Tuesday, November 26, 2019
“Performance Management can be defined as a systematic process for improving organizational performance by developing the performance of individuals and team.†The WritePass Journal
â€Å"Performance Management can be defined as a systematic process for improving organizational performance by developing the performance of individuals and team.†Introduction: â€Å"Performance Management can be defined as a systematic process for improving organizational performance by developing the performance of individuals and team.†Introduction:Links between individual, team and organizational objectivesIndividual and Team:Individuals, team and organizational objectives:Evaluating Teams:Task Performance:Team Functioning:Team Member Satisfaction:Selecting and agreeing individual and team objectives:Individual and team responsibility in achieving objectivesCreating an environment of trust and support with othersEnvironment of Trust and Support:Building a rapportBuilding trust and respectManaging conflictPersuading or influencing another personNegotiatingCommunicating assertivelyCommunicating informativelyCommunicating supportivelyImportance of Trust and support in an organization  MotivationTeam working and Team BuildingCustomer CareHuman Resource ManagementNegotiationWorkload managementCareer Development Evaluating and assessing individual and team performance against objectiveWritten Essays:Critical Incidents: Graphic Rating Scales:        Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale s:       Methods of providing feedback to individuals and teams on performanceProviding Feedback to individuals and team:Types of Feedback:Motivational Feedback:Developmental Feedback:Constructive Feedback:Constructive Feedback Requires:AssertivenessRespect for others SkillTips for Constructive FeedbackChoose the right timeStart with positivesFocus on the behaviorBe accurateBalance negative with positiveBenefits of FeedbackCauses of conflict and strategies to minimize or prevent conflictTypes of Conflict: Task Conflict:Relationship ConflictProcess ConflictSystems for performance assessment for individuals or teamsPerformance improvement cycle         The performance improvement cycle can be explained below:Indicators of poor performanceSupporting performance improvementBASE PAY:Assistance Programs:Disciplinary and grievance proceduresManagement Functions1. Planning:2. Organizing3.  Leading4. ControllingThe key aspe cts of legislation that applies to an organization’s disciplinary and grievance procedureHonesty and integritySelf-confidenceIntelligence Job relevant knowledgeLeaders are energeticReflective Statement BibliographyRelated Introduction: Performance Management may be defined by as a feedback mechanism for the evaluation of employee s past performance. This may be a five minute informational discussion between employees and their supervisors’ or more elaborate, several week process involving many specific steps: Employees generally see any such evaluation as having some direct effect on their work lives. Performance Management led to increased pay, a promotion development areas for which the employees need some training. As a result, any evaluation of emotionally charged event. Performance Management is no longer a simple process. It is now more difficult to perform one while simultaneously focusing on key job activities. Performance evaluation conveys to employees how well they have performance on established goals. It also desirable to have these goals and performance measures mutually set between the employ and the supervisor. â€Å"Without proper two way feedback about an employee’s effort and its effect on performance, we run the risk of decreasing his or her motivation†Links between individual, team and organizational objectives Individual and Team: Individual are the constituting body of a team. Team is more than a group. It has common objectives and accountability and may be setup by the organization under the supervision or coaching of a team leader. â€Å"A team leader is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance, goals and approach, for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.†                                                           (Katzenbach and Smith) Team working may be used for: Individuals, team and organizational objectives: Meeting team objectives can be more difficult than meeting individual objectives, as more people need to be involved in the process. More people mean more ideas, more skills, more knowledge, and more experience collective efforts to see the organizational objectives as a success. These potential benefits needs careful management of the process agreeing team objectives in a worth. Organizational objectives should be SMART S         Short M        Measurable A        Accurate R        Reliable T         Time Manageable In that situation individuals and team will put their best efforts to meet the SMART goals. Evaluating Teams: Team effectiveness includes: Task Performance: Fulfillment of task and organizational goals. Team Functioning: Constructive maintained of team working managing the demands of team, roles and process. Team Member Satisfaction: Fulfillment of individual development and relationship needs. Selecting and agreeing individual and team objectives:                                    It can be more difficult to agree team objectives that individual objectives, as more people desire to be involved in the process. However, more people also means: more ideas; more experience, skills and knowledge tremendous support within the team; and a combined determination to have objectives through successfully.                                                                                                                                                   All these benefits make the useful management of the process of agreeing team objectives worthwhile.                                                                                                                                                      Training activity gives the team leader to a method of agreeing team objectives that is based on to get maximum input and commitment.                                                                                                                                                   The team leader can utilize the            training activity to agree real-life team objectives by replacing the examples provided with their own material. I am introducing the training process by telling the participants that they are ready to spend some time focusing on SMART objectives in the context of setting team objectives then I put pressure on the importance of agreeing rather than imposing objectives. Next, I conversant about how difficulties in agreeing individuals objectives. I set a step by step method that can be used when agreeing team objectives, than run either or both of two exercises where objectives are made for a particular area. Individual and team responsibility in achieving objectives                                    We can define a team as a group of people who are all focused to achieve a common objective. In the team, every member may know his/her value within the team, and they can work towards the individual objective they have been given when all the smaller objectives get together, they become a greater common objective.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â à ‚              A team can work well with great efficiency when the team is efficient. It’s not important to provide for a team where every single person has the essential team spirit is more necessary for the team to be a real team in every possible way.                                                                                                   Individual members should be fully committed to their personal objective the greater common objective of the team can be achieved if the members of the team concentrate on their â€Å"bit†and deny the rest to those who are a salary commensurate with such responsibilities.    Team members should know to appreciate how the pooling of individuals talents and to the skills and the recourses can strengthen the team and achieve better results.                                                   There should be importance of individuals’ members and importance should be accepted by the team leaders and managers.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â à ‚ If a team worker feels that he is a valued person of his team, he has the right team spirit, and they will be much more easily persuaded of its importance. They are agreed to work interdependently towards both personal and team goals with mutual support. Members of the team collaborate together. They are agreed to use their talent and experience for organizational objectives. They respect and listen to every person’s point of view. They participant equally in decision making. Creating an environment of trust and support with others Environment of Trust and Support: Different skills are used in interactions and relationships between two or more people which are as follows: Building a rapport Being in tune with the other people, which draws them into a relationship. Building trust and respect So that relationship is maintained and cooperation facilitated. Managing conflict Managing conflict in the relationship to preserve it. Persuading or influencing another person Persuading or influencing another person, to do what you want them to do or to share your beliefs Negotiating It means to compromise or a mutually acceptable solutions to problem. Communicating assertively It includes to uphold your rights and get your needs met. Communicating informatively Through this you give timely and relevant information Communicating supportively It is usedto encourage others and get their commitment. Why Trust and Support are important? Understand and manage the roles, relationships, attitudes and perceptions. Communicate clearly with the other people. Achieve your aims. Importance of Trust and support in an organization  In business context, trust and support are important for processes such as: Motivation It means persuading and inspiring for committee performance. Team working and Team Building It helps in building trust, encouraging communications and managing conflict. Customer Care We can win trust, exchanging information and managing conflict. Human Resource Management We can use it for negotiating, interviewing conducting approvals and managing disciplinary and grievance procedures. Negotiation It means maintaining relationships by acceptable solutions. Workload management It has being able to delegate effectively, negotiating assistance and saying â€Å"no†assertively flexibility. Career Development It provides demonstrating networking, communication and leadership skills, essential for management roles.  Evaluating and assessing individual and team performance against objective                  Following points explain the individual and team performance against objectives: Written Essays: In a written essay, an evaluator appraises an employee’s performances through a written description of an employee’s strength and weaknesses, past performance, and potential. In addition, the evaluators make suggestions for improvement. Critical Incidents: Using critical incidents, an evaluator appraises an employee’s performances by focusing on critical behaviors that separate effective from ineffective job performance. The appraisers writes down anecdotes that describe what an employee did that was especially effective or ineffective. The key here is that only specific behaviors not vaguely define personality traits, are cited. Graphic Rating Scales:        One of the most popular performance appraisal methods is graphical rating scales. This method list a set of performance factors such as quantity and quality of work, job knowledge, cooperation, loyalty, attendance, honesty and initiative. The evaluator goes down the list and rates the employee on each factor using an incremental scale. For instance, a factor such as job knowledge might be rated from 1 to 5. Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales:       Another popular approach is behaviorally anchored rating scales, which combine elements from the critical incident and graphing rating scale approaches. The appraiser rates an employee according to items along a numerical scale, but the items are the examples of actual job behaviors rather than general descriptions or traits. Methods of providing feedback to individuals and teams on performance Providing Feedback to individuals and team: Feedback gives information to others about their performance, behaviors and results against goals. Types of Feedback: Motivational Feedback: Rewards reinforce positive behaviors by praise and recognition. The purpose is to motivate them. Developmental Feedback: Informing what to be improved and how to improve? Its purpose is to develop learning. Constructive Feedback: Supports development. This is not giving only positive feedback but negative feedback as well when there are shortcomings. Constructive Feedback Requires: Assertiveness Assertivance is preparing to face difficult situation. Respect for others While developing the individuals, they should be managing respectfully. Skill Effective feedback is a complex interpersonal skill Tips for Constructive Feedback Choose the right time It is necessary that choose the right time close to the event. Appropriate time should be chosen for sensitive matters e.g. conflict handing situation. Start with positives People accept criticism if balanced with positive aspects Focus on the behavior Rather than personality Be accurate Avoid exaggeration for instance instance instead of saying that you are always late, it is better to say you were late on two occasions. Balance negative with positive Close your discussion with positive encouragement. Benefits of Feedback Positive feedback is motivational. Negative feedback is developmental. Feedback helps employees to understand and adjust their performance. Feedback enables us to plan and direct our efforts. Feedback enables us to understand the purpose. Causes of conflict and strategies to minimize or prevent conflict When I am using the term Conflict, I am referring to perceived incompatible differences resulting in some form of interference or opposition. Whether the differences are real is irrelevant. If people in a group perceive that differences exit, then there is conflict. Conflict is a natural outcome in any group and need not be negative but rather has potential to be a positive force in contributing to a group’s performance. The very major proposes that not only can conflict be a positive forced in a group but also that some conflict is necessary for a group to perform effectively. It is also necessary that all conflicts are good and best. Some conflicts are seen as supporting te goals of the work group and improving its performance. Types of Conflict:    There are mainly three types of conflict which are as follows: Task Conflict: Task Conflict relates to the content and goals of the work. Relationship Conflict Relationship conflict focuses on interpersonal relationships. Process Conflict Process Conflict refers to how the work gets done. Systems for performance assessment for individuals or teams A performance evaluation system would be remiss if it did not concern itself with the legal aspects of employee performance. Suppose a supervisor has decided to terminate an employee. Although the supervisor cites performance matters as the reason for the discharge, a review of the employee’s recent performance appraisals indicates that performance was evaluated as satisfactory for the past two review periods. Accordingly, unless this employee’s performance significantly decreased, personal records do not support the supervisor’s decision. Performance improvement cycle         The performance improvement cycle can be explained below: The performance improvement cycle is given below:  In this diagram, the first circle shows following terms: Use Behavior-Based Measures: Combine Absolute and Relative Standards Providing Ongoing Feedback Use Multiple Raters Rate Selectively Train appraisers Indicators of poor performance Bad Result Less effectiveness: Not able to meet the organizational objectives Employees absentees Dissatisfaction of the employee Not able to work in team Supporting performance improvement Probability one of the most complex function of performance management is the design and implementation. International compensation packages in the United States generally used the â€Å"balanced _sheet approach, ’’ which considers four factors: base pay, differentials, incentives and assistance programs. BASE PAY: Ideally, this equals the pay of employees in comparable jobs at home, but the range of pay scales in most countries is far narrower than in the United States. Thus, whereas a middle manager in a U.S. factory might earn $75,000 a year, the same manager in Germany might earn the equivalent of $110,000. However, the U.S higher_ level executive might earn $500,000 and her counterpart in Germany only the equivalent of $150,000. How can human resource managers satisfy the middle manager who earns a third less than the counterpart where he works, while also satisfying the German executive who earns less than her U.S. counterpart?                                                                                              In addition to fairness among overseas employees, foreign currencies and laws must be considered. Should expatriates be paid in U.S. dollars or the local currency values_ or a combination of the two? How does the organization deal with changes in currency values? Do restrictions apply to either bringing in or taking out dollars or the local currency? If so, how are savings handled? Should salaries increases follow the same standards as those established for the domestic employees or local standards? Does the expatriate pay U.S. or foreign income taxes?Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â à ‚                                                            The U.S. State Department has negotiated agreements with every country to determine where income will be taxed, but the protection of foreign tax rates creates new administration for the organization. Differentials:      The cost of living fluctuates around the world, and the value of the dollar to foreign currencies affects prices. For example, if a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the United States where $1.25; in England is might be equivalent to $4.83; and in Hong Kong, 5.24, to publishes a regular updates by most multinational corporations for providing differentials to maintain the standards of living the expatriate would enjoy if he or she were home. Incentives:     Not all employees are willing to leave family, friends and the comfort of home support system for long periods of time. Thus, mobility inducement to go on foreign assignment is regularly offered. These may include monetary payments or services, such as housing, car, chauffeur, and other incentives. But companies must decide how a hardship premium should be paid. As a person of salary? In a lump sum payment? In home or foreign currency? In forgiven housing is provided, what happens to the vacant home back in the US or to the family housing situation when they eventually return? Incentives required carefully planning before, during, and after the overseas assignment. Assistance Programs: As with any relation, the overseas transfer requires much expenditure for the employee’s family. Some assistance programs commonly offered by multinational corporations includes household goods , shipping and storage , major appliances; legal clearance for pets and their shipment; home sale protection living expensive ,travel and annual home leaves, special return leaves . Club membership and security. Disciplinary and grievance procedures DISCIPLINE:          Condition of orderliness, in which members behave sensibly according to the standards of acceptable behavior and goals of the organization. (i) Positive Discipline. Procedures designers so that employees have no option than to act in desired manner. (ii) Negative Discipline. Sanctions designed to make people behave in desirable way. Action can be Punitive (punishment)                                                                                                           Deterrent (warning not to do)  Reformative (it will not happen again) STRICT DICSIPLINE. Types of disciplinary situations that managers have to face are as follows: Sleeping on duty Threatening co-workers Disobeying Take drugs Guilty Destroy company’s image Embezzlement Lying Safety procedures ignored Disciplinary Action: The informal talk minor problem, the employee has clear records. Friendly talk at this level to inform about standards Oral warning employees repeated violation, emphasizes the undesirability and warning for the formal, written warning Written warning becomes permanent record of the employee. Lay off or suspension repeated violations lead to this can go for days or weeks. Dismissal drastic step on serious offence. Expensive for the organization Managing disclipnary Situation: Immediacy: Disciplary actions should be taken speedily. Avoid haste and on the spot decisions. Advance Warning: Employee should be informed in advanced about rules and regulations Consistency: Each time it occurs, action should be taken. Inconsistency lowers the morale. Impersonality:                       Action should not be based on personality. Privacy: Action should be taken in private to avoid conflict and humiliation. Fairness: Actions to be based on investigated facts. Opportunities should be given to defend him or her. The role of the manager in both a disciplinary and a grievance procedure Describing what managers do is not easy or simple. Just as no two organizations are alike, no two manager’s jobs are alike. Despite this fact, management researchers have, after many years of study, developed three specific categorization schemes to describe what managers do: functions, roles and skills. In this section, we will examine each of these approaches and take a look at how manager’s job is changing Management Functions According to the functions approach, managers perform certain activities as they efficiently and effectively coordinate the work of others. What are these activities or function? All managers perform five functions: Let’s briefly look at each function. 1. Planning: If you have no particular destination in mind, then you take any road. However, if you have someplace in particular you want to go, you have got to plan the best way to get there. Because organizations exist to achieve some particular purpose, someone must clearly define that purpose and the means for its achievement. Management is that someone. As managers engage in planning , they define goals, established strategies for achieving those goals and develop plans to integrate and coordinate activities. 2. Organizing Managers are responsible for arranging and structuring work to accomplish the organizational goals. We call this function organizing. When manager organize, they determine what task are to be done. Who is to do them, how the task are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made; 3.  Leading Every organization includes people, and a manager’s job is to work with an through people to accomplish organizational goals. This is the leading function. When managers motivate subordinates, help resolve work group conflicts, influence, individuals or teams as they work, select the most effective communication channel, or deal in any way with employee behavior issues, they are leading. 4. Controlling The final management function is controlling. After the goals and plans are set, the task and structural arrangement determine \d, and the people hired, trained and motivated, there has to be some evaluation of whether things are going on planned. To ensure that goals are being met and tat work is being completed as it should be, managers must monitor and evaluate performance. Actual performance must be compared with the previously set goals. If there are significant deviations. It’s management’s job to get work performance back on track. This process of monitoring, comparing and correcting is what we mean by the controlling function. The key aspects of legislation that applies to an organization’s disciplinary and grievance procedure Drive Leaders exhibit a high effort level. They have a relatively high resire for achievement; they are ambitious; they have a lot of energy; they are tirelessly persistent in their activities; and they show initiative. Desire to lead Leaders have a strong desire to influence and lead others. They demonstrate the willingness to take responsibility. Honesty and integrity Leaders built trusting relationships between themselves and follower by being truthful or no deceitful and by showing high consistency between word and deed. Self-confidence Followers look to leaders for an absence of self-doubt. Leaders, therefore, need to show self-confidence in order to convince follower of the rightness of their goals and decisions. Intelligence Leader need to be intelligent enough together, synthesize and interpret large amounts of information, and they need to be able to create visions, solve problems and make correct decisions. Job relevant knowledge Effect leaders have degree of knowledge about the company, industry and technical matters. In depth knowledge allows leaders to make well-informed decisions and to understand the implications of those decisions Leaders are energetic Leaders are energetic lively people. They are sociable, assertive and rarely withdrawn. Reflective Statement Simply I can say that Performance management systems involve different activities, far more than simply reviewing what has employee has done. These systems must fulfill several purposes. Moreover, they are often constrained by difficulties in how they operate. Bibliography By (Michael Armstrong) Book name: Performance Management, 3rd Edition Katzenbach and Smith
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Writing (EBRW) Score
What's a Good SAT Math or Reading/Writing (EBRW) Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips In this article, we’ll go over how to calculate target SAT Math, Reading, and Writing scores, as well as why you might want to do this. Why Calculate Target Scores? Target scores are useful to calculate because they help you set realistic goals that are based on schools you’ll be applying to, rather than on some arbitrary standard that has no real justification behind it. By creating concrete, results-oriented scores to aim for, you’ll not only increase your chances of a successful outcome (getting into the schools you want), but, since the relationship between the scores and acceptance at colleges you wish to attend is so linear, you might even be more motivated to study to reach these goals. The steps you'll follow for finding your target SAT Math and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores are similar to what you'd do to find your overall SAT target score. If you haven't done this already, stop now and read our article on what makes a good, bad, or excellent SAT score, then come back; it's far more important to calculate your overall target SAT score than it is to calculate individual section scores. Step 1: Download These Worksheets To mathematically determine the target Math and EBRW scores you should be aiming for, we'll be filling out two worksheets for all the schools you're interested in. Click here to download the Math and EBRW score target worksheets, or click the images below: Step 2: Fill In the Schools You Want to Get Into In the leftmost column of the sheet, write down the names of colleges you want to attend. These might be schools that you already know you want to apply to, including your dream or "reach" schools; however, don't include safety schools (schools that you're 90% sure that you're going to get accepted to). If you're not sure yet what schools you want to apply to, go ahead and put down any schools you've heard of, or schools that your friends are interested in. We do recommend, however, that you research the schools before calculating your target score, though, so you'll get a sense of what scores you'll need to get into the schools you're interested in and if they're realistic for you given other factors like your high school GPA. Step 3: For Each School, Google "[Name of School] PrepScholar" For example, if I'm interested in University of Michigan, I'll do the following search: Most schools will have a PrepScholar.com link, as shown above. If you don't find one, try using the National Center for Education Statistic's IPEDS Data Center to look up the school's Admissions and Test Scores information; the data will be older but will still be official. Alternatively, try searching "[name of school] average sat scores" to see if the scores are listed on the official school website (although many schools do not report individual section scores on their websites). Use either of these methods to double-check your numbers. Our PrepScholar.com page lists the 25th/75th percentile scores for current University of Michigan students. We currently have hard data only for the old, out-of-2400 SAT (although we use these numbers to then estimate the equivalent out-of-1600 SAT) - when colleges release their student data for the new 1600 SAT, we'll update these pages. A refresher on what we mean when we talk about percentile scores: 25th percentile scores mean that 25% of students attending that school have at or below that score (this score is below average). The 75th percentile score means that 75% of students have a score at or below that number (making this score above average). In effect, the middle 50% of all students admitted to a school will have SAT scores between the 25th and 75th percentiles. If you score at the 75th percentile for a school, you have a great chance of getting in. If you're at the 25th percentile, you'll have to rely on some other part of your application to impress them (or retake the SAT to get your score more in line with the middle 50 percent of students admitted). For the University of Michigan, the old SAT 25th percentile scores were 660 for Math, 620 for Reading, and 630 for Writing, while the 75th percentile scores were 760 for Math, 720 for Reading, and 730 for Writing. Step 3a: Calculate the New SAT Score out of 800 for Math and EBRW Because you'll be taking the new 1600 SAT, you'll need to convert any old scores from the out-of-2400 SAT into new SAT scores in the rightmost column of the worksheets. This is particularly important for converting old Reading and Writing scores (which, when combined, were on a scale of 400-1600) to the new SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (on a scale of 200-800). Use our updated converter tool, which is based on official concordance tables from the College Board, to determine 75th percentile scores for the new SAT. For the University of Michigan, this tool gives a new SAT Math score of 690 and EBRW score of 680. Step 4: Calculate Your Final Target SAT Section Scores Finally, take the average of all the percentile columns. In general, we recommend using the 75th percentile score as your target, because it’ll give you the greatest chance of acceptance (as compared shooting for the 25th percentile or even the "average" score). However, just because you score at the 75th percentile doesn’t mean that you have a 75% chance of acceptance at any given school. The baseline acceptance rate for the school also affects the target score you choose. If a school's acceptance rate is low (20%), then you’ll want to aim for a score even higher than the 75th percentile score for a fixed likelihood of getting in. If the acceptance rate is higher, then you can aim for a lower percentile score (since increasing your SAT score is likely to only have a marginal effect on your acceptance rate). 150531-D-DB155-001/used under CC BY 2.0. Find your target score and aim for it with all your might. Bonus: Looking for the very best guides to every SAT section? Check out our top guides for every single section of the SAT. Choose the score level you're aiming for: 800 Score Guides: SAT Reading | SAT Writing | SAT Math | SAT Essay Choose these guides if you're scoring a 600 or above on a section, and you want to get the highest SAT score possible. 600 Score Guides: SAT Reading | SAT Writing | SAT Math | SAT Essay Choose these guides if you're scoring below a 600 on a section, and you want to boost your score to at least a 600 level. These are the very best guides available on boosting your SAT score, section by section. They're written by Harvard grads and perfect SAT scorers. Don't disappoint yourself - read these guides and improve your score today. When Do Section Scores Matter? Most of the time, hitting specific section score targets isn’t as important as making sure your overall SAT score is good; whether that high total score comes from a 680 on Math and a 780 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing or a 780 on Math and a 680 on EBRW is usually a moot point. There are two types of schools, however, for which individual section scores become more important: engineering programs and liberal arts colleges. For engineering schools and programs, a high SAT Math score (above a 700) is imperative; for the most competitive engineering programs, you’ll be at a severe disadvantage if you don’t get 770 or above on SAT Math. Even a perfect 800 won’t guarantee you admission, but getting a SAT Math score below a 750 lowers your odds dramatically at schools like MIT. On the other hand, you can get away with a (relatively) low Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (a 720 EBRW score still puts you in the middle 50 percent of students at MIT). Liberal arts schools, by contrast, prefer to see relatively equal section scores. That doesn't mean that you have to get exactly the same score on Math and EBRW, but it does mean that you'd have a better chance of getting into most liberal arts schools with two medium-high section scores (e.g. 700 Math, 690 EBRW) than with one high and one low score (e.g. 590 Math, 800 EBRW). Some of these schools may even go down to the Reading and Writing subscore level when it comes to evenness, although with the new combined Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score the odds of this happening are lower than with the old SAT (where students received out-of-800 scores for both Critical Reading and Writing). A good strategy if you’re applying to a mixed set of schools (some engineering, some liberal arts, and some that fit into neither category) is to create multiple different target scores sheets; if you take the SAT multiple times and get mixed results, the different sheets will help you determine which scores to send to schools that don't superscore. For instance, if you take the SAT twice and get 730 Math/780 EBRW and 790 Math/610 EBRW, you'd want to send the first score to liberal arts schools (who don't superscore) and the second score to engineering schools (who don't superscore); if the schools do superscore, you'd want to send both the scores to get the 790 Math/780 EBRW combo. Optimal/used under CC BY 2.0. Optimize your SAT score through superscoring like a superhero! What’s Next? What does it mean to score in the top percentiles on the SAT? Get an in-depth look at SAT score percentiles here, or read about the difference between the SAT User Percentile and the Nationally Representative Sample Percentile on ExpertHub. A high SAT Math score is a good start, but what else is required for engineering programs? Find out what it takes to get into a great engineering school here. Want to figure out what your overall SAT score should look like? Learn to distinguish between excellent, good, and bad SAT scores here. 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!
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Recycling of biological waste for local production of vegetables in Research Paper
Recycling of biological waste for local production of vegetables in Nairobi, Kenya - Research Paper Example These foci include: identifying locally relevant options; optimization of composting processes; organization of any waste handling that occurs; the homogeneity and safety of the generated products; and acceptance of the generated products by end users. Here it will be analyzed what roles soil, plants, and oxygen play in composting in rural communities such as the one described here. Usually, what happens with soil is that the moisture in composting tends to have various gases that are eliminated into the air due to organic elements having been introduced into the soil. â€Å"The moisture content of casts is an important driving force controlling the direction of nitrification–denitrification process, thus in dry– wet cycles, increases and decreases in ammonium and nitrate contents, respectively, may occur. Therefore, the decreases in water content of casts over time may favour the predomination of nitrification processes†(Aira, Monroy, & Dominguez, 2005, pp. 470 ). Additionally, plant life is especially important to composting organic elements within the soil. â€Å"The root basis of plants with an age of more than three years are places of ‘retreat’ for earthworms during the dry season when the soil completely dries out up to a depth of 1 meter and more†¦Within this rotting material, small numbers of epigeic living earthworms can be found†(Bierwirth, 2001, pp. 3). Oxygen is also a very important element in the composting process. â€Å"The results [of this study] are relevant to the supply of oxygen†¦to sediments for the phytopurification of waste waters, to the efflux of methane and carbon dioxide from wetlands, and to rice cultivation†(Armstrong & Armstrong, 2001, Abstract). II. Objectives (100 words) The main focus of the research proposal is much in the direction of safe handling of urban wastes, the processing and the quality of the end product as a soil amendment. As mentioned, the work is plann ed to take place in Nairobi. Some of the recent work on urban agriculture and waste recycling will be analyzed. This includes knowing what steps are necessary to take in composting, and how current research has helped inform the approach that will be taken. It is hoped that, with this research, third-world composting in rural Africa will become more widely-accepted and widely-adopted all over. III. Research Questions (1,250 words) Research Questions (50 words) Research questions include the following: a) What are locally relevant options? B) How can composting processes be optimized? c) How is waste handling organized? How homogenous and safe are the generated products? and d) What is the acceptance of the end products by the public? a. Locally Relevant Options for Vegetable Production in Nairobi (300 words) Locally relevant options include trying to control pests. Pests can affect crops, which can then make the problem of yield losses worse, when trying to produce cash crops. †Å"[P]ests may affect yield loss independently in natural farming, but in conventional paddies, multiple pest injury may interact synergistically, compounding yield loss†(Andow & Hidaka, 1998, Abstract). Another locally relevant option for vegetable production in Nairobi might be testing the soil. It is important to know what type of soil is being used for which
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Environment Management at Yamama Cement Company Assignment
Environment Management at Yamama Cement Company - Assignment Example Such techniques include proper handling of environmental issues, effective marketing strategies and up to date human resource and employee relationship techniques. However, this paper will mainly discuss various characteristics of Environment Management programmes at Yamama Cement Company. The issues of environmental impact that must be considered in an Environmental Impact Assessment for Yamama Cement are six-fold: climate protection, fuels and raw materials, health and safety, emissions reduction, local impacts and concrete recycling. (Yamama Cement Website, 2010) This issue matrix is adopted from the World Business Council for Sustainable Developments (WBCS), â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)†. (â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)†) 3. Health and safety: In this field, the World Business Council for Sustainable Developments (WBCS), â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)†motto is Aiming for Zero. The objective is no employee injuries or fatalities. 5. Local impacts: This aspect of environmental stewardship involves reduction of airborne particulate matter discharge and noise, â€Å"disturbance to landscape, local watershed and local biodiversity caused by limestone quarrying†and involvement of all relevant local stakeholders. Presence of world’s hottest deserts makes the Middle East one amongst hottest countries of the world with extremely hot and dry weather. Hence, all kinds of traders and manufacturers keep in mind its exceptionally harsh climatic conditions and use construction materials which can provide an effective resistance to heat and dryness. (Sinton, 2005, 450) For example, builders need to use waterproof foundation for buildings in order to avoid water infiltration due to a corrosive characteristic of salt present in the underground water within the Middle East.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Trajectory of US Foreign Policy Essay Example for Free
Trajectory of US Foreign Policy Essay Introduction            The credo for â€Å"strong America and secured world†re-echoes the vision for retaining global alliances yet draws future challenges to US foreign policy in re-aligning socio-political confidence in the contemporary shift of political power.            The rise of third forces is critically perceived in the interplay of emerging political powers that may desolate convergence to US foreign policy. The perceptive basis of power shifting may in itself central to the change of US interstate (domestic) leadership and the clamor of the American people to reform the US foreign policies.  In contrast, the US economic, financial and military establishments can possibly absorb the vacillating pressure upon the change of political leadership. The reconfiguration in the trajectory of US foreign policy may absorb the vacuum of power within the confines of socio-economic-political individualism. This individualism may be depictive to walking down a narrow road that is less traveled, as there goes an excerpt from the song ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (Elton John; in Taupin, B., 1973): â€Å"†¦So goodbye yellow brick road where the dogs of society howl, you cant plant me in your penthouse, Im going back to my plough†¦Ã¢â‚¬ From this pretext, what holds America’s foreign policy is to maintain the yellow brick road of economic and financial convergence ensuring the American people never to go back in the 1890’s US’ experience of great economic depression, in which today the US government controls its economic and political interests in a global landscape. This may be a classical overture leading to the contemporary challenges of US foreign policy, but an annotation to the modern political genre and re-structured geopolitical archetype in US’ shift of power.            This paper will discuss the contemporary interstate (domestic) political interactions and the intrastate (foreign) shifting of political powers relating to the trajectory and future challenge in US foreign policy. Methodology            The review of literature will guide the overall discussions of issues and will be the basis of analyzing the situation. The method will adopt a 2-prong approach in examining the trajectory and challenges of US foreign policy to situate (2) interstate factors, and (2) intrastate responses. Rationale            This section of the paper will present, review and discuss the January 2008 State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President George Bush in order to situate the interstate factors effecting the character-role of US executive, legislative, judiciary and military branches of government, and the intrastate affairs or foreign policy agenda.            President Bush’ 2008 SONA emphasizes the credo for â€Å"strong America and secured world†. The credo calls on the critical character-roles of US’ governmental agencies in advancing the socio-economic-political-cultural well-being of the state from domestic to foreign abode. As quoted from the speech of President Bush, he implored â€Å"expanding opportunity to protecting the country, as the US government have made good progress, and yet it has unfinished business in which the American people expect to get it done†(The White House, 2008).            The quotation highlights the empowerment of US economy to which has been faced with uncertainties as indicated by job shortage, depleted market in housing, hurdled distribution of healthcare benefits, and reduction of revenues from increased government spending. Basically, President Bush refers both private and public financial incapability and the global economic recession. As further emphasized, the economic agenda is to draw a more empowered financial establishment and labor market, in which Bush stressed out the making of top quality American product as what he calls to be proudly labeled as â€Å"Made in the USA†.            Science and technological innovations were also critically addressed by investing on research ingenuity and the unlimited development of scientific inventions and discoveries which aimed to create and provide â€Å"energy security.†Current technologies of adversaries must comply with human and environmental protection. President Bush reiterated the passing of the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act†as encompassing the state immediate domestic need to education and urged US Congress for $300 Million scholarship budget.            On top of the domestic social-economic agenda for labor market, education, healthcare and revenue generation [through tax rebate package], President Bush cited the additional deployment of 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan, as he concluded that â€Å"homeward bound†soldiers out of the 20,000 troops deployed in the Middle East must be replaced to ensure maintenance of peace and security.            The rationale of President Bush 2008 SONA was founded on recouping domestic uncertainties and pursuing the unfinished business in Middle East. Literature review: the shaping of US foreign policy            As presented and discussed in the rationale section of this paper, the literature review will examine the variety of â€Å"actors†and â€Å"factors†that relates the shaping of US foreign policy. The rationale section will also form part of derivatives to the overall discussions. The traditional foreign policy elites As an overview prior to discussing the topic, we may cite a quotation from the Director of Policy Planning Richard Haas of the US Department of State that may similarly define the traditional foreign policy elites: â€Å"Of the many influences on U.S. foreign policy formulation, the role of think tanks is among the most important and least appreciated†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (US Department of State, 2002).            According to the electronic journal, ‘US Foreign Policy Elites in a Post-Cold War Information Age’ published by Mark P. Lagon in 1996, the â€Å"special expertise†inside and outside of government that absorbs academics, quasi-academics, journalists, and polemicists becomes political appoint ees and career bureaucrats are referred to as â€Å"elites†. The â€Å"elites†creates the â€Å"inner circle†or sphere inside and outside of government.  Another representation correlated to the definition, the media has a crucial role in binding the â€Å"elite grouping†by providing medium of communication (or forum) for setting agenda (Lagon, 1996).            The 21st century â€Å"elites†may be also categorized or defined as a â€Å"political technocrat†because they have the capability to analyze or study a political-economic situation and influence the pre-condition effect or scenario of a situation. The elites may be also representing the â€Å"power brokering†between the governmental affairs and the social groups in a civil society. In domestic and foreign relations, most of business men and affluent academicians are the most likeable appointee or delegate to represent governmental functions. One that may exemplify the â€Å"representation†is by appointing a diplomatic functionary. The diplomatic function works within a â€Å"script†of function effective to carry out the mission at diplomacy level. In other words, the diplomacy level could only be functional in mediation and arbitration, in which the role of a â€Å"middle man†patterns the diplomatic functions. We may also refer the â€Å"at large†elites as belonging from the top social hierarchy [categorized by its family wealth and social academic status], in which may be â€Å"enticed†or drawn by political-economic sentimentalism [merely sympathetic to a cause, social conviction and plain beliefs] that allies with national advocacy and lobbyist groups or political activism. The capability of â€Å"at large†elites may have a â€Å"vacillating tendency†at crucial political standpoint, wherein to â€Å"toss coin†meant knowing both sides (pros and cons) of a national issue. In poor and undeveloped countries, like the Philippines in Asia, it has become a common knowledge that the traditional elites [mostly represented by disgruntled politicians, adventurous soldiers, government retirees, and idealistic academicians] have its own political grouping [even maintaining bureaucracy] inside and outside the government. In this case, the capability to be well-integrated in both â€Å"camps†and political grouping (opposition and government) attributes the ability to situate, adapt and formulate political configuration, in which the prognosis equates to being a â€Å"think tank†. In the US, the traditional elites are those belonging from a confederate political backing [that is also known as interest groups] that carry out a â€Å"national interest†agenda may it be through electoral processes, lobbying and issue advocacy. From that point of view, the capability to create impact could be publicly supported. Moreover, the special scholastic skill to substantiate political issues or able to expand prolific deductions or analogies could influence the policy making initiatives. The affiliation between elites and the gen eral public in a democratic processes of policy-mak ing is involving mobilization and ratification, wherein the elites configures the outline of a pol icy and mobilizes public convergence in which the framing of a policy is set at the dispensation of the legislative, executive and judiciary branches of government [and even the military establishments] for interstate (domestic) or intrastate (foreign) implementation. US political culture and mass public opinion In a joint lecture in year 2006 conducted by Bruce E. Gronbeck, A. Craig Baird from the University of Iowa and John D. Lees from Manchester University in England, they defined the contemporary political culture and mass public opinion under two categories; popularity and populism. Accordingly, popularity is more central to the personalities and characters involving the issues (be it social, economic and political). On the other hand, populism is drawn as an action-oriented response invoking the right to redress grievances and holding of assemblies. Combining both popularity and populism as a public response or action toward an issue is considered a relevantly critical public interest undertaking. The significance of political culture and mass public opinion which compose popularity and populism flows in the typologies of â€Å"information†and constructively appears in the public life. One example is the flow of information of economic uncertainty [as communicated by media] is the indication of depleted housing market, scarcity of healthcare benefits and shortage of labor markets, which was outlined in the political-economic agenda of President Bush’ 2008 SONA.  In contrast, political and economic analysts believe that government indecisiveness draws more â€Å"hostile popularity†of political leadership, in which populism resort to civic action or civil defiance. Like any other countries (poor and rich), the political culture and mass public opinion is focus at the governmental leadership and performance. The civil society [as composing various groupings] is the bulwark of indispensable opinion and perception consistent to the so-called â€Å"participatory or popular democracy†. The political culture and mass public opinion therefore refers to the existence of democratic processes that describes the type, category and classification of framing a public policy. The interest groups and the ‘military-industrial complex’ The interest groups being generally defined and perceived as grouping of individual types and stakeholders for socio-political interest or convictions are not representing the government neither functionaries of a government office. The interest group has varied classifications, such as endorser and financier of political candidates, advocates and lobbyist for legislative policy agenda, social work composing the non-governmental organizations and political activists. These classifications of interest groups are also described as â€Å"pressure groups†in a civil society. The US-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) found that the â€Å"pressure groups†are vulnerable to collaborating with â€Å"domestic extremists†being classified as hate groups that allies with â€Å"left-wing†radical activists motivated by religious-racial-cultural conservatism. To cite, the incident on April 1995 truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that accounted 168 deaths and wounded about 500 people has attributed to domestic terrorism, and suspected by the FBI as multi-perpetuated and politically motivated actions linking the â€Å"interest groups†of radical political activists opposing the World Trade Organization (WTO; in Fletcher, H., 2008). On the other hand, the military-industrial complex refers to the established institution of the US Armed Forces. However, a group of stakeholders [that are also classified as interest groups] acts as brokers, traders and suppliers of weaponry and armaments to the US Armed Forces. These stakeholders or interest groups also serve as a â€Å"pressure group†in dealing with the passing or enactment of a policy concerning homeland defense and most especially foreign security policy. The US war on Iraq and the continuing anti-terrorism campaign of the US government favors the stakeholders, in which the demand for supplying weaponry and armaments to the US Armed Forces categorically defines â€Å"profitable business in war†. The traditional and new media Based on the journal, ‘The Interaction of Traditional and New Media’, authored by John D. Leckenby and Everett D. Collier from the Department of Advertising, College of Communication at the University of Texas, the medium of communication has evolved the typologies of media outfit. The type of traditional and new media is classified in terms of technology, in which the information delivery and access through the Internet has typified the â€Å"traditional†and â€Å"new†medium of communication and updating to social developments. However, the classification does not necessarily feature the newest approach to bringing information and accessibility to consumers. As cited, the televisions broadcast and print media although classified as traditional [in the cyber age] still captures and captivates impact to public interest (Leckenby Collier, 2003). It maybe recalled that the coverage of television, broadcast and print media in Iraq has kept abreast the development of war around the world. It may be also a fact that the electronic or cyber media outfit relies from the â€Å"feedback information†of correspondents in Iraq. Otherwise direct satellite connection to the Internet could be most promptly delivered. At hindsight, a significant number of consumers to information are inaccessible or inadequate [and do not have computer facility] to use the Internet. To compare and contrast, the â€Å"new†media is based on the above definition on the use of cyber-technology that differentiates â€Å"traditional†, but not yet totally recognized as a habitual utility in a society. The societal significance of the â€Å"new media†outfit [using the Internet] may only be considered as an added feature to bringing about interactions of affluent group of people, financially supported political campaigns, and the attempt of the government to develop online transactions. In addition, the cyber-technology that pertains to E-commerce may be remotely attributed to â€Å"new media†with regard to journalism. What is then more significant [aside from classification] is the emerging venue or medium of both traditional and new media that bring about and reach out the development and trends of governance and public interest. Examining the White House and executive agencies The â€Å"White House†symbolizes the seat of power of the President of the United States. Political analysts even put satire to the white house as the home of many kitchens and chefs, wherein what is cooking inside the white house might be sourly, distasteful, and spoiled. The parallelism of this political satire may be referring to the consistent, efficient and effective role-modeling of the Chief Executive being the symbolical figure head of the White House. What is then bestowed upon the mandate of the President must be retained to the sovereign will of the people; the vox populi. Therefore, the mandate shall immerse in the life of the Executive Cabinet. Department of State The US Department of State (USDS) emanated from the year 1789 establishment of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Its primary mandate is to protect the global interests of the US government by managing about 250 US embassies and consulates throughout the world. The functionaries of USDS represent the US government to the United Nation (UN), NATO (North American Treaty Organization), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), and the European Union. USDS also manages the issuance of travel advisory to its citizens at home and in abroad. In sum, the USDS may be referred to as a fortress of the US foreign relations, in which it accesses and reach out international boundaries. Through that, it serves as a pipeline and breadth of US’ foreign policies and diplomatic partnership. The USDS plays a vital role in US’ global governmental functions. Thus, the trajectory of US foreign policy can be substantively achieved at intrastate domains. Department of Defense Mandated to secure and protect the domestic abode, the US Department of Defense (USDOD) has expansive role in protecting the foreign interest of the US government. The claim for â€Å"soldier-heroes†has been brought in the US war to Iraq. President Bush addressed the USDOD as â€Å"champions†of restoring democracies from adverse governments around the world. In early 1960’s towards mid-1970, former President Nixon mandated the USDOD in deploying troops to Vietnam as â€Å"mandamus duty†of the President to participate in domestic war. However, it has proven the saying â€Å"not to fight an enemy in his own backyard†, wherein an approximate 58,000 US soldiers died in related combat operations. Today, the war in Iraq has accounted 20,000 US troops deployment, aside from the most recent calling of President Bush [in his 2008 SONA] to deploy 3,200 Marines. The USDOD maintains its â€Å"military-industrial complex†in collaboration with various international governments upon the US foreign policy to â€Å"secure the world†in pursuit of war against domestic and international terrorism. Intelligence Community The intelligence community (commonly called as IC) is described by Military experts as â€Å"eyes and ears†of the US government, wherein it gathers information, process information and package information as a derivative or aid for policy legislation. The labeling of â€Å"spying†has graduated from the post-cold war competition of mice-and-cat espionage activities of CIA to Russian KGB. The contemporary strategic approach is focusing on the open-source information gathering that uses the method of HUMINT (human intelligence). The IC reform has been outlined in the enactment of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004. The creation of the Office of the Director for National Intelligence (ODNI) empowers the strategic and tactical approaches to processing the global information. Upon enactment of IRTPA, the Executive and Congress has accessed the â€Å"transparent undertaking†of the CIA and put the work into a new â€Å"twist†of domestic and foreign intelligence and enforcement that synergize and harmonize working relationship with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the USDOD. Economic institutions  The Department of Treasury holds the coffer of the State. Just like the â€Å"yellow brick road†[partly discussed in the introductory section] that symbolizes the commercial district in New York, wherein the former seat of monetary transactions happens at Wall Street, it ensure and protect the financial wellbeing of the State and the US government financing of domestic and foreign projects. The role of the Department of Treasury is not limited to revenue generations, printing of receipts, bank notes, federal reserves, debt collections and banking. The versatile character of the Department of Treasury is to determine the financial viability of US foreign investments, in which fiscal management form part in shaping a feasible and optimal policy that protects the US interest. The US Congress and the Courts The legislative and judiciary has commonalities in policy undertaking. The only difference is the characterization of policy in terms of ratification and interpretation of law [with jurisprudential values] effecting and affecting the enforcement. The passing of the IRTPA of 2004 is regarded as a comprehensive policy enactment in US history of law enforcement. First, the reform in IC through establishment of ODNI has carried out significant enforcement in arresting â€Å"domestic terrorist†. Second is the empowerment of the President to enact on Executive Orders [as presidential decision] to harmonize the homeland defense system. And, third, the juridical justification of continuous deployment of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US Public Law endures the pursuit of foreign interest in a â€Å"witch hunting†expedition against the terrorist. The foreign ally governments receives the support to law enforcement, supply of weaponry and economic projects, somehow, the burden of vulnerability from so-called enemies are translated into committing of human errors in enforcement resulting human rights violations and domestic economic disturbance. It may be perceived that while US foreign policy instigates the war on terrorism, the host country or government suffers socio-economic-political derailment. Critical analysis on the character-role of shaping US foreign policy            This critical analysis is pertaining to the Executive branch of government that holds the key actors and factors relating the character-role of shaping US foreign policy.            The Executive Cabinet generally contains the governmental leadership. It may be said that the â€Å"office†itself is being protected and preserved but the â€Å"personality†(being the President) calibrate and spearhead the role-modeling. This means, the â€Å"political will†emanates from the personal character of a President. In the event of â€Å"changing the guards†as characterized by a governmental revamp, reorganization for new sets of political appointees and the change of leadership itself [through election], the reconfiguration process may take time to re-establish the political will.            Within the confines of the White House, the Defense, Treasury and ODNI are the three vital â€Å"guardians†of presidential decision [although Congress and the Courts of law collaborate]. It may be noted from the 2008 SONA of President Bush that the key elemental features of emphasis in delivering immediate governmental actions focuses and addresses selective governmental agencies, such as (1) the Treasury to handle the tax rebates and other fiscal management of economy; (2) the unfinished business in the Middle East as afflicted by political-economic reconstruction in Iraq, maintenance of security in Afghanistan and reconnaissance in Iran and Jordan for a potential stockpile of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and mediation of conflict in North Korea; and (3) above all is the call for continuous empowerment of domestic and foreign policies being aligned to contemporary global challenges. Conclusion The trajectory of the US interstate and intrastate policy is may be perceived to be aligning the shift of political powers. One that describes the shifting is the domestic or national political leadership in 2008. From the point of view of election campaign in the US, political groupings and individualism may surface and is carried out upon racial equation. Although it is only a perception, the shifting of leadership [or changing of the guards] is earlier been held to be re-aligned in the overall governmental function contingent to protecting and preserving the US foreign interest. Second that describes the shifting is the emergence of â€Å"third force†political power at the global perspective. The third force may not be categorized likened to US but the proliferation of technologies in advanced weaponry and armaments may interchangeably interact in the global power sharing. The lull of silence in Iran and North Korea is yet unfolding much discoveries of the US.            As what the US being envisioned for â€Å"strong America and secured world†is a perseverance of its hero-in-history model at the global perception, in which recouping gaps and assessing unforeseen factors may supplant political indecisiveness amidst contemporary challenges. It may be therefore concluded that the trajectory of US policy widens the roadmap with symbolical trail as a cornerstone of gaining foreign alliances that shall keep America strong. References Fletcher, H. (2008). ‘Militant Extremist in the United States’. Council on Foreign            Relations. Retrieved 10 May 2008 from http://www.cfr.org/publication/9236/#10. Gronbeck, B.E., Baird, A.C. and Lees, J.D. (2006). ‘The Twenty-First Century            Reconstitution of American Political Culture’. Retrieved 10 May 2008 from http://www.uiowa.edu/~commstud/faculty/gronbeck/21st_reconstitution.pdf. John, E. and Taupin, B. (1973). ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. MCA Music. Retrieved 10            May 2008 from            http://www.eltonography.com/songs/goodbye_yellow_brick_road.html. Lagon, M.P. (1996). ‘US Foreign Policy Elites in a Post-Cold War Information Age’.            Questia Electronic Journal Vol. 158. Retrieved 10 May 2008 from http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LmRRTn5L9B6QHgvqf161MJQzGmPyt0yV65zLljpZzy4TGkvYDppP!1427019383?docId=95865979. Leckenby, J.D. and Collier, E.D. (2003). ‘The Interaction of Traditional and New Media’. Department of Advertising, College of Communication, University of Texas. http://www.ciadvertising.org/studies/reports/measurement/newmedia_chapter_print.pdf. The White House (2008). ‘Pres. George Bush State of the Nation Address’. Retrieved 10            May 2008 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080128-13.html. US Department of State (2002). ‘US Foreign Policy Agenda’. Electronic Journal Vol.7,            No.3. Retrieved 10 May 2008 from  http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itps/1102/ijpe/ijpe1102.pdf.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Invention of Standardized Money :: essays research papers
There were many reasons for the invention of standardized money. First, nobody wanted to carry 30 pounds of barley to the trade city that could have been 100 miles away. Second, it was difficult to determine the true cost of different goods. For example, if somebody wanted to buy milk for his family, it would almost be impossible to figure out a fair exchange for grain. Finally, the barter system limited the people who would trade with each other. Not everybody would want to purchase milk or grain. In sum, there were too many complications and inefficiencies in a barter economy. People in ancient times developed the concept of money around the year 2500 B.C. Some historians argue that it may have been even earlier. The first form of ?money? was silver in Mesopotamia. Silver functioned just like the money we use today. It had a standard, it was weighed in shekels so that one could determine the value of the silver in relation to its weight. Today, the way we determine the value of our money is by looking at the number in the corners of a bill. Like our money today, silver was easily portable compared to goods like milk and grain. The flaws with the early silver money system were evident. Somebody could easily take another alloy metal and tell the merchant that it was silver. In other words, counterfeiting was relatively easy. As a result, a merchant would want know person that was offering their silver in order to prevent fraud. There were other standards of money in different places. There were different clay tokens. People who were not as wealthy as those who paid in silver paid in less valuable metals like copper, tin, and lead, but mostly barley. Eventually, merchants thought of an idea. If most of their customers paid in a certain currency, then they would therefore take only that specific currency. This idea started to slowly kill off other currencies. By killing off currencies they were making silver the dominate currency. Invention of Standardized Money :: essays research papers There were many reasons for the invention of standardized money. First, nobody wanted to carry 30 pounds of barley to the trade city that could have been 100 miles away. Second, it was difficult to determine the true cost of different goods. For example, if somebody wanted to buy milk for his family, it would almost be impossible to figure out a fair exchange for grain. Finally, the barter system limited the people who would trade with each other. Not everybody would want to purchase milk or grain. In sum, there were too many complications and inefficiencies in a barter economy. People in ancient times developed the concept of money around the year 2500 B.C. Some historians argue that it may have been even earlier. The first form of ?money? was silver in Mesopotamia. Silver functioned just like the money we use today. It had a standard, it was weighed in shekels so that one could determine the value of the silver in relation to its weight. Today, the way we determine the value of our money is by looking at the number in the corners of a bill. Like our money today, silver was easily portable compared to goods like milk and grain. The flaws with the early silver money system were evident. Somebody could easily take another alloy metal and tell the merchant that it was silver. In other words, counterfeiting was relatively easy. As a result, a merchant would want know person that was offering their silver in order to prevent fraud. There were other standards of money in different places. There were different clay tokens. People who were not as wealthy as those who paid in silver paid in less valuable metals like copper, tin, and lead, but mostly barley. Eventually, merchants thought of an idea. If most of their customers paid in a certain currency, then they would therefore take only that specific currency. This idea started to slowly kill off other currencies. By killing off currencies they were making silver the dominate currency.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
The Gift of the Magi by William Sidney Porter
The Gift of the Magi by William Sydney Porter Xinyan Zhu September 2, 2012 Comp1102 /Fall Mrs. Chambers The Gift of the Magi by William Sidney Porter William Sidney Porter, better known under his pen name â€Å"O. Henry†, born September 11 1862 in Greensboro North Carolina. Accused of embezzling bank fund, Henry was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. During this dark period in his life, he begin his literary career with his stories that were to be collected in his first book â€Å"Cabbage and Kings†(1904).Henry left the stories mainly laid in New York, Central American and Western American. The majority of the stories that can be found, however, are set in Manhattan, New York City. In these works, Henry portrayed the atmosphere and the scenes of its restaurant and its old lodging houses really true to life. For this reason, Henry remains secure in the hearts of the public as, â€Å"the prose laureate of Manhattan Island†(1945,Lewiston Journal Maga zine Section). Finally he deserves rank with America’s greatest of the short story and hands down far and wide up to now.His representative work The Gift of the Magi (1906) is an extremely moving story of a young couple who sell their best possessions, Della’s hair and Jim’s watch, in order to get money for a Christmas present for each other. The hair is cut and sold to buy a glorious watch chain, and the watch is sold to buy a beautiful comb, neither knowing that the present can no longer be of any use when offered to the loved one. After the first reading, the whole story seems tell about a funny story, but no one cannot laugh out. This essay focuses on the ending of The Gift of Magi.It reflects the ambience of happiness with sadness of the couple’s life. There is something deep inside this story. Many people studies Henry’s The Gift of Magi from different perspectives, such as analyzing the characteristics, the theme and also personal background of The Gift of Magi. The style of O. Henry’s short novel’s ending is well-known throughout the world of literature with its wit unexpected but reasonable results. From the beginning of the story, the young couple is characterized as their true love holder showing sincerity and loyalty through the way of sacrificing their precious treasure.First, Della cries, â€Å"she whirled from the window and stood before the glass. Her eyes were shining brilliantly, but her face had lost its color within twenty seconds. Rapidly she pulled down her hair and let it fall to its full length†(The Gift of the Magi). Later Della makes up her mind to do one thing giving the readers an astonishing shock tempting to readers to shed tears right now. The only purpose is just to give present on Christmas. Della is full of pleasure, has thought that she would give her husband the most suitable gift on the Christmas Day, but a strong sense of anxiety accompany with her.When Jim has return ed home and stared at Della, a bust of complex feeling occurs to him, his inner world fraught with many unlucky ideas. By Della’s explanation Jim has done the same thing as Della done for him, he has sold the watch to get the money to buy combs which Della loves for a very long time. Fortunately, the couple presents their most precious presents to each other, real presents is temporarily useless but their mutual love is true and lasting forever. There is no doubt that it embodies the life of happiness with sadness and deepens their love.Here Henry presents the climax and later comments on, â€Å"the foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasure of their house†(The Gift of the Magi). The young couple indeed sacrifices their precious possessions, the unwise aspect lies in their decision without telling each other ahead of time and the couple just wants to bring a surprise with great happiness to show their affection. Surpris ing ending is O. Henry’s one signature. Della asks Jim to give her watch to see how it looks on it.Instead of obeying, Jim tumbles down on the couch and put his hands under the back of his head and smiled. Because Jim knows it useless right now, no watch any more. For both of them, losing their great treasure means nothing could make them proud of, but they have received one more important thing, a sense of pleasure and satisfaction. The poor couple creates a soft and gentle atmosphere to feel how much they love each other. Although Henry depicts the foolish children, â€Å"but in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. , â€Å"†¦of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. †(The Gift of the Magi) It denotes that their gifts are the most divine and pious proof to their incomparable true love. Therefore, the two foolish children, Della and Jim are the wisest. Since they receive the s piritual presents through their decision. They are the magi, and their gifts are the gifts of the magi. To sum up, even The Gift of Magi is just one section of life in American people who are struggling for life and searching for a better life with happiness and sadness in the cruel and suffering society.There is much to be learned from the love of this couple. Works Cited 1. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/O. _Henry. 2. Lewiston Journal Magazine Section, 1945. 3. Angell, Roger. â€Å"The Gift of the Magi: Interview. The New Yorker. Broadcast transcript. Morning Edition. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 2010. 4. Wilson, Kathleen. â€Å"The Gift of the Magi. †Short Stories for Students. Ed. Kathleen Wilson. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale. Litfinder for Schools. 1997.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Iberia Airlines Essay
i. whom does it serve? In 1944, the civil Aviation Conference was held in Chacigo, where fifty two states siged an International Convention that established the basic principles for the functioning of the air market: each country could negotiate bilateral agreements with other countries in order to regulate the market conditions that would govern air traffic. Before the 1980’s, the planning system used was basically â€Å" point to point†, that is to say, direct flights from one city of origin to another of destination. Instead of planning simple routes, they planned routes from and to the hub airports that came from or were going to other cities. In 1959, ii. What value does it deliver? They used medium and low capacity aircraft on low density routes. Generally they only made domestic flights and rarely international ones. They competed with flag carriers and also with low cost carriers, which had caused a decline in their per passenger income. For that reason, some regional companies decided to go into partnership with flag carriers which results to also low cost carriers. iii. Why does it matter? It matters with the 1.9 billion passengers carried safely by the airline, because of the low cost but efficient carrier. The strategic master plan II 2000-2013, established customer service as one of its priority objectives which in fact result with the passenger’s satisfaction that would be converted to profit. iv. What is its ambition? Its ambition is to suffice the need of its passengers while giving low cost in a way that their service will be still in the international level and not only for domestic purposes with the intention to give a safe and worth it flights. 2. How does the firm create and capture value? i. What is its difference? Its difference is that it gives low cost flights which gives the customers the right satisfaction. They managed flights â€Å"point-to-point†, both scheduled and short haul. They used to regional airports that were cheaper and less crowded than the main airports. Nevertheless, some low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Vueling also used main airports. They had homogenous fleets that facilitated crew information and saved on maintenance costs. They offered one class only with high density seating and no in-flight service. They made sales directly by telephone and internet without issuing tickets. They offered unnumbered seats on the aircraft so as to speed-up the boarding process. They subcontracted many activities such as ground assistance or maintenance. They employees were not union members, and in many cases they contracted for several tasks. Iberia enabled Iberia to ramp up its security without having to take on additional staff. The automatic detections made by Vi-System have resulted in more effective surveillance, managed centrally from the security team’s headquarters, without the need for regular patrols around the large site. ii. How does it deliver its value proposition? Our research indicates that most companies, when asked to construct a customer value proposition, simply list all the benefits they believe that their offering might deliver to target customers. Therefore, the benefits of Iberia are as follows: 1. Non expensive flights 2. Safe flights What makes its strategy superior? Its strategy is superior because they know how to choose their trusted customers. Customers which aims for a low prices offered by the airlines, they made their schedules convenient and frequent, made a good edge by making good previous experience and definitely a direct flight. iii. How does it evolve? It has established partnerships with other flag carriers. Iberia became a partner of European regional airlines although still having independent capitals but it they achieved better service and obtained positive results 8. Describe the here and now condition of the firm as given by your case material PEST Political factors: -Government regulations regarding the safety of the people -Economic policies of government regarding the airline industry, these may include licenses, inspection by the duly authorities that is airline companies follow. Economic factors: – Interest rate would impact the cost of capital, the rate of interest being directly proportionate to the to the cost of capital – Economic trends act as an indicator of the sustenance and profitability of your business in the chosen region and help you in deciding your marketing strategy. – Rate of inflation determines the rate of remuneration of employees and directly affects the price of the restaurant’s products. Again, the proportion between the inflation rate and wages/prices is direct Social Factors: -Certain cultures, like 1st world countries would not choose to go to the Iberia airline just to save money, they would choose airlines which gives better customer satisfaction. Technological Factor: – The technology of the Iberia Airlines is very efficient because when the internet was used, the Iberia Airlines quickly took the idea of selling tickets in the internet. Porters 5 forces It is known for a fact the Iberia Airlines is not the first airlines, but it is said by porter that when there’s a new one, there will always be an old one. Its idea of selling tickets cheaper compared to other companies is a stepping stone. The advantage of this airline is that it has cheaper flights compared to other airlines but same service. Its technology is sufficient and ready for competition. In its early age, it is a fact that there were already 1.9 billion customers and a basis to have a reason of better achievement compared to other rivals. The Mckinsey 7S Strategy: to build partnerships among other airlines but still having independent capital to have independent profit Structure: Everyone reports to the CEO, Rafael Sanchez- Luzano Turmo who decides whether the proposals are to be accepted Systems: Iberia Airlines became more established in the world of air travel and began commercial connections six days a week between Madrid and Barcelona. Shared Values: Its goal is to dominate the airline industry Style: Its style is selling cheaper flights but efficient service. Staff: The Iberia airlines provides ground staffs and cabin crew with iPads to improve customer service Skills: Its main objective is to give services to customers who wants a point to point flights (domestic flights) but it is currently serving international flights SWOT: Strength- Low cost price but efficient service Weakness- Too many international airlines. The train industries are also being their rival companies in term of short term travels Opportunities- well known internationally by giving efficient service Threat- insufficient capital, companies that are well known giving services faster and easier in terms of international flights 9. Formulate the vision and mission statement As we move towards our goal of being a world-class airline, we will continue to give extra-ordinary services to attain customer needs. We intend to provide our customers with a efficient though low cost pricing flights and will surely give memorable experience in the flight. Mission statement Our mission is to run a profitable business by providing high-end international airline. To provide quality and efficient service to the customers, we will maintain the low-cost prices of our services. references: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pest-analysis-example.html http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm http://hbr.org/2006/03/customer-value-propositions-in-business-markets/ar/1 http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_91.htm http://www.airlinetrends.com/2012/07/23/iberiacabin-crew-ipad/
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Learn to Code in 3 Months With Harvards Online Courses
Learn to Code in 3 Months With Harvard's Online Courses Harvard’s â€Å"Introduction to Computer Science†course is widely regarded as the best computer science course online and serves as a rigorous starting point for thousands of online students every year. Plus, the course is flexible: there’s an option for you whether you just want to look around, are dedicated to completing every assignment, or want to earn transferable college credit. Here’s some straight talk: â€Å"Introduction to Computer Science†is hard. It’s designed for students without previous computer programming experience, but it’s no walk in the park. If you enroll, you can expect to spend 10-20 hours on each of the nine project sets in addition to completing a complex final project. But, if you can dedicate the effort required, you’ll gain tangible skills, have a much more in-depth understanding of computer science and develop a better sense of whether or not this is a field you want to pursue.   Introducing Your Professor, David Malan The course is taught by David Malan, an instructor at Harvard University. Before creating the course and teaching at Harvard, David was the Chief Information Officer for Mindset Media. All of David’s Harvard courses are offered as OpenCourseWare – at no cost to the interested public. The primary instruction in â€Å"Introduction to Computer Science†is delivered through David’s videos, which are professionally filmed and often use screens and animation to get the point across. Fortunately, David is both concise and charismatic, making the videos an easy watch for students. (No dry, 2-hours-behind-a-podium lectures here). What You’ll Learn As an introductory course, you’ll learn a little bit of everything. The curriculum is broken down into twelve weeks of intense learning. Each weekly lesson includes an informational video from David Malan (generally filmed with a live student audience). There are also walkthrough videos, in which David directly demonstrates coding processes. Study session review videos are available for students that may be less comfortable with the material and need additional instruction in order to complete the problem sets. Videos and transcripts of videos can be downloaded and watched at your convenience. Lessons introduce students to: binary, algorithms, Boolean expressions, arrays, threads, Linux, C, cryptography, debugging, security, dynamic memory allocation, compiling, assembling, File I/O, hash tables, trees, HTTP, HTML, CSS, PHP, SQL, JavaScript, Ajax, and dozens of other topics. You won’t finish the course as a fluent programmer, but you’ll have a solid understanding of how programming languages work. What You’ll Do One of the reasons â€Å"Introduction to Computer Science†has been so successful is that it gives students the opportunity to apply what they’re learning while they’re learning it. In order to complete the course, students must successfully finish 9 problem sets. Students begin creating simple programs from the very first week. The instructions for completing the problem sets are extremely detailed and even feature extra help videos from past students (proudly wearing their black â€Å"I took CS50†t-shirts for solidarity with the currently-struggling). The final requirement is a self-guided project. Students can choose to create any type of software using the skills and programming languages they’ve learned throughout the course. Enrolled students submit their final project to an online fair – after the class is over, projects are shared through a website for peers to see what everyone else has been up to. Students needing extra assistance can work with Harvard tutors online for $50 an hour. Did You Want a Certificate With That? Whether you just want to take a peek at the course or want to earn college credit, â€Å"Introduction to Computer Science†has an option to help you get started coding. EdX is the easiest way to access course materials at your own pace. You can sign up for free to audit the course, with full access to videos, instructions, etc. You can also opt to donate $90 or more for a Verified Certificate of Achievement upon completion of all coursework. This can be listed on a resume or used in a portfolio, but will not give you college credit. You can also view course materials on CS50.tv, YouTube, or iTunes U. Alternatively, you can take the same online course through Harvard Extension School for about $2050. Through this more traditional online program, you will enroll with a cohort of students during the Spring or Fall semester, meet deadlines, and earn transferable college credit upon completion of the course.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
How to Use ACT Scores Advice to Admissions and Employers
How to Use ACT Scores Advice to Admissions and Employers SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you a college admissions officer or employer wondering how to use ACT scores to select the best applicants?Standardized test scores are often used to predict a person’s intelligence and probability of future success; however, many inferences that arebased on ACT scores are often inaccurate. Keep readingto learn what information ACT scores can tell you, what information they can’t tell you, and how to use them to your best advantage. Who Uses ACT Scores? Standardized test scores are required for many applications, and I’ll discuss three of the most common groups who use thembelow. Colleges Collegeadmissions officers are the most common users of ACT scores, and many schools require applicants to submitstandardized test scores as part of their application.ACT scores can be useful to colleges because they give admissions officers a standard way toestimate an applicant's intelligence. Other ways of measuring a student’s academic abilities, such as GPA and class rank, can vary widely between schools . A student who gets an â€Å"A†in herhigh school’s chemistry class may only have gotten a "B" or a â€Å"C†if shehad done just as well at a different school due to factors such asclass curves, how hard the teacher grades, and grade inflation. Colleges and universities have students applying from a huge number of high schools around the world, and using ACT scores as part of their application gives thema more efficient way to evaluate applicants. Employers Employers do not use ACT scores to the same extent as colleges, but they are still used, particularly in the fields of consulting, software engineering, and investment banking. Like colleges and universities,these companies want a fast way to estimate an applicant’s intelligence and probability of success. ACT scores can be particularlyuseful for large companies who receive a lot of applications, as well as companies hiring recent graduates who don’t have a lot of work experience. Scholarship Committees Many scholarships require students to submit standardized test scores as part of their application.Like colleges and employers, scholarship committees use ACT scores as a way to measureintelligence and predict future success. Many scholarships are used to help pay for college, and these committees often want to award scholarshipsto students who are most likely to put them to good use and do well in college.ACT scores can help predict who these students will be. How Shouldn't You Use ACT Scores? There is some information that ACT scores can’t always correctly estimate. Four inaccurate ways of using ACT scores are listed below, along with an explanation for each as to why it doesn’t give completely accurate information. Bad Use#1:As a Complete Indicator of Intelligence TheACT is often used to estimatehowintelligent a particular person is, however; there are three problems with using scores this way. The first problem is that the ACT only tests a narrow set of skills and knowledge.The ACT can help estimate how good someone is at reading comprehension, scientific reasoning, and solving certain math problems, but in no way can a multiple-choice test with an optional essay measureevery type of intelligence. There are certain forms of intelligence that the ACT simply cannot test for. ACT scores can'tmeasure a test taker'screativity, interpersonal skills, ability to learn a new language, and more. TheACT favors students with the types of intelligence they can testwhile putting students with types of intelligence that are more difficult to measureat a disadvantage. The second problemthat ACT scores can't definitively measure intelligence is becausestudying beforehandcan significantly raise a test taker'sscore. At PrepScholar,we know that a student can significantly improve his or her ACT score if they study enough.If one student gets a 34 on the ACT without studying and another raises his grade from a 31 to a 34 after 50 hours of studying, is one smarter than the other?Some may say the first student is smarter, but the decision to prepare for an important test like the ACT is also a measure of intelligence, so the answer is not really clear.Instead of measuring just intelligence, the ACT measures both intelligence and motivation. The third problemis that factors that are unrelated to intelligence often have a strong impact onhow well a student performs on the ACT. Multiple studies have shown that there is a significant gap between the ACT scores of rich and poor students.Students from wealthier families are often found to score higher on the ACT than students who come from poorer backgrounds. Students who come from wealthier backgrounds likely have schools and parents with more resources for test prep, and they often receive more pressure to do well on the ACT.Therefore, using the ACT as a measure of intelligence can discriminate against students from poorer backgrounds, who are also more likely to be minorities. Bad Use#2:To Find a "Genius" A person who scores perfectly on the ACTmight be assumed to be a genius, good at everything, and guaranteed to succeed at whatever they do. However, the truth is thata person who gets a perfect score on the ACT may in fact be very intelligent, but they may also have put a lot of time into preparing, gotten lucky that day, or a combination ofthose scenarios. Whatever the reason, the ACT tests only a specific set of skills, and a person who gets a perfect score on the ACT won’t automatically be amazing at everything else.As mentioned above, the ACT only tests certain types of intelligence, which also means that a person widely considered to be intelligent may not get a perfect score or even do very well on the ACT at all. It also shouldn’t be assumed that people with perfect ACT scores are more intelligent than those who didn’t receive perfect scores, which introduces ournext point. Don't expect ACT scores to automatically find you a genius. Bad Use#3: To Compare People With Similar Scores The ACT should also not be used to compare the intelligence of people who received similar scores, about 3 points or less in difference.A person with a composite score of 32 and a person with a score of 31 likely had only a small difference between the number of questions they answered correctly. The person who received the 32 shouldn’t be assumed to be smarter than the person who received the 31. Their differences in score could simply be due to normal variation in ACT results. If they both took the ACT again, it’s completely possible thatthe person who got the 31 gets the higher score this time. A person's ACT scores can vary from one test to another,and people can get questions right or wrong by mistake, which doesn’t necessarily reflect their intelligence.When two (or more) people have similar ACT scores, it’s not possible to determine who is more intelligent simply by looking at the slightly higher score. Bad Use#4:To Determine Specific Areas of Expertise The ACT also should notbe used to judge a person'sskill level or knowledge of a specific subject. For example, someone who got a perfect score on the essay may not know how to write a research paper, and someone who does well on the science section may not know anything about microbiology. If the results you're given include subscores,they may provide more details on how well the applicant did in certain subjects, but this information should still not be used to make assumptions about specificskill setsand knowledge areas. How Should You Use ACT Scores? So how can ACT scores be used correctly and accurately? Three ways are listed below. In general, all involve using test scores to make generalinferences that can be further supported by additional evidence. Good Use#1: To Estimate IQ ACT scoresare definitelynot a perfect way to measure a person's intelligence, but there is a relationship between someone's IQ and the score they get on the ACT.While IQ only tests a certain type of problem-solving, (specifically the ability to solve problems based on the information you are given), it is still often used as a measure of intelligence. Meredith C. Gray and Douglas K. Detterman, two researchers at Case Western Reserve University, conducted rigorous studies to understand the relationship between standardized test scores and intelligence. From their research, they have found that, even though the correlation between IQ and SAT is stronger, there is still a relationship between IQ and ACT score.That means if someone scores well on the ACT, then it is more likely, although not guaranteed, that they have a high IQ as well. A lot of colleges and employerswant to admit or hirepeople with a certain levelof intelligence in order to ensure they can handle the work. While there are types of intelligence that neither the ACT nor IQ exams test for, using ACT scores can be a good way to estimate IQ and intelligence if you have many applicants you don’t know much about. Other information, such as GPA and letters of recommendation, should be used to support assumptions based onACT scores.A student with a high ACT score, excellent GPA, and a history of high impactin her extracurriculars has done well in high school and seems likely to continue that success.However, a student with a low ACT score should not necessarily be discounted, especially if they are strong in other areas, such as a good GPA and strongletters of recommendation. Theymay have had a bad test day, get nervous during standardized tests, or excel in other areas not tested by the ACT. ACT scores can'tcorrectly estimatehow smart every person who takes the exam is, so when reviewing applications, all of a student’s application materials should be taken into account. Personal statements and letters of recommendation, in particular, can often provide moreinformation aboutan applicant’s strengths and personality. Good Use #2: As an Indicator of Broad Strengths and Weaknesses As we mentioned earlier, you can'tuse ACT scores to determine if someone is knowledgeable in a very specific subject area, such as poetry or microbiology.However, it is sometimes possible to make inferences aboutwhat broad subject areas the test-taker is stronger and weaker in. The ACT has four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science, along with an optional essay.If a person has large differences in scores between these sections, it may be possible to determine which areas they are most skilled and comfortable in.For example, someone with a perfect score of 36 for the Mathsection, but a 27 in Reading, may be stronger in the math and sciences. This is certainly not always true, but it can help support an inference if there is other evidence, such as a transcript showing lots of math and science classes and a personal statement describing a passion for biology. Employers can use this information if they arelooking to hire someonewith a particular set of skills.For example, a newspaperwould likely want their journaliststo have strong writingskills but not care as much about mathskills.Colleges can use this information in the sameway. If a student is applying for a school’s accountingprogram, admissions officers may be more interested in their Math score than their Reading and Essay scores. You may be able to use ACT scores to find a person's general strengthsand weaknesses. Good Use #3: To Help Make Efficient Admissions Decisions Sometimes colleges, employers, and scholarship committeesneed a way to quickly make acceptance or rejection decisions, especially if they havea lot of applicants.ACT scores providea quick way to estimatea person’s academic ability,and thus can be very useful. Most colleges and universities publishthe range of ACT scores for their entering class. Half of the class scored within this 25th-75th percentile range.Comparing a student’s ACT scores to the school’s score range can help admissions officers easily identify students far below or above that range and make those admissions decisions easier. For example, if a school’s 25th-75th percentile range is 23 to 28, a student who scored a 21 on the ACT will likely not be offered admission, while a student with a 32 appears to have an excellent chance of being accepted.However, how a student comparesto a school’s ACT score range shouldn't be the only factor admission is based on. A student with a lower-than-average ACT score may a strong GPA andextracurriculars and be an asset to the school while a student with an excellent ACT score may not have much else to recommend her.ACT scores can help make an initial admission decision easier, but the final decision should take other factors into account. Can ACT Scores Be Used to Predict Future Success? Most people use ACT scoresto attempt to select people they thinkwill do well at their school or company and beyond.The line of thinking is that people who score well on the ACT are intelligent and/or hard working,and they will continue to use those skills in the future. Is this true? The short answer is, â€Å"sometimes.†A high school student who scores well on the ACT will usually have at least some intelligence and motivation, but that does not always mean they will do well in college. The student could have spent a lot of time studying for the ACT but then felt like she could coast once he got to college, she may struggle to complete long assignments, she may not adapt well to living on herown, she may not work well in groups, or one of many more potential scenarios. Different sections of the ACT have been found to be more accurate in predicting success in college. A student’s English and Math ACT scores have a more significant correlation to success in college than the Reading and Science sections. A student’s scores on the Reading and Science sections of the ACT were found to have basically no connection to success in college.One study found that high school GPA is a better indicator of whether a student will succeed in college than ACT scores, which makes sense because a GPA takes into account the grades from four years ofhigh school, as opposed to the scores of one exam. The relationship between a person's ACT scores and their career success is even weaker. There is a correlation between people with ACTscores and people who end up working in more competitive fields, but ACT scores alone don’t always predict success.There are numerous factors required to be successful in most careers that the ACT can’t test for, such as interpersonal skills and work ethic, not to mention the specific skills needed to do certain jobs well. Conclusion ACT scores should never be used as the onlyindicator of a person'sintelligence or chanceof future success because they don’t measure a wide enough variety of skills or types of intelligence, and they can be influenced by too many outside factors. However, studies have shown a correlation between ACT score and IQ, and a person who does well on the ACT is often either intelligent, hard-working, or a combination of the two, which can make them more successful students and employees.Additionally, the ACT Math and English sections are most accurate at predicting future success, so they should be given more weight over the Science and Reading sections. The use them in the most accurate and effective way, ACT scores should be used as one part of an application that, along with other materials such as GPA, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and extracurriculars, can help identifyan applicant's particular strengths and estimate their chance of future success. What's Next? Looking for more information on the ACT? We have a guide that gives a complete explanation of the examas well as information for students and schools. Are you using ACT scores to try and estimate IQ?Learn whether the ACT or SAT predicts IQ more accurately. What does the ACT measure? Read this guide to learn whether the ACT accurately measures IQ, wealth, and other factors. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically. Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Christine Sarikas About the Author Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries. 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