign, the media may want to know what the public at large thinks about policies or candidates. One solution would be to ask everyone who they would vote for. This would be costly, time-consuming and infeasible. Another way to determine voter preference is to use a statistical sample. Rather than ask every voter to state his or her preference in candidates, polling research companies poll a relatively small number of people who their favorite candidate is. The members of the statistical sample help to determine the preferences of the entire population. There are good polls and not so good polls, so it is important to ask the following questions when reading any results. Who Was Polled? A candidate makes his or her appeal to the voters because the voters are the ones who cast ballots. Consider the following groups of people: AdultsRegistered votersLikely voters To discern the mood of the public any of these groups may be sampled. However, if the intent of the poll is to predict the winner of an election, the sample should be comprised of registered voters or likely voters. The political composition of the sample sometimes plays a role in interpreting poll results. A sample consisting entirely of registered Republicans would not be good if someone wanted to ask a question about the electorate at large. Since the electorate rarely breaks into 50% registered Republicans and 50% registered Democrats, even this type of sample may not be the best to use. When Was the Poll Conducted? Politics can be fast paced. Within a matter of days, an issue arises, alters the political landscape, then is forgotten by most when some new issue surfaces. What people were talking about on Monday sometimes seems to be a distant memory when Friday comes. News runs faster than ever, however, good polling takes the time to conduct. Major events can take several days to show up in poll results. The dates when a poll was conducted should be noted to determine if current events have had time to affect the numbers of the poll. What Methods Were Used? Suppose that Congress is considering a bill that deals with gun control. Read the following two scenarios and ask which is more likely to accurately determine the public sentiment. A blog asks its readers to click on a box to show their support of the bill. A total of 5000 participate and there is overwhelming rejection of the bill.A polling firm randomly calls 1000 registered voters and asks them about their support of the bill. The firm finds that their respondents are more or less evenly split for and against the bill. Although the first poll has more respondents, they are self-selected. It is likely that the people who would participate are those who have strong opinions. It could even be that the readers of the blog are very like-minded in their opinions (perhaps it is a blog about hunting). The second sample is random, and an independent party has selected the sample. Even though the first poll has a larger sample size, the second sample would be better. How Large Is the Sample? As the discussion above shows, a poll with a larger sample size is not necessarily the better poll. On the other hand, a sample size may be too small to state anything meaningful about public opinion. A random sample of 20 likely voters is too small to determine the direction that the entire U.S. population is leaning on an issue. But how large should the sample be? Associated with the size of the sample is the margin of error. The larger the sample size, the smaller the margin of error. Surprisingly, sample sizes as small as 1000 to 2000 are typically used for polls such as Presidential approval, whose margin of error is within a couple of percentage points. The margin of error could be made as small as desired by using a larger sample, however, this would require a higher cost to conduct the poll. Bringing It All Together The answers to the above questions should help in assessing the accuracy of results in political polls. Not all polls are created equally, and often details are buried in footnotes or omitted entirely in news articles that quote the poll. Thats why its important to be informed on how a poll was designed.

Item Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Item Analysis - Assignment Example This information needs to be interpreted in context to the principles on the basis of which the test was designed. A test that was given at the beginning of a course simply to assess which concepts a class was familiar with would be expected to have a positive skew; as there would be fewer items that students would be able to answer. On the other hand; if this test was given to assess mastery or proficiency; these scores would indicate that a number of course goals were not met. If the test were given in order to choose a few individuals who are proficient in very advanced concepts; it would be acceptable that a majority of scores are clustered towards the lower half; as only a few individuals would qualify by getting higher scores.It is also necessary to assess if these results are caused by a few erroneous or confusing items. This may be done by evaluating the trends seen for each item. A competency test typically contains a few simple items, a few difficult items and a few items w ith moderate difficulty. A speed test, on the other hand, requires all items to be similarly difficult. For a competency test; it is necessary that we choose items that not only have different levels of difficulty; but also discriminate between individuals who are able to solve it and those who are not. A good item would typically help us in understanding how well the individual test taker has mastered the individual concept while also helping us differentiate those who did master the concept from those who did not.... Also; the Alpha coefficient is affected by the length of the test; with the reliability being higher and more trusted for a longer test than a shorter one. The given test is only 10 items long; and this may compromise the reliability to some extent. The skewed scores also present other concerns. The Standard Error of Skewness for this test may be calculated by using the Tabachnick & Fidell’s (1996) formula . This provides us with a SES value of 0.245. If we define the acceptable limits within which the value of skewness may fall as being between 2 SES both sides of zero; then we may accept a value that falls between – 0.49 and + 0.49. the obtained value of + 0.78 is well outside these limits, indicating that there is a positive skew to the scores and a significant clustering of scores towards the lower side of the scale. This information needs to be interpreted in context to the principles on the basis of which the test was designed. A test that was given at the beginni ng of a course simply to assess which concepts a class was familiar with would be expected to have a positive skew; as there would be less items that students would be able to answer. On the other hand; if this test was given to assess mastery or proficiency; these scores would indicate that a number of course goals were not met. If the test were given in order to choose a few individuals who are proficient in very advanced concepts; it would be acceptable that a majority of scores are clustered towards the lower half; as only a few individuals would qualify by getting higher scores. It is also necessary to assess if these results are caused by a few erroneous or confusing items. This may be done by evaluating the trends seen for each item. A