Saturday, December 28, 2019

Target Financial Analysis - 1288 Words

Juan A. Torres Rodriguez D01596038 Mini Case Assignment Target Corp. started in 1902 as Dayton’s Dry Goods company. At 1911, Dayton’s Dry Goods is renames as Dayton Company, and commonly known as Dayton’s Department Store. In 1946 Dayton’s Department Stores started giving the community back 5% of their pretax profits, a practice that Target Corp still maintains. During the 1960’s Dayton’s create a new kind of store to appeal the masses called Target, opening the first Target store in the Twin Cities on May 1, 1962. The industry sector in which Target Corporation competes is in the retail sector reaching the $62.87 Billion in sales. As mentioned above, Target competes in the retail sector, which makes the operating risks of†¦show more content†¦After this episode in the economy we can see that Target’s stock has recovered significantly. After performing the calculations, Target’s capital structure is optimal. However, the debt to capitalization ratio is high, at 50%. Target needs to lower its Long-Term Debt. Comparing Target’s debt to capital to the industry average, the industry average is 0.36. However I would invest in Target. I think I would have an advantage over outsiders, because I used to work at Target Corporation. Target is a company that is constantly growing, and their sales demonstrate their market advantage over other retailers. What convinced me to invest into Target mostly was the P/E ratio. Comparing it to a corporation like Wal-Mart, which is really successful, Target’s P/E ratio is acceptable and attractive. References 1. Scovaner, Douglas A. (2011). Target 2011 Annual Report. Retrieved on November 18, 2012: https://corporate.target.com/annual-reports/2011/images/company/annual_report_2011/documents/Target_2011_Annual_Report.pdf 2. Stock Analysis on net. (2012). Retrieved on November 18, 2012. http://www.stock-analysis-on.net/NYSE/Company/Target-Corp/Ratios/Long-term-Debt-and-Solvency#Debt-to-Capital 3. Retrieved on November 18, 2012 http://ycharts.com/companies/TGT/pe_ratio 4. Yahoo! Finance. (2012). Retrieved on November 18, 2012. http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=TGT+Basic+Chartamp;t=5yShow MoreRelatedTarget Financial Analysis1273 Words   |  6 Pagescontents Introduction TARGET Corp ROIC vs. WACC Target Corp vs. Industry ROIC target Corp vs. Industry Revenue Trend Target Corp Operating Expense vs. Industry operating expense as a percent of revenue Target corp Operating Profit vs industry operating profit as a percent of revenue. target Corp Economic Moat Conclusion Works Cited Table of figures Figure 1 Target Corp ROIC vs WACC; Source: Mergent Online; Annual Studies. Figure 2 Target Corp vs. Industry ROIC; Source:Read MoreThe Financial Analysis of Target2246 Words   |  9 PagesFinancial Analysis and Valuation for Target Inc. [pic] CONTENTS: 1. Financial Highlights of Target Business†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2. Target Financial Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3. Valuation Models†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. Corporate Finance Strategy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5. Investment Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6. The Impact and Implication of Financial Crisis on Target’s Financial Performance †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7. Conclusions †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Read MoreTarget Financial Analysis Paper913 Words   |  4 Pagespercent of the total assets were these capital investments? A calculation is used to assess Target and Walmart efficiency that allocating the capital under its control to profitable investments. The return on invested capital gives a sense of how well a company is using their money to generate returns. However, Target sales increased to 4% in 2015 to 2016 but then declined significantly in 2016 to 2017. Target earnings from continuing operations before interest expense and income taxes increased byRead MoreTarget Corp: Financial Analysis2786 Words   |  12 PagesTarget Corporation: A Financial Competitive Analysis [pic] By: O.P. For Econ 2304 Prof. Alexander [pic] Overview Target has been a publicly traded company since 1963, but has been around since 1902. Target was originally part of the Dayton Hudson Corporation which was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2000, because Target had become the largest division of the Dayton Hudson Corporation, it became known as the Target Corporation. Target is the secondRead MoreFinancial Analysis Paper for Target2219 Words   |  9 PagesFinancial Analysis Paper Zeyuan Liu Company Profile Target Corporation was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Target Corporation operates general merchandise and food discount stores in the United States. It operates as two reportable segments: Retail and Credit Card. The company offers household essentials, including electronics, music, and toys; apparel and accessories; home furnishings as well as seasonal merchandise. It also sells its merchandise under private-labelRead MoreWalmart vs Target Financial Analysis5129 Words   |  21 PagesFINANCIAL ACCOUNTING REPORT – TEAM 8 CASE ANALYSIS OF WAL-MART INC AND TARGET CORPORATION SUBMITTED BY: Amaresh Chandra Panda K H Gupta Mehul Shah SNDS Ramanish Sadhu Upasana Patra Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 2 RATIO ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................ 2 PROFITABILITYRead MoreFinancial Analysis for J.C Penney and Target Essay1384 Words   |  6 PagesRunning head: Financial Analysis 1 Financial Analysis for J.C. Penney and Target Sabrina Earnest Columbia College Author Note This paper was prepared for Business Finance 350, taught by Professor Campbell. Running head: Financial Analysis 2 Abstract Running head: Financial Analysis Read MoreNorth American Group Business Unit Controller1483 Words   |  6 Pages(NYSE:AME) (www.ametek.com) is a publicly-traded, diverse company and leading global manufacturer with annualized sales of more than $3.6B and more than 15,000 employees. Headquartered in Berwyn, PA, the Company has a track record of exceptional financial and market success and expects to double revenues within five years. Major strategic thrusts include targeted acquisitions, organic growth via new product development, operational effectiveness, and increasing its global presence. The company’sRead MoreMarketing Analysis : Yum ! Brands Inc.3538 Words   |  15 PagesIntroduction and Industry/Strategy Analysis Introduction Yum! Brands Inc. is the world’s largest restaurant company. From the worldwide it is has more than 37,000 restaurant units in 110 countries and regions based in Louisville, Kentucky. â€Å"In 2009, the company pulled in almost $11 billion in revenue. The brands owned by Yum! Brands Inc. are KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.† These four brands are global leaders in the categories of chicken, pizza, and Mexican-style food. â€Å"Also Yum! Brands have threeRead MoreFinancial Ratio Analysis Of Hitech Print System Ltd Essay3620 Words   |  15 PagesChapter-1 Executive Summary This project proposed is the study of financial ratio analysis of HITECH PRINT SYSTEM LTD for the two years. This project is aimed towards developing an understanding the various guidelines that the company follows to the feasibility of Capital Budgeting decisions and analyzing the financial ratios. This project understanding formed the basis for conducting the future study necessary to go ahead with their projects. In this process the first step in Ð µxÐ µrcisÐ µ was to have

Friday, December 20, 2019

Essay about Functional Literacy in High School Students

Functional Literacy in High School Students What is Functional Literacy? Prior to 1985, functional literacy was defined as the ability to read or write in English or another language. Standards for measuring one’s functional literacy have changed numerous times over the decades. In the 1930’s functional literacy meant having three or more years of school. During the WWII era, it meant completing a fourth grade education. The standards increased during the 1960’s. Literacy in this era meant that a person had completed an eighth grade education. During the 1970’s, the completion of a high school education meant that a person was functionally literate (Rose 2005). The National Literacy Act of 1991 and the Workforce†¦show more content†¦Computing and comparing the cost per ounce for food items. Individuals who operate at levels one and two function at a basic level of literacy performance. This categorizes them as functionally literate. Individuals, who operate at levels three and four function at a proficient level of literacy. 70 years ago an individual could operate in society with level one literacy performance, however, new ways of acquiring information and the evolution of new technologies has reshaped society. The skills that are necessary to be functionally literate in this era go beyond the skill of basic reading. Is it a Problem? Over the last 15 years in the United States there has been an increase in the number of high school students that have graduated at or below the basic level of functional literacy. The most common issue that teachers see in the classroom is that students can read words, but they are unable to comprehend what they have read. This gives the illusion of proficient literacy and struggling students go unnoticed. From 1992-2005 the percentage of high school seniors performing at or above the basic level in reading decreased from 80 % to 73 % (National Assessment of EducationalShow MoreRelatedThe Extent to Which Teachers Help Their EC Students in Regular Classroom Settings1647 Words   |  7 Pagestheir EC students in regular classroom settings. When speaking of EC students I am more addressing the ESL students. Literacy Before children learn to use language to let their needs and wants be known they first learn to read, how can a child communicate without the resources they need to express themselves before they have the skills needed to do so? Studies show how to overcome one challenging situation but there are people in the world who are faced with two adversities in life. Literacy in today’sRead MoreHidden Intellectualism : Hidden Intellectualism729 Words   |  3 PagesHidden Intellectualism Avery Mears Abstract When it comes to the topic of hidden intellectualism, most of us will readily agree that a lot of students are seen to have an issue with it. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of is it the students fault. Whereas some are convinced it is, others maintain it is at the fault of the teachers or professors. Gerald Graff has his argument that in many cases book smarts can be hidden in street smarts. I believe that kids that struggleRead MoreEssentialism is an educational philosophy in which it is important to â€Å"promote and instill cultural600 Words   |  3 Pagesand instill cultural literacy in all students† (Morrison, 2009, p.338). Teachers only teach the basic skills that they think are necessary for educational and cultural growth. I noticed several things throughout my experience with the school system which leads me to suggest that our school system is based on the philosophy of essentialism. Essentialists believe that a curriculum that devel ops cultural literacy and basic skills is needed. In my experience, I grew up in a school system that incorporatedRead MoreLiteracy Is A Common Problem Around The World Essay1415 Words   |  6 PagesThe average college student is expected to read pages and pages of material from various textbooks in order to gain new knowledge about their selected major. Many adults and children around the world cannot read one sentence, much less pages and pages of comprehensive subject matter. The inability to read and write, known as illiteracy, is a common problem around the world, especially in developing countries, and has many unfortunate consequences. Literacy plays a major role in the world, impactingRead MoreWriting, Listening, And Listening999 Words   |  4 Pagesan educator and studies in literacy pedagogies, learning to write is a tool for thinking. Writing and literacy development are authentic and purposeful processes. Writing requires an intrinsic motivation and instruction should be organized in such a way that students not only learn to write but understand the importance of being able to communicate in written form both in and out of the academic setting. It is vital for educators to allow for opportunities for students to make connections and identifyRead More The Roots of Illiteracy Essays1230 Words   |  5 Pagesingredient label (Level 1). High schools give diplomas to graduating classes where 20% read at a second grade level or worse (Level 1). College graduates do not score much better with 12% able to read at a fourth grade level or worse (Level 2). Should society be concerned when only 3% of the population are capable of reading and comprehending a jury selection outline? Is the educational system to blame for churning out kids who can barely function in society? Are the elementary school teachers at fault becaus eRead MoreHow Ways You Can Help Your Students Make Meaning1235 Words   |  5 Pageshelp your students make meaning in your content area Over time the social studies classes have become ridiculed as the boring subjects in the classroom. All too often are students overhead stating, â€Å"history is so boring! It is my least favorite class. Or, all we do is learn stuff that does not matter anymore.† Yet, to me, I do not fault these students for their perspective. I myself was once one of these students. I have always liked history and geography, but as a high school student myself I foundRead MoreLack of Interest in Reading Among Studets1328 Words   |  6 PagesLACK OF INTEREST IN READING AMONG STUDENTS. Lack of a reading culture among students has been a persistent sore in the eyes of many organizations. Concerted efforts being made by these in ensuring that the seeds of this culture are sown are a manifestation of their recognition that it is only a literate and knowledgeable society that can fully participate in and positively contribute toNational development. The role of a library as a source of information to students in improving education standardsRead MoreCell Phones And Its Effects On Our Lives1578 Words   |  7 Pageswill not even bother to buy one book in a year. What a lot of people don t realize is that these low literacy rates are the source of so much more than social issues and mild concern over what our once seemingly perfect and indestructible nation is coming to. The impact current literacy rates had on our economy was nearly astounding. Secretary Arne Duncan made a public announcement stating that a high quality education is absolutely critical to the reconstruction` of our economy. With that being saidRead MoreAn Analysis Of The Humanities And Social Sciences Learning Area1132 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Cross-curricular priorities provide opportunities for extending literacy through other learning areas. In this case, the Humanities and Social Sciences learning area has been extended to provide students with varied experiences using multimodal texts. Using an analysis of student understanding, the planner has been developed to address gaps and improve student outcomes. Each of the eight knowledge processes has been addressed in activities targeting comprehension, fluency and vocabulary

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Model of Coffee Vending Machine Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Answer: Introduction The IT alignment is very important for any type of business. The organizations which have very well IT alignment for the company would be having a high position in the market. They would also poses a very reliable It alignment in their businesses would be able to obtain very efficient business results. The paper deals with the scenario of a coffee vending machine. In the provided scenario the business alignment is to be done in a coffee vending machine. A brief detail about the design of the coffee vending machine is provided in this paper. The paper contains the discussions about the business and the IT goals. In addition to this the paper provides the model of the coffee vending machine and a brief analysis of the machine. The procedure for the implementation of the coffee vending machine is also provided in this paper. Identification of business and IT goals in this given scenario The business and the It goals are very necessary for the organization. In addition to this, the business and the IT goals for the organization help in defining the aims for the company and also drive them to work for the progress in the market for the company. The main business and IT goals for the companies are Market Share, Innovations, Productivity, Profitability, and management of the performances and development of the company, social responsibilities (Collins, 2017). The organization looks to increase their market shares and profitability to achieve their business goals. In addition to this, the company also looks to enhance their production and performances for achieving their business goals. In addition to this, the companies also set various types of IT goals that the company set for themselves are customer satisfaction, user friendly navigation and efficient interfaces for their clients and customers. The environment friendly activities performed by the organization also co me under the IT goals set by the organizations (Harvey, 2014). These goals are very important for the companies. They are a guideline for the actions that the company has to take. They also provide the guide for the constrains of the organization. The source for the legitimacy of the organization and activities performed by them can also be identified by the business and the IT goals for the system. Stages of the model for the provided scenario The model for the coffee machine has been described in three stages. The first stage displays the model of the coffee machine. The working procedure inside the machine and the alignment of the system with the local servers of the system is provided in the model. The second stage is used for the analysis and a brief description about the model. In addition to this, the implementation of the coffee vending model is provided in stage three. Model of the coffee vending machine Figure 1: Coffee Vending System Source: (created by Author) Analysis of the coffee vending machine The designing of the coffee vending machine has been done according to the requirement provided in the scenario. The coffee vending machine would be able to perform all the tasks that are performed by a coffee vending machine and includes some additional features for the model that would help them to incorporate the IT alignment into the model. The model performs various activities such as detection of the counterfeit note and coins. The coffee vending machine also provides the user with the requested product on payment of the full amount. The machine also displays various types of functions such as invalid entry, counterfeit coins and invalid amount entry. The invalid entry is displayed when the request of the user is already processing or the already processed. In addition to this, when a user enters a counterfeit coin into the machine the machine display the message and rejects the coins and returns them to the users. If the user enters an invalid amount and requests for the produ ct then the system displays the invalid entry ad returns the money back to the users Implementation of the model The model is implemented with the help of the It functions in the company. The system is connected to the internal servers of the company and this helps in the storing the data of the system in the internal database of the company. This system improves the IT alignment for the company. The system would fix the minor flaws of an ordinary machine in the company. It would also stop the counterfeit coins from being accepted and as a result would increase the in efficiency of the business of the company. In addition to this, the display features integrated into the system would also increase the efficiency of the system. Conclusion For conclusion, it can be said that the IT alignment for any type of businesses is very important any type of organization. The paper deals with the scenario of the coffee vending machine. A brief analysis about the coffee Vending machine and the major functionalities about the coffee vending machine are also provided in this paper. In addition to this the paper provides the model of the coffee vending machine and a brief analysis of the machine. The procedure for the implementation of the coffee vending machine is also provided in this paper. Bibliography Aversano, L., Grasso, C., Tortorella, M. (2016). Managing the alignment between business processes and software systems.Information and Software Technology,72, 171-188. Collins, J. (2017).Turning Goals into Results (Harvard Business Review Classics): The Power of Catalytic Mechanisms. Harvard Business Review Press. Harvey, C. (2014).Business Intelligence: The Goals and Challenges in Operational Decision-Making(Doctoral dissertation). Karpovsky, A., Galliers, R. D. (2015). Aligning in practice: from current cases to a new agenda.Journal of Information Technology,30(2), 136-160. Shanks, G., Bekmamedova, N., Willcocks, L. (2013). Using business analytics for strategic alignment and organisational transformation.International Journal of Business Intelligence Research (IJBIR),4(3), 1-15. Wu, S. P. J., Straub, D. W., Liang, T. P. (2015). How information technology governance mechanisms and strategic alignment influence organizational performance: Insights from a matched survey of business and it managers.Mis Quarterly,39(2), 497-518.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Abstract Is a Deceptive Form of Explanation for Pictures Painted

Question: How His Emotional World Influences His Paintings? Answer: Introducation: Abstract is a deceptive form of explanation for the pictures painted by Zao Wou-ki, it would be perfect to say that the images painted by Zao Wou-ki hovers between abstract and nature. Zao,s maximum painting is based on the representation of the Chinese landscape. The career of Zao Wou-ki is definite by way through which Zao reinterpreted Eastern rudiments from 16th hundred century of Yuan Dynasty and Sung landscape paintings[1]. Zao intermingled the natural essences these works in combination with the Western oil paints. The prints and paintings of an artist have apparently avoided schema of forms from a landscape, expressing in a way of abstract emotion of the reflections, colors, land harmony, energy, sky, sea and earth. Why his painting sell so expensive In an International auction Zao received the highest price for his work in the month of April 2013, due its beautiful and splendid use of blue oil painting of the imaginary landscape. He was one of the most traditional Chinese painter in the 20th century and 21st century. The painting sold for nearly around USD 4 million at Hong Kong in the month of April, 2013. Though the blue colour was one of the favourite colours used by Zao Wou-Ki, his blue paintings are very famous, and the paintings are also very rare. The famous painter used this blue colour to signify llakes and river in his paintings. Zao Wou-Ki passed away after three days of his best sale. In current period of time, the demand of Zao's lithographs and art in the secondary and primary market is to increasing among collectors irrespective or East or West. Zao Wou-Ki paintings is about the worldly and emotional experiences in which Zao himself is concerned. The world Zao summons up is not entirely detached or different from him. For this cause, Zao's paintings most of the time be read in dual directions, either as an environment of evocation macrocosmic of experience or as expressions of a sincerely personal topography. The last measurement is an abstract aspect about which modern painters in West incline to be different, perhaps dreading the charge of a romanticism of carrier grade[2]. Comparison with the first wife's paintings The obligation to the abstract paintings monitored his stay in U.S, where Zou encountered expressionism of abstracts first-hand at the peak of his career. Grasped by it to promise himself physically more to the landscape. Zou worked on a painting in an apparent gestural performance and was careful in constructing fact comparison with the first wife's pictures. Until around 1972 he explored the several possibilities of his tactic, in painting which were latter done a larger scale. On the one side, Zou pushed his previous mood to the final effect of drama, nearly as if looking to encourage himself which it could grip his attention forever. But alongside he has taken the ink painting once more[3]. He had educated to grasp the Chinese brush in his childhood with tremendous achievement and with a certain recurrent influence on his training of oil painting. References Hay, Jonathan. 2003. "Zao Wao-Ki". https://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/people/faculty/hay_PDFs/contemporary/Zao-Wou-ki.pdf. Russell, Heather. 2013. "Nature And The Art Of Zao Wou-Ki".Art World. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/nature-and-the-art-of-zao-wou-ki-49681. Savoia, Jessica Anais. 2017. "Zao Wou-Ki: Artist Between Two Worlds". https://www.adturtle.biz/LP_TA/index.cfm?T=437420. [1] Russell, Heather. 2013. "Nature And The Art Of Zao Wou-Ki". Art World. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/nature-and-the-art-of-zao-wou-ki-49681. [2] Hay, Jonathan. 2003. "Zao Wao-Ki". https://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/people/faculty/hay_PDFs/contemporary/Zao-Wou-ki.pdf. [3] Hay, Jonathan. 2003. "Zao Wao-Ki". https://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/fineart/people/faculty/hay_PDFs/contemporary/Zao-Wou-ki.pdf.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

ALWAYS IN 1787, 1820, 1833, AND 1850, THE NORTH AND THE SOUT essays

ALWAYS IN 1787, 1820, 1833, AND 1850, THE NORTH AND THE SOUT essays Throughout the late 1700s to early-to-mid 1800s, with the stability of the union being frequently challenged over every, occasionally petty, disagreement, somehow, both the north and south have found a common ground. Yet, it was only a matter of time when all these so-called compromises revealed their true color as a series of patchwork, or house of cards, that with every addition makes it that much more unstable. Not until the early 1860s did the house of cards finally give way and it was quite clear that neither the north nor the south was able to find that ever so frequent common ground. In the late 1700s to early 1800s, most of the disputes were over taxes, land settlement, states rights, and legislative representation, though controversial, these were quite a bit easier to deal with and settle as opposed to the slavery issue that would eventually overwhelm society with the introduction of Eli Whitneys cotton gin in 1794. This precipitated a long era of dispute, but fortunately, for men like Henry Clay and John Adams, the cards of the Missouri and the 3/5ths compromises for the most part silenced both parties on terms of slavery for the time being. These times were no stranger to instances of violence such as Shays Rebellion, so in domestic terms, life was not very happy-go-lucky. It was becoming apparent that under the surface of mild sectional strife there was something greater brewing. Maintaining the union was considered as a safeguard against domestic faction and insurrection especially the years after the Treaty of Ghent of the War of 1812 which brought a nd cemented a greater feeling of unity/nationalism, so people would be less apt to try to challenge and threaten both the safety and stability of his/her country. Therefore, it was no surprise that an agreement had been hastily reached. The mid 1800s brought, along with economic growth and nationalism, a wave of social, intellectual, and re...

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Social Media Copywriting Guide How to Be a Social Word Ninja

Social Media Copywriting Guide How to Be a Social Word Ninja The social media world is noisy. With more than 30 billion pieces of content shared per month on Facebook  alone, you’ve got a lot of competition for people’s attention. In order to cut through the static, you need to wield your words wisely. That means writing posts that stand out from the clutter and speak directly to what your audience wants. Easier said than done. The key to success starts with sharp writing skills. And by the time you’re done with this post, you’ll be a social media copywriting master. The Best Social Media Copywriting Guide to Be a Social Word NinjaDownload Your Free Social Media Copywriting Resource Bundle Writing from scratch can be tough. Thats why weve bundled together some resources to help spark your creativity. 90 Social Media Post Templates to give you some starting points for crafting your own content. Social Media Campaign Content Template to write and organize an entire campaigns worth of posts. 2017 Social Media Marketing Calendar to plan and schedule all your posts on one spreadsheet. Introducing the Social Message  Optimizer from We recently rolled out a new tool called the Social Message  Optimizer. Similar to our popular Headline Analyzer, it makes it easy to quickly gauge the effectiveness of your social media post (before you hit publish). Enter your copy, click a button, and see your message score. Try it yourself here. Why Is Writing Well Important for Social Media? Posting on social media is easy. It doesn’t take much effort to write up a quick post with a link and call it a day. On the other hand, crafting compelling copy that encourages engagement is tough. It takes skill and thoughtfulness to write strong posts. But when you have to write tons of posts for each network you’re on, sometimes it’s easier to cut corners. Don’t give into that temptation. If social media is important to your business, then invest in the time and resources it takes to do it right. You’ll see a difference in your results. That’s what you’re after, right? If social media is important to your business, then invest in the time and resources it takes to do...Start By Understanding the Mechanics Before we get into actual tips, formulas, and templates, let’s dig into some basic technical considerations for writing posts on different social platforms. Know Your Character Limits Every social network has a character limit. On some networks, this number is much higher than necessary for you to get your point across. On others (namely Twitter), you’re forced to focus on concision. Do you know the character limits for each social network?To Hashtag, or Not to Hashtag †¦ Hashtags are somewhat misunderstood. Each network has different best practices for their use. Know what they are. Recommended Reading: How to Use Hashtags Effectively Without Being Annoying Understand the Purpose of Each Social Network Before you start writing copy for each social network, you need to know why people use those networks in the first place. This should guide how you approach crafting posts and choosing which content to share on any given platform. Recommended Reading: How to Develop a Winning Social Media Content Strategy (Free Template) Define Your Voice + Tone It’s important to understand voice and tone for creating a consistent experience for your audience on social media. Give it Some Feeling With Emotional Language Emotion drives engagement. So, infuse more emotional language into your social media posts. Start with this useful cheat sheet of emotional power words compiled from copywriter Karl Stapp: Recommended Reading: How to Write Emotional Headlines That Get More Shares 6 Basic Copywriting Formulas That Work Well on Social Media Many copywriting fundamentals still apply on social media. That includes common time-tested formulas (which most seasoned marketers should be familiar with). There are a lot more copywriting formulas out there. A simple Google search will help you find tons more quickly. However, not all of them are easily applied to social media, specifically. So, we’ve pulled together a small selection here to help you tweet, post, and share with flair. PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solve) This old warhorse has been a copywriting staple for decades. There’s a good reason for that, too. Here's how it works: State a problem. Your audience probably has no shortage of them. Agitate that problem. Rub salt in the wound. Roll out the solution. This is where you ride in with the solution, and the crowd goes (metaphorically, at least) wild. Example: Your car won’t start. You’ve got an appointment in 15 minutes. Call Cool Cabs. Bridge After Bridge Wouldn’t life be better if everyone used your product? This formula is all about stating that case to your audience. Show your audience what life is like right now. Make sure it’s not too impressive (yet). Then, explain how that world could be made better. The secret? It involves your product. Next, show them how your product or service can make that world a reality. Example: Stuck scheduling social media manually? There has to be a better way. Enter . AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) Here’s another classic. It’s similar to the first two we’ve looked at, but provides a clear path from getting someone’s interest and directing them toward a specific action. Get your audience’s attention. This could be with your post copy or headline. Stoke their interest. Provide some details to get them interested in learning more. Generate desire. Show your reader how much life could be better if they just †¦ †¦ take action. Give them a clear call-to-action to learn more. Example: 10,000% growth? It’s possible. And it can be yours. See how. 4 C’s (Clear, Concise, Compelling, Credible) We like this formula for its simplicity. It also describes what most every social media post should be, ideally. Clear. Avoid using overly complex language or sentence structures. Concise. Keep it brief. This is good advice for writing on social media, in general. Compelling. Be interesting and relevant to your audience. Credible. Make sure you can back up your claims. Also, create posts around topics that you’re truly an authority on. Example:Every project. One tool. See what makes the industry’s best-selling calendar. 4 P’s (Picture, Promise, Prove, Push) Here’s another four-letter formula, this time with P’s instead of C’s. Picture. Set the scene. On social media, you can do this literally with your post image. Promise. Commit to giving your readers something they’re interested in. Prove. Then, prove you can deliver on that promise. Push. Next, give them a subtle shove to click and take the next step. Example: Your marketing. Less hassle. How? Try free for 14 days. The â€Å"Open Loops† Technique Don’t tell all of the story in one post. Instead, create a gap that builds suspense using â€Å"open loops.† This entails giving people a hint about the beginning and the end, while leaving readers curious about how you got from point A to point B. According to Buffer’s Kevan Lee, â€Å"Open loops are rooted in psychology. We need closure in our lives, and when we don’t get this closure, we feel anxiety, which spurs us to get closure, to find out more, to keep reading.† Example: This dog is stuck on the roof. How he got there is the real story. Need inspiration for your #social #media copy? Start with these #copywriting formulas:55  Fill-in-the-Blank Social Media Writing Templates We’ve covered the technical considerations for each network, and provided some simple formulas you can follow. Next, let’s move onto to some easy-to-use templates you can use to write actual social media posts. Given that these are templates, they’re not wildly creative, and may require some tweaking to fit your messaging. However, they should give you a decent starting point for crafting your own copy. They might even help get your own creative gears turning, too. 10 Facebook Post Templates With organic reach declining, strong writing skills are more important than ever on Facebook. Your posts need to inspire action and motivate audiences to click, comment, and share, but without sounding overly promotional (more on that last point in our next section). How can [YOUR AUDIENCE] do [ACTION] better with [YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE]? [INSERT PROBLEM]? We’ve got your solution. Do [INSERT TASK] better. [INSERT PROBLEM] sucks. [INSERT YOUR PRODUCT/SERVICE ] doesn’t. What’s your favorite [INSERT PRODUCT] feature? How can [INSERT PRODUCT] make [INSERT TASK] easier? What’s your top [INSERT TASK] tip? [INSERT ACHIEVEMENT] in just [INSERT LENGTH OF TIME]? The best [INSERT TECHNIQUE] for [INSERT TASK] isn’t what you think. Your [INSERT TASK] could be this easy, too. [INCLUDE PHOTO OF COMPLETED TASK]. Write better #Facebook posts with these social media templates:10 Twitter Tweet Templates (Say That Ten Times Fast) When you only have 140 characters to work with, then every word counts. Keep your Twitter copy brief, punchy, and entertaining. That feeling when [INSERT ACTION]. #[INSERT HASHTAG] How we increased our [INSERT METRIC] by [INSERT PERCENTAGE] with [INSERT SOMETHING UNEXPECTED]. Time’s running out! Sign up for [INSERT EVENT] by [INSERT DATE]. #[INSERT HASHTAG] Here’s how we [INSERT ACHIEVEMENT] (and you can too). #[INSERT HASHTAG] Here’s what [INSERT CREDIBLE SOURCE] uses to [INSERT TASK] by [INSERT PERCENTAGE]. Great news! You can now [INSERT ACTION] with [INSERT PRODUCT]. Could using [INSERT PRODUCT] to #[INSERT TASK] improve [INSERT METRIC]? [INSERT PERCENTAGE] of [INSERT AUDIENCE] use [INSERT PRODUCT] to [INSERT TASK] more [INSERT BENEFIT]. Be one of them. Still doing [INSERT TASK] the old way? No more [INSERT PROBLEM]. Say hello to [INSERT PRODUCT/SERVICE/FEATURE]. Write better tweets posts with these social media templates:10 LinkedIn Post Templates LinkedIn is a professional network. So, make sure your posts reflect this. Keep your content free from fluff and stay focused on appealing to professionals in your industry. What makes [INSERT YOUR COMPANY] the best [INSERT COMPANY TYPE] in the [INSERT INDUSTRY]? How did [INSERT YOUR COMPANY] achieve [INSERT ACHIEVEMENT] with [INSERT SOMETHING UNEXPECTED]? Be the best at [INSERT TASK] with this [INSERT CONTENT TYPE] from [INSERT SOURCE]. The best [INSERT AUDIENCE] need the best [INSERT PRODUCT/SERVICE]. We had a problem with [INSERT PROBLEM]. So, we solved it with [INSERT PRODUCT/SERVICE]. Could this work for you, too? [INSERT AUDIENCE] often struggle with [INSERT TASK]. Here’s how [INSERT PRODUCT/SERVICE] turns [INSERT TASK] from failure to success. The old way: doing [INSERT TASK] by [INSERT ACTION]. The new way? [INSERT PRODUCT/SERVICE]. Stop struggling. Start succeeding. This post will show you how. [INSERT LINK] [INSERT TASK] + [YOUR PRODUCT] = results. What makes [YOUR COMPANY] the best place to work? Ask [INSERT EMPLOYEE]: [INSERT TESTIMONIAL] Write better #LinkedIn posts with these social media templates:10 Instagram Caption Templates Instagram is a highly visual platform. However, captions present an opportunity to give context for your images. You’ll need to use your own best judgment to match these up with relevant images (and if you need image stock to work with, we’ve got 80+ for you in this post). That Friday feeling. [INSERT PHOTO] [INSERT HASHTAGS] Shout out to [INSERT FOLLOWER’S HANDLE] for this awesome pic! [INSERT PHOTO] Love [INSERT PRODUCT/HOBBY/TREND/ETC]? Then you’ll love this. [INSERT PHOTO] [INSERT CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL] [INSERT CUSTOMER PHOTO] Later, [INSERT PROBLEM]. [INSERT PHOTO] Wish you were here? [INSERT PHOTO OF LOCATION] Here’s one way to get the job done. [INSERT PHOTO] We spotted [INSERT YOUR PRODUCT] in the wild! [INSERT PHOTO] If you worked here, this could be you [INSERT OFFICE PHOTO] What’s going on at [INSERT YOUR COMPANY] today? Write better #Instagram posts with these social media templates:15 General Social Media Post Templates Here are some bonus templates we’ve pulled together without any specific network in mind. Try using them as a base for your posts with our Social Message Optimizer and see how you do. How you’ll feel when you [do something]. Are you [doing something] like you should be? Here’s why you don’t need a [commonly held belief]. Want to [get something desirable]? {#} reasons your [something a majority of your audience typically has] sucks (and how to make it the best) Nothing is [commonly held belief]. The secret to [someone desirable] lies in [unexpected advice]. [Influencer] said, [quote]. Here’s how to do it. What if you could [get something desirable] while [getting something desirable]? [Do something] to [get something desirable]. Let’s be honest: No one has enough time to [do something]. Smart {audience} do this. Want to [experience something desirable]? Here is the [way to get it]. Turns out [something desirable] is actually [something humorous]. There’s bound to be a [something desirable] for you. Have you noticed anything different about [something audience commonly does]? Write better social media posts with these fill-in-the-blank templates:5 Brands Writing Well on Social Media BMW Did you know BMW has more Facebook fans than any other brand? Strong writing plays a part in that. Check out this post for an example: A natural beauty. The new BMW 4 Series Coupà ©. Posted by BMW on  Monday, April 10, 2017 It’s punchy, clever, and promotes their 4 Series Coupe without being pushy. In other words, it’s a perfect Facebook post for a retail or automotive brand. Microsoft Microsoft has undergone a remarkable branding transformation over the past several years. More than just the company that makes your office software, they’re now showing they want to be exciting and forward-thinking. Let’s take a look at this tweet for an example: Turn up your creativity with these partner updates for your #SurfaceDial. Learn more: https://t.co/6duytnWpXZ pic.twitter.com/1Di80qFP24 - Surface (@surface) April 10, 2017 It’s clear, concise, and includes an appropriate call-to-action. The image and link headline also help provide additional context to compel users to click. Gary Vaynerchuk You don’t have to be a marketer to know and respect Gary Vaynerchuk. He does an incredible job at creating inspirational content that, well, is actually inspirational (here’s a writing tip: stop slapping quotes from famous people on irrelevant nature photos). Instead, do what Vaynerchuk does and write your own motivational messaging. This example is great because it’s fill-in-the-blank format naturally encourages engagement: Fill in the blank A post shared by Gary Vay-Ner-Chuk (@garyvee) on Apr 10, 2017 at 1:01pm PDT Arby’s Few brands are on Arby’s level. The company digs deep to create creative posts narrowly targeted at specific interests (in this case, weightlifting): Is it really that hard to re-rack? pic.twitter.com/80vY64BTLZ - Arby's (@Arbys) March 18, 2017 The post is short, clever, and entertaining. It feels like something people would naturally want to like, share, and comment on. There’s no hard sell pushing people to go to Arby’s, either, and it works 1,000%* (*not a real statistic) better because of it. Their marketing research page for franchisees  also includes some background information on how infusing humor into their social media presence has accelerated their results. SB Nation What if you’re a publisher or media company, rather than a brand or service company? SB Nation, Vox Media’s popular sports vertical, shows how to weave strong storytelling skills into less than 140 characters. Here’s an example that creates intrigue by using an unusual fact to generate interest: The first NFL Draft pick never signed a contract or played a single down. pic.twitter.com/YbMkpp8dje - SB Nation (@SBNation) April 11, 2017 3 Social Media Writing Traps to Avoid Marketers often get stuck in some common writing pitfalls on social media. Follow these tips to make sure you avoid undermining all your hard work. Ditch Promotional Posts on Facebook In late 2014, Facebook cracked down on promotional posts. This means organic posts that sound too much like ads (or worse, outright SPAM) will be demoted in the newsfeed. Break this rule, and you can expect your organic reach to drop precipitously. Here’s an example of a promotional post from Facebook: Everything about this example feels like an ad, and not the sort of content people want organically in their newsfeeds. Notice this post directly pushes users toward a link to buy a product, too. Here’s another example: This example is similar, pushing users to download an app. As an advertisement, there’s nothing interesting or engaging about it. Don’t Cross-Post Under some circumstances, you might be able to reuse post copy from one network, on another. In general, though, we’d advise against this. That’s because best practices and audience expectations differ on each network. Your short and punchy Facebook post might not do as well on LinkedIn, for example, and your hashtag-loaded tweet certainly won’t play well on Facebook.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Diffusion and network effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diffusion and network effects - Essay Example It starts with Innovators, who are the educated, risk oriented, information seeking people and who like to try new experiences. These roughly comprise of 5% of the population (Davidoff and Kleiner, 1991; Dewett, Whittier and Williams,, 2007). Next, are the early adopters, who are educated young and popular people and may be opinion leaders in their groups (David, 1985). Next are the early majority who are cautious and wait out to see how new products are reviewed by the early adopters. The early majority consist of a large number of people and these are also instrumental in propelling the late majority (who are older, conservative and low on social activity) into adopting the technology. The Laggards are the remaining people who missed out on adoption and may adopt the product toward the maturity of the product (Farrell and Saloner, 1985). Figure 1: Diffusion of Innovation Curve (Source: Rogers, 2003) In the case of Facebook, the adoption process started with ‘‘Innovators ’, but these e Innovators were the people who already had adopted older social networking versions like MySpace and Orkut. With the creation of Facebook, these ‘Innovators’ simply converted to Facebook and encouraged the early adopters to choose Facebook when they were ready to embrace the online social-networking concept (Fernandes, 2011). However, the diffusion of Facebook during the initial phases was also constrained by the diffusion of the Internet. Innovators and early adopters were therefore largely confined to the USA, Western Europe, Australia, and parts of India and China. As the Internet penetration increased with the development of broadband technology and liberalisation in other parts of the world, it spread to Middle East and then to the Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe and Russia (Fowler, 2012). So, while regions like the Middle East, Brazil, South Africa and Russia were now in the ‘Innovators’ and ‘Early Adopters’ phases, at the same time, the USA had and Western Europe had moved on to ‘Late Majority’ and the ‘Laggards’ phase as shown in the following figure. Figure 2: Stage of Adoption (Facebook) Source: CheckFacebook.com, 2010 3. Five Factors that Determine Success or Failure of Adoption Adoption, which is an individual process that depends on several attributes of the innovation like the relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. Figure 3: Factors Determining Success of Adoption (Facebook) Relative Advantage Relative advantage, as the phrase suggests, is the perceived value added or additional advantage that a person thinks he can derive from adopting the new product (Haggman, 2009). In the context of Facebook, it offered the relative advantage over sites like MySpace and Orkut because of its higher level of security, the ability to limit who views the profile and ease in uploading and managing photographs. The user interface o f Facebook is also much more user friendly. Also, the spam prevention mechanism on Facebook is much stronger when compared to other social networking sites such as Orkut. So, users perceive it to be a more secure and private option than the existing ones. Compatibility Compatibility is the level of ‘