Play It Again Rita Essays (274 words) - Conversation,

Play It Again Rita Annonymous By: Paule Marshall One woman tries to convey the variety of voices from West Indians and black American Engilsh which are her heritage. She gained her knowledge through her mother and her friens. She mentioned how listening to her mother affected her life as to being the person that she is tody. She has become a successful writer. (thesis) In The Making of a Writer, Paule Marshall demonstrates that although she grew up in a kitchen listening to her mother and friens talk, not being able to be heard, she learns a few things through her mother and her friends. (topic sentence 1) Marshall's mother and her friends got together for a cup of tea or cocoa and to talk a bit before heading home to their families. They got together in their brownstone home kitchen in Brooklyn everyday for about two hours. She and her sister would be seated doing homework while the ladies talked endlessly. They talked about political events and historical events like wars and the rumors that went on of wars that took place back then. They also talked about their home in the Caribbean and also their adopted home ---- AMERICA ----. (topic sentence 2) The rule for children in the 30's was for them to be seated in the corner of the room, being seen, but not heard. Marshall wasn't able to join in on any of her mother's conversations. She was only able to listen and not say a word. Marshall may not have been able to talk much within the crowd of older folks, but she sure did learn a lot about some events in the past and also about her heritage through listening to her mother's conversations as she grew up.

The History of Ostrich Domestication

The History of Ostrich Domestication Ostriches (Struthio camelus) are the largest bird alive today, with adults weighing between 200–300 pounds (90-135 kilograms). Adult males attain a height of up to 7.8 feet (2.4 meters) tall; females are slightly smaller. Their immense body size and small wings make them incapable of flying. Ostriches have a remarkable tolerance to heat, withstanding temperatures up to 56 degrees C (132 degrees F) without much stress. Ostriches have been domesticated for only about 150 years, and are truly only partly domesticated, or, rather, are only domesticated for a short period of their lives. Key Takeaways: Ostrich Domestication Ostriches were domesticated (and only partly) in South Africa in the mid-19th century.  South African farmers and their British colonial overlords were responding to an enormous demand for fluffy ostrich feathers used in Victorian-era fashions.Although they are adorable as chicks, ostriches are not good pets, because they quickly grow into bad-tempered giants with sharp claws.   Ostriches as Pets? Keeping ostriches in zoos as exotic pets was practiced in Bronze Age Mesopotamia at least as early as the 18th century BCE. Assyrian annals mention ostrich hunts, and some royal kings and queens kept them in zoos and harvested them for eggs and feathers. Although some modern day people do attempt to keep ostriches as pets, no matter how gently you raise them, within a year, the cute fluffy juvenile ball grows to a 200-pound behemoth with sharp claws and the temperament to use them.​ Far more common and successful is ostrich farming, producing red meat similar to beef or venison, and leather goods from the hides. The ostrich market is variable, and as of the 2012 agricultural census, there are just a few hundred ostrich farms in the U.S. Ostrich Life Cycle There are a handful of recognized modern sub-species of ostrich, including four in Africa, one in Asia (Struthio camelus syriacus, which has been extinct since the 1960s) and one in Arabia (Struthio asiaticus Brodkorb). Wild species are known to have been present in North Africa and Central Asia, although today they are restricted to sub-Saharan Africa. South American ratite species are only distantly related, including Rhea americana and Rhea pennata. Wild ostriches are grass eaters, usually concentrating on a handful of annual grasses and forbs that yield essential protein, fiber, and calcium. When they dont have a choice, they will eat leaves, flowers, and fruits of non-grassy plants. Ostriches mature at between four and five years of age and have a lifespan in the wild of up to 40 years. They are known to travel in the Namib desert between 5 to 12 miles (8–20 kilometers) per day, with an average home range of about 50 mi (80 km). They can run up to 44 mi (70 km) per hour when necessary, with a single stride of up to 26 ft (8 m). It has been suggested that Upper Paleolithic Asian ostriches migrated seasonally, as an adaptation to climate change. Ancient Appearance: Ostrich as Megafauna Ostriches are of course an ancient prehistoric bird, but they show up in the human record as ostrich eggshell (often abbreviated OES) fragments and beads from archaeological sites beginning about 60,000 years ago. Ostriches, along with mammoth, were among the last Asian megafaunal species (defined as animals which weigh more than 100 kg) to become extinct. Radiocarbon dates on archaeological sites associated with OES begin near the end of the Pleistocene, late in Marine Isotope Stage 3 (ca. 60,000–25,000 years ago). Central Asian ostriches went extinct during the Holocene (what archaeologists call the last 12,000 years or so). The east Asian ostrich Struthio anderssoni, native to the Gobi Desert, was among the megafaunal species that went extinct during the Holocene: they survived the Last Glacial Maximum only to apparently be done in by increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. That increase also increased the number of grasses, but it negatively impacted the forage availability in the Gobi. In addition, it is possible that human over-use during the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene might have occurred, as mobile hunter-gatherers moved into the region. Human Use and Domestication Beginning in the late Pleistocene, ostriches were hunted for their meat, their feathers, and their eggs. Ostrich shell eggs were likely hunted for the protein in their yolks but were also very useful as light, strong containers for water. Ostrich eggs measure up to 6 inches (16 centimeters) long and can carry up to one quart (about one liter ) of fluid. Ostriches were first kept in captivity during the Bronze Age, in a tamed and semi-domesticated state, in gardens of Babylon, Nineveh, and Egypt, as well as later in Greece and Rome. Tutankhamuns tomb included images of hunting the birds with a bow and arrow, as well as a very fancy ivory ostrich feather fan. There is documented evidence of ostrich riding since the first millennium BCE at the Sumerian site of Kish. European Trade and Domestication The full domestication of the ostrich was not attempted until the mid-19th century when South African farmers established farms solely for harvesting the plumage. At the time, and indeed for several centuries before that and since, ostrich feathers were in high demand by fashionistas from Henry VIII to Mae West. Feathers can be harvested from the ostrich every six to eight months without ill effects. During the first decade of the 20th century, ostrich feathers used in the fashion industry had driven the value per pound to that nearly equal to that of diamonds. Most of the feathers came from Little Karoo, in the Western Cape region of southern Africa. That was because, in the 1860s, the British colonial government had actively facilitated export-oriented ostrich raising. The Darker Side of Ostrich Farming According to historian Sarah Abrevaya Stein, in 1911 the Trans-Saharan Ostrich Expedition took place. That involved a British-government sponsored corporate espionage group who snuck into French Sudan (chased by American and French corporate spies) to steal 150 Barbary ostriches, famed for their double fluff plumes, and brought them back to Cape Town to be inbred with the stock there. By the end of World War II, though, the market for feathers crashed- by 1944, the only market for the fanciest of plumes was on cheap plastic Kewpie dolls. The industry managed to survive by broadening the market to meat and hides. Historian Aomar Boum and Michael Bonine have argued that the European capitalist passion for ostrich plumes decimated both wild animal stocks and African livelihoods based on wild ostriches. Sources Al-Talhi, Dhaifallah. Almulihiah: A Rock Art Site in the Hail Region, Saudi Arabia. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy 23.1 (2012): 92–98. Print.Bonato, Maud, et al. Extensive Human Presence at an Early Age of Ostriches Improves the Docility of Birds at a Later Stage of Life. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 148.3–4 (2013): 232–39. Print.Boum, Aomar, and Michael Bonine. The Elegant Plume: Ostrich Feathers, African Commercial Networks, and European Capitalism. The Journal of North African Studies 20.1 (2015): 5–26. Print.Brysbaert, Ann. ‘The Chicken or the Egg?’ Interregional Contacts Viewed through a Technological Lens at Late Bronze Age Tiryns, Greece. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 32.3 (2013): 233–56. Print.dErrico, Francesco, et al. Early Evidence of San Material Culture Represented by Organic Artifacts from Border Cave, South Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109.33 (2012): 13214–19. Print.Gegner, Lance E. Ratite Production: Ostrich, Emu and Rhea. Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas: National Center for Appropriate Technology, 2001. 1–8. Print. Janz, Lisa, Robert G. Elston, and George S. Burr. Dating North Asian Surface Assemblages with Ostrich Eggshell: Implications for Palaeoecology and Extirpation. Journal of Archaeological Science 36.9 (2009): 1982–89. Print.Kurochkin, Evgeny N., et al. The Timing of Ostrich Existence in Central Asia: AMS 14c Age of Eggshells from Mongolia and Southern Siberia (a Pilot Study). Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms 268.7–8 (2010): 1091–93. Print.Renault, Marion. Decades after It Crashed, Ostrich Industry Poised to Take Off as Demand Grows. Chicago Tribune September 25. 2016. Print.Shanawany, M. M. Recent Developments in Ostrich Farming. World Animal Review 83.2 (1995). Print.Stein, Sarah Abrevaya. Plumes: Ostrich Feathers, Jews, and a Lost World of Global Commerce. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008. Print.

Role of Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Role of Manager - Essay Example In the result, experts (Gootnick, pp. 36-40, 1999) are now carrying out studies to understand different aspects of various fields, and this paper is an attempt in the same series that will look into the relationship of individual differences, personality, and intelligence with the role and working of managers in organisations. In particular, analysis (Haslam, pp. 23-29, 2007) has indicated that experience is one of the most imperative components that enable individuals to involve in the process of learning that subsequently allows effective execution of any work or task. In addition, it is an understanding that experience is the key factor that resulted in alteration of abovementioned three notions under focus of this paper. In this regard, one can state that experience plays a crucial role in ensuring effective development of managers; however, experts (Fumham, pp. 56-60, 2008) have noted that experience as mixture of personality, individual differences, and intelligence is not the key notion but the more important thing is the reaction of the manager in response to the experience. In other words, experience does not give lesson but one has to get a lesson from experiences. It will be easier to understand this notion by considering an example. For instance, a manager confronts a situation of an unsatisfied employee in an organisation, and he responds by talking to him personally. On the other hand, another manager confronts the same situation but he decides to consider employee as an under-performing employee without any discussion. The experience or rather confrontation was same; however, responses were different that would have resulted in contradictory outcomes in that organisation. At this point, individual variability or individual differences play a critical role in supporting manager in effective management of the people (Haslam, pp. 46-60, 2007). However, when it comes to individual variability, experts have identified strong relationship of intelligen ce with individual differences and that intelligence plays a significant role in enabling effectiveness in the work. However, individuals often view intelligence from the traditional lens related to academic achievement. In the context of manager’s role, traditional intelligence does not but the practical intelligence ensures effectiveness in manager’s functions. In order to understand the role of intelligence in manager’s part, let the paper include an example. In particular, a traditionally intelligent person refers to the easy understanding of academic facts that is applicable in the example of a student; however, a practically intelligent person means easy understanding of tacit knowledge (Fumham, pp. 69-74, 2008) that works in situation of the manager. In the case of student, knowledge is declarative, whereas when it comes to manager, knowledge becomes procedural that is a student focuses on ‘knowing that’ while manager endeavors on ‘know ing how’ notion that explains how intelligence, particularly, practical intelligence supports manager in effective execution that is effective management of people at the workplace. In order to understand the difference further, academic knowledge refers to information that explains behavior, and on the other hand, tacit knowledge means information that guides or initiates behavior. Further analysis of literature (Hosie, pp. 20-33, 2006) has indicated that there exist certain characteristics that facilitate managers in carrying out their works in terms of managing people, and that simultaneously involves self-development of the managers. In particular, tacit knowledge and experience were once again major

Amnesty and Human Rights Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Amnesty and Human Rights - Case Study Example Amnesty has published an article under the title: "Tibet at risk of torture" on march 27 2008. It shows the recent events in Tibet, a country that is occupied by China for more then 50 years now. Despite all efforts from the Dalai Lama, the Olympics 2008 in Being are the event that draws finally the attention to the problems of the occupation. The whole world is protesting right right now. And what Amnesty shows us explains why. Amnesty (2008): "According to information published by the Tibetan Center on Human Rights and Democracy, 15 Tibetan monks were detained on 10 March for staging a peaceful demonstration in Barkhor, Lhasa, the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region in China. There is no information of their current whereabouts or of any charges brought against them. They are at high risk of torture and other ill- treatment." Besides this significant and important action there is also the important issue on the Human Rights situation in China. Amnesty (2008): " Expressing an opini on online in China can result in jail, torture and death. People are silenced and what happens in China is often clouded in secrecy. Sign up to take the pledge to stop the Chinese Government and large internet companies restricting freedom of expression on the Internet, and we'll keep you up-to-date with ways you can help create a more transparent society in China." You can directly participate in signing the form online.... and death. People are silenced and what happens in China is often clouded in secrecy. Sign up to take the pledge to stop the Chinese Government and large internet companies restricting freedom of expression on the Internet, and we'll keep you up-to-date with ways you can help create a more transparent society in China." You can directly participate in signing the form online. The chosen actions are petitions you can sign online or send in an email to the Ambassador. You reach immediate whom you want to reach, the Government of China from home. In doing so you can plaid for changes in the situation of Chines regarding the human rights and plaid for a free Tibet. How effective do you think the action has been/will be and how could it be more effective Amnesty is offering us a change to write a letter to the Chinese Ambassador to plead for Tibet. Online there is an example for an email. Amnesty asking us to personalize the letters also online to help. Amnesty (2008): " Please send an urgent letter to His Excellency Mr ZHANG Junsai, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Australia. Here are some key points you can include in your letter: urge the authorities to release the 15 monks, as well as all others detained for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, Association and assembly urge the authorities to fully account for all those detained during the demonstrations, ensuring they are not tortured or otherwise ill-treated, have access to lawyers and medical care, are brought promptly before an independent court and are able to challenge their detention ensure that those prosecuted are charged with internationally recognizable offences and tried in proceedings which meet international fair

Film, Culture and Society Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film, Culture and Society - Movie Review Example (Sklar, 1994) Perhaps the reason why Depp has attracted a lot of attention outside his film could be because of his charming personality. He reports to interviews with a cigar in hand and then says hallo to all the members surrounding of the camera crew. Additionally, the actor is quite comfortable with his own personality because he is not afraid of experimenting with fashion. The actor can wear boots that were synonymous with the nineteen eighties and still hold his head high. Depp tops this up with his good looks and makes many Hollywood enthusiasts interested in his escapades. Besides these, Depp is quite enterprising; he owns a club called Viper Room in the heart off Hollywood. But then again, the tabloids reported that this place has more drugs than soda. Speaking of escapades, Depp has had his share of dramatic scenes in his personal life. He was reported by some newspaper reporters that he had trashed hotel. As if this is not enough he has had some drug addiction issues in the past but this does not stop the public from loosing interest in his new developments. Maybe it is these negative remarks that keep the public anxious. (Shatz, 2002) Fellow actors such as Penelope Cruz have asserted that Depp is quite a humorous man. He is indeed natural and charismatic at the same time. They claim that this is the most outstanding feature about him and this could also be the reason why he has been in and out of relationships. Johnny Depp's' films Johnny Depp has contributed to the film industry in his own unique way. However, some critics argue that he is not an actor worth his salt. This can be attributed to some of the headless horsemen movies he has done in the past. These movies undermined the strength of Depp's acting abilities. However, these arguments pale when one examines other films done by Depp. For instance the films; 'Before Night Falls' and 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' did very well in the box office. The one thing they both had in common was the fact that Johnny Depp was the main character. He seems to have an ability to carry heavy roles with the depth they deserve. Taking an example of the movie 'Blow'; Depp plays the role of a tough, fearless and tragic drug dealer. Depp was chosen for this role because he has the capacity to bring out the negative aspects in the lead role. On the other hand, this does not undermine the fact that he still displays the tragic end to the movie with the compassion and dignity it deserves. Depp chooses his film roles carefully as most of them depict central characters. Conclusion Johnny Depp is a charismatic, humorous and striking person in real life. This larger-than-life off -screen character has influenced the level of success and hence his stardom. (Neve, 1992) The issues going on behind the camera have adversely affected the roles played in front of the camera in terms of the offers presented to Depp. After assessing Depp's life; controversy is indeed a marketing tool in Hollywood as Depp only became truly famous after people started following up his private life. Success of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge as a postmodernist film Introduction The essay will examine the extent to which Baz Luhrmann's the Moulin Rouge film has depicted postmodernism with a specific focus on Parody /pastiche. Discussion The film's main theme serves as a template for the expression of parody. The

Customer Satisfaction at Sainsburys

Customer Satisfaction at Sainsburys Implications for the development of Sainsbury in the future 1. Introduction The retail industry is one of the oldest industrial sectors of UK having its roots based in the 19th century. An article in The Financial Times about Sainsburys dropping sales and consequently market shares triggered the research topic and we drove ourselves to the history of supermarkets to reveal the secret behind the big giants (Tesco, Sainsburys and ASDA) fighting for the top position in the market. The reason to select Sainsburys rather than other two foes from the flock was the interesting reign of Sainsburys in past 100 years of business. The article first illustrates the supermarket retailers background and outlines the present problems. Secondly, it analyzes the perception of customers towards the current supermarkets and the extent to which their needs are satisfied by Sainsburys. Finally, the possible solutions are evaluated and it indicates some recommendations for implementation. The work established in the following research is purely based on a quantitative data collection and scrutiny with a wide implementation of literature and marketing research tools. In the following research work, we, group of five students, have cloaked the role of researchers and reaped a considerable amount of sagacious know-how about conducting a research and using marketing research gears in different areas of research. 2. Background to the problem 2.1 About Sainsburys Sainsburys Supermarket is the longest standing major food retailing chain in the UK, with their first store opened in 1869. The mission and policy of Sainsburys is to provide customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food. The quality and fair prices of Sainsburys is taking responsibility to their business. Sainsburys stores have particularly emphasized on fresh food and they devote themselves to create continuous innovation. Moreover, they are concerned about customer needs and based on these needs improve products regularly. Its market share is around 16 % and now they serve over 18 million customers a week. Sainsburys own 455 supermarkets and 301 convenience stores, the type of these stores are categorized into 3 types, which are Main Mission outlets, Main Plus format stores (hypermarkets),and Mixed mission format shops (Sainsburys Central and Local). The large stores offer approximately 30,000 products and offer and support the non-food products and services in many of their stores. Around 88% of British households are provided by the internet-based home delivery shopping service. At present, Sainsburys is the third biggest supermarket chain in Britain after the countrys largest retailer Tesco and Wal-Mart owned ASDA. Their business mission is to be the consumers first choice for food, delivering products of outstanding quality and great service at a competitive cost working faster, simpler and together.'(http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/index.jsp, N.D) 2.2 Describe the problem Sainsburys used to take the biggest slice of the whole retail market in the UK. However, since 1995, Tesco started with their membership cards, and out of blue their sales have increased rapidly. Sainsburys became the third biggest supermarket chain in Britain after the countrys largest retailer Tesco and Wal-Mart owned Asda. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4694974.stm, N.D, BBC News) 2.3The main reasons for exploring the problem The formula of Sainsburys success could be concluded in the points which are listed below: High quality products quality assurance Wide range of products Different customer segmentations (http://www.foodprocessing-technology.com/features/feature56457/, ND) Although Sainsburys still follows these points to manage the company, but according to the reduction of the market share, the profit of managing Sainsburys has been more seriously affected. Although Sainsburys could retain the balance of revenue and expenditure, moreover, it remained permanent. It still needs to attract more customers and raise its market share. Furthermore, the needs of its customers should be valued and respected. We need to do marketing research to explore the possible factors which affect customers satisfaction and then use marketing strategies to improve these factors to increase customers shopping demands and enhance their loyalty. 3. Problem Definition An extensive study of market conditions and retail industry in United Kingdom gave us a brief idea about the status of Sainsburys in the retail industry. The largest retailer in the UK till mid 1990s suddenly dropped to the third position loosing its hold on market and decrement in the potential market customers. The decline in market shares and a low rate of sales returns was enough to define the problem for Sainsburys in the present market scenario. With new retailers emerging in the sector deploying all their marketing strategies to be the best in the race, it is very important for Sainsburys to take a brave step now to protect their current position and then to improvise on their hold in the industry. 3.1 Management Decision Problem What can Sainsburys doto regain the market share in retailing industry? The management team now require to sit down and discuss the failure points and the current shortcoming to establish a conclusion to why there is a constant downfall in the shares of the company and why it is being overtaken by a company (ASDA) which has its central operating sector based in a country (USA) which is thousands of miles away from UK. As per a latest study, the retail industry is expected to show an increase in 15% annually and Sainsburys needs to identify the market requirement till they become history for the consumers. (sources) 3.2 Marketing Research Problem The Management Problem was turned into a Research Problem which more specifically tackles the aim of this study. l To determine the various needs of shoppers and the extent to which current Sainsburys experiences were satisfying those needs compared to the competitors. The conversion of the management problem into a research problem makes the concept easier to understand and tackle. It gives a broader prospective of the problem and alongside makes a simple way to handle and implement the desired implications. 3.3 Research Components The research components further diversify the purpose of research and explain the problem in detail. The following components define the research problem: What is the demographic and psychographic profile of the customers? What do customers expect when going shopping in the stores? How well does Sainsburys existing products and service offering meet customers needs compared to Tesco and ASDA? Are there any customer needs that are not being adequately met by Sainsburys? How often do customers go shopping per week? 4. Research Approach Development In this section, it reveals the Exploratory Research conducted and the Conceptual Model. 4.1 Exploratory Research 4.1.1 Literature Reviews This section concerns some available information extracted from Literature Reviews. Based on literature reviews, service quality, is seen as an important factor, and closely related to a retail companies performance. Service quality is perceived by customers as the result of comparing the expectations about the service they are going to receive and their perceptions of the retail companys actions. (Rodolfo Vazquez et al, 2001). It is of great help to demonstrate how to assess the service performance of a retail company and it carries some implications itself as well, which is beneficial when making the model of this study. According to Yan Lu et al (2008) there are five dimensions of service quality in a retail store setting, including: physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving and policy. In addition, Rodolfo Vazquez et al. (2001) found that service quality in retail companies adopting the commercial format of supermarkets has a four factor structure (physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction and policies). Physical Environment Physical environment incorporates the inward and outward appearance of the store. According to Rodolfo Vazquez et al (2001), physical environment involves the simplicity and importance of shopping from the internal appearance of the sales outlet. Based on this, Rodolfo Vazquez et al states that there are two physical aspects of supermarkets: store appearance, which includes: decoration, fixtures, equipment, cleanliness, design of product and services publicity leaflets and the convenience of shopping, which includes: interior design and store layout of sections and product shelf position. According to Poping Lin (2005), traditional wisdom teaches that one key to win market share is offering a wide variety of products, which can be helpful for attracting a wider variety of customers. Providing products and services at a close and most convenient location, is the very core of deriving the best return from investments, also the ambience a store maintains can influence a customers purcha se decisions to a great extent. (Prakash Gupta, year) Reliability According to A.Parasuraman et al. (1988), to be reliable is being able to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Based on his research, A.Parasuraman et al. found out that reliability is the most important factor taken into consideration by customers when they evaluate a retail companys overall service quality. This has also been supported by many researches in other studies. Dabholker et al. (1996) indicate that reliability in the eyes of customers is a combination of keeping promise and doing it well. Keeping promise means that a retail company should stock enough products to satisfy customers needs and guarantee the products quality as well as allowing returns and exchanges and being willing to dealing with any problems from customers. On the other side, in the terms of doing it well, a company is expected to be able to provide customers with fast sales transactions and precise information, such as sales promotions, price and sales slips. (Rodolfo Vazquez et al, 2 001) Personal Interaction Based on existing literature, it is noted that customers are not only interested in the product offerings and physical environment, but also on the service provided by staffs. Personal interaction involves the process followed in order to obtain the sale and the service encounters where the need arises while coming in contact with the retail company employees. (Rodolfo Vazquez et al, 2001) According to Prakash Gupta (year), consumers look for help whenever they are in an emergency. In that situation, store employees helpful advice and assistance will help to reduce the attrition rate of customers and enhance shopping experience. Policy Policy captures aspects of service quality affected by the strategies of the prices and brand assortment. Brand assortment policy must be established with great care and also a large and wide-ranging assortment of well-known brands is needed. (Rodolfo Vazquez et al, 2001) In addition, retail stores should be able to come up with an attractive pricing policy. According to Siu and Cheung, policy has a great impact on customers repeat purchase intention. (Yan Lu, Yoo-Kyoung Seock, 2008) Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is a measure of how an organizations total product performs in relation to a set or customers requirement (Nigel Hill, Jim Alexander, 2006). There is no better advertisement than a Satisfied Customer and nothing worse than a Dissatisfied Customer (Phillip Kotler et al, 2008). Marketing Researchers and Managers have realized how important customer satisfaction is. According to Robert Heller (2006), customer based strategy is the only important form of strategy, product and producer driven strategies are fast dying. Similarly, Customer Satisfaction is the ultimate goal, and an investment that often doesnt produce result in a short term, but leads to Customer loyalty in a medium or long term (Craig Cochran, 2003). The lack of attention to customer Satisfaction costs companies money because there is an intractable connection to high level of customer satisfaction and increased share holder value (Chris Denove, James D. Power IV, 2007) Loyalty It is believed that maintaining the current customers costs less than attracting new customers, in the light of this; it is wise for companies to pay close attention to retaining their current customers. There are efficiencies in dealing with existing customers rather than new customers. (Ruth N.Bolton, 2000) Relative retention has been shown to explained profits better than market share, scale, cost position, or any of the other variables usually associated with competitive advantage. (Niren Sirohi et al, 1998) In general, the customers loyalty is indicated by an intention to perform a diverse set of behaviors that signal a motivation to maintain a relationship with focal firm, including allocating a higher share of the category wallet to the specific service provider, engaging in positive word-of -mouth, and repeat purchasing. (Ulrich R. Orth, Mark T.Green, 2009) According to Zeithaml et al., favorable assessment of service quality leads to favorable behavioral intentions such as p ositive word-of-mouth and preference for one company over others. (Yan Lu, Yoo-Kyoung Seock, 2008). In other word, higher satisfaction relates to higher loyalty. (Ulrich R. Orth, Mark T.Green, 2009) 4.2 Conceptual Model On the basis of the literature reviews, a final model has been defined (Refer to figure 1), which consists of two parts. In the first part of the model, there are 4 Independent variables (namely Physical Environment, Reliability, Personal Interaction, Policy), consisting of several aspects respectively, that may have an impact on the Dependent variables (Customer Satisfaction as shown in the model). As regard to the second part of the model, we assume that the Independent variable, Satisfaction, is connected with Loyalty, Dependent variable. Table 1: Summary of Research Questions and Hypothesis Specification of information needed Depending upon each component of the problem and the conceptual model, research questions and hypothesis, the information needed can be defined as follows: Component 1: To determine the factors customers are apprehensive about when selecting a store for shopping. Perceptions of customers on factors that influence choice of supermarkets Component 2: To determine how well do existing service offering meet customers needs. Evaluation of customers on the performance of ASDA. Evaluation of customers on the performance of Sainsburys. Evaluation of customers on the performance of Tesco. 5. Research Design and Methodology 5.1 Research Design In order to obtain the required information to solve the marketing research problems, research design was carried out for the further step. The research design is the framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project that specify the procedures necessary to obtain the information needed. (Malhotra, 2009) There are two basic types of research designs available which are classified in terms of the research objectives: exploratory and conclusive. (Malhotra, 2009) In this report, both exploratory and conclusive research designs were conducted for Sainsburys. 5.1.1 Exploratory research design In order to understand and gain insight to the problem that the company is facing now, a detailed literature review was prepared. 5.1.2 Conclusive research design After gaining understanding of current situation and management-decision problem of the company from exploratory research, the conclusive research was designed to make the management decision, testing hypotheses and also examining relationships between factors influencing the supermarket selection and customer satisfaction of Sainsburys as compared to its competitors. Furthermore, the descriptive research was used to describe the market characteristics and determine those relationships. Due to time constraint, the single cross-sectional design was used and a selected group of respondents were measured at one time. The data-collection technique used in this report was the survey conducted by a predesigned questionnaire. 5.2 Methodology 5.2.1 Secondary research methodology In order to collect data about the companys problem in general, two types of the secondary research were collected. The first one is the internal secondary data. Obtaining information from companys annual report provided the background of the company and fundamental data about its market shares. The second one is the external secondary data. In research approach development step, literatures have been reviewed. The information was retrieved from many sources including census data that provided elementary background of demographic data of UK households and consumption behaviors of UK consumers. In addition, abstracts in form of bibliographic databases have been retrieved from the University of Leeds Portals library. Gaining information from above secondary data can help us to understand the companys situation, define the research problem and also develop an approach to that problem. Journal articles and books provide knowledge in defining the variables in the research model which led to formulate the hypotheses and forming questionnaire design. 5.2.2 Primary research methodology 5.2.2.1 Research approach The major research approach chosen in this report is questionnaire survey. A detailed survey selecting a large sample was conducted to support the literature to get a deeper understanding of factors in choosing supermarkets. Furthermore, surveys were chosen in order to gain insights into the consumer behaviors pattern and consumers perceptions of UK supermarkets. 5.2.2.2 Sampling design Due to budget and time limitation, sample surveys were selected based on direct questioning. A sample is a subgroup of the elements of the population selected for participation in the study. (Malhotra, 2009) In this report, the sample group was selected from the total population in the UK. In determining the sample size, the statistical method was chosen. The sample size was calculated as follows: 2500 * N * Z2 n = ____________________ [25(N-1)] + [2500 * Z2] Where n = sample size required N = population size Z = number of standard errors The total population size (N) is 41,020,711 which are derived from the estimated people aged at 15-64 years in the United Kingdom as of July 2009. The source of information is The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In this case, the most commonly used 95% confidence level is applied. When the variables are taken, the result obtained from the formula could be as below: 2,500 * 41,020,711 * 1.962 n = __________________________ 25(41,020,711 -1) + (2,500 * 1.962) = 384 Due to time and cost constraints, 40% of the total sample size was taken into consideration, therefore adding up to 154 samples could be collected in conducting the survey. For the sampling method used in the surveys, the data collected through a survey of 154 respondents was divided into two proportions equally. The probability sampling techniques used in this report is Simple Random Sampling (SRS) in which each sample in the total population has an equal probability in selecting. (Malhotra, 2009) Therefore, half of the total questionnaires were executed by people living in Leeds and the rest was from people living outside Leeds. Moreover, two ways in distributing the questionnaires were conducted: paper based and online based survey. 5.2.2.3 Questionnaire Design (Refer to Appendix 1) The division of research problem into components made the way to design the questionnaire to analyze the market scenario and the customer needs. The background of the questionnaire design was the basic study of the component and sub-dividing the components into various similar factors which are considered to select or prefer any retail industry. The Physical Factors were classified as size, location, layout, and etc. of the store and mentioned as questions in the draft. 12 broad questions were decided on the basis of relevance and availability of time for the participant to come out with rational answers without any external or internal influence of reviewer or the industry. The intention was to collect some primary data about the general perception of people and then segmenting them as per their responses and choices. As required questionnaire was designed in 4 major segments in five pages including the introduction and purpose of study, literature was consulted to find out the best blue print of the questionnaire. It was also considered that all the questions are easy to understand and the response is useful for the analysis of the components. The questionnaire was designed with both multiple choice and dichotomous questions with all the scales referred as per the 5 Point Likert Scale l The first section dealt with the general introduction of the respondents to the retail industry, the shopping habits and the familiarity with the retail market. l Section 2 were the general factors affecting the selection of supermarkets and respondents preference of retail stores, continued with the acuity of three major supermarkets in the UK namely ASDA, Sainsburys and Tesco. l Section 3 covered the satisfaction and loyalty level of the participants towards their favorite retail store. l The final section was the personal information about the respondent assisting with the demographical and segmentation of the participants. The sentences of the questionnaire were made simple and all the options and questions were double checked for any offence in the questions. It was specially taken care that every response should be informative and two open questions were also provided in the questionnaire in order to find depth know-how about the stance of people towards Sainsburys irrespective they are loyal members of Sainsburys shopping club or not. 5.2.2.4 Field work The data was collected between the 18th and the 22th of November, 2009. The questionnaires were collected in different times and different places, targeting all supermarket shoppers throughout the UK; starting from University of Leeds, city centre, flat residents and people outside Leeds. The questionnaire delivering method was personal interviews in order to control the response rate and clarify the complex questions. 5.2.2.5 Analytical issues A diversity of analytical methods was used to gather the data and analyze the results. To analyze the basic statistics, descriptive statistics has been used. Furthermore, graphical representations and one-sample tests were applied to present the demographic and psychographic profile of respondents and also examine the influential factors when choosing a supermarket. To analyze the relationship between independent and dependent variables, the regression analysis has been used. Bivariate regressions were used to test the hypotheses H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5 while multiple regression analysis was used to test whether or not there is collective relation between all hypothetical factors and customer satisfaction. 6. Results and Analysis In this part, SPSS was used to represent the basic statistics, graphical representations and one-sample tests in order to answer the five problem components. Also, it was used for testing whether or not the results support the hypotheses. 6. 1. Analysis of Problem Components 6.1.1 Examining demographic and psychographic profile of respondents There are 154 questionnaires have been completed which 60 % is female and the other 40% is male. (Refer to Appendix 2) More than 50% of respondents aged between 18-24 years old and they are all students. The second most majority is people aged between 25-34 years old. The minority is people aged more than 65 years old. (Refer to Appendix 3) By far the most of respondents are single due to the fact that they are students. One-fifth of them are married and there is no widowed who filled in the questionnaires. (Refer to Appendix 4) More than a half of respondents are students and nearly 30% of all respondents are working and employed by the company. (Refer to Appendix 5) Nearly half spend between  £20 40 when going shopping while the average household annual income is below  £ 15,000. (Refer to Appendix 6 and 7) 6.1.2 Examining factors affecting supermarket selection Table 2: One-sample T-test statistics results One sample T-test were carried out to test the extent to which the mean scores are significantly higher than the mid point 3 on the scale ranging from 1 = the least important to 5 = the most important. Results summarized in the table indicate that customers evaluate the Independent variables positively when choosing which supermarket to shop in, but at different levels. It is also obvious from the table that Price, Location/Nearness, Quality of Products, Variety of Products have the strongest mean. It is important to note that the 4 Independ Customer Satisfaction at Sainsburys Customer Satisfaction at Sainsburys Implications for the development of Sainsbury in the future 1. Introduction The retail industry is one of the oldest industrial sectors of UK having its roots based in the 19th century. An article in The Financial Times about Sainsburys dropping sales and consequently market shares triggered the research topic and we drove ourselves to the history of supermarkets to reveal the secret behind the big giants (Tesco, Sainsburys and ASDA) fighting for the top position in the market. The reason to select Sainsburys rather than other two foes from the flock was the interesting reign of Sainsburys in past 100 years of business. The article first illustrates the supermarket retailers background and outlines the present problems. Secondly, it analyzes the perception of customers towards the current supermarkets and the extent to which their needs are satisfied by Sainsburys. Finally, the possible solutions are evaluated and it indicates some recommendations for implementation. The work established in the following research is purely based on a quantitative data collection and scrutiny with a wide implementation of literature and marketing research tools. In the following research work, we, group of five students, have cloaked the role of researchers and reaped a considerable amount of sagacious know-how about conducting a research and using marketing research gears in different areas of research. 2. Background to the problem 2.1 About Sainsburys Sainsburys Supermarket is the longest standing major food retailing chain in the UK, with their first store opened in 1869. The mission and policy of Sainsburys is to provide customers with healthy, safe, fresh and tasty food. The quality and fair prices of Sainsburys is taking responsibility to their business. Sainsburys stores have particularly emphasized on fresh food and they devote themselves to create continuous innovation. Moreover, they are concerned about customer needs and based on these needs improve products regularly. Its market share is around 16 % and now they serve over 18 million customers a week. Sainsburys own 455 supermarkets and 301 convenience stores, the type of these stores are categorized into 3 types, which are Main Mission outlets, Main Plus format stores (hypermarkets),and Mixed mission format shops (Sainsburys Central and Local). The large stores offer approximately 30,000 products and offer and support the non-food products and services in many of their stores. Around 88% of British households are provided by the internet-based home delivery shopping service. At present, Sainsburys is the third biggest supermarket chain in Britain after the countrys largest retailer Tesco and Wal-Mart owned ASDA. Their business mission is to be the consumers first choice for food, delivering products of outstanding quality and great service at a competitive cost working faster, simpler and together.'(http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/sol/index.jsp, N.D) 2.2 Describe the problem Sainsburys used to take the biggest slice of the whole retail market in the UK. However, since 1995, Tesco started with their membership cards, and out of blue their sales have increased rapidly. Sainsburys became the third biggest supermarket chain in Britain after the countrys largest retailer Tesco and Wal-Mart owned Asda. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4694974.stm, N.D, BBC News) 2.3The main reasons for exploring the problem The formula of Sainsburys success could be concluded in the points which are listed below: High quality products quality assurance Wide range of products Different customer segmentations (http://www.foodprocessing-technology.com/features/feature56457/, ND) Although Sainsburys still follows these points to manage the company, but according to the reduction of the market share, the profit of managing Sainsburys has been more seriously affected. Although Sainsburys could retain the balance of revenue and expenditure, moreover, it remained permanent. It still needs to attract more customers and raise its market share. Furthermore, the needs of its customers should be valued and respected. We need to do marketing research to explore the possible factors which affect customers satisfaction and then use marketing strategies to improve these factors to increase customers shopping demands and enhance their loyalty. 3. Problem Definition An extensive study of market conditions and retail industry in United Kingdom gave us a brief idea about the status of Sainsburys in the retail industry. The largest retailer in the UK till mid 1990s suddenly dropped to the third position loosing its hold on market and decrement in the potential market customers. The decline in market shares and a low rate of sales returns was enough to define the problem for Sainsburys in the present market scenario. With new retailers emerging in the sector deploying all their marketing strategies to be the best in the race, it is very important for Sainsburys to take a brave step now to protect their current position and then to improvise on their hold in the industry. 3.1 Management Decision Problem What can Sainsburys doto regain the market share in retailing industry? The management team now require to sit down and discuss the failure points and the current shortcoming to establish a conclusion to why there is a constant downfall in the shares of the company and why it is being overtaken by a company (ASDA) which has its central operating sector based in a country (USA) which is thousands of miles away from UK. As per a latest study, the retail industry is expected to show an increase in 15% annually and Sainsburys needs to identify the market requirement till they become history for the consumers. (sources) 3.2 Marketing Research Problem The Management Problem was turned into a Research Problem which more specifically tackles the aim of this study. l To determine the various needs of shoppers and the extent to which current Sainsburys experiences were satisfying those needs compared to the competitors. The conversion of the management problem into a research problem makes the concept easier to understand and tackle. It gives a broader prospective of the problem and alongside makes a simple way to handle and implement the desired implications. 3.3 Research Components The research components further diversify the purpose of research and explain the problem in detail. The following components define the research problem: What is the demographic and psychographic profile of the customers? What do customers expect when going shopping in the stores? How well does Sainsburys existing products and service offering meet customers needs compared to Tesco and ASDA? Are there any customer needs that are not being adequately met by Sainsburys? How often do customers go shopping per week? 4. Research Approach Development In this section, it reveals the Exploratory Research conducted and the Conceptual Model. 4.1 Exploratory Research 4.1.1 Literature Reviews This section concerns some available information extracted from Literature Reviews. Based on literature reviews, service quality, is seen as an important factor, and closely related to a retail companies performance. Service quality is perceived by customers as the result of comparing the expectations about the service they are going to receive and their perceptions of the retail companys actions. (Rodolfo Vazquez et al, 2001). It is of great help to demonstrate how to assess the service performance of a retail company and it carries some implications itself as well, which is beneficial when making the model of this study. According to Yan Lu et al (2008) there are five dimensions of service quality in a retail store setting, including: physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction, problem solving and policy. In addition, Rodolfo Vazquez et al. (2001) found that service quality in retail companies adopting the commercial format of supermarkets has a four factor structure (physical aspects, reliability, personal interaction and policies). Physical Environment Physical environment incorporates the inward and outward appearance of the store. According to Rodolfo Vazquez et al (2001), physical environment involves the simplicity and importance of shopping from the internal appearance of the sales outlet. Based on this, Rodolfo Vazquez et al states that there are two physical aspects of supermarkets: store appearance, which includes: decoration, fixtures, equipment, cleanliness, design of product and services publicity leaflets and the convenience of shopping, which includes: interior design and store layout of sections and product shelf position. According to Poping Lin (2005), traditional wisdom teaches that one key to win market share is offering a wide variety of products, which can be helpful for attracting a wider variety of customers. Providing products and services at a close and most convenient location, is the very core of deriving the best return from investments, also the ambience a store maintains can influence a customers purcha se decisions to a great extent. (Prakash Gupta, year) Reliability According to A.Parasuraman et al. (1988), to be reliable is being able to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Based on his research, A.Parasuraman et al. found out that reliability is the most important factor taken into consideration by customers when they evaluate a retail companys overall service quality. This has also been supported by many researches in other studies. Dabholker et al. (1996) indicate that reliability in the eyes of customers is a combination of keeping promise and doing it well. Keeping promise means that a retail company should stock enough products to satisfy customers needs and guarantee the products quality as well as allowing returns and exchanges and being willing to dealing with any problems from customers. On the other side, in the terms of doing it well, a company is expected to be able to provide customers with fast sales transactions and precise information, such as sales promotions, price and sales slips. (Rodolfo Vazquez et al, 2 001) Personal Interaction Based on existing literature, it is noted that customers are not only interested in the product offerings and physical environment, but also on the service provided by staffs. Personal interaction involves the process followed in order to obtain the sale and the service encounters where the need arises while coming in contact with the retail company employees. (Rodolfo Vazquez et al, 2001) According to Prakash Gupta (year), consumers look for help whenever they are in an emergency. In that situation, store employees helpful advice and assistance will help to reduce the attrition rate of customers and enhance shopping experience. Policy Policy captures aspects of service quality affected by the strategies of the prices and brand assortment. Brand assortment policy must be established with great care and also a large and wide-ranging assortment of well-known brands is needed. (Rodolfo Vazquez et al, 2001) In addition, retail stores should be able to come up with an attractive pricing policy. According to Siu and Cheung, policy has a great impact on customers repeat purchase intention. (Yan Lu, Yoo-Kyoung Seock, 2008) Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is a measure of how an organizations total product performs in relation to a set or customers requirement (Nigel Hill, Jim Alexander, 2006). There is no better advertisement than a Satisfied Customer and nothing worse than a Dissatisfied Customer (Phillip Kotler et al, 2008). Marketing Researchers and Managers have realized how important customer satisfaction is. According to Robert Heller (2006), customer based strategy is the only important form of strategy, product and producer driven strategies are fast dying. Similarly, Customer Satisfaction is the ultimate goal, and an investment that often doesnt produce result in a short term, but leads to Customer loyalty in a medium or long term (Craig Cochran, 2003). The lack of attention to customer Satisfaction costs companies money because there is an intractable connection to high level of customer satisfaction and increased share holder value (Chris Denove, James D. Power IV, 2007) Loyalty It is believed that maintaining the current customers costs less than attracting new customers, in the light of this; it is wise for companies to pay close attention to retaining their current customers. There are efficiencies in dealing with existing customers rather than new customers. (Ruth N.Bolton, 2000) Relative retention has been shown to explained profits better than market share, scale, cost position, or any of the other variables usually associated with competitive advantage. (Niren Sirohi et al, 1998) In general, the customers loyalty is indicated by an intention to perform a diverse set of behaviors that signal a motivation to maintain a relationship with focal firm, including allocating a higher share of the category wallet to the specific service provider, engaging in positive word-of -mouth, and repeat purchasing. (Ulrich R. Orth, Mark T.Green, 2009) According to Zeithaml et al., favorable assessment of service quality leads to favorable behavioral intentions such as p ositive word-of-mouth and preference for one company over others. (Yan Lu, Yoo-Kyoung Seock, 2008). In other word, higher satisfaction relates to higher loyalty. (Ulrich R. Orth, Mark T.Green, 2009) 4.2 Conceptual Model On the basis of the literature reviews, a final model has been defined (Refer to figure 1), which consists of two parts. In the first part of the model, there are 4 Independent variables (namely Physical Environment, Reliability, Personal Interaction, Policy), consisting of several aspects respectively, that may have an impact on the Dependent variables (Customer Satisfaction as shown in the model). As regard to the second part of the model, we assume that the Independent variable, Satisfaction, is connected with Loyalty, Dependent variable. Table 1: Summary of Research Questions and Hypothesis Specification of information needed Depending upon each component of the problem and the conceptual model, research questions and hypothesis, the information needed can be defined as follows: Component 1: To determine the factors customers are apprehensive about when selecting a store for shopping. Perceptions of customers on factors that influence choice of supermarkets Component 2: To determine how well do existing service offering meet customers needs. Evaluation of customers on the performance of ASDA. Evaluation of customers on the performance of Sainsburys. Evaluation of customers on the performance of Tesco. 5. Research Design and Methodology 5.1 Research Design In order to obtain the required information to solve the marketing research problems, research design was carried out for the further step. The research design is the framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project that specify the procedures necessary to obtain the information needed. (Malhotra, 2009) There are two basic types of research designs available which are classified in terms of the research objectives: exploratory and conclusive. (Malhotra, 2009) In this report, both exploratory and conclusive research designs were conducted for Sainsburys. 5.1.1 Exploratory research design In order to understand and gain insight to the problem that the company is facing now, a detailed literature review was prepared. 5.1.2 Conclusive research design After gaining understanding of current situation and management-decision problem of the company from exploratory research, the conclusive research was designed to make the management decision, testing hypotheses and also examining relationships between factors influencing the supermarket selection and customer satisfaction of Sainsburys as compared to its competitors. Furthermore, the descriptive research was used to describe the market characteristics and determine those relationships. Due to time constraint, the single cross-sectional design was used and a selected group of respondents were measured at one time. The data-collection technique used in this report was the survey conducted by a predesigned questionnaire. 5.2 Methodology 5.2.1 Secondary research methodology In order to collect data about the companys problem in general, two types of the secondary research were collected. The first one is the internal secondary data. Obtaining information from companys annual report provided the background of the company and fundamental data about its market shares. The second one is the external secondary data. In research approach development step, literatures have been reviewed. The information was retrieved from many sources including census data that provided elementary background of demographic data of UK households and consumption behaviors of UK consumers. In addition, abstracts in form of bibliographic databases have been retrieved from the University of Leeds Portals library. Gaining information from above secondary data can help us to understand the companys situation, define the research problem and also develop an approach to that problem. Journal articles and books provide knowledge in defining the variables in the research model which led to formulate the hypotheses and forming questionnaire design. 5.2.2 Primary research methodology 5.2.2.1 Research approach The major research approach chosen in this report is questionnaire survey. A detailed survey selecting a large sample was conducted to support the literature to get a deeper understanding of factors in choosing supermarkets. Furthermore, surveys were chosen in order to gain insights into the consumer behaviors pattern and consumers perceptions of UK supermarkets. 5.2.2.2 Sampling design Due to budget and time limitation, sample surveys were selected based on direct questioning. A sample is a subgroup of the elements of the population selected for participation in the study. (Malhotra, 2009) In this report, the sample group was selected from the total population in the UK. In determining the sample size, the statistical method was chosen. The sample size was calculated as follows: 2500 * N * Z2 n = ____________________ [25(N-1)] + [2500 * Z2] Where n = sample size required N = population size Z = number of standard errors The total population size (N) is 41,020,711 which are derived from the estimated people aged at 15-64 years in the United Kingdom as of July 2009. The source of information is The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). In this case, the most commonly used 95% confidence level is applied. When the variables are taken, the result obtained from the formula could be as below: 2,500 * 41,020,711 * 1.962 n = __________________________ 25(41,020,711 -1) + (2,500 * 1.962) = 384 Due to time and cost constraints, 40% of the total sample size was taken into consideration, therefore adding up to 154 samples could be collected in conducting the survey. For the sampling method used in the surveys, the data collected through a survey of 154 respondents was divided into two proportions equally. The probability sampling techniques used in this report is Simple Random Sampling (SRS) in which each sample in the total population has an equal probability in selecting. (Malhotra, 2009) Therefore, half of the total questionnaires were executed by people living in Leeds and the rest was from people living outside Leeds. Moreover, two ways in distributing the questionnaires were conducted: paper based and online based survey. 5.2.2.3 Questionnaire Design (Refer to Appendix 1) The division of research problem into components made the way to design the questionnaire to analyze the market scenario and the customer needs. The background of the questionnaire design was the basic study of the component and sub-dividing the components into various similar factors which are considered to select or prefer any retail industry. The Physical Factors were classified as size, location, layout, and etc. of the store and mentioned as questions in the draft. 12 broad questions were decided on the basis of relevance and availability of time for the participant to come out with rational answers without any external or internal influence of reviewer or the industry. The intention was to collect some primary data about the general perception of people and then segmenting them as per their responses and choices. As required questionnaire was designed in 4 major segments in five pages including the introduction and purpose of study, literature was consulted to find out the best blue print of the questionnaire. It was also considered that all the questions are easy to understand and the response is useful for the analysis of the components. The questionnaire was designed with both multiple choice and dichotomous questions with all the scales referred as per the 5 Point Likert Scale l The first section dealt with the general introduction of the respondents to the retail industry, the shopping habits and the familiarity with the retail market. l Section 2 were the general factors affecting the selection of supermarkets and respondents preference of retail stores, continued with the acuity of three major supermarkets in the UK namely ASDA, Sainsburys and Tesco. l Section 3 covered the satisfaction and loyalty level of the participants towards their favorite retail store. l The final section was the personal information about the respondent assisting with the demographical and segmentation of the participants. The sentences of the questionnaire were made simple and all the options and questions were double checked for any offence in the questions. It was specially taken care that every response should be informative and two open questions were also provided in the questionnaire in order to find depth know-how about the stance of people towards Sainsburys irrespective they are loyal members of Sainsburys shopping club or not. 5.2.2.4 Field work The data was collected between the 18th and the 22th of November, 2009. The questionnaires were collected in different times and different places, targeting all supermarket shoppers throughout the UK; starting from University of Leeds, city centre, flat residents and people outside Leeds. The questionnaire delivering method was personal interviews in order to control the response rate and clarify the complex questions. 5.2.2.5 Analytical issues A diversity of analytical methods was used to gather the data and analyze the results. To analyze the basic statistics, descriptive statistics has been used. Furthermore, graphical representations and one-sample tests were applied to present the demographic and psychographic profile of respondents and also examine the influential factors when choosing a supermarket. To analyze the relationship between independent and dependent variables, the regression analysis has been used. Bivariate regressions were used to test the hypotheses H1, H2, H3, H4, and H5 while multiple regression analysis was used to test whether or not there is collective relation between all hypothetical factors and customer satisfaction. 6. Results and Analysis In this part, SPSS was used to represent the basic statistics, graphical representations and one-sample tests in order to answer the five problem components. Also, it was used for testing whether or not the results support the hypotheses. 6. 1. Analysis of Problem Components 6.1.1 Examining demographic and psychographic profile of respondents There are 154 questionnaires have been completed which 60 % is female and the other 40% is male. (Refer to Appendix 2) More than 50% of respondents aged between 18-24 years old and they are all students. The second most majority is people aged between 25-34 years old. The minority is people aged more than 65 years old. (Refer to Appendix 3) By far the most of respondents are single due to the fact that they are students. One-fifth of them are married and there is no widowed who filled in the questionnaires. (Refer to Appendix 4) More than a half of respondents are students and nearly 30% of all respondents are working and employed by the company. (Refer to Appendix 5) Nearly half spend between  £20 40 when going shopping while the average household annual income is below  £ 15,000. (Refer to Appendix 6 and 7) 6.1.2 Examining factors affecting supermarket selection Table 2: One-sample T-test statistics results One sample T-test were carried out to test the extent to which the mean scores are significantly higher than the mid point 3 on the scale ranging from 1 = the least important to 5 = the most important. Results summarized in the table indicate that customers evaluate the Independent variables positively when choosing which supermarket to shop in, but at different levels. It is also obvious from the table that Price, Location/Nearness, Quality of Products, Variety of Products have the strongest mean. It is important to note that the 4 Independ

A View on Perspectivism :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

A View on Perspectivism Perspectivism is the doctrine that most or all large philosophical questions have many proposed answers, and many views on how to judge between those proposed answers, and that intelligent people of good will are likely to continue to have differing perspectives on these large questions of philosophy indefinitely. There are both historical and theoretical reasons for embracing this view. Historically, it is manifest that though philosophers have often attained views which are highly satisfying to themselves personally, few perspectives have won a con sensus even in their own times, and none have won a consensus over time. (I refer here to a consensus on some positive view; a consensus on the falsity of views, usually older ones, may be commonly found. But even long rejected views are liable to unexpected resurrections.) In any case, even agreement of near miraculous extent would not prove any thing anyway and would amount to just a widely accepted view with widely accepted count ers to arguments against it. We may note certain alternatives to and variations on the perspectivist's thesis. There is first of all what we might call the standard position, namely, that there may be many perspectives on a given question, but all but one of them are wrong and can in principle be shown to be so. There is classical skepticism holding that there is a true view but we can't get it and wouldn't know it if we did. There are also the relatively more recent views that large philosophical questions are meaningless (as in positivism) or illusory (as in analytic philosophy). There is what we might call the existential view that there are many views and we may appropriate one according to our own free decision or freely selected standard of evaluation. There is the pragmatic view, that there are many views and many of them are of personal interest and many may indeed be considered true in varying ways and degrees and for varying purposes and persons. Then there is the view that the perspective we a ppropriate tends to become true in varying ways and degrees, at least for the subject, so that we create our world in varying ways and degrees. Finally, there is the view that we do not so much search for a view, find a view, choose a view, but rather that our views arise in us more as a consequence of our culture, temperament, or character than of our reasoning powers.

Hills like White Elephants Essay

â€Å"Hills like White Elephants† is a very short story by Ernest Hemingway telling of the conversation between a man and a woman regarding the pregnancy of the woman. The point of view or the voice employed in the short story is a third person point of view where there is a narrator separate from the main characters in the story. This point of view or voice is very effective in the story because such requires that the narrator is a distant observer so as not to intercede in the intimacy of the conversation between the two characters. This is effectively achieved because both characters, albeit having a choppy and seemingly disjointed conversation, reconcile in their views at certain points which totally disregards the need for the intrusion of a material narrator who is necessarily part of the story or one of the characters. The story is set in a bar in a train station where the couple waits before bounding the train. Such a setting allows exploration of the other, more important elements of the story, which serve as potent symbols for the central theme of abortion, so for instance, in the lines, â€Å"â€Å"The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white.† (Hemingway); and the lines where the girl continues to describe the barren landscape, â€Å"They look like white elephants†. (Hemingway), the setting where both couples are offer an unobstructed view of these hills, which, in the story, are used to imply the perception of the female protagonist who is struggling with a pregnancy that is unwanted by her partner, the male protagonist. So, in effect, these lines, while illustrating the view from the train station offers the female’s perspective of the pregnancy as something that is not supported by her partner, hence the almost indifferent description of the scenery. The bar setting also works well in infusing the tale with symbolic meanings, for instance, when the girl says, â€Å"â€Å"Everything tastes like licorice. Especially the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe. † (Hemingway) she is actually referring to the pregnancy, which, perhaps, she had wanted for so long, but was not supported by her partner. So, in effect, this line would not have been as effective had it been said in the bedroom or an office, so the setting works quite effectively in making the symbols more adequate for the central theme. The characters in the story, Jig, the female, and her male partner are in a situation where they are arguing whether to have the baby that Jig was currently pregnant with. The ways the characters are characterized in the story contribute a lot to how the story turns out to be. The female, protagonist, who is initially adamant about having the baby later shows some evidence of softening up because perhaps of her love for her partner and the desire to make things right again, hence, the lines, â€Å"â€Å"But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, and you’ll like it?† (Hemingway) where the girl seems to be testing the reaction of the male character to whatever decision she makes. The male character, on the other hand is quite insistent that his mate get an abortion, and as is quite clear in the conversations, does not seem to care about what his partner feels. This indifference of the male character is very clear in the rapidly successive dialogue in the lines, â€Å"†I said we could have everything. /We can have everything. /No, we can’t.  /We can have the whole world. /No, we can’t. /We can go everywhere. /No, we can’t. It isn’t ours any more. /It’s ours. /No, it isn’t. And once they take it away, you never get it back. † (Hemingway) Here, it is quite clear that the male character seems to be avoiding the matter presented by the male character and his responses are all in the negative because he seems to be focused on one objective and one goal alone which is to have the baby being carried by the female character aborted. In this particular story the dynamics between the setting, the characters, and the point of view all work together in support of the central theme. Such a story succeeds in conveying the desired emotions to the reader while at the same time paying much attention to conventions and literary standards, hence, making the story very successful in its execution.

10 Informative Essay Topics on Strategic Marketing Management

10 Informative Essay Topics on Strategic Marketing Management If you are tasked with writing an informative essay on strategic marketing management, then your first step is to select a topic; but you also have to find supportive facts to use with it. This step is not always easy which is why below you will find a list of ten facts on strategic marketing management that you can use for your informative essay: Making a strategy work effectively means more than just planning. Most of the problem with bad performance and failure to meet planned goals lies in the actual act of doing. Strategies can be created endlessly, but the real trick is to effectively implement them, a burden which falls upon the shoulders of the managers. Making a strategy work means applying proper processes, decisions, and actions. There are skills and capabilities that managers can combine with knowledge in order to really execute good decision making. Almost all organizations are properly staffed by good managers and people. The managers are motivated and wish to perform well, but even the best of managers and employees can be hampered in their ability to be productive and succeed as a result of poor controls, poor company policies, poor incentives, poor organizational structure, or poor operating procedures. Without these items, even the best managers will fail at ensuring success for their constituents. Managers are responsible for understanding what makes key strategies work within the office. Having a great personality and leadership skills is not enough. Proper management relies upon more than just having the leadership skills necessary to convince employees to take charge and attempt the implementation of strategic plans within the company. The big picture is an important part of proper execution for strategic management which maintains a significant relationship among all key executive decision for companies. Leading a successful execution requires effective management and proper change. Change management issues related directly to power, resistance, and influence. The implementation of changes is not something that should be done quickly at once but rather something which is deliberate and should be completed in a sequential fashion. Many companies believe that speed is the most important component to changing structures within their company but speed can literally kill any potential changes a company is trying to implement. In order for companies to make proper mergers and acquisitions, strategies which fit the real world issues must be applied : the core of this management faces is the saying that failure is not an option. Many mergers and acquisitions have ideally suited strategies but failed in the implementation steps. Execution functions as a key to success, something which is not a simple task. Many companies have a distinct corporate culture and structure, or more specifically they have a specific way of doing things. When a company has to adapt to a new competitive environment it often faces major changes the implementation of which is difficult at best. Developing competitive strategies is not a simple task but the challenges which relate to the execution of the said strategy are significantly more complicated. Execution demands a disciplined process or a specific logical set of activities which an organization can incorporate in order to make sure the strategy is executed properly. If there is no planned approach to the execution then none of the strategic goals a company has in mind can be attained. What is more important is that even if a company has developed a logical approach, its execution does not guarantee success. Trouble might play any company division and without proper support and logical plans it can be challenging to implement new strategies. Planning is imperative to any change management within a company structure but focusing on making strategy work through proper execution is the best way to guarantee success. The part of the reason that many companies focus so heavily on the planning aspects of all management without putting the same if not more focus on the implementation and proper execution of said plans is because managers are not taught to assume that role and its responsibilities. Instead managers learn not how to execute but how to plan. In many higher level masters programs for business a great deal of students’ focus remains on strategy formulation as well as functional planning. There are courses offered for marketing strategies, financial strategies, and competitive strategies but no courses focus on their execution. As a result the conceptual work on planning is something properly developed in school but the execution of that plan is not. Once managers attainworkplace positions they are well prepar ed for strategy and planning but they are not prepared for execution. This lack of attention on execution results in mistakes and frustrations and even company failures. In addition to not learning how to properly execute a plan many managers believe that the execution or implementation of a strategy is something below them, something which is best left to those employees who have lower ranking than they. Many do not want to involve themselves in the actual implementation or execution and instead view their job as only the creator of strategy. Top level management worries about strategy formulation and the development of a good plan but then they turn the management of that plan over two people below them, never actually integrating themselves in the proper execution process. It is believed by the planners that what they create is something based on higher intellect and the people who just have to follow the orders of that plan and make it work are not necessarily as smart as they are. It is often incorrectly believed that the execution of a plan involves less intelligent and less ability than the actual planning. Make use of these facts because they are designed specially for you: you are able to enrich your paper with valuable info, so don’t miss that chance. Moreover, you have the opportunity to look at 20 topics on strategic marketing management and a sample essay that will help you to reach success with your paper. You may also go through our writing guide on informative essays or visit our custom essay writing service immediately. References Hrebiniak, Lawrence G.  Making Strategy Work. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Wharton School. Pub., 2005. Print. Moutinho, Luiz, and G Southern.  Strategic Marketing Management. Hampshire, U.K.: Cengage Learning EMEA, 2010. Print. Sadler, Philip.  Strategic Management. Sterling, VA: Kogan Page, 2003. Print. Saloner, Garth, Andrea Shepard, and Joel M Podolny.  Strategic Management. New York: John Wiley, 2001. Print. Saloner, Garth, Andrea Shepard, and Joel M Podolny.  Strategic Management. New York: John Wiley, 2001. Print. Williams, Kevan.  Strategic Management. New York, N.Y: DK Pub., 2009. Print. Wilson, R. M. S, and Colin Gilligan.  Strategic Marketing Management. Amsterdam: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann, 2005. Print.

SAT Historical Percentiles for 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011

SAT Historical Percentiles for 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011 SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you took the SAT from 2011-2015, you may be wondering what your percentile score is on the SAT. Is a 1500 on the SAT in 2011 the same percentile score as a 1500 in 2015? Do percentile scores change over time? In this article, I will explain SAT percentile scores, how they change, and I'll provide the percentile scores for SAT combined scores and section scores for 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011. Note: Go to this article instead if you're looking for historical percentiles for the new SAT (tests taken March 2016 and later). What Are Percentile Scores? Percentile scores reveal how well you did in relation to other people. If you scored in the 99th percentile, then you did better than 99% of the people who took the test. If you scored in the 50th percentile, then you scored higher than 50% of the people who took the test. The College Board determines its percentile scores annually from the scores of college-bound high school seniors who took the SAT. The higher your percentile score, the better you did relative to other high school seniors. Do Percentile Scores Change? Generally, percentile scores for equivalent SAT scores stay the same from year to year. For example, a combined SAT score of 2180 was the 98th percentile in2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015. However, percentile scores for the same combined and section scores can change very slightly. A combined score of 1990 was the 92nd percentile for 2014, but it was the 93rd percentile in 2011-2013 and 2015. Similarly, a score of 630 on Critical Reading was the 86th percentile in 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2015, but it was the 87th percentile in 2012. The SAT does try to utilize its scoring system so that equivalent SAT scores are indicative of the same percentile scores and skill level, regardless of when the test was taken. The purpose of the SAT is to provide a valid way to compare students. A score of 1600 from March 2015 is supposed to be equivalent to a 1600 from April 2015 or April 2007. How Should You Use This Data and Why Is It Important? Your percentile score is the most straightforward way to determine if you got a good or badSAT score. If you scored higher than the majority of test-takers, then you did well. However, when you apply to a specific college, you're being compared to the other students who apply to that school. Most colleges publicize their 25th and 75th percentile SAT scores. If you want to be competitive for admission at a certain college, then your target score should be aroundthe school's 75th percentile score. Also, percentile scores help put your scores in context. There may not seem to be much difference between a 680 on the Critical Reading section and a 600 on Math, but the Critical Reading score is the 94th percentile while the Math score is the 75th (according to 2015 SAT percentiles). Raising each section score by 100 points would raise the Critical Reading percentile ranking by 5 points but the Math by 18. If you're considering retaking the SAT, your percentile scores can help you determine how you should prioritize your time. Similarly, a small composite score increase can have a huge impact on your percentile score if you received a middle score. For example, in 2015, a 1500 was the 52nd percentile but a 1750 was the 78th. Raising your score 250 points can raise your score from average to among the top 1/4 of test-takers. Finally, seeing the percentile scores for multiple years shows how little variance there is between percentile scores for the same SAT composite or section score in different years. If you're worried about how an older SAT score stacks up with more recent scores, take a look at these charts to get an idea of how it compares. Composite Score Percentiles, 2015 - 2011 Score 2015 Percentile 2014 Percentile 2013 Percentile 2012 Percentile 2011 Percentile 2400 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2390 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2380 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2370 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2360 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2350 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2340 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2330 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2320 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2310 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 2300 99 99 99+ 99 99+ 2290 99 99 99 99 99+ 2280 99 99 99 99 99 2270 99 99 99 99 99 2260 99 99 99 99 99 2250 99 99 99 99 99 2240 99 99 99 99 99 2230 99 99 99 99 99 2220 99 99 99 99 99 2210 98 98 98 99 99 2200 98 98 98 98 98 2190 98 98 98 98 98 2180 98 98 98 98 98 2170 98 98 98 98 98 2160 98 98 98 98 98 2150 97 97 97 97 98 2140 97 97 97 97 97 2130 97 97 97 97 97 2120 97 97 97 97 97 2110 97 96 97 97 97 2100 96 96 96 96 96 2090 96 96 96 96 96 2080 96 96 96 96 96 2070 95 95 95 96 96 2060 95 95 95 95 95 2050 95 95 95 95 95 2040 94 94 94 95 95 2030 94 94 94 94 94 2020 94 94 94 94 94 2010 93 93 93 93 93 2000 93 93 93 93 93 1990 93 92 93 93 93 1980 92 92 92 92 92 1970 92 92 92 92 92 1960 91 91 91 91 91 1950 91 91 91 91 91 1940 90 90 90 90 90 1930 90 90 90 90 90 1920 89 89 89 89 89 1910 89 89 89 89 89 1900 88 88 88 88 88 1890 88 87 88 88 88 1880 87 87 87 87 87 1870 87 86 86 87 86 1860 86 86 86 86 86 1850 85 85 85 85 85 1840 85 84 84 85 84 1830 84 84 84 84 84 1820 83 83 83 83 83 1810 83 82 82 82 82 1800 82 81 82 82 82 1790 81 81 81 81 81 1780 80 80 80 80 80 1770 80 79 79 79 79 1760 79 78 78 79 78 1750 78 77 78 78 78 1740 77 77 77 77 77 1730 76 76 76 76 76 1720 75 75 75 75 75 1710 74 74 74 74 74 1700 74 73 73 73 73 1690 73 72 72 72 72 1680 72 71 71 71 71 1670 71 70 70 70 70 1660 70 69 69 69 69 1650 69 68 68 68 68 1640 68 67 67 67 67 1630 67 66 66 66 66 1620 66 65 65 65 65 1610 65 64 64 64 64 1600 64 63 63 63 63 1590 62 62 62 62 62 1580 61 61 61 61 61 1570 60 60 60 60 59 1560 59 59 58 59 58 1550 58 57 57 57 57 1540 57 56 56 56 56 1530 56 55 55 55 55 1520 55 54 54 54 53 1510 53 53 52 53 52 1500 52 52 51 51 51 1490 51 50 50 50 50 1480 50 49 49 49 49 1470 49 48 48 48 47 1460 48 47 46 47 46 1450 46 46 45 45 45 1440 45 44 44 44 44 1430 44 43 43 43 42 1420 43 42 42 42 41 1410 42 41 40 40 40 1400 40 40 39 39 39 1390 39 38 38 38 38 1380 38 37 37 37 36 1370 37 36 36 36 35 1360 36 35 34 34 34 1350 34 34 33 33 33 1340 33 32 32 32 32 1330 32 31 31 31 30 1320 31 30 30 30 29 1310 30 29 29 29 28 1300 29 28 27 27 27 1290 28 27 26 26 26 1280 27 26 25 25 25 1270 26 25 24 24 24 1260 25 24 23 23 23 1250 24 23 22 22 22 1240 22 22 21 21 21 1230 22 21 20 20 20 1220 21 20 19 19 19 1210 20 19 18 18 18 1200 19 18 17 17 17 1190 18 17 17 16 16 1180 17 16 16 16 15 1170 16 15 15 15 14 1160 15 14 14 14 14 1150 14 14 13 13 13 1140 14 13 13 12 12 1130 13 12 12 11 11 1120 12 11 11 10 11 1110 12 11 11 10 10 1100 11 10 10 9 9 1090 10 10 9 9 9 1080 10 9 9 9 8 1070 9 8 8 8 8 1060 9 8 8 7 7 1050 8 7 7 7 7 1040 7 7 7 7 6 1030 7 6 6 6 6 1020 7 6 6 6 5 1010 6 6 5 5 5 1000 6 5 5 5 5 990 5 5 5 5 4 980 5 5 4 4 4 970 5 4 4 4 4 960 4 4 4 4 3 950 4 4 3 3 3 940 4 3 3 3 3 930 3 3 3 3 3 920 3 3 3 3 2 910 3 3 3 2 2 900 3 2 2 2 2 890 2 2 2 2 2 880 2 2 2 2 2 870 2 2 2 2 2 860 2 2 2 1 1 850 2 2 1 1 1 840 2 1 1 1 1 830 1 1 1 1 1 820 1 1 1 1 1 810 1 1 1 1 1 800 1 1 1 1 1 790 1 1 1 1 1 780 1 1 1 1 1 770 1 1 1 1- 1- 760 1 1 1- 1- 1- 750 1 1 1- 1- 1- 740 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 730 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 720 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 710 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 700 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 690 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 680 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 670 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 660 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 650 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 640 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 630 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 620 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 610 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 600 Section Score Percentiles Critical Reading Score 2015 Percentile 2014 Percentile 2013 Percentile 2012 Percentile 2011 Percentile 800 99 99 99 99+ 99+ 790 99 99 99 99 99 780 99 99 99 99 99 770 99 99 99 99 99 760 99 99 99 99 99 750 98 98 98 98 98 740 98 98 98 98 98 730 97 97 97 97 97 720 96 97 97 97 97 710 96 96 96 96 96 700 96 95 95 95 95 690 95 94 94 94 94 680 94 93 94 93 93 670 92 92 92 92 92 660 91 91 91 91 91 650 90 90 90 90 90 640 89 88 88 88 88 630 86 86 86 87 86 620 84 84 84 84 84 610 82 82 82 83 82 600 80 80 80 81 80 590 78 77 77 78 78 580 75 75 75 76 75 570 73 72 73 73 73 560 70 70 70 71 70 550 67 66 67 67 67 540 64 64 64 64 64 530 61 60 61 61 60 520 57 57 57 58 58 510 54 54 54 55 54 500 51 50 51 51 51 490 48 47 48 48 47 480 44 44 44 44 44 470 41 40 41 41 40 460 37 37 37 37 37 450 35 34 34 34 34 440 31 31 31 31 30 430 28 27 27 27 27 420 25 25 24 25 24 410 22 21 21 21 21 400 19 19 18 19 18 390 17 16 16 16 16 380 15 14 14 14 14 370 13 12 12 12 11 360 11 10 10 10 10 350 9 9 8 9 8 340 8 7 7 7 7 330 7 6 6 6 6 320 5 5 5 5 5 310 5 4 4 4 4 300 4 4 4 3 3 290 3 3 3 3 3 280 3 3 3 2 2 270 2 2 2 2 2 260 2 2 2 2 2 250 2 2 2 1 1 240 1 1 1 1 1 230 1 1 1 1 1 220 1 1 1 1 1 210 1 1 1 1 1 200 Math Score 2015 Percentile 2014 Percentile 2013 Percentile 2012 Percentile 2011 Percentile 800 99 99 99 99 99 790 99 99 99 99 99 780 99 99 99 98 99 770 98 98 98 98 98 760 97 97 97 97 98 750 97 97 97 97 97 740 96 96 96 96 96 730 95 95 96 96 96 720 95 95 95 95 95 710 94 94 94 94 94 700 93 93 93 93 93 690 92 91 92 92 92 680 90 90 90 90 90 670 89 88 89 89 89 660 87 87 87 87 87 650 86 85 85 85 86 640 84 83 83 83 84 630 82 82 81 82 82 620 80 79 79 80 80 610 77 77 77 78 77 600 75 75 75 74 75 590 73 73 73 72 73 580 71 70 70 70 70 570 68 67 67 67 67 560 66 64 65 64 64 550 62 62 62 62 62 540 59 59 58 58 58 530 56 55 55 55 55 520 53 52 52 52 52 510 50 49 48 49 48 500 46 45 45 45 46 490 44 42 42 42 41 480 41 40 38 39 38 470 37 36 35 35 36 460 34 33 32 32 32 450 31 30 29 29 29 440 28 27 26 26 26 430 25 24 23 23 23 420 22 21 21 21 20 410 19 19 18 18 17 400 17 16 16 16 15 390 15 14 14 13 13 380 13 12 12 11 11 370 11 10 10 10 10 360 9 9 9 8 8 350 8 7 7 7 7 340 7 6 6 6 6 330 6 5 5 5 5 320 5 4 4 4 4 310 4 3 3 3 3 300 3 3 3 2 2 290 2 2 2 2 2 280 2 2 2 2 2 270 1 1 1 1 1 260 1 1 1 1 1 250 1 1 1 1 1 240 1 1 1 1 1 230 1 1 1 1 1 220 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 210 1- 1- 1- 1- 1- 200 Writing Score 2015 Percentile 2014 Percentile 2013 Percentile 2012 Percentile 2011 Percentile 800 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 99+ 790 99 99 99 99 99 780 99 99 99 99 99 770 99 99 99 99 99 760 99 99 99 99 99 750 98 98 98 98 98 740 98 98 98 98 98 730 98 97 98 98 97 720 97 97 97 97 97 710 96 96 96 96 96 700 96 96 96 96 96 690 95 95 95 95 95 680 94 94 94 94 94 670 93 93 93 93 93 660 92 92 92 92 92 650 91 90 90 90 90 640 89 89 89 89 89 630 88 88 88 88 88 620 86 86 86 86 86 610 84 84 84 84 84 600 82 82 82 82 82 590 80 80 80 80 80 580 78 78 78 78 78 570 76 76 76 75 75 560 74 73 73 73 72 550 71 70 70 70 70 540 68 68 68 67 67 530 65 65 65 64 64 520 62 62 61 61 61 510 59 58 58 58 58 500 56 55 55 55 54 490 53 52 51 52 51 480 49 48 48 48 47 470 46 45 45 44 44 460 42 41 41 41 40 450 39 38 37 38 37 440 35 34 34 34 34 430 32 31 30 31 30 420 29 28 27 27 27 410 25 25 24 24 24 400 22 21 21 21 21 390 19 19 18 18 18 380 17 16 16 16 15 370 14 14 13 13 13 360 12 12 11 11 11 350 10 10 9 9 9 340 8 8 8 8 7 330 7 7 6 6 6 320 6 5 5 5 5 310 5 4 4 4 4 300 4 4 3 3 3 290 3 3 3 3 3 280 3 2 2 2 2 270 2 2 2 2 2 260 2 2 2 1 1 250 2 1 1 1 1 240 1 1 1 1 1 230 1 1 1 1 1 220 1 1 1 1 1 210 1 1 1 1 1- 200 What's Next? Check out these posts on what SAT scores measure and if you need SAT scores to transfer colleges. How do these compare to percentiles on the new SAT? Learn more about new SAT percentile ranks here. Finally, learn how to calculate your SAT score. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today!