Free Essays on Influence

Popular music and its artists have an enormous impact on our culture's youth from generation to generation. In almost any generation within the past fifty years, the behavior and beliefs of the majority of pre-teens and teens can be closely correlated with those of the popular music artist's of that time. Which music was "the popular music" changed drastically several times between the 1950s and the present, along with the attitudes of that generation's young adults. With each change in popular music came also a lasting change in the behavior of generations to follow. In some cases, the change was evident the band or artist was creating or surrounded by controversy in other cases, the change was not evident until afterwards, a learning experience perhaps. In the 1950s, Bill Haley and the Comets first used the word "rock" to describe a musical form. They also released two movies, Blackboard Jungle, and Rock Around the Clock, which featured their music and were aimed specifically at young audiences. Blackboard Jungle told a story of teenage alienation and also made a star of Haley because of the overwhelming number of negative criticisms it received. Also, since adults of that time thought the music was just plain bad, the teens were even more drawn to its sound (Brown, 50, 53). Elvis Aaron Presley is known as the "King" today, but in the mid-fifties, he was known as "Elvis the Pelvis" because of his pelvic thrusts and somewhat exaggerated hip movements (67). These sexual mannerisms caught the attention of young women who viewed him as a sex icon, but also caught the attention of the media. In the fifties, these actions were too obscene to be shown on television and so it was that he could only be shown above the waist. The media attention and restrictions only made him more-loved by fans and better known to the public. The early sixties were the years of Motown when black performers like Aretha Frankli... Free Essays on Influence Free Essays on Influence In â€Å"Under the Influence,†Marilyn Elias, a health and behavior reporter, states the effects alcohol advertising has on young children. Elias states that middle-schoolers who are most familiar with beer ads have the most favorable attitudes about alcohol and expect to drink more frequently as adults than classmates who barely recognize the ads, that Ray McGrath says beer industry commercials are designed for adults viewers and never target young people, and that kids pay attention to beer commercials and brand names. I find the author’s points very convincing because she has throughly research the history of alcohol advertising and the effects it has on children. Elias writes about the different effects alcohol television advertising has on young children. She writes this essay because she believes that these alcohol advertising influences young children to drink. She also believes that alcohol advertising shouldn’t be advertized during sports programs because majority of young children watch sports. This report appeared in USA Today on November 3, 1998. First, Elias states that middle-schoolers that are most familiar with beer ads have the most favorable attitudes about alcohol and expect to drink more frequently as adults than classmates who barely recognize the ads. She is saying that children, who know about the beer ads are more likely to drink more as adults than the one’s who don’t know. She writes, â€Å" Another new study of seventh-to-tenth-graders find those who view and like alcohol commercials are most likely to drink than kids less exposed to the ads† (172). I am not really sure whether those who view beer ads are more likely to drink then others, but I feel that it does influence them in some ways. Elias also points out that Ray McGrath says beer industry commercials are designed for adult viewers and never target young people. He states that beer commercials aren’t designed to catch the attention o... Free Essays on Influence Popular music and its artists have an enormous impact on our culture's youth from generation to generation. In almost any generation within the past fifty years, the behavior and beliefs of the majority of pre-teens and teens can be closely correlated with those of the popular music artist's of that time. Which music was "the popular music" changed drastically several times between the 1950s and the present, along with the attitudes of that generation's young adults. With each change in popular music came also a lasting change in the behavior of generations to follow. In some cases, the change was evident the band or artist was creating or surrounded by controversy in other cases, the change was not evident until afterwards, a learning experience perhaps. In the 1950s, Bill Haley and the Comets first used the word "rock" to describe a musical form. They also released two movies, Blackboard Jungle, and Rock Around the Clock, which featured their music and were aimed specifically at young audiences. Blackboard Jungle told a story of teenage alienation and also made a star of Haley because of the overwhelming number of negative criticisms it received. Also, since adults of that time thought the music was just plain bad, the teens were even more drawn to its sound (Brown, 50, 53). Elvis Aaron Presley is known as the "King" today, but in the mid-fifties, he was known as "Elvis the Pelvis" because of his pelvic thrusts and somewhat exaggerated hip movements (67). These sexual mannerisms caught the attention of young women who viewed him as a sex icon, but also caught the attention of the media. In the fifties, these actions were too obscene to be shown on television and so it was that he could only be shown above the waist. The media attention and restrictions only made him more-loved by fans and better known to the public. The early sixties were the years of Motown when black performers like Aretha Frankli...

Definition Essay on Success

Definition Essay on Success Definition Essay on Success The definition of success differs from one person to another. Most people work hard throughout their lives to achieve success. That might mean acquiring an education, being able to take care of one’s family, achieving a life’s ambition, or making money. One interesting view about success is that it means something different to each person. Also, perceptions of success can be faulty. A person may seem to be successful, but scandal and ruin can easily follow if a person has made poor choices to achieve his ideal of success. It is not uncommon to hear people confess that the people whom they thought were very successful in life turned out to be rather miserable. Some of the individual who are successful especially when measured in terms of material wealth are often afraid of other people trying to take advantage of them. Basically one common observation in life is that it is difficult if not close to impossible to be successful in every aspect of life. In most cases, o ne can be successful in one part of life and be a total failure in another. When one is looking for success, one should concentrate on one’s strengths rather than pursuing goals in those areas where they are likely not to enjoy a certain degree of achievement. There are many areas in one’s life that are generally considered important. These include the self, business, family, environment, material things, community, work, spiritually, business, and friends. In order to be truly successful, one needs to balance each of these areas. It is rather obvious that these areas cannot be of equal importance to everyone, and this is why people tend to work towards being successful in some areas in their lives while neglecting the other areas. It is, however, not a good idea to ignore any of these parts even though it is important to set priorities. Even when capitalizing on one’s strengths, an individual should strive to improve in other areas, as well. It is important to strive for a well-balanced life. For instance, if one works hard towards being successful and ends up becoming a workaholic, one may lose friends and family and in the long run, one may end up damaging his health or overall well-being. One should always try to keep each of the components of his life in harmony with each other. Some definition essay writing tips: When writing this kind of an essay, one should always begin by defining what success is. However, one cannot describe what one does not know. One should, therefore, demonstrate to the reader that he knows the meaning of success. He can offer the reader a definition and examples. After defining success one should write what success means in different areas of life. One should also note the importance of balancing priorities and offer an example or two. Are you looking for a high-quality custom essay written from scratch? Do you need writing assistance? Visit and we will help you!

Affects of Poor Nutrition on Childrens Behavior Research Paper

Affects of Poor Nutrition on Childrens Behavior - Research Paper Example In 2003, Africa had an estimated 200 million children and adults that were under nourished according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations (The State of Food Insecurity in the World, 2003). Malnutrition is the reason for 55% deaths of children under 5 years of age globally. Out of 2.9 million deaths annually in Africa, approximately 0.1 million were as a result of malnourishment (Benson & Shekar). Several statistics are available that show the severity of poor nourishment and to what extent is it prevalent in the world today. According to UNICEF, millions of people Worldwide suffer from varying degrees of brain damages and stunted growth due to different deficiencies. In Sub-Saharan Africa, every third child is underweight and about 20% are found to be stunted (Bekele, 1998). According to research, proper nutrition is a major determinant of a child’s growth starting from as early as the intrauterine period; when the child is in the womb of the mother. Therefore, proper intake of nutrients begins before birth with the mother who bears the child. It is essential for the mother to take a nutritionally balanced diet which has a direct impact on the child’s growth and development. Absence of proper nutrition intake during pregnancy can have a permanent and irreversible impact on the child. Therefore, breast- feeding determines a major chunk of child’s cognitive and other development per se. If the mother herself does not take a healthy diet, it is going to effect the child’s growth negatively. Iron being an important part of brain tissue determines the speed of nerve impulses; which means deficiency of iron in the infancy period is likely to cause permanent damage to brain cells. This results in poor motor skills and abnormalities in behavior. It is also noticed that poorly nourished children find it hard to fight diseases or infections and so they are often found in poor health and

European Central Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

European Central Bank - Essay Example Inflation is a rise in the price of goods and services within an economy which results in a decline in the purchasing power of every subsequent unit of currency and this causes a loss in the real value of exchange within an economy. The main measure of inflation is the Consumer Price Index which provides an indication of the price level of consumer goods and services which are purchased by households, business firms, the government as well as the rest of the world (in case of an open economy). The CPI in the United States is defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as â€Å"a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.† As per the current happenings within the German economy, the prices of goods and services naturally saw a hike due to the holiday season; this period mostly witnesses an increase in demand of goods and services which is met by an almost equivalent amount of supply. In order t o understand the price indices of an economy, the CPI can be understood because it helps to measure the level of increase in the prices of goods and services within the German economy, which is now being maintained at a 2.3% increase. However, this is better than the 3% that it had risen to. Most governments, especially in the European zone, had been able to recover well from the financial crisis that took place world over in 2008-2009 but the repercussions of that are lingering on as inflation in the same economies.... German consumer prices nonetheless, harmonised to compare with other European Union countries, showed a rise of 2.4 percent on the year in December, down from 2.8 percent in the previous month. The German economy took to cutting down interest rates, a primary step undertaken by any economy in the world in order to slow down the persisting amount of inflation. The resulting inflation indicates the rise in general prices for typical German consumers, and consumers investing within the economy of Germany. This entire process works according to the demand pull theory according to which interest rates within the economy need to be cut down in order to counter inflation. If the government is able to increase the rates of interest being charged on commodities being sold within the economy, then it will have a way of getting back financial resources. Low interest rates within the German economy have put more borrowing power in the hands of the consumers. Interest rates refer to the rates at which a borrower is able to borrow money in order to have greater purchasing ability. Since loans and smaller debts can be taken from the European Central Bank at lower rates, consumers have been able to increase their purchasing powers and have been thus causing the economy to slow down considerably. Due to increased spending by the consumers, the economy has witnessed a growth and expansion which has almost led in the demand outpacing the supply. The holiday season witnesses a peak in consumer shopping and indulging in goods and services more than any other period because of increased and extremely affordable tours and travels. If the demand rises faster than the supply within the economy

The Nature Of Reality Essay Example for Free

The Nature Of Reality Essay What is reality?   Throughout the history of mankind it seems that we have all been searching for the answer to this question.   The nature of reality cannot be explained in a way that will satisfy us all.   I believe that the nature of reality is lies within the mind of each of us.   What is reality for one person is not reality for another.   Reality is based on individual perception, and the evolution of each person.   What I mean by this is that each person goes through a type of evolution in his/her life where the mind begins to develop a higher awareness. Most of us begin to realize that there is more to the process of life than being born, aging, and dying.   Greek philosopher, Thales thought that â€Å"beneath the world of life and death there must be some basic substance which explained and made possible everything else,† (The Ionian School, undated website article). Many of us begin to believe that we are much more than our physical bodies.   And that leaving our bodies through death is not the end of our existence. Our life force, energy, or soul will continue to live on a different level or dimension.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of course, believing in a sort of ‘life’ after death is a major topic of debate.   Philosophers continue to ponder if this could be reality, Christians structure their lives around this belief, and scientist argue that reality is only that which can be proven. â€Å"Clearly, the mere fact that one believes in and lives by something is not of itself sufficient evidence that that something has real, as distinct from fictional, existence; that, intellectually, it makes sense, as distinct from nonsense,† (Somerville, 1967).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that just because we can’t prove something through science does not mean that something can’t exist.  Ã‚   For example, well-know psychics seem to be able to communicate with the dead, and predict future events often with amazing accuracy.  Ã‚   Even ordinary people who have had near-death experiences insist that there is something more, and often claim to have seen the other side of physical life.   Therefore, I believe that the nature of reality is different for everyone.   And the secret to reality is in our own minds.   I believe that what will be real in our lives, will be that which is real in our minds. References Somerville, J. (1967).   The Nature of Reality: Dialectical Materialism.   In The Philosophy of Marxism: An Exposition (pp.3-32).   Minneapolis: Marxist Educational Press. The Ionian School.   Retrieved February 24, 2007, from http://www.hol.gr/greece/texts/aristo.1txt.

A Cubist Perspective of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Essay

A Cubist Perspective of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "The great cycle of the ages is renewed. Now Justice returns, returns the Golden Age; a new generation now descends from on high." - Virgil, Eclogues 1.5    As Virgil stated so many years ago, history is a cyclical phenomenon. The experiences of one age tend to be repeated in future generations. Knowing that, we should not be surprised to find the seeds of modern styles and philosophies sprouting in earlier ages.    Elizabethan England was a society undergoing major social changes. In religion the country had recently left the fold of Catholicism to establish the Church of England. While England during this time was a major world power, she also enjoyed a level of security thanks to her easily defended boundaries as an island nation with a powerful navy. The sense of power and security allowed for the growth of a prosperous middle class. Within this milieu of power combined with internal security and economic growth the seeds of change were nurtured#. Intellectual and artistic freedom and growth were fostered in this environment, Elizabethan England provided an envisronment that allowed men like William Shakespeare to find a voice that reached not only his own generation but continues to speak to the modern world.    If we look at the world at the beginning of the 20th century we can find many parallels with Elizabethan England. In both ages Europe was experiencing a great social and political realignment. The growing nationalism that was the precursor to World War I and the Russian Revolution was accompanied by a new sense of self and a new set of allegiances. For artists like Pablo Picasso and Juan Gris these ... ...."   William Shakespeare Comedies & Romances. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986.    Schanzer, Ernest.   "_A Midsummer-Night's Dream."   26-31 in Kenneth Muir, ed. Shakespeare: The Comedies: A Collection of Critical Essays.   Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1965.    Shakespeare, William. A Midsummer Night's Dream, ed. Brian Gibbons. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991.    Vaughn, Jack A. Shakespeare's Comedies.   New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Company, 1980    Watts, Cedric. A Midsummer Night's Dream. London: Penguin, 1986.    Wells, Stanley & Gary Taylor, General Eds.   _William Shakespeare: The _Complete Works.   New York: Oxford University Press, 1986. Young, David P.   Something of Great Constancy: The Art of A Midsummer Night's Dream.   New Haven: Yale University Press, 1966.      

Is Second Life Ready for Business? Essay

1. How can Second Life provide value to businesses that use it? Second Life can be a birthing ground for new industries and transform business, commerce, marketingand learning the same way that the Web did in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. It alsocan facilitate internal communications and to position themselves at the forefront of the digital landscapein order to recruit tech-savvy employees. Second Life is a low-cost business tool and also a new marketingtool.Companies can use Second Life as a business tool for online conferencing, online collaboration, knowledge management and prototyping. Also companies can test new products using Second Life’s 3 -Drendering programs, experiment with new marketing and advertising campaigns to see how people react,receive feedback on real-world products or services. 2. What kinds of businesses are most likely to benefit from apresence on Second Life? Why? Retail businesses that are already used to doing business online may have an easier time of establishing aviable presence on Second Life. They are used to advertising and marketing to customers online and havethe systems built for taking orders, accepting payments, and shipping products. Other companies, likeIBM, that have established online collaboration systems and online knowledge management systems willprobably have an easier time using Second Life as another outlet for these activities. 3. Considering what you have learned about Second Life, howcould you, as an individual, create a modest start-up businesson the Grid? What goods would you sell? Why would this be agood choice of product? What, in simple terms, would yourbusiness plan be? Why would it work? There are several ways to start up business in an online virtual server. Second Life as of now harbored fewto many online companies that does business online as a form of advertising or even setting up their virtual business inside the server by buying up â€Å"lands† in the so called â€Å"Grid† world. Of course, to do that,you have to buy the virtual â€Å"land† to start up the virtual business by subscribing to the premium [pic]  membership on the website. By subscribing, several beneï ¬ ts can be enjoy including owning a house and rights to own a land. The current subscription cost according to the game website – secondlife.com – isUSD$72 for an annual  subscription, USD$22.50 for a quarter subscription or USD$9.95 for monthlysubscription. Personally and hypothetically, the initial cost for me to setup an online business on the â€Å"lands of the Grid† would be a monthly subscription of USD$9.95 as uncertainty in conveying the business over a decade plus old virtual server especially these past two years have been radically risky withmushrooms of similar online servers like gaiaonline.com and social networking sites like facebook that hasbeen rampaging in this fast-paced information system industry. Also, there are questions about itscurrent popularity against the other fast information changing platforms and how it cope with the current market segment. A typical online business would be an online auction/selling business. Speciï ¬ cally, i would set up a small business that deals with money changing/transfers between users and other onlinegames that offers on line services to its users. For example; an online game offers â€Å"cash –  shop† items that  is only available when you bought it online usually using credit/debit cards, often through sites like pay-pal. What i am offering here in my business is variety of online payments especially in terms of ForeignCurrency exchanges through local banks and also a much more user-friendly interaction between me andthe customers due to the live chatting system and in-game atmosphere in Second Life. A simpleexplanation why this might be a good choice is that, Second Life offers a casual sims like platform thatdoes not stress up their users like those of a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) that needs hours and hours of â€Å"training† to achieve a better standi ngs in the game. Another good point isthat online gamers that plays particular games tend to hang out in the same channel or platform towhich, the simple Second Life w hich has quite low speciï ¬ cations  offers a range of 3D avatars to theplayers. This is especially true when the online game that they are playing having their routine servermaintenance which usually comes up once per week. During these one to several hours of maintenance,they could log on to Second Life and have chat with their online gaming friends from another game. Thus,simultaneously advertising my business over to them during these times. In summary, an online  basedbusiness would be a good addition to set up in Second Life. Though prone to risk and currently, the powerof substitutes are increasing like facebook and other networking sites, the opportunity to set up a smallbusiness within Second Life is still feasible due to the nature of online gaming and rapid increase ingaming communities.Considering what I have learned about Second Life, I, as an individual, will first start up my business byfiguring what products are mostly used in Second Life. The product that will sell in Second life will befurniture. This will be a good choice because customers or people in second life will need furniture fortheir new homes and offices. My business plan will be to invest in other products and services and wait tillmy investment grows before cashing out. [pic][pic] 4. Visit eBay on the Web and see what Second Life items youcan find listed for auction. How would you rate the activitysurrounding these items? Are you surprised by what you see?Why or why not? Obviously the information for this question will fluctuate. As of this writing, eBay offered 211 items. Theyincluded how-to manuals for making money on Second Life, a guide to selling land, and businessopportunities on the site. One item in particular was a vending machine business package available for$4.99. The individual offering the item was an eBay Power Seller with 6,483 feedback postings. He wasobviously an established eBay seller. Other items for sale include a Gym Workout package for $4.99 and amacro that makes navigating the skies of Second Life easier. It sold for $12.99. Answers to the last threequestions will vary by student. The point is to have them realize how advanced and pervasive sites likeSecond Life have become. 5. What obstacles does Second Life have toovercome  in order to become a mainstreambusiness tool? Does it face fewer or more obstaclesto become a mainstream educational tool? To what do you attribute the difference? Second Life needs to overcome the idea and perception that it’s â€Å"just another game site.† Other obstacles include ease-of-use, interoperability between pre-established business systems and Second L ife’s  proprietary system. It needs to create ways to import and export data between  its system and externalbusiness systems —don’t require data to be re  -input into either system. Second Life faces more obstaclesin trying to become a mainstream educational tool. Educators are inherently opposed to online, distanceeducation because it supposedly lacks the face-to-face communication between teachers and students.However, as more education is carried online, Second Life has all the tools in place to make it easy toconduct classes, especially its online collaboration tools.

How Aztec Culture Survived Essay

Aztec refers to Nahuatl speaking people from the central region of Mexico. There are other groups who are related to this community; they include the Acolhua and the Tepanic. This essay analyses the history of the Aztec people, their culture and how they survived the Spaniard conquest. The Aztecs were located in the south central region of Mexico. They lived in Mesoamerica highlands in the area of basins which are separated by dissected mountain ranges and eroded volcanic peaks. The Aztecs originated from the remote north at around the early 13th century. They were moving around the valley of Mexico in their struggle of survival. Their experiences went to the extent of Aztecs being enslaved by another tribe. They stopped their migratory pattern in 1325 when they settled on the south west of Lake Texaco. This was after they saw an eagle sitting on a pricking pear stem. To the community, this was an omen which announced the location where they should settle and make their city (Msdu. du, 2010, Par 1-4). In part of their culture, the Aztecs maintained their activities of fishing, hunting, garden techniques, and gathering. The rivers in the valley were rich in fish, shrimp, insects, tadpoles, and pasta. There were those who settled near the ocean and they ate crabs, fish, turtles, and fish. This means that water was the main source of their livelihoods. They hunted animals such a rabbits, armadillos, snakes, pumas, coyotes, and deer. In addition, they hunted the wild turkey. The community gathered crops such as cocoa, bananas, pumpkins, squash, beans, tobacco, chili, onions, green tomatoes, red tomatoes, sweet potatoes, maize, and vanilla. Later, they began warring with other tribes and they conquered them. The Aztecs allowed the tribes that they conquered to maintain their government and religion but the tribes were supposed to provide the Aztecs with textiles, food, pottery, and other items that they required (Native Web, 1995, Par 2-4). The Aztec people spoke Nahauatl Language but did not have a written language. They however had no written records. Instead, they used varieties of hieroglyphic paintings and the methods of direct representation as ways of keeping their records. The first contact of the Aztec empire with the Spanish conquest was during the reign of Ahuitzotl from 1486 to1502. The Spaniards and their allies became very dangerous to the people of Aztec. Hostilities developed, leading to the massacre of the Aztec main temple and the death of their leader, Montezuma II. On July 1, the Spaniards fled the town, leading to an episode which they referred to as The Sad Night. The Aztec society was helped by the native allies to fight the Spaniards and in August 13, the battle ended. They conquered but due to the poor leadership that prevailed, the falling of the empire was witnessed. Despite the empire’s declination, their culture still remained intact. This led to positive development of the Aztec culture because the Spaniard presence did not affect their way of life. Today, many traditional groups of Mexican Americans can trace their origin from the time of Aztec tradition. They are well known today for human sacrifices. During the special events, a slave was sacrificed to honor the gods and to regulate the human existence (Anguilar-Moreno 131). In conclusion, I found out that Nahuatl language which is the traditional language for the Aztec is being spoken by 1. 5 million people. In Mexico City, most of the buildings and streets have Nahuatl names. This means that the Aztec old days are still respected up to now.

s Advice To America

Machiavelli’s Advice to America Leaders of the world are not just a regular breed of individuals. In present days, the United States citizens elect representatives through a very precautious procedure; people know if the wrong person were to get into office they could cause a downfall of a nation. Not all of Machiavelli’s principles of a leader are strongly practiced in today’s world, yet when revised many compare incredibly to the way the American government is governed. In The Qualities of the Prince, Machiavelli discusses a number of traits that he believes a prince or ruler of his time must have to be safe, successful, and loved by his people. Machiavelli believed in exploring both sides of an issue, â€Å"the art of war and the art of life, liberality and stinginess, cruelty and clemency, the fox and the lion† (36). Most of his instances have something to do with war, he is very repetitive in many of his believed traits and he stands firm with them by giving many examples. By reading The Qualities of a Prince it is very easy to assume that Machiavelli was brilliant in his thoughts during his time, this leaves one to ponder the thought of how successful these traits would be in modern American politics. Americans elect leaders with certain distinct qualities, Machiavelli’s beliefs on leaders characteristics don’t totally relate to our expectations. He does mention that he doesn’t recommend tyranny, meaning one ruler have all the power or use it too his advantage. In American government there are no tyrants, all the power is distributed into branches where decisions are made on agreement on that of which will help the American people the most. The majority of Machivelli’s characteristics of a good leader would not get a man elected in the United States, in his time that wasn’t applicable because you were born a leader. Machiavelli wrote of it to be good to be generous but said that a reputation of it w... 's Advice To America Free Essays on Machiavelli\'s Advice To America Machiavelli’s Advice to America Leaders of the world are not just a regular breed of individuals. In present days, the United States citizens elect representatives through a very precautious procedure; people know if the wrong person were to get into office they could cause a downfall of a nation. Not all of Machiavelli’s principles of a leader are strongly practiced in today’s world, yet when revised many compare incredibly to the way the American government is governed. In The Qualities of the Prince, Machiavelli discusses a number of traits that he believes a prince or ruler of his time must have to be safe, successful, and loved by his people. Machiavelli believed in exploring both sides of an issue, â€Å"the art of war and the art of life, liberality and stinginess, cruelty and clemency, the fox and the lion† (36). Most of his instances have something to do with war, he is very repetitive in many of his believed traits and he stands firm with them by giving many examples. By reading The Qualities of a Prince it is very easy to assume that Machiavelli was brilliant in his thoughts during his time, this leaves one to ponder the thought of how successful these traits would be in modern American politics. Americans elect leaders with certain distinct qualities, Machiavelli’s beliefs on leaders characteristics don’t totally relate to our expectations. He does mention that he doesn’t recommend tyranny, meaning one ruler have all the power or use it too his advantage. In American government there are no tyrants, all the power is distributed into branches where decisions are made on agreement on that of which will help the American people the most. The majority of Machivelli’s characteristics of a good leader would not get a man elected in the United States, in his time that wasn’t applicable because you were born a leader. Machiavelli wrote of it to be good to be generous but said that a reputation of it w...

Whats the Difference Subsidized vs Unsubsidized Loans

What's the Difference Subsidized vs Unsubsidized Loans SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If there's a gap between what you actuallyhave to pay for college and your school's price tag, you might be considering taking out student loans. What you might not know is that there are different types of student loans, with different terms and restrictions. First, we'll cover the basics of what it means to take on student debt. Then, we'll walk you through the differences between two major federal loan types: Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized. If you want a quick overview, just jump to the end of the article for a side-by-side comparison! First of All, What Does It Mean to Take Out a Loan? It's not uncommon for there to be a gap between what students can afford, and what college actually costs. This is where student loans come in: you can borrow money to pay for school, with the understanding that you'll pay it back (in addition to a bit extra) after you graduate. The amount of money that you actually borrow is called the principal, whereas the "extra" amount is called interest. A Little More About Interest Interest rates are always set as a percentage, so when you pay back your loan (principal + interest), you're paying back what you borrowed plus a percentage of what you borrowed. Lower interest rates = better loans, because the percentage of "extra" money you have to pay back is smaller. Here's a very simple example to demonstrate what I mean: If I borrow $100 with an annual interest rate of 10%, and I want to pay off the principal + interest in full one year later, I would owe $110 ($100 principal + 10% of $100 = $110). If I had an interest rate of 1%, though, I would only owe $101. Student loans work in the same way, although students usually borrow a bit more than $100. The amount of money you actually end up paying back depends of course on your loan principal and interest rate, but also on how often your interest capitalizes. Capitalization is when accrued (accumulated) interest is added to your principal, so you would pay interest on your original principal + capitalized interest. Bigger principal = more interest, so the less often your interest capitalizes, the better. The amount of money you end up paying back in interest also depends on how long it takes you to pay off your loan. You usually don't pay off your loan at once; you make monthly payments on interest + part of your principle. Many student loans set monthly payments that assume you will pay off your loan in 120 months, but you are free to make more than the minimum payments.The longer it takes you to pay your loan, the more interest accrues. All loans charge interest, but some lenders offer better interest rates than others. The federal government tends to offer comparatively low interest rates to student borrowers; in the rest of this post, I'll be discussing the two major types of federal student loans. The lower your interest rates, the less you'll owe in the long run. Direct Subsidized Loans Direct Subsidized loans are meant to help eligible students pay for the cost of highereducation. The thing that's most unique about Direct Subsidized loans is that the U.S. Department of Education pays the interest on your student loans during certain periods. When your interest is being paid, it can't accrue or capitalize, so your principal doesn't grow (this is a good thing)! If you have a Direct Subsidized loan, you won't accrue any interest during the following periods: when you're in school at least half-time for the first 6 months after you leave school (this is called agrace period) during a period of deferment (a postponing of loan payments) You can apply for a Direct Unsubsidized loan by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Eligibility Limits First, because Direct Unsubsidized loans are forms of federal student aid, you must meet all federal student aid requirements to be considered eligible. You can get more information about these requirements here. Direct Subsidized loans are only available to undergraduate students with financial need. Your school ultimately decides how much you can borrow; the amount cannot exceed what they determine to be your financial need. There is a maximum eligibility window for you to receive Direct Subsidized loans, equivalent to 150% of your program length. For example, if you're enrolled in a 4-year college, you can only receive subsidized loans for 4*150% = 6 years. If you're enrolled in a 2-year college, your limit would be 2*150% = 3 years. Finally, there's a limit to how much you can borrow in Direct Subsidized loans - this amount depends on your year in school. The following chart outlines the annual limits and the lifetime max for Direct Subsidized loans. Year Subsidized Loan Limit 1st Year Undergrad Annual Limit $3,500 2nd Year Undergrad Annual Limit $4,500 3rd Year Undergrad Beyond Annual Limit $5,500 Subsidized Total Loan Lifetime Max $23,000 Direct Unsubsidized Loans Direct Unsubsidized loans are similar to Direct Subsidized loans in that they're meant to help students pay for the cost of higher education. Unlike Direct Subsidized loans, interest starts accruing as soon as the loan is disbursed (paid out). You do not have to make payments while you're in school, or during a grace or deferment period. You can apply for a Direct Unsubsidized loan by submitting a FAFSA. Eligibility Limits Direct Unsubsidized loans are a bit more flexible than Direct Subsidized loans. You still must meet all federal student aid requirements to be eligible, but these loans are available to both undergraduates and graduates. Additionally, you're not required to demonstrate financial need in order to get an unsubsidized loan. Ultimately, your school will determine how much you can borrow depending on your cost of attendance and the rest of your financial aid package. For example, if your cost of attendance is covered by grants, scholarships, and Direct Subsidized loans, you may not be able to take out a Direct Unsubsidized loan. Unlike Direct Subsidized loans, there is no maximum eligibility window or period. There is a maximum borrowing amount, which depends on your year in school. All the maximums below also include any federal subsidized loan amounts (for example, if you're a dependent student who receives $1,000 in Direct Subsidized loans your freshman year, you could take out a max of $4,500 in Direct Unsubsidized loans): Year Dependent Students Independent Students 1st Year Undergrad Annual Limit $5,500 $9,500 2nd Year Undergrad Annual Limit $6,500 $10,500 3rd Year Undergrad Beyond Annual Limit $7,500 $12,500 Graduate/Professional Student Annual Limit Not applicable $20,500 Subsidized Total Loan Lifetime Max $31,000 $57,500 for undergrads $138,500 for grad/professional students (includes any federal loans received for undergrad study) Loan Interest Rates Fees I've discussed how important interest rates are when you're considering taking out student loans. When you take out loans from a private lender (from a bank, from example), interest rates may vary based on credit history. Federal student loan rates for Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans are standardized, and are typically pretty low; this means that interest rates are the same for all students, regardless of personal or parental credit history. This chart shows interest rates based on loan type and borrower type for loans disbursed (paid out) before 7/1/2016: Loan Type Borrower Type Interest Rate Direct Subsidized Undergraduate 4.29% Direct Unsubsidized Undergraduate 4.29% Direct Unsubsidized Graduate/Professional 5.84% We've already talked a bit about how interest is sort of like a charge that you pay in return for being able to borrow a principle. Unfortunately, there's another fee that you're charged when you take out a subsudized or unsubsidized loan. This fee isn't interest, so it doesn't accumulate; instead, a percentage is deducted from the amount you borrowed automatically when the loan is disbursed. You're responsible for paying back the entire amount that you borrowed, and not just the amount you received after the fee is deducted. The following chart outlines loan fee percentages by disbursement date - the fees are the same for subsidized and unsubsidized loans: First Disbursement Date Loan Fee On or after 10/1/14 and before 10/1/15 1.073% On or after 10/1/15 and before 10/1/16 1.068% A Real You've just been presented with a lot of information about the differences and similarities between subsidized and unsubsidized loans. I've come up with an example based on typical student debt amounts so that you can see different financial outcomes based on subsidized vs. unsubsidized loans. The average student has about $26,000-$29,000 in federal student debt at graduation from a 4-year college (students who have graduated from private schools tend to be at the higher end of that range, whereas students from public schools tend to be at the lower end). That comes out to about $7,000 in loans per year. For the sake of this example, let's say I take out the maximum amount in subsidized loans my freshman year ($3,500), and take out another $3,500 in unsubsidized loans for a total of $7,000.Interest will accrue while I'm in school on my unsubsidized loan, so my balance due at graduation will differ significantly based on loan type, even though the original principals were the same. I would end up paying about $900 more on my unsubsidized loan than on my subsidized loan. UNSUBSIDIZED SUBSIDIZED Amount Borrowed $3,500 $3,500 Interest Rate 4.29% 4.29% Interest Accrued During School (4 years) $640 $0 Balance Owed at Graduation $4,140 $3,500 Time to Payoff at $50/month (Interest accrues for both subsidized and unsubsidized loans during this period) 99 months 81 months Total Amount Paid $4,950 $4,050 Usually, standard loan repayment happens over 120 months, not 99 or 81. Minimum monthly payments for these loans are $50, though, which is why the repayment periods are a bit shorter here. Most students who take out federal loans have some combination of subsidized and unsubsidized. The average 4-year college graduate will have monthly student loan payments of about $275 on the standard 10-year repayment plan, and will ultimately pay back $32,600 in principal + interest. Side-by-Side Comparison We've gotten into all the nitty-gritty details, but here I've put everything together in an at-a-glance reference. If you're looking for distilled information on the differences between Direct Subsidized and Direct Unsubsidized loans, this is the section for you. For any points of clarification, just refer back to the corresponding sections earlier in the post. DIRECT SUBSIDIZED LOAN DIRECT UNSUBSIDIZEDLOAN Lender Federal government Federal government Interest accrual during school, grace period, deferment period NO YES Eligibility Undergraduate only Undergraduate graduate/professional Must demonstrate financial need? YES NO Maximum eligibility window YES (150% length of program) NO Maximum award amount YES (see chart above) YES (see chart above) Interest Rate (7/1/15-7/1/16) 4.29% 4.29% undergraduate 5.84% graduate/professional Loan Fee 1.073% 10/1/14-9/30/15 1.068% 10/1/15-9/30/16 1.073% 10/1/14-9/30/15 1.068% 10/1/15-9/30/16 Application FAFSA FAFSA What's Next? Loans aren't the only type of federal financial aid. Want to learn about money that you don't have to pay back? Check out our guide on how to get a Pell Grant. Before you apply, learn more about Pell Grant eligibility requirements, limits, and application instructions. 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Pricing Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pricing Strategy - Case Study Example Pricing must show a positive correlation with other elements of the mix so as to achieve the objectives of a firm. In addition, pricing is complex as it must imitate the demand and supply relationship of the product. Firms need to charge a fair price, since charging too high for the product or too low might lead to reduction in sales for the organization thus reducing the profitability of the organization. Therefore, there is a need for the hotel to consider the profit factors in determining the price of the product. In this case, the profit factors includes; the objectives of the company, variable and fixed cost associated with the product, the targeted market and willingness and ability to pay, the competition environment prevailing in the industry and planned positioning strategies (Smith and Smith 271). In the consideration, of the above classification, the place or rather the location of the hotel is vital for pricing. Avira hotel is strategically situated, where in the neighbor hood there various tourist attraction site thus offering the possibility a wider a market. Also, the hotel operates from an area which is close to the airport, bank and various garden as well as other recreational areas. This implies that the many of the customers are individuals who have a higher willingness ability to pay; therefore, the price must reflect this consideration (Smith and Smith 282). The strategic positioning in an area where there demand of the hotels implies the price charged by the hotel must reflect the supply constrain, since there are only five-star hotels in the area, while the number of the customer is higher. This implies that demand is considerably high since it is only in the month may that the hotels products experienced an average of about 50% occupancy this justifies the move by the hotel review it price so as to reflect this relationship (Smith and Smith 289). Another pricing strategy showcased in this case is the level of competition in the hotel indu stry in the region. There are only five-star hotels serving a wide, thus, the completion between the hotels is not intense as demand is in excess of supply. This implies that, for a hotel to be more competitive than the other hotel so that it can control the large proportion market, therefore, they must consider the pricing strategy so as to maximize on large production thus benefiting from the economies of scale. In respect to competition, the customers consider the utility they derive and compare this to the price that they pay for the product. It is evident that the price that Avari hotel is slightly higher than that of its key competitor Pearl. Usually consumers will pay higher for a commodity if they think that the commodity is superior as compared to the others. In this case, when Avira lowered its price in the month of November lower than its competitors Pearl; that is pearl charges $1065 and Avira $1000. Pearl occupancy level rises to 80% as compared to 70% Avira. This has t he implication that consumers equate the price they pay to the utility or satisfaction they derive from consuming these products. Avira also utilizes premium pricing, where it charges higher prices for its products to show the how its product is exclusive as compared to the product offered by other firms and especially competition. This case can be delineated by the ever higher price charged by Avira as compared to Pearl. In addition to this, the