The Four Philosophical Definitions Of Justice - 1840 Words

The Four Philosophical Definitions of Justice Richard DeVivo PSC 200-1001 Prof. Bradley 9 February 2015 In Books I and II of The Republic of Plato Translated by Allan Bloom, there many definitions of justice. Socrates knows the definition from the start of the discussion but he wont reveal the definition until he believes Cephalus, Polemarchus, Thrasymachus, and Glaucon come up with their own definitions of justice. If they are wrong the discussion continues until they reach consensus, which is hard for them because Socrates masks his definition pretty well. For them to come up with a definition they have to look at the big picture. In book I they talk about what it means to be just. In book II they talk more about justice in the city as a whole. So in order to figure out what the true definition of justice is, you have to look at the big picture otherwise the definition can be skewed. Lastly you have to develop the definition yourself and learn and further develop your definition from talking with other people because that is the best form of education. In Book I Cephalus is the first one to give a definition of justice. His first definition that he gave was â€Å"shall we simply assert that it is the truth and giving back what has a man taken from another (Bloom 331C).† Socrates then says that this definition is hard to disprove. â€Å"I understand,.. A man does not give what is owed in giving back gold to someone who has deposited it, when the giving andShow MoreRelatedJustice Is The Best Choice For Its Own Sake1307 Words   |  6 PagesRepublic, is a classic philosophical novel that covers many points and topics regarding philosophy. One of these main points includes justice. In this essay I will be answering the question of whether justice in soul is choice worthy for its own sake. While this topic is quite complex, I will use a mixture of personal analysis as well as evidence from the book itself to assert that justice in soul is the best choice for its own sake. In the following paragraphs I will discuss what justice in the soul isRead MoreEssay on Community Policing and Problem-Oriented Policing1408 Words   |  6 Pagesdifference between the two. For one, community policing has many definitions. For some, it means instituting foot and bicycle patrols and doing acts pertaining to the ideal bond between police officers and their community. While for others it means maintaining order and cleaning up neighborhoods in desperate need of repair (Dunham Alpert, 2005). However, an idyllic definition of community policing is altering the traditional definition of crime control to community problem-solving and promising toRead MorePhl/215 Philosophy Matrix988 Words   |  4 PagesUniversity of Phoenix Material Philosophy Matrix   Ã‚  Field |   Ã‚  Definition | Historical Developments  Ã‚   |   Ã‚  Schools Of Thought |   Ã‚  Key Contributors  Ã‚  Ã‚   |   Ã‚  Principal Issues | Epistemology | The study of knowledge: What constitutes knowledge, the nature of knowledge, and whether knowledge is possible | Pre-Socratics observe and seek to define physical phenomena.Socrates studied human behavior and tried to determine the essential nature of knowledge.AristotleRead MoreMy Personal Nursing Philosophy726 Words   |  3 PagesThe integration of nursing theories with a philosophical perspective lays the framework for nursing practice (McCurry, Revell Roy, 2008). 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While Aquinas is a prominent Catholic philosopher and theologian known for his argumentative style of defending and teaching Catholic doctrine as well as providing insightful and compelling outlooks regarding ethical matters, the Stoics are known for their staunch and whatRead MoreThe Elements Of Nursing Research1431 Words   |  6 Pagesmodel more in depth in order to appropriately apply the research findings to their nursing practice. This article defines a theory and a conceptual model, identifies their major concepts, and summarizes the differences and similarities of the two. Definition and Characteristics of Theory According to Nancy Burns, Professor at Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, a theory is an integrated set of defined concepts and statements that projects a systemic view of the phenomenon. She contendsRead MoreNatural Law : The Human Conception Of Justice Or Moral Right1181 Words   |  5 Pagesbroadly as a philosophical belief that the human conception of justice or moral right is common to all humans and derived from nature. However it’s definition has been highly debated across history and therefore different definitions must be used as to not misinterpret the ideas and principles of different strains of thought within natural law (Boucher, 2009, P.19). It is also very important to distinguish how rights are understood in natural law, which is another contested definition. Rights in termsRead MoreDefining Characteristics From Western Civilization946 Words   |  4 Pages44). Outlasting monarchies and tyrannies, a democracy is, â€Å"a type of Greek gov ernment in which all citizens, without regard to birth or wealth, administered the working of government; it translates as the power of people† (McKay 45). Although the definition says power of people, the only people with power at the time were free men. Slaves and women were considered to have no rights. Today democracy is seen as the right for all people to have a say in what kind of actions the government takes. It technicallyRead MoreWestern Civilization And Its Impact On Modern Society942 Words   |  4 Pages44). Outlasting monarchies and tyrannies, a democracy is, â€Å"a type of Greek government in which all citizens, without regard to birth or wealth, administered the working of government; it translates as the power of people† (McKay 45). Although the definition says power of people, the only people with power at the time were free men. Slaves and women were considered to have no rights. Today democracy is seen as the right for all people to have a say in wh at kind of actions the government takes. It technicallyRead MoreThe Goals of Hinduism and Buddhism Essay1368 Words   |  6 Pagesimmensely. Both Hinduism and Buddhism are more philosophical than religious. Both describe an all-encompassing philosophy and define existence itself. For instance, the essential Hindu concept defining the individual and his responsibilities is dharma. A convoluted term, dharma is a sense of obligation. One must fulfill his roles in society and the world. Such responsibilities include reproduction and caste duties, but extend into the philosophical realm of peaceful and humble acceptance of ones

Essay about The Abolition of Discrimination Against Women...

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Justice published a declaration of recruitment in function of a legal novice researcher, which is the first step for appointment as Prosecutor, described in the introduction to this post for males only, is a State in the abolition of discrimination against women, which had made a step forward in the past year, while the Ministry accepted at once, for the first time in the history of Kuwait, alumni rights who were appointed to posts legal researcher, qualified them to act as agents on behalf of their colleagues, as the males in the judiciary, in accordance with the Constitution The prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sex, in accordance with international agreements already signed by the State of Kuwait to†¦show more content†¦And what does the performance of a group of people are in a position to perform other persons will be admitted in the future, if this provision in advance came on a discriminatory basis has nothing to do with the quality o f work but also by the kind of humanitarian. Analysis of case Clearly the illegality of this Declaration is not justification for the distinction between equally qualified persons per legal centers, with fulfillment of all legal requirements required in the job. In this Declaration the Administration use its deviation to the difference in treatment between the prevalence of legal positions and creating differentiation through the Palace to receive requests from the legal position of the prevalence per job as only males without females, which was a strong presumption the governing authority and delinquency is characterized a without another unnecessary. As the difference in treatment between provide legal centre’s without a legal basis is favoring a range at the expense of the other communities, regardless of the reasons for this trend and thus become the legality of this Declaration is in doubt. In this paradox is clear of the meaning of equality, that is until all the law and the Constitution and the excessively lavish and unjustified in the scale ofShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesHartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb and the Legacy of Radical Reform Michael Adas, ed., Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History Jack Metzgar, Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered Janis Appier, Policing Women: The Sexual Politics of Law Enforcement and the LAPD Allen Hunter, ed., Rethinking the Cold War Eric Foner, ed., The New American History. 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Parts of a Research Proposal Essay Example For Students

Parts of a Research Proposal Essay Generally, the principal investigator, his or her department head, and an official representing the University sign the title page, In addition, the title page usually includes the Universes/s reference number for the proposal, the name of the agency to which the proposal is being submitted, the title of the proposal, the proposed starting date and budget period, the total funds requested, the name and address of the University unit submitting the proposal, and the date submitted. Some agencies van the title page to specify whether the proposal is for a new or continuing project. And some ask to which there agencies the proposal is being submitted. A good title is usually a compromise between conciseness and explicitness. Although titles should be comprehensive enough to indicate the nature Of the proposed work, they should also be brief. One good way to cut the length of titles is to avoid words that add nothing to a readers understanding such as Studies n Investigations , or Research on Some Problems in. The Abstract Every proposal, even very brief ones, should have an abstract. Some readers read only the abstract, and most readers rely on it initially to give them a quick overview tooth proposal and later to refresh their memory of its main points. Agencies often use the abstract alone in their compilations of research projects funded or in disseminating information about cutlets projects. Though it appears first, the abstract should be written last, as a c oncise summary (approximately 200 words) of the proposal. It should appear on a page by itself numbered with a small Roman numeral if the proposal has a table of contents and with an Arabic number if it does not. To present the essential meaning of the proposal, the abstract should memorize or at least Suggest the answers to all the questions mentioned in the Introduction above, except the one about cost (which is excluded on the grounds that the abstract is subject to a Wider public distribution than the rest Of the proposal). Certainly the major objectives of the project and the procedures to be followed in meeting these Objectives should be mentioned. The abstract speaks for the proposal when it is separated from it, provides the reader with his first impression of the request, and, by acting as a summary, frequently provides him also with his last. Thus it is the most important single element in the proposal. The Table of Contents, Very brief proposals with few sections ordinarily do not need a table of contents: the guiding consideration in this is the readers convenience. Long and detailed proposals may require, in addition to a table of contents, a list of illustrations (or tigers) and a list of tables. If all of these are included, they should follow the order mentioned, and each should be numbered with lower-case Roman numerals. If they are brief, more than one can be put on a single page, The table of contents should list all major parts and divisions (including the abstract, even though it precedes the table of contents). Subdivisions usually need not be listed. Again, the convenience Of the reader should be the guiding consideration. The Introduction. The introduction off proposal should begin with a capsule statement Of What is being proposed and then should proceed to introduce the subject to a stranger. You should not assume that your reader is familiar with your subject. Administrators and program officers in sponsoring agencies want to get a general idea of the proposed work before passing the proposal to reviewers who can judge its technical merit. Thus the introduction should be impermissible to an informed layman. It should give enough background to enable him to place your particular research problem in a context of common knowledge and should show how its solution will advance the field or be important tort some other work. Awe careful not to overstate, but do not neglect to state very specifically what the importance of your research is, In introducing the research problem, it is sometimes helpful to say what it is not, especially, if it could easily be confused with related work. You may also need to explain the underlying assumption of your research or the hypotheses you will e using. Fifth detailed exposition of the proposed research will be long or complex, the introduction may well end by specifying the order and arrangement of the sections. Such a preview helps a reviewer begin his reading with an orderly impression of the proposal and the assurance that he can get from it what he needs to know. The general tone of the introduction should reflect a sober self-confidence. A touch Of enthusiasm is not out Of place, but extravagant promises are anathema to most reviewers. The Background Section. This section may not be necessary if the proposal is elatedly simple and if the introduction can present the relevant background in a few sentences. If previous or related work must be discussed in some detail, however, or if the literature of the subject must be reviewed, a background or literature review section is desirable, A background discussion of your own previous work usually can be less detailed than the customary progress report. Here you should not attempt to account for time and money spent on previous grants but rather point your discussion to the proposed new (or continuing) research. Sufficient details should be given in his discussion (l) to make clear what the research problem is and exactly what has been accomplished; (2) to give evidence of your own competence in the field; and (3) to show why the previous work needs to be continued. Some sponsors want to know also who has funded the previous work. Literature reviews should be selective and critical. Reviewers do not want to read through a voluminous working bibliography; they want to know the especially pertinent works and your evaluation of them. Modification of Piagets conservation tasks EssayThe biographical data sheets should follow immediately after the explanatory text of the personnel section, unless the agency guidelines specify a different format, gore extremely large program proposals with eight or more participants, the data sheets may be given separately in an appendix. All biographical data sheets within the proposal should be in a common format. A convenient, easily read format is illustrated in the sample following this item. These sheets should be confined to relevant information. Data on marital status, children, hobbies, civic activities, etc. Should not be included unless the sponsors instructions call or them. The list Of publications can be selected either for their pertinence to the proposed work or for their intrinsic worth. All books written and a selection Of recent or important journal articles Mitten may well be listed, but there is no need to fill several pages with a bibliography. The list can b e labeled Selected Publications, Recent Publications, or Pertinent Publications, whichever best fits the facts. The Budget Section. The budget should be worked out with the appropriate DREAD project representative. Sponsors customarily specify how budgets should be presented and vat costs are allowable. The overview given here is for preliminary guidance only. The budget section may require not only the tabular budget (a simple format is illustrated in the sample given here) but also a budget summary and explanation or budget justification if the budget is complicated or if all its details are not made completely clear by the text of the proposal. The need for consultants, for example, or the unavailability within the university of an item of equipment proposed for purchase may need to be explained. Foreign travel should be specifically detailed and justified, not combined with domestic travel, and the deed to travel to professional meetings should be tied specifically to the proposed project, if possible. Typical divisions of the tabular budget are personnel, equipment, supplies, travel, and indirect costs. Other categories, Of course, can be added as needed. The budget should make clear how the totals for each category of expenses are reached. Salary information, for example, often needs to be specified in detail: principal investigator (1/2 time for 3 months at ASS,OHO ) = 54,000. If salary totals involve two different rates (because of an anticipated increase in salary during the budget period), this should be made clear. The category of personnel includes not only the base salary or wage for each person to be employed by the project but also (listed separately) the percentage added for staff benefits. The current figure used for approximately the average cost of staff benefits is 30% of the total salaries and wages. Project representatives should be consulted on the calculation of staff benefits, because the rate may vary significantly owing to the kinds of personnel involved and the selected benefit option. A table is available from DREAD, Graduate Student Research Assistants who are to be employed on research projects for more than 1/2 time, may have part of their tuition costs covered by their unit, The remaining tuition costs must be included as a line item in the budget to the sponsor. Any costs absorbed by the University should be shown as cost sharing. A more detailed description of this procedure may be found in the Administration Of Sponsored Projects booklet available from DREAD. Indirect costs are shown as a separate category, usually as the last item before the grand total. Indirect costs are figured as a fixed percentage Of the total erect costs (modified by various exceptions). Exceptions include equipment, graduate research assistant tuition, the amount of subcontracts over $10,000, and the separate indirect cost centers: Computing Center Services, unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine, and the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Laboratory. Because these fixed indirect cost percentages change each year, after negotiation with the federal government, proposal writers should consult a DREAD project representative before calculating this part of their budget. Cost sharing, which is required by many sponsors, can be shown as a separate alumna labeled IS-M, as illustrated in the sample budget. Frequently a portion of the salary of the principal investigator, paid from University funds, with its related staff benefits and indirect costs, can be used to sati$ cost-sharing requirements. To call attention to the variety of expenses that might arise in the conduct of a research project, a checklist of possible budget items is included here. This checklist suggests many of the expenses that might be appropriate to your budget, but consultation with the project representative is still very important. He can help ensure (I) that the budget has not omitted appropriate elements f cost, such as page charges for publication in professional journals, or service charges for the use Of certain University facilities (for example, surveys conducted by the Institute for Social Research), and so on; (2) that any estimates for construction, alterations, or equipment installation have been properly obtained and recorded; (3) that costs are not duplicated veneer the direct and indirect cost categories; (4) that the budget complies With any cost-sharing requirements of the sponsor; (5) that provisions are made for the escalation of costs as may be appropriate; and (6) that costs in all categories are realistically estimated.

Marketing Plan Essay Sample free essay sample

A. Selling Planning Defined Marketing Planning – is a systematic attack to the development of selling scheme and the accomplishment of ends. B. Stairss in Marketing Planning Procedure 1. Determination of Organizational ObjectiveThe basic aims. or ends. of the organisation are the get downing point for marketing planning. They serve as the foundation from which marketing aims and programs are built. These aims provide way for all stages of the organisation and service as criterions in measuring public presentation. Soundly conceived ends should be S. M. A. R. T – particular. mensurable. come-at-able. realistic and time-specific. 2. Measuring Organizational ResourcesPlaning schemes are influenced by a figure of factors both within and outside the organisation. Organizational resources include capablenesss in production. selling. finance. engineering. and forces. By measuring these resources. organisations can nail their strengths and failings. Strengths aid organisations set aims. develop programs for run intoing aims. and take advantage of selling chances. Resource weaknesses. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Plan Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page on the other manus. may suppress an organisation from taking advantage of selling chances. 3. Measuring Risks and OpportunitiesEnvironmental factors – competitory. political. legal. economic. technological and societal – besides influence selling chances. The outgrowth of new engineerings or inventions may open new chances for under-marketed merchandises. The selling environment may besides present menaces to selling chances. For illustration. a new genetically engineered drug may be developed with the potency to go a $ 1 billion-a-year merchandise. But a authorities bureau may detain petitions to market the drug due to ordinances. 4. Selling SchemeThe net consequence of chance analysis is the preparation of marketing aims designed to accomplish overall organisational aims and develop a selling program. The selling planning attempt must be directed toward set uping selling schemes that are resource efficient. flexible. and adaptable. The selling scheme is the overall company plan for choosing a peculiar mark market and so fulfilling consumers in that section. 5. Implementing and Monitoring Marketing PlansThe overall strategic selling program serves as the footing for a series of operating programs necessary to travel the organisation toward achievement of its aims. At every measure of the selling planning procedure. selling directors use feedback to supervise and accommodate schemes when existent public presentation fails to fit outlooks. C. Contents of a Selling Plan 1. Development of Aims †¢ Secure funding for start-up of at least 1Million for infinite and equipment.†¢ To Make a cosy. creative person friendly environment†¢ Become selected as the â€Å"Best new java saloon in the area†Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ To advance a profitable and sustainable concern activity that meets the customers’ demands†¢ To increase the company’s market portion†¢ To increase the company’s function in dealingss to societal duty†¢ To supply first-class client service†¢ to acquire the customers’ trust and support

All the SAT Idioms You Need Complete List

All the SAT Idioms You Need Complete List SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Idiom questions on the SAT are different than most of the other grammar questions. Why? Idiom questions can't be figured out by applying a specific rule. You have to rely on your general knowledge of English and your familiarity with certain phrases. Because you’re likely to encounter a couple of idiom questions on the SAT Writing and Language subsection, I’ll provide you with some information about idioms that should help you raise your SAT score. In this post, I’ll do the following: Explain the concept of an idiom. Detail the most common type of idiom questions on the SAT Writing and Language subsection. Offer strategies to help you identify and correctly answer idiom questions. Give a thorough SAT idiom list to help guide your studying. Provide you with practice questions to test you on what you’ve learned. What Is an Idiom? Idioms are phrases or expressions that do not conform to simple rules. Each idiom, by definition, is unique. Most people think of idioms as expressions that often have figurative meanings different from their literal meanings. Examples of this type of idiom include "at the drop of the hat," "beat around the bush," and "in over (one's) head." However, the SAT does not test you on these colloquial expressions. SAT Writing and Language idiom questions will test you on different types of idioms. How Are Idioms Tested in SAT Writing and Language? While the SAT does not test you on the figurative expressions I referenced above, the SAT may test you on two types of idioms: prepositional idioms and idioms with gerunds/infinitives. Prepositional Idioms For prepositional idioms, you must know which prepositions to use with a given word based on the context of the sentence. For example, you should say that you're "interested in" something, not "interested at" something. You "focus on" something, not "focus at" something. There is no rule to determine the correct preposition to use. You must be familiar with the phrase or rely on what you think "sounds right." Here's an example sentence with a prepositional idiom: Because he laughed when his friend fell down, Justin was accused of being devoid at sympathy. You may encounter a sentence like this on your SAT. In the sentence, there is no violation of a specific grammar rule. However, "devoid at" is an idiom error. Why? Well, the correct phrase is "devoid of." The corrected version of the sentence looks like this: Because he laughed when his friend fell down, Justin was accused of being devoid of sympathy. The expression "devoid of" means without. Familiarity with the given expression greatly helps to identify an idiom error. There is another type of idiom that may be tested on the SAT. Idioms with Gerunds or Infinitives Gerunds are verbs that are used as nouns and end in "ing." Examples of gerunds include running, jumping, and thinking. Infinitives are verbs used as nouns and are constructed by using the word "to" plus a verb. Examples of infinitives include to run, to jump, and to think. What are some examples of idioms with gerunds or infinitives? The correct phrase is "capable of being," not "capable as being." The proper idiomatic expression is "mind being,"not "mind to be."For these types of idioms, you need to know which preposition to use and whether to use a gerund or an infinitive. With some idioms, depending on the context, it is acceptable to use an infinitive or a gerund. Here's an example: I struggle to do geometry. Or, you can also write: I struggle doing geometry. Both sentences are correct. Here is a sentence with an idiom error: Bob insists at being annoying. Do you recognize the idiom error? Do you know the right idiom? This is the corrected version of the sentence: Bob insists on being annoying. Again, there is no rule to learn that lets you know that the phrase should be "insists on being" instead of "insists at being." This is another example of an idiom error: Julietends being worrisome. Check out the sentence after the idiom error is corrected: Julie tends to be worrisome. The infinitive form should be used with the word "tends" instead of the gerund form. Now let's look at idiom questions from the SAT. Real Examples Here are a couple of idiom questions from the College Board's practice tests. Explanation:The infinitive "to be" is incorrectly used with the verb "serves." In this sentence, the proper idiomatic expression is "serves as." The correct answer is B. See if you can figure out this idiom question: Explanation: The correct idiomatic expression is "as a means of." The answer is B. Why Are Idiom Questions Difficult/Easy? Why They're Difficult Idiom questions can be challenging because other grammar questions follow specific rules or patterns that can be applied to all sentences. Idiom questions test your knowledge of specific idiomatic expressions. Literally, there are thousands of idioms. It's not practical to try to remember each one. Furthermore, ESL students are less likely to be able to identify idiom errors. Those who have recently learned English have had less exposure to idiomatic expressions and can't learn all of the correct expressions by memorizing a rule. Why They're Easy Idiom questions are one of the few types of grammar questions where solely relying on what "sounds right" is likely to give you the right answer. These questions don't require you to understand and apply a rule. If you're familiar with the specific idioms that appear on your SAT, you can easily spot any idiom errors. SAT Tips for Idiom Questions #1: If a preposition, gerund, or infinitive is underlined, check for idiom errors. #2: The question may be testing idioms if the answer choices are all prepositions. #3:Keep a list of idioms that appear on practice tests. #4: Review and familiarize yourself with the list of idioms below. Complete List of SAT Writing Idioms While there are thousands of idioms in the English language, SAT idiom questions will most likely involveprepositional idioms or idioms with gerunds/infinitives. I've listed some of the more common prepositional idioms and idioms with gerunds/infinitives to help guide your studying. Idioms that have appeared on questions in the College Board’s practice tests are listed first. It's not practical for you to memorize every single idiom on this list. There will probably only be a couple of idiom questions on your SAT Writing and Language subsection. Spending numerous hours learning hundreds of idioms wouldn't be the best use of your study time. However, I do recommend that you review this list periodically to become more familiar with these phrases. Thinking about proper idiom construction should benefit you when you encounter idiom questions on the SAT. You'll improve your intuitive grasp of idioms and be able to better recognize idiom errors. Here's my thorough list of idioms: IDIOMS FROM SAT PRACTICE TESTS as a means of serve as wait for in order to be PREPOSITIONAL IDIOMS About anxious about ask about bring about curious about hear about think about talk about worry about Against adviseagainst argue against count against decide against defend against go against rebel against As celebrate as regard as see as view as At aim at arriveat laugh at look at succeedat By accompanied by amazed by confused by followed by go by impressed by organized by struck by For advocate for ask for blame for famous for known for last for meant for named for necessary for pay for ready for responsible for tolerance for strive for wait for watch for From abstain from different from excuse from far from obvious from protect from Into enter into lookinto inquire into read into In engage in fall in love in Aas inB interested in succeed in take in On base on draw on focus on impose on insist on move on prey on rely on Over argue over ruleover talk over thinkover Of approve of capable of certainof characteristic of combination of A and B cure of deprive of die of a fan of in danger of in the hope of in recognition of made up of a model of an offer of on the border of remind of a selection of a source of suspicious of take advantage of an understanding of a wealth of To able to accustomed to adapt to adhere to admit to adjacent to agree to as opposed to belong to central to come to contribute to devoted to in addition to in contrast to listen to object to prefer Ato B partial to reluctant to reply to see to similar to a threat to try to (NOT try and) unique to With agree with bargain with correlate with familiar with identify with in keeping with interfere with sympathize with trust with GERUNDS VS. INFINITIVES Verbs Followed by a Gerund accuse of admire for allow appreciate capable of complete concentrate on confess to consider delay describe discourage from discuss dislike effective at enjoy escape finish forbid imagine insist on permit plan on postpone refrain from report resent resume stop tolerate PrepositionsFollowed by a Gerund before after without Verbs Followed by an Infinitive agree attempt choose condescend dare decide deserve encourage expect fail intend love mean neglect offer plan prepare promise refuse scramble seem strive swear tend threaten want Additional Practice Congratulations on successfully making it to this point in the article! I know that was a long list. By now, you should understand the concept of idioms and how idioms are tested on the SAT. I've created some realistic SAT questions on idioms for you. Consider the proper construction of idiomatic expressions and try to answer these questions without referring to the list above. 1. Diligent research performed byeducation scholars indicatesthat moretime spent studying correlates frombetter educational outcomes. A. NO CHANGE B. of C. with D. Delete the underlined portion 2. Because she is extremelyprotective, Renee hopes to preventher younger sister formaking irresponsible decisions atparties. A. NO CHANGE B. to C. from D. at 3.After beinginterrogated bythe police for five hours, Ken admitted to beingguilty of racketeering and money laundering. A. NO CHANGE B. to be C. to having D. is 4.Even thoughshe was expected doingall of the domestic labor, Natasha wasunwilling to conformto traditional gender roles. A. NO CHANGE B. to do C. at D. having done Answers: 1. C, 2. C, 3. A, 4. B What's Next? Now that the maximum score for the SAT is a 1600, find out what's a good score on the new SAT. Find out how to find your target score. Finally, learn whether you should take the SAT or the ACT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? 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The 1980s American Economy

The 1980s American Economy In the early 1980s, the American economy was suffering through a deep recession. Business bankruptcies rose sharply compared to previous years. Farmers also suffered due to a decline in agricultural exports, falling crop prices, and rising interest rates. But by 1983, the economy  had rebounded and enjoyed a sustained period of growth as the annual inflation rate stayed below 5 percent for the remainder of the 1980s and part of the 1990s. Why did the American economy experience such a turnaround in the 1980s? In â€Å"Outline of the U.S. Economy,† Christopher Conte and Albert R. Karr point to the lasting impacts of the 1970s, Reaganism, and the Federal Reserve. Impact of  the 1970s The 1970s was a disaster on American economics. The recession marked the end of the post-World War II economic boom, and the United States experienced a lasting period of stagflation- a combination of high unemployment and inflation. Voters held Washington politicians responsible for the economic state of the country. Upset with federal policies, they ousted President  Jimmy Carter in 1980 and voted in former Hollywood actor and California Gov.  Ronald Reagan  as president, a position he held from 1981 to 1989. Reagans Economic Policy The economic disorder of the 1970s lingered into the beginning of the 1980s. But Reagan’s economic program soon had an effect. Reagan operated on the basis of supply-side economics- the theory that advocates lower tax rates so people can keep more of their income. Proponents argue that supply-side economics results in more savings, investment, production, and, ultimately, greater economic growth. Reagan’s tax cuts mainly benefited the wealthy, but through a chain-reaction, they also helped lower-income earners as higher levels of investment eventually led to new job openings and higher wages. The Size of the Government Cutting taxes was only one part of Reagan’s national agenda of slashing government spending. Reagan believed the federal government had become too large and interfering. During his presidency, he cut social programs and worked to reduce or eliminate government regulations that  affected the consumer, workplace, and environment. But he did spend on the military. In the wake of the disastrous Vietnam War, Reagan successfully pushed for big budget increases for defense spending by arguing that the U.S. had neglected its military.   Growing Federal Deficit In the end, the reduction in taxes combined with increased military spending outweighed the spending reductions on domestic social programs. This resulted in a federal budget deficit that went well beyond the deficit levels of the early 1980s. From $74 billion in 1980, the federal budget deficit ballooned to $221 billion in 1986. It fell back to $150 billion in 1987, but then started growing again. Federal Reserve With such levels of deficit spending, the Federal Reserve remained vigilant about controlling price increases and raising interest rates any time they seemed a threat. Under the leadership of Paul Volcker and his successor Alan Greenspan, the Federal Reserve effectively guided America’s economy and eclipsed Congress and the president. Although some economists were nervous that heavy government spending and borrowing would lead to steep inflation, the Federal Reserve succeeded in its role as an economic traffic cop during the 1980s.   Source Conte, Christopher and Karr, Albert R. â€Å"Outline of the U.S. Economy.† U.S. Department of State, 2001, Washington, D.C.

The Importance and Implication of Early Attachment to Childrens Social Essay

The Importance and Implication of Early Attachment to Childrens Social and Emotional Competence - Essay Example In particular, understanding of attachment’s internal working models can enhance understanding of the dynamics and processes of teaching and learning. When the teacher-student relationship is bolstered, the prospect of students for successful learning is enhanced (Bishop, 2008).   Proposals for practice are put forth. Primarily, the genius of John Bowlby (1988) was to assemble a range of philosophical perspectives and scientific disciplines to ponder on children’s growth from biological beings into advanced cultural and social beings. Due to this encouraging combination of ethology and psychology, evolutionary biology and theory, cognitive science and systems thinking, the interpersonal and personal, surfaced the notion of attachment (Howe et al., 1999), which in the view of contemporary scholars is more than just another model of children’s emotional and social development: ‘it is the theory that subsumes and integrates all others. It is a relationship-based theory of personality development and our psychosocial progress through life’ (Howe et al., 1999: 10). Because of this, according to George (1996), the nature and value of children’s intimate or personal relationships matter to a great extent, as do all the things that influence these relationships—the natural volatile character of children, relationship history of parents, the pressures created by the material and social environment. Obviously, the value of relationships will differ from family to family. Bishop (2008) elaborates that of specific concern to nurture school workers is the awareness that negative relationships disturb children’s capability of developing strong emotional and social understanding.

Employee Assistance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Employee Assistance - Assignment Example However, fortunately, that has all improved dramatically. Once the company began promoting the EAPs and all the services they had to offer, it resulted in a large number of people who were quick to look into the programs. I noticed in several cases of single parents seeking aid in child care issues. Overall, I would say, approximately, at least 20% have already shown interest and are actively taking advantage of the services the EAPs offer. A recent survey showed a 33% decrease in employees coming in late or being absent due to issues that the EAPs helped them resolve; it also revealed a decrease in overall company healthcare costs in relation to mental health issues. The only problems that I have heard involve employees concerns in regards to whether or not the â€Å"counseling services† are completely safe and confidential. However, the company is already working to alleviate the employees concerns on this issue. In truth, all of the professionals involved with the EAPs are legitimate and licensed, when necessary, and follow all the same healthcare privacy and confidentiality laws that are followed in all U.S. medical professions. Therefore this issue will be easily remedied. I think that the EAPs that we have are already succeeding in overcoming its biggest challenge. Before, its greatest issue was not being properly promoted by the company itself. Once the employees became aware of what was available the programs were being sought after. Now the system operates just fine. Because the EAPs are part of the health insurance that is provided by the company to its employees, new hires must wait 3 months. This is a 90 day probationary period typical of all new employees. After that time frame then all employees are legible to participate in the EAPs, as well as, their healthcare benefits. As of this year they offer, both, telephone and face-to-face interactions, depending on the time of day. Certain call centers, like substance

Rides Control Essay Example for Free

Rides Control Essay To establish a firm background for all these systems an efficient network had to be installed in order to ensure a fast and comprehensive method of linking all those users. The FDDI network on a token ring topology is used as our backbone (FDDI stands for Fibre-Distributed Data Interface) and this gives us the requirements we need for speed, distance and capacity. The nature of our business and the way the Park is spread over a large area, necessitates our using several methods of communication. E-mail is used increasingly: our current software is Microsoft exchange server 5. 5 and Outlook 98. It should help to cut down considerably on memos, forms, notice board information and bulky reports. This has the dual effect of saving paper, ink and printing costs and conserves environmental resources. E-mail address and website: www. thorpepark. co. uk. E-mail goes directly to The Tussauds Group Head Office, and via networks from there, to the other attractions in The Tussauds Group using an ISDN link (Integrated Services Digital Network). The main telephone switchboard is also ISDN. Voicemail is used to prevent unanswered calls, and an automated attendant kicks in on the rare occasion when our receptionists are unable to answer all the lines, and it automatically operates after office hours. Through a desktop interface we can monitor calls. This is an invaluable tool for analysis of calls, determining our busiest times of day and helping us to plan our casting resources accordingly. Some cast use mobile phones, particularly those whose work takes them away from the office. Nearly all our cast rely on radios to keep in touch with each other when they are spread about the Park which enables cast to be diverted to specific areas wherever and whenever necessary. Cast can relay information about queue lines on rides and alert security cast to any emergency situation. There are 8 channels all of which can contact, and be contacted by, the Control Room. If a Park-wide emergency situation should arise, cast in the control room can broadcast simultaneously to every radio holder in the Park. The main security system is CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) which uses infra red cameras throughout the Park, linked to 24 hour video recorders. Black and white and colour monitors in the Control Room can pan and zoom to any area. In this way cast response to a particular incident can be co-ordinated cast response to a particular problem. Our own security cast are on site 24 hours a day. In merchandising, sophisticated till systems are in use in all the shops and food outlets. EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) is used for our products with barcode scanning facilities for the whole range of goods on sale. This is linked to the central stock control to monitor the movement of all our merchandise and food items from both our warehouses. This is essential for maintaining sell-by dates and to forecast sales accurately. EFTOS (Electronic Fund Transfer Point of Sale) is the system through which credit and switch cards are debited immediately and automatically through the national banking system. Any credit or switch cards used in the shops are attached to a polling machine. This is essentially a communications technique which determines when a terminal is ready to send data the banks own computer will check all its attached terminals on a regular basis. All of the ride attractions have computer control systems that are fed by mechanical levers and optical sensors. The rides, that are all mechanical, fall into three categories water, motor and track. The computer, through the use of optical sensors, detects the locking of safety bars and the speed and number of carriages passing. This information enables the operator to dictate how fast and how often the ride runs. Each ride has a very comprehensive range of fail-safe devices that are mechanical or electrical. There is video surveillance on each ride cameras are trained on the tracks and on the carriages. This helps us to detect any faults or potential problems. Software programmes are applications that are bought in from major manufacturers such as Microsoft, Oracle (database), Computer Associate (backup) and Network Associate (anti-virus). These can be specifically suited to a particular business function, such as Finance packages, which include wages and payroll systems, spreadsheets, etc. Other more sophisticated software, such as AutoCAD, may be necessary for our Engineers and the production team for our Entertainments Department. We primarily use Microsoft Office 97, which contains a comprehensive range of applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint. It is possible to customise our own databases for instance, we have one specifically written for our Guest Services Department, Charter 2000. This logs comments made by guests, produces a personalised reply, and collates information so that it can be reproduced in report form using a programme called Business Systems. It is currently used at Thorpe Park and Chessington with a planned introduction to the other Tussauds Group attractions in 2001. This information is confidential between the guest and the company. We are registered under the Data Protection Act to declare any information we may hold. The Tussauds Group Marketing Database on the other hand is common information shared by every attraction in the company. It helps us gather marketing information in order to improve our service. There is an electronic booking service for groups so that they can arrange their visit and tickets by phone, with a credit card. Individuals can make advanced bookings. This helps us to build up a profile of our guests and their requirements. The sales and admission system is called Omni Ticket Network. OTN have supplied all the hardware apart from the hard drives, VDU screens and key boards, which are standard hardware made by Compaq. The software used is called Overview. The Attractions General Database (AGD) has been designed by Syntegra, the Systems Integration Business of BT and is a component of the Sales and Admissions system. Its primary purpose is to provide a data repository for Sales, guests and admissions data and to provide tools to allow analysis of this imported data. A secondary function is to facilitate the exchange systems, and General Marketing Database (GMD), the external guest contact system. AGD configures all the information taken from Overview (information collected through Admissions on the tills each day) and turns it into reports for Finance and Marketing.

Strategic analysis of global operations of supply chains

Strategic analysis of global operations of supply chains The main objective of this study is to do a strategic analysis of the global operations of supply chain within Mattel Toys Inc. Here its supply chain will be evaluated along with the risks/ security threats it faced and a framework will be presented to manage these risks. With growing product/service complexity, supply networks are also becoming increasingly complex in the wake of outsourcing and globalization. This has affected risk, changing it continuously. Risk can generally be termed as a probability of injury, hazard, damage or any other unwanted outcomes. The Royal Society (1992) defined a more systematic explanation of risk: the probability that a particular adverse event occurs during a stated period of time, or results from a particular challenge. In this study, we will suggest a framework for future supply chain risk management in the view of Mattels recall in 2007. This recall left a trail of media reports, public critique, investigations and huge lessons learnt. Mattel Toys Inc. is a global leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. It comprises of top-selling brands such as Barbie, Fisher-Price brands etc. Mattel is recognized as the 100 Most Trustworthy U.S. Companies by Forbes Magazine. (Source: Wikipedia) In 2007, it experienced a sequence of continuous alarming product recalls in which around twenty one million toys were pulled out from sale. Whether the toys were defective in design to lose small magnets, which if consumed could harm kids, or they were toys contaminated with lead paint coming from unethical Chinese vendors was irrelevant as the case was subjected to high media critique and got highlighted for quality mismanagement and varied logistic practices in outsourced vendors. (Biggemann 2008) The table (figure 1) below shows the toys recalled from Mattels respective vendors and their sub-vendors: Industry experts suggest that Mattel is locked in a relationship with China having five factories and manufacturing there for nearly 25 years. It outsources its production up to 50 percent to third-party manufacturers and almost 65 percent of its toys are produced in China. In spite of quality control efforts, Mattel has had 36 recalls since 1998 and two formal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) admonishments. Its most controversial recall, up until 2007, involved 10 million Power Wheels toy vehicles. (Biggemann 2008) Below is a timeline depicting the key events that took place during the course of this recall, Figure 2: Mattels product recall timeline The result of this recall was catastrophic for Mattel and it lost more than 45% of shares in market value. Although sales at international markets helped it gain some profit for that interval (Casey, 2008), yet these had very little impact on their annual figures as compared to its loss. The question now raised was How did Mattel end up in such a tricky situation? Is it a case of heavy neglect or something worse? It is argued that this was the result of Mattels flawed sourcing strategy. Literature Review Toy industry is one of the oldest industries for creativity and extremely volatile in nature. In the United States alone there are approximately 3 billion toys sold per year (Elsasser 2007). Toy sales estimate are nearly 22 billion USD (Strickler 2007). Figure 3 estimates the annual toy sales from July 06 June 07 which marked a rise up to 22.5 billion USD. Figure 3: State of Toy Industry Erratic and changing demands in this industry create a layer of volatility due to undersized and customized selling-openings and rapid product lifecycles. Toy demand and toy retailers needs are very volatile and expect toy manufactures to be very market responsive; but most toy manufacturers respond with conventional mass-production strategy which is very minimal in response and very mismatched to their strategy. Supply networks of such industries are growing into complex and dynamic mesh of varying relationships (Harland et al., 1999). Risk is escalating and its focal point is ever changing within the dynamism of supply networks all due to outsourcing of supply operations overseas and also due to growing complexity of product/service life-cycle. Of late research has explored strategies to minimize risk in toy supply chains and networks. One of the main assets of toy manufacturers is their network position and the relationships and policies that come with these (Turnbull et al., 1996). To asses and manage risks, network positioning plays an important role especially in resource sharing, reputation management and terms of contract (Henders, 1992). To begin the research, a literature search was undertaken with the intention of locating articles related to supply chain security and risk. The search included all journals known to publish articles related to security, risk, and/or supply chain management. Examination of the literature reveals four core premises that are consistently mentioned as vital for firms seeking to maintain effective levels of security and in minimizing and/or managing supply chain risk. (1) Preparation and planning initiatives. A central focus of the supply chain security/risk literature is business and supply chain continuity planning. Zsidisin et al. (2005a) offer a four-step business continuity plan, including awareness creation, prevention, remediation, and knowledge management, thought to be salient for firms needing to protect themselves and their supply chains from external risks. The business continuity planning concept is conceptually aligned with the supply chain risk paradigm, i.e. supply continuity planning by Zsidisin et al. (2005b), who suggest that controlling risks at the supplier level is critical for firms wishing to avoid disruptions in supply lines. (2) Security-related partnerships. Another theme found in the security literature addresses the formation and maintenance of security-related supply chain partnerships. Sheffi (2001) posits that leveraging relationships with suppliers and governmental agencies is necessary to ensure against asset and product damage and thereby facilitate supply chain continuity. He proposes that supplier relationships should be built both locally and globally, with higher tolerance for cost and lead-time requirements, in order to diversify supply risk. (3) Organizational adaptation. An additional emergent research focus deals with organizational adaptability as a coping response to potential or realized supply chain risks and crises. The literature broadly suggests that supply chain security-oriented firms take adaptive steps toward both securing supply chain assets and minimizing risk exposure. (4) Security-dedicated communications and technology. A final characteristic at the firm level is the implementation and usage of security/ risk-dedicated communications channels and/or security-facilitating or risk minimizing technology. Zsidisin et al. (2005a, b) state that the ability of the firm to manage information and knowledge, and to build continuously on the knowledge base, are imperative conditions for mitigating supply chain risk. In case of Mattel Toys Inc, risk came from the fact that about half of its toys are made in Mattel plants and about half are outsourced to vendor plants. Some of the problems came in when these vendor plants also outsourced to other vendor plants and again these other vendor plants outsourced, thus, making the supply chain very long or deep. The longer the supply chain, the harder it is for the foreign firms to keep track of who did what, when and the final quality of the parts or product (Lyles, 2008). The next section provides a security framework to deal with the past and unforeseen future risks in the complex supply network of Mattel Toys. They are suggested guidelines for identifying, assessing and managing risk. Theoretical Framework This section of the essay contains the overarching methodology for dealing with Mattels situation. For this purpose, the Supply Network Risk Tool put forward by Harland et al., 2002 has been used. A diagram illustrating the entire methodology has been given below. This is followed by a justification for selection, and identification of shortcomings. (Fig4. Supply Network Risk Tool, Source: Harland et al., 2002) Justification of the Theoretical Framework The framework is built on earlier research and consists of individual frameworks for each section, thus evaluating the problem in detail. It provides a holistic view to assess the situation/incident and follows a definite sequence for mapping and implementing risk strategy. For disruption like that of Mattels recall in 2007 it provides a resilient approach for managing the risks involved in an efficient manner. Testing/ Expansion of the theoretical Framework The Supply network risk framework consists of six sections which evaluate the overall situation of the organization in a comprehensive manner, and suggests solution accordingly. During the course of this expansion, Mattels situation is analyzed and simultaneously the framework is examined and later critiqued. Part 1- Map Supply Network: The diagram provided below is a snapshot of Mattels supply chain from beginning to end that existed before the recall in 2007. (Fig5. Mattels Global Supply Chain, Source: Barad, 2002) Identifying Risks Risks (table 1) within Mattels complex supply network have been identified. Strategic risk (Simons 1999) Definition: Affects business strategy implementation For Mattel: New technologies can render their products obsolete Sudden shifts in customer tastes kids are getting older younger (KGOY) toy retailers are consolidating retail price is falling Supply risk (Meulbrook 2000) Definition: Adversely affects inward flow of any type of resource to enable operations to take place; also termed input risk For Mattel: increasing customization outsourcing of operations disruption to the supplier quality problems, materials and parts shortages etc bankruptcy of supplier Customer risk (Meulbrook 2000) Definition: Affects likelihood of customers placing orders; grouped with factors such as product obsolescence in product/market risk For Mattel: Shift in customer buying pattern Shift in customer preferences More competitive products during demand Operations risk (Meulbrook 2000) Definition: Affects a firms internal ability to produce and supply goods/services For Mattel: Failed/ out-dated technology Labour strike Disasters and Natural Calamities Reputation risk (Schwartz and Gibb 1999) Definition: Erodes value of whole business due to loss of confidence. For Mattel: Recall history Financial risk (Meulbrook 2000) Definition: Exposes a firm to potential loss through changes in financial markets; can also occur when specific debtors default For Mattel: Drop in market share Devaluation of company share price Fall in credit rating Legal Regulatory risk (Meulbrook 2000) Regulatory definition: Exposes the firm with changes in regulations affecting the firms business Legal definition: Exposes the firm to litigation with action arising from customers, suppliers, shareholders or employees For Mattel: Changes in regulation and government policies Lawsuits Supplier country legalities Then these have been categorized into various types which have been used as a guideline to examine the risk (table 2) and consequences faced during their great product recall in 2007. Type of Risk Identified Risks Consequences Causes Supply Risk Quality related: Lead Paint Contamination Loosely fitted components Supplier related: Fraud Contract Default Recall of products and associated costs Lawsuits Re-evaluation of suppliers Suppliers pulled out of market Increased retailer control Defective raw materials moving downstream Trust deterioration Deviation from quality standards Outsourcing of quality control Low transparency in Contract Terms Poor tractability of source of supplier Falsification of documents by suppliers Use of uncertified led paint Deviation from quality standards Improper sub-vendor tracking Falsification of documents by suppliers Improper regulation Operations Risk Design related: Unfeasible magnet design Recall of products and associated costs Costs of redesign and RD Failed testing both in design and production stage Flawed RD Customer Reputation Risk Market related: Brand Image Loss in sales Loss in customer loyalty Uncertainty Bad consumer experience and accidents Health hazards Falling consumer confidence Decreased Brand Loyalty Adverse impact on other products Loss in revenue Increased uncertainty in buyers Harmful products Betrayal of customer trust Delicate target market Legal Regulatory Risk Policy lawsuit related: Legislative Regulatory Lawsuits Fine by CPSC Led to new and tighter regulations Did not track their own standards Political influence by stakeholders Financial Risk Economic related: Drop in share price Drop in sales Drop in sales and revenue Implementation of 3-fold plan by Mattel Retail pullout Recall of products Media critique and bad publicity Customer fallout Strategy Risk Outsourcing related: Vendor subcontracting Sub-vendor quality control Drop in product standard Harmed consumer base Affected brand name Dropped market share Vendor subcontracting and then sub-vendor again subcontracting Flawed track of sub-vendor and sub-sub-vendor activities Assessing Risk In this section a probability-impact matrix has been created to assess the impact of risk (mentioned in figure 3) on the supply network of Mattel Toys based on its probability of occurrence. High 2,3,5,6,7,8,11,12, 13, 18-23* Impact *Refer Appendix ab for description of number 1,4,10,14,15* Probability Low High The matrix clearly shows that most of the major risks associated with its supply network lies in High Impact Low Probability and High Impact High Probability region. This matrix has been used as a reference to create another matrix (below) for a specific risk that Mattel suffered i.e., the great recall of 2007. High Fraud, Contract Default, Quality- Lead contamination, Design- Magnet component, Impact *Refer Appendix ab for description of number Brand Image, Loss in sale, Loss in customer loyalty, Legal Regulatory, Drop in share price Low Probability High During this period, all risks had very high impact on Mattels supply network and caused setbacks and disruption which were hard to recover from. Managing Risk There are a few ways in which Mattel can increase their capabilities of supply chain risk management; Visibility   In order to properly assess supply chain risk and respond to events, visibility across the supply chain is required. This means that the supply chain risk management tool must be capable of integrating with, and modeling ERP analytics from, multiple disparate ERP systems, including systems supporting the supply and distribution nodes. Event detection and alerting   The sooner a supply chain disruption is recognized, the faster the response. An alert that shows up in e-mail or a portable e-mail device will ensure that the appropriate people are made aware of the event when it happens. Too many times, event detection is based on the event itself. To be truly valuable, alert should be triggered based on the anticipated impact of the event. For example, if a supplier goes out of business, but the loss of this supplier doesnt impact key metrics, an alert may not be necessary. Analytics   The full suite of supply chain analytics needs to be modeled in the supply chain risk management tool to ensure the impact of a potential supply chain event is understood. When an event happens, analytics are used to model the event and determine the impact. Above all, these analytics need to be performed in real time, especially when responding to an unanticipated supply chain disruption. When an event happens, every second counts and a company cant wait days or weeks to understand the impact or to determine resolution alternatives. Simulation   Simulation is critical to both sides of supply chain risk management. When assessing the risks, simulation helps to model different risk scenarios. Further, simulation is used to model alternative mitigation strategies to ensure that they are sound. When responding to an unanticipated supply chain event, simulation is used to model and compare the various response alternatives. Collaboration   The risk management team will need to evaluate several possible mitigation alternatives. Members of the team will likely not have the detailed knowledge necessary to explore all alternatives in the detail needed to develop a robust mitigation strategy. The ability to bring other people into the evaluation process is critical both to validate the proposed strategy and to propose key improvements to the strategy. Similarly when responding to an unanticipated supply chain event, collaborating with those with the detailed knowledge ensures that the response alternatives are reasonable. Scenario comparison   in the process of developing mitigation strategies or responses, the team may develop multiple approaches that potentially resolve the problem, but in differing ways. The team needs to make a decision on which resolution or mitigation alternative best meets the goals of the organization. One approach may extend lead times by 30 days, while the other may increase the cost of goods sold by 10%. The decision on which approach is best needs to be evaluated in light of corporate goals. Form collaborative supply network risk strategy To be successful in todays aggressive toy market, retailers and manufacturers should drive lean and closely controlled supply chains. As the rate of promotional marketing and innovative product launch continues to grow, companies are mostly caught between dynamic customer demands and comparatively fixed manufacturing and logistics parameters and limitations. Collaborative planning helps in dealing with supply chain issues. To improve supply chain responsiveness in Mattel, it requires shared visibility with suppliers and retailers into events happening now and in the future, while working jointly to resolve issues and problems surrounding delivery constraints. Implementation To keep up with dynamism of market demand and unseen risks, Mattel needs to implement its strategies for risk management in clear structured, and/or procedural way. According to Freedman (2003), strategy implementation should encompass order, commitment, ingenuity, management control and advanced execution skills. In Mattel, the Corporate Responsibility division should use this as a guideline for their advisory and research. Freedman (2003) also observed that moderating complexity is one of the core steps in strategy implementation. This is in regard to Mattels supply chain network which was complex and vendor mismanagement lead to one of their biggest recalls. It is recommended for Mattel, to train and educated their workforce to handle unanticipated risks in supply networks (Harland et al, 2002). Their workforce needs to be made more aware of the total inherent risks faced after the great recall and learn to identify such risks in early stages. They need to focus on current practices of risk management and evaluate if these are apt after the recall. Mattel needs to handle complexities within their supply chain network by increasing visibility in it. This can be achieved by examining risk at the level of the network rather than restricted view to just immediate vendors (Harland et al, 2002).. They need to increase access to and control of sub-vendors throughout the supply network. This in turn will help them to expose risks throughout their supply chain. Also they need to develop/upgrade their existing supply network risk strategy and bring it in-line with their organizational practices and the framework suggested here. The key to successful risk management implementation is by identifying two situations to respond to supply chain events (Source: Kinaxis); An unanticipated supply disruption1 And, an anticipated supply disruption by executing a mitigation strategy In both cases, the main task is to alert on time that an event has occurred. Its difficult to respond to an event if you lack information on it. The supply chain needs to be monitored continuously. The practice of risk management from spotting risks, through choosing suitable risk management strategies, and then altering the structure of the supply chain is an information-demanding procedure (Source: Husdal). This means it is very dependent on information sharing. The key activity then is to identify vital information signalling risk while filtering data. Critique The model is critiqued to identify the shortcoming of the framework: The model is build upon existing model and does not provide any new technique to provide a total security solution . The model is subjective in nature as the author Harland et al, 2002, themselves pointed out that on categorization and identification of risk, the view of assessors assessing may be different. It may not always be possible for organizations to continuously examine risks and have strategic frameworks in position The setting up of collaborative arrangements in supply network and identification of risks and implementation of this in existing system may prove costly As the model is subjective in nature, there might be difference in opinion of the assessors on the rating of particular risk in the organization. Conclusion In the wake of Mattels great recall in 2007, it is seen that their strategy for outsourcing brought about one of their biggest losses and led to brand tarnishing and major fall in their market value. Their response to this crisis was well-handled but this raised questions on how they foresee their risks and avert them? The suggested security framework draws a birds eye view of their supply network and asses risk at every level of their supply chain. It provides 6 key tools to asses risk and some effective steps to implement them. Later this framework is also subjected to self-critique but from a broader picture it can provide some key modification to the shortcomings in Mattels current strategy. Recommendation

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 6

Chapter 6 The Animals The daytime people called them the Animals. The store manager had come into work one morning to find one of them hanging, half-naked, from the giant red S of the Safeway sign and the rest of them drunk on the roof, pelting him with Campfire marshmallows. The manager yelled at them and called them Animals. They cheered and toasted him by spraying beer on each other. There were seven of them now that their leader was gone. They wandered into the store around eleven and the manager informed them that they were getting a new crew chief: â€Å"This guy will whip you into shape – he's done it all, his application was four pages long.† Midnight found the Animals sitting on the registers at the front of the store, sharing worries over a case of Reddi Wip. â€Å"Screw this hotshot from back East,† said Simon McQueen, the oldest. â€Å"I'll throw my fifty cases an hour like always, and if he wants more, he can do it himself.† Simon sucked a hit of nitrous oxide from the whipped cream can and croaked, â€Å"He won't last longer'n a fart on a hot skillet.† Simon was twenty-seven, muscular and as wiry-tense as a banjo string. He was pockmarked and sharp-featured, with a great mane of brown hair that he kept out of his face with a bandanna and a black Stetson, and he fancied himself a cowboy and a poet. He had never been within six-gun range of a horse or a book. Jeff Murray, a has-been high school basketball star, pulled a can of whipped cream from the open case and said, â€Å"Why didn't they just promote one of us when Eddie left?† â€Å"Because they don't know their ass from a hot rock,† Simon said. â€Å"Can up,† he added quickly. â€Å"They probably did what they thought best,† said Clint, a myopic, first trimester born-again Christian, who, having recently been forgiven for ten years of drug abuse, was eager to forgive others. â€Å"Can up,† Simon repeated to Jeff, who had upended the whipped cream can and was pushing the nozzle. Jeff inhaled a powerful stream of whipped cream that filled his mouth and throat, shot from his nostrils, and sent him into a blue-faced choking fit. Drew, the crew's pot supplier and therefore medical officer, dealt Jeff a vicious blow in the solar plexus, causing the ex-power forward to expel a glob of whipped cream approximately the size of a small child. Jeff fell to the floor gasping. The glob landed safely on register 6. â€Å"Works as good as the Heimlich maneuver† – Drew grinned – â€Å"without the unwanted intimacy.† â€Å"I told him to hold the can up,† Simon said. There was a tap on the glass at the front of the store and they all turned to see a skinny dark-haired kid in jeans and flannel waiting by the locked door. He wore a price gun low on his right hip. â€Å"That would be our hotshot.† Simon went to unlock the door. Clint grabbed the case of whipped cream and shoved it under a register. The others ditched their cans where they could and stood by the registers as if awaiting inspection. They were sensing the end of an era; the Animals would be no more. â€Å"Tom Flood,† the new guy said, offering his hand to Simon. Simon did not take his hand, but stared at it until the new guy withdrew it, embarrassed. â€Å"I'm Sime; this is Drew.† Simon waved the new guy in and locked the door behind him. â€Å"We'll get you a time card.† The new guy followed Simon to the office, pausing to look at the glob of whipped cream on register 6, then at Jeff, still gasping on the floor. â€Å"Can up,† the new guy said to Jeff. Simon raised an eyebrow to the rest of the crew and led the new guy into the office. While he was digging in the drawers for a fresh time card, the new guy said, â€Å"So, Sime, do you bowl?† Simon looked up and studied the new guy's face. This could be a trap. He stepped back and squared off like a gunfighter at high noon. â€Å"Yeah, I bowl.† â€Å"What do you use?† â€Å"I like a twelve-pound Butterball.† â€Å"Net or no net?† â€Å"No net,† Simon said. â€Å"Yeah, nets are for grannies. I like a fourteen-pound self-basting, myself.† Tommy grinned at Simon. Simon grinned back and offered his hand to shake. â€Å"Welcome aboard.† He handed a time card to Tommy and led him out the office. Outside, the crew waited. â€Å"Dudes,† Simon announced. â€Å"This is Tom Flood.† The crew fidgeted and eyed Tommy. â€Å"He's a bowler.† The crew let out a collective sigh of relief. Simon introduced them each, tagging them each with what they did. â€Å"That's Jeff on the floor, cake-mix aisle, plays basketball. Drew, frozen food and budmaster. Troy Lee, glass aisle, kung-fu fighter.† Troy Lee, short, muscular, wearing a black satin jacket, bowed slightly. â€Å"Clint,† Simon continued, â€Å"cereal and juices; he's buddies with God.† Clint was tall and thin with curly black hair, thick horn-rims, and a goofy, if beatific, smile. Simon pointed to a stout Mexican in a flannel shirt. â€Å"Gustavo does the floors and has forty kids.† â€Å"Cinco ninos,† Gustavo corrected. â€Å"Excuse the fuck out of me,† Simon said. â€Å"Five kids.† He moved down the line to a short, balding guy in corduroys. â€Å"Barry does soap and dog food. His hair fell out when he started scuba diving.† â€Å"Fuck you, Sime.† â€Å"Save your money, Barry.† Simon moved on. â€Å"This dark-skinned fellow is Lash, dairy and non-foods. He says he's studying business at Frisco State, but he's really a gunrunner for the Bloods.† â€Å"And Simon wants to be Grand Dragon for the Klan,† Lash said. â€Å"Be good or I won't help you with your master's feces.† â€Å"Thesis,† Lash corrected. â€Å"Whatever.† â€Å"What do you do, Sime?† Tommy asked. â€Å"I am on a quest for the perfect big-haired blonde. She must be a beautician and she must be named Arlene, Karlene, or Darlene. She must have a bust measurement exactly half that of her IQ and she must have seen Elvis sometime since his death. Have you seen her?† â€Å"No, that's a pretty tall order.† Simon stepped up, nose to nose with Tommy. â€Å"Don't hold back, I'm offering a cash reward and videotape of her trying to drown me in body lotion.† â€Å"No, really, I can't help you.† â€Å"In that case, I work the can aisle.† â€Å"When's the truck due?† â€Å"Half an hour: twelve-thirty.† â€Å"Then we've got time for a few frames.† There are no official rules for the sport of turkey bowling. Turkey bowling is not recognized by the NCAA or the Olympic Committee. There are no professional tournaments sponsored by the Poultry Farmers of America, and footwear companies do not manufacture turkey bowling shoes. Even the world's best turkey bowlers have not appeared on a Wheaties box or the  «Tonight » show. In fact, until ESPN became desperate to fill in the late-night time slots between professional lawn darts and reruns of Australian-rules football, turkey bowling was a completely clandestine sport, relegated to the dark athletic basement of mailbox baseball and cow tipping. Despite this lack of official recognition, the fine and noble tradition of â€Å"skidding the buzzard† is practiced nightly by supermarket night crews all over the nation. Clint was the official pinsetter for the Animals. Since there was always wagering, Clint's religion forbade his playing, but his participation, in some part, was required to ensure that he would not squeal to the management. He set ten-quart bottles of Ivory liquid in a triangle pattern at the end of the produce aisle. The meat case would act as a backstop. The rest of the crew, having chosen their birds from the freezer case, were lined up at the far end of the aisle. â€Å"You're up, Tom,† Simon said. â€Å"Let's see what you got.† Tommy stepped forward and weighed the frozen turkey in his right hand-felt its frigid power singing against skin. Strangely, the theme from Chariots of Fire began playing in his head. He squinted and picked his target, then took his steps and sent the bird sliding down the aisle. A collective gasp rose from the crew as the fourteen-pound, self-basting, fresh-frozen projectile of wholesome savory goodness plowed into the soap bottles like a freight train into a chorus line of drunken grandmothers. â€Å"Strike!† Clint shouted. Simon winced. Troy Lee said, â€Å"Nobody's that good. Nobody.† â€Å"Luck,† Simon said. Tommy suppressed a smile and stepped back from the line. â€Å"Who's up?† Simon stepped up and stared down the aisle, watching Clint set up the pins. A nervous tick jittered under his left eye. Strangely, the theme from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly began playing in his head. The turkey was heavy in his hand. He could almost feel the giblets pulsing with tension – the Butterball version of the Tell-Tale Heart. He strode to the line, swinging the turkey back in a wide arc, then forward with an explosive yell. The turkey rocketed, airborne, three quarters of the way down the aisle before touching down and slamming through the soap bottles and into the base of the meat case, smashing metal and severing wires in a shower of sparks and smoke. The store lights flickered and went out. The huge compressors that ran the store's refrigeration wound down like dying airliners. The smell of ozone and burned insulation filled the air. A moment of dark silence – the Animals stood motionless, sweating, as if waiting for the deadly sound of an approaching U-boat. Battery back-up modules switched on safety lights at the end of each aisle. The crew looked from Simon, who stood at the line with his mouth hanging open, to the turkey, sticking, blackened and burned, in the side of the meat case like an unexploded artillery shell. They checked their watches: exactly six hours and forty-eight minutes to exact repairs and stock the shelves before the manager came in to open the store. â€Å"Break time!† Tommy announced. They sat on a row of grocery carts outside the store, their backs against the wall, smoking, eating, and, in the case of Simon, telling lies. â€Å"This is nothing,† Simon said. â€Å"When I was working a store in Idaho, we ran a forklift through the dairy case. Two hundred gallons of milk on the floor. Sucked it up in the Shop-Vac and had it back in the cartons ten minutes before opening and no one knew the difference.† Tommy was sitting next to Troy Lee, trying to get up the courage to ask a favor. For the first time since arriving in San Francisco, he felt as if he fit in somewhere and he didn't want to push his luck. Still, this was his crew now, even if he had padded his application a bit to get the job. Tommy decided to dive in. â€Å"Troy, no offense, but do you speak Chinese?† â€Å"Two dialects,† Troy said around a mouthful of corn chips. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Well, I'm living in Chinatown. I kinda share a place with these five Chinese guys. No offense.† Troy clamped a hand over his mouth, as if appalled with Tommy's audacity. Then he jumped to his feet into a kung-fu stance, made a Bruce Lee chicken noise, and said, â€Å"Five Chinese guys living with you? A pasty-faced, round-eyed, barbarian pig dog?† Troy grinned and dug in the bag for another handful of chips. â€Å"No offense.† Tommy's face heated with embarrassment. â€Å"Sorry. I just wondered if – I mean, I need an interpreter. There's some weird shit going on at my place.† Troy vaulted back to his seat on the carts. â€Å"No problem, man. We'll go there in the morning when we get off – if we don't get fired.† â€Å"We won't get fired,† Tommy said with confidence he didn't feel. â€Å"The union – â€Å" â€Å"Jesus,† Troy interrupted and grabbed Tommy's shoulder. â€Å"Check this out.† He nodded toward Fort Mason at the edge of the parking lot. A woman was walking toward them. â€Å"She's out a little late,† Troy said; then, to Simon, he shouted, â€Å"Sime, skirt alert.† â€Å"Bullshit,† Simon said, checking his watch. Then he looked in the direction where Troy was pointing. A woman was, indeed, walking across the parking lot toward them. From what he could tell at that distance, she had a nice shape. Simon climbed down from the carts and adjusted his black Stetson. â€Å"Stand back, boys, that redhead is down here for a reason, and I'm packing that reason right here.† He patted his crotch and fell into an affected bow-legged gait toward the woman. â€Å"Evening, darlin', you lost or just in search of excellence?† Jeff, who was sitting beside Tommy opposite Troy, bent over and said, â€Å"Simon is the master. That guy gets more pussy than all of the Forty-Niners put together.† Tommy said, â€Å"Doesn't look like he's doing that well tonight.† They couldn't hear what Simon was saying to the woman, but it was obvious she didn't want to hear it. She tried to walk away from him, and Simon stepped in front of her. She moved in another direction and he cut her off, smiling and chattering the whole time. â€Å"Leave me alone!† the girl shouted. Tommy leaped off the carts and ran toward them. â€Å"Hey, Simon, lighten up.† Simon turned and the woman started away. â€Å"We're just getting acquainted,† Simon said. Tommy stopped and put his hand on Simon's shoulder. He lowered his voice as if sharing a secret. â€Å"Look, man, we've got a lot to do. I can't afford to lose you all night while you show this babe the meaning of life. I need your help, dude.† Simon looked at Tommy as if he'd just exposed himself. â€Å"Really?† â€Å"Please.† Simon slapped Tommy on the back. â€Å"I'm on it.† He turned back toward the store. â€Å"Break's over, dudes. We've got some wrenching to do.† Tommy watched him go, then broke into a run after the woman. â€Å"Excuse me!† She turned and eyed him suspiciously, but waited for him to catch up to her. He slowed to a walk. As he approached her he was surprised at just how pretty she was. She looked a little like Maureen O'Hara in those old pirate movies. His writer's mind kicked in and he thought, This woman could break my heart. I could crash and burn on this woman. I could lose this woman, drink heavily, write profound poems, and die in the gutter of tuberculosis over this woman. This was not an unusual reaction for Tommy. He had it often, mostly with girls who worked the drive-through windows at fast-food places. He would drive off with the smell of fries in his car and the bitter taste of unrequited love on his tongue. It was usually good for at least one short story. He was a little breathless when he reached her. â€Å"I just wanted to apologize for Simon. He's – he's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"An asshole,† she said. â€Å"Well, yes. But – â€Å" â€Å"It's okay,† she said. â€Å"Thanks for coming to the rescue.† She turned to walk away. Tommy swallowed hard. This was why he had come to the City, wasn't it? To take a few risks? To live on the edge. Yes. â€Å"Excuse me,† he said. She turned again. â€Å"You're really beautiful. I know that sounds like a line. It is a line. But – but it's true in your case. Thanks. ‘Bye.† She was smiling now. â€Å"What's your name?† â€Å"C. Thomas Flood.† â€Å"Do you work here every night?† â€Å"I just started. But yes, I will be. Five nights a week. Graveyard shift.† â€Å"So you have your days free?† â€Å"Yes, pretty much. Except when I'm writing.† â€Å"Do you have a girlfriend, C. Thomas Flood?† Tommy swallowed hard again. â€Å"Uh, no.† â€Å"Do you know where Enrico's is on Broadway?† â€Å"I can find it.† He hoped he could find it. â€Å"I'll meet you there tomorrow night, a half hour after sunset, okay?† â€Å"Sure, I guess. I mean, sure. I mean, what time is that?† â€Å"I don't know; I have to get an almanac.† â€Å"Okay then. Tomorrow evening then. Look, I've got to get back to work. We're sort of in the middle of a crisis.† She nodded and smiled. He shuffled awkwardly, then walked away toward the store. Halfway across the parking lot he stopped. â€Å"Hey, I don't know your name.† â€Å"It's Jody.† â€Å"Nice meeting you, Jody.† â€Å"See you tomorrow, C. Thomas,† she called. Tommy waved. When he turned around again, the Animals were all staring at him, slowly shaking their heads. Simon glared, then turned abruptly and stormed into the store.

Personal Development

An insurance company has high levels of absenteeism among its staff. The head of administration argues that employees are misusing their leave benefits. However some female employees explained that their family matters interfere with office work. Using the MARS model, as well as your knowledge of absenteeism, discuss some of the possible reasons for absenteeism and how to reduce it. MARS Model seeks to explain individual behavior as a result of internal and external factors or influences acting together.Individual behavior influenced by Motivation, Ability, Role perception and Situational factors (M. A. R. S). People are not motivated to come to work since they don't feel a sense of self-satisfaction in completing their tasks, they don't see room for advancement, don't feel that they are getting paid enough, and don't like their co-workers (or more likely their boss). The cost of absenteeism is extremely high. In able to diagnose absenteeism problem in the organization, a clearly dis tinction should be made between voluntary and involuntary absenteeism.Voluntary absenteeism is when employees have a choice of working or not working and they intentionally decide to miss work. Involuntary absenteeism is when employees miss work for reason beyond their control. Some of the common reasons behind absenteeism are as under; * Serious accidents and illness * Low morale * Workload * Employee discontent with the work environment * Remuneration which continue returns during periods of illness or accident * The continuation of income shield plans (collective agreement ) * Poor working conditions * Boredom on the job Insufficient leadership and poor management * Personal problems (financial, marital, substance abuse, child care etc. ) * Poor bodily fitness * The existence of income protection plans (collective agreement ) * Transportation trouble * Stress There are numbers of strategies and approaches that can be adapted by organizations in order to reduce the level of absent eeism in their companies. According to Johnson et al. (2003), successful absenteeism management strategies begin with the belief that something can actually be done to reduce absenteeism.Managers need to keep in mind that there is no â€Å"one-size-fits† all solution that is appropriate for all organizations. Every organization is unique and absenteeism reduction strategies should be customized to the particular work environment. Harris (2005) states that employers should distinguish between short- and long-term absence when dealing with the problem of absence. The author mentions that for short-term absence, an effective sickness absence policy should be implemented.This policy should indicate the procedure to be followed as well as the possible consequences of unacceptable sick leave levels. For long term absences, an employer should keep record of these events as well as ensuring that medical certificates are supplied. In cases where employees' health is not improving and they are unable to perform their work, a fair incapacity process should be followed (Harris, 2005). REFERENCES Organization Behavior, The Management of individual and organizational performance by DAVID J. CHERRINGTON. Online Search.

ACT Writing Tips 15 Strategies to Raise Your Essay Score

ACT Writing Tips 15 Strategies to Raise Your Essay Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Whether you've never thought about ACT Writing strategies or have worked hard on the ACT essay, you can benefit from knowing more: about the essay itself, and what really matters when the graders are reading your essay. In this article, we offer a number of ACT Writing tips as well as a foolproof template for putting them into practice. ACT Essay Tips The ACT essay is a very short assignment- you only get 40 minutes to write a full-fledged essay- and it can pass in a flash if you don't have a method for attacking it. It requires a very specific approach that's unlike the essays you've been writing for English class. The goal of this approach is to cram in as many of the desired components as possible in the 40 minutes that you've got for the essay. We'll give you the four main elements the ACT asks for, the top three things they don't tell you, and a bulletproof template for your ACT Writing essay format. Here we go! What ACT, Inc. Does Tell You: 4 Elements to Remember ACT, Inc. explains the main components of the successful ACT Essay in its scoring criteria. Here they are, condensed and explained: #1: Ideas Analysis: A 12-scoring essay includes "an argument that critically engages with multiple perspectives on the given issue. The argument’s thesis reflects nuance and precision in thought and purpose. The argument establishes and employs an insightful context for analysis of the issue and its perspectives. The analysis examines implications, complexities and tensions, and/or underlying values and assumptions." In other words, answer the question that's in the prompt, make it very, very clear what your perspective is and analyze how your perspective relates to at least one of the three given perspectives. Ideas and Analysis is the hardest domain to master; it's tough to do everything you need to do well at all, much less in 40 minutes. The main thing is that you want to show that you understand as many sides of the issue as possible. You can do this by discussing those sides of the issue, why people might have those opinions, and whether those opinions are logical or not. It's fine to copy the exact words from the prompt into your thesis statement- in fact, this guarantees that the graders will see that your thesis is there and on topic. You must, however, make it obvious which side you are arguing for. If you can, it's great to put the argument in terms of a larger debate- we'll discuss that later. #2: Development Support: In a 12-scoring essay, "[d]evelopment of ideas and support for claims deepen insight and broaden context. An integrated line of skillful reasoning and illustration effectively conveys the significance of the argument. Qualifications and complications enrich and bolster ideas and analysis." Develipment Support is another area that can be hard for students to grasp. The bottom line is that you need to fully explain every point you make. If you don't have time to explain it in two to four sentences, leave it out (unless it's the only way you can get in a comparison of your perspective with one of the three perspectives). Make sure to either explain your thinking and reasoning or use specific examples to illustrate your points. #3: Organization: A 12-scoring essay "exhibits a skillful organizational strategy. The response is unified by a controlling idea or purpose, and a logical progression of ideas increases the effectiveness of the writer’s argument. Transitions between and within paragraphs strengthen the relationships among ideas." In short, you need to give each idea 1-2 paragraphs. If a logical organization for your points occurs to you (for example, if Point 1 depends on Point 2, you'd put Point 2 first), use it. If not, just list your points, allotting a paragraph for each one. A transition that reflects your logic just means tying one point to another somehow, and this is ideal. The ACT essay scoring system won't penalize you too heavily for a "First, Second, Third" type of organization, so if you just say "My first reason†¦," and "Second†¦," that's better than no transitions. The intro and conclusion should make the same general points, and if you have a larger context mentioned in the intro, mention it again in the conclusion. #4: Language Use: A 12-scoring essay uses language in a way that "enhances the argument. Word choice is skillful and precise. Sentence structures are consistently varied and clear. Stylistic and register choices, including voice and tone, are strategic and effective. While a few minor errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics may be present, they do not impede understanding." Language Use can be the hardest area for students to improve in (particularly if English is not their native language). "Word choice is skillful and precise" does include using fancy vocabulary, but it also means not repeating yourself and using the advanced vocabulary correctly. The essay graders aren't going to be impressed by words like "dogmatic" and "provincial" if you just throw them in and hope for the best; if you're not sure about the usage of a more advanced word, stick with the simpler one. Using "consistently varied and clear" sentence structures doesn't just mean not starting every sentence the same way (e.g. "Machines are helpful to humans. Machines can also cause problems. Machines are the answer to our future"). You also need to make sure your sentences are clear and further your logic (rather than making it more difficult to understand). As with word choice (and organization), it's better to be clear than to be fancy. If in the moment you find that your brain freezes and your sentences are all coming out the same with simple words, don't sweat it. Adding in more advanced vocabulary or switching up sentence structures is something you can fix when you revise your essay in the last two to four minutes of the essay section. What ACT, Inc. Doesn't Tell You: 3 Secrets Even though the ACT essay has some clear published guidelines, there are a few secrets that most students don't know and that can give you a major advantage on the test. These are facts that ACT, Inc. doesn't want to be too well-known because it helps us develop ACT Writing strategies that may give us an edge over people who haven't prepared. #1: You Don't Need to Know the Facts You can make up whatever information you need to support your point. Really. As with the tip above, if you know the real facts, that's great (since the grader will probably know them too), but it's not required. This might sound crazy. You could write about how Al Gore invented the dishwasher, and the ACT graders are not allowed to penalize you. Why is this? ACT, Inc. doesn't have the resources to do fact-checking on every single essay. With over a million students taking the test every year, graders only have a few minutes to put a score of 1-6 to each of the four essay scoring domains. They can't check whether Martin Luther King was born in 1929 or 1925. Thus, ACT essay scoring uses a simpler rule- all statements are taken as truth. The important point is that the evidence needs to support your thesis. (Of course, ACT, Inc. doesn't want people to know about this- that would make the ACT essay sound silly.) If you're short on examples to prove a point, make up something realistic-sounding (you can even pretend a newspaper or politician said something they didn't), and slap it in there. It's much better than trying to write a vague paragraph without concrete evidence. #2: You Should Write More Than a Page This is one of the most important ACT Writing tips. There is a strong relationship between essay length and score- the longer your essay, the better your score. In a short essay, it's difficult for you to develop your points well enough to earn a decent score. Really, you should write a page and a half if at all possible. Although ACT, Inc. never explicitly mentions that length matters in ACT essay scoring, it does. And if you can write more than a page and a half without repeating yourself or digressing from your point, you'll be in really good shape. #3: Your First Paragraph and Conclusion Matter More Than the Middle The introduction and conclusion are the "bookends" of the essay: they hold it together and are guaranteed to be read more closely than the rest of the essay. ACT graders have to read a lot of essays very quickly, and they give most of them a 3 or a 4 in each domain. The fastest way for them to score an essay is to find the thesis (to make sure that it's there, that it answers the prompt, and that the rest of the essay supports it) and then skim the first and last paragraphs. Here's why: if a student's introduction and conclusion paragraphs are well-written and logical, it's likely the rest of the essay will be too. By reading these parts, the grader can usually tell with confidence what the score will be. They'll scan the middle to make sure it makes sense, but they probably won't read every word as closely. On the other hand, if you don't have time to write an introduction or conclusion, you will be heavily penalized. It'll be hard to score above an 8 without an introduction and conclusion, particularly if you don't make your thesis, or point of view, clear in the first paragraph. This might be the most important ACT essay tip we can give you. A strong ACT writing strategy includes preparing enough time to write and revise your introduction and conclusion paragraphs, as we explain below. Key Strategy: How to Write A Successful ACT Essay in 40 Minutes Because you only have 40 minutes to write the ACT essay, you need to have a game plan before you start the test. Here's a step by step guide on how to write an effective ACT essay. Overcoming the Biggest Obstacle: Planning Your Argument Methodically One of the things that students often find hardest about the essay is quickly thinking of support for the thesis. But it can be done in a simple, methodical way, which we explain below. Let's start with a sample prompt. Intelligent Machines Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives. Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. Perspective One: What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people. Perspective Two: Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone. Perspective Three: Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities. Essay Task Write a unified, coherent essay about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to: clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective develop and support your ideas with reasoning and examples organize your ideas clearly and logically communicate your ideas effectively in standard written English Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. Wall-e Eve (Perler) by Morgan, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. In the prompt above, the ACT gives you three viewpoints so that you know what to mention in your discussion of various perspectives. But you'll need to elaborate on these as well. Let's look at the viewpoints this prompt gives us. Conservative: "Intelligent machines lead to problems, which is bad." Utilitarian: "Intelligent machines allow us to be more efficient, which is good." Progressive: "Intelligent machines lead to progress, which is good." Supporting each viewpoint is a slew of possible reasons, and these are what you want to lay out clearly in your essay. You can, of course, choose any side of the argument, but one is usually easier to argue than the other (because it is opposite the other two perspectives). For this prompt, it's easier to argue against intelligent machines than to argue for their efficiency or progress, so we'll look at potential support for the "conservative" argument, which is that "Intelligent machines lead to problems." To argue against any change, we can point out its assumptions and how they are false, or its consequences and how they are bad: Assumptions: it assumes that machines lead to progress [assumption made by perspective 3] it assumes that machines allow us to be more efficient [assumption made by perspective 2] it assumes that the benefits machines give to us outweigh the negatives Consequences: it could lead to progress in some areas, but also to new problems caused by that progress it could let us be more efficient in some ways, but end up creating more it would hurt us more than it would help because people would end up becoming less courteous and respectful to and tolerant of other people [perspective 1] This method works for any argument. If you find yourself supporting the proposal in the prompt, like that a right to avoid health risks is a more important freedom than the right to do whatever you want, then you just need to think of ways it would be positive. That can be much simpler. But you can still use the assumptions-and-consequences method above for the paragraph in which you address at least one other perspective. The Golden Essay Template This is a tried and true structure for earning a great score on the ACT essay. Just by following this template and keeping in mind the ACT writing tips above, you're pretty much guaranteed a 6 or higher out of 12. Do a decent job and you'll easily get an 8 or higher. Here are a few real ACT prompts to keep in mind as we go through the steps: Intelligent machines: they're not good, they're good and practical, or they're good and lead to progress. Public health and individual freedom: freedom is more important than physical health, society should strive for the greatest good for the most people, or the right to avoid health risks is more important than individual freedom. Planning Time: 8-10 minutes #1: Decide on your thesis, choosing one of the three sides. You can try to form your own, fourth perspective, but since you have to compare your perspective with at least one of the perspectives given you might as well argue for one of them and save some time for writing. #2: Quickly brainstorm two or three reasons or examples that support your thesis. #3: Brainstorm counterarguments for or analyses of at least one other perspective and your responses. #4: Organize your essay. Make sure you order your points in a way that makes sense. #5: Check your time. Try to have 30 minutes left at this point so you have enough time to write. If you don't, just keep in mind that you might have to cut out one of your supporting points. Writing Time: 25-28 minutes #1: Paragraph 1: Introduction Thesis Write your introduction. If you can think of an interesting first sentence that brings your thesis into a larger discussion (say, of how intelligent machines have changed the way people interact with each other), start with that. Narrow down from the larger context to your specific response to the question (your thesis), which should be at or near the end of the first paragraph. It can be helpful to the reader to have your reasons and examples "previewed" in the introduction if it fits in well. #2: Paragraph 2: Transitions Opposing Perspective. When you start paragraph 2, try to think of a first sentence that refers back to the first paragraph. "In contrast to my perspective, Perspective [X] claims that†¦" is a simple example of an effective way to transition into the second paragraph. Then address one of the perspectives opposing yours and why its supporters are wrong or misguided. In the example about intelligent machines above (where we've chosen to argue Perspective 1), you could argue against perspective 2 OR 3 in this paragraph. #3: Body Paragraphs (those remaining before the conclusion): Introduce your first reason or example in support of the perspective you'll be discussing. In 3-5 sentences, explain your reasoning as to how this perspective relates to your own (using explanations of your thinking or specific examples to support the point). Connect your example to the thesis and then state that it supports your thesis. Check your time. Try to have 7 minutes left by this point. #4: Conclusion (Optional) Relate your two or three examples back to your thesis. Add one or two sentences if you want. End with a restatement of your thesis or a return to your first lines to wrap up the essay. Revising Time: 2-4 minutes Hopefully, you still have 2-4 minutes to read over your essay. In this time, you can do several things. #1: You can, of course, correct mistakes. #2: You can replace dull words with fancier words. #3: You can make sure that your introduction and conclusion "match" by stating the same thesis (in different words, of course). Notice the two time-checking steps (in the Planning and the Body Paragraphs stages). It's very easy to get caught in the planning stage and run out of time on your actual essay, which is easy to avoid if you practice checking your time. If you have to make a choice between explaining a perspective or writing a conclusion paragraph, always choose the explanation. You can get by with a short sentence for a conclusion as long as you have a clear thesis in your introduction, but if you leave out the analysis of the relationship between your perspective and one of the ACT's perspectives in your essay, you'll lose a lot of points. Now What? Now you practice. Print out the template above, consult our ACT Essay Prompts Article(or think of any controversial issue in the world today), and get to work. You may find that many issues can be argued using the same reasoning or examples. For instance, the argument that the benefits of the changes happening in the world don't necessarily outweigh the problems they create can apply to many of the new ACT prompts. You can research concrete information to support this kind of useful argument, like a newspaper article about how the Industrial Revolution led to increased environmental destruction. Downtown by .shyam., used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. More like Industrial Re-POLL-ution, am I right? Remember: the more you practice, the easier it gets, as you learn how to reuse information to suit different purposes and your brain becomes used to thinking in this way. What's Next? Read more about the new ACT Writing Test and how to score a perfect score on your ACT essay. Want more in-depth guides? Check out our step-by-step guide to writing top-scoring ACT essay as well as a complete breakdown of the new ACT Writing Scoring Rubric. Hungry for more practice ACT Writing prompts? Look no further than our article containing links to all the freelyavailable official ACT Writing prompts that have been released so far, as well as bonusprompts I constructed. 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