Swot for Topman - 1287 Words

5.0 SWOT Analysis Strengths: Topman already has more than 309 fashion stores nationwide with another 50 stores outside the United Kingdom division. Topman boasts the worlds largest fashion store in London with over 200,000 shoppers per week, Topman gets twice deliveries per day and 7,000 looks per season. In the year 2006, Topman’s operating profit hits 110 million with its annual sales of 600 million now. It brings a strong brand image of Topman based on the successful achievement to consumer’s mindset. Strong brand image builds confidence and reliability towards Topman’s product. In a nutshell, expending Topman’s market in Vietnam has a strong potential to gain sustainable profit. Topman has their very own Internet website where†¦show more content†¦Therefore, it is detached from the Vietnamese market. Opportunities: Topman will be opening their first stores in America (New York) in 2008 also a store in China the same year and are currently looking for shop space in Paris. These were actually a starter and its greatly hoping to expand in these countries. Topman’s unique style and flair is reminiscent of their European roots, and offer Vietnamese the opportunity to explore new fashion options which taps into the new Anglophilia fashion craze. Topman could grab the attention of Vietnamese as its clothing line is embedded with strong European fashion feel. Topman is welcome innovations and creativity with open arms. The interest and the support of up coming fashion graduates and discovering the next big thing in talent at the same time as keeps their collections fresh. Their strong design teams creates new looks that are not just catwalk lead. Expanding stand alone shoe stores throughout the country their only competitors would be faith and office who sell to a similar customer Topman can also offer their premium range. Expanding their children’s wear, many fashion conscious mothers shop at Topman. They would buy on trend clothing at reasonable prices for their children; this could work and be successful, and would prove a threat to competition including the Baleno and MNG. Topman would be the first to enter the Vietnam market. This could bring a lot ofShow MoreRelatedEssay on Topman SWOT Analysis1275 Words   |  6 PagesTopman SWOT Analysis Strengths: Topman already has more than 309 fashion stores nationwide with another 50 stores outside the United Kingdom division. Topman boasts the worlds largest fashion store in London with over 200,000 shoppers per week, Topman gets twice deliveries per day and 7,000 looks per season. In the year 2006, Topman’s operating profit hits 110 million with its annual sales of 600 million now. It brings a strong brand image of Topman based on the successful achievement to consumer’sRead MoreFashion Marketing1282 Words   |  6 Pagestshirts, wool jumpers, plain black work trousers and shirts etc. (http://www.ciao.co.uk/Topshop) Its primary sales come from a range of products including clothing and fashion accessories, and is mainly known for its women s clothing, with Topman having been created in the late 1970s to cater for male customers. The business has also expanded into the online fashion retail arena. (wikipedia.org/wiki/Topshop) Type of market they opperate in is defined as the Fashion market. Topshops typicalRead MoreTopshop Marketing Plan5356 Words   |  22 Pagesshaped by the UK’s market trends. The UK’s consumers are driven by the economical and political unstable environment and the digital evolution. The internal analysis indicated that the company is preforming well compared with its competitors. The SWOT analysis presented that TOPSHOP has important strengths and opportunities which could overwhelm the threats and weaknesses. The Porter’s Five forces analysis indicated that the power of buyers and the competitive rivalry are high whereas the threatRead MoreTopshop in Mexico5565 Words   |  23 Pageseducation * Government policies support FDI * There is a competitive retail environment in Mexico * Mexico’s infrastructure is poor but improving and is high on the political agenda * Topshop has recently sold 25% stake of the Topshop and Topman chain, making them debt free and open to investing in global expansion * There is a growing middle class * The target demographic is middle class females between the ages of 15-34 * A joint-venture with a department store is recommendedRead Moretopshop marketing plan1483 Words   |  6 Pageslike to achieve An outline of the main products and services sold A financial analysis of your business including sales and profitability A S.W.O.T. analysis of your business to set a line in the sand]   SWOT analysis The strength of the Topshop Corporation is that the owner of Topshop is the Arcadia Group, which can provide favorable management and strong financial support for its subsidiary company. Moreover, the Topshop brand has take a large marketRead MoreThe Analysis of Zara4664 Words   |  19 Pageswithin the marketing environment of ZARA. 1 1.1 Introduction of marketing environment 2 1.2 Macroenvironment-----PESTLE analysis of ZARA 2 1.3 Microenvironment analysis of ZARA 4 1.4 Poter’s three generic strategies on ZARA 4 1.5 SWOT analysis of ZARA 5 2 The importance of market research,marketing mix and service innovation for Zara 6 2.1 The importance of market research for ZARA 6 2.2 The importance of Marketing mix for ZARA 9 2.3 The importance of ZARA’S ServiceRead MorePrimark Strategic Marketing Audit5274 Words   |  22 PagesStrategy Appendix 12. Distribution strategy 24. Brand Identity Prism 14. The Competition 15. Brand Positioning Map 16-17. HM 18-19. Financial Analysis 25. Rogers Theory of Innovation 26. Consumer Segmentation Table 27. Ansoff’s Matrix Theory 28. HM SWOT Analysis 29. Like for Like Comparison 20-21. External Analysis 30. PESTLE Analysis 22-23. Objectives 31-32. Bibliography This marketing audit will critically analyse the current marketing situation for the leading high street brand Primark, withRead Moreâ€Å"an Analysis of Marks and Spencer’s Current Strategic Position, and How Marks and Spencer’s Will Develop These Strategies in the Future.†3095 Words   |  13 PagesExecutive director for marketing Steve Sharp stated that although past advertising campaign were very successful in getting the message across, it was important for Marks and Spencer to keep looking forward and to move on. (CorporateMamp;S, 2010) Swot Analysis Strengths: * Excellent and quality products * Mamp;S high street giant, Stores all over UK high streets * Financial strength, large slice of market share in many retail sectors, leader in others * Long term relationshipRead MoreZara Mkg Plan5206 Words   |  21 PagesÂ…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….......3 2.1 Market Summary Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…3 2.1.1 Market Demographics Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….4 2.1.2 Market Trends Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….5 2.1.3 Market Needs Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…......6 2.1.4 Market Growth Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…7 2.2 SWOT Analysis Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…..8 2.2.1 Strengths Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….8 2.2.2 Weaknesses Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….9 2.2.3 Opportunities Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â….10 2.2.4 Threats Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…...10 2.3 Competition Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Â…Read MoreZaras Marketing Strategy4316 Words   |  17 Pagestough market conditions have favoured speciality chains such as Zara, which can respond to consumers more quickly and at lower cost. (excerpt from Fà ¡shion attack by Euro-retailers on our ˆ3.3 billion market in Sunday Business Post, 16 November 2003). SWOT Analysis Zaras strengths are its resources and capabilities that can be used as a source for developing a competitive advantage. The absence of certain strengths may be viewed as weaknesses. Although Zara has a successful business model that differs

In Cold Blood Paper Ap English Free Essays

At What Cost? â€Å"No one will ever know what In Cold Blood took out of me,† Capote once said. â€Å"It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. It nearly killed me. We will write a custom essay sample on In Cold Blood Paper Ap English or any similar topic only for you Order Now I think, in a way, it did kill me. † Truman Capote learned his own hard lesson that â€Å"More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones† in writing In Cold Blood. Capote’s interest in writing an article on his fascination over the impact of brutal, senseless murders in a rural community rapidly transforms into pure obsession to write a novel that would revolutionize the literary world. This leads him to significantly change his behavior in a destructive manner and ultimately this negatively impacts his life. In the movie Capote, Truman blithely told Alvin Dewey, the lead investigator, â€Å"It really doesn’t make any difference to me if the case is ever solved or not. † His intentions going to Holcomb, Kansas were to produce an article that examined the effects of a brutal, senseless killing of the Clutter family on an unknown rural community. The community was inflicted with insomnia, loss of faith and trust, and suspicion which first attracted Truman to Holcomb, Kansas to write an article. Capote states â€Å"they believed that the murdered was among themselves† (Capote 88). Capote and his close novelist friend, Harper Lee, quickly forge relationships with the community to obtain stories from them. However one sees, as both the story and movie progress, Capote becomes more intrigued by the actual case, especially after meeting the murderers, developing an emotional connection with them. Capote’s literary aspirations to write an article on the impact of these murders to this community change after he meets with the detained killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. Capote fosters a close, warped friendship with Smith. Capote is now entrenched into the bowels of the details of the murders and in the mind of Smith so he decides that he must write a novel. His goal is to now publish an award winning non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood. Capote’s motives are now altered and he will do whatever it takes to write a critically acclaimed novel. After Smith and Hickock are sentenced to death, Capote realizes for his novel to be a success that he needs to keep them off of death row as long as possible so that he can obtain all possible gruesome details and their inner thoughts. To do this, Capote decides to hire them high- powered lawyers. He begins to relate with Smith on a personal level to get all important details for his novel and he actually allows himself to become psychologically attached. Capote and Smith shared similar troubled childhoods as they both were neglected by reckless mothers. He realizes that he could have become like Smith and no longer sees Smith as a monster. By personally connecting with Smith is a twisted way, Capote becomes obsessed with the whole case and it changes his behavior and his life. Capote reveals several character flaws in his pursuit of writing an award winning novel. He quickly learns to lie to obtain information and does not seem to have any issue in exaggerating facts or even manipulating those that he is interviewing. An example of this behavior is when Smith confronts Capote about the title of his book and Capote lies stating that his editor named the book. He even stoops to unethical behavior when he bribes a prison warden at Leavenworth with money so that he has unlimited access to meet with Smith. It was callous knowing that Capote was on precipice of his utmost success in his career as Smith says goodbye to Capote as he heads to his hanging death. In the movie, Capote begins to neglect the people he cares about to do whatever it takes to get the details for his novel. He convinces himself that he is just being a good friend to Smith who is in need. It portrays his true selfishness and his destructive motivations that lead him to no longer listen to those he loves and trusts. Capote rejects the wisdom of his long-term friend, Harper Lee and even of his male companion back in New York City. His male lover warns him to be careful what he does and what he does to get it. Harper Lee, his friend and associate is disgusted at Capote when he states that there was not anything that he could do to save Smith and Hickock. She replied that that fact is that he really did not want to. He unfortunately is blinded by his own ambitions and does not want to admit that he is using others around him to reach his goal. His self-centered choices negatively impact his inner-soul. The writing of this novel, In Cold Blood, changes Capote forever; it was the peak of his career that over time turns on him and escalates out of control. The movie concludes with a quote from an unfinished book â€Å"More tears are shed over answered prayers that unanswered ones. † Capote should have heeded the advice of his closest friend and lover. He did whatever he had to do to get what he wanted: a story that would revolutionize the literary world. At first, he befriends Smith to use him to get his story, however he later becomes emotionally attached and actually finds a friend. Capote got his story from Smith but at what cost? His novel changed the literary world but after all, he loses a friend and even himself. â€Å"No one will ever know what In Cold Blood took out of me,† Capote once said. â€Å"It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. It nearly killed me. I think, in a way, it did kill me. † How to cite In Cold Blood Paper Ap English, Papers In Cold Blood Paper Ap English Free Essays At What Cost? â€Å"No one will ever know what In Cold Blood took out of me,† Capote once said. â€Å"It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. It nearly killed me. We will write a custom essay sample on In Cold Blood Paper Ap English or any similar topic only for you Order Now I think, in a way, it did kill me. † Truman Capote learned his own hard lesson that â€Å"More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones† in writing In Cold Blood. Capote’s interest in writing an article on his fascination over the impact of brutal, senseless murders in a rural community rapidly transforms into pure obsession to write a novel that would revolutionize the literary world. This leads him to significantly change his behavior in a destructive manner and ultimately this negatively impacts his life. In the movie Capote, Truman blithely told Alvin Dewey, the lead investigator, â€Å"It really doesn’t make any difference to me if the case is ever solved or not. † His intentions going to Holcomb, Kansas were to produce an article that examined the effects of a brutal, senseless killing of the Clutter family on an unknown rural community. The community was inflicted with insomnia, loss of faith and trust, and suspicion which first attracted Truman to Holcomb, Kansas to write an article. Capote states â€Å"they believed that the murdered was among themselves† (Capote 88). Capote and his close novelist friend, Harper Lee, quickly forge relationships with the community to obtain stories from them. However one sees, as both the story and movie progress, Capote becomes more intrigued by the actual case, especially after meeting the murderers, developing an emotional connection with them. Capote’s literary aspirations to write an article on the impact of these murders to this community change after he meets with the detained killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. Capote fosters a close, warped friendship with Smith. Capote is now entrenched into the bowels of the details of the murders and in the mind of Smith so he decides that he must write a novel. His goal is to now publish an award winning non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood. Capote’s motives are now altered and he will do whatever it takes to write a critically acclaimed novel. After Smith and Hickock are sentenced to death, Capote realizes for his novel to be a success that he needs to keep them off of death row as long as possible so that he can obtain all possible gruesome details and their inner thoughts. To do this, Capote decides to hire them high- powered lawyers. He begins to relate with Smith on a personal level to get all important details for his novel and he actually allows himself to become psychologically attached. Capote and Smith shared similar troubled childhoods as they both were neglected by reckless mothers. He realizes that he could have become like Smith and no longer sees Smith as a monster. By personally connecting with Smith is a twisted way, Capote becomes obsessed with the whole case and it changes his behavior and his life. Capote reveals several character flaws in his pursuit of writing an award winning novel. He quickly learns to lie to obtain information and does not seem to have any issue in exaggerating facts or even manipulating those that he is interviewing. An example of this behavior is when Smith confronts Capote about the title of his book and Capote lies stating that his editor named the book. He even stoops to unethical behavior when he bribes a prison warden at Leavenworth with money so that he has unlimited access to meet with Smith. It was callous knowing that Capote was on precipice of his utmost success in his career as Smith says goodbye to Capote as he heads to his hanging death. In the movie, Capote begins to neglect the people he cares about to do whatever it takes to get the details for his novel. He convinces himself that he is just being a good friend to Smith who is in need. It portrays his true selfishness and his destructive motivations that lead him to no longer listen to those he loves and trusts. Capote rejects the wisdom of his long-term friend, Harper Lee and even of his male companion back in New York City. His male lover warns him to be careful what he does and what he does to get it. Harper Lee, his friend and associate is disgusted at Capote when he states that there was not anything that he could do to save Smith and Hickock. She replied that that fact is that he really did not want to. He unfortunately is blinded by his own ambitions and does not want to admit that he is using others around him to reach his goal. His self-centered choices negatively impact his inner-soul. The writing of this novel, In Cold Blood, changes Capote forever; it was the peak of his career that over time turns on him and escalates out of control. The movie concludes with a quote from an unfinished book â€Å"More tears are shed over answered prayers that unanswered ones. † Capote should have heeded the advice of his closest friend and lover. He did whatever he had to do to get what he wanted: a story that would revolutionize the literary world. At first, he befriends Smith to use him to get his story, however he later becomes emotionally attached and actually finds a friend. Capote got his story from Smith but at what cost? His novel changed the literary world but after all, he loses a friend and even himself. â€Å"No one will ever know what In Cold Blood took out of me,† Capote once said. â€Å"It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. It nearly killed me. I think, in a way, it did kill me. † How to cite In Cold Blood Paper Ap English, Essay examples

Specific web or mobile application Essays - E-commerce,

Name: Course: Lecturer: Date: ANSWER Mobile apps can be defined as an application powered by internet and run on the smart phones devices and other capable phones as per the requirements of the applications. With this discovery a lot has been improved from how people use to translate their daily activities. Mobile users are now able to connect to internet via their mobile and do all sort of activities something which was a dream some years back. Accessibility to the internet has been made easier with this new innovation; user can access internet using different portable mobile devices. There are different type of mobile application which can range from, mobile web site bookmarking a utility, an emailing application for example Gmail for mobile or yahoo for mobile, a mobile based application for example instant messaging client and a mobile banking application for example immobile. Am going to elaborate more on the mobile banking as a mobile application of my choice, in my discussion am go to discuss how is it used? What changes has it brought about to its users? What are some likely future uses and enhancements? IMobile can be defined as a mobile application which offers a secure banking facility to its users which ranges from all forms of banking activities and wide informative services by taking care of its users needs from they mobile phones devices. This application has made it ease and convenience for the users to perform different transactions from they devices. This includes checking of your bank accounts balances, transferring of money from one account to another, paying of bills for example, water and electricity bills, and more other kinds of transactions as you wish from the place of your choice with you mobile device. Am going to elaborate how it Imobile application work in term of paying bills, before i elaborate first i will point out the major advantage of this features of immobile. With the increase population every service provider facilities is working so hard to try and reduce the time spend by customer queuing to pay they bills. With this application the solution is realized since one can now pay his or her bills without having to spend a hectic time standing in a queue waiting to be severed. This is done following lied procedures, you choose from you mobile phone menu the bill payment option then choose pay bill after which you enter the facility/ service provider pay bill number and the amount to pay. Selecting pay after you writing your correct password is the last step in the process. Immobile application has brought so many advantages to the user in the banking word. This including making all the banking services available to you at your comfort which was not the case pre to this greater innovation. The convenience of the application has improved people lifestyle since you dont have spend a lot of time queuing for services or to do a transaction. Whenever you have that need you do it from any area you are in, you do have to visit the bank to know you account balance or transfer money to a different account. In term of security this application has improved the sector in to a new whole level; the application security modulus employs a very high level of encryption mechanism which ensures that the transactions are done in a very securely manner. Since this is internet banking threat should be eliminate to zero level for it to be successful. All sensitive in formations are stored in high level servers which are securely well to make the breaking into very difficulty. No sensitive banking data is stored on the mobile device of the user. Imobile application has improve how different banking activities were use to be done previously. It ensures that banking activities are done in a more securely ways where by customers are given the opportunities to transact in a more secure manner ,payments for different day to day activities, for examples booking for a football march ticket, movies tickets , travel tickets and any other form of booking are now done from your mobile phone device. Research is going on to see the future direction this innovation is taking, perhaps it will increase the human-mobile interaction where by

How To Motivate Your Team To Write Great Content - CoSchedule Blog

How To Motivate Your Team To Write Great Content Blog Its not easy to write killer content over and over again, day after day. It is even more difficult when you arent the one writing, only guiding a team through the process. Step 1: Let your writers write! How do you motivate a team to produce better content? Or sometimes, how do you get them to produce any content at all? Bark, Beg, and Badger Usually, our first inclination is our worst. Hopefully we get better as we guide our team over time, but that doesnt stop us from badgering our writers a bit too much in the beginning.  We send reminder emails.  Sarcastic hints. Eye rolls. Yelling that tanks morale and friendships. These arent all that motivating, or successful. They rarely lead to long-term improvements. There is a better way. Ownership One of my go-to management theories for nearly everything has been the principal of ownership. When writers feel a sense of ownership on a project, they become more willing to do amazing things. They work late, they put in the extra time, and most importantly they take pride in what they do because they arent just doing it for you. They are doing it for themselves. Giving your writing team ownership in what they do gives their words power.This is powerful motivation, but it doesnt happen by accident. How do we motivate our teams? How do we give them a sense of ownership? 1. Let Them In Too many editors assume that their writers cannot be trusted. This is insulting, and makes grown adults feel like a child. Great editors move beyond this, and trust their writers first by letting them in on what we are doing. If they simply cant be trusted, then they probably shouldnt be on your team (and that is a different problem entirely).  This means that you should make them a part of your big decisions. Their opinion needs to count. It also means that your job is not to lord over them. Rather, your job is to delegate big goals, and then get out of the details and out of their way. 2. Let Them Be Them Most editors were writers first, and that makes it easy for them to meddle and place too much control over what their writers do and how they do it. Dont micro manage. Trust your writers, and let them develop their own spin, their own voice, and their own style. Of course, this doesnt mean that you withhold all restraints. Boundaries are good and necessary. Just dont be over zealous in your control, and recognize that your tendency is to go at least one step too far. 3. Create a Creative Environment When we over-extend ourselves as managers, we turn a creative process into a robotic one. We create   templates, guidelines, and standards that suck creativity out of the room. We believe that our limitations bring quality, but if they are over the top, they can do the exact opposite. Creativity is a powerful tool. We have to recognize  that our writers are creative people, and give them the opportunity to embrace it. This means that we need to be willing to let them try something new, let them explore, let them fail, and let them succeed all on their own.

The 8 Most Common Mistakes You Make on ACT English

The 8 Most Common Mistakes You Make on ACT English SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Over the past five years, I've tutored dozens of students on the ACT and seen them miss the same types of questions over and over again. The ACT English section really only tests a handful of concepts, so it's easy to make the same exact mistake onthree or four questions- which really hurts your score. Don't worry, though! I've come up with eightsimple rules you can follow to help you avoid the most common problemson the ACT English and automatically raise your score 1-2 points. Use my ACT English strategies and practice on a lot of realistic questions, and you'll raise your English score. A lot of common mistakes revolve around going with the answer that sounds right rather than the choice that follows the rules. To help you spot the difference, I'llgo through the mistakes most students make in order of frequencyand explain how you can avoid them: Avoiding NO CHANGE Not removing redundant or irrelevant words Insertingtoo many commas Incorrectly punctuating independent clauses Mixing up it's and its Using they instead of he or she Glossing over the question Missing modifier errors Mistake #1: Assuming Every Underlined Portion Includes an Error NO CHANGE seems like it must be wrong, but it's actually correct slightly more than 25% of the time. Don't automatically rule out choice A orF, and don't second guess yourself if you have NO CHANGE as the answer for multiple questions in a row. Instead, if you can't find an error and think NO CHANGE might be the best choice, look at the differences between the answers and try to determine whattypeof question it is. Are all the answers verbs? It's probably a verb tense or subject-verb agreement question. Does each answer have commas placed in different locations? It's likely a comma question. (Keep in mind, however, that some questions test more than one concept.) Once you know what kind of question it is, you can determine whether the original version avoids the error. Is the verb properly conjugated? The commas properly placed? The trick to not being confused by NO CHANGE is treating it like any other answer. If the best version of the underlined portion is the original one, then pick A. For more information on the frequency of NO CHANGE, check out our full analysis. Mistake#2: Leaving in Extra Words Relevanceand redundancy are two of the least intuitive concepts on the ACT English section. Questions that test these topics require you eliminate totally grammatically acceptable phrases that often seem to add information. The key to understanding how to approach these questions is recognizing that not all information is useful. Take a look at this example sentence: Every spring, I go through my yearly house-cleaning ritual and clean my home. This sentence is perfectly grammatical and easy to understand. However, it repeats certain ideas unecessarily. "Every spring" is by definition "yearly," so we don't need the second word. Moreover, the "ritual" is explicitlydescribed as "house-cleaning," so "and clean my home" is redundant. Every spring, I go through my house-cleaning ritual. If an answer restates something that's already been established or adds information that isn't directly related to the point at hand, it's probably wrong. Try taking the extra wordsout and see if the sentence still makes sense (both grammatically and logically). If so, pick the answer that leaves out the unnecessary words. Don't be afraid to choose OMIT the underlined portion, if you think the passage works without the whole underlined section. For a more in depth take on redundancy questions, see our full post on the topic. Mistake #3: Adding Unnecessary Commas Many students believe that you should put a comma any place in a sentence where there's a pause, but this approach will result in your missing a lot of questions. Take a look at the following example: I know Callie thought that accusing Jon, of stealing the headphones, would just cause more problems. These commas may seem correct, but they're actually unnecessary. Although this sentence is fairly long, it doesn't require any commas at all: I know Callie thought that accusing Jon of stealing the headphones would just cause more problems. The truth is that commas are only necessary in very specific situations. A good rule of thumb is "When in doubt, leave it out!" If comma questions are tripping you up, our complete guide to commas on the ACT can help you understand when you need them and when you don't. This is not a wise attitude to take towards commas. Mistake #4: Connecting Independent Clauses Incorrectly One of the most common ACT English comma issues is called a comma splice, it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses (this sentence is an example!). There are four correct ways to connect two complete thoughts: a period, a semicolon, a colon, and a coordinating conjunction with a comma. Let's look at some alternate versions of the sentence above: Incorrect: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Incorrect: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice and it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Correct: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice. It occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Correct: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice; it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Correct: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice: it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. Correct: One of the most common comma issues is called a comma splice, and it occurs when a comma is used to connect two independent clauses. For more information on comma splices and other forms of run-on sentences, take a look at our in depth article. Mistake #5: Confusing It's, Its, and Its' The differences between can seem complicated, especially if you haven't studied them in a while, but they're actually quite straight forward. Its, with no apostrophe, is a possessivepronoun. It's equivalent to "his" or "her," which you'll notice don't have apostrophes either. It's, with an apostrophe before the s, is a contraction of "it is" or "it has." Contractions always have to have an apostrophe to replace the dropped letter or letters. Its', with an apostrophe after the s, isn't a real word. This construction will appear as an answer on the ACT but it's always wrong. When trying to determine whether the word needs an apostrophe, you should replace it with with "it is" (or "it has," depending on context) and see if the sentence makes sense. If so, "it's" is correct. If not, "its" is. Let's go over an example: The cat pinned back its' ears to show displeasure. We know "its'" can't be correct- we just have to determine whether it should be "it's" or "its." Let's plug in "it is" and see if that makes sense: The cat pinned back it is ears to show displeasure. That version doesn't make sense. "Its" is the correct choice, since the pronoun is meant to indicate that the ears belong to the cat: The cat pinned back its ears to show displeasure. For more information on its vs. it's and other apostrophe issues, check out our post on punctuation. This deer may be confused, but you don't have to be! Mistake #6: Using They or Their as a Singular Pronoun When we speak, we routinely use the plural pronouns "they," "their," and "them" to refer to individuals on uncertain gender (e.g. the child, the teacher, the inventor).In written English, however, this usage is considered a pronoun agreement error: the noun is singular, but the pronoun replacing it is plural. Take a look at this example sentence: Incorrect: At the end of many fantasynovel, the protagonist must face their nemesis in single combat. Correct:At the end of manyfantasy novels, the protagonist must face his or hernemesis in single combat. Though it may seemoverly complicated, the second version of the sentence correctly matches noun and pronoun. Pronoun agreement is frequently tested and can be tricky, so consider checkingout our complete guide to pronoun agreement on ACT English. Mistake #7: Not Reading the Question Because most of the questions on ACT English revolve only around underlined portions of the passage, it’s easy to gloss overquestions when they appear. However, as with the other sections of the ACT, it's extremely important to carefully read the questions and think about what they're asking. Usually, the best indication of the answer is right there in the question. This ruleis especially vital toanswering questions that ask about which version of a sentence or phrase is best. It can be tempting to simply pick the answer you think sounds best, but this approach will usually give you the wrong answer. Instead, look atwhat the question is asking for, e.g. "specific details" or "information that sets up a contrast." The ACT English section includesa pretty wide range of questions that usethis format, so if you're struggling with these types of questions take a look at some of our general advice on the ACT English questions and passages. Mistake #8: MisplacingModifiers Misplaced and dangling modifiers- descriptive words or phrases that are incorrectly placed in a sentence- are another type of weird error that oftendoesn't seem wrong. Nonetheless, the ACT includes them fairly frequently, so keep this key rule in mind: a modifier must be next to whatever it modifies. Incorrect: While walking, the banana peel tripped me. Correct: While walking, I tripped on the banana peel. Dangling modifiers (which, like the example above, are introductoryphrases that are separated from the thing they're modifying) are especially tricky. Be on the lookout for sentences that begin with descriptive phrases- they must be followed by the noun theydescribe. For further details on both dangling and misplaced modifiers, see our grammar guide to ACT Englishfaulty modifiers. Keep on going towards the score you want! (Image: Piermario/Flickr) What's Next? Take the time to get comfortable with other frequently tested concepts like subject-verb agreementandpronoun case. Looking to build a study plan? Read our complete plan to studying for the ACT, review what the ACT English actually covers, and take a practice test (or five!). If you're aiming especially high (or even if you aren't), make sure to check out these 9 key strategies from a perfect scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. 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Cost Management of Engineering Works in Construction Essay

Cost Management of Engineering Works in Construction - Essay Example Since maintenance work is a short term work â€Å"Term Contracts† are preferable over â€Å"Lump sum contracts†. The contract again can be sourced on a â€Å"work order† basis because the items and duration of work are not known accurately, beforehand. The preferred contractor shall carry out the maintenance work for a set period of two years as mentioned in the contract. (The University of Reading, Facilities management directorate academic building maintenance strategy 2005–2007 ) The contracted work includes maintenance of Concrete Work, Brickwork and Block work, Scaffolding and Staging, Carpentry and Joinery, Ironmongery, Steel and Metal Work, Plasterwork and other Floor, Wall and Ceiling Finishes, Glazing, Painting, Demolitions, Electrical Installation as detailed in the SOR. (Feilden, 1990) These works are done piecemeal. The maintenance is done over the entire stretch of large campus thus some sites become quite far-flung increasing the time and expenditure for completion of the work. To cater to the maintenance a large workforce is required. Now that an efficient and effective model for minimum cost maintenance work of the campus has been developed it is hoped that the model will be emulated every next time the buildings need to be refurbished. As per CDO norms the future maintenance works have been adopted on term basis. The maintenance of the campus has been allocated to outside contractors and the ways of reducing the maintenance costs are sought for at every stage. Two different price bases are being considered, This brief report summarizes and enumerates the various steps taken at each level of selection, sorting and implementation of tenders submitted by the contractors. (Information Management in a Contractor: A Model of the Flow of Project Data, Norman Fisher, Li Yin Shen, p.318). The tenderers are required to submit their tenders with the tendered trade

Interest of the United States of America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Interest of the United States of America - Essay Example Whereas Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger are usually remembered as having viewed foreign policy primarily as a tool for the use in the pursuit f power and national interests. Realism in its most concentrated form argues that the head f state should solely be interested in achieving things which will further national interests, with complete disregard for things like human rights if they don't directly contribute to this achievement. A common explanation for the realist way f thinking is concisely put when it is stated that, 'leaders must deal with the world the way it is, not as they would wish it to be. The key assumptions f realism say that; states are the main components f the international system and that these states are motivated and ought to be motivated by their own interests and the search for power. It is also assumed that; the balance f power is imperative to international stability and that relations between states should be trying to obtain this international balance f power, not to change other states policies. (Ikenberry 2006) During the presidential debate f 11th f October 2000, when George W. Bush was asked to speak about what the guidin g principle for his foreign policy would be, he took a classic realist line: "The first question is what's in the best interest f the United States What's in the best interest f our people When it comes to foreign policy that will be my guiding question. Is it in our nation's interests" A true realist will oppose giving 'moral' concerns priority over foreign policy objectives. They object to what is often seen by other states as unwanted 'medalling' in idealist approaches to foreign policy, as there are both practical and political difficulties when intervening in the domestic affairs f other states. Interference in the internal affairs f another state is seen as an infringement f its sovereignty. This sort f behaviour would only make the USA unpopular in the wider world and this does not serve American interests, in fact it would obstruct its ability to pursue them. In realist terms humanitarianism is an often-unaffordable luxury, as is the ability to only align themselves with states f common moral and political beliefs. However the practice f power politics cannot often oblige. The USA has in the past been willing to support extreme right-wing regimes, even when they are known to be violators f human rights, so long as the regime was pro-America, or at least anti - communist, (the 'lesser f two evils' strategy). It can be summarised in one sentence; the world must be taken as it is found and statesmen should stay faithful to moral principles where possible but must always be willing to bend these principles when necessary to protect the interests f the state. Modern day realism tends to reject the multilateral approach to action, as favoured by the Clinton administration. It is unclear, however, if this change in favour f American unilateralism will be a lasting one. (Mead 2007) Pure idealism argues that one should take the moral route under all circumstances, regardless f the effect it has on the states national interests. Idealism is motivated by the key assumptions that; the state is only one f the