The Best Content for Your Online Shop †Part 3

The Best Content for Your Online Shop – Part 3 Your customer has found his way into your shop, he trusts you, he finds what he is searching for, he is persuaded by your product description, places the product in the shopping cart and then he disappears. What went wrong here?Your store content, your blog, or your product can still be good, but your text optimization shouldnt end once your customer has decided to make a purchase. Behind the product page lurk a number of hurdles and challenges that a shop owner must overcome in order to keep customers happy and welcome them back again in the future.In the final part of our series on the best content for your online shop, we take a look at the content regarding your checkout process and your service-mails. We explain what should receive attention in order to convert your users into satisfied customers. Your customer has found his way into your shop, he trusts you, he finds what he is searching for, he is persuaded by your product description, places the product in the shopping cart a nd then he disappears. What went wrong here?Your store content, your blog or your product can still be good, but your text optimization shouldnt end once your customer has decided to make a purchase. Behind the product page lurk a number of hurdles and challenges that a shop owner must overcome in order to keep customers happy and welcome them back again in the future.In the final part of our series on the best content for your online shop, we take a look at the content of your checkout process and your service-mails. We explain what should receive attention in order to convert your users into satisfied customers.Strengthen Customer ConfidenceMany users decide to cancel the purchase and leave the site with the product already in the shopping cart. In order to prevent this, your checkout process must be designed so that no doubts are raised in the customers mind. Although the final yards often consist of automated processes and formalized procedures, some shopping, basket and service -mail content can strengthen customer confidence.1. Checkout: Shopping, Registration and PaymentVarious studies show that bounce rates of more than 60 percent are not uncommon in the ordering process. For you, that should mean dont confuse the customer but rather communicate in a clear, simple and organized fashion.What belongs on the shopping cart, registration and payment pages?Even if there is, ideally, just a small amount of content on the checkout pages, this should still be optimized. Communicate here as clearly as possible: At no time should the customer start to have doubts and consider whether he or she is making a mistake or question whether the shop is reputable.It is helpful to:Organize the checkout: The whole shopping cart, payment and delivery processes should be as easy as possible for the customer. Organize the process and the individual checkout pages clearly. A progress bar showing the customers status in the purchasing journey provides optimum orientation. Likewis e, the individual call-to-action buttons must be suitably prominent and well-labelled.Overall, the checkout process should not take too long, so dont include too many steps. The user must be logically guided through the ordering process. That means, for example, he or she should receive confirmation when something is placed in the basket, and the order button should be easy to find in the same place on each page.Communicate the shops features: Although you should avoid any unnecessary and distracting information, it may be advantageous to alert the user to the stores benefits. Quality and safety seals of approval can strengthen customer confidence. You can also advertise free shipping and a 30-day return policy in the shopping cart.Offer product details: Dont keep your customers in the dark. Let them see what they are buying right away, in the shopping cart and on the payment page. A picture and details, such as the color, price (with any discounts) and size of the product, should b e easily seen. Information regarding delivery and available features will also provide clarity and boost user confidence. Enter the available shipping and payment methods clearly. And offer the option to delete items and change the total number of products. Users must always feel they are in control of their shopping journey.Make the registration process simple: Collect only the data you really need, not details that might be helpful to have. If the customer has to provide too much information, then he or she is also likely to disappear faster. You could perhaps even think about a guest login. Your registration form should use clearly labelled fields and also specify which fields are required. Opt-in registration for a newsletter or advertising material can also be useful.Communicate clearly: Avoid making it necessary for the customer to have to think about the order process. All content, buttons and invitations should be clear so that its obvious what you want the customer to do.Of fer a contact option: If your customer may need some initial help, ensure the possibility for assistance is available.Take-Away Points:Create a well-organized checkoutCommunicate the shops benefitsGive informative product, payment and shipping detailsMake registration as easy as possibleKeep your customer informed about what to do, and keep all communication clear and simpleOffer a contact option2. Order ConfirmationIn order confirmations, clear and direct, yet friendly, communication is paramount. A confirmation email reassures your customer that the order has been processed.What goes into an order confirmation?The order confirmation summarizes what the customer has ordered on what purchase terms and restates the delivery and shipping arrangement.Your order confirmation should include the following content:A meaningful subject heading with products and/or an order numberYour online shop dataAn order number and customer detailsA short, friendly letterDelivery address and conditions, the order placement date, anticipated delivery date and shipping methodPayment arrangements and, where appropriate, billing addressA detailed list of ordered products, including pricing and quantitiesShipping and packing costs as well as a summary showing the total order costTerms and conditions and legal rights (for example, the right of cancellation, supplier details)A link to the shop/customer accountStylistically, order confirmations are usually factual and direct. The cover letter is almost the only content that you can personalize. Thank your customer and provide information about any further steps that may need to be taken. You should then once again provide the customer with a detailed overview of the product ordered, plus details of all conditions and selected options.In addition to its primary function, the order confirmation is often used as a cross-selling channel. Companies like Amazon use their email to display products that match and complement those already ordered. Take-Away Points:An order confirmation must not be just a sales contractThe format should be clear and user-orientedA confirmation email will reassure the customerProvide the customer with a detailed list of what has been orderedUse a short letter to make a connection with your customerConsider advertising on the order confirmation3. Shipping ConfirmationsThe shipping confirmation will resemble the order confirmation. It is used to inform and reassure the customer about the purchase.What belongs in a shipping confirmation?Shipping confirmations are quite similar to contracts or order confirmations and are usually very plain. They contain everything that is legally important as well as delivery and payment terms.The short letter enclosed with your order confirmation is almost the only place you can add a personal touch.Among other things, a shipping confirmation should include:A meaningful subject line, perhaps containing the article and/or order numberYour online shop dataA customer number and customer detailsAn order number, if requiredA short, friendly cover letterThe delivery address and conditionsAn estimated delivery, or a delivery date, and shipping methodShipment tracking informationPayment arrangements and, where appropriate, billing addressA detailed list of ordered products, including pricing and quantitiesShipping and packing costs as well as a summary showing the total order costNotification of the terms and conditions and legal rights (for example, the right of cancellation, supplier details)A link to the shop/customer accountThere are strict legal guidelines covering the advertising allowed on the shipping confirmation. So whether you offer cross-selling products, ask for a product review or refer to your active social media channels, you should check this aspect very carefully.Take-Away Points:The tone here is usually plain and professional, so an individual and appealing letter could provide a welcome changeCheck the legally important aspects o f your contentMore about Shipping Confirmations:Your online shop content serves as your customer advisors and sales assistants.Accompany your customers on the journey to and from your online store. Good content and a well-structured store are the key to satisfied customers. Inform and persuade your customers about the benefits of your products to promote confidence in your store.Each customer journey has more touchpoints than those featured here, and a shop will have a lot more content to be optimized. However, we hope our series has given you a closer understanding of the most important aspects of your online store content and that one or two of our suggestions will make your online store even more successful.

Brief history of Music essays

Brief history of Music essays The music industry today is growing bigger every minute here in America. However, how did we arrive to the music status that we have today? In this paper, I will provide a brief history of music, and how they link together to form what we have today. The very beginning of music started not with musical notes or pitches, but rather with noise. Noises then are put together in a rhythmic patter to form percussion. Pitch was acquired shortly after and used on special occasions. For example, signals of war, and in ritual dances. The seven-tone scale was developed in China. The seven-tone scale evolved from the non-semi tonal scale: the foundation of music. Through this scale, simple music was formed. Gregorian chants, a form of church music established by Gregory the Great, were created from the use of scales put together with other elements to form a musical setting of the liturgy. This style of music was used in the western churches. Through Gregorian chants, polyphony was born. Polyphony is the use of two notes or more to form harmony, or dissonance. Polyphony formed a new type of music. Two-part singing and folk music are just two examples. Two part harmony soon after expanded to three, four parts, and so on. This expansion of polyphony was spread world wide, and had many different influences due to the birth of music printing in about the year 1500. Sixteenth century was a period of conflict for the history of music. While the Germans and Netherlanders focused more on instrumental polyphony, the Italians focused a lot on the instrumental melody. The outcome of this conflict between the importance of polyphony and monody formed a compromise: the Opera. The Opera is a co-operation of the different areas of music. This made Opera very interesting. Not only did Opera include chorus parts; a form of polyphony, but it also included solos that were accompanied by only one instrument; a form of monody. ...

Assignment # 2 Self Assessment Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment # 2 Self Assessment Paper - Essay Example Being a person who has higher tolerance of ambiguity I would be best suitable for the accounting and finance positions and jobs. This is because in these positions problems are solved with predefined methods and outcomes are usually known. According to the results of the test I have an internal locus of control (2 score) which means that I hold myself responsible for things that happen to me and the events that occur in my environment (Whetten, 78). The findings of this test are consistent with what I perceive about myself. I personally believe that in order to change the current conditions an individual has to take initiative and there is no third party or power involved who can make the conditions better for me. Being a person who has an internal locus of control I would be quite a responsible manager. As a manager I will blame myself for the success and the failures of me, my subordinates and the organization for which I will be working. The test recognized as the cognitive style indicator helped me in finding out that I have scored more than 3.7 in the areas of knowing, planning as well as creating. This means that as a manager and as decision maker I do not jump to make decisions and my decisions are based on facts and figures and while making decisions I take advice and input from my team members (Whetten, 74). Furthermore, the implementation of any decision taken by me will always be done in a well-planned manner. This means that I will first create a blueprint of how a decision will be implemented and what will be the pros and cons of those decisions and then implement the decision. In managerial position I will be quite flexible with new decisions and would be ready to indulge in trial and error while making decisions. The score that I attained was 35 from both the online as well as the book based emotional intelligence assessment which may mean that the tests are quite accurate. The point of

Tort law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tort law - Essay Example Basically, a tort law can be described as a civil wrong not arising from a contract and in the case of negligence, one should owe due consideration to one’s neighbour (Capiro Industries vs. Dickman 1990). It generally refers to the duty of care owed by somebody to his or her neighbour. Cooke (2010) suggests that in the event that it can be proved beyond any reasonable doubt by the court that the plaintiff has suffered a civil injustice, a claim can be raised and a remedy in the form of compensation can be instituted. On the other hand, negligence can be described as a civil wrong arising from the act of negligence by doing something a reasonable man would not do and a plaintiff must prove that the defendant owes a duty of care (Donoghue V. Stevenson 1932). It is of paramount importance for the plaintiff to be able to prove that the defendant had duty to take care of and that duty of care has been breached in order to win the claim. In order to prove the existence of day care d uty, some conditions should prevail where a defendant can be taken to task if this duty is breached. Under the case of Capiro Industries vs. ... In the above case of Ultramares Corporation v Touche (1931) 255 NY 170), the facts are: Justice Cardozo created a special rule with regards to accountants and auditors. He suggested that mass liability should not exist but that only the client and the intended third party could hold an accountant liable for the accountant's negligence (Wegman 2007). Thus the court must be careful especially when it comes to establish negligence in the case involving an unmarked amount of money for an unfixed time with regards to an indefinite third part. An accountant can facilitate a loan transaction between a financial institution and a third party and in this case, only the financial institution and the third party can hold the accountant liable in the event of losses as a result of negligence. In this case, negligence is a common form of tort law which can be punishable if carelessness is proved and the victim will be entitled to get compensation. Failure to protect others from harm as a result o f somebody’s conduct is known as negligence whereby a duty care will have been ignored. From the above explanation of tort, it is clear that the accountant in this particular case has a duty care to make sure that their actions do result in financial losses to the client or the other third party which can be the plaintiff. With regards to this normal test, it does not always follow that duty care is owed by the third party which may result in loss of something which requires the plaintiff to prove that the resultant loss has been a result of the action of the accountant. In the case of Paris v Stepney Borough Council (1951) the editor of Salmond on the Law

Pacquiao Phenomenon in Philippines Research Paper

Pacquiao Phenomenon in Philippines - Research Paper Example The military even once announced a ceasefire against a rebel group just so they could watch a fight of his. Also, it has already been a running joke among the locals that no crime is committed during the day of his fight since all the crooks and thieves would be watching as well. This is quite true in a way because during every match of his, the crime rate for that day drops enormously. Furthermore, he is very much loved and revered in the Philippines, to the point that a movie was even made about his life. On the day of each fight, people who would not have the opportunity to watch him live would either flock into the cinemas, restaurants, and bars just to catch a glimpse of his boxing prowess. Even public gyms and halls in all towns and cities are turned to theatre cinemas, the government obviously making sure that everyone would not miss such a monumental event. While the fight is ongoing, the streets would closely resemble a ghost town since everyone is basically glued to a compu ter, television, theatre, or white screen, watching and scrutinizing every move that he makes inside the ring. In the country, every punch that he connects against the opponent is greeted with wild shrieks and shouts of approval from his countrymen. And when the fight is won, the country would be in a very festive mood, talking about the match, even weeks after it has happened. Every time he arrives home to his beloved Philippines after a fight, he is greeted with a heroes welcome. Even the President has to have a photo-op with him. He would parade around towns and cities, and his presence would be greeted with resounding approval from each and every citizen. Back at his hometown, people would flock outside his mansion, waiting for â€Å"balato† or money from his earnings. Being a kind hearted and generous person, he would gladly give to his fellow countrymen (Torre, â€Å"Political Punch†). Every person definitely wants to have a piece of him. This proud Filipino and future boxing hall of famer has graced numerous magazine covers, advertised foreign and local products, gained accolades for his remarkable boxing talent, and is currently holding the position of congressman in the Philippine legislature. This contemporary phenomenon is no other than Manny â€Å"Pacman† Pacquiao. Pacquiao: The Life of a Champion Boxing is not a career that people would normally take in the Philippines because in the country, boxers would normally start poor, gain money and fame, and exit in the same condition as they started. Manny was born in a life that was mired in poverty. His father having abandoned them, his mother had to singlehandedly support the whole family, taking on odd jobs, which barely amounted to enough money to support all the Pacquiao siblings. At an early age, Manny had to take on jobs, selling food and bread on the streets while studying, just to help in the household expenses. At the age of 14, he secretly left General Santos, his hometow n, for Manila, the capital of the Philippines. In Manila, he continued working and eventually started his boxing career (Chua-Eoan and Tharoor, â€Å"The Meaning and Mythos of Manny Pacquiao†). That was way back. He currently holds eight tittles in different divisions. Nowadays, Manny is considered as one of the wealthiest and most influential people in the world, even making it to the

Translation And Interpretation

Translation And Interpretation Introduction The world has become like a global village as the systems of communication and information technology are developing and becoming more sophisticated .In the process of such rapid exchange of information and for the purpose of improving cultural contacts, one thing is inevitable, and that is translating. This is why there is need for competent translators who not only posses language proficiency but also general knowledge of the source culture and the intricate meanings of the many cultural references that may be of significance in one culture and not in another. Today many idiomatic expressions are found in the business domain. Examples such as: The economy went into a free fall, Obama is seeking to stake out and the solution will cut both ways are all found in various articles in Newsweek (a reputable magazine, widely and internationally distributed around the world and officially translated into Arabic.)One common characteristic associated with idioms used in the business and/or an y other domain is that their meaning can not be inferred from the individual words that constitute them. Although idioms have been connected to informal language and tabloid newspapers, however there is much evidence in the Bank of English that states they are also commonly used in magazines and journals where writers seek to give their articles a more vivid and effective effect on the reader Minugh (2000).It is also stated in the same source that most politicians and journalists use idioms as briefer way to express and convey opinions and ready made evaluations. Translation students in general and specifically the ones who major in Business Translation are assumed to have general knowledge of all language intricacies. For this, knowledge of idiomatic expressions, which constitute today an integral part of the language used in business conferences, debates and meetings, in addition to their use in a variation of magazine and newspaper articles of which there is a great chance that t hey may be asked to translate, is one of the essential requirements of the competent translator. Statement of the problem In principal translating from one language into another is not an easy task, but when the translation occurs between two distinct languages such as English and Arabic the task is aggravated. One of the more prominent translation problems occurs when the translator encounters idioms or culturally bound expressions. Idioms pose a great challenge for translation students as they are bound to the cultural identities and history of any nation; therefore it is assumed that if such culturally bound expressions were introduced to the students through authentic contexts relevant to their field of speciality and considered as an integral part of their educational program, the students will be given insight into the culture, history ,traditions ,values and morals reflected through the language of that nation.While many researches investigated the difficulties linked to the translation of idiomatic expressions by non-native speakers, the majority of these researches and studies have focused, gen erally, on the different theories of idiom comprehension Bortfeld (1998/2002.), and Bortfeld Brennan (1997). There exists ,however, a small body of academic literature which focuses on the study of idiomatic expressions occurring in the business domain ,specifically in journalism,(magazines and newspapers)and their effects and implications on both readers and learners Ulland(1997) .This research aims to contribute to the afore mentioned literature by making a case for the translation of idioms, occurring in business magazine articles, by MA students in their final academic semester at the Academy Of Post Graduate studies/Tripoli to find out what strategies and techniques they are using in contrast with the translation strategies they were taught in their study of translation and with reference to Bakers(1992)strategies .The research also aims at identifying the problems they encounter in the process of translating idioms from English to Arabic. Due to time and space limitation it is not possible to collect all the used idioms and the study will focus on one specific magazine (Newsweek). Significance of the study The translation section in the Academy of Postgraduate Studies has two majors: Translation Interpreting and Business Translation. The latter was introduced three years ago .Translation students majoring in the business translation MA programme are likely to work as translators in companies, agencies, media or as teachers. In fact they may already be in one of the aforesaid posts. They may be asked to translate or even interpret in a meeting where the lingua franca is English (SL) and the (TL) is Arabic, and as mentioned before idioms today are used and can be encountered in a wide range of texts ranging from economic ,financial, administrative, political ,advertising and many others .A competent translator has to have knowledge of all the intricate features of the language they are translating from as well as being competent in their own native language to be able to convey the meaning accurately. This study aims at shedding the light on the importance of learning and comprehension o f idiomatic expressions in the field of business, it will also serve a dual purpose of testing the implementation of previously taught translation strategies to the translation of business idioms as well as offering reference material for further relevant researches to be used as a good ground for their knowledge reservoir. Research questions The researcher would like to address the following questions throughout the process of the study: Are students familiar with the idiomatic expressions encountered in the business field? Which strategies are used by MA students in the translation of idioms with reference to Bakers strategies? To what extent do the students find the available reference tools (dictionaries/internet) helpful and/or useful? Research Hypotheses The researcher hypothesizes the following: H1-MA students in their final semester at the Academy of Postgraduate Studies are not familiar with business idiomatic expressions; therefore, they will not produce accurate translations. H2-Omission or literal translation will most likely be used in the translation of the idioms. H3-The available reference tools are insufficient in aiding the students with their translations. Research Objectives : Expounding on the objectives of using idioms in various business field domains to enhance teachers and students awareness of the importance of teaching and learning such expressions as an integral part of language education and translators language proficiency. Evaluating the implementation of the strategies taught to the students during the course of their MA studies specifically referring to Bakers strategy in order to identify students problems in the application of translation strategies and consequently find solutions and suggest recommendations. Since business translation is a new domain for MA students this research may pave the way for further investigations in the area of idiomatic expressions, for example a comparative study of the use of idioms. in Arabic versus English language may be conducted. Methodology: Multi-word combinations are so numerous in the English language; they are characterized by carrying meanings that can not easily be deduced from knowledge of normal intrinsic meanings of words. General knowledge and competency in L2 would still not help a nonnative speaker to elicit the meaning of word combinations such as: fall flat, thin on the ground or lay something at somebodys door; because the individual words do not give a clear cue as to the intended meaning. To the best of my knowledge, a great number of researchers and previous studies tackled the problem of translating idiomatic expressions in general English, but not in specialized fields such as the use of idioms in the business field; business documents, newspapers, magazine articles.etc. It is worth noting that over the years idioms have entered the English language from the world of sports, for example slam dunk: great success, to classical literature, the goose that laid the golden egg and science technology;you ne ed to recharge your batteries and, they are on the same wave length. Today many idiomatic expressions are found in the business domain, for example: to throw money at a problem, call the shots, do a roaring trade and join the rat race. My objectives regarding this topic is twofold .First, to prove that today such idiomatic expressions constitute a high proportion in well reputed newspapers(Guardian) and magazines(Newsweek),and occur in major domains such as : politics ,economics ,art Hans(2007)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ unlike what Baker(1992) states English uses idioms in many types of text,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Their use in quality press news reports is limited ,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.in English advertisement, promotional material, and in the tabloid press Nippold(1991)emphasizes the challenges involved in the learning and mastering of idioms and states that nevertheless every learner must be prepared to meet the challenge simply because idioms occur so frequently in the spoken and written English Second, to discuss the role of context in idiom comprehension and the strategies used by Libyan novice translators in translating business idioms with reference to Bakers strategies(1992) in order to elicit the most applicable technique .Fina lly, concluding by making suggestions about teaching and learning strategies to encounter the problems related to translating idiomatic expressions (focusing on business idioms).I have used data from Newsweek magazine, and I also conducted an experiment test including 20 business idioms which were given to final semester masters students at the Academy of Graduate Studies. The students were divided into two groups A/B; the first group was given idioms in context and the second group was given the idioms as single unit expressions. They were all asked to translate the idioms and then answer four questions at the end. The questions were related to three sub-hypotheses:1-most of the students are not familiar with business idioms.2- Students have to be competent in both L1 and L2 to be able to benefit from bilingual dictionaries.3-Novice translators realize that it is important for them to learn and be trained to comprehend idioms because of the functional role they play in language com munication. As mentioned earlier, the whole world is undergoing complex changes in different areas such as technology and education. These changes necessarily have an important bearing on systems of higher education, including translator training programs.

Oceans :: essays research papers

Oceans   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ocean covers Seventy-one percent of our planets surface. Life is concentrated, however, in about four percent of it, and it is this four percent that is being polluted by the tons every day. Everyone needs to understand that the oceans are not endless, and not bottomless. They also much see that the ocean contains much marine life which are essential to our eco-system. And in order to preserve this other world of life, we must stop polluting the oceans, and begin to clean them up. Although using the ocean for a toxic waste dump may provide for a cheap alternative, we must not succumb to these barbaric urges. If we neglect to deal with these ideals, than the world as we know it may not be as great a world for our children as it was for us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, we need to understand that the oceans are not the vast resources that we believe them to be, but just vulnerable natural resources. Before Columbus' day, the ocean were thought to be boundless. Although Columbus proved this theory incorrect, the thought still remains in today's societies. â€Å"For we of the 20th century still treat the ocean as the endless, bottomless pit it was considered to be in medieval times.†(Heyerdahl) The majority of the world's population still lives under the misconception that the ocean is a hungry abyss, eager to devour all their waste. These beliefs, however, are all untrue. The average depth of the oceans is only a little more than a mile, when in fact, some lakes exceed this depth rather handily. Although the size of the ocean is often pondered, the thought that it may one day be gone, is never even considered.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The vast majority of all life in the ocean, inhabits only 1/25 of these waters, but it is these surroundings that are in the most danger. In the beginning of the world, marine plankton was vital to the evolution of man. Today, it is even more important to us, being that it provides us with a great percentage of oxygen we receive. â€Å"These minute plant species manufactured so much oxygen that it rose above the surface to help form the atmosphere we have today.†(Heyerdahl) With the disappearance of the plankton through increased pollution, the obvious result will be a total deprivation of our oxygen supply, in turn limiting all people to certain limits. And with urban expansion leading to deforestation, our dependence upon marine life becomes heightened. The importance of marine plankton cannot be emphasized enough, yet most people fail to recognize it as the vital life supply it is.

Traffic Problem

Interstate 80, seen here in Berkeley, California, is a freeway with many lanes and heavy traffic. Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel. Traffic laws are the laws which govern traffic and regulate vehicles, while rules of the road are both the laws and the informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic. Organized traffic generally has well-established priorities, lanes, right-of-way, and traffic control at intersections.Traffic is formally organized in many jurisdictions, with marked lanes, junctions, intersections, interchanges, traffic signals, or signs. Traffic is often classified by type: heavy motor vehicle (e.g., car, truck); other vehicle (e.g., moped, bicycle); and pedestrian. Different classes may share speed limits and easement, or may be segregated. Some jurisdictions may have very detailed and complex rules of the road while others rely more on drivers' common sense and willingness to cooperate. Organization typically produces a better combination of travel safety and efficiency.Events which disrupt the flow and may cause traffic to degenerate into a disorganized mess include: road construction, collisions and debris in the roadway. On particularly busy freeways, a minor disruption may persist in a phenomenon known as traffic waves. A complete breakdown of organization may result in traffic congestion andgridlock. Simulations of organized traffic frequently involve queuing theory, stochastic processes and equations of mathematical physics applied totraffic flow. Traffic in English is taken from the Arabic word taraffaqa, which means to walk along slowly together.Contents1 Rules of the road 1.1 Directionality 1.2 Traffic regulations 2 Organized traffic 2.1 Priority (right of way) 2.1.1 Uncontrolled traffic 2.2 Turning 2.2.1 Intersections 2.2.2 P edestrian crossings 2.3 Level crossings 2.4 Speed limits 2.5 Overtaking 2.5.1 Lanes 2.6 One-way roadways 2.6.1 High-speed roads 2.6.2 One-way streets 3 Congested traffic 3.1 Rush hour 4 Congestion mitigation 4.1 Rush hour policies 4.2 Pre-emption 4.3 Intelligent transportation systems 5 Future of congestion mitigation 6 See also 7 References 8 External links 9 Further reading Rules of the road[edit]Traffic controller in Chicago, Michigan AvenueTraffic control in Rome, Italy. This traffic control podium can retract back to road level when not in use. Rules of the road and driving etiquette are the general practices and procedures that road users are required to follow. These rules usually apply to all road users, though they are of special importance to motorists and cyclists. These rules govern interactions between vehicles and with pedestrians. The basic traffic rules are defined by aninternational treaty under the authority of the United Nations, the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.Not all countries are signatory to the convention and, even among signatories, local variations in practice may be found. There are also unwritten local rules of the road, which are generally understood by local drivers. As a general rule, drivers are  expected to avoid a collision with another vehicle and pedestrians, regardless of whether or not the applicable rules of the road allow them to be where they happen to be.In addition to the rules applicable by default, traffic signs and traffic lights must be obeyed, and instructions may be given by a police officer, either routinely (on a busy crossing instead of traffic lights) or as road traffic control around a construction zone, accident, or other road disruption. These rules should be distinguished from the mechanical procedures required to operate one's vehicle. Seedriving. DirectionalityMain articles: Bidirectional traffic and right- and left-hand traffic Traffic going in opposite directions should be separated in s uch a way that they do not block each other's way. The most basic rule is whether to use the left or right side of the road. Traffic regulationsSee also: Category:Rules of the roadIn many countries, the rules of the road are codified, setting out the legal requirements and punishments for breaking them. In the United Kingdom, the rules are set out in the Highway Code, which includes obligations but also advice on how to drive sensibly and safely. In the United States, traffic laws are regulated by the states and municipalities through their respective traffic codes. Most of these are based at least in part on the Uniform Vehicle Code, but there are variations from state to state. In states such as Florida, traffic law and criminal law are separate, therefore, unless someone flees a scene of an accident, commits vehicular homicide or manslaughter, they are only guilty of a minor traffic offense. However, states such as South Carolina have completely criminalized their traffic law, so , for example, you are guilty of a misdemeanor simply for travelling 5 miles over the speed limit.Organized trafficPriority (right of way)[edit] See also: Right-of-way (disambiguation) Vehicles often come into conflict with other vehicles and pedestrians because their intended courses of travel intersect, and thus interfere with each other's routes. The general principle that establishes who has the right to  go first is called â€Å"right of way†, or â€Å"priority†. It establishes who has the right to use the conflicting part of the road and who has to wait until the other does so. Signs, signals, markings and other features are often used to make priority explicit. Some signs, such as the stop sign, are nearly universal.When there are no signs or markings, different rules are observed depending on the location. These default priority rules differ between countries, and may even vary within countries. Trends toward uniformity are exemplified at an international lev el by the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals, which prescribes standardized traffic control devices (signs, signals, and markings) for establishing the right of way where necessary. Crosswalks (or pedestrian crossings) are common in populated areas, and may indicate that pedestrians have priority over vehicular traffic. In most modern cities, the traffic signal is used to establish the right of way on the busy roads.Its primary purpose is to give each road a duration of time in which its traffic may use the intersection in an organized way. The intervals of time assigned for each road may be adjusted to take into account factors such as difference in volume of traffic, the needs of pedestrians, or other traffic signals. Pedestrian crossings may be located near other traffic control devices; if they are not also regulated in some way, vehicles must give priority to them when in use. Traffic on a public road usually has priority over other traffic such as traffic emerging fro m private access; rail crossings and drawbridgesare typical exceptions.Uncontrolled trafficUncontrolled traffic comes in the absence of lane markings and traffic control signals. On roads without marked lanes, drivers tend to keep to the appropriate side if the road is wide enough. Drivers frequently overtake others. Obstructions are common. Intersections have no signals or signage, and a particular road at a busy intersection may be dominant – that is, its traffic flows – until a break in traffic, at which time the dominance shifts to the other road where vehicles are queued. At the intersection of two perpendicular roads, a traffic jam may result if four vehicles face each other side-on.Traffic ProblemsTraffic congestion in many cities around the world is severe. One possible solution to this problem is to impose heavy taxes on cardrivers and use this money to make public transport better. This essay will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of such a measure. One of t he first benefits of such a measure is that the heavy taxes would discourage car owners from using their cars because it would become very expensive to drive. This would mean that they would begin to make use of public transport instead, thus reducing traffic problems and pollution as well. Another benefit would be that much more use would be made of public transport if it was improved. It is often the case that public transport in cities is very poor.For example, we often see old buses and trains that people would rather not use. High taxes would generate enough money to make the necessary changes. Nevertheless, there are drawbacks to such a solution. First and foremost, this would be a heavy burden on the car drivers. At present, taxes are already high for a lot of people, and so further taxes would only mean less money at the end of the month for most people who may have no choice but to drive every day. In addition, this type of tax would likely be set at a fixed amount. This wo uld mean that it would hit those with less money harder, whilst the rich could likely afford it. It is therefore not a fair tax. To conclude, this solution is worth considering to improve the current situation, but there are advantages and disadvantages of introducing such a policy.Traffic managementCreating a travel planOne of the most effective ways to ease traffic congestion at schools is to reduce the number of cars coming and going from your school. Boards of trustees can encourage students and staff to walk, cycle, take public transport, ride the school bus, participate in a walking school bus or car pool to school. Another way to manage traffic is to prepare a travel plan for traffic movement in and around the school, parking and pedestrians. Developing a travel plan with your community will get people thinking about alternative options for getting to and from school.Complete the Traffic management checklist [Word; 92kb] before preparing the travel plan. Guidance on developin g a travel plan is available at: NZ Transport Agency – provides a guide for developing school travel plans and organising a walking school bus Safe Kids New Zealand – has resources for educators about keeping kids safe including child pedestrian safety NZPolice – has a School Road SafetyEducation programme which teaches young people road safety skills. Check with your local council as they often have information about safety on the road. For example, Auckland Transport has information about road safety, walking and cycling, and encouraging students to use alternative transportation; Christchurch City Council has a programme called Safe Routes to Schools which investigates road safety issues in school communities and develops strategies to encourage safe and active travel to school. Improving traffic movement through the schoolA good system for dropping off and picking up students will help manage traffic around and through the school. The system will depend upon the school, for example, if the school is located in an urban area with busy streets, coordinating traffic in and out of the school during peak times is critical, otherwise drivers are tempted to park illegally in the surrounding neighbourhood. Illegal practices include double parking and parking on yellow lines, across driveways, and near crossings. Many drivers justify this behaviour because they are only parked for a short time and they usually stay with the car. However, this practice is irritating for neighbours and unsafe for other road users. Traffic movement checklistA good traffic system through the school includes: car traffic flows in a clearly marked oneway direction pedestrian access points located separately from car access points the bus bay is separated from car and pedestrian access points an off-street drop-off/pick-up zone staff station at key points to manage traffic flow car access separate from the car park. If your school does not have land available to creat e an on-site drop-off/pick-up zone, you can contact the local council and ask for a dedicated kerbside access area on an adjacent street, if there are traffic issues. An example of an efficient traffic systemOther ideas for improving the flow of traffic include: staggering start and finish times for different year groups having staff to manage drop-offs and pick-ups at peak times will encourage  cars to move along and not park. Paying for work to improve traffic systemsBoards can use Five Year Agreement (5YA) funding for work to improve traffic systems on their school site. Work needs to be planned in the 10 Year Property Plan (10YPP), and budgeted within the available 5YA funding. Car parkingBoards of trustees should have a parking policy about who can use the car parks on the school site. The policy will usually provide for staff and some visitors' car parks. It is likely that there are not enough parks for students at a secondary school, which can create congestion in the neigh bourhood. Schools can to talk to their local council, including parking enforcement officers familiar with the area, for ideas about managing the school’s parking issues. New car parksThe need for new or upgraded car parks may be triggered by new teaching spaces for roll growth space. In the new teaching spaces budget, boards are given a site works allowance for each roll growth classroom to pay for new car parks. The Ministry does not have a policy on the number of car parks schools should have, but local councils may have requirements in their District Plans that kick in when the school applies for building consent for a roll growth room or other type of project.The council may require a traffic impact assessment. If the costs of new parks exceed the site works allowance, either because of the number required by the council or their cost, then additional funding will be considered. If the board wants car parks in excess of the council requirement, this must be funded throug h 5YA.Special events – parkingSpecial events can cause parking problems. Ideas to manage these problems include: encouraging people to walk, car pool or use public transport opening up some of the grounds, such as playing fields or tennis courts, to provide extra parking arranging the use of nearby parking facilities  arranging the use of remote parking facilities and provide shuttles to the event employing staff to direct traffic.Traffic impact assessments When a school applies for a building consent for a new building project the council may ask for a traffic impact assessment. The council will want to know if the proposed project will generate extra traffic and a need for additional parking, and how the school intends to manage the changes in traffic or parking. For larger projects, the council may require a professionally-prepared traffic impact assessment with an engineer’s report. Ask your council for names of companies who carry out these assessments or search the internet for traffic assessment consultants.Traffic requirements vary depending on what the council has in their district plan. Some councils may require more parking spaces to be provided and some may have traffic requirements depending on the educational use, breaking them down by primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Other councils may have more general requirements. Schools will have to convince the council they are managing parking and traffic flows – having a good travel plan and traffic system will help. Boards should ensure their school community are not causing traffic and parking problems for neighbours because those neighbours may object to a school’s building consent application. Traffic management checklistThe following checklist will be helpful: before starting the travel plan for use by the professional consultant hired to prepare a traffic impact assessment – the assessment should address these issues as a minimum and providing this information will reduce the time and therefore cost of a consultant.

How To Choose The Perfect Blog Categories

How To Choose The Perfect Blog Categories Perhaps you stumbled upon the long list of the top blog categories according to Google, and realized with horror that you were using all of them on your blog. You have too many categories. You ended up with a lot of blog categories because you didnt put much thought into them before you started, or you created them on the fly as you wrote. You ended up with category bloat, and your  niche blog  went off track. You  turned to tags  as a way to bring order to a runaway blog. Readers use categories to find more of your writing on the same topic. Plus, some WordPress themes use categories to determine the placement of posts and the layout of your blog. If youre going to use categories, you should use them well. Choosing And Naming Blog Categories How many blog categories should you have? The number of categories you ought to have varies, but the fewer the better both for you and the reader. I like to keep it under eight, and though that is merely a preference of mine, once you start heading past ten categories, your blog will get unwieldy for readers and writers. How do you choose categories for your blog? 1. Ask Questions About Your Blog The best way to understand your blog is to ask questions about it. What does your theme allow? Some themes, as we pointed out, use categories to organize your content visually. Some themes have limited space should you want to include a list of your categories. What will your theme allow? Do you have to choose a category to fit the rotating banner on the home page? Do you need a subset of what you talk about the most? Lets say your answer to that question is writing. If you have a writing blog, a category of writing is a terrible idea. Youd want to break it down into, maybe, blogging and fiction, subsets of writing. But if you have a blog about marketing techniques, perhaps writing isnt too broad in the scheme of things. Is your blog a niche blog? If so, you will have very specific categories, tightly clustered around your niche topic. If your niche blog is on shoes, you will not have a category called shoes. You might have a category of stilettos. The goal? Understand what your blog is about, in as few words as possible. In a way, your blog categories are like your blogs elevator speech. There is no time for excess.

Brothers Case Analysis Essay

Brothers Case Analysis Essay Brothers Case Analysis Essay When faced with a question like this I can’t help but to think about what has happened in someone’s life where they would put their life in danger and other people’s lives in danger just for a few hours of fun. I once read an article about alcoholics and there was a quiz at the end of the article asking so many questions and if you answered â€Å"yes† to any of the questions then you were considered an alcoholic. One of the questions were â€Å"Do you drive after alcohol intake†, therefore statistically you are considered an alcoholic if you drink and drive. Reason being is because you basically don’t care what happens to you or anyone around you as long as you get a drink and that is what I think makes an alcoholic. With this being said I do not think that jail and/or prison is an effective deterrent against drinking and driving. Alcoholism is a disease; even though technically the person is excessively drinking by choice it is a result of d epression, being neglected and different issues within oneself which makes it a disease. People shouldn’t be punished for a disease where they essentially can’t control it; they need help in controlling themselves and getting better. I think a better solution would be to require people that are caught drinking and driving to go to a rehabilitation center or Alcohol Anonymous meetings opposed to jail time. This would be a better choice, because they will actually be working to better themselves instead of staring at four walls waiting to get out and get another drink. This will also decline the amount of drunk drivers and/or alcoholics in the future, because it wouldn’t be environmentally passed down to their children and younger family members. In most states today the penalties include lengthy license suspensions, possibly a little jail time, and a felony charge if you have over three DUI charges. The last consequence is the most detrimental, because there are many sub consequences that go along with it. People with felonies lose most of their civil rights, such as being able to vote or own a weapon as well as losing their license for many years or permanently. People under these circumstances have to go through a lot of in order to

Cultural Differences in the Light of Marx's Class Theory Essay

Cultural Differences in the Light of Marx's Class Theory - Essay Example There is a large social inequality in each society. "Social inequality" means a condition in which members of a society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power. But the impact of social inequality may vary in different cultures - according to the main values of a certain society. In particular, in Western countries social values are the following: Also, either Western or Eastern society has a stable model of management, which is common and familiar for all its members. Thus, it is wrong to compare them on the main criteria "better-worse" or "fair - unfair". For instance, in the United States, the problem of the large gap between executives' and workers' salaries really exists, but there are many options of career growth so that one is able to change jobs and to make a rapid career in several companies. On the other hand, in Eastern countries, admission to the company means admission to a family or a community - for almost the whole life long. In such 'family' everyone is to participate in company problems solving and is to share corporative responsibility. The western world is dynamic, and it is not considered embarrassing to leave a job for another place with more suitable salary and conditions, while according to the Eastern moral values, leaving the ‘family’ means betraying it. Personal growth of an employee is quite slow, as the differential between managers’ and workers’ salaries are not so large.  

Organ donation ( think of something intresting for the title) Essay

Organ donation ( think of something intresting for the title) - Essay Example In contrast, the proposed presumed-consent system presumes that an individual is willing to donate unless they opt-out by withdrawing their sanction (Brezina, pg 48). To deal with rising organ shortage, champions of presumed consent argue that it will lead to a substantial rise in number of would-be donors since it will be a suggestion of automatic donation to those who have not conveyed requests to the contrary. They also point out that the burden of determining whether to donate bestowed on relatives in traumatic period will be lifted. Its proponents have also pointed out that presumed consent preserves the spirit of selflessness among Americans. Besides implying that some European countries like Sweden and Spain are a success story in using this model, they point out that presumed consent augments the right of an indivigual to choose what occurs to them after death (Brezina, pg 52). Proponents of this model have faced an equal measure of criticism. While this model hypothetically preserves individual’s independence, it is still coercive. It therefore follows that it is an individual’s responsibility to ensure that the government does not obtain their organs upon death. As this model may increase the number deceased donors since many people will avoid deciding on a matter that can be traumatic and challenging to contemplate, it may be regarded by some people as an affront to individual’s civil liberties. This can lead to a hostile response against organ donation (Brezina, pg 50). This model can also be perceived as being religiously or culturally indifferent. Under presumed consent, the deceased are presumed to be organ donors lest they specify otherwise. Therefore such donations will be deemed ethically appropriate if established that an individual were conscious of the presumption and that the mechanisms for honoring and documenting refusals are effective and certainly available. Critics of presumed consent further point