Strength and Conditioning Article Critique

â€Å"Strength Training for the Warfighter† an article by William Kraemer and Tunde Szivak discusses methods that can be used to make endurance training for soldiers and professional athletes more effective.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Strength and Conditioning Article Critique specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kraemer and Szivak deviate from the traditional methods used in endurance training for soldiers which focused on physical fitness. Kraemer and Szivak propose that endurance training for soldiers should be based on mission requirements that involve tailoring endurance training programs to meet the psychological, physical, and environmental challenges encountered on the battlefield. These scholars maintain that the main purpose of endurance training programs is to increase power and maximal strength because they are the basis of neuromuscular fitness. Another aim of endurance or resistance traini ng is to shield soldiers from injuries and improve performance (Kraemer , Szivak, 2012). Kraemer and Szivak argue that in order to come up with effective endurance training programs, one needs to understand physiological principles of power and strength development. In order to make muscles more powerful, an endurance training program should be designed in a way that stimulate more motor units. Current endurance training programs used by the military are ineffective because they stimulate a few motor units. In designing an effective endurance training program, certain variables need to be taken into consideration.Advertising Looking for article on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These include choice of the program, order of exercises, load resistance used, rest between exercises, and number of sets. These variables should be designed to enable concurrent training, which is training both the anaerobic and aero bic metabolic systems (Kraemer , Szivak, 2012). Lastly, Kraemer and Szivak also stress on the need of paying attention to workout styles. In regard to this, Kraemer and Szivak advocate for a flexible nonlinear approach because it incorporates several workouts. Ideally, in endurance training, one should start with minor workouts, followed by light workouts, moderate workouts, heavy workouts, and finally very heavy workouts (Kraemer , Szivak, 2012). Kraemer and Szivak make important points when it comes to designing endurance programs for soldiers. Currently, soldiers are subjected to heavy endurance training, mainly in the form of long-distance running that is not compatible with their needs in the battle field (Ferruggia, 2008). Additionally, long-distance running does not give soldiers the necessary muscle mass and strength they need to deal with the challenges on the modern battlefield. This is because it does not train the relevant muscles and motor units. Kraemer and Szivak†™s proposition that military endurance training should be tailored to meet the needs of soldiers is essential.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Strength and Conditioning Article Critique specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kraemer and Szivak’s proposal for designing military endurance programs is also useful. They suggest that military endurance programs do not have to be linear and rigid. Military commanders and trainers should let soldiers engage in exercises, they feel comfortable with without forcing them to stick to a strict training schedule. In addition, Kraemer and Szivak maintain that effective endurance training programs should allow soldiers adequate rest between training sessions. This is useful as the current military endurance training programs overwork soldiers, leading to depletion and damage to their muscles, instead of building them (Baechle , Earle, 2008). Kraemer and Szivak clearly ind icate that effective endurance training programs are not based on long training hours and heavy physical exercises, but on understanding the needs of soldiers in the battlefield and body physiology. However, Kraemer and Szivak fail to elaborate what types of exercises are effective in endurance training. References Baechle, T. R., Earle, R. W. (2008). Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Ferruggia, J. (2008). Fit to fight: an insanely effective strength and conditioning program for the ultimate MMA warrior. New York: Avery. Kraemer, W. J., Szivak, T. K. (2012). Strength Training For the Warfighter. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(7): 107–118. This article on Strength and Conditioning Article Critique was written and submitted by user Ricky R. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How Many Words in a Novel Word Counts Per Genre [Examples]

How Many Words in a Novel Word Counts Per Genre [Examples] How Many Words in a Novel? Exact Word Count Guide Per Genre [With Examples] How many words are in a novel? After allWriting too many words in your novel is just as embarrassing as not writing enough.A books word count does matter and if you get it wrong, this can impact your book sales, reviews, and its overall performance.But thats why were here.To not only help you understand how many words are in a novel, but how many should be in your specific book depending on what youre writing.Because yes, different types of books require different book lengths.Not only do you need to know how many words are in a novel, but also why and how the genre youre writing it can change this word count.This is how many words are in a novel:How many words in a memoir 45,000 to 80,000How many words in a self-help book 30,000 70,000How many words in a fantasy novel 50,000 150,000How many words in a sci-fi novel 50,000 150,000How many words in a romance novel 50,000 90,000How many words in a mystery novel 40,000 80,000How many words in a horror novel 40,000 80,000How many words in a dystopian novel 60,000 -120,000How many words in a contemporary novel 60,000 90,000How many words in a young adult book 60,000 90,000How many words in a middle-grade book 20,000 55,000NOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereHow many pages is 1000 words?1000 words single-spaced is about 1 page in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or equivalent software. 1000 words in a book is about 3 pages.One thing to keep in mind with how many pages is 1000 words is that it depends on the text, its size, and the spacing youre using.For example, if you write 1000 words on a page in Google Docs, but maintain double spacing, that would be about two pages. However, if your text is smaller than 12 and you use a different spacing variation, it may only be one to one and a half pages.Heres how you can make 1000 words be more than two pages:Increase the font size by .5 or 1 pointIncrease the line spacingChange the size of all the punctuation to be largerHow many words per page in a book?Ultimately, you can expect there to be roughly 300 words per page in a book you write as a whole. Because dialogue requires paragraph breaks, there will be fewer words than if you have a few pages of full paragraphs instead of dialogue.On average, there are about 300 words per page in a book. This number can vary depending on if youre writing dialogue or how short each paragraph is. How to Find How Many Words are in Your Novel So FarKnowing where to look to locate your word count will help you determine how long your book is actually going to be once its finished and you publish it (which youll learn to do in the next step).Finding your books word count depends on which writing software youre using to write it.Heres how to find your books word count for a number of writing softwares:Microsoft Word: The word count for your book in Microsoft Word will be l ocated in the bottom left corner next to the page number.Google Docs: To find the word count in Google Docs using a mac, you can hit Command Shift C (Control Shift C on Windows) and a box will pop up. You can also go to Tools Word CountScrivener: If youre using this writing tool, just go to Scrivener Preferences Editing and then select live counts to show the word count box and character on the bottom bar.Pages: To view word count in Pages on a mac, go to the toolbar and click View Show Word Count.Open Office: If youre using open office, the word count is visible in the bottom left corner.Book Length CalculatorThe best way to find out how many pages will be in your book is to use this calculation method:Take your current word count and divide it by 300. This will give you the approximate number of pages that will be in your book.Heres the book length calculator formula again:Current word count à · 300 = estimated pages in your bookFor example, if you write a book thats 80,0 00 words long, you would fill in that formula like this:80,000 à ·Ã‚   300 = 266.7 pagesKeep in mind that this is not a perfect way to calculate the number of pages your book will be. However, this rough estimation can help you understand the approximate length of your book.How many words in a novel?How many words in a novel vary depending on genre, audience, and the story itself. Generally speaking, the average novel word count is between 60,000 and 90,000 words.The amount of words in your novel does matter. Depending on your genre, having too many or too little can not only hurt your book sales, but also cause fewer 5-star reviews (which also hurts your sales).This is how many words to have in a novel for each genre.#1 How many words in a memoir?On average, when writing a memoir should not exceed 90,000 words and that is a stretch when it comes to memoir word count.We recommend memoirs be between 45,000 to 80,000 words in order to maintain intrigue and reduce intimidation. This means your memoir will average between 150 and 265 pages.When readers see that a memoir exceeds 300 pages, it sets up a red flag in their mind. Even if theyre interested in the memoir, a very lengthy memoir is often indicative of something reminiscent of an autobiography (which is basically a timeline of life events) versus a personal life telling with a theme or message.Exceptions for memoir word count:Youre famous or well-known. Anyone who already has an audience can get away with a longer memoir simply because people have already shown interest in your life. Theyre more likely to want more rather than less.Your memoir contains multiple lessons or messages. If your memoir is in several parts or you have a few messages to get across, you can write a longer memoir. Keep in mind, however, that it may be more beneficial to write two memoirs instead of one massive one.Its your first draft word count only. Its okay if your first draft is over 90,000 words. Oftentimes, professional editi ng will cut down the unnecessary information so your memoir is the appropriate word count.Average book length for a memoir: 45,000 80,000#2 How many words in a self-help book?Any self-help or motivational nonfiction book should be between 30,000 and 70,000 wordsThis means your book will be between 100 and 230 pages in total.Those looking for help through a book in this genre dont want a massive novel to go through just to read what they need. For that reason, if you have a motivational or self-help book idea, keep it at a lower word count will actually help you more.For example, our own Student Success Strategist, Lisa Zelenak, wrote this book called Find Your Thing. Its a self-help book detailing how to escape monotony in your early 20s and do work that actually matters.Find Your Thing is about 30,000 words and, with formatting, 178 pages long.The reason this book does well is because it is not a super lengthly novel. With a self-help book, your audience wants to learn something and they want to learn it sooner rather than later.Average self-help book length: 30,000 70,000 words#3 How many words in a fantasy novel?The average fantasy novel should have between 50,000 and 150,000 words. However, the true word count depends on the category in which youre writing.If youre writing a young adult fantasy novel, you should keep your word count below 90,000 words or 300 book pages.This is due to the audience youre reaching preferring that length.If youre writing an adult fantasy novel or an epic fantasy novel (like Game of Thrones), your word count can skew higher at 90,000 200,000 words.Not all fantasy novels are epic fantasy novels. Epic fantasy is a sub-genre beneath fantasy and encompasses very long journey-specific plots. Authors who write in this style are George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, and the late J.R.R. Tolkien.Average book length for fantasy novels: 50,000 150,000 wordsNOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Fiction Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it here#4 How many words in a science fiction book?Science fiction books typically have between 50,000 and 150,000 words, like fantasy novels. This puts them at between 170 500 pages.This specific genre has a lot of flexibility with word and page count due to the variety of plot types and story arcs.Here are some popular sci-fi novels and their word counts:Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 50,895 wordsEnders Game by Orson Scott Card 100,609 words Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 46,118 wordsI, Robot by Isaac Asimov – 69,000 wordsThe Stand by Stephen King 500,000 wordsThe Martian by Andy Weir 104,588 wordsAs you can see, word count for science fiction books vary widely. However, we do not suggest writing a novel of 500,000 words unless you as established as Stephen King is.Average science fiction book length: 50,000 150,000 words#5 How many words in a romance n ovel?Romance novels often run between 50,000 and 90,000 words on average.Romance is a unique genre because the plot is all about two characters and their adventure with one another. For that reason, writing a long, lengthy book just about their romance can become a problem for the readers.This is why romance books tend to be below 90,000 words.The more you write, the more you run the risk of losing your readers attention and motivation to keep reading.A popular romance novel thats a great example of keeping your story shorter rather than longer is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.This book only has 52,000 words and has become one of the most recognizable romances of our time.Average romance book length: 50,000 90,000 words#6 How many words in a mystery novel?Mystery novels do best if theyre written between 40,000 and 80,000 words.Writing more than 80,000 words can become difficult, as you have to ensure your readers dont know the answer behind the mystery.As with anything, the more you say, the easier it is to decipher the clues underneath, which is what you dont want when it comes to a mystery novel.For example, Agatha Christie, one of the bestselling mystery writers of all time, write between 40,000 and 60,000 words per book.Average mystery book length: 40,000 80,000 words#7 How many words in a horror novel?Horror is much like mystery in the sense that you dont want to drag these novels on too long. Therefore, we advise writers to stick between 40,000 to 80,000 words for horror novels.As an example, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is 42,211 words long.Average horror book length: 40,000 80,000 wordsDo you have what it takes to become a published author?Take this quick quiz to find out!Take the Quiz Now#8 How many words in a dystopian novel?Typical dystopian novels run between 60,000 and 120,000 words, though this genre has the flexibility to be longer.Because dystopian is often a sub-genre, meaning it usually has a broader genre within it like fanta sy or sci-fi, theres room to expand and grow these types of novels.Here are some popular dystopian novel word counts: The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood 90,240Red Rising by Pierce Brown 124,749 wordsThe City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau 59,937As you can see, this genres word count bounces all over the place. Just keep your intended audience in mind (young adult, middle-grade), in order to know how many worse to write.Average dytopian book length: 60,000 120,000 words#9 How many words in a contemporary book?In a typical contemporary book, you will have between 60,000 and 90,000 words.One popular example of a contemporary novel is Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, which stands at 60,965 words in total.Contemporary novels typically dont exceed 90,000 words particularly because theyre focused around modern problems versus anything other wordly. This means if you write too long of a book, you run the risk of losing your readers attention.Average contemporary boo k length: 60,000 90,000 words#10 How many words in a young adult novel?Young adult books range between 60,000 and 90,000 words. Unless youre writing a young adult epic fantasy, which can go up to 150,000 words.Young adult is a category more than a genre, but its important to keep this in mind when writing a book in any genre.Your audience matters because different age ranges prefer different lengths of books. An older audience, like new adult or adult, is far more likely to consumer a book thats over 100,000 words, whereas a younger audience like young adult only has the attention span for less than 90,000 words.#11 How many words in a middle-grade book?Middle-grade books are best if kept between 20,000 and 55,000 words in order to maintain the attention of readers this age.Anything longer can be difficult for a younger audience to consume and retain all of the information. Therefore, cap your first draft off at 65,000 words with the intent to cut out what you dont need when you ship it off to your editor.Keep in mind that these word counts are guidelines. One thing we teach here at Self-Publishing School is that you must first know the rules before you can confidently break them.Ready to start your book now?Now that you know how many words your book should be, its time to actually start writing those words!But first, make sure you know what you need to about how to write a book so you dont make the mistakes so many before you have

HEA409 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HEA409 - Essay Example In estimating the contract format, contributors must provide acceptable considerations to the business, objectives, abilities to handle the assignment, expenses, economic requirements, as well as, the potential value of the contract with managed care contract (Paul & Kylanne 169). These terms exist in the contract in the estimation of the contract period, as well as, extinction clauses. Prior to the agreement to nay condition or extinction stipulations, it is best and vital for the contributor to contain a wide perspective and determination of adding up the provisions that will accurately address the requirements of both the management care contracting and the contributor. The purpose is to establish the most suitable and enduring association. Contract Term All available contracts recognize a certain contract term. The contract term involves an episode of time for the period of which the contract exists and followed to the letter. In general, managed care contracts may be written wit h a starting period of time that is estimated to be one year maximum. This is usually to foresee the terms that contribute for an automatic reintroduction of the contract except when one group sees a certain number of days that may be foreseen to end in the annual period. Contributors should always be considerate of automatic revival provisions, as well as, their benefits and non benefits. Automatic revival provisions may arrange the stage for a wide period association that requires less control effort from the parties at the same time as providing the parties litheness to renegotiate conditions if possible and required. The risk for the contributor is that prior to the provisions, the workload is on the contributor to start a rate boost dialogue. Prior to similar conditions, the managed care contract may utilize its time in dialoging a rate boost for the after that terms of conditions and agreement. Form this, Contributors can search their benefits into a fresh contract period of t ime before a fresh economic term can be articulated and implemented; this is to formulate a substantial control, as well as, financial workload for the contributor (Clancy 919). Several annual contracts can be suitable alternative due to the potential lock in the contributor’s market share for a considerable period of time, as well as, make certain predictable income source. On the other hand, such agreements also constitute additional economic risks. Initially, prior to inward bound into such agreed conditions, the contributor must come into conclusion whether it will be possible to add protection adjacent to the prospect adverse economic situations. To contribute the appropriate protection, a contributor can involve an escalator clause for the level increase at suitable periods. If the starting assumptions on the contract may be founded prove imprecise, an example is when the projections for application per a thousand or any other expense assumptions can be off the conditio n, the escalator constructed into the contract may also experience less assumptions. Another chance to an escalator clause is for the contributor to try and dialogue the risk channels that contribute additional revenue cover up. Nevertheless, payers mainly wish that the compensation ratio constantly be equal during the provided period of time, this due to the best interest of the contributor. Furthermore, in the present dialogue

AALC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

AALC - Essay Example This has resulted to mistrust among the people in the country and community at large (Robert, 09) the vice has been rocking the community at an alarming rate. Many people are losing their lives, and critical injuries are being encountered since the inception of this dreadful act. To curb this menace, proper mitigation has to put in place. By providing viable information in agency board or committee, can lead to the arrest of these terrorists. Through well establish networking within the committees in the community, monitoring all suspicious movements within the community can be must easier. Through participation in community organization and agencies, gathering intelligence information and alerts for the police can aide to curb the problem. Voguish all terrorist occurrences the police are more concerned with the Big Fish. It is obligatory to come down hard on the supporters of the assassins. These personalities must be punished quickly and made to pay the price. The rationale behind this logic is to bring to a halt the terrorists from their followers owing to fear of retribution by the state this can only be done efficiently through community

The Hound of the Baskervilles Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Hound of the Baskervilles - Term Paper Example The tone of this story varies considerably. Imagery and choice of words otherwise called diction have been employed to bring out the tones of the novel. A fearful tone prevails throughout the story. Dr Watson in his first report states that they are four strong men who are in a position to protect themselves in case of anything but confesses that he fears for the Stepletons who would be helpless in case of any attack. Watson and Sir Henry had expressed concern and even suggested that Perkins could go and sleep there to offer them protection but the Stepletons turned down the offer. Characters in the story harbor a deep fear for the huge black hound-like beast. This is shown by the way the narrator describes the reaction of the characters whenever they come into contact with the beast. Doyle writes: â€Å"So paralyzed were we by the apparition that we allowed him to pass before we had recovered †¦ Henry †¦ hands raised in horror, glaring helplessly at the frightful thing wh ich was hunting him down† (264). Beast is a highly scaring creature, thus this image creates a fearful tone. The story starts in a patronizing tone. When Dr Watson and Mrs. Sherlock Holmes finds James Mortimer’s club in the Holmes’ house Mrs. Sherlock says: â€Å"†¦ been in the habit of carrying this stick behind his master.

Importance of Infrastructure Investment in the UK

Importance of Infrastructure Investment in the UK Acknowledgements In 1999, I completed the 1st year of the full-time Quantity Surveying course at Glasgow Caledonian University before moving to America in 2001. After a five-year stay, I returned to Glasgow in September 2006 and re-enrolled in the Part-time Quantity Surveying course. Ten years on from the first experience of the QS course, it gives me great pleasure and pride to be submitting one of the last pieces of work in the honours year. It has been an amazing and unexpected journey. I would not be in this position if it were not for the incredible levels of support and encouragement shown by so many and would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge some of these people. First, I would like to thank Raymond McCafferty Michael Heggarty of Cruden Building Renewals for employing me and giving me this opportunity. Their continued support and encouragement throughout this process has given me the focus and drive to continually improve my work. My colleagues at Cruden also deserve a special mention for their support during the dissertation and without the laughs during the day; this process would have been so much more difficult. Thanks guys!!! I would also like to thank Halbert Mills at Glasgow Caledonian University for accepting me back into the course and believing that I had the potential to get to this stage. During the course of this dissertation, I had some challenging times when I felt like I did not know how to develop my chosen topic. I would like to give my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Dr. John Lowe, for his inspirational input when I had these difficulties. Unfortunately, I cannot name everyone but I want to thank all my friends and family who without their support I would never have completed this piece of work. Mum, Dad, Gran, thank you so much for everything. Finally, the love and support shown by my Wife, Brooke, during this process has been a major source of inspiration. We will both be glad when the late night studying and completing of projects is finally over. Peter McLellan 1. Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Rationale for the Study Infrastructure forms the economic backbone of the UK. It is the fabric that defines us as a modern industrialised nation. The standard and resilience of infrastructure in the UK has a direct relationship to the growth and competitiveness of our economy. (Skinner, 2010) For the UK to retain its competitive edge, a longer-term view of investment in infrastructure must lead policy making. (Stewart, 2009) This dissertation offers an opportunity to explore and research a highly topical issue. The United Kingdom finds itself still in the midst of one of the worst economic downturns in recent memory and in a period of fiscal consolidation. As a result of this depressed economic situation, difficult decisions have had to be made by all sectors within the UK to work together to drive the country out of the recession. The recent edition of the Economic and fiscal Strategy Report and Financial Statement and budget by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, highlights the importance of implementing measures that will promote sustainable growth. Despite modest growths to GDP of 0.4 per cent in the final quarter in 2009 (NSO, 2010), the general consensus is that the United Kingdom is in the early stages of recovery. The 2010 budget, called Securing the recovery, outlines ways in which it aims to support this vision. One of these policies, is to invest in infrastructure, including additional funding for transport and local roads and creating a Green Investment bank. (UK Budget, 2010) Also, the Eddington Report, published on 1 Dec 2006, was a study jointly commissioned by the Secretary of State for Transport and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Its role was to analyse the long-term relationships, within the boundaries of the Governments wider commitment to sustainable development, between transport and the UKs growth, stability and economic productivity. The findings of this study will be discussed and compared to the investment required to meet the future demands of the UK. Furthermore, in a recent study carried out by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), it revealed that inadequate energy, transport, and communications infrastructure continues to reduce the opportunity for UK businesses to grow. It also outlines that during this period when businesses play a vital role in the recovery of the economy, productivity is being affected as a result of lack of capacity, thus restricting the UKs economic potential. (BCC survey, 2010) In response to the survey carried out in 2010, David Frost, the Director general of the BCC stated the following: A countrys infrastructure is crucial to the success of its businesses. In the current environment of economic uncertainty and public spending constraints, our energy, digital, and transport networks must be up to the job if business is to deliver growth and create employment. The intriguing situation that the UK Government now face is deciding the best way to stimulate economic growth without increasing the deficit. One of the issues with increasing deficits is the Government will have to borrow to service the debt. As a result of the world-banking crisis over the last few years, there is reluctance to increase the UK debt further and therefore this might have an impact on infrastructure investment in this country. This dissertation provides an opportunity to research the level of infrastructure required in the UK and review the part it plays to the long-term sustainable growth of the UK economy. Furthermore, in doing so, the author intends to see if further investment in Infrastructure works is viable in the current economic climate. 1.2 Aim The aim of this dissertation is to assess the importance of infrastructure investment in the United Kingdom and how this impacts on the long-term sustainable growth of the UK Economy given the current economic constraints. 1.3 Objectives To review Fiscal and Monetary policy theories available to the UK Government. To review the current and future demands for infrastructure works in the UK. To understand the level of importance of infrastructure work investment to the UK economy. To understand the roles, responsibilities and options available to public and private bodies in raising capital to invest in infrastructure works in the UK. To highlight the economic and social benefits gained as a result of increased investment in chosen infrastructure sectors by utilising hypothetical cost model projections. 1.4 Outline Methodology of the Research 1.5 Dissertation Contents Chapter 2 Provides an extensive Literature review on the topic area. The author will provide a general overview of economic theory, introduction to infrastructure, and a review of the relevant studies published worldwide that reveal intellectual thoughts on infrastructure investment impact on the economy. This will be carried out in the way of both descriptive and an analytical approach to all the appropriate literature sourced to aid in this dissertation. Naoum (2007) states It is descriptive in that it describes the work of previous writers and it is analytical in that it critically analyses the contribution of others with a view of identifying similarities and contradictions made by previous writers. According to Naoum (2007), the literature review will serve two purposes. First, it allows for gathering of information to allow development of issues and themes within the chosen topic that ultimately shape the research design. Second, the literature review will help form the basis of the research design by analysing previous research designs. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 introduces the reader to the numerous research techniques available to the author and will highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each and merits of each approach, before indicating the chosen methods of quantitative analysis technique Chapter 3 examines the various research techniques that were available to the author and describes the strengths and weaknesses of each of the approaches in respect to the available data. In particular this chapter presents the reasoning behind the authors decision to adopt the quantitative analysis technique and explains how this approach was applied. This chapter also describes the source of the data and highlights any potential bias or limitations that the author experienced within the analysis. Furthermore this chapter explicitly explains the process for selecting and categorising the appropriate data prior to analysis in a consistent manner. John Hannah paragraph Chapter 4 Chapter 4 builds upon the process described in the previous chapter and examines the primary source of data to assess what trends are evident with each of the particular categories. This section goes on to expand upon the original quantitative analysis and examine a series of quantitative case studies to assess the extent of early warning events and compensation events that occurred on completed projects. John Hannah paragraph Chapter 5 In conclusion, chapter 5 summarises the findings of this research and consider if the original aim and objectives have been achieved. Finally, this chapter discusses the authors findings and proposes a list of recommendations for future studies. John Hannah paragraph 2. Chapter Literature Review 2.1 Introduction The purpose of research is to make a contribution, however small, towards understanding the phenomenon being studied and ultimately towards the total body of knowledge (Parahoo, 2006) The intended purpose of the following literature review is to provide a general background to the chosen topic that will aid in the understanding of the following areas: How the UK Economy functions and what factors drive it. Description analysis of previous research on the impact of infrastructure investment on the economy. The role the construction industry plays in the UK Economy. The information presented within the literature review will enhance the readers knowledge of the topic with a view of providing clarity and understanding on the findings presented in chapter 4. Economic Theories There are conflicts of opinion on economic theory. For instance, monetarists argue that rises in the money supply cause inflation whereas Keynesians argue that it is changes in inflation which cause changes in the money supply (Stanlake Grant, 1995) Keynesian Economics John Maynard Keynes was a British economist whose ideas have been a central influence on modern macroeconomics, both in theory and practice. He advocated interventionist government policy, by which governments would use fiscal and monetary measures to mitigate the adverse effects of business cycles, economic recessions, and depressions. His ideas are the basis for the school of thought known as Keynesian economics. Keynes solution to poor economic state is to introduce impetus spending or as the US President Franklin Roosevelt described, prime the pump. Keynes argues that the government should step in to increase spending, either by increasing the money supply or by actually buying things on the market itself. A supporter of Keynesian economics believes it is the governments job to smooth out the bumps in business cycles. Intervention would come in the form of government spending and tax breaks in order to stimulate the economy, and government spending cuts and tax hikes in good times, in order to curb inflation. Alternative Economic Theories Since Keynesian economics advocates for the public sector to step in to assist the economy generally, it is a significant departure from popular economic thought, which preceded it â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬  laissez-fair capitalism. Laissez-fair capitalism supported the exclusion of the public sector in the market. A number of laissez faire consequences are drawn from Says law. Say also advocated public works to remedy unemployment. Say argued against claims that business was suffering because people did not have enough money and more money should be printed. Say argued that the power to purchase could be increased only by more production and is also best known for coining the phrase supply creates its own demand (Curwen, 1997) James Mill used Says Law against those who sought to give economy a boost via unproductive consumption. Consumption destroys wealth, in contrast to production which is the source of economic growth. The demand for the product determines the price of the product, but not if it will be consumed. Alternatively, Keynes is an advocate of trying to stimulate consumption by government intervention. Views on Economic thoeries Cutting support now, as some are demanding, would run the real risk of choking off the recovery even before it started, and prolonging the global downturn. (Darling, 2009) If consumers, markets and businesses get the message that government wants to carry on spending and isnt serious about dealing with the deficit, they will start to conclude that the UK is no longer a safe place to invest in, spend in or build a business in, (Cameron, 2009) Importance of Construction industry to UK Economy A recent survey commissed by the UK Contractors Group and carried out by LEK Consulting to demonstrate the impacts of the Construction industry on the UK Economy was distributed September 2009. The main aim of this report was to specifically highlight the benefits of investing in construction. The report covered 3 main areas: Contribution of the construction industry at national and regional level. Key contribution that construction makes to national employent levels. The role that the construction industry plays in the broader economic and social objectives. The reports contention is that the construction industry is vital to the overall UK economy while still being in a recession as it provides the following: Construction is a major contributor to the UK DGP. Construction sector employs circa  £3m people throughout 300,000 firms. Construction is also an important driver for other sectors, without which there would be a loss of domestic production capacity and skills. The report, Construction in the UK economy: The Benefits of Investment, shows that construction is the best sector for stimulating employment. It also shows that every  £1 spent on construction leads to an increase in GDP of  £2.84, as the spending not only creates construction output worth  £1, but also stimulates growth elsewhere in the economy worth  £1.84. With the Chancellors Pre-Budget Report looming, the CBI is continuing to press the case for protecting capital spending by government. (John Cridland, CBI Deputy-Director General, 2009) A strong economy needs fit-for-purpose schools and hospitals, and it will be the construction industry that builds the new transport and energy infrastructure needed to shift to a low-carbon economy. (John Cridland, CBI Deputy-Director General, 2009) Introduction to Infrastructure Works Infrastructure investment impact: Previous Research Over the last 30 years there have been various economic models developed to help in the research of the impact of infrastructure investment on the economy. The in-depth empirical studies have mainly utilised macro-economic level data, which includes cross-state and cross-country data. (Straub, 2007) edinburgh paper According to the studies carried out by Aschauer (1989) he states that when analysing the importance of public investment to the productivity improvement and economic growth, added weight must be attributed to the public investment decisions made by the Government. Furthermore, the study indicates increased productivity and growth in the economy by investing in areas such as highways, sewers, streets, and water systems. To ascertain these findings, Aschauer took the average annual growth rates of total factor productivity and the non-military public capital stock in America over the period 1950-1985; Aschauers data indicated a close relationship between level of investment in non-military infrastructure and productivity. Put in Tables from study Further research in the United States carried out by Munnell (1990) analysed the impact of the stock of public capital on economic activity at the regional and state levels. In conclusion, Munnell found that the US states that had invested in infrastructure had greater output, increased levels of private investment, and high levels of employment growth. The study highlighted above, Aschuer (1989) estimated an elasticity of output with respect to public infrastructure capital in the United States during 1950-1985 of between 0.38 and 0.56. These results have been shown to be econometrically suspect and subsequent work suggests the elasticity is much smaller. The average elasticity across OECD countries for the period 1960-2001 has recently been estimated to be 0.2 (Kanps, 2004). Aschauers paper has, however, proved very fruitful in terms of subsequent research, which it stimulated. (Crafts Leunig, 2005) A number of empirical studies have looked at the relationship between all public infrastructure investment and GDP growth. On average these studies seem to indicate a positive elasticity of output to public capital of around 0.20. Put another way, a ten per cent increase in public capital stock increases GDP by around 2 per cent. (Eddington report 2006) The eddington report suggest that there are limitations to these empirical studies and the results should be viewed with caution. OECD (2003) argues that early empirical work on the link between infrastructure investment and economic performance overstated the magnitude of the impact on GDP and productivity growth (The sources of economic growth in OECD countries, OECD, 2003) In particular, studies that focus on public investment in capital and infrastructure in a broad sense, rather than on transport specifically, do not really distinguish between types of investment in terms of new build, upgrade, maintenance etc although some do make specific conclusions about the value of transport infrastructure investment. Later studies using more complex modelling suggest a positive, albeit weaker relationships between infrastructure and GDP. These include: Kocherlakota and Yi (1997), Demetiades and mamuneas (2002), OFallon (2003), and Nijkamp and Poot (2004). (see figure 1.5 eddington report 2006) In 1993, Easterly and Robero carried out further research to expand on the work in this field. Called Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth: An Empirical Investigation, it details several conclusions that support the findings expressed by Aschauers research in 1989. It tackled areas such as the rate of growth and the level of development by employing historical data and recent cross-section data. The main findings outlined that there is a strong relationship between a countries fiscal structure and the development level and that investment levels in communication and transport is consistently correlated with growth. This therefore indicates that infrastructures are important in the economic prosperity of a nation (Easterly, Robelo 1993). Put in reference Eisner (1991) highlighted that public infrastructures not only serve as an intermediate good in physical goods production, they can also be final consumption goods. For example, water and sewage systems benefit environment, better transportation saves time spent on travelling, public parks give people pleasure, etc. Canning, Fay, and Perotti (1994) found substantial effects of physical infrastructure on economic growth based on the international data set. The strategy for national infrastructure also states, The majority of empirical research indicates that there is positive relationship between infrastructure and economic growth (strategy for national infrastructure, 2010). Introduction to Infrastructure What is Infrastructure? Set-up in December 2009 to help meet the infrastructure requirements in the UK for the next 10-20 years, Infrastructure UK defines Infrastructure as key economic sectors which include: Water, Waste, Energy, Transport and communications (strategy for national infrastructure, 2010). Infrastructure networks enable people, goods, energy, information, water, and waste to move efficiently around the UK and, in some cases, across its borders. The extent, capacity and quality of these networks has a direct bearing on the economy of the UK, the environment and the quality of life of everyone who lives in or visits the UK. Infrastructure Studies in the United Kingdom Extensive research carried out in the United Kingdom has indicated the level of infrastructure required for each sector and this can be cross-referenced with studies highlighted in the previous section. For example, the findings from the research carried out by Eisner, 1991 and Easterly, Robero 1993 indicated a relationship between transportation and its impact on the growth of the economy. The Eddington report was published on the 1st December 2006 and was carried out by Sir Rod Eddington under the instruction of the UK Government. The report is an examination of the impact transportation decisions will have on the UK environment and economy. The report analyses the current global economic demands and how our current transportation infrastructure must meet the demands of the 21st century. It states that with rising population and resultant greater demands on the country, higher levels of congestion and issue with reliability will have adverse effects on the economy if the correct infrastructure is not in place. It contends that by not having the required infrastructure in place it costs businesses more money while also effecting peoples social environment (Eddington Report, 2006). As well as utilising the Eisner, Easterly and Robero findings, the Eddington Report drew on research carried out in more recent times. The studies used in the development of the Eddington Report comprised: The historical significance of Transport for Economic growth and Productivity (Crafts Leunig, 2005), Step change transport improvements (Mann, 2006), and transport and labour market strategies (Gibbons Machin, 2006) Assessing transports contribution to the economy Transport can impact on the performance of the economy in a number of different ways: Transports impact on GDP Transport can impact on the economy and will ultimately impact on overall output. Gross domestic product (GDP) is currently the best measure of the size of the economy as it measures the total value of goods and services provided. Transport can have an impact on economic output (GDP) thorugh two channels: Firstly, transport can affect GDP though a number of inputs that are used, for example transport may increase employment either by allowing greater access to labour or stimulating the creation of new firms, which can increase the number of goods and services produced and lead to an increase in GDP. Secondly, transport can improve the efficiency with which firms use inputs, in other words transport can have an impact on productivity. For instance, a well functioning transport network can raise productivity by redusing journey times. Transport investment can impact on the drivers of productivity by encouraging prictae investment through raising its profitability; facilitating labour mobility and thereby increasing the returns in investment skills; and enabling effective competition even when economic activity is geographically dispersed. Identifying the impact of transport on productivity is important because improving productivity is a key to determinant of long-term growth and living standards. These effects can either have a one -off effect on the level of productivity or a sustained impact on the growth rate of productivity. Transport can impact on the growth rate of productivity by stimulating innovation through its impact on agglomeration economies, trade and foreign direct investment. In practice these dynamics are very difficult to measure, but are nevertheless extremely valuable, as they determine how quickly the economy grows and therefore the rate of growth in GDP. Transports role in supporting quality of life Critically though, GDP measures alone fail to capture the impacts of transport on the environment or its contribution to the wider well being of society. Transports impact on the environment, for example through carbon and other emissions, can increasingly lead to unsustainable growth, as well as impacting on peoples quality of life. Transport improvements that free up wasted travel time allow people to spend more time with friends and family, and enjoy more leisure activities. An economic welfare measurement would seek to measure such broader impacts of transport on society and the environment rather than just a pure GDP measure. These benefits to general well being are known as economic welfare, or welfare. The use of existing transport networks: What benefits do provide Erenburg (1994) finds that policy measures that make more efficient use of existing transport infrastructure through pricing mechanisms or other traffic management solutions can have a significant impact on growth (linking public capital to economic performance, Erenburg, 1994) Hulten and Schwab (1996) estimate that a 1 per cent increase in infrastructure effectiveness would have an impact on growth seven times larger than a 1 per cent increase in the rate of public infrastructure investment. (the public capital hypothesis: The case of Germany, Hulten and Schwab, 1996) OECD/ECMT (2001) paper on the benefits of transport concludes that wider economic benefits may be achieved more efficiently by introducing prices which correspond more closely to costs, or by reallocating existing infrastructure more efficiently between users, or by adopting other transport policies. (Assessing the benefits of transport, European Conference of Ministers of transport, OECD, 2001) Victoria transport policy institute (2003) argues that investment in alternative modes of transport and in management strategies to encourage more efficient use of existing road capacity tends to provide greater economic benefit than expanding existing highways to reduce congestion. The study also argues that the benefits of transport improvements are heavily dependant on local circumstances, in that they will only increase economic development where inadequate transport is a significant constraint on economic activity. EVIDENCE OF CONDITIONS NECESSARY FOR TRANSPORT TO IMPACT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ECONOMY Caning and Fay (1993) assert that infrastructure should not be seen as a factor of production but as a condition for high growth. Kessides (1993) notes that infrastructure does not create economic potential; it only develops such potential where appropriate conditions exist, i.e. other inputs such as labour and capital are available to drive output growth. Indeed, lynde and Richmond (1993), Trinder (2002), and OFallon (2003) assert that public and private capital are complements; that physical infrastructure requires the existence of available productive private capital in order to realise economic growth potential, and that infrastructure investment can boost the productivity of such private capital. Infrastructure investment may also feed through to increased labour productivity. Canning and pedroni (1999), banister and berechman (2000), Trinder (2002) and OFallon (2003) highlight other important underlying conditions that will influence the impact of transport investment on the economy (SEE REFERENCES FIGURE 1.7 EDDINGTON REPORT) In summary, these include: Economic conditions, a stable macroeconomic policy climate, local market circumstances, agglomeration, and labour market conditions Investment conditions; available funds, timing and structure of investment, type of infrastructure investment, location of investment in terms of network structure and political and institutional conditions, decision making, planning, sources, and methods of finance, level of investment, supporting legal and organisational policies and processes, and method and governance of infrastructure delivery and provision. Funding and delivery mechanisms for UK national infrastructure The National Infrastructure is funded and delivered in a number of ways: Commercially driven, user-paid infrastructure e.g. unregulated airport and ports where it is for the developer to decide what and when infrastructure is built. Any developments is then paid for by consumers (but prices are not regulated because competition exists) Commercially driven, user paid but price-regulated infrastructure with a stronger role for Government. Regulated airports are an example. Government supports investment in additional capacity but this is a commercial decision for airport operator (and where prices are regulated to protect from monopoly power). The energy sector also largely follows this model but prices are set by the market or thorough Government intervention. Price regulated businesses where independent regulators play a stronger role in determining the level and nature of investment. For example, water, where the regulator has an input into the nature of the investment programme but infrastructure investment in funded by users. Price regulated business that is funded by the taxpayer and users e.g. Network Rail. This is a model where the business is funded both by users and taxpayers where the DfT have a central role in setting out the outputs it wants from the railways and the level of funding to achieve that. The regulator sets the efficiency targets and prices for the company. Publicly decided and publicly funded infrastructure e.g. roads. Government decides where they should go, when they should be built and pays for them. This may include some provate finance but ultimately government rather than users pay. Clearly Government enjoys much greater control over infrastructure, but only a small part of the overall picture. Infrastructure essential for supporting economic activity and growth Many key investment projects rely on private finance either as direct investment or through mechanisms such as PPPs. In the current economic climate the Uk faces stiff competition in securing investment from private investors and from within Government budgets. In this environment, there needs to be a clear vision from Government about the future and needs for infrastructure. This will be essential to persuade the provate sector to invest in the national infrastructure and, in particular, provaste sector investors need long-term certainty in order to judge whether to commit major funds. Chapter 3 This chapter gives a brief description of the methods used for collecting independent data and why they are relevant to the research objectives. Research Strategy Quantitative Quantitative research is objective in nature. It is defined as an inquiry into a social or human problem, based on testing a hypothesis or a theory composed of variables, measured with numbers, and analysed with statistical procedures, in order to determine whether the hypothesis or the theory hold true (Cresswell, 1994). This statement is expanded on further by Bouma and Atkinson (1995), who state Quantitative data is, therefore, not abstract, they are hard and reliable; they are measurements of tangible, countable,

Standardized Testing is NOT Effective Essay example -- Standardized Te

Standardized testing is not an effective way to test the skills and abilities of today’s students. Standardized tests do not reveal what a student actually understands and learns, but instead only prove how well a student can do on a generic test. Schools have an obligation to prepare students for life, and with the power standardized tests have today, students are being cheated out of a proper, valuable education and forced to prepare and improve their test skills. Too much time, energy, and pressure to succeed are being devoted to standardized tests. Standardized testing, as it is being used presently, is a flawed way of testing the skills of today’s students. Too much time is being devoted to preparing students for standardized tests. Parents should worry about what schools are sacrificing in order to focus on raising test scores. Schools across the country are cutting back on, or even eliminating programs in the arts, recess for young children, field trips, electives for high school students, class meetings, discussions about current events, the use of literature in the elementary grades, and entire subject areas such as science (if the tests cover only language arts and math) (Kohn Standardized Testing and Its Victims 1). Alfie Kohn, author of The Case against Standardized Testing, recalls a specific incident of how children are being cheated out of valuable class time. He states that a school in Massachusetts used a remarkable unit, for a middle-school class, where students chose an activity and extensively researched it, and reported or taught, it to the class. This program has had to be removed from the course curriculum in order to devote enough time to teaching prescribed material for their standardized tests. At my high school all students in the tenth grade were required to take the Graduation Qualifying Exam. Many students did not pass the test their first time, and were forced to go through the test up to four more times, and if they did not pass the test in this amount of time, they did not graduate. It is hard to test students in this way since no one was taught the same way all 12 years or learned the same exact things; these differences are why people are different (Popham 2). School is more about testing now, and we have veered away from creative teaching to teach a test. We need to have teachers who inspire kids to want to ... ... Testing: Pro and Con. Web. 28 June 2015. . Kohn, Alfie. â€Å"Standardized Testing and Its Victims.† Education Week. September 2000. Kohn, Alfie. The Case Against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann 2000. Kohn, Alfie. â€Å"The Worst Kind of Cheating.† Streamlined Seminar. Winter 2002-03. Meier, Deborah. Will Standards Save Public Education? Boston: Beacon Press, 2002. Morse, Jodie. "Is That Your Final Answer?.† Educational Tests and their Measurements. June 2000. Web. 30 June 2015. http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,997209,00.html Popham, W. James. â€Å"Standardized Achievement Tests: Misnamed and Misleading.† Education Week. September 2001. Web. 28 June 2015. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2001/09/19/03popham.h21.html Sacks, Peter. "The Toll Standardized Tests Take." National Education Association. 2000. Web. 2 July 2015. http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/interviews/2953178/toll-standardized-tests-take Wellstone, Paul. The Conscience of a Liberal: Reclaiming the Compassionate Agenda. New York: Random House, 2002.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 10-12

CHAPTER 10 Silas sat behind the wheel of the black Audi the Teacher had arranged for him and gazed out at the great Church of Saint-Sulpice. Lit from beneath by banks of floodlights, the church's two bell towers rose like stalwart sentinels above the building's long body. On either flank, a shadowy row of sleek buttresses jutted out like the ribs of a beautiful beast. The heathens used a house of God to conceal their keystone.Again the brotherhood had confirmed their legendary reputation for illusion and deceit. Silas was looking forward to finding the keystone and giving it to the Teacher so they could recover what the brotherhood had long ago stolen from the faithful. How powerful that will make Opus Dei. Parking the Audi on the deserted Place Saint-Sulpice, Silas exhaled, telling himself to clear his mind for the task at hand. His broad back still ached from the corporal mortification he had endured earlier today, and yet the pain was inconsequential compared with the anguish of his life before Opus Dei had saved him. Still, the memories haunted his soul. Release your hatred, Silas commanded himself. Forgive those who trespassed against you. Looking up at the stone towers of Saint-Sulpice, Silas fought that familiar undertow†¦ that force that often dragged his mind back in time, locking him once again in the prison that had been his world as a young man. The memories of purgatory came as they always did, like a tempest to his senses†¦ the reek of rotting cabbage, the stench of death, human urine and feces. The cries of hopelessness against the howling wind of the Pyrenees and the soft sobs of forgotten men. Andorra, he thought, feeling his muscles tighten. Incredibly, it was in that barren and forsaken suzerain between Spain and France, shivering in his stone cell, wanting only to die, that Silas had been saved. He had not realized it at the time. The light came long after the thunder. His name was not Silas then, although he didn't recall the name his parents had given him. He had left home when he was seven. His drunken father, a burly dockworker, enraged by the arrival of an albino son, beat his mother regularly, blaming her for the boy's embarrassing condition. When the boy tried to defend her, he too was badly beaten. One night, there was a horrific fight, and his mother never got up. The boy stood over his lifeless mother and felt an unbearable up-welling of guilt for permitting it to happen. This is my fault! As if some kind of demon were controlling his body, the boy walked to the kitchen and grasped a butcher knife. Hypnotically, he moved to the bedroom where his father lay on the bed in a drunken stupor. Without a word, the boy stabbed him in the back. His father cried out in pain and tried to roll over, but his son stabbed him again, over and over until the apartment fell quiet. The boy fled home but found the streets of Marseilles equally unfriendly. His strange appearance made him an outcast among the other young runaways, and he was forced to live alone in the basement of a dilapidated factory, eating stolen fruit and raw fish from the dock. His only companions were tattered magazines he found in the trash, and he taught himself to read them. Over time, he grew strong. When he was twelve, another drifter – a girl twice his age – mocked him on the streets and attempted to steal his food. The girl found herself pummeled to within inches of her life. When the authorities pulled the boy off her, they gave him an ultimatum – leave Marseilles or go to juvenile prison. The boy moved down the coast to Toulon. Over time, the looks of pity on the streets turned to looks of fear. The boy had grown to a powerful young man. When people passed by, he could hear them whispering to one another. A ghost, they would say, their eyes wide with fright as they stared at his white skin. A ghost with the eyes of a devil! And he felt like a ghost†¦ transparent†¦ floating from seaport to seaport. People seemed to look right through him. At eighteen, in a port town, while attempting to steal a case of cured ham from a cargo ship, he was caught by a pair of crewmen. The two sailors who began to beat him smelled of beer, just as his father had. The memories of fear and hatred surfaced like a monster from the deep. The young man broke the first sailor's neck with his bare hands, and only the arrival of the police saved the second sailor from a similar fate. Two months later, in shackles, he arrived at a prison in Andorra. You are as white as a ghost, the inmates ridiculed as the guards marched him in, naked and cold. Mira el espectro! Perhaps the ghost will pass right through these walls! Over the course of twelve years, his flesh and soul withered until he knew he had become transparent. I am a ghost. I am weightless. Yo soy un espectro†¦palido coma una fantasma†¦caminando este mundo a solas. One night the ghost awoke to the screams of other inmates. He didn't know what invisible force was shaking the floor on which he slept, nor what mighty hand was trembling the mortar of his stone cell, but as he jumped to his feet, a large boulder toppled onto the very spot where he had been sleeping. Looking up to see where the stone had come from, he saw a hole in the trembling wall, and beyond it, a vision he had not seen in over ten years. The moon. Even while the earth still shook, the ghost found himself scrambling through a narrow tunnel, staggering out into an expansive vista, and tumbling down a barren mountainside into the woods. He ran all night, always downward, delirious with hunger and exhaustion. Skirting the edges of consciousness, he found himself at dawn in a clearing where train tracks cut a swath across the forest. Following the rails, he moved on as if dreaming. Seeing an empty freight car, he crawled in for shelter and rest. When he awoke the train was moving. How long? How far?A pain was growing in his gut. Am I dying? He slept again. This time he awoke to someone yelling, beating him, throwing him out of the freight car. Bloody, he wandered the outskirts of a small village looking in vain for food. Finally, his body too weak to take another step, he lay down by the side of the road and slipped into unconsciousness. The light came slowly, and the ghost wondered how long he had been dead. A day? Three days? It didn't matter. His bed was soft like a cloud, and the air around him smelled sweet with candles. Jesus was there, staring down at him. I am here, Jesus said. The stone has been rolled aside, and you are born again. He slept and awoke. Fog shrouded his thoughts. He had never believed in heaven, and yet Jesus was watching over him. Food appeared beside his bed, and the ghost ate it, almost able to feel the flesh materializing on his bones. He slept again. When he awoke, Jesus was still smiling down, speaking. You are saved, my son.Blessed are those who follow my path. Again, he slept. It was a scream of anguish that startled the ghost from his slumber. His body leapt out of bed, staggered down a hallway toward the sounds of shouting. He entered into a kitchen and saw a large man beating a smaller man. Without knowing why, the ghost grabbed the large man and hurled him backward against a wall. The man fled, leaving the ghost standing over the body of a young man in priest's robes. The priest had a badly shattered nose. Lifting the bloody priest, the ghost carried him to a couch. â€Å"Thank you, my friend,† the priest said in awkward French. â€Å"The offertory money is tempting for thieves. You speak French in your sleep. Do you also speak Spanish?† The ghost shook his head. â€Å"What is your name?† he continued in broken French. The ghost could not remember the name his parents had given him. All he heard were the taunting gibes of the prison guards. The priest smiled. â€Å"No hay problema.My name is Manuel Aringarosa. I am a missionary from Madrid. I was sent here to build a church for the Obra de Dios.† â€Å"Where am I?† His voice sounded hollow.† Oviedo. In the north of Spain.† â€Å"How did I get here?† â€Å"Someone left you on my doorstep. You were ill. I fed you. You've been here many days.† The ghost studied his young caretaker. Years had passed since anyone had shown any kindness. â€Å"Thank you, Father.† The priest touched his bloody lip. â€Å"It is I who am thankful, my friend.† When the ghost awoke in the morning, his world felt clearer. He gazed up at the crucifix on the wall above his bed. Although it no longer spoke to him, he felt a comforting aura in its presence. Sitting up, he was surprised to find a newspaper clipping on his bedside table. The article was in French, a week old. When he read the story, he filled with fear. It told of an earthquake in the mountains that had destroyed a prison and freed many dangerous criminals. His heart began pounding. The priest knows who I am! The emotion he felt was one he had not felt for some time. Shame. Guilt. It was accompanied by the fear of being caught. He jumped from his bed. Where do I run? â€Å"The Book of Acts,† a voice said from the door. The ghost turned, frightened. The young priest was smiling as he entered. His nose was awkwardly bandaged, and he was holding out an old Bible. â€Å"I found one in French for you. The chapter is marked.† Uncertain, the ghost took the Bible and looked at the chapter the priest had marked. Acts 16. The verses told of a prisoner named Silas who lay naked and beaten in his cell, singing hymns to God. When the ghost reached Verse 26, he gasped in shock. â€Å"†¦ And suddenly, there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and all the doors fell open.† His eyes shot up at the priest. The priest smiled warmly. â€Å"From now on, my friend, if you have no other name, I shall call you Silas.† The ghost nodded blankly. Silas.He had been given flesh. My name is Silas. â€Å"It's time for breakfast,† the priest said. â€Å"You will need your strength if you are to help me build this church.† Twenty thousand feet above the Mediterranean, Alitalia flight 1618 bounced in turbulence, causing passengers to shift nervously. Bishop Aringarosa barely noticed. His thoughts were with the future of Opus Dei. Eager to know how plans in Paris were progressing, he wished he could phone Silas. But he could not. The Teacher had seen to that. â€Å"It is for your own safety,† the Teacher had explained, speaking in English with a French accent. â€Å"I am familiar enough with electronic communications to know they can be intercepted. The results could be disastrous for you.† Aringarosa knew he was right. The Teacher seemed an exceptionally careful man. He had not revealed his own identity to Aringarosa, and yet he had proven himself a man well worth obeying. After all, he had somehow obtained very secret information. The names of the brotherhood's fourtop members! This had been one of the coups that convinced the bishop the Teacher was truly capable of delivering the astonishing prize he claimed he could unearth. â€Å"Bishop,† the Teacher had told him,† I have made all the arrangements. For my plan to succeed, you must allow Silas to answer only to me for several days. The two of you will not speak. I will communicate with him through secure channels.† â€Å"You will treat him with respect?† â€Å"A man of faith deserves the highest.† â€Å"Excellent. Then I understand. Silas and I shall not speak until this is over.† â€Å"I do this to protect your identity, Silas's identity, and my investment.† â€Å"Your investment?† â€Å"Bishop, if your own eagerness to keep abreast of progress puts you in jail, then you will be unable to pay me my fee.† The bishop smiled. â€Å"A fine point. Our desires are in accord. Godspeed.† Twenty million euro,the bishop thought, now gazing out the plane's window. The sum was approximately the same number of U. S. dollars. A pittance for something so powerful. He felt a renewed confidence that the Teacher and Silas would not fail. Money and faith were powerful motivators. CHAPTER 11 â€Å"Une plaisanterie numerique?† Bezu Fache was livid, glaring at Sophie Neveu in disbelief. A numeric joke?† Your professional assessment of Sauniere's code is that it is some kind of mathematical prank?† Fache was in utter incomprehension of this woman's gall. Not only had she just barged in on Fache without permission, but she was now trying to convince him that Sauniere, in his final moments of life, had been inspired to leave a mathematical gag? â€Å"This code,† Sophie explained in rapid French,† is simplistic to the point of absurdity. Jacques Sauniere must have known we would see through it immediately.† She pulled a scrap of paper from her sweater pocket and handed it to Fache. â€Å"Here is the decryption.† Fache looked at the card. 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21 â€Å"This is it?† he snapped. â€Å"All you did was put the numbers in increasing order!† Sophie actually had the nerve to give a satisfied smile. â€Å"Exactly.† Fache's tone lowered to a guttural rumble. â€Å"Agent Neveu, I have no idea where the hell you're going with this, but I suggest you get there fast.† He shot an anxious glance at Langdon, who stood nearby with the phone pressed to his ear, apparently still listening to his phone message from the U.S. Embassy. From Langdon's ashen expression, Fache sensed the news was bad. â€Å"Captain,† Sophie said, her tone dangerously defiant,† the sequence of numbers you have in your hand happens to be one of the most famous mathematical progressions in history.† Fache was not aware there even existed a mathematical progression that qualified as famous, and he certainly didn't appreciate Sophie's off-handed tone. â€Å"This is the Fibonacci sequence,† she declared, nodding toward the piece of paper in Fache's hand.† A progression in which each term is equal to the sum of the two preceding terms.† Fache studied the numbers. Each term was indeed the sum of the two previous, and yet Fache could not imagine what the relevance of all this was to Sauniere's death. â€Å"Mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci created this succession of numbers in the thirteenth-century. Obviously there can be no coincidence that all of the numbers Sauniere wrote on the floor belong to Fibonacci's famous sequence.† Fache stared at the young woman for several moments. â€Å"Fine, if there is no coincidence, would you tell me why Jacques Sauniere chose to do this. What is he saying? What does this mean?† She shrugged. â€Å"Absolutely nothing. That's the point. It's a simplistic cryptographic joke. Like taking the words of a famous poem and shuffling them at random to see if anyone recognizes what all the words have in common.† Fache took a menacing step forward, placing his face only inches from Sophie's. â€Å"I certainly hope you have a much more satisfying explanation than that.† Sophie's soft features grew surprisingly stern as she leaned in. â€Å"Captain, considering what you have at stake here tonight, I thought you might appreciate knowing that Jacques Sauniere might be playing games with you. Apparently not. I'll inform the director of Cryptography you no longer need our services.† With that, she turned on her heel, and marched off the way she had come. Stunned, Fache watched her disappear into the darkness. Is she out of her mind? Sophie Neveu had just redefined le suicide professionnel. Fache turned to Langdon, who was still on the phone, looking more concerned than before, listening intently to his phone message. The U. S.Embassy.Bezu Fache despised many things†¦ but few drew more wrath than the U. S. Embassy. Fache and the ambassador locked horns regularly over shared affairs of state – their most common battleground being law enforcement for visiting Americans. Almost daily, DCPJ arrested American exchange students in possession of drugs, U. S. businessmen for soliciting underage Prostitutes, American tourists for shoplifting or destruction of property. Legally, the U. S. Embassy could intervene and extradite guilty citizens back to the United States, where they received nothing more than a slap on the wrist. And the embassy invariably did just that. L'emasculation de la Police Judiciaire, Fache called it. Paris Match had run a cartoon recently depicting Fache as a police dog, trying to bite an American criminal, but unable to reach because it was chained to the U. S. Embassy. Not tonight, Fache told himself. There is far too much at stake. By the time Robert Langdon hung up the phone, he looked ill. â€Å"Is everything all right?† Fache asked. Weakly, Langdon shook his head. Bad news from home, Fache sensed, noticing Langdon was sweating slightly as Fache took back his cell phone. â€Å"An accident,† Langdon stammered, looking at Fache with a strange expression. â€Å"A friend†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated. â€Å"I'll need to fly home first thing in the morning.† Fache had no doubt the shock on Langdon's face was genuine, and yet he sensed another emotion there too, as if a distant fear were suddenly simmering in the American's eyes. â€Å"I'm sorry to hear that,† Fache said, watching Langdon closely. â€Å"Would you like to sit down?† He motioned toward one of the viewing benches in the gallery. Langdon nodded absently and took a few steps toward the bench. He paused, looking more confused with every moment. â€Å"Actually, I think I'd like to use the rest room.† Fache frowned inwardly at the delay. â€Å"The rest room. Of course. Let's take a break for a few minutes.† He motioned back down the long hallway in the direction they had come from. â€Å"The rest rooms are back toward the curator's office.† Langdon hesitated, pointing in the other direction toward the far end of the Grand Gallery corridor.† I believe there's a much closer rest room at the end.† Fache realized Langdon was right. They were two thirds of the way down, and the Grand Gallery dead-ended at a pair of rest rooms. â€Å"Shall I accompany you?† Langdon shook his head, already moving deeper into the gallery. â€Å"Not necessary. I think I'd like a few minutes alone.† Fache was not wild about the idea of Langdon wandering alone down the remaining length of corridor, but he took comfort in knowing the Grand Gallery was a dead end whose only exit was at the other end – the gate under which they had entered. Although French fire regulations required several emergency stairwells for a space this large, those stairwells had been sealed automatically when Sauniere tripped the security system. Granted, that system had now been reset, unlocking the stairwells, but it didn't matter – the external doors, if opened, would set off fire alarms and were guarded outside by DCPJ agents. Langdon could not possibly leave without Fache knowing about it. â€Å"I need to return to Mr. Sauniere's office for a moment,† Fache said. â€Å"Please come find me directly, Mr. Langdon. There is more we need to discuss.† Langdon gave a quiet wave as he disappeared into the darkness. Turning, Fache marched angrily in the opposite direction. Arriving at the gate, he slid under, exited the Grand Gallery, marched down the hall, and stormed into the command center at Sauniere's office. â€Å"Who gave the approval to let Sophie Neveu into this building!† Fache bellowed. Collet was the first to answer. â€Å"She told the guards outside she'd broken the code.† Fache looked around. â€Å"Is she gone?† â€Å"She's not with you?† â€Å"She left.† Fache glanced out at the darkened hallway. Apparently Sophie had been in no mood to stop by and chat with the other officers on her way out. For a moment, Fache considered radioing the guards in the entresol and telling them to stop Sophie and drag her back up here before she could leave the premises. He thought better of it. That was only his pride talking†¦ wanting the last word. He'd had enough distractions tonight. Deal with Agent Neveu later, he told himself, already looking forward to firing her. Pushing Sophie from his mind, Fache stared for a moment at the miniature knight standing on Sauniere's desk. Then he turned back to Collet. â€Å"Do you have him?† Collet gave a curt nod and spun the laptop toward Fache. The red dot was clearly visible on the floor plan overlay, blinking methodically in a room marked TOILETTES PUBLIQUES. â€Å"Good,† Fache said, lighting a cigarette and stalking into the hall. I've got a phone call to make. Be damned sure the rest room is the only place Langdon goes.† CHAPTER 12 Robert Langdon felt light-headed as he trudged toward the end of the Grand Gallery. Sophie's phone message played over and over in his mind. At the end of the corridor, illuminated signs bearing the international stick-figure symbols for rest rooms guided him through a maze-like series of dividers displaying Italian drawings and hiding the rest rooms from sight. Finding the men's room door, Langdon entered and turned on the lights. The room was empty. Walking to the sink, he splashed cold water on his face and tried to wake up. Harsh fluorescent lights glared off the stark tile, and the room smelled of ammonia. As he toweled off, the rest room's door creaked open behind him. He spun. Sophie Neveu entered, her green eyes flashing fear. â€Å"Thank God you came. We don't have much time.† Langdon stood beside the sinks, staring in bewilderment at DCPJ cryptographer Sophie Neveu. Only minutes ago, Langdon had listened to her phone message, thinking the newly arrived cryptographer must be insane. And yet, the more he listened, the more he sensed Sophie Neveu was speaking in earnest. Do not react to this message.Just listen calmly.You are in danger rightnow.Follow my directions very closely.Filled with uncertainty, Langdon had decided to do exactly as Sophie advised. He told Fache that the phone message was regarding an injured friend back home. Then he had asked to use the rest room at the end of the Grand Gallery. Sophie stood before him now, still catching her breath after doubling back to the rest room. In the fluorescent lights, Langdon was surprised to see that her strong air actually radiated from unexpectedly soft features. Only her gaze was sharp, and the juxtaposition conjured images of a multilayered Renoir portrait†¦ veiled but distinct, with a boldness that somehow retained its shroud of mystery. â€Å"I wanted to warn you, Mr. Langdon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sophie began, still catching her breath,† that you are sous surveillance cachee.Under a guarded observation.† As she spoke, her accented English resonated off the tile walls, giving her voice a hollow quality. â€Å"But†¦ why?† Langdon demanded. Sophie had already given him an explanation on the phone, but he wanted to hear it from her lips. â€Å"Because,† she said, stepping toward him,† Fache's primary suspect in this murder is you.† Langdon was braced for the words, and yet they still sounded utterly ridiculous. According to Sophie, Langdon had been called to the Louvre tonight not as a symbologist but rather as a suspect and was currently the unwitting target of one of DCPJ's favorite interrogation methods – surveillance cachee – a deft deception in which the police calmly invited a suspect to a crime scene and interviewed him in hopes he would get nervous and mistakenly incriminate himself. â€Å"Look in your jacket's left pocket,† Sophie said. â€Å"You'll find proof they are watching you.† Langdon felt his apprehension rising. Look in my pocket? It sounded like some kind of cheap magic trick. â€Å"Just look.† Bewildered, Langdon reached his hand into his tweed jacket's left pocket – one he never used. Feeling around inside, he found nothing. What the devil did you expect? He began wondering if Sophie might just be insane after all. Then his fingers brushed something unexpected. Small and hard. Pinching the tiny object between his fingers, Langdon pulled it out and stared in astonishment. It was a metallic, button-shaped disk, about the size of a watch battery. He had never seen it before. â€Å"What the†¦ ?† â€Å"GPS tracking dot,† Sophie said. â€Å"Continuously transmits its location to a Global Positioning System satellite that DCPJ can monitor. We use them to monitor people's locations. It's accurate within two feet anywhere on the globe. They have you on an electronic leash. The agent who picked you up at the hotel slipped it inside your pocket before you left your room.† Langdon flashed back to the hotel room†¦ his quick shower, getting dressed, the DCPJ agent politely holding out Langdon's tweed coat as they left the room. It's cool outside, Mr.Langdon, the agent had said. Spring in Paris is not all your song boasts.Langdon had thanked him and donned the jacket. Sophie's olive gaze was keen. â€Å"I didn't tell you about the tracking dot earlier because I didn't want you checking your pocket in front of Fache. He can't know you've found it.† Langdon had no idea how to respond. â€Å"They tagged you with GPS because they thought you might run.† She paused. â€Å"In fact, they hopedyou would run; it would make their case stronger.† â€Å"Why would I run!† Langdon demanded. â€Å"I'm innocent!† â€Å"Fache feels otherwise.† Angrily, Langdon stalked toward the trash receptacle to dispose of the tracking dot. â€Å"No!† Sophie grabbed his arm and stopped him. â€Å"Leave it in your pocket. If you throw it out, the signal will stop moving, and they'll know you found the dot. The only reason Fache left you alone is because he can monitor where you are. If he thinks you've discovered what he's doing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sophie did not finish the thought. Instead, she pried the metallic disk from Langdon's hand and slid it back into the pocket of his tweed coat. â€Å"The dot stays with you. At least for the moment.† Langdon felt lost. â€Å"How the hell could Fache actually believe I killed Jacques Sauniere!† â€Å"He has some fairly persuasive reasons to suspect you.† Sophie's expression was grim. â€Å"There is a piece of evidence here that you have not yet seen. Fache has kept it carefully hidden from you.† Langdon could only stare. â€Å"Do you recall the three lines of text that Sauniere wrote on the floor?† Langdon nodded. The numbers and words were imprinted on Langdon's mind. Sophie's voice dropped to a whisper now. â€Å"Unfortunately, what you saw was not the entire message. There was a fourth line that Fache photographed and then wiped clean before you arrived.† Although Langdon knew the soluble ink of a watermark stylus could easily be wiped away, he could not imagine why Fache would erase evidence. â€Å"The last line of the message,† Sophie said,† was something Fache did not want you to know about.† She paused. â€Å"At least not until he was done with you.† Sophie produced a computer printout of a photo from her sweater pocket and began unfolding it. â€Å"Fache uploaded images of the crime scene to the Cryptology Department earlier tonight in hopes we could figure out what Sauniere's message was trying to say. This is a photo of the complete message.† She handed the page to Langdon. Bewildered, Langdon looked at the image. The close-up photo revealed the glowing message on the parquet floor. The final line hit Langdon like a kick in the gut. 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5 O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! P. S.Find Robert Langdon

Social Standing in To Kill A Mockingbird †English Essay

Social Standing in To Kill A Mockingbird – English Essay Free Online Research Papers Social Standing in To Kill A Mockingbird English Essay Social hierarchy is a very important part of any community, fictional or no. In Maycomb County, who the characters are, what they own, the color of their skin, and how they act on the public streets all contribute to their standing in Maycomb, among other things. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the people of Maycomb’s ability to see people as more than just their social standing is tainted due to patronizing attitudes towards people who are inferior to them on the social ladder, and thusly interfering with their ability to judge other people fairly and unbiasedly. In Maycomb, there is a definite separation between those who are higher and those who are lower on the social ladder. The populations of the poor and the blacks are normally lower on the ladder than the rich and the whites. As you go from the center of the town to the country, the neighborhoods slowly shift from a rich and white population to a poor and white population, finally stopping at the communities of the black population of Maycomb in the very country. First Purchase African M.E. Church was in the Quarters outside the southern town limits, across the old sawmill tracks. (99) Along with this physical separation, the townspeople’s attitudes towards the people living on the outer section of town are less than positive. The white rich folks look down upon those such as the Robinson family because they are black or the Ewell family because they are poor. These prejudices are a perfect example of why Mayella Ewell is â€Å"the loneliest person in the world†¦lonelier than Boo Radley, who hadn’t been out of the house in twenty-five years† (162). She is lonely because she is white and she is poor. When Atticus asked had she any friends, she seemed not to know what he meant, then she thought he was making fun of her. She was as sad, I thought, as what Jem called a mixed child: white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white†¦Maycomb gave [the Ewells] Christmas baskets, welfare money, and the back of its hand. (162) By that same token, not all of the lower-class families have a positive attitude towards the rich, as is demonstrated by Lulu’s actions at the church, asking Calpurnia why she was â€Å"bringin’ white chillun to [a] nigger church† then stating that Calpurnia â€Å"ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here† (100). With this sort of behavior going both ways in Maycomb, it is hard to break the stereotypes the social classes have for each other and, essentially, the barriers between classes. These stereotypes come to surface when Tom Robinson, a black man, is brought to court on charges of raping Mayella Ewell, a white girl. During the trial, Mayella Ewell gives evidence of the way other people treat her due to her social standing in the town by telling Atticus that she â€Å"won’t answer a word [he says] long as [he] keep[s] mocking me† (153). Although Atticus is not mocking her, but trying to be polite, Mayella is not used to being talked to politely unless the politeness in question is sarcastic. Mayella looked from under lowered eyelids at Atticus, but she said to the judge: â€Å"Long’s he keeps callin’ me ma’am and sayin’ Miss Mayella. I don’t hafta take his sass, I ain’t called upon to take it.† (153) Because Mayella is unused to polite treatment from others, she believes that the only reason Atticus is treating her nicely is because he’s making fun of her. This isn’t true, but it’s a stereotype that Mayella has towards all of the people who are in higher social classes than she is, even though not all of the people are like that. Also during the trial, substantial evidence is presented in favor of Tom Robinson’s innocence. However, while the deliberation is taking place, Reverend Sykes warns Jem not to â€Å"be so confident†¦I ain’t never seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man† (177). Sure enough, when the jury comes out of deliberation after three hours, they pronounce Tom Robinson guilty. By their logic, he is a black man, and black men can’t be trusted. Why? Because the stereotypes that the jurors have against Tom Robinson’s social class cloud their judgment. Black men are liars, they are crude, and they can’t be trusted; wouldn’t it be best to lock one up in case he actually does something? With these stereotypes in the way, characters and their attitudes are obviously biased in lieu of these opinions. â€Å"Well, coming out of that courthouse that night Miss Gates was†¦talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say that it’s time somebody taught ’em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves†¦Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home[?]† (210) The people living in the town of Maycomb aren’t naà ¯ve or stupid; they’re simply prejudiced. Prejudice in Maycomb is what one does in order to â€Å"fit it†; it isn’t so different than wearing the right brand of clothing or playing the right sport to gain leverage with the â€Å"in-crowd† in high school. If someone isn’t prejudiced, it’s considered â€Å"weird† or â€Å"not right†, unless you have a very high standing in the town. Then it’s â€Å"just their way† (162) of life. Nearly everyone in this book wants to â€Å"fit in†, and they’ll do whatever they need to do in order to reach that high status, even if it means giving an innocent black man a death sentence. Because of a primal urge to be one of the crowd, it is hard to judge someone without bias about who they are, what they own, the way they act on the public streets, and, maybe most importantly, the color of their skin. Research Papers on Social Standing in To Kill A Mockingbird - English EssayWhere Wild and West Meet19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Hockey GameCapital PunishmentQuebec and CanadaThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresStandardized Testing

Computer R Us Company

Computer R Us Company Introduction The Computer R Us Company received numerous complaints about the services offered in their CompleteCare division. After thorough investigations into the complaints, the management established that the division was experiencing problems as a result of inadequacy of trained operators and problems with distribution and availability of parts. In response to these problems, the management came up with four initiatives that aimed at improving customer satisfaction. In this paper, analysis will be carried using various tools to establish the effectiveness of the initiatives that were put in place.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Computer R Us Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Research design Sampling technique This research was conducted using research survey study approach. Data was collected using a questionnaire that had three sections. The first part required personal information, that is, age a nd gender. In the second section a Likert scale of ten points was used to collect some data. The final section focused on determinants of customer satisfaction. Four questions were asked in this section and each had a Likert scale of ten points. The random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 500 customers (Kothari, 2004). The questionnaires were sent to the 500 customers and only 420 responded. In order to collect the data necessary for this study, several steps will be taken to ensure that appropriate care is taken to protect the participants. There are no universally accepted determinants of customer satisfaction ((Verbeek, 2008). Besides, the results of previous studies do not give conclusive result on the most effective determinant. Therefore, the attributes used by the management of Computer R Us to improve the level of customer satisfaction are a sample of what other companies use (Zikmund, Babin, Carr, Griffin, 2012). Analysis The first test show that the overal l satisfaction is statistically different from 6 out of 10. The calculated mean is 4.4881 and it is less than the goal. The result of the second question shows that the overall satisfaction of female customers is higher than that of male customers. Therefore, there is a need to improve the level of satisfaction of the male customers. The results of the third question indicate that there is no difference in the level of satisfaction across the different age groups. Further, tests on question five shows that there is no difference in gender composition across the five age groups.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The fifth test reveals that customers tend to be more satisfied with the loyalty rewards program than response times in the CompleteCare division. Therefore, the management needs to improve the response time in the division. The final test shows that all the four initiatives have a potential of improving customer satisfaction. Further, response time of the CompleteCare division and level of advice CompleteCare staff provides on Computers R Us products have more impact than the other two initiatives (Baltagi, 2011). Recommendations The results of hypothesis testing show that the management did not achieve their goal. For the company to achieve the target of 6 out of 10, the management needs to consider the recommendations listed below. Decrease the response time of the CompleteCare division. This can be achieved by increasing the number of well trained personnel and equipment that can facilitate service delivery at the division. The company should introduce a rating system that can be used by customers continuously. The management should also focus on improving the level of satisfaction of the male customers. The management should train the CompleteCare staff on a continuous basis. This will improve the quality of advice they give c lients. References Baltagi, G. (2011). Econometrics. New York: Springer Publisher Kothari, J. (2004). Research methodology: methods and techniques. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Limited Publishers. Verbeek, M. (2008). A guide to modern econometrics. England: John Wiley Sons. Zikmund, W., Babin, B., Carr, J., Griffin, M. (2012). Business research methods. USA: Cengage Learning.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Computer R Us Company specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Appendix: Hypothesis testing Does the current level of customer satisfaction differ from management’s goal of 6 out of 10? Hypothesis H0: The current level of customer satisfaction = 6. H1: The current level of customer satisfaction ≠  6. Statistical technique In this case a one sample t-test will be used to test the hypothesis. Justification One sample t-test is most suitable for evaluating a hypothesis that compares the actual mea n and hypothesized mean. Results of the test Variable 1 Variable 2 Mean 4.488095238 6 Variance 5.505824526 0 Observations 420 420 Pearson Correlation Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 419 t Stat -13.20498454 P(T=t) one-tail 7.85063E-34 t Critical one-tail 1.64849841 P(T=t) two-tail 1.57013E-33 t Critical two-tail 1.965641842 t Stat -13.20498454 t Critical two-tail 1.965641842 P(T=t) two-tail 1.57013E-33 Interpretation The results show that t-calculated is greater than t-critical. Also, the p-value (1.57013E-33) is less than alpha (5%). Therefore, the null hypothesis will be rejected at the 95% confidence level. This implies that the current level of customer satisfaction differ from management’s goal of 6 out of 10. Is there any difference between the overall satisfaction of male and female customers at Computers R Us? Hypothesis H0: Overall satisfaction of male customers = overall satisfaction of female customers at compute r R Us. H1: Overall satisfaction of male customers ≠  overall satisfaction of female customers at computer R Us.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Statistical technique In this case, a paired sample t-test will be used to test the hypothesis. Justification A paired sample t-test is the most suitable for testing hypothesis that compared the mean of two related variables. Results of the test t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances Female Male Mean 3.589430894 5.75862069 Variance 4.27564294 4.507873231 Observations 246 174 Pooled Variance 4.371757391 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 Df 418 t Stat -10.47338477 P(T=t) one-tail 2.98994E-23 t Critical one-tail 1.648507149 P(T=t) two-tail 5.97988E-23 t Critical two-tail 1.965655464 Interpretation In the results, the mean and variance of overall satisfaction for the male is greater than that of the female group. Further, t-calculated is greater than t-critical. Also, the p-value is less than alpha (5%). Therefore, the null hypothesis will be rejected at the 95% confidence level. This implies that there is a difference between the overall satisfact ion of male and female customers of the company. Are there any differences in the overall customer satisfaction across the following age groups: under 20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51 and over? Hypothesis H0: There is no difference in the overall satisfaction across the various age groups. H1: The overall satisfaction of at least one age group is different from the others. Statistical technique In this case, analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to test the hypothesis. Justification ANOVA is the most suitable technique for testing hypothesis that entails comparing mean for more than one group. One way ANOVA will be used because there is only one independent variable. Results of the test Anova: Single Factor SUMMARY Groups Count Sum Average Variance Under 20 47 180 3.829787 6.579093432 21-30 109 501 4.59633 6.150356779 31-40 105 466 4.438095 5.786996337 41-50 107 485 4.53271 4.647504849 over 50 52 253 4.865385 4.236425339 ANOVA Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit Between Groups 29.52282 4 7.380705 1.344941124 0.252492 2.393438 Within Groups 2277.418 415 5.487753 Total 2306.94 419 Interpretation In the results above, the value of F-calculated is less than the F-critical. Besides, the p-value is greater than alpha (5%). Therefore, the null hypothesis will not be rejected at the 95% confidence level. This implies that there is no difference in the overall satisfaction across the various age groups. Are there any differences in the gender compositions across the five age groups? Hypothesis H0: There are no differences in gender composition across the five age groups. H1: Gender composition is different in at least one of the age groups. Statistical technique Analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to test the hypothesis. Justification ANOVA is the most suitable technique for testing hypothesis that entail comparing mean for more than one group. One way ANOVA will be used because there is only one independent variable (Verbeek, 2008). Results of the test Anova: Single Factor SUMMARY Groups Count Sum Average Variance Under 20 47 20 0.425532 0.249769 21-30 109 47 0.431193 0.247537 31-40 105 43 0.409524 0.244139 41-50 107 41 0.383178 0.238582 over 50 52 23 0.442308 0.251508 ANOVA Source of Variation SS df MS F P-value F crit Between Groups 0.18386 4 0.045965 0.18751 0.944872 2.393438 Within Groups 101.7304 415 0.245134 Total 101.9143 419 Interpretation In the results above, the value of F-calculated is less than the F-critical. Besides, the p-value is greater than alpha (5%). Therefore, the null hypothesis will not be rejected at the 95% confidence level. This implies that there are no differences in gender composition across the five age groups. Is there any difference in customer satisfaction based upon ‘response times in the CompleteCare division’ and the ‘loyalty rewards p rogram’? Hypothesis H0: Customer satisfaction based upon response times in the CompleteCare division = the customer satisfaction based upon loyalty reward program. H1: Customer satisfaction based upon response times in the CompleteCare division ≠  the customer satisfaction based upon loyalty reward program. Statistical technique In this case, a paired sample t-test will be used to test the hypothesis. Justification A paired sample t-test is the most suitable for testing hypothesis that compared the mean of two related variables (Verbeek, 2008). Results of the test t-Test: Paired Two Sample for Means Response time Loyalty reward program Mean 3.242857143 5.645238095 Variance 4.222502557 7.842817366 Observations 420 420 Pearson Correlation -0.011950135 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 Df 419 t Stat -14.09404771 P(T=t) one-tail 1.69112E-37 t Critical one-tail 1.64849841 P(T=t) two-tail 3.38224E-37 t Critical two-tail 1.965641842 Interpr etation The results show that t-calculated is greater than t-critical. Also, the p-value is less than alpha (5%). Therefore, the null hypothesis will be rejected at the 95% confidence level. This implies that there are differences in customer satisfaction based upon response times in the CompleteCare division and the loyalty rewards program. Are any of the initiatives proposed by management related to the overall satisfaction of Computers R Us customers? Hypothesis H0: The initiatives proposed by the management are determinants of the overall satisfaction of Computer R Us customers. H1: The initiatives proposed by the management are not determinants of the overall satisfaction of Computer R Us customers Statistical technique In this case, a multiple regression analysis will be used. Justification Multiple regression analysis is used to model the relationship between one dependent variable and other explanatory variables. Results of the test SUMMARY OUTPUT Regression Sta tistics Multiple R 0.965602191 R Square 0.932387592 Adjusted R Square 0.931735906 Standard Error 0.613066164 Observations 420 ANOVA Df SS MS F Significance F Regression 4 2150.962676 537.7407 1430.732 3.3062E-241 Residual 415 155.9778006 0.37585 Total 419 2306.940476 Coefficients Standard Error t-Stat P-value Lower 95% Upper 95% Lower 95.0% Upper 95.0% Intercept 0.896561298 0.103883791 8.630425 1.32E-16 0.69235727 1.10076533 0.69235727 1.100765326 Response time 0.86471784 0.03836737 22.53785 4.92E-74 0.789299227 0.94013645 0.789299227 0.940136454 Level of advice 0.271037316 0.041145932 6.58722 1.36E-10 0.190156892 0.35191774 0.190156892 0.351917739 Level of communication -0.01775345 0.021480889 -0.82648 0.409009 -0.05997837 0.02447146 -0.05997836 0.024471457 Loyalty reward program 0.007973903 0.010696359 0.745478 0.456405 -0.01305189 0.0289997 -0.01305189 0.0289997 Interpretation The F-test will be used to test the overall significance of the regression model. The p-value for the F test is less than alpha (0.05). Therefore, reject the null hypothesis and conclude that the four determinants are significant determinants of the overall customer satisfaction. Further, the p-value for response time and level of advice are greater than alpha (0.05). This implies that they are significant determinants of overall customer satisfaction of the company.