Education Today Essays - Foreign Language, Language Education

Education Today Education today isn't quiet what I would like it to be; although it is improving if I was in power I think I would make a few changes. In high school there are certain classes that are mandatory for an individual to graduate history, chemistry and biology are a couple. Now for an individual who knows he or she is going in the computer field for example these classes are entirely useless. In my career to come as a Network Administrator I heavily doubt that I will ever need to know when Rome fell or the structure of an animal cell. That is one thing that bothers me, unneeded classes. Students will just get bored and learn to hate school more and more. But with college it is different we are being geared with more useful classes like Public Speaking along with certain classes that pertain to your choice of field. Although college is a lot of work, it's getting us ready for the rest of our lives. Also, even though I hate to say it, the world is coming together a lot more lately to the po int where I feel its necessary to start teaching foreign languages at a younger grade level. I hated learning foreign languages when I was in junior high and in high school but supposedly they're easier to learn when you're younger anyway. But the school system is improving, most of the classes are backing away from the old style of just lecture and memorization and are starting to move toward more group work and open discussions. This gets the students involved and more interested in what is going on in the class, instead of sitting and watching the clock waiting for the heavenly sound of the bell.

Digital Asset Management Software Getting Better ROI From Your Assets

Digital Asset Management Software Getting Better ROI From Your Assets Marketing teams need digital asset management solutions  because we produce a lot of documents. White papers, brochures, sales decks, social images, blog posts, eBooks†¦ the list goes on. All of these documents have multiple versions scattered across email, Google Drives, desktops and servers. No one knows where anything is saved and it’s a chaotic mess that takes far longer than it should to try to manage. Maybe you even have multiple marketing teams in different locations that are duplicating work and don’t even realize it because your digital storage system isn’t intuitive? These are common problems that digital asset management platforms aim to solve. The good news is, you’ve come to the right place. This posts aims to give you all the info you need to help solve your file storage issues with a DAM platform. AND In case you didn’t know, has an awesome digital asset management platform so you can store, plan, execute AND promo all your marketing collateral in one place.

Sleeplessness as a Cause of Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sleeplessness as a Cause of Obesity - Essay Example Despite this research, experts are of the view that various confounding factors are playing their role in depicting the link between sleeplessness and obesity. Experts are not convinced that they have objective reasons to believe in the cause-effect relationship between sleeplessness and obesity. Nevertheless, it has generally been observed that people that take a regular 8 hr night sleep are quite lesser at risk of becoming obese than people who remain awake. Past cases suggest an inverse relationship between the average sleep time and the obesity rate. I personally think that there is a direct relationship between sleeplessness and obesity. The author provided two reasons for believing there is an inverse link. In response to them, I present my own two reasons that suggest that there is a direct link between the two. Firstly, when an individual remains awake rather than sleep, he/she is constantly exerting either mentally or physically or both. This exertion lowers the energy level and the stored energy in the form of fat is consumed. There is little chance that the individual would consume a full meal in the night like he/she does in the day because the body is not attuned to the consumption at night. Secondly, when the metabolism remains low for the rest of the day after a sleepless night, an individual is likely to consume lesser food than what he/she would consume in normal circumstances. Both of these are strong possibilities and both keep the individual from gaining weight. In fact, I personally lost 3 kilos weight during la st exams when I had to remain awake all night long for several nights consecutively. Having presented my two reasons, I know why I lost those 3 kilos. I did not eat anything during the nights, and also would not eat much in the following days. Constant mental exertion in the nights and lower metabolism during the days would have helped me lose 3 kilos. The article made me feel good. Though I don’t fully believe the argument, yet it would be nice even if it is true because I would not have to remain awake to lose weight in that case!

Diet and Nutrition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diet and Nutrition - Essay Example This essay focuses on the role of health policies in Australia and how they are going about working towards achieving a healthier way of life for the community and what measures have been taken with regard to this particular health issue. What are the changes brought about in the general attitudes of the people Is the impact positive, negative or neutral What more can be done to make the system more efficient and universal These are a few questions this essay attempts to answer. The faced pace of life coupled with a sedentary lifestyle has brought along with it a myriad of diseases and health problems which were unknown to humankind a till a century ago. On one hand medical science has emerged victorious in fighting the battle against plague, small pox and to an extent polio as well but on the other hand humankind today has become more susceptible to diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity strokes, cancers and AIDS. The prevalence of these ailments is more in developed nations, which is a major cause of concern as they greatly affect a nations health care budget. It is of common knowledge that most of these diseases stem from poor dietary habits, lack of physical exercise although they are confounded by various other hereditary and psycho- social factors. Since it is a very vast area, the intensity and impact of is difficult to assess and control. It thus continues to eat into our society like an invisible malignancy. The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization states that: 'health is not just the physical well-being of an individual, but the social, emotional, and cultural well-being of the whole community in which each individual is able to achieve their full potential as a human being thereby bringing about the total well-being of their community'1 Keeping this statement in mind we shall discuss the negative impact and repercussions of improper diet and nutrition, which is currently a national health priority with the Australian Health Care System. Today's "yuppie lifestyle" has bred the demand of "instant and readymade". People do not have the time to assess their nutritional requirements and the exhaustive timings in the corporate world leave them with no energy for physical exercise. There is no fixed pattern for meals, meals are skipped many a times and whatever food is available is consumed without second thoughts. The easiest solution in this solution seems to be fast food or processed food, which is available off the racks. This results in excessive consumption of salt, trans- fats and sugars, which are all anti - health agents. Health status of an individual primarily depends upon the quantity and quality of the food consumed-the right type and amount of food is important in meeting the nutritional needs of the body and fighting chronic

Comparison of Paradise lost and Inferno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Comparison of Paradise lost and Inferno - Essay Example Both the writings portray Satan as an angel of God who turned astray and denounced the superiority of God. The devil assumed that he was equal in status of God and yearned to be greater than him. For this insolence, he was banished to have hell as his eternal abode. Milton’s description of Satan is quite interesting. According to Milton, Hell was Satan’s land where he ruled over the sinners. He had chosen to stay in the hell because according to him it was better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven. (Peter) In ‘Inferno’, Dante has portrayed devil as a ferocious being, whose sight instills fear in the hearts of the beholders. Satan has been given the opposite of what he has yearned, he desired for supremacy and sovereignty and even though he appears to be powerful and huge, he is small and helpless and his fate has been sealed to remain frozen in ice till eternity. Hell in Dante’s view was an endless torment to the sinners who were destined to ent er it. The hell is a place where there is no connection with the warmth of life and bitter frost and isolation is the only destiny. Even the Satan, the most foreboding prisoner of the hell had the bitterest fate. Milton presents a similar picture of the hell. According to him, even though hell was full of flames and fire, there was only darkness and hopelessness prevalent in its atmosphere. (Alighieri) Inferno and ‘Paradise lost’ provide captivating and detailed yet different views of Satan and hell and this difference is clearly evident in their writings.

Coca Cola Entering Chinas Market Marketing Essay

Coca Cola Entering Chinas Market Marketing Essay One way to analyze Chinas culture is to look at their Hofstede score. Hofstede is the name of a system that rates countries on a scale across five different work related values: power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, masculinity vs. femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and long vs. short term orientation. Knowing these scored before operating in a country is very important. The power distance index describes the distance between those who are less powerful in the company, like middle and lower-management, and those who are very powerful, like the bosses and officers. The higher scores mean that it is very disrespectful to go to your boss and offer up your opinion about something, and you are suppose to just take what your boss gives you. A low power distance index means that everyone is close to a similar level, and you are allowed to and actually encouraged to offer up your opinion to your bosses. China has a high power distance index, with a rating of 80, being that the worl d average is 55. The individualistic vs. collectivistic index rates how integrated members of a company are. Individualistic countries value getting the job done yourself, and celebrates individual accomplishments. Collectivistic countries value team effort, and do not seek for individual results, and sometimes it can be very embarrassing to be singled out. In china, they have an individualistic vs. collectivistic index rating of 20, compared to the world average of 43. Masculinity, opposed to femininity, defines roles that each gender takes in an organization. Masculine countries show high levels of competitiveness and assertiveness, while feminine counties show low levels of those just described and high levels of modesty and care. A high score in the masculinity index means that the country is masculine, while lose scores mean the country is feminine. China has a masculinity rating of 50, while the world average is 50, which means China is indifferent between being masculine or feminine. Uncertainty avoidance index defines how much risk the population in general takes. Countries with a high index will take lots of risks, while a country with a low index will take little to no risks. High index countries are very comfortable with venturing to the unknown, while low score countries prefer to stay put where they are. China has a score of 60 in uncertainty avoidance, while the world average is 64. The last index is the long-term orientation. This defines how far into the future the country looks at decisions it has to make now. Countries with a high long-term orientation look to maintain steady flow in the long-run, while short-term countries looks for results now without thinking about the future. China has a score of 118, while the world average is 45. The official language of China is Chinese, though many business people speak English as well. The government is Communist run, and most people are atheist, with many different types of atheist-religions being practiced. As of May 2010, the population of China was estimated to be around 1.3 billion, which is about 20% of the worlds population. A couple notes about the behavior that are important to know when dealing with a Chinese business person is to never have personal contact, never point while speaking, point with a open palm, not with the index finger, do not put your hand in your mouth, always be on time, and do not discuss business at meals. Decision making is slow in China, and rushing them is considered very disrespectful. The culture of China is drastically different from the culture of the U.S., the home country of Coca-Cola. The Hofstede ratings for the U.S. are 91 for individualism, 62 for masculinity, 29 for long-term orientation, 40 for power-distance, and 46 for uncertainty avoidance. This means that China is more long-term oriented, has a higher power distance, and avoids uncertainty more, while the United States is more individualistic and masculine. Now that we understand Chinese culture, we can analyze Coca-Cola and their international business structure there. Marketing Plan/Strategy: Target Market: Coke can be enjoyed by anyone. Coca-Cola does not explicitly target a specific market overall, but they do have advertising campaigns that do talk to a specific group. Coca-Cola has to know the differences between the types of markets in China in order to send the right message to its intended group. One segment Coca-Cola looks at is urban and rural communities. Even though there are more potential customers in rural areas, there are more potential customers in urban areas. The economic diversity of the two groups makes it possible to separate them. The disposable income per capita in urban areas is three times more than in rural areas. There is also a difference in the province you live in. The different geographical regions of China have a difference in sales for Coke. Of the four largest cities in China, there are only 4 percent of Chinas population there, but accounted for 15 percent of sales, while all the other smaller cities and provinces had 80 percent of the population and h ad 50 percent of the sales. Age is also a segment that Coca-Cola builds on. Coca-Cola was introduced in the 1970s, and people who were born after its introduction grew up drinking Coke in their meals. Coca-Cola realized this and made all those born from their introduction on, which means everyone about 40 years are younger are a target market for Coca-Cola to advertise Coke to. 4 Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, Place) The product is called Coca-Cola, but Coke is used for short instead of saying the whole thing. It is a carbonated beverage. It was originally a patent medicine sold in a pharmacy, but along the lines it made its way to sell in a variety of places to become the number one sold drink in the world. The ingredients of Coke are carbonated water, sugar, caffeine, phosphoric acid v. caramel, and natural flavorings. The pricing of Coke is relative to other competitors in the market. The biggest competitor for Coca-Cola is Pepsi, and Coca-Cola takes account of what Pepsi prices their soft drink. Coca-Cola has an advantage though because they have a product that everyone sees as being a consistent and dependable one, so Coke is allowed to be priced 15 to 20 cents more without losing any sales to Pepsi. Promotion of Coke is very specific to the area being targeted. Coke implements pattern advertising, which keeps the video the same for countries targeted, but changes the audio, color scheme, and character selection to be similar to the area being broadcasted. Coke also does not make advertisements claiming to be better than Pepsi. In supermarkets, Cokes place is right next to all the other drinks, with no one product getting more exposure than others. Coca-Cola has at least one sales centre in cities with more than one million people. The sales centre also warehouse Cokes, and plenty of delivery trucks are there to disperse the products. Business Environment Coca-Cola expands in countries through a variety of licensing agreements and joint ventures. Coca-Cola licenses the selling of Coke out to bottlers. Coca-Cola makes the soda syrup and sends it to bottlers who mix it with carbonated water and bottle it, sending it to retailers. Bottlers are allowed to sweeten it differently depending on local tastes. Coca-Cola goes into joint ventures with other companies to come out with different types of products. Coca-Cola has joint ventures with companies like Proctor Gamble, Danone, and Nestle. Human Resources: Coca-Cola Company is not one in the same as the Coca-Cola bottlers, which are the majority of the whole business model. Coca-Cola does not have many offices world-wide for manufacturing, but do have executive offices. Coca-Cola sends expatriates out to deal with international sales. Glenn G. Jordan S. is the president of the Pacific Group for Coca-Cola, while Douglas Jackson is the President of the China Business Unit. Coca-Cola does not hire internationally for their executives and officers. For the Pacific Group, there are 2,900 executives working with 30,000 bottler employees. Coca-Cola states that people development is the stable for long-term success. One way they develop people is by sending them to Coca-Cola University, which is a virtual global university that teaches its employees everything they need to know. Coca-Cola pays its Chinese employees based on a couple of factors. First they make sure that what they are paying their employees is competitive with other consumer goods companies. Coca-Cola also offers benefits such as housing and transportation allowances, supplementary life and accidental insurance, free annual physical check-ups, free lunches and beverages, and festival allowances. They offer medical programs for the whole family. Twice a year, rewards are handed to employees who contribute significantly to the Company and the communities in which they operate. There are two ways in which Coca-Cola recruits new employees. First, they cooperate with local universities and business schools to directly go and recruit graduating students. Second, they post openings on their website to screen through hundreds of thousands of applications, which is later followed by a interview process if the resume was chosen. Finance: Since Coca-Cola licenses out the bottling and selling of Coke, they do not have to invest intensively in foreign investments. Coca-Cola has such a strong brand name that it allows them to have the freedom to invest anywhere with just about absolute assurance Coke will sell and make a profit. Coca-Cola has the leeway to introduce new products, seeing as they make such an income from Coke that it covers any potential losses. Coca-Cola has made a net income of about $6 billion for the past 3 years, so money is not an issue when investing in new products. Conclusion: Overall, Coca-Cola has been and for a long time will be a very successful company in China and the rest of the world. One of the biggest reasons for this is Coca-Colas consistency. They have a brand name with Coke that is recognized globally, and that will not go away from a long time unless they somehow hurt themselves publicly. Coca-Cola has realized that China is still a fast growing country, and has recently announced that they will open three new bottling plants in China. The new investments are set to cost $2 billion, which tops the total amount invested in now which is $1.6 billion. Coca-Cola tried to buyout Hong Kong-listed China Huiyuan Juice Group LTD, but was blocked by the Chinese government, which claimed that Coca-Cola was trying to set up a monopoly. Regardless what Coca-Colas intentions may be, they are still a very smart company and have certainly staked their claim as being the best in the nonalcoholic beverage industry. As long as Coca-Cola stays consist with their flagship product Coke, the sky is the limit for the Company.

INDOPCO :: essays research papers

The INDOPCO case in 1992 provided some guidelines concerning capitalization for the taxpayer. In the case, the Supreme Court ruled that expenses directly incurred in reorganizing or restructuring a corporate entity for the benefit of future operations are not deductible. The court also held that investment banker fees, legal fees, proxy costs, and SEC fees incurred by a target corporation in a friendly takeover must be capitalized if the takeover produces significant future benefits. The taxpayer would rather expense the costs as this would give them a deduction on their taxes. Capitalizing these costs also increases their income, increasing the amount of taxes they have to pay. Thus, the IRS encourages capitalizing costs whenever there is a question as to what method to use. Originally the taxpayer had more of an advantage because the ruling was left open to much interpretation and the IRS was rather lenient concerning the future benefits. The Supreme Court just said that determining future benefits is undeniably important in determining whether a future expense should be capitalized. There have now been rulings where the IRS has become more aggressive in dealing with future benefits. The IRS realizes that companies will expense anything they can to reduce their tax burden. Even costs that would be incurred while investigating the expansion of a company’s existing business should be expensed if they are connected to an event that produced a significant long-term benefit. The only way they can be expensed is if the acquisition proves to be an unsuccessful one. The INDOPCO ruling also leaves open the question as to what directly incurred means. Companies were left to decide whether to capitalize a cost that was incurred to secure a benefit that extended beyond the current year, even though the transaction was not one in which a specific, identifiable asset was acquired. If it was determined the cost provided a significant long term benefit, the cost was a capital cost, and if not the cost was a period expense. Now, with the additional rulings, the IRS is the ones â€Å"dancing in the street†, because companies are forced to capitalize more costs, bringing in more revenues for the government. I think the decision was a good one in the sense that there needed to be some clarification as to what costs should be capitalized and which ones need to be expensed.

Cindy Sherman and Representation

Untitled Film Stills by cindy Sherman presents the ideas about the female identity Sherman is after. On each of the images, Sherman photographs herself as a cliche of this identity as if she were an actress in a B-movie ,as the product of domesticity, the object of sexual desire exc. Critic Arthur Danto points out that none of Sherman’s images is of herself. They are of The Girl, for whom Cindy Sherman posed.The Girl appears in every photograph, and though she is familiar in each (because the model is Sherman), she is never expressing the same idea as The Girl. She is being-there and she is not there at the same time, like a performer, and all the while she is able to convey these figurative portraits of femininity. Modeling in several roles, she reveals gender as an unstable and constructed position, which suggests that there is no innate biological female identity. On the contrary, women adopt several roles and identities depending on their circumstances.Perhaps sherman is m aking a gender statement through critiquing women in representation. This is however questionable as she is willingly engaging in the subject she is critiquing. According to Mulvey the women is made into an object of male gaze. Thus making the man the spectator and the woman the spectacle. The man looks at the woman, and the woman is being looked at. This contributes and supports the stereotypical idea that men are to activity as woman are to passivity.Her work also encourages self-reflection in the spectator. As Sherman argues. Sherman encourages viewers to create their own narratives when looking at her work. Perhaps by doing so, we become conscious participators in the story, or in the society that created these stereotypes in the first place. Depending on the narrative we create, her photographs could possibly help us to question our own ideas about gender and how it is represented in photography.

Free Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota to father Edward Fitzgerald, and mother Mary (Mollie) McQuillan. His parent’s great pride in his father’s ancestry led to Francis being named after his second cousin three times removed, none other than the author of the National Anthem. Francis attended Princeton, married a woman by the name of Zelda Sayre, and traveled all over the world many times. These events, and many more related to them, helped to shape the life and times of Fitzgerald as well as his writings. Prior to attending Princeton, Fitzgerald was enrolled in the Newman School, a Catholic prep school in New Jersey, where he met a man by the name of Father Sigourney Fay. Fay encouraged Fitzgerald’s ambitions for achievement. Fitzgerald went on to become a member of the Princeton Class of 1917, however, he tended to neglect his schoolwork and studies in order to pursue his love of literature. Fitzgerald contributed to the Princeton Tiger and also wrote lyrics for the Princeton Triangle Club musicals. Fitzgerald, after being put on academic probation and not being likely to graduate, joined the Army in 1917, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry. During this time, Fitzgerald did not see it likely he would survive the war; he hastily wrote his first novel entitled The Romantic Egotist. He later received a letter from Charles Scribner’s Sons, whom he had sent his novel to for publishing, rejecting his novel. His novel was praised in this lett er and Francis was told to resubmit it after revising the novel further. In June of 1918, Fitzgerald was stationed at Camp Sheridan, which was close to Montgomery, Alabama. While there, he fell in love with eighteen-year-old belle and youngest daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court Judge Zelda Sayre. After meeting Zelda, he became even more intent on having his novel published, so he re-wrote it and sent it in y... Free Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald Free Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota to father Edward Fitzgerald, and mother Mary (Mollie) McQuillan. His parent’s great pride in his father’s ancestry led to Francis being named after his second cousin three times removed, none other than the author of the National Anthem. Francis attended Princeton, married a woman by the name of Zelda Sayre, and traveled all over the world many times. These events, and many more related to them, helped to shape the life and times of Fitzgerald as well as his writings. Prior to attending Princeton, Fitzgerald was enrolled in the Newman School, a Catholic prep school in New Jersey, where he met a man by the name of Father Sigourney Fay. Fay encouraged Fitzgerald’s ambitions for achievement. Fitzgerald went on to become a member of the Princeton Class of 1917, however, he tended to neglect his schoolwork and studies in order to pursue his love of literature. Fitzgerald contributed to the Princeton Tiger and also wrote lyrics for the Princeton Triangle Club musicals. Fitzgerald, after being put on academic probation and not being likely to graduate, joined the Army in 1917, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry. During this time, Fitzgerald did not see it likely he would survive the war; he hastily wrote his first novel entitled The Romantic Egotist. He later received a letter from Charles Scribner’s Sons, whom he had sent his novel to for publishing, rejecting his novel. His novel was praised in this lett er and Francis was told to resubmit it after revising the novel further. In June of 1918, Fitzgerald was stationed at Camp Sheridan, which was close to Montgomery, Alabama. While there, he fell in love with eighteen-year-old belle and youngest daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court Judge Zelda Sayre. After meeting Zelda, he became even more intent on having his novel published, so he re-wrote it and sent it in y...

Author Interview #1 †Jane Davis

Author Interview #1 - Jane Davis Author Interview #1 - Jane Davis We’ve had the pleasure of interviewing some great freelancers from inside the industry. And while we’ve learned a great deal about the practicalities of writing, we were left wanting to hear from the other side of the creative process - the writer themselves.Well, good news everyone! We’re now going to be featuring interviews with some of the indie author scene’s established darlings and rising stars. We’ll be talking about how it feels to be at the vanguard of the movement, what they’ve learned getting here, and how they make it work.Our first interview is with Jane Davis, author of, among other things, ‘Half-truths and White Lies’ and  'An Unchoreographed Life.’REEDSY: I was just enjoying the extract you have on your site from An Unchoreographed LifeJANE DAVIS: Thank you. While I shy away from the label ‘Women’s Fiction’ I think of that novel as the most ‘Women’s Fiction’ thing I ’ve written. Although, having said that, one of the last reviews I had was from a single father saying much how he related to it, and that was very interesting.REEDSY: I’ve never really ‘got’ the whole idea of there being a label ‘Women’s Fiction’ - it seems to not say much about the work it describes.JD: Sometimes fiction gets pigeonholed with inappropriate labels. That was my problem with ‘Half-truths and White Lies’. I was pigeonholed as an author of Women’s Fiction, and I’ve massively shyed away from that since. But maybe I’ve come full-circle. Prostitution was an issue I wanted to address at the time when changes in the law were proposed, but since it’s such a sensitive issue, I chose to address it from the point of view of a mother/daughter relationship.REEDSY: So how do you describe your writing?JD: Well, it’s been called literary, but I’m slightly embarrassed by that. I thi nk it has this connotation of being highbrow and inaccessible. For me, my fiction is all about the characters. I put them in these terrible scenarios and feed them to the lions. I try to write sympathetic characters but then I make terrible things happen to them!So I suppose I write contemporary-stroke-literary. I put the label, ‘historical’ on ‘I Stopped Time,’ my homage to the pioneers of photography and it’s consistently been my best-seller. I think that’s because historical fiction is a label people relate to more than ‘literary’ or ‘contemporary’. They know where ‘historical’ sits. ‘I Stopped Time’ is actually a time-lapse novel, which goes between the present day and the lifetime of a woman who lived to the age of 108. But with the ‘historical’ label, people have an expectation of what they’re going to get - whereas ‘literary’ can be quite off-putting. S ome people I interview describe their work as ‘general fiction’ - I don’t have a feel for what that means either.REEDSY: It’s a sort of negative definition - telling you basically nothing†¦JD: I think the fact that my fiction is cross-genre - that I think of myself as a brand - is a large part of why being an indie author suits me. Random House didn’t take my follow-up to ‘Half-Truths and White Lies,’ because it wasn’t ‘Women’s Fiction’ and they had published me under their Black Swan imprint, which is exclusively for Women’s Fiction. I simply wasn’t aware of the implications. But at that point I wasn’t thinking long term. I had won a competition and was happy to be published, however that came about.I saw Adele Parks speak at the London Author Fair. She told us that when she was first published, she was given the choice of marketing her fiction as commercial or literary, and when she asked what the difference was, she was told, â€Å"Well, literary sells 7,000 copies and commercial sells 70,000 copies.† I’d not heard it in terms as blunt as that before, but I don’t think those figures were unusual in those days. Of course, post-2008, book sales have taken a nose-dive.REEDSY: Can literary fiction work without the support of a publisher? One argument against self-publishing goes that it can only sustain work that meets certain standards of viability in terms of sales. How do you find it?JD: I’ve only been doing this for two years, but my sales figures have only really pushed upwards with cross-selling. When people buy one of my books they do seem to come back and buy all of them. I’m not selling in big numbers by any means. I’m willing to give books away in order to hook readers†¦As for traditionally published authors, I’ve spoken to a few who are thinking of going indie when their deals come up for renewal. M ost are under two book contracts and they hear rumours that those contracts won’t be renewed under the same terms, and there’s also a great deal of dissatisfaction from the authors themselves about the lack of marketing support offered by publishers. Advances are also considerably lower. When I was at the London Book Fair this year, I was hearing about figures of  £5000 for one book or  £8000 for two books. Take from that the cost of marketing and there’s not a lot left in the pot.However, the authors I have met on the speaking circuit still firmly believe that bookshops are their realm. Are you familiar with the ALLi’s ‘Open up to Indies’ campaign?’ I’ve been going out and talking in bookshops and libraries, sometimes pairing up with traditionally published authors, because bringing a crowd puller obviously helps to opens doors. The estimates are that 70% of books will be self-published by 2020. It’s very difficult t o think that bookshops will only want to offer 30% of what’s available. And it’s quite clear that the 70% is going to include books by some of the authors bookshops and libraries currently stock. A stance against stocking self-published fiction is plainly unrealistic, but authors need to put themselves in the places of booksellers and librarians. Quality control is an issue that concerns them.REEDSY: I feel like the myth of the uniformly low quality of indie books is starting to die out†¦ slowly, but it’s fading.JD: I hope so. I use accreditation services that give a clear indication that my books have passed rigorous assessment. And the rise of small presses of course is continuing . Their publications are performing very well in competitions, very well. I went to a book launch this week for an author who has just been snapped up by a small publisher, Burning Eye Books. They publish mainly poetry. In fact, this is their first fiction title. Alice Furse sel f-published in January and they approached her. I think she’ll do very well out of it because they only have one fiction author to promote right now, and having that concentration of force behind you is fantastic. It’s the kind of support you might expect from an agent but wouldn’t normally get from a publisher.Author collectives are also enjoying a great deal of success. Having a name and collective power helps. I didn’t have enough forethought to do any of those things! I went ahead and published under my own name - I think I’d do things slightly differently now.REEDSY: What would you do differently?JD: More preparation. It’s too easy to publish. Don’t push the button unless you’re absolutely certain that the work is as good as it can possibly be. The problem is you’re too close to the book to judge that yourself - even though I used a copy editor and several proofreaders, my first self-published book went out with 13 typos in it. It’s easy to update it if you’ve got the control of the manuscript, but actually I was quite embarrassed that there was a first edition out there†¦ The money I spent on printing books that I then ditched would have been better spent on a further proofread. Because of course you can’t just hire one copy editor and one proofreader. The process needs multiple pairs of eyes.I think that rather than use the free ISBNs offered by self-publishing services, having ISBNs registered under your own name - so that you are shown as the publisher of your own work - helps. When you go to a bookshop there isn’t the ‘Amazon prejudice.’ I don’t put an awful lot of energy into getting my books onto shelves, because it’s very hard for me to break even on the percentages I’m offered, and the sale or return model doesn’t work for most indie authors. Then there’s the question of staying stocked. Even when I was t raditionally published, bookstores didn’t stock my title automatically. I had to go into branches week after week saying â€Å"Right, you’ve sold the copies you had on the shelves, can you order more?† It’s very time-consuming. A couple of indie shops stock my book, and they are amazingly supportive. When I’ve done talks at Waterstones they’ve been happy to stock my books on the night, but they wouldn’t ordinarily because I publish via Createspace. As a result of being in the Smashwords Premium Catalogue, my paperbacks are now available online with WH Smiths and Blackwells now, which was a surprise, so maybe the tide is turning. In the future I’ll think about buying my own ISBN and register it under my own name.Since joining ALLi I’ve become a lot more aware of these issues - all the little things which might hold you back.REEDSY: How much of your time now do you spend on writing vs managing the self-publishing element?J D: I’m quite active on social media. I had a lot of talks over the summer, which took time to set up. It’s not a case of going into a library and they’ll ask you to come along in the next month. Sometimes the impact of the ground work you’re doing comes one or two years down the line. I think, in all honesty, I spend more than 50% of my time on things like social media, sharing content, interviewing authors for my website†¦ Of all of those activities, interviewing authors has been the most helpful. Initially I approached everyone who appeared on the Guardian’s list of the top 30 indie books of 2013. There’s a very supportive community of indie authors out there. Interviews take up quite a lot of time, but I think they’re incredibly worthwhile. You don’t get immediate rewards, but an author you have interviewed might perhaps read and review your books, or offer a return interview†¦My third indie release was in November 2013. I had no publicity, so it was a very soft launch. April 2014 I released ‘An Unchoreographed Life’, and I was inundated with offers from people offering me guest blog posts, interviews, etc. The difference was that I had offered that facility to other authors. It’s very much a reciprocal thing. So marketing is not always direct marketing. It’s the soft-sell and building brand awareness. I’d say more than 50% of my time is spent on it - I wouldn’t want to say how much more than 50%!REEDSY: Would you think about outsourcing the marketing at some point?JD: Well, I have no budget. I recently relaunched my website and paid The Curved House to design it. I think it was money well-spent, even though it will knock out any profit I might have made next year. My original website had been built for one book, and I had tweaked it over time, but the look wasn’t cohesive. Now, it will be easier to add to, and I’m glad I’ve invest ed the money. But my budget is generally minimal. I often barter with people, offering to help out in exchange for return services.REEDSY: How about production?JD: I try to stick to a budget of  £1000 -  £1500. I think that’s a sensible level because only 5% of books sell more than 1000 copies. Interestingly, most authors I know aren’t making money from their sales, they make it from other services they offer.In terms of where I spend the money, my cover designs are really important to me. They are my brand. None of them have cost very much. I use a graphic designer. I come up with the design myself, and he executes it.  I also use a team of beta readers who have more or less replaced the need for a structural edit (something I used to pay for), and a copy editor and a proofreader. The typesetting and e-book conversion I do myself. In addition to writing my own stuff, I also do work for other authors as part of bartering process.REEDSY: Are there services you see authors being tempted to neglect?JD: It’s not always a question of ‘neglecting’ services. You have to look at the reasons behind choices. I know some authors who are very against using a copyeditor, not because they’re ‘unprofessional,’ but because they’re very anti-censorship and see using a copyeditor as a form of that. However, if your reason for not using a copy editor or a proofreader is lack of funds - I would say think again. Save the money and invest or decide what skills you have that you can offer someone else.When you’re starting out it’s tremendously hard but I’ve had massive support, even before I was a member of ALLi. Not necessarily from my writer’s group. You’re not a novelty there, everyone’s got a book they want readers for - but the Keep Fit group I’ve been going to for 25 years. I’ve found some fantastic beta readers and proofreaders there. The thing is not to be afraid to ask for help. There’s a great TED lecture by Amanda Palmer about the power of asking, and people want to be involved in a project, especially one where they can use skills that they don’t get the chance to use at work. My beta readers work for no more than a mention in the back of the book, maybe a coffee and a cake to talk about how the book made them feel. It’s not all about spending money. It’s about investing your budget in the right places and collaborating with a team you respect. It’s a mistake to think ‘expensive’ means ‘quality.’ Some of the services I have been happiest with have cost me nothing at all.REEDSY: Thank you for your time Jane

Belle Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Belle Technologies - Essay Example The engineers were also irritated with his obsessive ness with perfection even when it was not required like the diction, fonts etc. of written documents. All this worked against him and despite being the most loyal employee of the company; he did not receive good appraisals from his subordinates and was finally demoted. A: Hersey and Blanchard would never say that Derek is leading the newly hired engineers properly because the approach they believe in and the approach Derek applied was totally different. Though Derek expected greatness from his new recruits he purposely maintained a distance from them because he believed that its better if they learn on their own. Whereas Hersey and Blanchard thought that the recruits are in the R1 stage and the leader should use the telling style of leadership and take time out as much as possible to tell them what to do and give specific directions on how to proceed and complete the work satisfactorily. A: Hersey and Blanchard would not agree with Derek's leadership of the experienced engineers. Derek believed in supervising them in every step of their work. According to him he checked with them as much as six times a day to see whether everything is going well or not. This naturally irritated the engineers a lot. On the other hand Hersey and Blanchard believed that at this stage the experienced workers should be allowed to work on their own as much as possible and give them advice and suggestions when they really require it. This way they will feel that they are worthy enough to be trusted completely. Q.4 Now that they have a new manager, Sinha, how do you think the new engineers ought to be led Your recommendations A: The new manager Sinha should follow Hersey and Blanchard's approach of leadership. He should understand that the new recruits are fresh out of college and would require time, encouragement and guidance to understand work. They are in the R1 stage, which is the telling stage from the leadership point of view. Therefore Sinha should not wait for them to ask questions, as they might be skeptical and conscious that whether they are asking the right questions or not. So Sinha should resort to one-way communication and keep directing them from time to time about what is required and also, guide them on how to go about it. Q.5 Now that they have a new manager, Olin, how do you think the experienced engineers ought to be led Your recommendations A: The experienced engineers should be left alone. With experience they have become experts in their fields and they very well know how to do their work. Unnecessary interference will irritate them and they might even gossip on their leader's back. All this might affect the leadership position of the leader negatively. Therefore advice should be given when really required. They must be led by thrusting complete trust on their abilities. The leader should always be available to them and should not be too task centered. The leader should create a more participating and friendly atmosphere to successfully lead this group.

Tuition Rates Increasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tuition Rates Increasing - Essay Example For instance, as the demand for college education increases throughout society, college tuition rates have risen exponentially. As a function of seeking to address this particular issue and fine, causes, the following analysis will engage in a brief discussion and consideration of what these factors might indicate. Firstly, it must be understood, as has been represented briefly within the introduction, the increase in demand as cause tuition rates to skyrocket. As tens of thousands of more individuals graduate high school with aspirations and indications to engage with college, it is not only necessary for college to accept these individuals, it is also necessary for them to provide space and accommodations for their education. These states and accommodations conceptions that must be made concern hiring new professors, increasing classroom size, expanding dormitories and providing additional living accommodations, increasing overall number of staff, and upgrading a and all facilities that might be exhibited on the college campus in order to accommodate is lots of new students. Ultimately, the influx of students is beneficial in the long run in terms of business and profitability for the universe. However, a preliminary understanding of business engages the individual with the understanding tha t the upfront costs that these universities and colleges requires them to raise tuition prices exorbitantly as a means of front the bill that this influx of students has created for them. However, it must not only be understood that the to raise tuition is based upon real and measurable factors. Ultimately, study after study has indicated that the rising college tuition is so dramatic that it does not track alongside inflation or changes within the remainder of the economy. Moreover, scholars have also indicated that even if one considers the upgrade