Chessington History Essay Example for Free

Chessington History Essay Chessington Zoo was opened in July 1931 as a private venture by Reginald Goddard who invited the public to view his private animal collection. After the War Chessington soon became known for the different types of entertainment it could offer:- a circus, a funfair and a miniature railway as well as the zoo. Despite this in the early 1970s the attendance figures of over 800,000 began to decline. The Zoo was in need of further investment. In 1978 the Pearson Group bought Chessington and when they later bought Madame Tussauds, they put all their leisure interests together to form the Tussauds Group. 1981 saw the beginning of the planning for the transformation of Chessington. Six years and i 12m later the Park was ready. It was opened in July 1987 by H. R. H. Prince Edward. The opening coincided with the opening of the M25 which gives easy access to the Park from various parts of the country. Approximately 18m people live within a 2 hour drive of the Park. On 19th October 1998 it was announced that Pearson had sold the Tussauds Group to Charterhouse Development Capital for i 352m. The Tussauds Group Vision and Mission Vision: Entertaining People. Mission: To deliver real growth in profits to take Europes leading entertainment world-wide. The Marketing Department are a small team who work across both Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park. It is the overall responsibility of the Marketing department to ensure that the brand identities of the two Parks are maintained in all communication both on and off the Parks. They do this through first identifying the brand identity, target market, and visual representation of the brand, i. e. the logo. For Chessington the target market is families with children under 12. Each year the marketing department will put together a marketing plan that covers the following areas: Product. Although almost without exception a new attraction is launched each year, and the main launch communication will focus on that, general communication about the rest of the Park is required. Theme Parks provide a whole day out for the family and its not just about the rides. The other attractions, places to eat, games, photography, the atmosphere, all play an important part in delivering a great day out. Pricing. There is a complex pricing structure for the Park which looks to maximise the revenue the Park can achieve with its targeted number of visitors. Marketing will review the pricing each year and along with the finance department look at how the budgeted targets can be achieved through the pricing matrix. Advanced sales are important to the business and for this reason tickets booked in advance are discounted, also those booked via the Internet are further discounted as this is a more efficient way for us to produce the tickets. Advanced tickets reduce the queues at admissions as visitors already have their tickets and can go straight in to the Park. Promotion. Promotion of the Park happens via a number of different communication channels. Advertising. This is generally broken down into two areas, the creative production of the advert and then the choice of where to place that advert, TV, Radio, Press etc. For the year 2002 communication for Chessington will focus on the new attraction, Hocus Pocus Hall. The main creative idea is all based around The New Adventure Starts Here. This new creative idea will be adapted for use on TV, Radio, Press and in Childrens comics, ie The Beano. Promotions. Promotions are very import in incentivising visitors to come to the Park. The incentive is generally either a Buy One get One Free mechanic or a discount off the full adult or child price. Chessington ran promotions on its own or in conjunction with the Tussauds Group, ie Tesco. Promotions can be run with a wide variety of partners, Esso, News of the World, KP Skips or solus via a direct mail campaign to surrounding homes. Public Relations. This area is all about getting positive exposure in the media, TV, Radio and Press. This is generally achieved through issuing Press Releases and conducting interviews with journalists. Measuring the Success. Throughout the year, how the Park is doing against its financial targets is constantly reviewed, but in addition Marketing conducts ongoing research into how the Park is performing on a daily basis. Questionnaires are handed out to visitors as they leave asking them to rank the rides experiences, eating places, how friendly and helpful the staff were, etc. This provides information on where things may be going wrong and how to put them right. New Media is a crucial area for involvement now and in the future. In addition to maintaining its own site: www. chessington. com, the Marketing department looks to exploit other opportunities for advertising, promotions and PR on other sites. Use of agencies. Chessington uses a wide variety of agencies as they bring different areas of expertise and experiences to the department. We use an advertising agency to create the TV, Radio adverts etc. and also for all the design work for the Gate Map. The space for the TV, Radio slots etc  is purchased by a Media Buying agency. We also use a Sales Promotion agency, PR agency and Internet design agencies. Corporate Hospitality makes it possible for businesses to entertain their guests at Chessington World of Adventures. Up to 3 000 corporate guests can be catered for at any one time. Education. An establishment like Chessington World of Adventures offers the opportunity for students studying the leisure industry, business or animals to visit the Park and find out more about their subject. For this reason, it is possible for groups to incorporate an educational talk into their visit. The Zoo enables guests to learn about the wildlife at Chessington World of Adventures. The Marketing Department ensure that the signage for the animals and around the Park are of a high quality and accessible by all the guests. Most often asked marketing questions Q Is the price of a new attraction affected by the viability of the ride? A Careful research is undertaken before a new attraction is bought. The attraction may be put in place to address a gap in guest numbers for a particular age range. The new attraction will encourage that element to visit the Park and therefore increase guest satisfaction.

G Washington Biography :: essays papers

G Washington Biography In 1752, his brother, Lawrence died and George received his father's estate in Mount Vernon. His brother's death also brought about a future for George Washington. George Washington also received the title of adjutant - his brother's previous rank. Major Washington's first assignment was when he volunteered to carry the governor's message to the French commander of immediate withdrawal. His ambition at this time was to secure royal preference for a commission in the regular British Army, and this expedition promised to bring him to the king's attention. Washington took with him a skillful and experienced frontiersman, Christopher Gist, together with an interpreter and four other men. Reaching the forks of the Ohio, he found that the French had withdrawn northward for the winter. After inconclusive negotiations with the Native Americans living there, who were members of the Iroquois Confederacy, he pressed on and finally delivered Dinwiddie's message to the French commander at Fort Le Boeuf, not far from Lake Erie. The answer was polite but firm: The French were there to stay. Returning, Washington reached Williamsburg, the capital of Virginia, to deliver this word to the governor in mid-January 1754, having made a hard wilderness journey of more than 1600 km (1000 mi) in less than three months. With his report he submitted a map of his route and a strong recommendation that an English fort be erected at the forks of the Ohio as quickly as possible, before the French returned to that strategic position in the spring. With this premiere mission, George Washington was later promoted to Militia Commander and ultimately became a General in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. During battles in the Revolutionary War, he was highly unconventional. At times, he had to be reminded to stay in the back of the army or he would be shot. During one battle, he rode his horse up to the front line in order to encourage his troops to continue fighting. By doing this, one of the greatest minds of the world may have died. The war finally ceased in April 1782 and Washington returned to his home in Mount Vernon. With the war over, the United States (not quite a united United States yet) was still under the influence of The Articles of Confederation. Moreover, the colonies were so disunited, that many counties viewed thirteen different countries rather than one.

Calls for Change in High School Mathematics Essay

Mathematic educators, parents and students are calling for proper changes in approaches to learning mathematics in high schools. The need to improve learning of mathematics in schools is highly recognized and underlined. Thus, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published the Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics that offered recommendations for high school mathematics reform. In addition, the Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences in their official report ‘The Mathematical Sciences Curriculum K–12: What Is Still Fundamental and What Is Not’ stresses the importance of new topics and techniques in the secondary schools. New approaches should develop new learning techniques that would be discrete from statistics, mathematics, and emphasis on algebra and geometry should be properly re-assessed according to different abilities and needs of students who are taking mathematics course in the secondary school and high school respectively. The need for change and innovation is generally driven by emergence of advanced computing technologies that offers excellent opportunities for school educators to replace manipulative traditional techniques with more complex realistic problem-solving techniques. In its turn, the National Science Board Commission issued a report ‘Educating Americans for the 21st Century’ challenging courses in algebra and pre-calculus and stressing the importance of developing integrated mathematical sciences curriculum in the secondary school. Researchers argue that new curriculum will positively affect students’ achievement outcomes in the secondary and high schools. To make changes more effective teachers are required to understand the advantage of curriculum’s full scope and its consequences; students are required to support the expectations of classroom environment. The Core-Plus Mathematic Project is newly developed curriculum for high school mathematics. Of course, the Core-Plus Mathematic Project or CPMP curriculum is a matter of debates and controversies as not everyone admits the need of high school mathematics reforms. Nonetheless, the CPMP curriculum is worked out with assistance of mathematics education researchers, instructional specialists and classroom teachers. Moreover, the curriculum is shaped by empirical evidence gathered from students and teachers who are willing to participate in field testing. In particular, organization of mathematics curriculum should be interpreted in terms of teaching and assessment recommendations and should follow the standards set in the above-mentioned reports. New mathematics curriculum is a three-year mathematics course for high-school students who are allowed to take the fourth year to prepare for college mathematics. Newly designed curriculum differs from more traditional approaches as new curriculum encourages students’ understanding of mathematics – statistics, probability, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and discrete mathematics. Learning mathematics is developed in focused units that combine fundamental ideas with mathematical habits of mind. It means that new curriculum stresses the need to connect function, data analysis and symmetry with recursive and visual thinking. In contrast to traditional approaches to mathematics, new curriculum emphasizes the role of mathematical modeling and problem-solving instead of simple calculus. Researchers say the primary goal of curriculum improvement is to enhance students’ understanding and comprehension of key mathematical processes and concepts, to enhance student’s ability to use mathematical concepts in real-world problem-solving. Graphic calculators should enhance students’ understanding and abilities to solve authentic problems. Improved instructional materials encourage active teaching and learning processes that will primarily focus on problem situations, abstraction and analysis. Oral and written communication, reasoning with ability to represent, and conceptual understanding are highly appreciated and encouraged. All courses centre on mathematical reasoning and thinking with abilities to develop formal proof. Additional fourth year course will allow to keep students, who prepare for college mathematics, despite whether their undergraduate program is based on calculus. Students interested in mathematics are encouraged to be accelerated into the fourth course year. Today, many researches are focus on identifying whether new curriculum meets its specific goals. In particular, they try to reveal whether the learning outcomes based on new patterns of mathematics learning process differ from outcomes based on more traditional curriculum. During the past eight years researchers conducted various studies to examine mathematical achievement in classroom with CPMP curricula. Research studies have revealed that performance of CPMP students is much better than that of students with traditional interpretation of mathematical representation. It means that problem-solving and recursive thinking appear to be more effective in learning mathematics than simple understanding of key concepts of processes. Further, CPMP students are characterized by higher grade results at the end of the years than students with traditional approach to mathematics. Summing up, recent researches have indicated that CPMP students perform better than students with traditional curriculum. CPMP students are characterized by better abilities to interpret mathematical representation and calculation, to measure conceptual understanding and to recognize the importance of problem-solving. CPMP students are better in probability and statistics, algebraic manipulative skills, etc. Nonetheless, researchers argue that student’s success in college mathematics doesn’t fully depend on CPMP curriculum. Other factors, as, for example, student’s attentiveness, readiness to participate in learning process, self-awareness, classroom environment, play their important role in student’s high school mathematics performance. With guidance from educators, researchers and teachers, curriculum developers will be able to build on stronger patters of student outcomes. References Schoen, H. L. , & Hirsch, Ch. R. (2003). Responding to Calls for Change in High School Mathematics: Implications for Collegiate Mathematics. The Mathematical Association of America Monthly, February, pp. 109-123. Available on-line from http://www. jstor. org/stable/3647770 .

Payday Loans And The Uk - 1024 Words

Payday loans have always been present in the history for a long time. People employ them for their immediate needs. They are quickly becoming relevant especially after the credit crisis that appeared in 2008. There are various important values that define these loans. They can be used to learn more about the payday loans. Here, we start with describing some important aspects of payday loans and then end with shedding light on the uses of these particular loan aspects. History of Payday Loans Payday loans started in the modern financial market when a need was recognised in order to serve a product for lower level communities. There was a need to save people from the traditional pawn shops by serving them better products that are governed through laws and regulations. These modern payday loans first appeared in the United States but quickly found their niche in the other countries such as the UK. Payday Loans in the UK Payday loans have quickly gained financial prominence in the last few years. The number of people that are using these loans is increasing all the time. These loans are essentially taken by people that have low annual income which is mostly below 25,000 Pounds a year. This means that it is especially a product designed to attract people that belong to the lower segment of the community. The total business has already entered a value in billions of Pounds. Payday lenders are not bound here to have a specific interest rate and this allows them to charge heftyShow MoreRelatedHow Payday Lenders Get A Bad Press And The Public s Perception Of Them1698 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Payday lenders get a bad press and the public’s perception of them can be a poor one. But they are still advertised on our televisions and radios every day and are incredibly popular. So are they really money pits or are they effective in helping people, financially, on a short-term basis? Research Aims and Objectives This research project will assess a variety of aspects of these kinds of loans and determine the usefulness of them when used efficiently and how volatile they canRead MorePay Day Loan Research Paper722 Words   |  3 PagesAny loan resulting in a release of cash during times of immediate financial crises would be termed as best payday loan. It is only after the purpose for which the loan was taken gets satisfied that we start thinking critically of the loan. It will be wrong to term this tendency as selfishness. Payday loans are actually made dearer by loan providers. Many borrowers actually decide to take loans at any terms stated by the lenders because of the urgency involved in the situation. Lenders will not missRead MoreThe Importance Of The Financial Service Sector1996 Words   |  8 Pagesand coordinated at an international level. The financial services sector consists of firms like banking, insurance, organised and informal markets, asset management together with a wide ar ray of supporting professional services. In the UK the Financial Services Sector relies upon the systems of supervision and regulation put into operation by the government which promises to deliver the good quality service as well as security. The involvement of the government in the financial sectorRead MoreReport on Wonga.com Essay3393 Words   |  14 Pagesas to whether it is worth investing in. This is examined in light of the company’s background, key product and operations, financial statistics, a SWOT analysis, ethics and it’s future targets. Wonga is a british payday loan company which offers, short term high interest loans to individuals online, and within minutes using an algorithm that analyses thousands of pieces of information in seconds. Since its launch it has also added a service where customers can distribute the cost of items boughtRead MoreThe Ethics Of Payday Loans Should Be Considered Before Moving On With Your Project1964 Words   |  8 PagesI. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to inform you, the RSGs, about how the ethics of payday loans should be considered before moving on with your project. After you raised many concerns about whether or not ethics are an issue, Vice President Bette Davis decided to bring the CRC in to help out here. Davis wanted me to research the issue of the ethics of payday loans, and report back to her on with the information I found in order to help her decide how to resolve the issues between theRead MoreUnsecured Loans : A Loan Is Taken Without Being Supported With Any Collateral1231 Words   |  5 Pageslending is when a loan is taken without being supported with any collateral. Therefore the loan is received with no property or any borrower s assets being at risk if stop making payments. (http://banking.about.com/od/loans/g/unsecured.htm) Justin Pritchard (Justin Pritchard 2015) also identify them as signature loans for the reason that the borrower gives only his signature as a promise to repay t he loan back. The lenders furthermore take higher risk with unsecured personal loans, as they have noRead MoreFinancial Regulation : Reforming The Consumer Credit Regime2320 Words   |  10 Pagesagencies such as Debt Plan, Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB) StepChange and Money Advice Service (MAS), since debts increased debts among the financially vulnerable. (BSA, 2010; CAB, and HM Treasury, 2010) Customer vulnerability became a focal concern of the UK government and financial authorities due to the increased number of people that are excluded from basic financial services since the 2008 financial recession and the potential impact to the recovery of the country’s economy. (FCA, 2016; and CoppackRead MoreA Note On The Bridge Loan1509 Words   |  7 Pages A bridge loan has nothing to with bridges; it is a short-term loan from a bank or other lender. For any business owner the knowledge of bridge loans may mean the difference between failure or success of a business venture. Commercial bridge loans are also known as hard money loans and they are used by business owners as a stop gap arrangement while a permanent loan is being secured. Even though home owners sometimes use bridge financing between the time they purchase or sell their homes, it isRead MoreChild Poverty : An Increasing Number Of Families1139 Words   |  5 Pages Child poverty in Britain affects an incre asing number of families; the most recent statistics from 2014-2015 show that poverty affects 1 in 4 children in the UK today1. The cause of child poverty has many contributing factors and creates multiple issues for the individuals affected. Child poverty in Britain is much different than the television adverts that show the awful living conditions of children in third world countries, however still has devastating outcomes for those experiencing povertyRead MoreRole Of Financial Sector On The United Kingdom1400 Words   |  6 Pagesproportion of the UK’s export and import surplus is made by trade in financial sector. Moreover the importance of the banking sector was noticeable in 2013/2014 when it contributed over  £21 billion to UK tax receipts in corporation tax, through the bank levy, national insurance and income tax. The UK has an exchange surplus in financial and insurance activities, i.e. Fares surpass imports in the division. The exchange surplus has been developing as an extent of GDP in the course of the most recent