The Evolution of Minorities in Film Essay - 1778 Words

The Evolution of Minorities in Film Back in the 1800’s, when calculating the population, African Americans were counted as 3/5 of a person (Antonia, p2). One would think that in the past two hundred years people’s beliefs would have changed a little bit, but the general white public are stuck into believing the common stereotypes commonly portrayed in movies. In films and television shows blacks are almost always portrayed as murderers, robbers, rapists, pretty much anything negative, like American History X, for example. Two black men are shown breaking into a white man’s car. People see this, and in turn believe that all black men will try and steal their car; as stupid as it may seem, it is true, and as a result, film†¦show more content†¦White people might not take it very well and possibly get the impression that minorities will never amount to anything, nor be a large portion of the population. In the late 1970’s, the hit-movie Roots took the country by storm serving as a n icebreaker for minorities getting into the movie industry. It showed the world that a movie consisting of all black actors could still be a very popular movie. Even though it revolved around the concept of slavery, once Roots came out, minorities started to show up more and more in films. In the years to come, this trend would become more and more of a standard in America’s mainstream culture. In the late 1980’s a film entitled Lethal Weapon came out. In this movie, a black man is shown having the family and being the successful one, while Mel Gibson, the white man, plays the role of the suicidal lunatic after the death of his new wife. This movie was one of the first few movies where this kind of thing was going on. Just for laughs, the two would make fun of each other and make somewhat racist assumptions about each other. But in the end of the movie they end up becoming best friends. Lethal Weapon served as a good movie to unlock the door to the minority/w hite costar door with due to the way in which it does it in a fun way where the viewer doesn’t even realize that the two were of a different race. In Die Hard, Bruce Willis is forced to wear a signShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Black Men And American History X And Television Shows Blacks1745 Words   |  7 Pagesin movies. In films and television shows blacks are almost always portrayed as murderers, robbers, rapists, pretty much anything negative, like American History X, for example. Two black men are shown breaking into a white man’s car. People see this, and in turn believe that all black men will try and steal their car; as stupid as it may seem, it is true, and as a result, film producers try to incorporate this into their films. Very rarely, if ever,is it possible to see a minority depicted asRead MoreThe Movie : Charlie Chan1692 Words   |  7 PagesOland took the role of Charlie Chan in his first film: Charlie Chan Carries On (1931). In the film, Charlie Chan finds himself in London, where he is tasked with solving the case of the death of an American millionaire Louis Potter. Throughout his investigation, Chan’s frequent proverbial statements and consistent humor provide for a fast-paced, well written detective film just the same as any other in its time. Where the film differs from other films of the time such as Haldane Of The Secret ServiceRead MoreMedia s Influence On Gender Relations And Sexuality1230 Words   |  5 Pagesand mirrors the evolution of gender-related biases and stereotypes and views on sexuality. In the course of time, gender relations and sexuality evolved and changed and all these changes found their reflection in mass media (Bonvillain, 1995, 210). Mass media, in their turn, po rtrayed gender relations and sexuality according to the dominant cultural view on gender relations and sexuality. This is why it is possible to trace the evolution of those views through the analysis of films, for example, createdRead MoreMonsters Are The Stars Of Entertainment For The Horror Industry1553 Words   |  7 Pagesmovie â€Å"Buffy the Vampire Slayer†, was a comedy horror film about a cheerleader named Buffy. Buffy’s fate is to hunt vampires. The vampires in the film were not terrifying; instead, the film overthrew the idea of [a little blonde girl who gets killed in an alley in scary movies] to explore themes like feminism. Just how â€Å"Buffy the Vampire Slayer† adapted to social themes, a similar form of evolution due to social tolerance can be seen in a later film â€Å"Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles†Read MoreThe Evolution Of Comedic Self Representation Of Minorities Essay1543 Words   |  7 PagesThe Evolution of C omedic Self-Representation of Minorities Over the past 70 years, there has been great change in comedy especially for African-Americans and other Non-American races. During the early days of comedy, many of these people were considered to be minorities during that era. This influenced many comedic stints of that time which over the years have evolved to catch up with the modern day society. Some of these include the humor, the topics discussed and also epithets. Over the years manyRead MoreDracula and Science, Superstition, Religion, and Xenophobia1602 Words   |  7 PagesUnited States that have been ongoing for decades, and some for even centuries. Some of these issues are in relation to science, religion, and some are even a combination of the two. Film and other media outlets have commonly been used to address these types of issues ever since these outlets were started. In the film Dracula, directed by Tod Browning in 1931, many controversial issues of the 1920s and 1930s including science, superstition, religion, a nd xenophobia are addressed. An argument thatRead MoreRepresentation Of The Hollywood Television Industry1505 Words   |  7 Pagesdiversity within Hollywood by examining all the films released, television programs on broadcast, cable, or digital networks, as well as the actors, writers, directors, and producers within the industry. Ethnic minorities make up about 40% of the American population but still remain underrepresented in all forms of entertainment. The study also discovered that more than 50% of moviegoers in the past two years were minorities. In television, minorities only claimed about 7% of lead roles in broadcastRead MoreEssay on Remember the Titans1263 Words   |  6 Pagesof the south, and the creation of T.C. Williams High School, a school that supported segregation, parents were the ringleaders of influence. It was the young people that started to make changes in the views of the community. The key topics in this film are segregation and discrimination, and the social problems that have ari sen because of them. Synopsis: Suburban Virginia schools have been segregated for generations, in sight of the Washington Monument over the river in the nations capitalRead MoreEssay about The Evolution of Fairy Tales1306 Words   |  6 Pagesadapted by the different storytellers to accommodate the interests of their audiences and societies. Folk tales altered as the beliefs and behaviors of the members of a particular group changed (Zipes 334). Generally, these tales were passed down by minorities: women, the poor, and other second class members of society. The plight of these storytellers is reflected in the content of the stories they told, which are still the foundation of fairy tales popular today. Their wants are represented in the socialRead MoreD.W. Griffiths Movie, Birth of a Nation Shows the Reality of Racism1132 Words   |  5 Pages Ku Klux Klan. The film is divided to show the different aspects of those two sides during this historical time. During this time Africans were coming to America and it s tarted the reconstruction on our country. D.W. Griffith made this film to show us the reality of racism at this point in time. The importance that this period in time and how it influenced us now. For some would say that this film is the ugly truth and that it shouldn’t be shown. But personally, this film has opened my eyes to

The Origin Of The Language And Development Of A New Culture

The name of Kenya was derived from Mount Kenya, the second highest peak in Africa. The Cushitis-speaking pastoralists were the first inhabitants to arrive in 2000 B.C. migrating from the Ethiopian highlands. The second group of inhabitants was the Nilotic-speakers and Bantu-speakers who arrived between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D. Many visitors came from different parts of the world such as Arabia, Rome, Portugal, India and Greece, whom got to settle in Kenya. Ultimately the intermixing of the new settlers with the locals led to the creation of the Swahili language and development of a new culture. In the 8th Century, the first visit to East Africa was made by Arabian and Persian traders who brought a Muslim influence to the culture. At this time, most of the development and trade occur in the coastal region. In the 15th century, the coastal region becomes the center of trade out of Africa. At this time, the Coast is reach, cities are grown, and Swahili people become wealthy. The trading business expands to Africa, India, Persia and China. With having a successful and rich trade in this region, Portugal shows interest in control of this region. The Portuguese, with 23 ships and 1500 soldiers, invades, kills and robs most of the cities on the East Coast of Africa. For the next two centuries, the Swahili people watch their cities along the Coast getting destroyed in the fight between Arabs and Portuguese to have full control on the region. Many African countries were underShow MoreRelatedAfrican Diaspora Identity : History, Race, Culture, And Language1147 Words   |  5 Pagescountry of origin and must migrate to a new homeland. In some cases, the migration is forced whereas in others it is voluntary but forced through circumstances. The process of identity becomes central as those that migrate are forced to determine what it means to be a member of a new culture while still maintaining their own heritage and traditions. One way that culture can be honored is through literature. When considering diaspora identity one must consider history, race, culture and language. TheseRead MoreA Study On Human Language Essay971 Words   |  4 PagesWhen we look at nature all animals communicate with each other, from bees and ants to whales and apes, but only humans have developed a language or should I say signs. What is interesting is even our speech differs in a physical way form the communication of another animal. It comes from a cor areas of the brain which serve a particular function for speech processing and production. Professor Jeff Elman said â€Å"The Earth would not be the way it is if humankind didn t have the ability to communicateRead MoreThe Government of Canada and Multiculturalism Essay examples1670 Words   |  7 Pagesin Canada that focused on unique cultural diversity, nationalities, and ethnicity across the nation. Multiculturalism and Immigration are important factors in the development of Canada to attain a strong multicultural example of economic stability, social and political growth which leads to the emergence of Canada’s identity and culture. The artefact design indicates the deep understanding of Canadian Multiculturalism which helps to shape the nation. Many immigrants from different countries aroundRead MoreThe California State University, Fullerton ( Csuf )1150 Words   |  5 PagesLanguage is a universal mode of communication among humans that separates them from other beings. Indeed, language can be verbalized or comprise of non-verbal cues. In addition, development of language of a sign of growth and development in individuals and experts in a language are usually considered as proficient and effective communicators because the meanings of their language are concise and thus received as intended. Environments such as institutions of higher learning are a good place to observeRead MoreThe Difference between Writing and Speaking1496 Words   |  6 Pageshow writing systems functions. It will draw not only from Harley’s The Psychology of Language but also from the work of both Kalb in The Uses of the History of Writing and Justeson in The Origin of Writing Systems. This essay shall not only discuss the aspects of writing systems but also how they came about and what purpose writing serves in language and communication. According to Harley (2008), written language production offers the producer a greater amount of time to think about what they areRead MoreShould The English Language Be Ficial Language Of The Us?861 Words   |  4 PagesWhat would you choose? The English language should not be the official language of the U.S. simply due to the fact that we are a country made up of many different cultures and ethnicities. If the language spoken was to be changed to one that many may not know or understand that would make some decide to either stay in America or to leave. For example some of the possibilities that could happen if such action was to take place would be that it could change the culture, traditions, and in ones way ofRead MoreEnglish Language Learner994 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish language learners as a new and homogenous population. Actually ELLs are a highly heterogeneous and complex group of students, with diverse gifts, educational needs, backgrounds, languages, and goals. An Eng lish language learner is an individual that is of another culture and has migrated to America to live, learn, become educated and find a career. English language learners have been coming to America and continue to migrate here more and more. Most of them speak different languages as SpanishRead MoreThe Influnce of Figurative Idioms in English Language1017 Words   |  5 Pagesidioms paly an important role in English language. They represent the national culture and they are the core in language. The fgurative meaning and unity of idiom make the language colourful and vivid. Keywords: Figurative idiom; English language; Unity With the continual development of human society, language is developing as a tool which of people using it to express thoughts and communicate with each other. In all the elements of language, the change of lexicology is fastest andRead MoreChapter 10 Of The Book Is About Cultural Geography Essay970 Words   |  4 Pagesdefine what the â€Å"culture† is. Culture is a â€Å"total way of life shared by a group of people.† This culture is not necessarily fixed in time or place. However, culture does have a significant correlation with place. For example, Mexican food is called that way since it is originated from Mexico. It is called the â€Å"territorialization of culture.† A culture can be â€Å"reterritorialized†, which means it can be relocated from its origin to other places, and â€Å"deterritorialized†. These kinds of cultures are being moreRead MoreEssay On Traditional Construction Of History1000 Words   |  4 PagesThe Issuses of Traditiona l Construction of History Does history over centuries truly define the past as its origin? Dr. Francis Pryor re-examines the origin of Britain in one of his series about Britain AD, â€Å"Britain AD – The Not So Dark Age.† His reinvestigation finds out a handful of evidences that disprove the written history regarding how Britain’s culture was formed. Pryor effectively explores the flaw in history through the idea of invasion, cultural artifacts, and the creation of identity

SegmentationTargetMarketpaper Free Essays

Nordstrom core roof of shoppers, and those which the Nordstrom brand identify strongly with is the high-end luxury shopper. Nordstrom offers a high-quality lineup of designer apparel, shoes, accessories, and cosmetics for the discerning shopper (Explainer. 2013). We will write a custom essay sample on SegmentationTargetMarketpaper or any similar topic only for you Order Now The second group of shopper Nordstrom caters to is the Nordstrom Rack shopper or those with more modest budgets and spending habits (Explainer. 2013). Regardless of budget, both groups of shoppers desire the high-quality design of Nordstrom product offerings and the perception of that quality that the company creates in its brands Explainer. 013). The average shopper profile is married female, age 25-55. Nordstrom product lines cater to various sub-sets of shoppers. Top Shop and Brass Plum departments appeal to the single female shopper aged between 16-35 while The Rail and Men’s departments cater to both single and married males in the age range of 16- 70. Nordstrom Point of View/Narrative and Studio 121 department appeal to both married and single professional women aged 25-65 where as Savvy and TAB departments cater to the single or married females age 20- 40. Nordstrom designer departments; Individualist, Via C and Collectors, appeal to the high-end luxury shopper ranging in age of 25-65. Numerous other departments make up Nordstrom product offering and appeal to all shopper with its array of products including children’s, shoes, cosmetics and home offerings. Cryptographic The Cryptographic make-up of Nordstrom shoppers are as diverse as its products lines. One common core true of all shopper is the desire for quality products and responsive, personalized customer service. Nordstrom shoppers lead active lifestyles; engage in physical and social activities. Nordstrom shoppers are often involved in various civic and social groups, have a wide array of personal and professional interests and family oriented. From the pediatric customer to the geriatric, Nordstrom shoppers have full schedules leaving little time for wasted shopping. A shopping trip to Nordstrom for many is as much a social event as a functional one. Nordstrom recognizes this and has thus put into place its Cafe, a full-service restaurant offering a fine dining experience including alcoholic beverages. The design of the cafe allows shoppers to reconvene with family and friends while providing spite from the task of shopping. Nordstrom clients are fashion forward, discerning and demanding when it comes to quality products thus, the higher than average price point of Nordstrom product offerings is readily accepted. Geographic Nordstrom currently has 225 stores located in the IIS and recently, Canada. (Van Regimens. 2013). Nordstrom began its journey in Seattle, Washington and cornered the market in the western region. Nordstrom has since Opened locations in Minnesota Mall of America, Chicago and most recently, Manhattan in New York, and Canada, gaining more prominence on the East Coast. Strategic placement of Nordstrom stores capitalizes on cities with residents of greater spending power and affluence, maintaining continuity of the brand’s identity of high-end luxury and service. Behavioral Characteristics Nordstrom shoppers desire a shopping experience that gives them a sense of importance, status and luxury. Due to their hectic and active lifestyles, the average Nordstrom shopper desires a hassle free quality shopping experience. Quality driven and willing to pay the extra few dollars to feel a sense of esteem and gratification, Nordstrom capitalizes on these behavioral heartsickness by encore raging salespeople to cultivate relationships with their clients thus providing shoppers a sense of trust and loyalty to the brand. Through the provision of personal shoppers, personal stylists and the ability to make an appointment for shopping needs, these behavioral needs are satisfied. The Nordstrom approach is ingenious as it also provides the ability to monitor and track the customers spending habits and trends allowing Nordstrom to base its products offerings and service with little margin of error or loss of profits. In addition to being fashion forward, the average Nordstrom shopper is tech savvy. In doing so, Nordstrom has cultivated a strong sense of community among shoppers thus creating a network effect that drives repeat sales (Explainer. 2013). According to Van Regimens (2013), â€Å"Nordstrom objective is to create the finest customer engagement both online and in the traditional store space. How to cite SegmentationTargetMarketpaper, Papers

Sustainability in Project Portfolio-Free-Samples-Myassignment

Question: Critically evaluate the strategic value of Project Management and project Portfolio Management, paying particular attention to their Potential impact on social equity, Project Management life cycles, Resource Management and Organisational Change. Answer: Introduction In order to evaluate execution at the portfolio level, it is indispensable to gauge the execution of individual Projects and unite the estimations in a numerically significant manner that mirrors the vital significance of the part extends. Past the customary measurements, evident inquiries are the way to infer Project vital execution utilizing conventional execution estimations, incorporate individual task estimations into important vital execution estimations at the portfolio level and survey current project and portfolio key execution as for proceeded with desire of accomplishing vital targets as they advance through usage. This article proposes answers for the initial two inquiries and recommends methods for moving toward the third. Portfolio evaluation The UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC) characterizes a portfolio as the totality of an association's interest in the progressions projects and programs required accomplishing their vital destinations (Michalski, 2013). Portfolio management has turned into a need for some, organizations empowering them to enormously enhance their routine with regards to extend management as of late. In order to be fruitful, an organization should appropriately deal with its Projects. It is the reason for portfolio management: picking the correct Projects. Markowitz was the first to present the idea of portfolio in the money related area in 1952. The hypothesis is called Modern Portfolio Theory proposed that sound speculators need to utilize enhancement to upgrade their portfolios the portfolio for this situation is a gathering of money related resources and Projects Methods used by the organization for evaluating overall project management Following are the steps used by the organizations for evaluating overall project management. Stage 1: Identify and order Projects This initial step comprises in taking stock of projects continuous and potential. For each project stocked, a project sheet is made. Once the stock has been finished, we continue to the characterization by kind of project, in this way encouraging the resulting steps. For instance, it might be advantageous to bunch the real Projects versus minors, compulsory versus optional, and so forth. Stage 2: Evaluate and organize Projects This progression is critical; it is at this level organization understood the greatest pick up of the tasks portfolio management in particular the determination of the best activities. We display a survey of the writing in more detail in the following segment. Stage 3: Authorize Projects Having organized activities, this progression intends to "take a stand" in figuring out which projects will be executed. To finish this progression, we do an examination of the hierarchical limit keeping in mind the end goal to boost the utilization of accessible assets human and money related. It is toward the finish of this phase the project directors are appointed to various tasks expert. Stage 4: Report and revise portfolio This last advance is to consolidate every one of the reports on the advance of different approved projects. The objective is to give a review to senior management, with dashboards that demonstrate the status and number of execution pointers. This data is essential to encourage basic leadership by senior management on the continuation of activities (Klingebiel Rammer, 2014). The most critical ideas of tasks portfolio management talked about in the writing are condensed. Justification for using the method As it has been found in the previous part, the way to achievement in dealing with an arrangement of tasks is to pick the correct projects at the ideal time. This progression plans to archive the tasks so as to think about them (Leung et al., 2016). Assessment is at last to construct a business case that builds up the expenses and due dates of project, benefits, points of interest, threats. The business case permits having a typical reason for assessment of tasks. Organize projects: At this stage, projects are contrasted all together with decide needs. The utilization of multi-criteria framework scoring models is perceived as a best practice. It can be characterized the idea of criteria as an apparatus for measuring the level of achievement of a specific goal. The assurance of the criteria is a critical errand that requires definite investigation. As indicated by this decision should basically fulfill these three conditions: Completeness: The criteria ought to mirror extremely vital angles. Consistency: It is kept up if nearby connections between portfolios alternatives every paradigm taken independently is reliable with the relationship at the worldwide level as for all criteria. Lack of redundancy: It implies that the ideas measured in a paradigm are not rehashed in another. As it were, the expulsion of a rule prompts a disappointment of no less than one of alternate conditions. The standard can be quantitative or subjective (Picard, 2014). It is less demanding to quantify a quantitative model; for this situation, an effectively concurred scale is utilized. For instance, we can utilize a money related scale to assess Net Present esteem rule. For subjective foundation, we need to utilize a subjective scale since a target scale ordinarily does not exist. Challenges for using current method in global environment The issue of selecting of task portfolio is a persistent procedure; it comprises by and large to answer this question. It is required to follow a two-advance approach. The first is the grouping of projects as indicated by particular criteria: the characterization introduced in the past segment. The second step is to assess the presentation of a project, recognized as high potential project in the grouping in the portfolio (Beringer, Jonas Kock, 2013). This progression has been the subject of past work. It is vital to prompt deal with this circumstance: portfolio incorporates N extends as of now propelled: P1 PN, furthermore, we have hopeful projects. Benefits management lifecycle incorporated in the process evaluation The quantitative advantages of utilizing management lifecycle in any of the situations distinguished above are extremely huge. As a matter of first importance, by plan, management lifecycle dramatically affects decreasing the recurrence and length of client downtime. This is conceivable in light of the fact that management lifecycle disposes of the inclination of FSEs to utilize benefit save parts as an indicative instrument. Subsequently, the management association will encounter 1) a diminishment in parts use, 2) a lessening in transportation costs, 3) a decrease in stop repair expenses, and 4) diminishment in rehash benefit calls because of introducing incorrectly part. Benefits management for successfully meeting deliverable goals As an initial step, a way to deal with incorporates the project P to the portfolio, can be introduced considering the augmentation of portfolio commitment in accomplishing business destinations. At that point, it is examined that the presentation of project P in the portfolio, considering the streamlining of associations with different tasks (Kaiser, El Arbi Ahlemann, 2015). Augmentation of the vital esteem Strategic arranging of the association is executed through the portfolio of projects with a specific end goal to accomplish destinations. Portfolio management Portfolio management ensuring collective projects aligned with strategic objectives The Key business goals to realize esteem they should be changed over into program activities and supporting tasks. He recommends that receiving vital project management to choose, oversee and bolster different activities gives organizations the most obvious opportunity with regards to advancing the association by staying with the dynamic in the commercial center and returning greatest incentive for investors. Further, it is distinguished that the accompanying key attributes of key task management: Arrangement of the accompanying key business forms: key arranging, key objective setting, and endeavor project management; Capacities as an all around oversaw arrangement of speculations as it: It takes into consideration the best utilization of obliged assets; It ensures an exceptional yield on project since projects are overseen all things considered; It keeps up arrangement between the tasks and the association's short, medium and long haul objectives. Role of project management office As indicated by the Standish CHAOS Report (2009) just 32% of activities were finished on time, inside spending plan and conveyed quantifiable business and partner benefits, including quality. The reasons are intricate and entwined, as indicated by a KPMG1 study of 252 associations, deficient task management usage constitutes 32% of undertaking disappointments, absence of correspondence constitutes 20% and newness to extension and many-sided quality constitutes 17% (Stettina, Hrz, 2015). In like manner 69% of task disappointments are because of need as well as despicable execution of project management philosophies. Standard procedures and strategies utilized conflictingly by project managements brings about project management connected in a receptive way, the time required to oversee extends proactively isn't incorporated with the work plan. Quantitative and qualitative tools and techniques With the change comes an expansion in consumer loyalty and repeat purchases. Besides, a management organization can likewise wipe out a substantial segment of expenses related with rehash benefit calls since these sorts of exercises are for all intents and purposes dispensed with through the enhanced precision of repairs that are empowered through management lifecycle. Third, management lifecycle assumes an enormous part in lessening costs related with benefit parts coordination. Maturity levels Maturity level of portfolio management The Standard for Portfolio Management distributed by PMI proposes an arrangement of criteria utilized for portfolio assessment. This order proposes that the examination of a tasks portfolio should cover the accompanying angles: general business criteria, budgetary criteria and chance related criteria, criteria for assessing the projects consistence with the necessities of the current legitimate circumstance, criteria for dissecting human asset management issues, promoting criteria, and specialized criteria (Aouni et al., 2014). It is found that roughly similar ranges in the proposition of Meredith and Mantel. These propose the criteria ought to permit the assessment of activities in the accompanying zones like generation, showcasing, funds, staff, organization and different classes. Furthermore, they propose a few assessment criteria for every area. Best practices for improving maturity level . In order to ensure improvement in maturity level of portfolio management, it is a basic leadership to fabricate an arrangement of projects that best accomplish the association's vital goals. From an underlying circumstance characterized by an arrangement of distinguished activities progressing and competitors and an arrangement of criteria in view of the goals of the association, it must propose choices portfolio and assess them with a specific end goal to decide the best one. The list of activities is gotten from stage 1 The set of alternatives: In organizations executing many projects in the meantime, the quantity of option portfolios can be extensive, and accordingly the issue might be of combinatorial nature. The arrangement of criteria The arrangement of assessments of choices as per chose criteria. Process of implementing changes Projects with okay and exceptionally lined up with the business system: these ventures are to hold. Projects with a high hazard and uncommitted with the business procedure: these tasks must be disposed of (Teller Kock, 2013). Projects with a high hazard and exceptionally lined up with the business procedure or those with an okay yet not lined up with the technique: these undertakings ought to be liable to choice of management, considering at least one criterion, including the esteem created by these ventures. The third two dimensional investigation concerns two criteria: esteem and vital arrangement. Corporate level Corporate culture of the organization Concerning prior investigation, this characterization of tasks into three classes: Projects with a high esteem and exceptionally lined up with the system, these undertakings must be chosen projects with a low esteem and not lined up with the procedure: these activities must be disposed of. Projects with a high esteem however not lined up with the methodology or those with a low esteem and lined up with technique: these ventures require a choice. In order to represent how project portfolios are chosen and key advantages decided for the execution appraisal approach depicted in this article, an applied PPM display. Change management initiatives Project management is viewed as overhead and tasks are effective regardless of an absence of arranging and undertaking management, through substantial anxiety and extra minutes work for the duration of the life cycle. A Project Management Office (PMO) associated with project related errands will catch up on project exercises, covering project exercises, issues and necessities to official management as a key apparatus in keeping execution and chiefs pushing toward reliable, business-centered objectives and targets; this is the division or gathering that exists to characterize and keep up the norms of procedures and strategies inside the project management office. Support for project portfolio management The model demonstrates the PPM procedure from vital arranging through to portfolio assessment and change. While the illustrated territories of the usage and assessment periods of the model are the subject of this article, the model is incorporated to help imagine the whole PPM process and its mix with the association's vital arranging process. It demonstrates the association with distinguishing, assessing and choosing ventures for the portfolio, and additionally observing and controlling the portfolio once executed. While the five stages key, screening, determination, execution and assessment are appeared in arrangement, the procedure ought not to be thought of as entirely straight (Cosio, Estrada Kritzman, 2015). Or maybe, PPM is an iterative consecutive process with frequently arranged cycles and in addition the adaptability to adjust whenever to factors influencing authoritative destinations. In this way any stage or arrangement of steps might be executed on request notwithstandi ng arranged cycles. Challenge in project portfolio management The activities are then the methods for executing this procedure. The vital advantages are in this way a connection amongst activities and portfolio goals. Each project brings new aptitudes, new information or changes to the association (Brook Pagnanelli, 2014). A wiped out project can bring benefits regardless of the possibility that it has been ceased before its end. The last deliverable isn't authoritative on the project to the targets; it is the advantage of deliverable that ties the task to the goals. Conclusion Project portfolio management has received expanding consideration in the most recent years, as the organizations are propelling more tasks all the while. A Project portfolio is an accumulation of single projects and projects that are completed under a solitary sponsorship and ordinarily vie for rare assets. This definition is like the one given by the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: a portfolio is a gathering of Projects or programs and different works that are assembled together to encourage compelling management of that work to meet vital business targets. References Aouni, B., Colapinto, C., La Torre, D. (2014). Financial portfolio management through the goal programming model: Current state-of-the-art.European Journal of Operational Research,234(2), 536-545. Beringer, C., Jonas, D., Kock, A. (2013). Behavior of internal stakeholders in project portfolio management and its impact on success.International Journal of Project Management,31(6), 830-846. Stettina, C. J., Hrz, J. (2015). Agile portfolio management: An empirical perspective on the practice in use.International Journal of Pr Michalski, G. (2013). Portfolio management approach in trade credit decision making.arXiv preprint arXiv:1301.3823. Teller, J., Kock, A. (2013). An empirical investigation on how portfolio risk management influences project portfolio success.International Journal of Project Management,31(6), 817-829. Brook, J. W., Pagnanelli, F. (2014). Integrating sustainability into innovation project portfolio managementA strategic perspective.Journal of Engineering and Technology Management,34, 46-62. Kaiser, M. G., El Arbi, F., Ahlemann, F. (2015). Successful project portfolio management beyond project selection techniques: Understanding the role of structural alignment.International Journal of Project Management,33(1), 126-139. Klingebiel, R., Rammer, C. (2014). Resource allocation strategy for innovation portfolio management.Strategic Management Journal,35(2), 246-268. Picard, R. G. (Ed.). (2014).Media product portfolios: Issues in management of multiple products and services. Routledge. Cosio, R. M., Estrada, J., Kritzman, M. (2015). New Frontiers in Portfolio Management. Leung, S. L., Banks, M., Saary-Littman, J. (2016). International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers Principles and Practices: 2015: Expanding Role of Credit Portfolio Management.Global Credit Review,6, 11-20

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Diet vs. Regular Soda Density Lab essays

Diet vs. Regular Soda Density Lab essays This lab is being done to see if there is a difference between the density (the quantity of something per unit measure, especially per unit length, area, or volume) of regular and diet soda is the same. We tested this and found the results to be the same for both the diet and the regular soda. Coca-Cola When opening point away from yourself and others. Dont drink too much. Diet Coca-Cola When opening point away from yourself and others. Dont drink too much. i. Regular soda Pour down the drain. Do not drink. ii. Diet soda Pour down the drain. Do not drink. i. Gather all materials (see materials and equipment section) ii. Weigh the 100mL beaker in the electronic balance; write this number on a piece of paper iii. Measure out 5mL of regular soda in the 10mL graduated cylinder; pour this into the 100mL beaker and weigh it in the electronic balance. iv. Take the weight of the 5mL of regular soda and subtract it from the weight of the 100mL beaker. (The number you wrote on a piece of paper.) v. Repeat steps 3 vi. Repeat steps 3-5 to get second trial. vii. Measure out 5mL of diet soda in the 10mL graduated cylinder; pour this into the 100mL beaker and weigh it in the electronic balance. viii. Take the weight of the 5mL of diet soda and subtract it from the weight of the 100mL beaker. (The number you wrote on a piece of paper.) ix. Repeat steps 3 ...

Change management case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Change management case study - Essay Example Semler has a unique strategy, that of empowerment. The importance of ethical values in relationship with workers is a critical part of this success story. He sincerely believed that each of his employees had the biggest stake in his business and they needed assurance of the safety of their jobs. He used this leverage to ensure their loyalty. This move secured the future of both the employees as well as the company. Maslow (1954) argued that workers achieve their best only when they are recognised for their accomplishments by peers as well as their superiors. Pay does matter but self actualisation is the ultimate motivation. This was the value that Semmler understood well and made the basis of the change he brought about. He used empowerment as the tool for motivating the employees and made them share the responsibility of managing the company by delegating power to them. Empowerment is a tool that is to be employed with the concept of participation with responsibility for consequences. It was introduced and implemented throughout the organisation in a phased manner. Hierarchy was broken down as this is a great barrier towards emancipation and self actualisation. A change plan was crafted to bring every worker into the management loop recognising his ability to contribute towards improvement in operations and the bottom line. It is essential to change according to the environment and evolve strategies to survive intense competition. Porter (1980) had suggested that competitive advantage is what keeps a firm; alive and later argued that when a firm becomes different by offering value, quality and some attributes through which it offers some uniqueness then it will become an above average performer in its industry (Porter 1985). But to arrive at this stage the firm must make difficult choices. Porter (1996) then redefined strategy to be a combination of differently performed

Connection between disabilities and poverty Essay

Connection between disabilities and poverty - Essay Example Low income precedes disability. Consequently, poverty among the pregnant women, poor diet, and stressful living increases the incidences of prematurity among the babies. For example, premature births and low birth weight are indicators of future disability (Lustig and Strauser, 195). Together disability and poverty creates a vicious circle. Worldwide over a billion people have some form of disability with majority of the incidents resulting from poverty instances. Once the poor people are disabled, their poverty levels worsen more. Disabled people are subjects of discrimination in the world we live in, and are frequently denied access to employment opportunities, healthcare, and education that they require to lift them out of poverty. Rather the individuals become poorer more. Individuals with a disability remain on the verge edge of existence and their poverty levels cause a greater effect on their disability (Braithwaite and Mont 220). Together disability and poverty creates a vicious circle. However, disabled individuals re often regarded to be a curse in the society and are even considered being as a result of witchcraft and bad luck. Disabled people are often hidden away from others or left even alone to die. The millennium development goal on eradication of poverty can only be achieved if special consideration is given to the disabled

McBride Financial Services Governance Evaluation Essay

McBride Financial Services Governance Evaluation - Essay Example The organization is experiencing many challenges at the initial stage since it is a private and small firm. The chief executive officer, Mr. Hugh, is one of the key impediments to the accomplishment of the firm objective, since he is the proprietor of the firm and, as a result, there is a tendency of putting his own interests first. McBride being the chairman of the board and a chief executive officer will have a considerable manipulation of the decision made by the board of directors as well as the management team (Maimako, 2010). This is because being the head of the two organs he can object to a decision that is unfavorable to his own interest. Commercial analysts have criticized the organization for its inability to comply with the rules of investment and borrowing funds from beltway investment. Beltway investment emphasizes that all the firms that seek any assistance from it must comply with all the requirements of investment, failure to which the application of the assistance w ill be null and void. The management of McBride investment is willing to obey and follow all the requirements of Beltway Investments. The management strategy of beltway investment seems to have some doubtful professional standards though McBride seriously opposes the perception. Beltway investment grants firm the freedom to manage their own style. It emphasizes the universal standards of corporate governance and any equity-based compensation plans in line with the achievement of the firm’s objectives. There should be no any form of discrimination. Even though McBride is seeking to fully comply with beltway investment he insists that his decision on the directors and the management method are to be followed. He further insinuates that the firm will manage their finances in their own way to meet the firm’s objectives. McBride financial services will not entertain interference in its affairs. They think that external entities will jeopardize the firm’s operations a nd thwart the achievement of the set goals, (Tricker, 2009). Challenges of McBride financial services MacBride financial services have many challenges since it is a new firm as well as the brokerage firm. In line with corporate governance, the firm has to comply with the international standards where best practices and the formal laws are to be observed. In a nutshell, the problems of the firm are natural since the management organ of the firm has adopted practices that are not within the global standards of corporate governance. McBride financial services are faced with the problem of personnel recruitment. The organization depends on personnel appointed by McBride. These appointments are of doubtful standards since they are based on personal relationships instead of professional qualifications. The decisions to be made by the management organs are so critical and the people to be employed are supposed to be of immense integrity. This means they should undergo a thorough recruitmen t process to get the best. The policy of Mr. Hugh on appointment is that he appoints individuals who go by what he says, and does what he expects of them. This might not work well for the firm's strategic objectives. In the event that the firm experiences by the administrative problem, it will be extremely difficult for them to solve them internally. (Hirschey, & Makhija, 2004).

The Overview For The Customer Loyalty Marketing Essay

The Overview For The Customer Loyalty Marketing Essay This chapter starts with the introduction of the researchs topic. Firstly, I will explain the overview for the customer loyalty. After that, research background, problem statement and research objective will discuss on this chapter. Besides, the justification, scope of the study, and limitation of the study hand been thoroughly discussed in chapter one. Finally, I will give definition for the importance term that I often use in this research. Nowadays, Customer loyalty is very important if an organization want to retain its current customers. Gaining customer loyalty becomes a key objective for banking organizations. Customer loyalty defines loyalty as a deeply held commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product or service consistently in the future, despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior. (Oliver 1997,p.360) This has lead to a different definition of customer loyalty, an ongoing propensity to buy the brand, usually as one of several (Uncles et al., 2003, Gee et al., 2008,). Customer loyalty can be determined by looking at the number of purchases made by the customer from the product portfolio of a company, the frequency of acquisition, the percentage from the total expenditures made by a customer for a certain product or service. (Filip and Anghel, 2009). Besides, customer loyalty can be determined through consumer preferences and their affective disposition toward the bank, which are combined with repeat purchasing. Due to Filip and Constantinescu, 2007, we can conclude that repetitive customer behavior is not enough for us to be considered loyal towards the banking industry. (Filip and Anghel, 2009) Many academics need have more knowledge and better understanding to the process of developing customer loyalty (McMullan and Audrey, 2008, Oliver, 1999; Knox and Walker, 2001; Tsaur et al. 2002). When the academic have enough knowledge, they can know how to segmentation the customers according to different levels of customer. So, Different level customers have different strategies based on their background. In addition, the relationship between competition and loyalty becomes stronger when level of competition increase. Services sector is one of the examples because this sector has a lot of choices and rapidly emerging innovative products and services (McMullan and Audrey, 2008, Stevens, 2000). However, the academic and practical knowledge of the determinants of customer loyalty is very important for a organization to survive in market. In overall, we can say that develop an efficient customer loyalty strategic is very important for a organization includes banks. A successful strategic can help the organization to retain the customer in order to survive in highly competitive market. So, bank must build a strong customer relationship with their customer. 1.2 Background of the research In Malaysia, there are many bank located in different states, banking sector becoming increasing competitive from day to day. Due to the rapid development of information technology, it has made a great impact in the banking industry deeply. The high technology can provide the customer better alternative than before. It can help the customer to fulfill their financial needs. So, many bank need to keep improve themselves with the high technology to retain the customer. In order to retain the customer, the bankers need to have different kind of marketing and management strategic. One of the strategies is to understand their customer needs and try to satisfy their needs. There are several reasons that can influence customers selection of a bank. The range of services, rates, fees and prices charged can influence the customer mind when they want choose the suitable bank to keep their money .(Cohen et al., 2006;Abratt and Russell, 1999). Furthermore, providing service excellence, innovative products are vital to succeed in the banking industry. As conclusion, description above is my research background. It relate to the problem statement and objective that I am going to study during this research. 1.3 Problem statement Customer loyalty becoming an important element of banking strategy in todays increasingly competitive environment. Nowadays, the entire bankers need to compete with each other to survive in this highly competitive market. The entire banker must identify the problem occur in the bank and try to manage the problem in a proper way. Employees play an important role in a banking industry. Employees represent the professionalism of an organization. So, the banker must make sure their employee willingness to solve problems when emergency case happens. They must train their employee when how to dealing with customer. The employee must deal with customer friendliness and have sufficient knowledge to help customer. Other than that, the employee must have communication skills, and selling skills when dealing with customers. Many researchers conclude that retaining an existing bank customer costs less than creating a new customer. They discover that the cost of creating a new customer has been expected to be five times more than that of retaining an existing customer (Gan et al., 2006,Reichheld, 1996). Some researcher has explored the influence of several factors on loyalty. There are service quality, customer satisfaction, corporate image, commitment and conflict handling. Based on the research, this several factor have great impact on customer loyalty. Unfortunately, many banking industry does not fulfill the requirement of this several factor. Some banks do not understand the customer needs and provide the wrong information to customer. Other than that, some banks do not provide the good quality of service. The bank staff does not know how to deal with customer; the customer will think the staff no manners and do not professional. Besides, some bank does not build the strong relationship with the loyalty customer by giving them some special offer. If retention criteria are not well managed, customers may still leave their banks and find another bank to manage their wealth. In order to settle those problems, the bank must know how to handle the problem and try to satisfy the customer needs. Research question: Is there any significant relationship between reliability and customer loyalty? Is there any significant relationship between responsiveness and customer loyalty? Is there any significant relationship between assurance and customer loyalty? Is there any significant relationship between empathy and customer loyalty? Is there any significant relationship between tangibles and customer loyalty? Is there any significant relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty? Is there any significant relationship between corporate image and customer loyalty? Is there any significant relationship between commitment and customer loyalty? Is there any significant relationship between conflict handling and customer loyalty? 1.4 Research Objective Research had show that customer loyalty is very important for an organization. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyze the factor that can influence customer loyalty towards banking industry. Besides, the purpose of this study is to investigate how the bank to strengthen the relationship between bank and customer. The target respondent for this research is undergraduate university student. The study has some specific objective are as follow, i) To determine important factors affect the customer loyalty on bank ii) To analyze the relationship between reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, tangibles, customer satisfaction, corporate image, commitment and conflict handling. iii) To make suggestion that could assist bank manager to increase customer loyalty towards bank. 1.5 Research Justification Nowadays, gaining customer loyalty becomes the purpose of a bank in order to survive in the competitive market. So, all the banking organization tries to make every customer satisfy their services. The result of this research will be able to provide an insight into how the bank manager to determine the factor that can affect the customer loyalty towards banking industry. All the relationship between the factors and customer loyalty can help the bank manager to making more effective market strategic. Besides, this result also can benefit all organizations includes banking industry. With the research, they can determine the factor that can influence the customer loyalty and the relationship between the factors and customer loyalty. Therefore, they can learn and make decision at the better way. Furthermore, the findings of this research are very useful to local banking industry. The findings of this research can provide some useful feedbacks that help the bank manager to improve the bank service quality. It is important to banking industry as it has direct impact of customer loyalty. If the improvement of the bank services parallel with the needs of the customer, the bank can increase the amount of customer satisfaction. High level customer satisfaction will reduce the customer switching. 1.6 Limitation of the study This study only focuses on banking industry in Malaysia due to the time limitation and other country banking industry hard to do more research on it. Besides, the customer loyalty also affect buy other external factors such as price. Besides, the research only focuses on undergraduate university students which include the local university and private university. It is hard to find target respondent other than undergraduate university student to do the survey. It is assumed that the respondents will answer the question in an honest manner. So, the results get from the research maybe not accurate. 1.7 Scope of the study This research target respondents consist of a group of 200 undergraduate university students. The undergraduate university students must be a bank customer. In this research, data are collected through primary research by the questionnaire survey form. Suggestion, recommendations from the bank customer can get through the survey form. In order to achieve the objective of the research, the questionnaires will be set based on research objective and hypotheses statement. It can make sure that the data that had been collected are more accurate and useful for the research. 1.8 Conclusion As a conclusion, bank should always keep improve the services in order to compete with other competitor. Customer loyalty is a key success for a banking industry. The cost of creating a new customer has been expected to be five times more than that of retaining an existing customer (Reichheld, 1996). 1.9 Definition bank A  bank  is a financial institution that accepts deposits and channels those deposits into lending activities. Banks primarily provide financial services to customers while enriching investors. Government restrictions on financial activities by banks vary over time and location. Banks are important players in financial markets and offer services such as investment funds and loans. Customer loyalty Customer loyalty can be define as a deeply held commitment to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product or service consistently in the future, despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior.(Oliver 1997,p.360) Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is defined as the customers response to the evaluation of the perceived discrepancy between prior expectations and the actual performance of the product/service as perceived after its consumption. (Che-Ha,Tse, 2007 and Tse and Wilton, 1988,p.127) 1.10 Organization of Research Project This research project consists of five chapters which is introduction, literature review and research methodology, results and discussion, conclusions and recommendations. Chapter one is introduction of the research project. It begins with the overview and background of the topic. After that, this chapter also covers background of the research and problem statement. After identify objective of research, research justification will be discuss. Finally, limitation of the study and scope of the study will be explained. Chapter two is literature review. It presents the variables that involve in this research. The variables include reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, tangibles, customer satisfaction, corporate image, commitment and conflict handling. First, I define the key terms and variables, and then followed by literature review in the context of factors affecting customer loyalty towards bank. Finally, a small conclusion will be discussed. Chapter three states the research methodology. It begins with introduction and then followed by a complete research framework to illustrate the relationship between the dependent variable and independent variable. After that, nine hypotheses were developed to test the correlation. Sampling procedures and sources of data will also discuss in this chapter. Furthermore, some technique to develop questionnaire also will discuss. Chapter four presents the results from the data analyses. The analysis examines the results how whether the variables can influence the bank customer loyalty. The analysis can find out there is any significant relationship between the independent variables and dependent variable. Chapter five states the recommendation and conclusion. It discusses the major finding and concludes the study. It also highlights the implication of this study, limitations and some suggestion for the future research.

Appearances - A Universal Concern :: essays research papers fc

Appearances - A Universal Concern   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A desire to appear attractive is universal; it permeates all cultures and peoples, and stretches from the past to the present. Throughout history, both men and women have gone to great lengths to become more attractive. In all parts of the world, people take many different measures to beautify themselves. Even move, the animal world also exhibits the desire to be attractive. Male birds of paradise, with their brilliant hues, contrast sharply with the females. Male peacocks have stunning tail-feathers that are obviously used to attract females as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although it is true that a subgroup of all peoples have expended great sums of money and energy to put themselves through a great deal of usually self- imposed tribulation and suffering, it is easy to discern the different perceptions of beauty held by various groups. These perceptions vary greatly abetween groups, which are demarcated by class, cultural, geographical, chronological, and religious borders, to name a few. What may be considered very attractive by one group may even be seen as repulsive in another. The gangster with tattoos all over his body, clothed in attire that is much too large, with rings in all the most unexpected places, and sporting an outrageous hairdo, considers himself very attractive indeed. Yet, so do the tall, smartly dressed businesspersons with their suit, tie, and white handkerchief. Men and women of the Victorian era, when women's ankles were not even permitted to be exposed, would surely be shocked at the revealing outfits that have been donned by members of today's society. In other words, one's perception of beauty is greatly influenced by the surrounding environment and the social groups to which he belongs. Yet, whatever one's perception of beauty, one thing is the same. This is that all have taken great pains about their appearance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why are good appearances so important to people?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People tend to make initial judgments by first impressions that are usually based on appearances to a great extent. These initial judgments are doubtlessly very important in many types of social, business, and other relationships. Moreover, it is much easier for an attractive person to be socially active. He or she is usually perceived as more pleasant, which makes it easier for him or her to approach others. Besides, some careers, such as models, actors or actresses, television anchors, and salespersons rely to a significant extent on their outward appearances. They must do their best to please the audience, draw attention, or make a sale.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The following three experiments done by the television news magazine 20/20 illustrate the difference that appearances can have in one's everyday life, Appearances - A Universal Concern :: essays research papers fc Appearances - A Universal Concern   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A desire to appear attractive is universal; it permeates all cultures and peoples, and stretches from the past to the present. Throughout history, both men and women have gone to great lengths to become more attractive. In all parts of the world, people take many different measures to beautify themselves. Even move, the animal world also exhibits the desire to be attractive. Male birds of paradise, with their brilliant hues, contrast sharply with the females. Male peacocks have stunning tail-feathers that are obviously used to attract females as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although it is true that a subgroup of all peoples have expended great sums of money and energy to put themselves through a great deal of usually self- imposed tribulation and suffering, it is easy to discern the different perceptions of beauty held by various groups. These perceptions vary greatly abetween groups, which are demarcated by class, cultural, geographical, chronological, and religious borders, to name a few. What may be considered very attractive by one group may even be seen as repulsive in another. The gangster with tattoos all over his body, clothed in attire that is much too large, with rings in all the most unexpected places, and sporting an outrageous hairdo, considers himself very attractive indeed. Yet, so do the tall, smartly dressed businesspersons with their suit, tie, and white handkerchief. Men and women of the Victorian era, when women's ankles were not even permitted to be exposed, would surely be shocked at the revealing outfits that have been donned by members of today's society. In other words, one's perception of beauty is greatly influenced by the surrounding environment and the social groups to which he belongs. Yet, whatever one's perception of beauty, one thing is the same. This is that all have taken great pains about their appearance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Why are good appearances so important to people?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People tend to make initial judgments by first impressions that are usually based on appearances to a great extent. These initial judgments are doubtlessly very important in many types of social, business, and other relationships. Moreover, it is much easier for an attractive person to be socially active. He or she is usually perceived as more pleasant, which makes it easier for him or her to approach others. Besides, some careers, such as models, actors or actresses, television anchors, and salespersons rely to a significant extent on their outward appearances. They must do their best to please the audience, draw attention, or make a sale.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The following three experiments done by the television news magazine 20/20 illustrate the difference that appearances can have in one's everyday life,

Porter five forces of AirAsia Essay

Rivalry among existing competitor Air Asia offers flights with lower price that other companies, but there are some companies that also offer service by the same price such as Malindo Air and Firefly and also these companies provide service with the same level of Air Asia so, in this case rivalry among existing competitor is high. Threat of substitutes We can define substitutes as a product or service that can be replaced with original product and give more satisfaction to customers. In airline industry these substitutes exist, For example if someone wants to go to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur can choose bus or train. As we know the bus is the cheapest transportation so customer prefers bus. But if we assume that customer wants to go to Australia airline is a good choice and by access internet customers will compare prices and choose the more reasonable for themselves in such a case threat of substitutes is moderate to Air Asia Power of buyer Success of industry can influenced by buyer. So, which companies offer better service to their customers , they are winner of the competition. Air Asia has lower price with better services than others, so it can be a good choice for customer. Power of buyer is a quite high to Air Asia. Power of supplier Every industry has some suppliers these suppliers have their own effect on the industry for airlines. There are only two options Boeing and Airbus. All airline company have the same situation. Both of them provide almost same standards aircraft and hence switching to Air Asia is low. Moreover Air Asia place order form Airbus to expend its routs to international routes so power of supplier may be reduced as Airbus’s profit may be influenced by Air Asia . Generally power of supplier is a quit moderate to Air Asia Threat of entrants Setting up airline industry needs a high capital so it has high barriers, for  example purchase aircraft, set up services, hire staff and†¦. It’s not enough most of time customer choose the product or industry which they are really trust. New entrants have to create brand loyalty by making huge investment to establish reputation. government legislation is one of the barriers for entering to this industry because it is too difficult getting a new flight route from government. Profit of Asia Air is related to extend their network for example MAS has been protected by Malaysia government on the route to Sydney and Seoul Incheon hence situation for AirAsia getting difficult to find a new route and it influence Air Asia’s profit. In another way AirAsia is closed to government in south Asia this helps Ari Asia to open up and capture a sizable market in south Asian countries. Government policy has limited new entrant so AirAsia is already settled on the market.

How to write a medical billing resume (with examples)

How to write a medical billing resume (with examples) If you’re interested in starting (or growing a career) in the mega-hot healthcare industry but are interested in a more administrative path, medical billing can be a great choice. Medical billing professionals handle the financial side of healthcare, translating medical charts into billing codes that are then sent to insurance companies or patients. Let’s look at three different job applicants’ medical billing resumes: one just starting out, another with experience under her belt, and a third who’s looking to move into a managerial position.First up is Amanda, our medical billing newbie.Download this resumeAmanda Brinker3298 First StreetLincoln, NE 12121(333) 111-2222Amanda.Brinker.III@emaildomain.comOrganized, Efficient Recent Grad with Administrative ExperienceKEY STRENGTHSCompleted medical billing and terminology certificate programProficient in evaluating and processing insurance claimsExperienced working as an admin in a medical clinicWell-versed in E MR and current medical billing technologyEDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONNebraska South College; Associate’s Degree, Health Information ManagementAwards/Honors: Dean’s List, graduated in top 10th percentileEXPERIENCEMidwest Animal Clinic (Lincoln, NE)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jan. 2016 – presentOffice AssistantPerform administrative support in a veterinary medical clinic.Process patient information and charts.Answer phones and handle waiting room triage.Schedule appointments and manage calendars.Provide customer care and information.The Oppenheimer Group (Lincoln, NE)Sept. 2017 – Dec. 2017Claims InternProvided administrative support for the Claims department of a large insurance company.Processed insurance claims, verifying information and routing to the appropriate team members.Maintained and enhanced a digital claim filing system.Amanda doesn’t yet have a ton of experience working in medical billing yet, but she does have a few things going for her: she’s c ompleted a training program, she has experience working in a medical office (albeit a veterinary one), and she also has experience working at an insurance company in an internship. In her resume, she wants to play up those important features, so she starts with a â€Å"Key Strengths† section that helps focus the reader on what she brings to this job. By setting the narrative herself rather than doing the standard reverse-chronological resume format (putting experience first), Amanda is making sure that the information she wants the reader to see most is front and center.Next up is Joe, who has been a medical billing professional for about 10 years.Download this resumeJoe Lightfoot7676 Francis Street * Pawnee, Indiana 56565 * 999-222-1111JoeQLightfoot@emaildomain.comCore Competencies  ICD-9 expertiseProven accuracy and attention to detailExpert knowledge of medical billing security and encrypted data managementAdept at communicating with patients, medical staff, and administ rative staffExperienceMetro Hospital  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pawnee, INMedical Billing Specialist  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2011 – presentManage and coordinate billing for patients.Administer an active company-wide database of patient and insurance information.Encrypt medical service charges using ICD-9 code system.Oversee the distribution of bills to patients and insurance companies.Mentor new employees and department interns as part of Metro’s talent development initiative.Indiana North University Hospital  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shaw, INMedical Billing Clerk  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008 – 2011Ensured accuracy and data security of patient information and billing codes.Processed statements and invoices through the AccuCare medical billing system.Tracked submitted claims, including instituting tracers as necessary.Developed expertise in all commercial, private, and managed care insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.Office of Janet M. Arroyo, MD                                                            Pawnee, INAssistant Billing Clerk  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2007 – 2008Processed and marked patient charts for coding and billing.Filed patient records and submitted claims.Assisted senior billing clerk with audits, coding, and electronic claim submission.Farley Medical Supply  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pawnee, INBookkeeper  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2005 – 2007Processed vendor invoices to ensure prompt, accurate payments.Issued customer invoices.Recorde d cash receipts and made bank deposits.Maintained detailed logs and the chart of accounts.SkillsExemplary record keepingFocus on customer data accuracy and information securityWorking knowledge of all insurance types and ongoing regulation changesElectronic medical record maintenanceMicrosoft Office suite expertiseEducation and CertificationBrady College (Parkville, IN)AAS, Medical Billing and Coding, 2007AAS, Business Management, 2005Joe goes with a more traditional format (the reverse-chronological format, which features experience most prominently). It works well for his resume, because he has years of experience to feature. However, he starts with a list of core competencies to guide the reader toward specific aspects of his career so far. His experience bullets support those points as well. And he’s also careful not to repeat bullet points, even though there may not have been huge differences between his medical billing jobs. It’s important to differentiate as muc h as you can, finding unique points to highlight for each of your positions.And last but not least, here’s Abdullah, who is trying to level up in her medical billing career by moving into a management position.Download this resumeAbdullah Hernandez75 Market BoulevardTarrytown, NY 43434222.444.6666A.F.Hernandez@emaildomain.comExperienced, results-oriented medical billing specialist seeking to leverage 15+ years of administrative excellence into a supervisory position.Core CompetenciesEnsuring the highest-quality coding and billing work from self and team membersDeveloping workflow processes and protocols to ensure billing and coding accuracyTalent development and managementBilingual (English and Spanish)ExperienceMedical Billing Specialist                                   County General Hospital6/2013 – present  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã ‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New Rochelle, NYEstablish and implement guidelines for medical providers to ensure data accuracy.Work with Billing Supervisor to determine team assignments.Developed a cross-checking system with the front office to ensure that patient data is complete and accurate for claims processing.Oversee regular reporting to ensure that claims are processed and sent out on schedule.Manage database of insurance information, hospital procedure data, and billing codes.Billing Clerk                                                                                               State VA Hospital3/2010 – 6/2013  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Albany, NYVerified patient information and payments, following up with Collections procedures when necessary.Researched and resolved denials and rejections in a timely manner.Reviewed billing edits and verified patient information with insurance companies.Submitted claims to Medicare/Medicaid with the highest degree of accuracy.Medical Billing Clerk                                                           Anson Health Center7/2008 – 3/2010  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Albany, NYCoordinated bills for patients, routing them to patients and insurance companies.Resolved billing issues and disputes.Processed worker’s compensation claims.Transitioned the clinic t o a digitized filing system for claims and billing.Medical Billing Assistant                                             HealthPoint Services5/2003 – 3/2010  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Albany, NYObtained and processed patient charts and medical records for billing purposes.Verified patient information as necessary.Maintained patient information database.Organized, scanned, and copied patient charts for billing and archiving.Technical SkillsICD-9 coding systemAccuBill database managementMicrosoft Office suiteGoogle suite  Education/AffiliationsAmerican Society of Medical Billing ProfessionalsSecretary, Hudson Valley Chapter2015 – presentHuntville CollegeBachelor’s Degree, Health ManagementAssociate’s Degree, Medical Coding and BillingAbdullah has a sizable work history, but because she’s seeking to move up it’s important to emphasize not just that she has the experience and skills, but also the upward trajectory in her career. She does this by emphasizing the standards she holds for herself and others in the â€Å"Core Competencies† section, and by showing increasing levels of sophistication and responsibility throughout her different jobs. The old clichà © applies here: show, don’t tell. Make sure your resume supports the job you want, not just the jobs you’ve had.

ACT English Word Choice and Diction Errors

ACT English Word Choice and Diction Errors SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One of the trickier concepts that you will be tested on ACT English is your ability to choose the right word from among many that are not quite right, and to spot when words are being used incorrectly. Are you confident in your ability to find the differences in a group of similar words? Can you distinguish what’s needed from the context of a question? If you’re not so sure, read on to see how the ACT English will test you on this skill!In this post, I'll cover everything you need to know about these questions: What Does â€Å"Diction† Mean, Anyway? Diction is a fancy synonym forâ€Å"word choice† - you may have heard your literature teacher talk about itwhen analyzing a famous author’s writing style. On the ACT English, there are three main ways that word choice becomes important: recognizing commonly confused words understanding meaning in context recognizing idiomatic uses of phrases with prepositions This final topic is large enough thatwe have a whole separate article dedicated to it. But for the first two, let's lookat some example sentences that illustrate these concepts. There is nothing better then (1) waking up to the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. The exciting (2) smell really gets my blood pumping. 1. A. NO CHANGE B. better than C. better D. better to 2. A. NO CHANGE B. simulating C. dazzling D. stimulating Answers: 1. B; 2. D How did you do? These questions cover two of the most common types of diction errors that you will see on ACT English – commonly confused words and understanding meaning in context. Both of these test your ability to understand when a word is being used incorrectly. I’ll go into each of these question types in more detail below. But first, let’s talk about why ACT English has diction errors in the first place. Why Diction Errors? ACT English basically tests your ability to be an editor. The ACT wants to see if you can spot and correct errors in short passages. This skill is important for college level work, such as writing papers. Most of the ACT English questions focus on grammar, punctuation and style. By reading our guides or using another prep method, you can learn the various grammar rules that are important for being able to answer most of the questions on ACT English. With diction questions, the ACT is looking to see which students can also spot errors where you can’t apply your grammar rules. The only way you will know these answers is to understand the subtle differences between similar words. If you don’t think this task sounds too difficult, keep in mind that many students make diction errors all the time in their everyday speech and writing. The makers of the ACT know which words are most confusing for students, and focus on these when writing the test. So let’s start there – with the most commonly confused words that the ACT loves to test. The Most Common Diction Errors Some of the diction errors the ACT tests are random and therefore essentially impossibleto study for. However, the ACT writers havea couple of favorite errors, which usually appear at least once on every test. We'll go through these one at a time. THAN vs. THEN The first key concept for diction questionsis understanding the difference between â€Å"than† and â€Å"then.† Than is used to show a comparison. I am smarter than you are. He eats more rice than beans. Then is used for showing what happens next. First, she went to the store. Then, she went home. I want to eat my rice, then my beans. Pop Quiz! Look at the following pair of sentences. Can you tell which one is correct? I like blue Cornish cheese more then any other cheese in the world. I like blue Cornish cheese more than any other cheese in the world. Answer: the second is correct because the sentence shows a comparison - than is needed. How Should You Approach These Questions? Then/than errorsare pretty easy to spot and correct. When you see one of these words underlined, look at the rest of the sentence. If it is comparing something, use â€Å"than." If it is telling that one thing happened after another, use â€Å"then.† Let’s look back at the first question At the beginning of the article, I gave you the following question: There is nothing better thenwaking up to the smell of freshly-brewed coffee. A. No change B. better than C. better D. better to Now you can understand why the answer is (B) better than. The sentence shows a comparison (waking up and smelling coffee vs. waking up and doing anything else), so we need than. HAVE vs. OF The second most important diction pair to know is â€Å"have† and â€Å"of." The important distinction here is that â€Å"have† is a helping verb, while â€Å"of† is a preposition. If you see â€Å"of† being used as a helping verb, it will be incorrect! The #1 Rule for Have/Of: If you see could of, would/will of, should of, or might of: these are all INCORRECT. Instead they should be could HAVE, would/will HAVE, should HAVE, and might HAVE. This is one of those â€Å"everyday English† mistakes. In speaking, people tend to pronounceâ€Å"have† likeâ€Å"of† because it’s faster and easier to say. It also sounds a lot like our contractions â€Å"would’ve," â€Å"should’ve," etc. This has led some people to believe that â€Å"of† is actually the correct word to use in these circumstances - but it’s not! Let’s look at some examples: She would of preferred gorgonzola, but she got Cornish blue instead. INCORRECT She would have preferred gorgonzola, but she got Cornish blue instead. CORRECT "Would of" is always incorrect; "would have" is the correct replacement. How Should You Approach These Questions? Have/of questions should also be very easy to spot if you're looking for them. If you see of or have underlined, be ready to see a diction question. Remember that if you have would/will of, might of, should of, or could of, you can immediately cross out those answers. Choose an answer that replaces â€Å"of† with â€Å"have† and is also grammatically correct in the sentence. Let’s look at an example from the ACT. Dickinson’s last twenty years of letters many over 1,500 words in length reveals the breadth and depth of her connection to the world through a wide circle of correspondents. A. NO CHANGE B. reveal C. will of revealed D. would of revealed First thing we see in the answer choices are two answers that can automatically be crossed out, whichmakes our lives so much easier! Get rid of C and D, which both have the dreaded â€Å"of† construction. Now it’s a matter of differentiating between â€Å"reveals† and â€Å"reveal." At this point, you may notice that we are looking at a subject-verb agreement question. So we need to find what the subject is. Ask yourself: what is doing the revealing? It’s the â€Å"last twenty years of letters." When we cross out modifiers and the prepositional phrase, we get â€Å"last twenty years of letters." Now it’s obvious that â€Å"years† is the subject. Since â€Å"years† is a plural noun, we need the plural verb, which is â€Å"reveal." B is the answer. Other Easily Confused Words The ACT will rarely test other commonly-confused words. These questions are very difficult to predict because they happen quite infrequently. I have included a list of commonly confused words at the end of this article. Try reading through them and see if there are any that surprise you or that you didn’t know. If so, it wouldn’t hurt to make sure you have these down before you take the test. But don’t bother spending a lot of time worrying about this list. The ACT will rarely test this kind of question, so it’s really not worth stressing out over. You will most often see these commonly confused words in the context of our next type of question, which is†¦. Understanding Word Meaning in Context Instead of using really tricky commonly confused words, the ACT usually uses fairly common words with similar meanings, and asks you to choose which one is best for the sentence. This can be tricky because you have to really think about what the differences are between the different words that you're given, and also understand what the sentence needs in order to most correctly complete it. Let’s look at an example of this type of problem from the ACT: Many people might be surprised to learn that the American way of computing a person’s age differs from the traditional Korean way. In Korean tradition, a person is considered to be already one year old at the time of his or her birth. As a child growing up in two cultures, I found this contest a bit confusing. When I was in the fifth grade, was I ten or eleven years old? A.NO CHANGE B. change C. dispute D. difference This example shows how the ACT uses relatively simple words to try to trick you. You are probably familiar with all of the words in the answer choices, so let’s look at them closely to see which one best fits the sentence. All of the words here imply some sort of contrast or conflict, but in very different ways. Let’s start with the given word, â€Å"contest." A contest implies some form of formal competition between two things. Though the author says that there are differences between American and Korean age counting traditions, he doesn’t imply that they were actually in competition with each other. So (A) is out. Let’s look at (B). â€Å"Change† implies that something was one way, and then became another way. This doesn’t work because these traditions haven’t changed from one to the other - they were just different to begin with. So (B) is out. (C) is quite similar to (A), in that â€Å"dispute," like â€Å"contest," shows a direct conflict between two things. Again, this doesn’t really work because the two traditions aren’t actually competing with each other. That leaves us with (D), which is the only answer that makes sense. As we’ve said, the two traditions aren’t having a fight; they contrast simply because they have different characteristics. That means that (D), â€Å"differences," is the most appropriate answer. How Should You Approach These Questions? The meaning in context questions are definitely the trickiest of the diction questions. To spot them, look for questions that have an underlined word and answer choices that are completely different words, but are loosely related in meaning. First, read through the sentence. Try to place a word of your own in the spot of the underlined word. Now look at the answer choices. Though they will be slightly similar words, they will have different meanings. Which of them can have the meaning most like the word you put into the sentence? Choose that as the answer. Let’s look at this example from the ACT and use the above strategy to answer it. Perhaps the celebration of New Year’s Day in Korean culture is heightened because it is thought of as everyone’s birthday party. A. NO CHANGE B. raised C. lifted D. lighted First, let’s read through the sentence and try to see what should go in the blank. â€Å"Perhaps the celebration of New Year’s Day in Korean culture is _______ because it is thought of as everyone’s birthday party.† Something along the lines of â€Å"made more important† makes sense here. So which word could mean that? You’ll notice that almost all the words imply going up in one way or another - this is how the ACT is trying to trick you. But in the right context, one of them can also mean showing greater importance. â€Å"Raised† and â€Å"lifted† both refer to physically moving something up (unless they are paired with other words - not the case here). So (B) and (C) are out. â€Å"Lighted† is thrown in here to trick you and is quite different to the others - its means something has been made lighter, as in the opposite of darker. It doesn’t work at all, so (D) is out. Therefore the best word is the one the sentence started out with. If you look up â€Å"heighten†, you will see it can mean to physically raise something up, but it can also mean to make something more intense or significant, which is close to the original idea we came up with, which was making something more important. Looking Back The second question I gave you about smelling coffee in the morning had one of these meaning in context errors. Take a second look at the question. Though the answer choices are all vaguely related – they all imply something that excites or surprises in some way – the correct answer is â€Å"stimulating†. This is the only word that really implies something that helps wake you up, which is what is needed to correctly complete the sentence. Quick Recap To summarize, here are the key strategies you need to use to master diction questions on ACT English: â€Å"Of† used as a helping verb (would of, should of) is always incorrect. Choose an answer that replaces it with â€Å"have." Use â€Å"than† for sentences with comparisons. Use â€Å"then† to show one thing happening after another. When you see a meaning in context question, first read through the sentence and mentally replace the word with one that makes sense in the sentence. Choose the answer that comes closest to the word you used. Now It’s Your Turn! Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. For the past twelve years, Khoubbane has been the unassuming leader of a unique (1) culinary movement in Morocco: creating and distributing a variety of high-quality cheeses throughout the country He slices a small piece off the outer edge of the wheel. A fine dusting of white mold already covers the cheese. The flavor is intense and creamy, with just a hint of the tang that will of developed (2) over the next five months with only Khoubbane's watchful eye and sensible (3) palate to determine when it has finished maturing. It is an unexpected undertaking for the 56 year old. Cheese, as the western world knows it, is unpopular in Morocco. "Moroccans don't eat smelly things," he says with a shrug. "There is less love for cheese here then in (4) France or Italy." This attitude is slowly changing, thanks to Khoubbane. His success, he says, has been due to the fact that he has viewed the process as a labor of love, rather than a business adventure.(5) A. NO CHANGE B. single C. differentiated D. specified A. NO CHANGE B. would of developed C. will develop D. develops A. NO CHANGE B. sensitive C. emotional D. touchy A. NO CHANGE B. then between C. than in D. than between A. NO CHANGE B. venture C. advantage D. process 1. A; 2. C; B.; 4. C; 5. B List of Commonly Confused Words WORD MEANING WORD MEANING accept to receive, take except excluding access entrance; opportunity excess more than needed addition something added edition a certain production of something adopt to legally take on, accept adapt to change to be more suitable advice a recommendation advise to give a recommendation adverse bad; unfavorable averse opposed to affect to influence effect a result afflict to cause suffering inflict to force something harmful aisle space between rows isle island allude to make an indirect reference elude to avoid allusion an indirect reference illusion a false idea or vision already happened before now all ready to be entirely prepared altar table for religious ceremony alter to change altogether completely; entirely all together all things with each other a lot a large number of something allot to give out an amount of something ambivalent to have two different feelings about something ambiguous having more than one possible meaning amoral having no sense or right and wrong immoral having intentionally bad morals anecdote ashort personal story antidote a substance or activity that stops something bad angel a spiritual creature angle space between intersecting lines measured in degrees apart separated, into pieces a part a piece of something appraise to examine and judge apprise to tell someone of something are 3rd person plural of â€Å"to be† our belonging to us accent how someone pronounces words ascent movement up assent agreement/approval assistance help assistants helpers attribute a quality/characteristic contribute to give something auditory related to hearing audible able to be heard aural related to hearing oral spoken, or related to the mouth balmy pleasantly warm barmy crazy or silly bare not covered bear to carry or accept something bated in suspense, excited baited to harass (past tense) bazaar a market bizarre very strange and surprising berth a bed on a boat/train birth time when a baby is born beside next to something besides in addition to something boar a wild pig bore a dull person board a long, flat piece of wood bored feeling uninterested born to have been birthed borne carried bough a large branch of a tree bow bend upper body forward breath air that comes from lunch breathe to take air in and out brake part of a vehicle that stops it break to separate into pieces buy to purchase by shows a person who does something canvas a strong cloth canvass to ask people their opinions censure to criticize formally censor to remove offensive things from public capital city where government is based,ormoney capitol state legislature building choose to decide or pick chose past tense of choose climactic an important or exciting time climatic relating to the weather coarse rough and thick course a series of lessons collaborate to work together corroborate to provide supporting information command to order commend to praise complacent feeling you don’t need to try hard complaisant willingness to please others complement something that goes well with something else compliment saying something to show praise comprehensive thorough comprehensible easy to understand conscience the part of you that makes you feel guilty conscious aware; awake contemptuous showing contempt contemptible extremely bad corps a group of people or military force corpse a dead body council an elected group of people counsel to give advice credible able to be believed credulous gullible dairy milk products diary a book of personal thoughts descent a movement down dissent disagreement desirous wanting something desirable attractive dessert sweet food desert hot, dry area device equipment used for a particular purpose devise to design or invent something discreet secretive discrete separate and different disinterested impartial uninterested not interested do a helping verb dew drops of water due expected or planned dominant most important or wanting control dominate to control or have power over die to stop living dye substance used to change color dyeing to change the color of dying present participle of â€Å"die† elicit to get info or a reaction from someone illicit not legal eminent respected imminent about to happen immanent permanent part of something emit to send out gas/heat/light omit exclude envelop cover something envelope what letters go in everyday commonplace every day each day exhaustive comprehensive exhausting tiring expandable gets bigger expendable non-essential explicit clear, detailed implicit implied or suggested fair reasonable fare cost farther more distant (physical distance) further more flaunt exaggerate flout intentionally break the rules formally properly formerly before foreboding apprehension or anxiety forbidding unfriendly or hostile forth forwards fourth first, second, third†¦.. gorilla large monkey guerrilla unofficial military group hear percieving sound here in this place or moment heard percieved sound (past tense of hear) herd flock/gaggle/group hoard collect/store horde large group hole hollow space in something whole complete human people/person humane kind implicit implied or suggested complicit involved in imply suggest implicate suggest someone is involved in something infer guess something based on the information you have incur cause unpleasant consequences to oneself occur to happen indeterminate uncertain or unclear interminable lasting a long time, in a boring way influence impact affluence wealth ingenious really clever ingenuous innocent and trusting its belongs to it’s it is knew past tense of "know" new not old know to be aware of something no a denial laid past tense of lay lain past tense of lie later occuring further along in time latter near the end of a period lay to put something down lie to recline horizontally lead to take charge led had taken charge lessen to reduce or decrease lesson what a teacher teaches lightning weather lightening becoming lighter or brighter loose not tight lose to not win maybe an adverb that means "perhaps" may be a verb phrase indicating that something could happen but is not certain meat flesh meet assemble mete administer a punishment metal hard, shiny substance medal metal object given as a prize mettle courage, strength, or fortitude miner someone who works in a mine minor not important; underageperson moral right and wrongs morale confidence level in the success of an endeavor passed to go by something; alternatively, to qualify past something that’s happened before now patience to stay calm patients sick people peace tranquility piece a part of peak the top peek a quick look pique annoyance pedal foot operated part of machine petal part of a flower peddle to sell perpetrate do something bad perpetuate to sustain or preserve something personal relating to a person personnel staff persecute oppress or abuse prosecute to take legal action against someone perspective viewpoint prospective potential buyer, or applying to the future plain ordinary, unremarkable plane flying vehicle pore small hole, esp. in the skin pour make liquid flow from a container precede to happen before something else proceed to go forward precedent an example or model president the head of prescribe recommend or authorize medical treatment proscribe to forbid presence being in a place presents gifts principal most important principle fundamental rule quiet no noise quite completely rain precipitation reign to rule rein straps that control a horse raise to lift raze completely destroy rational reasonable rationale the reason reluctant unwilling reticent saying little about what you feel respectfully showing respect respectively in the same order reverend Christian official reverent showing respect right correct rite traditional religious ceremony write produce words road surface built for vehicles rode to have ridden scene location or site seen to have looked sense feeling or awareness of something; one of the 5 senses since between the past and now; because sensible practical or realistic sensitive delicate; responsive sensory connected to the physical senses sight vision site a place cite mention something as proof simulate to mimic stimulate to activate or energize a process stationary unmoving; still stationery office supplies, esp. paper straight not curved strait narrow waterway or channel connecting two bodies of water suppose assume or presume supposed to expected to do something taught educated, instructed taut stretched very tight than used to compare two things then at that time their belongs to them there at that place or location they’re they are through from one end to the other threw to have thrown thorough completely to preposition used to describe a definition or identify the object of something too as well as two comes after one track narrow path tract large area of land visual relating to seeing visible able to seen waist around the middle of your body waste a bad use of something waive give up or cede wave move hand from side to side weak not strong week 7 days weather conditions in the air above the earth (wind, rain etc) whether if, or not wether a castrated ram where to, at, or in what place were past tense of "to be" which determining pronoun witch woman with magical powers whose pronoun identifying what belongs to someone who’s who is your belonging to you you’re you are yore a long time ago What’s Next? Now that you know how to tackle one of the trickier subjects on the ACT English, try another: here is how to take on idioms on the ACT. Not sure what else you’ll be up against? Here is a full breakdown of what you will find on ACT English. Aiming high? Here are some top tips to get a 36 on ACT English. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: