CanGo Analysis Essay Example for Free

CanGo Analysis Essay 1. CanGo has too many activities without having specific goals or setting priorities. As they find something that needs to be accomplished, it is always as soon as possible without setting definite time deadlines. Setting priorities is one way to insure that the tasks which need immediate attention are worked on first, while other task can be delayed because they are not as important. Being able to schedule people to complete specific task requires careful planning while know what resources are available. According to the Business Dictionary, a resource is â€Å"an economic or productive factor required to accomplish an activity† (Resource, 2013). CanGo needs to make a chart showing what its resources are which includes how much time each employee is able to work, how much money they can spend or invest, and what needs to be done by when. This can be accomplished in a number of different methods depending on the personnel who will be responsible for compiling the data. As shown on the Adaptive Path website, one method would be to use a spreadsheet which shows three major criteria and then apply a scale to them graphing the results. Equally important, once the priorities are determined, is setting specific deadlines for completion of task so that the employees know exactly when a report is needed, or when another department needs a specific resource if a resources needs to be shared or allocated, such as an employee working on multiple tasks. When setting the times, it is also important to know if one task needs to be completed before another on starts or if tasks can be worked on by different employees concurrently.  Setting up a written schedule or calendar, for example in Microsoft Outlook which everyone can view would be a good tool so each employee knows who is working on what and when it needs to be done. 2. CanGo needs to find out their customer base so that they can market to current customers and bring in new customers. There are a few ways to find their customer base. This first step to help find a customer base is to make the company a brand name. They need to make the company known to everyone for the great services and products offered. This will make the company more noticeable on any search engine or social media. Another step to finding the base would be to use onsite analytics. Google is the best known option for this. This will analyze the sites traffic patterns. It shows what websites they come from, how long they stay on your site and each individual page. This can even determine what page the customers get to and then leave (Staff Editor). If there is a certain page that customers’ get to and then leave the site, than this is the page that needs to be looked over and re-done. CanGo should also take advantage of social media. If CanGo used a social media outlet such as Facebook, their fans could leave comments and say what they like and dislike about the company. This can help fix any problems within the company. The final step in reaching a good customer base is to make sure their website is user friendly. Make sure the homepage has the most important content on it and that it has easy to understand menus for the customers to navigate. The company should also make sure to look at the reviews both good and bad and leave all of them on there. By showing that you are not trying to hide anything the customers will have more respect for the company. . CanGo wants to implement a new technology that involves a new layout that incorporates barcoding and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS). Jack is proposing this new implementation by contrasting the new technology versus CanGo’s current technology. Jack assures Juan that every cost has been included in the detailed analysis, but when Juan asks about how they are going to deal with the IT department, Jack replies that they need to make sure that the entire department is focus about 70 % of their time to this project in multiple locations. He also remarks that the department has to be pulled off from their current projects, so this implementation can be a priority. Prior to make the final decision of purchasing ASRS technology, there needs to be some deeper discussion as to what would happen to the security of the company’s network if the IT department had to spend more time on data integration. According to Ehow website, â€Å"the information technology department in an organization is responsible for the architecture, hardware, software and networking of computers† meaning that putting the IT department full time on the implementation of ASRS technology, can cause improper function of the mainly IT department functions, for instance, server maintenance (Kelchner, n. d. ). Agreeing to Wisegeek website statement, â€Å"if maintenance is not conducted on a computer network, regardless of whether the network is small or large, pplication software usually will not run as well as expected. In some cases, a network may even experience total or partial network failure if proper maintenance is not conducted. † Jack’s proposal can cause CanGo extra costs that have not been accountable for and put the entire company’s network at risk (server maintenance, n. d. ). In other to make this analysis effective, Jack should meet up with the IT department first and discuss how the implementation of this new technology will impact IT’s current work schedule. Jack and the IT department need to come with a plan that includes a work schedule for the new implementation without interrupting current projects. Therefore, if extra hours are demanded to complete the implementation whether CanGo will pay overtime to the IT department employees or temporary IT employees will be hired, this cost has to be added to the analysis. When choosing a strategy, every single department that is involved in the implementation should be contacted and informed about the project prior to present the final analysis.  It seems that Jack didn’t contact or discuss the implementation of ASRS technology with the IT department. 4. CanGo consumer buying process is in question when one of CanGo’s employee shares an elevated statistic that reveals over 75% of online shoppers don’t end up buying the products that they have selected in the website; as a result, Andrew replies that CanGo’s website mirrors the consumers choice by applying product recognition, informative search, alternating evaluation, etc. It seems that CanGo does not have an ongoing method for tracking hits vs. purchases on their website. The problem is that CanGo is not evaluating their consumer buying process properly. Andrew clearly wonders if that high statistic applies to CanGo clients. According to Aspire website, â€Å"using website metrics and tracking your leads and conversions should play a vital role in measuring what’s working and what’s not on your company’s website. Building up a history of metrics will enable you to identify trends and opportunities, analyze your traffic data to consistently improve your site’s effectiveness, and monitor your lead generation process, conversion rates, and your return on investment. CanGo should invest in website metrics because this will allow CanGo to conduct proper follow up that will confirm if the implemented consumer buying process is satisfactory (Website metrics, n. d. ). 5. CanGo needs to monitor the changes in purchases so that they can modify their marketing strategy. There are a few ways that CanGo can monitor changes. The company should start using web bugs on their site. A web bug is a graphic in a website or a graphic-enabled e-mail message. The Web bug can confirm when the message or page is viewed and record the IP address of the viewer (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). This can help determine how many people are viewing their homepage and any other page on their site. CanGo can also apply direct marketing to their site. Direct marketing is a sales pitch targeted to a person based on prior consumer choices (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). An example would be if the customer buys a romantic novel, then there will be suggestions for other romantic novels in a similar nature. Another method CanGo can use is behavioral marketing. Behavioral Marketing is the practice of collecting and compiling a record of individuals online activities, interests, preferences, and/or communications over time. Companies engaged in behavioral targeting routinely monitor individuals, the searches they make, the pages they visit, the content they view, their interactions on social networking sites, and the products and services they purchase (Privacy Rights Clearinghouse). After they have done the tracking they are able to show advertisements to the customers based on their behavior. This type of marketing is used through cookies, flash cookies, device fingerprinting and many other technologies. Whenever the customer goes to websites or social media that have advertisements on the side, the company’s ad would be there if the services were something that interested the customer. 6. CanGo seems to lack knowledge of unfamiliar territory. Since the online entertainment market is becoming saturated with entrepreneurs entering the industry, CanGo can definitely benefit from researching this particular market before they enter it. There are many reasons for any company that’s entering a new market to research it first. One reason is because it’s a way of keeping up with market trends, and in today’s fast paced world it’s paramount to stay on top of the industry and business trends. Lacking knowledge of unfamiliar territory can be extremely costly to an organization. Expanding into a new market involves a great deal of market research in addition to target customers. CanGo needs to develop an in-depth understanding of market growth rates, forecasted demand, competitors, and potential barriers to entry. CanGo isn’t entering a relatively undefined market, however, its new territory for the company. Needless to say maintaining a competitive edge is an important aspect of management today because organizations exist in a more global environment than in the past. Within most industries organizations compete with other companies that are able to provide the same goods and services. According to Steve Jobs, â€Å"Some people say, ‘give the customers what they want. ’ But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, ‘if I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A faster horse! ’’ People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page. † This was a pretty controversial quote but it was how he actually felt. Unfortunately, although he was extremely successful and considered a genius by many there we’re times in his career where understanding customers’ wants could have led to even more success, such as with his computing company NeXT. There are both and cons to researching a market before entering but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. researching your market is also very vital to understanding your target market and increasing sales. There are many reasons for CanGo to conduct research on a market they’re entering, for instance, identifying potential customers. It’s important who will be using your product or service. Are they male or female? How old they are? and so on. It’s also important to understand CanGo’s existing customers such as; why would customers choose their product over their competition. A market should be prioritized based on the strategic fit and the ability for CanGo to serve them. CanGo should be able to answer questions like: Are there gaps in this marketplace that can be filled? If so can they do better than their competitors? What value can they deliver to this market and how much are they willing to pay for it? (Isaacson, 2011).

What Is Benetton Shock Advertising?

What Is Benetton Shock Advertising? Advertising is a means to communicate a product, service, or idea to a target audience. Companies use a variety of advertising forms: television, radio, newspapers, magazines, internet webpages, and word of mouth to send their message to the consumer. Companies use advertising to try to convince the target audience their product is what the consumer needs or is better than what is currently in use or is invaluable for everyday life. The focal point of most advertisements is the product that the company is trying to sell to the consumer. Advertising in the case of the Benetton Group change the way the world viewed advertising. The Benetton Group used shock advertising to promote their products. Benetton did not use their products in the advertisement, instead; they used graphic photos to grab the audiences attention. The company place their slogan and firm name United Colors of Benetton on the advertisements. The concept that Benetton was going for was to shock the audience with vivid photos that would capture the attention, good or bad. However, the company used this technique to insure that the audience remembers their name. This advertising worked. Benettons most known advertisement campaigns were: a dying AIDS patient, priest kissing nun T-shirt, a Bosnian soldier, enemies, military cemetery with Star of David, ship with refugees, HIV positive patient, gunman with bone, oil-polluted duck, and child labor. Benetton claim the campaigns derived from well-known causes that are of political or social in nature. The campaigns sparked a worldwide debate. Should a clothing manufacturer use such graphic advertising campaigns? Would there be legal ramifications? Would a profit result? The first company to employ shock advertising, The Benetton group truly shock the world with the intent to increase name recognition. The companys risk was astronomical. Would consumers, either disgusted or enthused, venture to see what Benetton was or just dismiss the advertising play? The Benetton group was counting on the shock advertising to boost their name recognition with consumers. The shock campaigns indeed created controversy throughout the world. The controversy was so great as evidenced in news articles, news television and on the internet. The Benetton group received free publicity, sparked by the debates on whether the company had the right legally or morally to use such graphic images and not the traditional advertising promoting the product that they sold. Lawsuits were filed clamming Benetton violated laws in Germany section one of the Law Against Unfair competition (Brandstaetter, ND, ¶28) along with violating human dignity. The German judge ruled that legally the advertising did not violate the law because competition can be classified by product or brand name. The German courts ruled that Benetton did not violate human dignity because photographs and pictures are one form of the expression of ones opinion (Brandstaetter,ND, ¶36). The Benetton group gained worldwide name recognition. The internet is key to many worldwide hatters of Benetton. One such blogger entitled their page Benetton A DISGRACE TO US ALL (Grimsbygal, 2001,). The blogger felt the need to voice disapproval and encourage boycotting Benettons products when shopping. Grimsbygal (the blogger) expresses that Benetton is insulting people and causing widespread offence with their shock campaign. Benetton brought wide controversy with repeating the shock campaign repeatedly. David Croth, a Brand Manager for a competing clothing brand, wanted to know what dose shock advertising has to do with clothing. Clothing products are the tamest product on the face of the planet. Do activists wear cute little tennis sets? (Brandchannel, 2003,  ¶2) Davide Giliati a graphic design student said, A company can only do so much shocking in a period of time, without boring the audience. (Brandchannel, 2003,  ¶5) Shock can bring attention to a company. However, over time the brand looks hollow if the product lacks edge, and shock is then seen as marketing puff without substance. (Brandchannel, 2003, ¶6) The Benetton Group claimed they were using social activism to base the shock campaigns. However, the risk of Benetton using activism in their campaign was alienating a large group of their target audience. Sears, Roebuck Co. stopped selling Benetton products in February 2000 because of threats of boycotts by victims rights groups. (Marketing New, 2000) Shock campaigns can bring huge public debate and brand recognition. Benetton became advertising pioneers because their social concerns were sincere and true to their core values. The question remained if such advertising could bring repeat customers. Unfortunately Benetton did not seem to take the opportunity its reputation brought to match cutting edge campaigns with cutting edge designs and so inevitably sales dropped. (Brandchannel, 2003,  ¶12) The bottom line for Benetton was that because of the controversial campaigns, their company joined the top five recognized trademarks of the world. (Brandstaetter, 1997, ¶41) Dale Lee, President of Smack Inc has stated that Benetton wasnt about cause marketing; it was about passion. Of course, you want to buy from a company with passion. That is what Toscani brought Benetton, and thats whats missing without him. (Brandchannel, 2003 ¶26) The Benetton group, in the sixties, developed a unique way to manipulate how they dye their sweaters giving them a competitive advantage. Benetton could dye their finished products to meet the changing fashion trends. Prior to this period of time, the company had to dye the unwoven fibers, taking longer to keep up with the ever changing fashion trends. The united colors concept spread from encompassing the different races to the ideas of tolerance, peace and respect for diversity. (UCB advertising presentation, nd,  ¶5) Olivero Toscani the creative mind behind Benettons shock campaigns brought to light that behind every great idea was a controversy and the world is better off because of this awareness. Art represents the edge and of course the edge cab makes people feel uncomfortable. But its also a matter of the person you are talking to: personally, I think the rain is uncomfortable. But try making that argument to a fish. Toscani (AdAge Global, 2001,  ¶12) Toscani states that sometimes advertising is art, but art is always advertising. (AdAge Global, 2001,  ¶16) Toscani comments that agencies get huge budges, but the money is wasted because the strategies are decided upon by managers, economists, accountants, and focus groups not the artists. In the past, patrons had the sense to tell Michelangelo what they wanted and they left it to him to decide how to do it. But it doesnt work that way anymore. Everyone thinks he can be an artist or at least tell the artist what he should do. (AdAge Global, 2001,  ¶21) I could agree and disagree with the way Benetton chose to advertise, however, my opinion is irrelevant because there will always be someone who will chose the opposite. Art, journalism, and advertising can in one form or another cross each others realm and should not make any one right or wrong. Art, journalism, and advertising are all born from a creative notion and expressed differently to meet the individual need. If an artist sees two women, kissing the artist might be inspired to paint a picture of the romantic act. If a journalist had seen the two same women kissing, would they be inspired to write about the women, maybe in the sixties when two women kissing had been taboo. Lastly, if an advertiser had seen the same two women kissing could the images inspire an advertising rationale of sex sells. Toscani makes two powerful points about logos the Renaissance was just advertising for the Vatican, and the cross is the most effective logo of its time and even the swastika was a logo, a powerful logo. (AdAge Global, 2001,  ¶17) Who has the right to chose what is right or wrong with Benettons advertising choices? No one, everyone has the right to agree or disagree with campaign tactics. The one thing nobody can deny is that the ads worked. When Toscani left Benetton, annual sales were more than twenty times greater than when they were when he arrived. (AdAge Global, 2001,  ¶14) The success of shock advertising for the Benetton group opened the doorway for other companies to use similar types of advertising campaigns. Nonprofit organizations have adopted versions of shock advertising, because nonprofit organizations have to compete with corporations that typically have larger advertising budgets to work with. Nonprofit organizations stand to benefit more from the viral effect these ads create. (Shock Advertising, 2009,  ¶1) The anti-smoking campaigns use strong but to the point methods like a photo on the back of a bus with a persons face with the mouth over the exhaust pipe representing exhaling a cigarette with the simple phrase that says Ready to quit? (Shock Advertising, 2009,  ¶2) Anti-smoking advertisements do not stop there they also have two different commercial, one where they are cutting a brain open to show an aneurism and the second where they have an artery and someone is squeezing buildup out of it. These advertisements may be considered gr oss but the ads communicate their point that smoking has many health risks. The campaign to stop drinking and driving uses shock advertising, they show a picture of a mangled car with a tarp covering a body beside the mangled car on a blood stained road, to point out the fact that drinking and driving can kill. During prom season many chapters of the stop DWI chapter will employee the assistance of high schools to allow them to put a mangled car in front of the school with a sign that says drink plus driving equals, implying the mangled car. Shock advertising pushes ethical and societal boundaries by publicizing images and ideas that are often culturally taboo or inappropriate. (Shock Advertising, 2009,  ¶5) In the case of two similar advertisements the first is a man and women in bed about to have unprotected sex, one asks the other how many partner have you had. The reply is only a couple and you only a couple. The bedroom then fills up with men and women with the caption unprotected sex means you are sleeping with everyone your partner has. Such nonprofit advertisement helps stop the spread of aids and other sexually transmitted diseases that requires the use of protection. The second was similar but contained two men with a similar outcome with the caption without a condom, this, along with AIDS, is who you make love with. Protect yourself. (Shock Advertising, 2009,  ¶8) Major corporations use Shock advertising in their training videos. Mc Donalds in the late eighties showed a training video of a young person losing a ring in to the deep fryer and reaching in to the fryer to retrieve the jewelry. Mead Westvaco has used videos with real people, one person reached in to a running machine and loosing fingers, another was changing a battery on a reach truck without safety equipment and having a battery explode covering the person in acid. Automobile manufacturers have used forms of shock advertising, taking an automobile and simulating a crash with crash test dummies crashing through the windshield, stating do not be a dummy buckle up, seatbelts save lives. Victoria Secrete had controversy with their television advertisements. Most women found that in a womens magazine the advertisements were fine. However, when the first Victoria Secrete advertisement aired on the television many married women were appalled that their husbands could see sexy models in slinky lingerie creating controversy. However, like with all shock advertisements the shock fades and the controversy either becomes part of everyday normality or goes away. Greenpeace has used a fun form of shock advertising in their stores. With every purchase made the customer receives a bag with an endangered animal on it with a hand reaching up to the handle holes so when the bag is carried the appearance is that the endangered animal is holding their hand. The caption on the bag says, Give me your hand, Greenpeace. (Shock Advertising, 2009) Advertisers strive to meet the demand of their customers with shock advertising like the anti-smoking advertisements and Greenpeace, and traditional advertising. However, advertisers will never meet the demand of every demographic, the best they can do is hope they send the message through to a specific target audience. The creation of shock advertising by the Benetton group created by Olivero Toscani lasted eightteen years when Benetton and Toscani parted ways. The reason for the separation is not clear, because neither Benetton nor would Toscani comment. The speculation was because of the controversy surrounding Toscanis Death Row campaign. The state of Missouri sued Toscani and Benetton for misrepresenting themselves while interviewing four death row inmates in that state. (AdAge Global, 2001,  ¶4) Toscani wife commented after so many years, the decision was mutual she also said it had nothing to do with the death penalty campaign. (Marketing New, 2000,  ¶2) Benettons choice to drop shock advertising has caused a decline in sales. However, there really is no way to tell if the decrease in sales is because of the change in choice of advertising. Benetton could never replace Toscani and if they had continued the shock campaigns, the company still would not be the same. Benettons choice might be beneficial for them in the long- run as long as they invest in their products.

Japanese Americans internment :: essays research papers

Japanese Americans internment Just a moment before the final call for flight Belgrade-London-Los Angeles, my girlfriend gave me a wrapped gift and she asked me not to open it before I arrive to my final destination. I couldn’t wait so long and I opened it just after I arrived in London. It was the Easy English dictionary with dedication on the first page. She wished me the best with the quote: â€Å"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor to deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.† (The Constitution, Amendment XVI, passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868). All my sadness disappeared after I red it. â€Å"This is the beginning of new life and one-in-life opportunity†, I thought. I was tired of wars and corruptions; I was tired of people who were afraid of everything: they were afraid of losing their jobs, they were afraid of crime, disease, and death; they were afraid of foreigners, and of people who are different from them. In the world of Europe’s ex-communist transition countries, my country is the strangest creature of all and it cannot escape its uniquely painful recent past. I was dreaming so long about life in wealthy country, where all nations live together with no ethnic incidents and with equal opportunities; and my dream came true. But, just a few days ago, I realized how the process of naturalization for some nations in the United States was difficult and painful. Even though their rights were guaranteed by the Constitution more than a hundred and thirty years ago, more than 120,000 Japanese-Americans were sent from the West Coast and Hawaii to 10 internment camps in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. The only reason was that they were different. They had different color of skin and their language was different. Sixty years ago, these reasons were strong enough to cause a huge discrimination of Japanese Americans. White people didn’t want them in neighborhood. Almost every house in California own by white Americans had a huge notice that this is white country and it should stay exactly the same.

Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay -- A Good Man is

Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find "A Good Man is Hard to Find presents a masterful portrait of a woman who creates a self and a world through language." At least that is what Mary Jane Shenck thinks of the Flannery O'Connor story. Several different people have several different views of this controversial and climatic work of O'Connor's. In this paper I will take a look at these different views of different situations and characters in this book. First we will take a look at grandmother. She is made to look like the saint in this story. Her, in contrast to the rest, is the good person, always looking out for the best of others. She is not going on vacation, she is going to visit her "connections" in Tennessee. While on the drive, to their destination, she sits and admires the scenery as the others are more interested in the funny papers or the sports section. She brings the cat along on the trip for the good of the cat. She didn't want the cat to accidently kill himself by turning on the gas on the stove or something. She is the "Christ-like" figure of this story, and this is more relevant at the end of the story when she confronts the Misfit. Just like in so many other O'Connor stories the grandmother, the good character, is going to take the hardest fall. The Misfit appears many different ways in this story. His first appearance in the story he seems to be a scholar. Wearing his silver-rimmed glasses and a black hat. This description would also fit a description of a rabbi. This image comes just by looking at his head. His shirtless torso and blue jeans, which didn't quite fit right, and gun in hand, kind of veer us away from thinking of him as being a good man. Of course the limitations of his chara... ...mily is in reference to the disciples. No matter what it the acions were, they followed grandmother, the Christ-like figure. They also were oppressed, but by death, in a way as the disciples were for following Christ. At the conclusion the reader is left with a vision of destruction of human life both literal and figurative that is absurd rather than tragic because the victims are not heroic figures reduced to misfortune, They are ordinary characters who meet a grotesque fate. Works Cited Currie, Sheldon. "A Good Grandmother is Hard to Find: Story as Exemplum," The Antigonish Review (Spring-Summer 1990):143-55. Short Story Criticism. Vol. 23. 223-225. Schaub, Thomas Hill. "A Good Man is Hard to Find." Short Story Criticism. Vol. 23. 233-235. Shenck, Mary Jane. "A Good Man is Hard to Find." Short Story Criticism. Vol. 23. 220-223.

shadow of a doubt Essay examples -- essays research papers

Charlie-Horse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Shadow of a Doubt, Hitchcock utilizes and stretches the ambiguous line between comedy and suspense by utilizing smaller characters in the film to keep the story line moving, and to help break sequence or rhythm of what the audience had been perceiving at the time. Many of the minor characters were used as â€Å"fillers†, such as the waitress in the bar when Uncle Charlie and Charlie are sitting in the bar, and makes the comment â€Å"I would die for a ring like this†; or the quiet, gentle neighbor Herb who is fascinated with the process of homicide and murder. It brings to the audience an immediate comic relief, but similar to all of Hitchcock, leaves an unsettling feeling of fear and suspense with the viewer. Shadow of a Doubt is a film that hits very close to home for me, primarily because of the small town feel very similar to Orono that I have grown to know so well. There is a brutal irony that lurks through the film, especially during the tim e period that the film was made. The picturesque stereotype of small town life in the 40’s is brutally torn apart by Hitchcock wit and creative ingà ©nue, putting the viewer in an uncomfortable mind stretch of reality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first instance of ambiguity between comedy/drama begins directly at the beginning credits of the film, with the brilliant shot of a uniform waltzing party, in carousel motion, or a perfect circle. From my perspective, I was unable to recognize w...

Writting tips

Your response papers are, as the phrase suggests, Individual affairs. What I want, above all, Is your personal response to the readings, and to the questions Vive posed in the accompanying guidelines. In evaluating your papers, above all we consider their content: how well you address the thoughts and arguments presented by these documents, and the quality of ideas you express. That said, please consider these papers exercises in formal writing. That means you deed to adhere to the principles and rules of American English grammar and spelling.Yes, we will hold your feet to the fire on these matters. A few tips follow, addressing problems that arose In the first batch of papers: 1) Keep your tenses straight. Few trials In life are so agonizing as working through a paragraph In which tenses shift, like a wayward eye, from present to past and back again. When you are writing about the past, stay in past tense. The exception to this comes when you find yourself interpreting historical te xts (as you will do in these papers); in this case it is perfectly fine, indeed desirable, to write in the present.Think of it this way: use present tense when dealing with text, past tense when dealing with historical context. For example: â€Å"In this passage, Discusses argues that history is not simply the stories people tell. His approach contrasted sharply with that of Herodotus, who in his account of the Persian Wars mainly collected and retold stories already In circulation. † 2) Avoid unnecessary capitalization. High-flying concepts, such as State, Religion, or Monarchy, need not – should not! – be capitalized.They did that sort of thing back In the seventeenth century, but nowadays we use lower case for just about everything save proper nouns and titles. By the way, â€Å"Bible† should be capitalized, as it is the title of a work; â€Å"God† is likewise capitalized when used in a monotheistic context, as it is considered a proper noun. Bu t more generic usage, as when referring to the gods of polytheistic systems, for example, takes lower case – e. G. , â€Å"Thro was the Norse god of thunder. † 3) Do not use inverted commas (‘†¦ ‘) with quotations, except when you have to place a quote inside a quote († ‘†¦Do learn the difference between American and British usage In respect to quoted passages (Including the placement of periods and commas). In short: American usage requires that periods and commas be placed Inside the quotation marks (though semi-colons are placed outside). Use a pronoun, double-check to make sure you have established a clear precedent. Too often, pronouns show up unannounced in your papers, and it's only polite to have first made introductions. Whenever you use â€Å"it† or â€Å"they' or even â€Å"this,† make sure you've already provided a solid point of reference.The second issue concerns he use of â€Å"they,† â€Å"theirâ €  etc. As the pronoun for words such as â€Å"anyone,† â€Å"everyone,† and â€Å"somebody' – words that otherwise are treated as singular (e. G. â€Å"everyone in this class is crazy,† not â€Å"everyone are crazy. â€Å") Presumably this is because the old default option, â€Å"he,† is nowadays seen as disagreeably male-oriented. I agree that we shouldn't use â€Å"he,† â€Å"him,† â€Å"his† when the reference is not gender-specific. But this problem can usually be finessed with a little rewriting. For example, try using a plural antecedent – â€Å"persons,† â€Å"people† etc. – when you foresee using â€Å"they,† â€Å"their† etc. s he pronoun to follow. 5) Semi-colons can be very useful, but only when properly employed. As a rule, there are two permissible uses. One occurs when you have two grammatically self-standing phrases, but one leans on the other insofar in meaning (t hat is, one statement is derivative of or supplementary to the other). If the phrase is not-self sufficient, if it is grammatically dependent upon the other, then use a simple comma. The second use for semi-colons arises when you string together a long and complex list of things, and need help in keeping your sequencing clear.In this situation, the mi-colon serves as a kind of super-comma. 6) Finally, pay attention to paragraph organization. Introduce your paragraphs with a strong lead sentence – something that indicates the content of what will follow. When, three, four or more sentences down the page, you've finished with that particular point, make way for a paragraph break (and a new, helpful lead sentence). Your readers will thank for making your train of thought more clear. Even more, your writing will benefit from the ways in which paragraph organization forces you to collect your thoughts and organize them more clearly.

Matilda: Want and Book Essay

The story is about parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwoods who do not think there is anything special about their children, Michael and Matilda. Matilda’s brother is just like another normal boy, but Matilda is different. Even she is just four years and three months, she had a mind like a grown-ups. Poor her, her parents are not realizing that their daughter is really special and less attention to her, but they think she is freak. When she was three, she teaches herself to read and wants to read more, even though her parents just want to watch TV. On weekdays her parents leave her alone for a while, even though she is just a little, so she up and goes to the library on her own. The librarian, Mrs. Phelps, helps her pick out books. First, Matilda reads all the kids’ books. Then she asks Mrs. Phelps to pick out something else for her. From there Mrs. Phelps realizes that Matilda is special. So while the librarian treats Matilda like she is normal, she gives her highly advanced books to read. Matilda reads her first Dickens book Great Expectations and she asks for more of Dickens’ books. Along the way, Mrs. Phelps realizes that Matilda’s parents are just the worst, but she doesn’t really do anything to interfere in Matilda’s family life. After Matilda has read several books, Mrs. Phelps gets her a library card. That means she does not have to visits to the library oftentimes, but she can borrow the books for two weeks. She takes the books home, makes herself cozy, warm drinks, and reads every afternoon in peace. Books make her imagination. After I read this, I imagine if Matilda does exist in this world. Why? Because there are just rarely children do things like Matilda does, and so the adults. Moreover the technology becomes more sophisticated nowadays, make the dependence on technology. For example, â€Å"Daddy,† she said, â€Å"do you think you could buy me a book? † â€Å"A book? † he said. â€Å"What d’you want a flaming book for? † â€Å"To read, Daddy. † â€Å"What’s wrong with the telly, for heaven’s sake? We’ve got a lovely telly with a twelve-inch screen and now you come asking for a book! You’re getting spoiled, my girl! † (Page 12) The dialog is when Matilda wants to buy a book but her father refuses and tells her to watch television. This is one of an example in our daily life, people prefer to watch than read (not all parents do such a thing like that to their children). I wish I were like Matilda when I was five. She is really good at reading and teaches herself to do complicated problems in her head, as well as how to read. In fact, Matilda is the smartest character I have ever met, and that makes me like her. That is why I want to discuss her character. Yes, she is special. She is just a four years old but she is so genius. Even she get less attention from her parents, with her open minded, she can solve her problem â€Å"to read books† by going to the library by herself near her house. As we know that a child who still under seven years old still being accompany by their parents, but for me Matilda is amazing and tough for a child in her age. At the library, she reads several books which chosen by the librarian, Mrs. Phelps. Thanks to Mrs. Phelps, she the only one who understand and realizes how genius Matilda is. She helps Matilda find the books and sharing the books. What makes me feel surprise, Matilda wants to read a grown-ups book. I cannot imagine how smart she is. â€Å"What sort of a book would you like to read next? † she asked. Matilda said,† I would like a really good one that grown-ups read. A famous one. I don’t know any names. † (Page 15) I highly recommend reading this book. The author wants to express that it is important to read the book. Read the book knows no age. The book is more expansive because of details, while other from the book is just a glimpse. Therefore, we need to follow Matilda as what the author wants to tell to the readers. Last, especially for parents. Children need attention, whatever the conditions. Children are just like a flower that we should give it attention by providing fertilizer and water to make it continue to grow. This book gives a lot of messages that we can take on in daily life.