Aims of Academic Study Essay Example for Free

Aims of Academic Study Essay To accomplish it, there are obviously needed excessive practices and comfortable surrounding environments including class-size. This essay will deal with the aims of the academic study and various ways of how to accomplish the aims. Firstly, the aims of the academic study are to help students to discover and form future goals or careers and show the whole view of different kinds of jobs, aims and tasks that suits the desires and determine specific goals for the future. It is a tough fight for people who do not have a clear future goal or career and it also can be a burden in the future by making it hard for them to find a suitable job. Therefore, it is highly important to have higher knowledge and a clear plan, to compete for a chance to obtain a position. Secondly, the aims of the academic study also assist the university and college students. It is highly important for college students to have high academic skills due to its complexity. This will also help them to understand a wide range of academically important subjects and deal with a particular task. University is the greatest challenge place for adults and the most crucial part of all is to pass the tests and to finish the final exam in university. Another advantage is that the aims of academic study also enhance knowledge in critical-thinking, problem-solving and general information. Improving abilities in thinking more deeply and organizing ideas in order to solve things in a higher level requires extra knowledge of general information. This idea means that the academic performer appears to have a stronger sense of solving and thinking in a greater way than normal person does. Additionally, it enriches several kinds of knowledge and self-reflection in real life including social skills. On the other hand, in order to accomplish or reach these aim, pupils should try undertaking excessive researches and focus on the course as much as possible. They also expand their knowledge of general information by reading numerous articles and news. Nonetheless, they require support from their surrounding include parents, peers, teachers and class-sized. Different type’s class sized is also a notice problem for pupils to decide to choose. Finn calculated that â€Å"Students in small classes outperformed their counterparts in normal-sized classes by a fifth of standard deviation† – by Ehrenberg et al. (2001) Does class size matter?. To sum up, academic studies have an important role in the educational societies as its aims help the academic performers in various ways to reach and succeed their future goal.

Christianity And Paganism In 4-8 Cent. :: essays research papers

The consensus among many historians has been that the transition from paganism to Christianity in the Mediterranean world was effortlessly accomplished by the end of the fourth century. In Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries, Ramsay MacMullen sets out to disprove the consensus, which he maintains is an understandable misinterpretation considering the "corrupt foundation" of historical records it rested upon. He makes his case by covering a wide range of material to show that Christianity did not destroy paganism as much as merge with it. Through his brilliant and original display of primary and secondary source material it becomes evident that paganism remained alive and deep-rooted long after Constantine. Many factors appear to have caused this, most prominently the vast extent of the empire and consequent diversity of tribal and local customs, which met people's daily needs. Christianity replaced paganism only when the people believed it coul d do more for them what paganism had done (1). This was especially true of protection and of healing, primarily physical but also psychological. People flocked to the shrines of Asclepius and others; Could the Christian god, or more likely, the Christian saints, fill those shoes? Most scholars of religious history probably accept, if they are honest to themselves, that religious history is a notoriously slippery business. Therefore, it is to the benefit of all historians to be aware of the great variety of interpretations that are available. History is an ongoing discourse, in which many different interpretations can and should be written on the same history, each striking at least one chord that supporters of an opposing or different view can find significant. The validity of an interpretation of a particular history is fundamentally dependent on the existence of a sufficient amount of quality narratives or records of historical events to provide a skeletal structure to assist in pinpointing relationships between people, time and space (2). MacMullen maintains that the historical records of late antiquity are not only insufficient, but also distorted. The Late Antique historical record seems to falsely suggest that paganism was not only defeated by the end of the fourth century, but had in fact successfully converted all of the pagans. In addition to the fact that the majority of historical records involving a conflict tend to focus on the winner, he asserts that the reason the historical records of Late Antiquity are unintelligible is because ecclesiastical and secular authorities destroyed or distorted them.

Case study Essay

Inuit was founded in 1983 by Scott Cook (Former Procter & Gamble employee) and Tom Proulx (Stanford University Programmer), that develops and sells financial and tax solution software for consumers and small to medium sized businesses. The company has always thrived to revolutionise people’s lives by solving their important business and financial management problems. Quicken was its product that was launched in 1984 and struggled the first year, but due to positive reviews in trade journals and print campaign strategies, Intuit got its first break and by 1988 Quicken was the best selling finance product on the market. Early 1990’s saw Intuit growing due to success of Quicken, QuickBooks and Turbotax. These products made some significant contribution in small businesses. Porter’s five forces Analysis for Inuit: Any organization strategy that you develop needs to include gaining a thorough understanding of the external environment that the organization is operating in. The most widely tool that can help you to do this is Porter’s five force analysis. Porter’s model considers five forces that determine the attractiveness of your market by analyzing the competitive intensity. Similarly Porter’s five forces will help Intuit the position of the market and how much do they really stand a chance in this competitive industry, with Microsoft trying to buy them off. 1. Threat of new entrant: Intuit’s marketing strategies have helped the company evolve. Positive word of mouth an exceptional customer services is its most effective marketing tools. Roughly 8 out of 10 customers have bought Intuit’s product and hence engaging with customers directly and communicating with customers on a timely basis has helped distinguish its products. This leads to a very low threat of new entrants in the market. Due to this it is very difficult for new company’s to enter the market and compete with Intuit. 2. Bargaining Power of Buyers: Since Inuit is not the only one in the market, Microsoft being the biggest competitor it increases the bargaining power of buyers giving them more than one option to choose from. Intuit is very well aware of this fact and hence spends significant amount of time and money on consumer research every year. It is very critical for Intuit to know how customers use and feel about their products. This is possible by adapting Site Visit, Lab Study and Remote study conducted by Intuit. 3. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The only product that Intuit needs is a compact disc and since there are many suppliers of compact disc in the market, the bargaining power of suppliers is very low. This leads to huge competition between suppliers and Intuit has an advantage. 4. Threat for Substitute Products: There is no substitute product available for tax and financial planning software’s apart from hiring specialised people in your company in that field which is turns out to be very expensive and also time consuming. Hence there is no threat for substitute products for Intuit in the market. 5. The intensity of rivalry: Intuit faces huge competition in the market for the products they offer. Microsoft, one of their biggest competitors has tried to buy off Intuit but failed and also withdrawn its money product line after a 18 year battle with Quicken. This has been a great win for Intuit over the software giant. There are many companies providing mobile devices which have become very popular among the younger consumers and hence this increases the intensity of rivalry in the market that will be faced by Intuit. Potential Market entry methods for Intuit: Intuit has a very few ways it can enter the potential market i.e. mobile devices. Depending on various factors, Intuit can adopt acquisition. This will be very quick and fastest way to enter the mobile devices industry. Intuit can acquire some firms that are already in the mobile device  business, have a strong customer base and have all access to the company’s network files. Reference: Pearson Education Limited (2012). Marketing Management (14th ed.). Kotler Keller: Author. Submitted by: Anchal Pathak

Battle of King Mountain in the American Revolution

The Battle of Kings Mountain was fought October 7, 1780, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Having shifted their focus south, the British achieved a decisive victory in May 1780 when they captured Charleston, SC. As the British pushed inland, the Americans suffered a string of defeats which allowed  Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis to secure much of South Carolina. As Cornwallis moved north, he dispatched Major Patrick Ferguson west with a force of Loyalists to protect his flank and supply lines from local militias. Fergusons command was engaged by an American militia force at Kings Mountain on October 7 and destroyed. The victory provided a badly needed boost to American morale and forced Cornwallis to abandon his advance into North Carolina. Background Following their defeat at Saratoga in late 1777 and the French entry into the war, British forces in North America began pursuing a southern strategy for ending the rebellion. Believing that Loyalist support was higher in the South, successful efforts were made to capture Savannah in 1778, followed by General Sir Henry Clintons siege and taking of Charleston in 1780. In the wake of the citys fall, Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton crushed an American force at Waxhaws in May 1780. The battle became infamous in the region as Tarletons men killed numerous Americans as they attempted to surrender. American fortunes in the region continued to decline that August when the victor of Saratoga, Major General Horatio Gates, was routed at the Battle of Camden by Lieutenant General Lord Charles Cornwallis. Believing that Georgia and South Carolina had effectively been subjugated, Cornwallis began planning for a campaign into North Carolina. While organized resistance from the Continental Army had been swept aside, numerous local militias, particularly those from over the Appalachian Mountains, continued to cause problems for the British. Skirmishes in the West In the weeks prior to Camden, Colonels Isaac Shelby, Elijah Clarke, and Charles McDowell struck Loyalist strongholds at Thicketty Fort, Fair Forest Creek, and Musgrove Mill. This last engagement saw the militia raid a Loyalist camp that guarded a ford over the Enoree River. In the fighting, the Americans killed 63 Tories while capturing another 70. The victory led to the colonels discussing a march against Ninety-Six, SC, but they aborted this plan upon learning of Gates defeat. Concerned that these militias could attack his supply lines and undermine his future efforts, Cornwallis dispatched a strong flanking column to secure the western counties as he moved north. Command of this unit was given to Major Patrick Ferguson. A promising young officer, Ferguson had earlier developed an effective breech-loading rifle which possessed a greater rate of fire than the traditional Brown Bess musket and could be loaded while prone. In 1777, he led an experimental rifle corps equipped with the weapon until being wounded at the Battle of Brandywine. Ferguson Acts A believer that militia could be trained to be as effective as regulars, Fergusons command was composed of 1,000 Loyalists from the region. Appointed Inspector of Militia on May 22, 1780, he relentlessly trained and drilled his men. The result was a highly-disciplined unit that possessed strong morale. This force quickly moved against the western militias after the Battle of Musgrove Mill but was unable to catch them before they withdrew back over the mountains into the territory of the Watauga Association. While Cornwallis started moving north, Ferguson established himself at Gilbert Town, NC on September 7. Dispatching a paroled American into the mountains with a message, he issued a stark challenge to the mountain militias. Ordering them to cease their attacks, he stated that if they did not desist from their opposition to the British arms, and take protection under his standard, he would march his army over the mountains, hang their leaders, and lay their country waste with fire and sword. Commanders Armies: Americans Colonel John SevierColonel William CampbellColonel Isaac ShelbyColonel James JohnstonColonel Benjamin ClevelandColonel Joseph WinstonColonel James WilliamsColonel Charles McDowellLieutenant Colonel Frederick Hambright900 men British Major Patrick Ferguson1,000 men The Militia Reacts Rather than intimidate, Fergusons words sparked outrage in the western settlements. In response, Shelby, Colonel John Sevier, and others gathered around 1,100 militia at Sycamore Shoals on the Watauga River. This force included around 400 Virginians led by Colonel William Campbell. This rendezvous was facilitated by the fact that Joseph Martin had cultivated positive relations with the neighboring Cherokees. Known as Overmountain Men because they had settled on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains, the combined militia force made plans to cross Roan Mountain into North Carolina. On September 26, they began moving east to engage Ferguson. Four days later they joined Colonels Benjamin Cleveland and Joseph Winston near Quaker Meadows, NC and increased the size of their force to around 1,400. Alerted to the American advance by two deserters, Ferguson began withdrawing east towards Cornwallis and was no longer at Gilbert Town when the militias arrived. He also sent a dispatch to Cornwallis requesting reinforcements. Uniting Forces Appointing Campbell as their nominal overall commander, but with the five colonels agreeing to act in council, the militia moved south to Cowpens where they were joined by 400 South Carolinians under Colonel James Williams on October 6. Learning that Ferguson was camped at Kings Mountain, thirty miles to the east and eager to catch him before he could rejoin Cornwallis, Williams selected 900 picked men and horses. Departing, this force rode east through constant rain and reached Kings Mountain the following afternoon. Ferguson had chosen the position because he believed that it would force any attacker to show themselves as they moved from woods on the slopes to the open summit. Due to the difficult terrain, he elected not to fortify his camp.   Ferguson Trapped Shaped like a footprint, Kings Mountains highest point was at the heel in the southwest and it broadened and flattened towards the toes in the northeast. Approaching, Campbells colonels met to discuss strategy. Rather than simply defeat Ferguson, they sought to destroy his command. Moving through the woods in four columns, the militia slipped around the mountain and surrounded Fergusons position on the heights. While Sevier and Campbells men attacked the heel the remainder of the militia moved forward against the rest of the mountain.  Attacking around 3:00 PM, the Americans opened fire from behind cover with their rifles and caught Fergusons men by surprise (Map). Advancing in deliberate fashion, using rocks and trees for cover, the Americans were able to pick off Fergusons men on the exposed heights. Conversely, the Loyalists position on the high ground led them to frequently overshoot their targets. Given the wooded and rough terrain, each militia detachment effectively fought on its own once the battle commenced. In a precarious position with men falling around him, Ferguson ordered a bayonet attack to drive back Campbell and Seviers men. This was successful, as the enemy lacked bayonets and withdrew down the slope. Rallying at the base of the mountain, the militia began ascending a second time. Several more bayonet attacks were ordered with similar results. Each time, the Americans allowed the charge to expend itself then resumed their attack, picking off more and more Loyalists. The British Destroyed Moving around the heights, Ferguson worked tirelessly to rally his men. After an hour or so of fighting, Shelby, Sevier, and Campbells men were able to gain footholds on the heights. With his own men dropping at an increasing rate, Ferguson attempted to organize a break out. Leading a group of men forward, Ferguson was struck and dragged into the militia lines by his horse. Confronted by an American officer, Ferguson fired and killed him before being shot multiple times by surrounding militiamen. With their leader gone, the Loyalists began attempting to surrender. Shouting Remember Waxhaws and Tarletons Quarter, many in the militia continued to fire, striking down surrendering Loyalists until their colonels could regain control of the situation. Aftermath While casualty numbers for the Battle of Kings Mountain vary from source to source, the Americans lost around 28 killed and 68 wounded. British losses numbered around 225 killed, 163 wounded, and 600 captured. Among the British dead was Ferguson. A promising young officer, his breech-loading rifle was never adopted as it challenged the preferred British method of warfare. Had his men at Kings Mountain been equipped with his rifle, it may have made a difference. In the wake of the victory, Joseph Greer was dispatched on a 600-mile trek from Sycamore Shoals to inform the Continental Congress of the action. For Cornwallis, the defeat signaled stronger than anticipated resistance from the populace. As a result, he abandoned his march into North Carolina and returned south.