When Should You Take the SAT or ACT Best Test Dates

When Should You Take the SAT or ACT Best Test Dates SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The college admissions process is a long one, encompassing most of a student's high school career. One of the most important parts, the SAT or ACT standardized test, is also one of the most challenging. Butyou can really benefit from early planning and deciding ahead of time when you should take it. It's always a good idea to begin early, but to decide on specific test dates, you'll need to factor in circumstances like your personal schedule, your admissions deadlines, and the classes you're currently taking. All of these make a big difference inwhen it’s best for you to take the SAT or ACT. In this guide, we'll debunk a common myth about the best time to take the test, discuss the most important factors for determining when you should take the SAT or ACT, and go over the besttesting planfor most high school students. Myth: Some SAT/ACT Test Dates Are Always Easier Than Others A common myth about the SAT and ACTis that specific test dates tend to be easier or harder than others. The (incorrect) logic here is that each test date is curved based on the students who take that specific test.Therefore, if you take the test with many ambitious, hard-working students, the curve will be harder and your test score will be lower. On the other hand, if you take the test with a lot of younger, unprepared students, the curve will be easier and your score will be higher. This myth is factually untrue for several reasons. First, both the College Board and ACT, Inc,.do not curve their tests based on student performance. In other words, whom you take the SAT or ACT with haszero impact on your final score. Instead, both the SAT and ACT use an equating process to account for slight differences in test difficulty across test dates. For example, if the ACT you took in April was harder than the ACT given in June, your raw scores would translate into slightly higher scaled scores to account for this difference in difficulty. Both test makers want to give students test scores that can be compared with scores from any other test date, on an equal basis.As a result, a score on one test will always indicate the same level of ability as that same score on a different test date. For example, a 1200 on one SAT will mean the same thing in 2016 as it does in 2020. This is the whole point of a standardized test! Here’s another reason this myth doesn’t make sense: if test curves varied from test to test, then colleges would need to take into account the test date on your application. For instance, they'd need to treat a 30 on an April ACT differently from a 30 on a June ACT. To date, no college admissions office has given any evidence that they take specific test dates into account. It is true that tests do vary in difficulty on a personal level. For example, when I was preparing for the SAT, some reading passages were just easier for me than other passages, especially if the passage topics were in my area of interest. However, you can't predict this ahead of time. As I mentioned above, many other factors go into choosing the test date that’s best for you. 4 Important Factors for Your SAT/ACT Date Like most things in life, early planning pays off- in this case, in higher test scores. Don't wait until college applications are duein your senior year to take your first SAT or ACT- you'll perform nowhere near your best and might not get into the schools you apply to. Beyond the general tip of planning early, you'll need to decide onthe specific test date you’ll be taking the SAT or ACT. Each test now has seven test dates throughout the year, and your score can vary on each test date based on a few key factors. In order of priority, here are the four most important factors to think about when determining when you should take the SAT or ACT: #1: Deadlines for College Admissions and Scholarships The most important factor for determining when you should take the SAT or ACT is your college admissions deadlines. As we'll explain later, you should begin preparing for the SAT/ACT a year before your first important deadline;you should also take your chosen test at least twice. For most students, regular decision deadlines fall in December or January of their senior year, which means you'll need to take your last SAT or ACT by, latest, December. If you're applying early action or early decision and have a due date in November, your last possible test date will be the October SAT or ACT. As a result, you'll need to begin preparing for the SAT/ACT during your junior year. There might be also other deadlines at play for you. For example, if you're recruited for athletics, you'll want to reach your SAT/ACT target goal by the end of your junior year. As we discuss in this article about how college recruiting works, college coaches won't want to spend time recruiting you if they don't think you have a good chance of getting into that school, which means your academics need to be on par with those of non-student athletes at the schools you're applying to. You don't necessarily need to shoot for a top SAT/ACT score and GPA, but you should aim to hit 25th percentile SAT/ACT scores and around 80% of the average GPA. The specifics of what you can get away with will depend on the school, sport, and specific person. For instance, a volleyball player at Harvard will have to meet higher academic standards than a football player at FSU. Deadline considerations also apply for academic merit scholarships. Several SAT/ACT score-based scholarships have deadlines well in advance of the January regular decision admissions deadlines. As a result, you might need to adjust when you take the test(s) to make sure your scores will be ready when you apply. The bottom line? Know your deadlines as you plan out your SAT/ACT testing schedule. #2: Content Readiness and Classes in School Much of the SAT and ACT tests general concepts you'll learn in high school, and your scores will be higher once you’ve taken the classes that cover material on the tests. The best time to take the SAT or ACT is after you've taken Geometry and Algebra II classes. Both tests feature algebra and geometry (though the SAT places less emphasis on geometry these days). If you've never encountered these subjects, your knowledge foundation will cause you to do poorly on the Math section. As for the Reading and Writing/English sections, most students will have had enough exposure to English and grammar to form a baseline understanding of the concepts tested on the SAT and ACT.To excel on these sections, though, you'll need to prep specifically for the SAT and ACT. Now, this doesn’t mean that just because you took Algebra II and English classes, you'll do well on the SAT/ACT. The test questions are very different from what you've seen in school, and much of SAT/ACT prep involves learning special types of questions and becoming familiar with the test format. That said, having the underlying content foundation will make you improve much faster. Plus, if you're in a state that requires juniors to take the SAT or ACT, you might also get some extra prep targeted at the SAT/ACT during class time. #3: Personal Schedule and Stress If possible, it’s best to take the SAT or ACT when you're not stressed about five other things in life. Many high school students struggle with balancing schoolwork, extracurriculars, a social life, and test prep. Therefore,avoid taking the SAT or ACT when you have a lot of other activities going on. For example, May is especially busy for many students because of AP exams, finals, and end-of-year events. But for you, March might be a bad time because you're gearing up for state championships for your sport. In my experience with thousands of students, students who plan to take the SAT or ACT during busy times like these get very stressed, don’t have enough time to prep, and unfortunately end up getting lower-than-expected scores on test day. Try to choose a test date on either side of a busy period so you have more time in your schedule to prep and less stress and anxiety. Ultimately, this can make a big difference in your test scores! #4: Prep Time For most students, we recommend studying at least 40 hours for the SAT or ACTfor a big score improvement. If you can study more than this- e.g., 80 hours or 120 hours- you'll likely be rewarded with higher test scores. If you've already taken the test several times but don’t have time to prep for your next test, you’re unlikely to see a big score improvement. It's an unfortunate truth, but without learning more content and attacking your weaknesses, you're simply not going to improve your score. In the end, try to schedule the SAT/ACT for a time when you can dedicate focused study time to test prep. For example, many students like scheduling the test right after winter break or summer vacation so they can take advantage of their free time by putting in serious study hours. By thinking deeply about these four major factors, you'll be able to figure out which test dates are best for you. Next up, we show you the testing plan that works best for 95% of students. A Reliable SAT/ACT Testing Schedule for Most Students For most students, this SAT/ACT testing schedule will give you the best chance of getting the score you want. It makes sure you test early, gives you room to improve, and offers enough buffer time so that you can get the score you want before your college applications are due. Here are the four steps you'll need to take: Step 1: Take the PSAT as a Junior If you’re aiming for aNational Meritscholarship, you'll want to prepare for the PSAT (which is essentially a practice SAT) and take it your junior year.For most students, though, there's no need to prepare for it; rather, you shouldlook at the PSAT as an opportunity to get early exposure to the SAT. If you plan to take the ACT instead of the SAT, you could opt for the PreACT or the ACT Aspire Program. Step 2: Take the February ACT or March SAT as a Junior These are the first SAT/ACT test dates after winter break, so use your break to prepare for the test. Make sure you have a study planand take at least one or twofull-length SAT/ACT practice testssometime before the test so you can get used to the format. As this will be your first official test, look at your score as a starting score to improve on later. Step 3: Take the April/June ACT or the May/June SAT as a Junior You’ll need to prep a little harder for this test. Make sure you have a long-term study schedule during the school year and are factoring in enough time to study.When deciding between April/May and June test dates, consider your personal schedule and aim to give yourself as little stress as possible. In truth, you're likely to improve your score just by taking the test a second time!Thus, at this point, it’s very possible that yourSAT or ACT score will be good enough for the colleges you want to apply to. If you still want to improve, however, move on to step 4. Step 4: Take the August SAT or September ACT as a Senior From steps 2 and 3, you'll know how much room you need to grow to hit your SAT goal scoreor ACT goal score. During the summer, it's important to work really hard at improving your scores- even at the expense of your social life and personal fun. (It's well worth it, though, as a higher score will get you access to better colleges and scholarships!) Step 5: Still Dissatisfied With Your Score? Take the SAT/ACT in the Late Fall Late fall your senior year is typically yourlast chance to take the SAT/ACT and still get your scores to your schools in time. That said, if you've already taken the test multiple times, you're unlikely to see more than incremental change without a lot of dedicated prep. To really raise your score, you'll need to set aside plenty of time to study. This might mean spending less time with friends or even easing off some of your extracurriculars to give you more time to fully concentrate on the test. Why is this five-step plan so effective?For one, it gives you early warning signs for your starting score so you know how much you have to improve by. It also offers enough flexibility for you to schedule your prep time as needed. Finally, it gives you several chances to take the test in case you have a bad day and don't score as highly as you want to. As a final tip, remember to register well in advance of the deadline so you canpay as few fees as possible. SAT/ACT Testing Schedule for Intensive Studiers If you're a student who's hoping to aim for the highest scores on the test, you'll want to structure your test taking a little differently. The schedule below ensures that you start early and spend more time studying for each test. Step 1: Take the PSAT as a Sophomore While you can't qualify for National Merit as a sophomore, taking the PSAT in 10th grade will give you valuable insight into how you're doing and where your weaknesses lie. Since you're mainly taking the PSAT to get more information about your skill level (rather than to qualify for a scholarship competition), there's no need for any extra preparation. Step 2: Take the PSAT/NMSQT as a Junior This advice is the same as for our regular testing schedule above: if your goal is to qualify for National Merit, you'll need to spend some time prepping for the PSAT (at the very least, by taking an official PSAT practice test). Step 3: Take the September/October ACT or October/November SAT as a Junior Take advantage of your summer vacation and the beginning of fall semester to prepare for this test. Plan to spend at least a few hours prepping each week. As always, follow a study plan and take a fewfull-length SAT/ACT practice testsso you can get more accustomed to the format of the exam. Remember, this is your first official test, and your score on it will be the starting score you'll try to improve on. Take it seriously! Unfortunately, you'll also have the PSAT around this time, so try to balance your study time wisely. Since the PSAT is so similar to the SAT, you can really just study for the SAT and apply what you've learned to the PSAT as well. If you're taking the ACT, on the other hand, the only difference is that you'll probably want tobrush up on your science knowledge. Step 4: Take the March SAT or April ACT as a Junior A spring test is a solid time for a second attempt as you'll have winter vacation (and possibly spring break, too) to study for it.As you did the first time around, make studying part of your routine. This time, however, you should have a better understanding of what specific weaknesses to focus on. Since you'll have gotten back your PSAT scores and your SAT/ACT scores from your fall test, make sure to incorporate any insights you can glean from your performances on these and apply them to your prep. For instance, if your Writing/English score was a lot lower than you expected it to be, you should dedicate more time to reviewing criticalSAT/ACT grammar rules. Step 5: Take the August SAT or September ACT as a Senior If you still haven't hit your goal score, this is a good time to take a third SAT/ACT. You'll absolutely need to prep for this test.The scores you got in step 4 will tell you how much you need to improve by. By giving yourself four to five months to study, you'll have a far better chance of making big score gains (than if you were to opt for the earlier June SAT/ACT). Make full use of the summer to work really hard, even if it comes at the expense of your social life. Remind yourself that a higher score will ultimately give you access to better colleges and even scholarships. Step 6: Unhappy With Your Score? Take the December SAT/ACT as a Senior This is your absolute last chance to take the SAT/ACT and still have your scores meet your college application deadlines. As we recommend for our regular schedule above, if your score is lagging behind the target you've set, it's best to drop as many other activities as you can to improve it. In particular, reduce your extracurriculars and your social life so you can concentrate more on the test. However, you also need to be realistic. Compare your desired score increase withour recommended study time for the SAT and ACT. Can you realistically put in that much study time? More importantly, are you willing to do this? If not, consider adjusting your target score and the schools you want to apply to. What's Next? How high does your SAT/ACT score need to be? Learn more about what a goodSAT scoreand a goodACT scoreis, based on the colleges you're applying to. Want more guidance on how long to study for the SAT/ACT? Check out our expert step-by-step guides for the SAT andACT. Not sure when to take the test? Check out the full schedule of upcoming test dates for the ACT and SATso you can pick the most convenient time for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Tuition assistance in the work place and its effects on retention Coursework

Tuition assistance in the work place and its effects on retention - Coursework Example The employers’ acts intends at enhancing employees’ loyalty and retention or longevity given that the employee continually expands their knowledge and skills while working. In my proposal of Tuition assistance in the work place and its effects on retention, I identified numerous factors that make tuition assistance programs by employers extremely effective. As an employer, ensure that there exists an educational assistance program in one organization, align the company goals and employees’ goals, define a strategic plan around the program, utilize online colleges and universities, and regularly keep track of success measurements for the tuition assistance program. Extremely effective tuition assistance could save a firm much money especially by regulating tuition to low cost college course providers and ensuring that all employees’ educational needs align with the company interests (Flaherty, 2007). Besides saving money, the firm could also reduce employees’ turnover rates given that educated employees better understand their responsibilities, have greater job satisfaction, and opt to remain with the company

Fast Food Centre in Bangalore Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fast Food Centre in Bangalore - Research Paper Example This is then followed by a conclusion explaining why Wendy's International Inc., one of the largest fast food chains of the world must consider this location. M. G. Road is one of the busiest roads in the city of Bangalore and is lined on one side with retail stores, food outlets and restaurants. It runs from Trinity Circle at one end to Anil Kumble Circle at the other. It has many office buildings, shops and theatres. It is also a home to a large number of buildings and banks. Many Indian cities (including New Delhi and Mumbai) have an M. G. road, and in general there is no linkage between these various roads (except that in many cases, these happen to be the busiest part of the city). India, as the world sees it, is a developing country, showing great progress in its economy. Many MNCs of various industries have turned their attention towards India.The Indian middle class has grown so affluent that they can easily afford to eat out more often compared to a decade ago. In fact, according to a McKinsey report, the Indian food industry grew faster than the information technology industry over the last 10 years. Consumerism is big business in India. There will be 628 million middle-class Indians by 2015. And already, their net income has doubled over the last 10 years. Every multinational company now wants to sell in India. Some companies have failed and others succeeded. The ones that failed did so because they were not sensitive to the cultural factors that affect consumer behaviour in India. One of the key reasons for the increased consumption is the impressive growth of the middle class. At the start of 1999, the size of the middle class was unofficially estimated at 300 million people, larger than the entire population of the United States. And this figure is expected to grow to 445 million by 2006. A detailed survey undertaken by the economic think tank NCAER provides a quick view on how the proportion of the middle segments (UM or upper middle, M or middle and LM or lower middle) has grown over the years since the opening up of the economy. BANGALORE- AN OPPORTUNITY The convergence of professional lifestyles with the demand for fast, tasty food served in a pleasant environment make fast food ventures a leading market area. Bangaloreans are not strangers to the culture of eating out on a regular basis. But such facilities are a definite departure from the traditional fast food outlets. A whole host of trendy, readymade and fast food outlets have mushroomed around Bangalore's new malls and up-market shopping areas catering to time-constrained professionals and the well off middle classes. These new fast food options are burgeoning in Bangalore, because they fit in with changing middle class

Rationale - Antigone Essay Example for Free

Rationale Antigone Essay For our scripted piece we used a scene from Antigone. Originally written by Greek author, Sophocles about 2500 years ago, it was re-written by a French author called Jean Anouilh around the time of WWII. Anouilh’s intensions differed from that of Sophocles due to the difference in time periods; in the later version, Antigone represents the French resistance against the Nazi occupation. As it was written during WWII it took a long time for the Nazis to allow it to go onstage because of what Antigone represented. The reason they let it be performed was down to the character Creon, the king of Thebes. In the scene between him and Antigone, the Nazis thought the dialogue represented a point of view that was for a dictatorial society. Antigone tells the story of a girl, whose brothers fought over the throne, both brothers met their end, introducing a theme of death due to rivalry and jealousy. Eteocles, the brother who had the throne at the time, was given a proper burial, whereas Polynices, who was seen as the enemy, was left outside and refused a burial. Everyone in the city of Thebes was told by the new king, Creon, that anyone who attempted to bury Polynices would be put to death, creating the theme of loyalty. Antigone is adamant that Polynices should be given a burial and takes matters into her own hands, she sneaks out of the palace in the middle of the night and covers Polynices’ body over with dirt. Polynices is then uncovered by the Guard. Antigone finds out and again, attempts to cover over Polynices. This time she is discovered by the Guard and is taken to Creon. As Antigone is the former king’s daughter, Creon is hesitant when punishing her, and offers a way out. But Antigone is not ashamed of what she has done and is determined to be punished for her crime. At the end of the play Antigone is put in cave by the Guard and left there to die. We chose this play as it contains many themes, such as love, pride, anger, and loyalty. Also I liked the history behind the play, the story that wasn’t included within the script. The life of Oedipus, Antigone’s father, the prophecy that he heard and how he married his mother and as a result had four children. I liked it because it was unusual, complex and difficult to fully understand. One moral I think Antigone portrays quite well is that you should always stand up for what you believe in and what you think is right. It shows this through Antigone’s character and the fact that she is so headstrong and certain of what she wants. Also an issue that is portrayed throughout the play is that love is a very strong emotion and can overcome many situations, this is shown by the relationships between Antigone and her sister Ismeme, Antigone and her nurse and Antigone and her fiance Haemon. My chosen scene included Antigone and Nurse, who was trying to find out where Antigone had been in the night. It was the opening scene of the play and was very powerful as it introduced the character of Antigone and the relationship she has with Nurse. I played Nurse and my partner, Frances, played Antigone. I chose to play Nurse because she tries many different ways to get Antigone to tell her where she has been. She tries to make Antigone feel guilty, by saying â€Å"You half kill yourself to bring them up, and they’re all the same. † She also gets angry with Antigone, this is evident when she says â€Å"do you know what I ought to do? I ought to give you a good spanking, just like when you were a little girl. † Another tactic she employs is that of trying to make Antigone feel sympathetic towards her by saying â€Å"What would your mother say if she were here now? You silly old fool, she’d say. So you couldn’t keep my little girl virtuous for me? † I knew that these tactics would enable me to change the tone of my voice throughout the performance and use a variety of space. By playing Nurse I intended to portray the relationship that Antigone and Nurse possessed. I also wanted to improve on my interaction as an actor and by playing this part it enabled me to build on what I was already capable of. When I first read the scene I imagined the two characters in a grand bedroom that had a very old fashioned interior, such as what one would expect to see in a stately home. A room that was quite cluttered with elaborate ornaments and decorative pieces. Obviously this would be hard to create on a small stage and also it would restrict the amount of space that was available for moving in. Devised-Behind the Face Our devised piece was based on many themes taken from Antigone, such as loyalty, cruelty and pride but the main theme was anger. I chose to base it upon anger because there are many different ways to portray it and there are lots of different ways of dealing with it. This gave me a wide range of options to choose from when devising the piece. I researched anger and it’s causes and came up with many different results, for instance: There are three different types of anger: Rage Rage is the expression of violent, uncontrolled anger. Rage is an outward expression of anger and can result in a visible, often destructive, explosion. Resentment Resentment is the feeling of anger directed towards a person or object which is suppressed and kept inside. It is a feeling which smoulders and feels uncomfortable, and can possibly create more physiological and psychological damage. Indignation Indignation is regarded as an appropriate, controlled, positive type of anger. When writing my devised piece I wanted to put across that you should let out your anger and stand up for what you think is right so I decided on a story line that contained a young girl (Harriett) who knew what she wanted but was too scared to stand up for herself. This resulted in her becoming angry internally, but she was unable to let go of her anger and express herself. So I created another character that only she could hear. This character was the internal anger that Harriett was feeling, and tried to make her see that she had to let go of her anger and stand up for herself rather than being pushed around by everyone else because she was an easy target. I chose to play an emotion instead of a person because I wanted to portray the differences between each aspect of the emotion. I wanted to create three sections on the stage so we weren’t just using a small part of it, however still allowing for use of most of the space available. I also wanted to create a strange atmosphere, one that makes the audience feel uncomfortable, so they could relate to Harriett’s feelings. I wanted the tempo to vary too, as I wanted Harriett’s character to be quiet and subdued, and the character that played her anger to be loud, intimidating and patronising. I also wanted the rhythms to alternate to make the piece more interesting for the audience.

Infanticide Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Despite the clear prohibitions against child-murder by all major religions, female infanticide has been for centuries a prominent and socially acceptable event, notably in one of the most populous countries in this world, India. Even today, the extent of the problem is measured in alarming proportions all around the globe: â€Å"at least 60 million females in Asia are missing and feared dead, victims of nothing more than their sex. Worldwide, research suggests, the number of missing females may top 100 million.† The data is more astounding in India. According to the Census Report of 2001, for every 1000 males the number of females has decreased to 927 in 2001 from 945 in 1991 and continues to decrease. It is clear that the burdensome costs involved with the raising of a girl, eventually providing her an appropriate marriage dowry, was the single most important factor in allowing social acceptance of the murder at birth in India. Nonetheless, in addition to the dowry system, t he reasons for this increasing trend have also been attributed to the patriarchal society, poverty and the availability of sex-selective abortion. India's population growth has been rapid, resulting from longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality in recent decades. Before independence, the high birth rates were balanced out by high death rates. In the half century since India gained independence from Great Britain in 1947, the average life expectancy has risen from just 39 years to 63 years, as high as that in Russia today. Conversely, after independence, the numbers changed but mortality rates dropped without a matching drop in birth rates. The perception of children became very different. The urban poor contributed most to the population and the reason for this is that they started viewing children as â€Å"sources of income rather an investment†. They were seen as an old age security and the more the better. Furthermore, even though the mortality rate dropped, it was still relatively high compared to the survival rate. For this reason, fear of child death and contagious diseases caused the urban poor to contrib ute even more to the ever-increasing population. Part of the reason India is gaining on China as the most populous country in the world is that China has had very severe family planning laws, enforcing a one-child-per-family policy on most of the population. This policy was adop... ... to be effective. As mentioned before the urge has to come from within the society itself and only then it will augur well for future generations of Indian girls, yet to be born. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"The Quest for a Male Child†, article by Dr. Madhumita Das. http://www.siyanda.org/forumdocs/si20031107025140.doc 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Female Infanticide and Foeticide†, article by Marina Porras. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Again a girl! Are you not ashamed of yourself?†, article by Shoba Warrier 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Census Report, 2001 : A Government of India Publication 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Case Study : Female Infanticide – www.gendercide.org 6. â€Å"History of Infanticide†, article by Dr. Larry S.Milner. http://www.infanticide.org/history.htm 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Female Infanticide† - http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/femaleinfanticide.html 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Darwin and the Descent of Morality†, opinion by Benjamin Wiker - http://www.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0111/opinion/wiker.html 9. â€Å"India's Population Passes 1 Billion† http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/pae/es_map/articles/article_48.mhtml

Eugene Achike- a Man Who Did Horrible Things Essay

Papa’s role in the community is vital in its functioning: he the prime contributor to its people by donating money to the church and church related organisations. He uses his newspaper, The Standard as a form of rebellion against the corrupt military government which proves that he is trying to better the country. His relationship with Ade Coker and the effect that his death had on him proves that he has compassion and is soft-hearted ,but chooses to mask it- not wanting to show any sort weakness. He helps the Coker family get back on their feet after Ade’s death, helping the baby regain her voice thus proves that he has good qualities. At home he is depicted as a tyrannical leader and is constantly enforcing his position in the family by means of instilling fear and in turn he receives blind obedience, discipline and most importantly the ‘perfect family’. His methods of enforcing his position ranges from extreme physical abuse which is vividly portrayed when he beat Mama to the point of her having a miscarriage and when he beat Kambili and Jaja for â€Å"walking into sin† in Nsukka ,to emotional abuse when he intimidated Kambili in front of her peers for ‘choosing’ to come second in class. Actions such as these or ensuring that his children follow a strict schedule designed by him could easily change the reader’s perception of Papa into a negative one, but it is is justification and his his role in the community that sways the reader’s perception of him. His justification for his actions is portrayed through his fanatical belief. He feels that it is his moral obligation to punish those that have sinned which in turn redeems them their place in heaven. This is continually represented by his emotional state whilst punishing a family member, crying while pouring water over Kambili’s feet, his swollen eyes after finding out about the miscarriage and the remorse that he felt after Mama left for Nsukka. It would be a fairly accurate deduction that Papa does monstrous things, but he also does good throughout the novel which proves that he is not a monster nor is he a saint.

External Influence on Ayam Brand

Reference groups have a high influence to the primary target audience, which are the housewives. The closest groups of people to housewives are the husbands and the children. Since housewives are the mothers for the children, they need to decide on which product of food or fruit to buy for their children for consumption. According to Gourmet Retailer (2008), mothers are concerned with feeding their little one the most nutritious diet possible. Thus, they sake the decision to purchase â€Å"Maya Brand† canned fruits because it contains no preservatives and MS (Maya brand, 2009). Maya Brand† also provides a large variety of fruits, which are mainly pineapple fruits, mixture of fruit cocktails like peach, pears, grapes, cherries and fruits snacks as well. Children are usually very fond of all these, because what children want Is different products throughout the time of consumption, and not the same or similar product over and over again. Social class is the hierarchical ca tegorization of people into distinct status classes, so hat members of each class share similar values, Interest and behavior (Chaffinch, et al. , 2008). Social class Is divided into upper class, middle class and lower class.It Is determined by a complex set of variables: household Income level, occupational prestige and educational achievement. Income directly affects ones attitude towards a particular purchase. For upper class people, they usually work in a big company, meaning they will have a busy working hours for almost everyday. Due to their occupation, they will not have time to shop for fresh fruits in the market. With once of health at the same time, they will purchase ‘Maya Brand' canned fruits as It's a very popular brand, with no preservatives and MS, and Is available In almost all convenient store or embitterment, Tort example, â€Å"Gallant Hypermarket†.Meanwhile, for the lower class people, they usually have a lower household income level. As ‘Maya Brand' canned fruits are cheap in price and it is value for money, they will choose to purchase it to satisfy basic needs. For instance, Gap, Ralph Lauren and United Colors of Benton understand how parents reflect the brand choices in the children's market (Koala, 2007). Parents especially are influential in apparel purchases because children are unable to pay for their own expenses of a purchase due to high cost. In addition, social group and peer influences are considered as the significant reference groups.Research shows as the age of a child increases, peers become more influential on apparel decision- making and not their parents anymore (Bridges & Burgess, 2010). Teens nowadays, make the purchase decision on their outfit, based on the interaction within the peer group. They enjoy making decision on themselves, while taking consideration into there friends' opinion (Grant and Stephan, 2006). 2. 2. 2 Social class that members of each class share similar values, interest and beh avior (Coffman, et al. , 2008). Social class is determined by a complex set of variables: household income level, occupational prestige and educational achievement.Income directly affects of ones attitude towards a particular purchase. Thus, the motivation of people in upper class is stronger in owning the latest fashion trends compared to the motivation of people in middle and lower social class (Peter & Olson, 1999), Upper lass people are concern on the body image and self-image whereas middle or lower class people tend to evaluate products in terms of functionality rather than the style of the garments. Higher social class associates clothing as wealth and luxury thus, they tend to dress in expensive and high in quality of apparels (See & Lee, 2008).Such high fashion retail store includes, Gucci and Airman Exchange. In the contrary, people in the lower class will consider whether the clothing is comfortable, reasonable in price whereas fashion trend is the least important aspect (Kennel, 1976). It) Message framing ii) advertising appeal Advertising can help companies develop consumers' awareness to an unmet need or introduce a product that consumers may see as valuable. This influence is often present when new products enter the market. Customer awareness is often low for these items until companies promote them and attempt to drive customer demand through advertising.Companies may also need to use advertising to stave off the popularity of a competitor's products in the economic market. This will result in advertisements that will influence consumers to change their buying behavior and witch products for specific reasons, such as cost or quality. (Vitae, 2010) â€Å"Maya Brand† advertise its' company on Faceable to enhance its' fame to the public as well as the people around the world. As Faceable is a social networking service. It allows â€Å"Maya Brand† to market Its prattle Ana products to lots AT networks . En AT ten advertising appealed used by â€Å"Maya Brand† is by organizing a ‘Community Care Campaign 201 1†², which one free canned food is given with Just one â€Å"like† button (Diagram 5. 1). Their mission is to provide donation of canned food to 40 charity home in 2 months. They have successfully supplied 3663 cans for the moment. In this case, its generosity will result in its brand name sinking in consumers' mind. As housewives are mothers of the children, they tend to be attracted to this brand as the campaign is helping the children who need strong support in terms of food.They understand how children will be without care. Besides, if â€Å"Maya Brand† can sponsor its products to so many charity homes, meaning its products have trusted quality. This is because if it does not have the required quality, it might spoil its own image by doing so. Thus, housewives or mothers will feel that â€Å"Maya Brand† is more trusted in terms of its quality. Www. Oho. Com For examp le, advertising on faceable. Read more: The Influence of Advertising on Consumer Buying Behavior I oho. Com http://www. Oho. Com/facts_6948058_influence-advertising-consumer-buying- behavior. HTML#sizzle Alfonzo behavior. HTML#sizzle Ladings ‘v) Humor in advertising. Www. allaboutmedicalsales. Com Some Definition of Humor in Advertising: ‘Humor' in the dictionary means a quality – being amusing or comic but in advertising it is serious business. In advertising, humor is more than Just making a munch of people laugh. Some of the best brands in India have leveraged humor to such an extent that the viewers look forward for newness in humor each time they see a new commercial from that brand. To illustrate, Officio has been one of those brands which have used humor so intelligently and subtly that it remains in people's minds.Here again one needs to closely view the product and the category before applying humor to sell your product. According to David Googol 30 per c ent of advertising is based on humor. Humor sells if used creatively with a strong idea and great execution. Claude Hopkins, the father of modern advertising had a different view on this. He was of the opinion that people don't buy from clowns. But in India over the last two decades humor has been drawing lot of attention for communicating a product. Also the conventional wisdom of thinking among our people is that when you buy products it should deliver some value and benefits.These could be nutritious for a health beverage, labor saving for a washing machine or a dishwasher. Humor in the dictionary means a quality of being amusing or comic but in advertising it is serious business. In advertising, humor is more than lust making a Duncan AT people laugh. Humor tenant a strong idea and great execution. (.NET. COM) Using Humor In Advertising Advertising Is Not A Funny Business s uses creatively Walt First, a warning. Professional Advertising does not recommend that you use humor in y our advertising. A lot of people simply don't have a sense of humor.You lose them immediately, and the potential size of your market shrinks. And humor is in the eye of the beholder. It is commonly misinterpreted. Many people will not get the Joke. Your market size Just shrunk again. And humor often insults someone. They may simply get angry because they don't get the Joke. This is fire we are playing with. Your market Just shrunk again. Is it worth the risk? Laugh Out Loud – Advertising Humor Yes, humor in advertising is risky. It can also be devastatingly effective. When done right, humor works – really, really well. Advertising is about getting attention.The best ways to get attention with advertising are with strong visuals, sex, powerful headlines, and humor. Let's look at how to use [or not use] humor in advertising. Advertising humor is wonderful for getting attention. As you look at some of our ample ads, we hope you get a good idea of what we mean. Advertising humor can be extraordinarily effective when it is used correctly. People will actually look for your ads, and talk about them if they are good. But there are rules about using humor in advertising to represent your company, and following them is probably a good idea. First, people like funny things.They relax and pay attention when they know you have a sense of humor. It puts them in a good mood, and it creates a more comfortable atmosphere and a more positive image for your company. It makes you easy to approach, and easy to remember. Advertising humor works best with established and commonly purchased products. Humor in advertising works for business services, familiar items, and products we all know. But corporate image and industrial advertising are serious business. Unknown, KY, expensive, or sensitive products are not normally salute to ten lighter toucan AT advertising humor.Advertising humor also needs to be well suited to its audience. If your customers don't get the Joke, then the Joke will be on you. A sophisticated audience will understand your irony, satire, and puns, but a young audience may only understand lipstick comedy or a silly cartoon caricature. Inside Jokes can be effective if the recipient understands that it was done for them, but nobody else will get it. And advertising humor can backfire. If you make a Joke at the expense of any one group, you will surely alienate them.Everyone loved the â€Å"Where's the Beef† commercials done by Wendy – everyone, that is, except the senior citizens who did not like being portrayed as grumpy old people. Advertising humor also needs to be product specific. We have all seen funny ads we liked so much that we forgot what was being sold. Advertising humor must relate erectly to your business or products if you want to be remembered. And advertising humor has a relatively short life. The first time we see it we may laugh out loud. But after a while, although we still may smile at the Joke, it's not so funny any more. Funny ads need to be replaced periodically.Will advertising humor work in your ads? Absolutely – if you can make it appropriate to your products and customers, if they understand it, if it is related to your business or message, and if you change your ads frequently enough so that they don't wear out. K, here's the punch line. Advertising humor definitely gets attention. And if your ads don't get attention first, they will be anything but funny. But when done right, advertising humor can send your ads light years ahead of the competition, and that's what Professional Advertising is all about. Www. myprofessionaladvertising . Mom Power of humor in advertising V Sympathy, GM 20:20 Media The role of humor dates back to many years when all of us used to view films like the Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy. These actors and characters really made all of us laugh when we sat and watched their movies. Even all our Hindi and regional ivies in India alway s had a comedian to play a very important role and provide the movie a touch of humor to give the audience some fun and Joy. Every Hindi movie had an actor like Method, Seepage, Devon Versa or an Saran who played a very important role in making the movie entertaining and thrilling.The same strategy is used by many advertisers in India into their advertising to get noticed and stand out in the clutter with memorable humor which remains sticky in ten blower's Milan. In Tact news papers Like ten Limes AT IANAL nave made every reader smile early morning with R. K. Legman's cartoon. Even individual personality or celebrities try and use humor to position themselves differently in the people's minds. One such example that is top of mind is our Railway Minister Aloe Parkas Hydra. His witty and funny speeches and replies have positioned him differently amongst other politicians.So humor as a tool has been a strong weapon for many brands to draw the customers' attention. Different view on th is. He was of the opinion that people don't buy from clowns. But or a dishwasher. Role of Humor: With more and more channels mushrooming, clutter has become a significant problem for most brands. Hence to beat the clutter and break the ice, humor has been used by many brands to answer the problem. Over a period of time humor has been proved to be one of the best techniques to keep the customer laughing and grab his attention with some sticky and creative idea.The proof of the pudding for any humor based on advertising remains in forcing the audience watch, laugh and most importantly is able to recall the brand easily. Brands must ensure that if they are using humor to sell a product then the connect and the equity of the brand should not be diluted. According to some research humorous ads are recalled fast ND easily and it also elevates the consumer's happiness and mood. Finally humor captures the viewer's attention, cuts through the ad clutter and enhances recall. If not crafted pr operly humor can also backfire at times.Product and Brand connect: It sometimes so happens that a Joke in an advertisement is so powerful that the consumer tends to forget the brand. Hence it is important that there should be a strong connect between the product and the humor that you are trying to convey. The Pizza world ad showing a hosepipe being used to cool off someone who Just had a spicy plaza Is a good Ana relevant example wanly connects Walt ten Drain Ana really communicates that when you ask for a spicy pizza we deliver it with full pride. Understanding the nuances of the brand and the audience is very important.Overindulgence of humor can put down the audience and the brand if not executed in the right taste. The Maul undergarments ads which tried to use humor and sex to sell their brand never went off well with many consumers. The brand did get some publicity due to controversy but did not win the hearts of the target audience. Hence it is important to base your Joke on the core values of the product and the service proposition the brand is offering. No product connect means no effectiveness. All these results in huge wastage of the marketing budget.Types of Humor in advertising: Using a comedian: Here instead of building humor in the advertising one can use a comedian actor to promote the brand. One's choice of comedian has to match the values of the brand. One of the most memorable advertisements that have used a comedian well has been Charlie Chaplin for Cherry Blossom shoe polish. The most recent one in this space using an Indian comedian which has been noticeable and successful is Domino's Pizza which has plugged in Parses Rival very cleverly. Capitalizing on the current topics : Use the current hot topic in all walks of life which is funny, sticky, memorable and controversial.Maul Butter has been doing these for several years. The advertising deployed has been very humorous and are always based on the current topics with a tongue-in-cheek app roach. People never get fatigued watching the Maul ads. People eagerly wait for what Maul Butter outdoor campaigns by constantly looking at the prime hoarding points where Maul butter is visible. Strong idea based humor: Here the strong creative idea is carefully blended with subtle humor. The case in example is Officio. The powerful idea with humor helps in beating the clutter.Centre Shock electric gum is another good example where a strong advertising idea (Idea sprung up from the product) with the help of humor helped in translating into a great piece of campaign. Saint Goblin glass is another wonderful example of how humor has been used subtly. The restaurant advertisement (where the water is thrown) created by the company is so refreshing that one never gets bored of viewing it. Using the right type humor in advertising will be determined by clearly defining your objectives and positioning of your product.This, supported with a strong idea ill further help you to create good ad vertising which can be sticky and memorable for a long time. Humor will help if it is relevant: Mostly humor is used in products which is low in investment and which has high impulse purchase. (Candy, beer and mosquito repellents). One cannot totally generalize this, as consumer durable products have also used humor effectively. Humor may not work in category like condoms, sanitary napkins as tense products need to explain ten Detentes AT ten product more clearly. Similarly cars and diamonds may also not use humor as the decision process to purchase is long.Finally we need to remember that humorous campaigns are difficult to design and create. Over exaggeration of humor may have negative effect on the brand. People may remember the Joke but not the message and the brand. It can upset individuals if not done tastefully. Products can also flop and brand equity may erode. While humor is a strong and interesting route to create a great advertising campaign, one must also keep in mind th at the imagery, core values of the brand and the positioning does not deviate. If your positioning is perfect then humor with a great idea can do wonders for the brand. Www. .NET. Com