Studies Show Black Women Are Healthier at a Higher Weight Than White Women

Studies Show Black Women Are Healthier at a Higher Weight Than White Women Studies reveal that African American women can weigh significantly more than white women and still be healthy. By examining two standards of measurement - BMI (body mass index) and WC (waist circumference) - researchers found that while white women with a BMI of 30 or more and a WC of 36 inches or more were at greater risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, black women with those same numbers were considered medically healthy. African American womens risk factors did not increase until they reached a BMI of 33 or more and a WC of 38 inches or more. Typically, health experts consider adults with a BMI of 25-29.9 to be overweight and those with a BMI of 30 or greater to be obese. Peter Katzmarzyks Studies The study, published in the January 6, 2011 research journal Obesity and authored by Peter Katzmarzyk and others at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, only examined white and African American women. No similar racial difference between black men and white men were studied. Katmzarzyk theorizes that the weight gap between white and black women may have to do with how body fat is distributed differently throughout the body. What many call belly fat is primarily recognized as being a significantly greater health risk than fat in the hips and thighs. Dr. Samuel Dagogo-Jacks Findings Katzmarzyks findings echo a 2009 study by Dr. Samuel Dagogo-Jack  of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Diabetes Association, Dagogo-Jacks research revealed that whites had more body fat than blacks, which led him to theorize that muscle mass may be higher in African-Americans. Existing BMI and WC guidelines are derived from studies of predominantly white and European populations and do not take into account physiological differences due to ethnicity and race. Because of this, Dagogo-Jack believes that his findings argue for a review of the existing cutoffs for healthy BMI and waist circumference among African-Americans. Sources: Kohl, Simi. Use of BMI and waist circumference as surrogates of body fat differs by ethnicity. Obesity Vol. 15 No. 11 at Academia.edu. November 2007Norton, Amy. Healthy waist may be a bit bigger for black women. Reuters Health at Reuters.com. 25 January 2011. Richardson, Carolyn and Mary Hartley, RD. Study Shows Black Women Can Be Healthy At Higher Weights. caloriecount.about.com. 31 March 2011.Scott, Jennifer R. Abdominal Obesity. weightloss.about.com. 11 August 2008.The Endocrine Society. Widely Used Body Fat Measurements Overestimate Fatness In African-Americans, Study Finds. ScienceDaily.com. 22 June 2009.

How Many Pounds in a Ton A Fascinating Story

How Many Pounds in a Ton A Fascinating Story SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The most basic answer to the question of how many pounds in a ton? There are 2000 pounds in a ton. Still feel confused? You're not alone. But why is the ton a measurement that no one ever quite understands or remembers? This conversion is endlessly confusing because a ton can refer to different forms of measurement. In this article, I’ll explain exactly what a ton is, what it measures, and how to convert tons to pounds. I'll go into the differences between a ton, a metric ton, and several other kinds of tons. And finally, I'll give you a brief history of this often mixed up and misused unit of measurement. The Basics: What’s a Ton? How Do You Convert Tons to Pounds? First things first: here are the most basic facts you should know about tons. If you live in the US, then when you encounter a reference to a ton, you're looking at a measurement of mass. The conversions for tons to pounds and pounds to tons are below: 1 ton = 2000 pounds 1 pound = 1/2000 of a ton But what if you dig a little deeper into this unit? Let’s check out some other kinds of tons around the world. What’s the Difference Between a Short Ton, a Long Ton, and a Tonne (Metric Ton)? One of the reasons the ton is such a confounding measurement is that there are actually three different kinds of tons in use around the world. Short Ton The United States has never adopted the metric system for measuring things. Instead, our country uses a system called customary units. To measure mass, this system uses pounds and ounces as well as the tons I described in the previous section. The US ton is called a short ton. 1 short ton is 2000 pounds. Long Ton The United Kingdom uses a mix of the metric system and the older Imperial system for its measurements. This means that they measure mass sometimes in kilograms and other times in units called stones. The ton that is used in Imperial measures is a little heavier than the US one, so the UK ton is called a long ton. 1 long ton is 2240 pounds. Tonne (or Metric Ton) Most other countries have by this point fully adopted the metric system, and use grams and kilograms to measure mass. The metric ton is never officially called a metric ton, and is instead called a tonne (pronounced just like the word â€Å"ton†). 1 tonne is 1000 kilograms, or 2,204.6 pounds. Short Ton, Long Ton, and Tonne Conversions 1 short ton = 0.89 long tons = .9 tonnes = 2000 pounds = 907 kilograms 1 long ton = 1.12 short tons = 1.01 tonnes = 2240 pounds = 1016 kilograms 1 tonne = 0.98 long tons = 1.1 short tons = 2204 pounds = 1000 kilograms So, in order from lightest to heaviest, it goes: 1 short ton 1 metric ton 1 long ton. Tons are like nesting dolls- each a slightly larger version of the next. Why Are There So Many Different Tons? The word "ton" originally comes from a measurement of volume called a â€Å"tun†- basically a very big wine-making cask. And you're right- this does, in fact, mean that originally a ton was a measurement of volume rather than mass! Eventually, it was determined that a tun could hold about 2000 pounds worth of wine, and the term "ton" evolved to describe this weight. The short ton and long ton measurements diverged when this wine-making measurement was standardized. In the US and the UK, the ton was defined as 20 hundredweights (another unit of mass). But, while in the US 1 hundredweight = 100 pounds, in the UK 1 hundredweight = 8 stones. Since 1 stone = 14 pounds, the UK hundredweight = 2 pounds. The US took the road less traveled- and that has made all the difference. At least as far as short tons are concerned. What Other Kinds of Tons Are There? In addition to the three types of tons above, there are many other sorts of tons that are used to describe a wide range of measurements. These less common tons are generally quite specialized, meaning you're unlikely to encounter them in your day to day life. Still, the diversity of usage certainly helps explain why the word ton is frequently so confusing. As we go through the other kinds of tons, notice how sometimes the ton is used to measure mass, sometimes to measure volume, and sometimes it's not a measurement at all- but instead a standard quantity! Tons in the Ocean At sea, tons typically have to do with measuring ships- and in this context, tons are generally a way to express volume rather than mass. Deadweight Ton. A volume measurement of a ship's carrying capacity, including cargo, ballast, crew, and supplies. It is expressed in tonnes or long tons. Register Ton (or Tonnage). A volume measurement of a ship’s cargo capacity. Tonnage isn’t the same thing as the weight of a ship (called â€Å"displacement†). Ton Class. A volume measurement that categorizes types of yachts based on the capacity of the hold. Displacement Ton. A measurement of the weight of a ship. It’s called â€Å"displacement† because you calculate it by measuring the volume of water that a ship displaces, and then converting this volume into weight. Tons in the Ground One of the uses of "ton" as a standard amount rather than a measurement happens with ore. Check out the "assay ton" to see that a ton can sometimes mean a very small amount of something! Dry Ton (or Tonne). A measurement of mass used for material that’s usually wet but has been dried for transportation (think sludge, slurry, or compost, for example). Assay Ton. This is not a unit of measurement, but is always either 29 1⠁„6 grams (short assay ton) or 32 2⠁„3 grams (long assay ton)- much lighter than a pound! This amount is the standard quantity of ore necessary for testing the ores of precious metals. Tons of Energy Here, the ton is so removed from its original meaning that it's used to measure energy output in the same way that units like the joule or the calorie do. Ton of TNT. This kind of ton is not a measurement of volume or mass, but instead, a specific amount of energy- 109 calories (about 4.184 gigajoules)- generally used to describe nuclear weapons or earthquakes. This energy unit hasn't had anything to do with the actual chemical TNT for a long time. Tonne of Oil Equivalent. Another standard energy value, based on the amount of energy released by burning one tonne of crude oil. The very similar "tonne of coal equivalent" is the amount of energy released by burning one tonne of coal. Tons of Cold Ton of Refrigeration. This is a measure of heat absorption used for refrigeration and air conditioning, and comes from the days when cooling was accomplished only through ice. 1 unit ton of mechanical refrigeration is the capacity to meet the consumption of 1 ton of ice in 1 day. That's a good-looking ton of ship. So, Really, How Many Pounds in a Ton? All you really have to know is that in the US, a ton measures mass and is the same as 2000 pounds. It helps to have a general sense that the US short ton, the UK long ton, and the metric ton are slight variations on the same measurement. To be a ton superstar, you should remember that the ton started as a measurement of volume and is still used that way about ships.

Paper 3 (The Final) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Paper 3 (The Final) - Essay Example Beyoncà ©, on the other hand, had been a role model of popular culture for more than a decade now. She depicts talent and beauty that most young people look up to and desired to be. These two personalities in their own ways set the standards for beauty and define what popular culture is. By this, my paper will try to evaluate the effect of popular culture in people’s perception of beauty. I will explore two photos to prove that there is a connection between the photos, the popular culture and its role in influencing people’s lives and perspectives in terms of their social roles and in the aspect of beauty in particular. In her study â€Å"Britney, Beyoncà © and me – Primary school girls’ role models and constructions of the ‘popular girl’†, Barbara Read, discussed how gender and culture shape the values of young girls today into aligning them with what their role models are, like for example Lady Gaga and Beyoncà ©. According to Read (2), children’s peer culture play an important role in shaping the way they value things and construct meanings such that the more their friends want to become like their role models, they wanted the same things to happen to them too. According to the results of the study (Read 5), school girls look up to their female teachers primarily as their role models but this can be argued to be normal as teachers are the next best thing they normally look up to. The next school girls’ role models include female singers and performers such as Britney and Beyoncà © (Read 5). The photo above showed Beyoncà © as she performed Oxygen Festival in Ireland. The photo is an example of a framing vector in which the artist used edges of the image as well as other vectors within the image to direct viewer’s attention; this type was specifically used to include certain elements while excluding

E-mail protocol Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-mail protocol - Research Paper Example Anonymity of all the parties together with message security and integrity can be ensured by use of digital signature protocols that make it possible for delivery of electronic mail to be certified. i. Several reasons make it necessary to certify delivery of electronic mail. These include: a. To eliminate the danger of hacking, reverse engineering and eavesdropping. b. To ensure that the parties to an electronic message remain anonymous to each other for security reasons. c. To make it possible to safely transfer information from one party to another or from one sender to multiple recipients while at the same time addressing the issue of repudiation. ii. Certifying delivery of electronic mail has several advantages over conventional mail because: a. It improves efficiency of mail delivery while at the same time taking care of security concerns. b. Either of the parties to the message is barred by the protocol from ever denying having received or sent the message. iii. The protocol ens ures that only the intended message is sent. E-mail Protocol Abstract The issue of security can never be overlooked in this digital age when it comes to corporate emails. A simple leakage of confidential information can create a huge social, economical and political scene that can be costly in terms of money. Therefore, the need to add value to delivery of important data over the internet to safeguard individual and corporate interests cannot be overemphasized. To guarantee delivery of email messages, it would be paramount to consider using certified mail and lay down stringent rules to govern employee conduct towards the use of conventional email. However, there are controversies that surround the use of certified mail in that it deals only with a single sender and a single recipient. So, what happens when there is the need to send an email message to more than one recipient? The answer lies in the use of a multi party certified e-mail protocol with multiple recipient capabilities. It enables the sender to realize his intention of sending similar message to multiple recipients. Any recipient who acknowledges receipt of the sender’s message is guaranteed to have received the email. To appreciate the role of email protocols best, it would suffice to not only consider how security loopholes can be sealed in the current internet infrastructure but also look at possible ways of curtailing weaknesses and optimizing on strengths of email protocol. Introduction Without email protocols, it would not be possible to maintain a consistent and orderly system for transporting, routing, handling, retrieval and storage of email messages. Email protocols provide the rules for governing such activities. There are several protocols that enable a mail server and a mail client to exchange information but this will be dealt with later on in this document. Though these protocols differ in some ways, yet they all follow similar pattern. First, one computer will normally start a conversation with another. Second, as the conversation is taking place, the server acknowledges the command using a certain code. The code informs about the success of the command or if an error occurred and finally the conversation is ended. The email protocol helps eliminate communication barriers in email systems thereby making it unnecessary to rely on proprietary protocols. This has the overall effects of making communication to be efficient by eliminating the need of

Syndicated Data And Standardized Services And Their Differences Marketing Essay

Syndicated Data And Standardized Services And Their Differences Marketing Essay At work, I am involved in the selection process of research suppliers for the sake of annual staff surveys, benefits surveys and for mystery shopper program and analysis, I realize the services offered by the research industry has grown greatly in the past decade. So I am interested to find out the kind of services research agencies offer, and about the marketing research industry worldwide. This paper is therefore relatively informational, in which I have included a lot of named research suppliers who were listed and found from the various book references, library and internet sources in order to support the different categories of the services. There will be little emphasis on opinionated discussion, as the objective of this paper aims to explain the syndicated data and standardized services offered by research agencies, distinguish their differences, various applications and sources of data. Both services are common nowadays in Asia, especially the SMEs (Small to medium sized ente rprise) that are using such research data for nurturing the success of their organizations, however the difficulties to operate a nation-wide approach in Asia is discussed. I have also included a sample of a standardized service in Hong Kong, WorkHKà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ by Towers Watson, in the area of job satisfaction survey and its process is shared here. Introduction What is Syndicated data and Standardized services Today, over $20 billion a year is spent on marketing/advertising/public opinion research services around the world. Spending on marketing research is $6.9 billion in the United States alone. During the past two decades, the research market has become highly concentrated, with about 54 percent of the market being held by the 50 largest worldwide organizations. The other half of the market is shared by a thousand or more small research firms. The concentration is even more pronounced in the United States, where the 10 largest firms account for 64 percent of total U.S. spending for marketing research (Wileys Marketing Research Industry and Research Ethics article, p.26). In the highly competitive retail market, understanding the customer is paramount. In order to fill in the gaps of consumers buying motive and actual buying, companies have to understand the customers, and of course, marketing research is the tool for gaining knowledge about the customers. Marketing research is a systematic gathering of information and such analysis of data gathered connects the consumers and the public to the marketer so as to identify the marketing problems and opportunities, assess marketing actions, manage the marketing performance, and improve the overall marketing process. Marketing research information is provided by research suppliers which can be either an internal supplier or an external supplier. Most manufacturers, retailers, and service businesses, such as McDonalds, Kraft Foods or American Airlines, have small internal marketing research departments, and Procter and Gamble (PG) has a large internal research department. External suppliers are outside marketing research companies hired to supply marketing research data; and they can be classified as full service supplier firms and limited service supplier firms; full service suppliers are companies that offer full range of marketing research activities, they provide standardized information which involves two broad classes, namely the syndicated data services and standardized services which this paper focuses to discuss. Figure 1.0 indicates the overall services provided by an information supplier. What it means by Syndicated Data and Standardized Services According to Curry (1993) and Kolb (2008), syndicated data is a form of external and secondary data supplied in a standardized format and ready-to-use routine information made available to multiple subscribers known as a syndicate in a common database, which means the information is not tailor made to meet the needs of any particular company or designed to solve client-specific problems, the data format is designed to provide a standard, ongoing vehicle to facilitate the collection of data. Syndicated data is provided in a common data base for a service fee charged to subscribers and these research firms which provide the data are known as syndicated data service firms. These suppliers offer syndicated data on a subscription basis to all subscribing members of the syndicate, such detailed information can be of value to companies in a specific trade but may not be available in libraries. Syndicated data suppliers collect data on a continuing basis regarding the consumption of a specif ic product or products or the purchasing behavior of a specific target market segment. These data are then sold to companies, which specify how much data they want and the analysis they require; the more data and analysis that are required, the higher the price and what they do not do is conducting research specifically for any single client company. With syndicated data, both the process of collecting and analyzing the data and the data itself are standardized, firms supplying syndicated data follow standard research formats and uniform reports that enable them to collect the same standardized data over time at periodic intervals. Common types of syndicated data measure retail sales, wholesale product shipments, consumer panels, advertising media audiences, advertising effectiveness, and consumer attitudes. ACNielsen TV Ratings and IRI are examples of two large syndicated data services firms, ACNielson collects information on TV and media viewing and also on ad recognition on the i nternet, anyone, including the public, can buy the products they sell by visiting their website. On the other hand, standardized services rarely provide clients with standardized data, rather, they provide the research process. Zikmund (2003, p.74) explained that standardized services refer to a marketing research process that is standardized and used to generate information for a particular user and the application of that standardized process will result in different data for each client, even though the standardized process is the same in gathering the data. For example, a client will use a standardized service firm to measure customer satisfaction, instead of developing its own process. Several other marketing research services, such as test marketing, naming new brands, pricing a new product, or using mystery shoppers, can be provided or purchased from standardized service firms. Synovates ProductQuest service assists in developing new products and improving existing products. Baltimore Research offers a Mock Trials service to clients involved in litigation, to listen to di fferent attorney presentations so that the litigants attorneys can have better presentation ways to impact the jurors. Advantages and Disadvantages of Syndicated Data and Standardized Services Advantages of Syndicated Data A key advantage of syndicated data is on the shared costs of the data among users as many clients may subscribe to the same information, thus making the cost of the service greatly reduced. Burns Bush (2010, p.205) made it clear that due to the quality of the data collected is typically very high and requiring a huge amount of cost, so the share of affordable cost with several users maintains the validity and reliability quality of the data. Another advantage is that the data are normally disseminated very quickly because of the routinized systems, standard procedures and methods used to collect and process the data over and over again on a periodic basis. Besides, the information is current, the more current the data, the greater is the use. Syndicated data services can at least aid in the formulation of the clients decision problem, suggest types of data for meeting the information needs, and service as a source of comparative data by which internal data from within the organizati on cannot achieve. Advantages of Standardized Services The advantage of using standardized service suppliers is mainly buying the experience of the research firm, especially when the buyer company does not have enough the experienced personnel to carry out a particular research process. Besides, using standardized services helps to reduce cost of the buyer when the trial and error process and potential errors can be minimized. Since the standardized service suppliers has been conducting the service for many clients regularly, their procedure is therefore efficient in delivering the result as compared to having the research processed by the buying company themselves. Most importantly is the time saved for buying company in collecting similar data by themselves, because several weeks or months may be required to design, pretest a survey or questionnaire, train the interviewers, devise a sampling plan, collect and process the data. In addition, such cost of the project could be tremendous but it can be much reduced by employing the services from external standardized suppliers. Due to the always availability of standardized services, it is therefore important in the marketing research application. Disadvantages of Syndicated Data Since the format is standardized, buyers have little control over what information is collected and must be satisfied with the standardized information received. Buyers may feel helpless if the units of measurement or definition of classes, recency of data, publication currencies and the units of geographical data are not appropriate which are summarized as the data fit problem. Burns Bush (2010, pp.205-6) gave a second disadvantage, that buyers must often commit to a long-term contract which only serves to secure the expenses required by the syndicated data supplier on the quality and vast scope of research. The last and most crucial disadvantage is that the same data is available to competitors, that is, what the client firm buy and see from the report, the competitors also see the same analysis and picture. Disadvantages of Standardized Services Naturally, the word standardized automatically implies the service is not customized, standard service suppliers do not design a service specifically for the clients project. Besides, Zikmund (2003, p.113) stated that the standardized service supplier may not know a particular industry well so it becomes the responsibility of the buying company to ensure the standardized service really fits their intention. This accuracy problem poses a limitation and can only be minimized if the buying company has a comprehensive knowledge of the research process so as to evaluate the accuracy of the data and assess the evidences regarding the quality of the data as well. Applications of Standardized Information Standardized information is a type of secondary data which can be either syndicated or standardized, in which the data collected and/or the process of collecting the data are standardized for all users. Standardized information can have many applications, in general, it includes measuring the consumer attitudes, clarifying market segments, conducting market tracking and monitoring the usage of media and effectiveness of promotional activities. Measuring consumer attitudes and opinion polls Burns Bush (2010, pp.206-207) gives plenty of examples for this kind of suppliers: The Maritz Poll uses a standardized process to ensure that consumer attitudes and opinions are properly measured, and these polls are examples of a standardized service. ESRIs Tapestryà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ Segmentation is a standardized service that uses a process to profile residential neighborhoods. This information is purchased by clients desiring to better understand who their customers are, where they are located and how to reach them. The Yankelovich Monitor measures changing social values and their impact on consumers. It specializes in generating studies on mature populations, baby boomers and Generation Xers. These data are syndicated which is available to anyone who wishes to buy, and the information can be used for a variety of marketing decisions. Ipsos Public Affairs ® produces Ipsos Global @dvisor ® to study the companys proprietary audiences so that company can better understand how consumers and key stakeholders view its reputation as a brand. Coca-Cola is its subscribers. The Harris Poll measures consumer attitudes and opinions on government and economy, and other topics include politics, world affairs and legal issues. Harris poll is a source for identifying trend lines and is standardized information offering syndicated data. The Gallup Poll (http://poll.gallup.com/) measures public opinion polling on a wide variety of topics, such as domestic issues, private issues or world affairs, military and defense, stem cell research, smoking population percentage over time, etc. Gallup poll is syndicated data, as the information is available to all who wish to buy. Client firms can track attitudes of consumers toward buying private brands or their attitudes. Defining market segments This research method requires placing customers to share certain attributes, such as age, income, into homogeneous groups or market segments. The Stanford Research Institute, for example, conducts an annual survey of consumers and classifies them into homogeneous groups for market segmentation purposes. Some standardized information sources focus on members of the industrial market, two sources being the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system allow marketers to define industry types more specifically. Dun Bradstreet (DB) credit bureau collects vast amount of information on business firms, private and public. While SIC uses 4 digits codes and NAICS uses 6, DBs Duns Market Identifiers (DMI) uses 8 digits classification system to identify firms into very specific types of businesses. Since DB originated as a credit reporting firm and companies already supplied DB with detailed information about their operations, allow DB create databases containing a wide spectrum of business information. This is important if a marketer is trying to target specific business firms, however narrow their classification. Other standardized information sources provide information on members of the consumer market. SRI Consulting Business Intelligences (SRIC-BIs) VALSà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ program (www.sric-bi.com/VALS/) segments consumers by psychological and demographic measures, placed them in each of eight personality segments. This knowledge of consumers behaviors helps the client firm develop a deeper understanding of its target market consumer. Birn (2000, p.74) brought in the term, geodemographics, which describes the classification of usually small geographical areas and related to the characteristics of the inhabitants. Research firms specializing in geodemographics combine census data with survey data. Boyd, Walker Larrà ©chà © (1998, pp. 171-179) further substantiated this service by referring it as PRIZM, (Potential Ratings Index for ZIP Markets) which defines every neighborhood in the US based upon 66 household market segments. ESRIs Tapestryà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ also divides US residential ZIP cod es into 65 segments based upon selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Nielsen Claritas (http://www.claritas.com) and Acorn help sending promotion messages to targeted consumers and they have created desktop products that assist marketing managers to conduct regional and national segmentation studies. Knowing which market segments helps to make up a client firms potential customers. Conducting market tracking Tracking studies are those that monitor, or track a variable such as market share or sales over time. Tracking studies can tell a firm how well the products are being sold in retail outlets globally and also the sales status on competitors products. Nielsen SCANTRACK Services is based on syndicated retail scanning data, tracks thousands of products as they move through retail stores, allowing brand managers to monitor sales and market share and to evaluate marketing strategies. As for market tracking at the household level, it is gathered in homes using scanning devices or through the use of diaries and sending auditors to households. Nielsen Homescan ® Panel, uses scanning device to scan all bar-coded products brought home from all outlets. IRI ScanKey Consumer Network Household Panel, an example given by Malhotra Birks (2000), maintains a panel of consumer households that record purchases at outlets by using a handheld ScanKey wand. Todays technology is so advanced that a user o f information can easily be overloaded with information, various companies have therefore created decision support systems, data mining systems, expert systems and the like by using analytical tools to attach meaning to data, allowing marketers to make decisions in response to the quickly changing market conditions. Monitoring media usage and promotion effectiveness In order to measure the promotional effectiveness in media, readership, listenership effectiveness, some syndicated data service companies conduct studies on several forms of media. To track television, Nielsen Television Index (NTI) records television ratings data which are reported by DMAs (designed market areas). Naturally higher viewership of certain programs allow the television company to charge higher fee for advertisements. NTI also provides subscribers with audience characteristic information that allows potential advertisers to select audiences that most closely match their target markets characteristics. To track radio, Arbitron Panel provides syndicated data on radio station listening through selected samples who record their radio listening in diaries and Arbitrons Portale People Meter (PPMSM), a hand-held electronic device in the size of a mobile phone, automatically records the stations listened to. The procedures for measuring advertising effectiveness are standardized for comparing the results across studies. To track print, MRIs Starch Readership Survey is widely used for measuring the actual exposure of magazine ads to readers; Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies are another well-known syndicated service firms, aim to help marketers make decisions about what comprises a good ad. To track downloaded music, videos and recorded books, Nielsens SoundScan, VideoScan and BookScan separately provides information on the downloaded music, sales of VHS and DVD and sales of books. To track Multimedia, Simmons National Consumer Study gathers information on media usage linked to product usage, this information allows companies to determine the viewing/listening media habits of users. Nowadays, on-line consumer word of mouth or on-line consumer business have been shared through the internet world, via websites, blogs, facebook, discussion forums, companies can keep track of what is being said about them and their products by subscribing to BussMetrics from the Nielsen Company (Hester, 1996, pp. 169-170 and Burns Bush, 2010, pp. 219-222). Monitoring health related facilities and pharmaceutical products IMS Health Incorporated, as mentioned by Burn Bush (2010, p.76), is the worlds second largest research firm, providing services in over 100 countries. IMS services include pharmacy and hospital audits plus the measurement of disease and treatment patterns. Westat, Americas third largest research firm, conducts research and long-term follow-up surveys for agencies of the US government and businesses foundations. Major areas include health, education, social programs, environment and transportation. Sources and Suppliers of Data Primary and external syndicated Secondary Data Primary and secondary data are two main sources of data. Primary research starts from raw scratch, collected specifically for the research needs to solve the problem at hand. Secondary data already exists and are already published as they were collected for purposes other than the specific research needs at hand and usually used by someone else. Secondary data are therefore more economical than primary research which is a quick source of background information, but the format seldom meets the needs of the researcher. In a marketing problem definition process, analysis of available secondary data is an essential step and primary data should not be collected until the available secondary data have been fully analyzed. Scott (2009) alerted marketers with international marketing research that few problems may arise because customers may vary due to different cultures, traditions, beliefs and expectations. If this happens, separate country should collect individual countrys secondary info rmation and then compare the data difference, which means international marketing research better counts more on original primary data instead of secondary information. Primary data sources Primary data is original and normally organizations commission external researcher to establish the techniques, measurement and analysis for them. The technical aspects of conducting various types of primary marketing research relies on qualitative research methods, which means working with focus groups, conducting surveys, questionnaires, interviews and experiments. Wilson (2006, pp. 37) said this is a skilled task that requires careful thought and planning whereby a poorly designed questionnaire can jeopardize the response rates and provide incomplete or inaccurate data. Besides, determining the sample involves clearly specifying the types of respondent to be included, the number of respondents required and the method by which individual respondents will be selected. To conduct focus groups and interviewing, the researchers need to be well trained to ensure unbiased judgment and uphold the ethics to respect the rights of the respondents. Most companies will outsource the data colle ction process and rarely have it conducted by the companys internal personnel. Syndicated sources and Suppliers of Secondary Data Secondary data can be classified as coming from internal sources or external sources. Boyd et. al. (1998, p.80) specified clearly that internal sources can be available within the organization when every organization has at its disposal valuable internal secondary data, such as sales invoices, estimates of total annual usage of a product, advertising and promotion activities recorded, research and development and manufacturing reports or service by location, etc. that can be an important starting point for any marketing research project. External data can be available from various sources, such as government statistical publications, trade association data, books, bulletins, annual reports and business periodicals which can be free from library resources. Otherwise, external data sources not available in libraries are usually standardized data which are comparatively expensive. These secondary data are supplied by syndicated services suppliers to many client firms, anyone willing to pay the price can buy the data. One method of obtaining secondary data is frequently through surveys, which could be periodic surveys on the same set of variables conducted at regular intervals; or panel surveys to measure the same panel respondents over time but not necessarily on the same variable; or shared surveys are developed and executed for multiple clients when each of them share the cost. A number of firms maintain panels of respondents who are matched to the general population in terms of age, income and who agree in advance to participate in surveys, typically by mail or phone and response rates within the panels tend to be high and the demographic and lifestyle information are already available . Curry (1993) classified syndicated data sources as a) consumer data, b) retail data, c) wholesale data, d) industrial data, e) advertising evaluation data, and f) media and audience data. Consumer data normally relates to purchases and the circumstances surrounding the purchases. Kinnear Taylor (1991, pp.151-155, 164) provided examples of these suppliers: The National Purchase Diary (NPD, http://www.npd.com/) maintains over 30,000 households who keep diaries of purchases. The Marketing Research Corporation of America (MRCA) maintains a diary panel that records details on purchase of groceries and personal care items. Mediamark Inc. has annual survey that includes overall breakdown of usage by demographic category. The Roper Reports monitor public opinion and consumer behavior and interests on a broad range of social and political topics and on opinions of various consumer products and services. Yankelovich Clancy Shulmans Monitor Service conducts annual survey of households on social trends. Regarding consumers attitudes and buying behavior, Burgoyne Consumer Surveys provides in-store consumer on-the-spot reactions to marketing and product innovations, DDB Needham an d Gallup Omnibus conducts long term tracking of attitudes and opinions. PRIZM serves to explain, predict target consumer behavior while the Survey Research Center at University of Michigan monitors consumer consumption patterns, attitudes and intentions on financial issues. Retail Data collected focus on the products or services sold through the outlets and/or the characteristics of the outlets themselves. Hair, Bush Ortinau (2006, pp. 12-13) mentioned ACNielens Retail Index and Audits Surveys National Total-Market Audit provide data on total sales by product class, sales by brand and of competing brands in supermarkets, drugstores. IRI (http://www.infores.com/) and ACNielsen (http://www.acnielsen.com/) basically dominate the retail scanner business. Scanner data are collected in two separate forms (household level and store level) and for two distinct sets of clients (manufacturers and retailers). In addition, three other sets of data are also maintained, they are (a) prices, features and displays at the retail level; (b) coupons and other promotions (c) advertising on TV, print, radio. Audits Survey also provides National Restaurant Market index on the commercial restaurant market annually. Ehrhart-Babic Group provides syndicated in-store distribut ion data and new-product-introduction performance data through their National Retail Tracking Index. BehaviorScan and InfoScan by IRI assist in multiple market testing and tracking services while DBs National Scan Track provides projection to monitor displays in supermarkets. Wholesale data are warehouse shipment data used to estimate sales at retail. Birn (1999) told us that SAMI (Selling Areas-Marketing, Inc.) is the best known syndicated service of this type, especially for retail food stores. SAMIs data allow the client to analyze trends in sales or package size and the impact of promotions and competitive actions. These data also serve as an intermediary audit purpose in the distribution chain, wholesalers and formal examination of product movement by analyzing inventory. Pipeline Research Inc. provides audit service on warehouse inventories of drug products monthly. Then P-O-S Research audits the national warehouse movement and trend line of products sold through food store distribution, including grocery, frozen, dairy, household, health and beauty aids. Industrial data are more syndicated data services available to consumer goods manufacturers rather than to industrial goods suppliers. Birn (1999) shared that DBs Market Identifiers provides data on companies rated by DB, which can be used to construct sales prospect lists, identify sales territories, sales potentials, and so forth. McGraw-Hills Dodge Reports collects data from building material manufacturers and distributors so the data can be used in marketing building products while Polk Companys Motor Statistics provides vehicles registration data. Advertising Evaluation data help advertisers in measuring the effectiveness of their ad expenditures in broadcast and print media. AdTel, ARS (Advertising Research Service), CATS (Comprehensive Advertising Tracking System) offer comprehensive and continuous tracking of weight and quality of commercial ads in terms of GRPs (Gross Rating Points). Starch Message Reports, Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies are most widely used syndicated services on readership. Burns Bush (2010, p.150) cited Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) is a standardized, independent third party audit bureau, aims to confirm methodology, verification of lists and credibility of the content of magazines which are very helpful to the magazine industry providing advertisers with richer data on magazine readership. Media and audience data Media companies include advertising agencies, sales promotion companies, public relations agencies, and direct marketing firms which are all concerned with getting the right message to the right target market, the advertising effects of competitors, how much they are spending and the media mix, hence marketing research information is often required to accomplish this goal. For example, companies that advertise on network television want to select shows that reach their target customers most efficiently so they need information on the size, demographic and psychographics composition of the audiences for various TV programs. Firms like NMR and American Research Bureau provide standardized TV audience ratings to a syndicate group of clients. The Simmons Market Research Bureau compares audience characteristics. Kolb (2008, p.64) mentioned it would be greatly inefficient for company to collect these data by themselves, only ad agencies have internal research depar tment as they need to find the correct marketing message and the best image to represent a client company and also the best media to use. Marketing Evaluations, Inc., for example, offers several Q Scores ® services, one of its services measures the familiarity and appeal of performers, such as actors/ actresses, authors, athletes, sportscasters, and so forth. Such information helps companies to choose the most appropriate spokesperson or help a movie producer select a performer for an upcoming movie. Scott (2009) gave an interesting fact that Tom Hanks and Bill Cosby, for example, are performers who have high Q scores. Nielsen Media Researchs Nielsen Television Index (NTI), is another example of a syndicated data provider, supplying subscribers with data on TV viewing, available to anyone wishing to buy it. Arbitron and ACB (Advertising Checking Bureau) offer syndicated data on the number and types of listeners to the various radio stations. This standardized information helps advertising firms reach their target markets; and also helps radio stations define audience size and characteristics. One must not undermine the service by the research giant, VNU Inc. (VNU), founded in 1964, is a major international media and information company and the largest company owned by VNU is ACNielsen. Hair et.al. (2006) gave a thorough introduction of ACNielsen, that it is broken down into several companies: a) Nielsen Media Research (NMR) provides television audience measurement information; b) NetRatings Inc. (NR) reports on internet and digital media syndicated research; c) Entertainment Information Division (NE) serves the entertainment industry, including movies, music and home entertainment; d) Media Solutions Division includes PERQ/HCI providing healthcare audience measurement, Scarborough Research (SR) measures local and regional shopping patterns of American consumers, Standard Rate Data Services (SRDS) offers the worlds largest database on media rates, Interactive Market Systems (IMS) offers audience profiling. Single Source Data Single source data means continuously monitor a panel of respondents on media exposure, promotional material exposure, and buying behavior to measure their exposure to promotional material

Early Childhood Services Norway Essay

Government goal – â€Å"all children whose parents wish it should have a place in a barnehage, full-time or part-time. † (OECD, 1999:12) â€Å"All municipalities must offer an ECEC place to all parents †¦ who want to enrol their child. As yet, corresponding legislation has not been drafted to give a legal right to all parents to a place for their child. † (OECD, 2006: 399) Two separate traditions brought together in Barnehage – * Educationally focused barnehage (19th century – Froebel) * Daghem – (translates as day home) Precursor was barneasyl (children’s asylum 1837) – more social , focused on poor families. Norways approach to Early Childhood Care and Education Barnehage – viewed as having â€Å"an integrated care and educational role† †¦ â€Å"care and learning are seen as inseparable activities. † (OECD, 199: 12) Provision grew slowly – 1970’s increase in service (1970 attendance – 5% of 3/4 yrs olds to 1990’s – attendance rates for 1 – 5 yr olds = 47-60% and increase since then) Very few children under 12mths in barnehage (well developed parental leave system) Barnehage – vary in terms of ownership, management, and funding. 47% – public, owned and managed by local authorities (kommune). Remainder are private – owned and managed in a variety of ways (parent groups, non-profit organisations). All receive state subsidy – all parents make payments – all local authorities subsidise public barnehager that they own and manage. Local authorities vary re policy subsidising private barnehager. Consequence – 3 types of barnehage in relation to funding (public, private – receive local authority funding & private – who do not receive local authority funding). Variations in public funding – parental fees higher in private barnehage – (except those who fall under the local authority funding). Variations in parental fees in local authority barnehage – some cases fees the same for all families. Norwegian System – 4 other types of provision; 1. ‘open kindergarten’ – children attend with parent/carer. 2. Family Day care divided into two groups – Private (a) offer totally private service; 3. Family day carers (b) networks (familiebarnehager) – can be public/private managed & supervised by one trained pre-school teacher per 30 children. 4. SFO – care and recreation for school aged children (6yrs was 7yrs) outside school hours. School in first 4 grades – from 6 yrs = 20 hours per week – child spends rest of time in SFO. SFO – may be located at school, or separate accommodation. Attendance rates vary. Education system overall dominated by groups care in a particular type of centre. Staff in Barnehager 3 types of staff†¦ 1. Styrere (leader) – management. 2. Pedagogiske (trained teacher). 3. Assistents . Remaining staff†¦ * Bilingual assistants (ethnic minority groups) * Other teaching staff (special needs) * Other persons (chefs/cleaners) All styrere & pedagogiske – have to have qualified as ECEC teacher (both types of staff have the same training). Training in ECEC Norway  3 years full time study – possible to do 4 year distance learning training (mature students with some experience avail of this). In service training available. Admission to pre-school training – 3 year study in general subjects at upper secondary. No special requirements for assistents (recently introduction of 2 years of school and 2 years in workplace = can choose health & social care /child & youth workers option to cover work in the barnehager, SFO, clubs and other services. Salaries – depends on training & position. (OECD,1999: 16) Most staff in barnehager are female. Men 8% of all staff direct contact with children. (OECD 2006) Emphasis on men in childcare – two main motives: 1. gender equality 2. right of children to meet both men and women. Male workers seen as important to boys. Childhood institutionalised (role models mainly women – concern from Norwegian Government) (Research into this needed †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ) Children with diverse needs (OECD 2006) Children with disabilities: Children with disabilities have a priority right to services provided it is deemed by an expert that the child will be able to benefit from attending the day care institution. Children from low-income families: The child poverty rate in Norway is 3. 4% after taxes and transfers, compared to the OECD average of 11. 2%. The barnehage is considered to play an important role in terms of preventive child welfare. Children living in at-risk circumstances, places are fully funded by municipalities. Supports are provided also to enable barnehager accommodate children with disabilities, children from low-income families and bilingual children. Ethnic and bilingual children: An indigenous ethnic group, the Sami, constitute 1. 7% of the Norwegian population. Sami language kindergartens are funded generously whenever there is a concentration of Sami families. Curriculum and pedagogy: The first national curriculum plan, called a Framework Plan, came into force in 1996. The curriculum, which must be used by all barnehager, is based on the Nordic tradition of combining education and care. A Sami supplement is integrated in the plan. All barnehager, including familiebarnehager and open barnehager, must base their annual plans on this Framework, which is the National Curriculum. The Framework Plan emphasises that both local cultural values and the national cultural heritage, as reflected in the childhood environment, must be represented in the activity of the barnehage (Background Report for Norway, 1999). A revised Framework Plan enters into force on 1st August 2006. The main principles are the same, with the new Kindergarten Act giving children a legal right to participate in all questions concerning their daily lives in ECEC. The Norwegian Child (OECD, 1999:21) â€Å"strong idea of how the Norwegian child should be and what it means to live a good childhood† (OECD, 1999:21). â€Å"Important to protect childhood from too much adult control† (OECD, 1999:21). â€Å"Adults should not take childhood away from children, but bring it back to them. † (OECDm 1999:21) Value of childhood & children seen as a social group within society.

Where to Find California Bar Essay Samples

Where to Find California Bar Essay Samples The usage of NFL jerseys is quite common. With personalized jerseys of the NFL, you're sure that you've got the ideal design. Locating a cheap NFL jersey has been a daunting undertaking for a number of the hardcore fans in spite of the team they support for. Accordingly, by reading and studying past exams you will raise your likelihood of seeing something similar on the authentic bar exam. The scaling for any individual Bar Exam won't ever be released and varies dependent on the test so we'll never understand what percentage is going to be asked to pass. The bar exam isn't all that different. Thus, you take your very first practice exam on evidence. Presently, the Multistate Essay Exam tests each of the MBE subjects, listed above, plus a range of non-MBE subjects. Many examinees think whether a subject was tested on a single essay it is not going to be tested again during the exam! Most examinees appear to understand the value of doing practice MBEs. Frequently examinees fail since they delay the true study of the exam. Each essay question is intended to be answered in 1 hour and the PT was made to be completed in 90 minutes. The first time that I took it, I didn't take it quite serious. Told H There's no place here for you. The California Bar Essay Samples Trap The bar examiners are not searching for your capacity to regurgitate rule statements. The library stipulates the law which is going to be utilized to address the issue. When you review every one of your answers, keep an eye on your mistakes. These model answers are fantastic examples (especially if they're student answers) of what the graders are interested i n. The Appeal of California Bar Essay Samples Frequently a sample will be given. So today we focus on how best to approach the essay part of the bar exam. If you do really well on a single section, you're virtually sure to pass. At this time you compare your answer with the sample answer supplied by the bar. The Essay Master Course offers the best tools available to assist students PASS the essay part of the California Bar Exam. Applicants should plan to get there a minimum of 20 minutes early to find their assigned sections or rooms. They admitted to the Attorneys' Examination are not permitted to take the MBE. The aim is that the issues and rules will grow more familiar, and you are going to be in a position to set them up more quickly. What's more, besides the countless papers on distinct subjects, you may have a number of other responsibilities which require significant attention. Yes, it's important to be aware of the rules. Reciting the rules was the logical results of an established matter. The Battle Over California Bar Essay Samples and How to Win It These points are made to help you prepare for essay style examinations. This $239 value is completely freewith the essay training course. There are particular common factors that signal the caliber and value of the essays . That means you should still have some full essays beneath your belt for each subject, before you get started cooking them, as there are subtle differences in the approach. If you wish to try it closed book, which will help you remember the rules better as you'll be fighting to recall them. It's quite easy to use along with self explanatory. Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for California Bar Essay Samples Ensure you realize the question and are clear of what you are being requested to do. If you locate your own work challenging to get through, then that's an indication which you will want to clean up your act. Naturally, each of the principal issues and many sub-issues were therevery important. To start with, by waiting until you've got the law memorized you don't observe the context for the law you're trying to learn and you understand less. On occasion, once an abortion isn't done correctly, the kid might actually live and could be born with very considerable health defects t hat would stop the child from leading a normal life. After the mother's or child's life is in danger. A youngster needs certain conditions as a way to live. This child wouldn't be in a position to lead a normal life. This isn't an excellent plan. In the event you haven't noticed, I'm a huge proponent of learning from the true test. I don't believe you can postpone it. Each performance test includes two packets.