The Decline of the Ottoman Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Decline of the Ottoman Empire - Essay Example This was as a result of internal issues as well as the external elements. The external elements came about in form of other civilizations, movements and powers that came along and posed challenges to the Ottoman Empire. The Western Imperialist expansions were one of those that contributed towards the decline of Ottoman Empire in a direct and indirect manner. The impact of Decline of Ottoman Empire: The result of Ottoman Empire’s decline was creation of vacuum in terms of authority, capacity and power possessed by a single Empire. For centuries Ottoman Empire held the reign firm and controlled the native regions under its grip effectively. With the gradual downfall, the question of stability, political replacement, and social substitution left much to be desired and a question to be addressed. This vacuum creation brought about unhealthy competition and race for the occupying of power seat in the region in order to maintain the say and influence in the region. The Empire was at peak during the days when it conquered the Constantinople and this marked the pinnacle of their achievements (Melton and Baumann, 2903). Root causes of decline of the Empire: The root causes were in form of political instability, internal intrigues, social disparity, nationalistic movements, alienation of the rulers from the people, external elements influence, awakening amongst the masses, Porte’s ambitious governors (Couto and Loureiro, 39) and various other factors that led to the disintegration and decay in a gradual manner. 1682 can be termed as a significant period in the history of Ottoman Empire when they suffered their first defeat. Economic aspect is also attributed as a factor that led to the downfall of the Empire. With no social equality, too much being spent in the wars and other military pursuits led to starvation and inflation in the social and economic ranks, ultimately leading to disparity and discontent amongst the masses and subjects spread far and wide. The negative impact of economy directly told upon the military expansions, investments and developments. With the other empires and ruling regimes building on the military might, the Ottoman Empire stayed behind with regard to military advancements. The advancements in technology over period of time and most notably the Europe region, made the cause and case further worse for the Ottoman Empire. The demise of one Sultan led to a battle for supremacy and attainment of the throne between the successors, this would result in the division of loyalties and eating up of the financial resources within. The role of Ambitious Governors: Mehmat Ali and Ibrahim Pasha were two of the governors appointed by the Porte to administer and govern over Egypt. They were highly ambitious in their motives and intentions. They would demand new terms and territories from the Porte time to Time. Syria, Pashalik and other regions were under their interest. This internal strife gave an opportunity to the fore ign elements to intrude and make inroads in terms of their vested interests. France went in support of the war, Turkey in return had to fight a war with Russia in 1877 (Drury, 3)which further exposed and weakened the Empire’s say and influence in the region. Parts of continent Africa that were under the direct or indirect influence of the Porte also served as point and region of interest for the European Imperialistic and engaged them in rivalry with one another. Western

Problems Identified By The Narasimham Committee Essay Example for Free

Problems Identified By The Narasimham Committee Essay 1. Directed Investment Programme : The committee objected to the system of maintaining high liquid assets by commercial banks in the form of cash, gold and unencumbered government securities. It is also known as the statutory liquidity Ratio (SLR). In those days, in India, the SLR was as high as 38.5 percent. According to the M. Narasimhams Committee it was one of the reasons for the poor profitability of banks. Similarly, the Cash Reserve Ratio- (CRR) was as high as 15 percent. Taken together, banks needed to maintain 53. 5 percent of their resources idle with the RBI. 2. Directed Credit Programme : Since nationalization the government has encouraged the lending to agriculture and small-scale industries at a confessional rate of interest. It is known as the directed credit programme. The committee opined that these sectors have matured and thus do not need such financial support. This directed credit programme was successful from the governments point of view but it affected commercial banks in a bad manner. Basically it deteriorated the quality of loan, resulted in a shift from the security oriented loan to purpose oriented. Banks were given a huge target of priority sector lending, etc. ultimately leading to profit erosion of banks. 3. Interest Rate Structure : The committee found that the interest rate structure and rate of interest in India are highly regulated and controlled by the government. They also found that government used bank funds at a cheap rate under the SLR. At the same time the government advocated the philosophy of subsidized lending to certain sectors. The committee felt that there was no need for interest subsidy. It made banks handicapped in terms of building main strength and expanding credit supply. 4. Additional Suggestions : Committee also suggested that the determination of interest rate should be on grounds of market forces. It further suggested minimizing the slabs of interest. Along with these major problem areas M. Narasimhams Committee also found various inconsistencies regarding the banking system in India. In order to remove them and make it more vibrant and efficient, it has given the following recommendations. Narasimham Committee Report I 1991 The Narsimham Committee was set up in order to study the problems of the Indian financial system and to suggest some recommendations for improvement in the efficiency and productivity of the financial institution. The committee has given the following major recommendations:- 1. Reduction in the SLR and CRR : The committee recommended the reduction of the higher proportion of the Statutory Liquidity Ratio SLR and the Cash Reserve Ratio CRR. Both of these ratios were very high at that time. The SLR then was 38.5% and CRR was 15%. This high amount of SLR and CRR meant locking the bank resources for government uses. It was hindrance in the productivity of the bank thus the committee recommended their gradual reduction. SLR was recommended to reduce from 38.5% to 25% and CRR from 15% to 3 to 5%. 2. Phasing out Directed Credit Programme : In India, since nationalization, directed credit programmes were adopted by the government. The committee recommended phasing out of this programme. This programme compelled banks to earmark then financial resources for the needy and poor sectors at confessional rates of interest. It was reducing the profitability of banks and thus the committee recommended the sto pping of this programme. 3. Interest Rate Determination : The committee felt that the interest rates in India are regulated and controlled by the authorities. The determination of the interest rate should be on the grounds of market forces such as the demand for and the supply of fund. Hence the committee recommended eliminating government controls on interest rate and phasing out the concessional interest rates for the priority sector. 4. Structural Reorganizations of the Banking sector : The committee recommended that the actual numbers of public sector banks need to be reduced. Three to four big banks including SBI should be developed as international banks. Eight to Ten Banks having nationwide presence should concentrate on the national and universal banking services. Local banks should concentrate on region specific banking. Regarding the RRBs (Regional Rural Banks), it recommended that they should focus on agriculture and rural financing. They recommended that the government should assure that henceforth there wont be any nationalization and private and foreign banks should be allowed liberal entry in India. 5. Establishment of the ARF Tribunal : The proportion of bad debts and Non-performing asset (NPA) of the public sector Banks and Development Financial Institute was very alarming in those days. The committee recommended the establishment of an Asset Reconstruction Fund (ARF). This fund will take over the proportion of the bad and doubtful debts from the banks and financial institutes. It would help banks to get rid of bad debts. 6. Removal of Dual control : Those days banks were under the dual control of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Banking Division of the Ministry of Finance (Government of India). The committee recommended the stepping of this system. It considered and recommended that the RBI should be the only main agency to regulate banking in India. 7. Banking Autonomy : The committee recommended that the public sector banks should be free and autonomous. In order to pursue competitiveness and efficiency, banks must enjoy autonomy so that they can reform the work culture and banking technology upgradation will thus be easy. Some of these recommendations were later accepted by the Government of India and became banking reforms. Narasimham Committee Report II 1998 In 1998 the government appointed yet another committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Narsimham. It is better known as the Banking Sector Committee. It was told to review the banking reform progress and design a programme for further strengthening the financial system of India. The committee focused on various areas such as capital adequacy, bank mergers, bank legislation, etc. It submitted its report to the Government in April 1998 with the following recommendations. 1. Strengthening Banks in India : The committee considered the stronger banking system in the context of the Current Account Convertibility CAC. It thought that Indian banks must be capable of handling problems regarding domestic liquidity and exchange rate management in the light of CAC. Thus, it recommended the merger of strong banks which will have multiplier effect on the industry. 2. Narrow Banking : Those days many public sector banks were facing a problem of the Non-performing assets (NPAs). Some of them had NPAs were as high as 20 percent of their assets. Thus for successful rehabilitation of these banks it recommended Narrow Banking Concept where weak banks will be allowed to place their funds only in short term and risk free assets. 3. Capital Adequacy Ratio: In order to improve the inherent strength of the Indian banking system the committee recommended that the Government should raise the prescribed capital adequacy norms. This will further improve their absorption capacity also. Currently the capital adequacy ration for Indian banks is at 9 percent. 4. Bank ownership : As it had earlier mentioned the freedom for banks in its working and bank autonomy, it felt that the government control over the banks in the form of management and ownership and bank autonomy does not go hand in hand and thus it recommended a review of functions of boards and enabled them to adopt professional corporate strategy. 5. Review of banking laws : The committee considered that there was an urgent need for reviewing and amending main laws governing Indian Banking Industry like RBI Act, Banking Regulation Act, State Bank of India Act, Bank Nationalisation Act, etc. This upgradation will bring them in line with the present needs of the banking sector in India. Apart from these major recommendations, the committee has also recommended faster computerization, technology upgradation, training of staff, depoliticizing of banks, professionalism in banking, reviewing bank recruitment, etc. Evaluation of Narsimham Committee Reports The Committee was first set up in 1991 under the chairmanship of Mr. M. Narasimham who was 13th governor of RBI. Only a few of its recommendations became banking reforms of India and others were not at all considered. Because of this a second committee was again set up in 1998. As far as recommendations regarding bank restructuring, management freedom, strengthening the regulation are concerned, the RBI has to play a major role. If the major recommendations of this committee are accepted, it will prove to be fruitful in making Indian banks more profitable and efficient.

Security Dillemma & Ethnic Conflict Essay examples -- essays research

The security dilemma can be used explain and predict ethnic conflict within a given state. Posen’s argument is supported by the belief that the basic tenets of realism provide a clear view of the security dilemma and its relationship with ethnic conflict. I believe the security dilemma in general is largely based in realist theory, and therefore fails to view international relations fairly. I believe that liberalism offers important insight into dealing with conflict that Posen fails to address.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Realist theory believes that one states military improvements are undistinguishable as offensive or defensive, and are seen as threats to another state. This, in turn, requires the opposing state to improve its military to ensure its own self interest. Posen argues that when an empire falls, there will be a power struggle between competing groups, within a state, as a result of the anarchy left by the failing empire. It is argued by Posen that the competing groups variations in the history of their group and whatever military power they may have will threaten other groups, creating a security dilemma, which results in ethnic conflict.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I believe the security dilemma is shaped by realist theory because it presupposes military improvements will be seen as threats. It has been shown that military improvements are not always seen as threats, for example the United States is not threatened by Pakistan having nuclear weaponry. Mutu...

Toward an Ethics for Being Educated Essay -- Education Learning Essays

Toward an Ethics for Being Educated ABSTRACT: The regulative ideal of being educated is construed through features associated with the conduct and aspirations of faculty in higher education. These features include autonomy of mind and its presuppositions in self-knowledge and ability to inquire. These features as well cover having the identity of an educated person, implying evaluation of the products of the mind in logic and language, motivation to maintain an education, and the deep convictions and attitudes characteristic of the academic, humanist, and scientist. Finally, these features encompass knowing how to apply professional methods in reading and evaluating professional literature, identifying what is potentially educative, seeking a deepening of values through value inquiry, and the application of values in a constructive manner. However, the most promising motivation is commitment to oneself. Other motivators, such as love of learning and curiosity, will be transitory. Commitment can be to prescriptions base d on the features associated with the regulative ideal. These prescriptions would in turn comprise a rudimentary ethics for being educated. Three Concepts of an Educated Person In discussions of institutional education, three general and sometimes overlapping senses of the term "educated person" are in common usage. In the first sense, anyone is educated who has successfully completed a school's program. Regardless of what has been learned, a person is said to be educated by the fact of program completion or graduation. In other words, actual learning is not the criterion for calling a person educated. This may explain the comment that a persons education cant be taken away. The second sense specifies c... ...can be to this ethic. The prescriptions would have personal development as their common theme. Most of us take personal development, however, as discretionary. In our society, we would not be censured for rejecting personal development in favor of a life of action for example. Subscribing to such an ethic, then, would ordinarily be done for other reasons such as the ends it serves or the attractiveness of the ideal itself. From personal experience, I know of many faculties in higher education who have committed themselves to the ideal. In many of their lives, their obligation to self is complemented by other motivators such as appetites, inquisitiveness, ends, instructions, opportunities for inquiry, and incipient doubt. But, is the regulative ideal as depicted worth fealty? This depends upon our philosophy of life which I think we have given considerable attention.

Perfect Wife

Jose L. Alvarado English 61 K, Dahi June 22, 2009 The Perfect Wife My wife would have to take care of the children when I’m not around. I don’t have children right now, but I’m planning on having two kids. That’s why I would want that characteristic on my wife. Being faithful to your partner is a major role on a relationship especially if you’re planning on marring him or her. Not cheating on your wife or husband is going to bring trust to one another. Another characteristic I want my wife to have is a good sense of humor. Someone I could share jokes with and will laugh along with me instead of at me. People say laughter is the best thing in life and I agree. A relationship without laughter would be boring and pointless. Now the most important characteristic I want on my wife would be for her to be well educated and attractive. I want a wife I could hold a good conversation about the most random thing and for it to be interesting or at least for her to be smarter than me. Being attractive is very important to me because I have noticed that attractive people seem to be more successful in life, they’re the ones that get promotions or invitations to the bosses house for dinner. Those are some of the characteristics I would want on my wife. Some of the characteristics I believe my wife would want from me would be to get along with her family and relatives. She would want this because families stick together and since I’m going to be part of the family I would have to get along with them. Probably the most important characteristic my wife would want from me would be to be reasonable with the work that needs to be done around the house. Do everything in a 5050 basis. My wife wouldn’t like to be the only one that has to mop, wash dishes, dust off the cabinets and clean the restroom. We would have to share those chores. My wife would also want to have the same religious beliefs, because I know how much a girl cares about getting married by the church with a white dress. The girls plan the weeding even before they’re engage. I know for a fact my wife is going to want me to be economically stable. She would want this because in case of an emergency I would have to come out and pay the bills. The characteristics both my wife and I would have in common would be for us to be gentlemen or lady in the streets, but a freak in the sheets. I think matrimony in order to work there must be chemistry in bed. I find it hard to believe that some people wait till they are married to have sex due to their religion. Another characteristic we would have in common would be the foods we eat. My wife or I wouldn’t like to cook two totally different plates everyday for the rest of our lives. The same taste of music would be one characteristic because how would we be able to dance to music we don’t like. It would be like living a lie. Overall I think looks, personality and money will make a wife or husband likeable. Those would be the top three characteristics a man or woman looks for in a partner. Like I said before no one in this world is perfect, so for them guys and girls waiting for the perfect spouse all I got to say is good luck.

Nutrients as Major Water Pollutants

Nutrients as Major Water Pollutants According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over half of the nation’s streams and rivers are polluted, and of those, 19% are impaired by the presence of excess nutrients. What Is Nutrient Pollution? The term nutrient refers to sources of nourishment supporting organism growth. In the context of water pollution, nutrients generally consist of phosphorus and nitrogen which algae and aquatic plants use to grow and proliferate. Nitrogen is present in abundance in the atmosphere, but not in a form that is available to most living things. When nitrogen is in the form of ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate, however, it can be used by many bacteria, algae, and plants (heres a nitrogen cycle refresher). Generally, it is the overabundance of nitrates that causes environmental problems. What Causes Nutrient Pollution? Some common agricultural practices lead to excess nutrients in water bodies. Phosphorus and nitrates are important components of the fertilizers used in agricultural fields – they are present in both synthetic fertilizers and natural ones like manures. If the crops do not pick up all of the fertilizer applied, or if rain has a chance to wash it away before they are absorbed by plants, the excess fertilizer is flushed into streams. Another major source of nutrients also comes from the way agricultural fields are only used seasonally. Most crops are present in the fields over a relatively short growing season, and the rest of the year the soil is left exposed to the elements. Meanwhile soil bacteria is feasting on decaying roots and plant debris, releasing nitrates. Not only do bare fields cause sediment pollution, but this practice allows the massive release and washing away of nitrates.Sewage can carries nutrients to streams and water. Septic systems, especially if older or im properly maintained, can leak into streams or lakes. Households connected to municipal sewer systems also contribute to nutrient pollution. Wastewater treatment plants sometimes function improperly, and are periodically overwhelmed during heavy rain events and release sewage into rivers. Stormwater. Rain falling in urban or suburban areas picks up nutrients from lawn fertilizer, pet waste, and various detergents (for example, the soap used to wash one’s car in the driveway). The stormwater is then canalized into municipal drainage systems and released into streams and rivers, loaded with phosphorus and nitrogen.Burning fossil fuels release nitrogen oxides and ammonia into the air, and when those are deposited in water, they can contribute significantly to the excess nutrient problem. Most problematic are coal-fired power plants and gas- or diesel-powered vehicles. What Environmental Effects Do Excess Nutrients Have? Excess nitrates and phosphorus encourage the growth of aquatic plants and algae. Nutrient-boosted algae growth leads to massive algae blooms, visible as a bright green, foul smelling sheen on the water’s surface. Some of the algae making up the blooms produce toxins that are dangerous to fish, wildlife, and humans. The blooms eventually die off, and their decomposition consumes a lot of dissolved oxygen, leaving waters with low oxygen concentrations. Invertebrates and fish are killed when oxygen levels dip too low. Some areas, called dead zones, are so low in oxygen that they become empty of most life. A notorious dead zone forms in the Gulf of Mexico every year due to agricultural runoff in the Mississippi River watershed. Human health can be affected directly, as nitrates in drinking water are toxic, especially to infants. People and pets can also become quite ill from exposure to toxic algae. Water treatment does not necessarily solve the problem, and can in fact create dangerous conditions when chlorine interacts with the algae and produces carcinogenic compounds. Â   Some Helpful Practices Cover crops and no-till farming protect agricultural fields and mobilize nutrients. The cover plants die out in winter, and the following growing season they give back those nutrients to the new crop.Maintaining well vegetated buffers around farm fields and next to streams allows plants to filter out nutrients before they enter the water.Keep septic systems in good working order, and conduct regular inspections.Consider your nutrient inputs from soaps and detergents, and reduce their use whenever possible.In your yard, slow the water runoff and allow it to be filtered by plants and soil. To accomplish this, establish rain gardens, keep drainage ditches well vegetated, and use rain barrels to harvest roof runoff.Consider using pervious pavement in your driveway. These surfaces are designed to let water percolate into the soil below, preventing runoff. For More Information Environmental Protection Agency. Nutrient Pollution.

Understanding the Fifth Amendments Protections

Understanding the Fifth Amendments Protections The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as a provision of the Bill of Rights, enumerates several of the most important protections of persons accused of crimes under the American criminal justice system. These protections include: Protection from being prosecuted for crimes unless first legally indicted by a Grand Jury.Protection from â€Å"double jeopardy† - being prosecuted more than once for the same criminal act.Protection from â€Å"self-incrimination† - being forced to testify or provide evidence against one’s self.Protection against being deprived of life, liberty, or property without â€Å"due process of law† or just compensation. The Fifth Amendment, as part of the original 12 provisions of the Bill of Rights, was submitted to the states by Congress on September 25, 1789, and was ratified on December 15, 1791. The complete text of the Fifth Amendment states: No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. Indictment By a Grand Jury Nobody can be forced to stand trial for a serious (â€Å"capital, or otherwise infamous†) crime, except in a military court or during declared wars, without having first been indicted - or formally charged - by a grand jury. The grand jury indictment clause of the Fifth Amendment has never been interpreted by the courts as applying under the â€Å"due process of law† doctrine of the Fourteenth Amendment, meaning that it applies only to felony charges filed in the federal courts. While several states have grand juries, defendants in state criminal courts do not have a Fifth Amendment right to indictment by a grand jury.    Double Jeopardy The Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment mandates that defendants, once acquitted of a certain charge, may not be tried again for the same offense at the same jurisdictional level. Defendants may be tried again if the previous trial ended in a mistrial or hung jury, if there is evidence of fraud in the previous trial, or if the charges are not precisely the same - for example, the Los Angeles police officers who were accused of beating Rodney King, after being acquitted on state charges, were convicted on federal charges for the same offense. Specifically, the Double Jeopardy Clause applies to subsequent prosecution after acquittals, after convictions, after certain mistrials, and in cases of multiple charges included in the same Grand Jury indictment. Self Incrimination The best-known clause in the 5th Amendment (â€Å"No person ... shall be compelled in a criminal case to be a witness against himself†) protects suspects from forced self-incrimination. When suspects invoke their Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, this is referred to in the vernacular as â€Å"pleading the Fifth.† While judges always instruct jurors that pleading the Fifth should never be taken as a sign or tacit admission of guilt, television courtroom dramas generally portray it as such. Just because suspects have  Fifth Amendment  rights against self-incrimination  does not mean that they  know  about those rights. Police  have often used, and sometimes still use, a suspects ignorance regarding his or her own civil rights to build a case. This all changed with  Miranda v. Arizona  (1966), the  Supreme Court  case that created the statement officers are now required to issue upon arrest beginning with the words You have the right to remain silent... Property Rights and the Takings Clause The last clause of the Fifth Amendment, known as the Takings Clause, protects the peoples’ basic property rights by banning federal, state and local governments from taking privately owned property for public use under their rights of eminent domain without offering the owners â€Å"just compensation.† However, the U.S.  Supreme Court, through its controversial 2005 decision in the case of Kelo v. New London weakened the Takings Clause by ruling that cities could claim private property under eminent domain for purely economic, rather than public purposes, like schools, freeways or bridges. Updated by Robert Longley

ACT Score Chart Raw Score Conversion to Scaled Score

ACT Score Chart Raw Score Conversion to Scaled Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you've taken an ACT practice test, you've probably wondered how the questions you answer on each test section translate to a final score out of 36 points. What is a raw ACT score? What about a scale score? How does one score affect the other? In this article, we explain what the equating process for the ACT is and give you info on how your raw scores translate to scale scores for each section of the test. What Is a Raw ACT Score? A Scale ACT Score? First off, what do we mean by "raw ACT scores" and "scale ACT scores"? Your raw score is the total number of questions you get right in a section. This goes for English, Math, Reading, and Science (Writing, however, is scored a bit differently). For example, if you got 70 out of 75 English questions right, your raw English score would be 70. By contrast, a scale score is the final score you get for each section, on a scale of 1-36. Specifically, it's a translation of your raw score via an equating process developed by ACT, Inc. If you've taken ACT practice tests, you probably noticed that your raw scores don't always translate into the same scale scores. Through this equating process, ACT, Inc., can account for differences and ultimately ensure that scores are consistent across test dates. This means, for example, that a 30 on the April ACT will represent the same level of skill as a 30 on the June ACT will. Confused? Let's use an example. Say you took the ACT in September and your friend took a different ACT in October. Both of you got 22 out of 40 questions right on the Reading section, but your friend scored a 21 scale Reading score while you only scored a 19. What gives? Remember that the same scale scores on different ACTs indicate the same ability. Thus, this 2-point difference doesn't mean that your friend simply lucked out- it means that your friend got a harder ACT Reading section than you did. In other words, because your Reading section was easier, you would've needed to score more raw points (i.e., get more questions right) on it to get the same scale score (21) as your friend. Raw ACT Score to Scale Score Conversion Chart As you know, equating an ACT raw score to a scale score allows for comparisons between various test versions and all test takers (regardless of what month or year you took the ACT). But how can you know exactly how a raw score will convert into a scale score? The short answer is, you can't. ACT, Inc., is pretty secretive about its equating process, so there's no way to know for sure how a raw score on one ACT will translate into a scale score. What's more, since every official ACT test is equated differently, each has its own raw-score-to-scale-score conversion chart. For example, here are the conversion charts for the 2018-19 and 2017-2018 official ACT practice tests (from the "Preparing for the ACT" PDF): 2018-2019 Scale Score English Math Reading Science Scale Score 36 74-75 59-60 40 40 36 35 71-73 57-58 38-39 - 35 34 70 55-56 37 39 34 33 69 54 36 38 33 32 68 53 34-35 - 32 31 67 51-52 33 37 31 30 66 49-50 32 36 30 29 64-65 47-48 31 - 29 28 63 45-46 30 35 28 27 61-62 42-44 - 34 27 26 59-60 39-41 29 32-33 26 25 56-68 37-38 28 31 25 24 53-55 34-36 26-27 29-30 24 23 50-52 32-33 25 26-28 23 22 47-49 31 23-24 24-25 22 21 44-46 29-30 22 22-23 21 20 41-43 27-28 20-21 20-21 20 19 39-40 25-26 19 18-19 19 18 37-38 22-24 18 17 18 17 35-36 19-21 16-17 15-16 17 16 32-34 16-18 15 14 16 15 29-31 13-15 14 13 15 14 26-28 10-12 12-13 -12 14 13 24-25 8-9 10 13 12 22-23 7 10 9 12 19-21 5-6 8-9 8 10 16-18 4 7 7 10 9 13-15 - 6 6 9 8 -12 3 5 5 8 7 9-10 - - 4 7 6 7-8 2 4 3 6 5 6 - 3 - 5 4 4-5 1 2 2 4 3 3 - - 1 3 2 2 - 1 - 2 1 0-1 0 0 0 1 2018-19 Official ACT Score Chart 2017-2018 Scale Score English Math Reading Science Scale Score 36 75 60 40 40 36 35 72-74 58-59 39 39 35 34 71 57 38 38 34 33 70 55-56 37 37 33 32 68-69 54 35-36 - 32 31 67 52-53 34 36 31 30 66 50-51 33 35 30 29 65 48-49 32 34 29 28 63-64 45-47 31 33 28 27 62 43-44 30 32 27 26 60-61 40-42 29 30-31 26 25 58-59 38-39 28 28-29 25 24 56-57 36-37 27 26-27 24 23 53-55 34-35 25-26 24-25 23 22 51-52 32-33 24 22-23 22 21 48-50 30-31 22-23 21 21 20 45-47 29 21 19-20 20 19 43-44 27-28 19-20 17-18 19 18 41-42 24-26 18 16 18 17 39-40 21-23 17 14-15 17 16 36-38 17-20 15-16 13 16 15 32-35 13-16 14 12 15 14 29-31 -12 12-13 14 13 27-28 8-10 10 13 12 25-26 7 9-10 9 12 23-24 5-6 8 8 10 20-22 4 6-7 7 10 9 18-19 - - 5-6 9 8 15-17 3 5 - 8 7 12-14 - 4 4 7 6 10- 2 3 3 6 5 8-9 - - 2 5 4 6-7 1 2 - 4 3 4-5 - - 1 3 2 2-3 - 1 - 2 1 0-1 0 0 0 1 2017-18 Official ACT Score Chart You can see here that raw ACT scores from different tests don't always convert into the same scale scores. As a result, there's no one-size-fits-all chart you can use to predict score conversions. ACTs are like shoes: one size doesn't fit all of them! That said, if you want to estimate a raw-score-to-scale-score conversion, you can use any available conversion chart from an official ACT practice test. While it won't be 100 percent accurate, it can give you a good understanding of where you need improvement. Another (better) option is to use the chart below. This chart shows how raw ACT scores generally translate into scale scores on any ACT. We calculated these raw scores (and score ranges) by taking the averages of the raw scores for each scale score on all six official ACT score charts. Once again, while this chart won't give you a perfectly accurate conversion (the most accurate ACT score chart will be the one for your specific test), it's as close as we can get to a "one-size-fits-all" ACT score conversion chart. Scale Score English Math Reading Science Scale Score 36 75 60 40 40 36 35 73-74 58-59 39 39 35 34 71-72 57 37-38 - 34 33 70 55-56 36 37-38 33 32 69 54 - - 32 31 68 52-53 35 - 31 30 67 51 34 36 30 29 65-66 49-50 33 35 29 28 64 47-48 31-32 34 28 27 62-63 44-46 30 33 27 26 60-61 41-43 29 31-32 26 25 58-59 39-40 28 29-30 25 24 55-57 37-38 27 28 24 23 53-54 35-36 25-26 26-27 23 22 51-52 33-34 24 24-25 22 21 48-50 31-32 23 22-23 21 20 45-47 29-30 21-22 20-21 20 19 42-44 28.000 20 18-19 19 18 40-41 25-27 19 17 18 17 38-39 21-24 18 15-16 17 16 35-37 18-20 16-17 14 16 15 32-34 14-17 15 13 15 14 29-31 -13 13-14 -12 14 13 27-28 9-10 12 10 13 12 25-26 7-8 10- 9 12 24 6 8-9 8 10 20-23 5 7 7 10 9 18-19 4 6 6 9 8 15-17 3 5 5 8 7 12-14 - 4 4 7 6 10- 2 - 3 6 5 8-9 - 3 2 5 4 6-7 1 2 - 4 3 4-5 - - 1 3 2 2-3 - 1 - 2 1 0-1 0 0 0 1 As you can see, your raw ACT scores don't tell you much about how your scores compare with those of other test takers. Since each ACT differs in content and difficulty, you'll need your test's conversion chart in order to get accurate scale scores and be able to compare your scores with other students'. Scale scores, on the other hand, reflect how well you did in relation to other test takers who took any variation of the ACT. So if a test is relatively easy and more people did better on it than usual, higher raw scores will be needed to get certain scale scores. By contrast, if a test is especially difficult, slightly lower raw scores will net you those same scale scores. If you took the ACT with Writing, note that your ACT Writing score is not part of your composite score out of 36. While colleges generally look closest at your composite score, a high essay score can definitely raise your chances of admission, so be sure to do your best on it! Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Tired of wasting time prepping in ways that don't work? We have the industry's leading ACT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and ACT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. It's the best prep program available right now. Best of all, we guarantee your money back if you don't improve your score by 4 points or more. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Improve Your ACT Score by 4+ Points, Guaranteed How to Calculate Your Scale ACT Score: 4 Easy Steps Now that you've seen how official ACT score charts work, how can you use them to estimate your own scale scores based on your raw scores from an ACT practice test? Follow the four simple steps below to get started. Step 1: Find the ACT Score Chart for Your Test If you've taken an official ACT practice test, your score chart will come near the end of the test PDF. For example, if you took the newest 2017-18 ACT test, you'll use the score chart that comes at the end of this test (pictured above). Don't use a chart from a different practice test. Each test is equated differently, so you'll get the most accurate scale score when you use the chart for your specific test. What if you took an unofficial ACT practice test, though? In this case, it's best to use the average ACT score chart given above. While this won't be 100 percent accurate, it'll give you the closest idea you can get as to how your raw scores will likely translate into scale scores. Step 2: Calculate Your Raw Score for Each Section Now that you've got a score chart, it's time to calculate your raw scores for each section. To do this, simply use your test's answer key to add up all the correct answers you got on each ACT section. For example, if you answered 60 out of 75 English questions correctly, your raw English score would be 60. I recommend writing down your raw scores on a piece of paper so you don't forget them. Step 3: Convert Your Raw Section Scores to Scale Scores Now, it's time to use your raw scores and score chart to find your ACT scale scores. Using a chart is simple: all you do is locate your raw score for each section and then look across to see which scale score it corresponds to. For example, if you took the 2017-18 practice test and got a raw English score of 60, your scale English score would come out to 26: Do this for every raw section score until you have four scale scores (each out of 36). Step 4: Figure Out Your Composite Scale Score Once you have your four scale scores (one each for English, Math, Reading, and Science), you can calculate your scale composite score, which uses a scale of 1-36 and is equivalent to the average of the four section (scale) scores. For example, let's say these were the scale scores I got on my practice ACT: English: 26 Math: 30 Reading: 28 Science: 27 To get a composite score, all I need to do is add up the four section scores and then divide their sum by four. In our example, this would look like this: 26 + 30 + 28 + 27 = 1. Now, I just need to divide this sum by 4: 1 / 4 = 27.75. If you get a decimal as I did, you'll need to round your score to the nearest whole number. Here, 27.75 would round up to give me a final composite ACT score of 28. Nearly every college and university in the United States accepts both SAT and ACT scores. However, for some of these schools, there is a significant difference between the level of SAT scores and the level of ACT scores of admitted students. What schools accept students with comparatively lower SAT scores, and what schools accept students with comparatively lower ACT scores? We've gathered our proprietary research on this topic and analysis of what these score differences mean for your testing and application strategies into a comprehensive guide. Final Words: The Importance of Raw and Scale ACT Scores There are two types of scores on the ACT: raw and scale scores. Raw scores are equal to the number of questions you answer correctly, whereas scale scores are final scaled versions of raw scores. How raw scores translate into scale scores can vary depending on the ACT or ACT practice test you take. ACT, Inc., uses this equating process so that the difficulty of different ACTs doesn't affect test takers' final scores. This process also allows scores to be compared across all test dates (in other words, a 30 will always represent the same skill level, regardless of when you take the ACT). To convert your raw ACT scores to scale scores, you'll need to find the score chart for your specific test. All official ACT practice tests have their own individual score charts (remember, these charts, and thus their raw-score-to-scale-score conversions, will differ with each test!). If you don't have a chart for your practice test, you can instead use the average conversions in our chart above. This won't give you perfect conversions, but they should be close enough to give you a rough idea of what your scale scores are. Calculating your scale scores is a super helpful tool for test prep- you'll not only see where you're currently scoring, but also how much you need to improve by in order to hit your ACT goal score! What’s Next? Got more questions about ACT scoring? Check out our articles on how the ACT is scored and ACT score percentiles to learn what the current trends are and how you can use this info to your advantage. Not sure what ACT score to aim for? Then definitely take a look at our in-depth guide to good and bad ACT scores to get tips on how to find your goal score. And if you're aiming for a perfect 36, read our expert guide written by a real full scorer! Need help interpreting your ACT results? We've got you covered! With our guide, you'll learn how to read your ACT score report as well as how to address your biggest content weaknesses. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Excercise 3.1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Excercise 3.1 - Assignment Example The red color also implies stop and danger therefore stamping the perfumes title of the heat. Perfumes glass placed at the bottom right is bristle and clear. It also has a firm base showing stability and irresistibility of women who use the perfume (Beyonce Heat 1). Viktor & Rolf spicebomb is an attractive ad design. The image of a handsome young man holding the bottle implies the fragrance cozy, warm and composed nature. The masculine male shows that the product is designed for the gentle and handsome males in the society. Spicebomb’s bottle has a grenade shape thus qualifying the products name of ‘bomb’. In addition, spicebombs grenade and explosive nature implies the perfumes strength. Specifically, it signifies silage and the everlasting power of the fragrance thus sets it apart. The backgrounds grey shading creates a sense of calmness and confidence that the product creates. Black and white texts used in the ad improves the viewers or audiences public image. It also shows classism and perfumes distinct mainstream image. The title provides a seamless balance between intensity, elegance and subtlety (Rolf

Choose an entrepreneur and answer this to what extend do risk ,rewards Essay

Choose an entrepreneur and answer this to what extend do risk ,rewards and motives contribute towards an entrepreneurs goals - Essay Example Entrepreneurship exists in various forms. It may involve developing new ways of doing things and distributing products, starting a new business, as sources of information, and market middlemen. An entrepreneur is characterized by his search for opportunities that are unseen or ignored by others and taking risks on them in order to get a profit reward (Carsrud & Bra?Nnback, 2009: p35). With all the three factors seeming to play a role, the question is then raised as to the extent to which risk, reward, and motives contribute towards an entrepreneurs goals. This question was put to successful entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. According to Branson, â€Å"The financial risks and rewards of being an entrepreneur have significant meaning in an entrepreneur’s motivation to open a business† (Personal Communication, 2013). There are several reasons for this, including the fact that over 50% of new start-ups fail in their initial four years (Roth, 2010: p67). Entrepreneurs, on av erage, he contends, will achieve less success over ten years in terms of income than they would have if they would have been employed. In addition, there does not seem to be any proof that entrepreneurs get better rewards if they start a business as compared to invest in stocks with the most likely result being that, from a risk perspective, they do not as much as they would have in the stocks market. However, Branson further says, even with these statistics, it is imperative to note that entrepreneurs account for 66% of British millionaires, despite making up only 20% of the entire labor force, while 80% of the millionaire entrepreneurs are â€Å"self-made†. From these statistics, it is possible to argue that the high risk in financial terms, coupled to the potentially high rewards, enhance the importance of intrinsic motives to an entrepreneur (Roth, 2010: p67). These intrinsic motives include purpose for entrepreneurship, for example, the ability to better the world, the f reedom, and autonomy that entrepreneurship will give an individual, and the reward of overcoming challenges and becoming a master. Branson says that, it is possible to think of the results of a hypothetical proposition, to show the enhanced role of motives over risk and reward. In order to gauge the tolerance to risk of entrepreneurs, three options are given to potential entrepreneurs. â€Å"They can earn a $10 million profit with the chance of success placed at 20%, $5 million of profit and a 50% chance they will be successful, and q $1 million profit for an 80% chance at success†, Branson posits (Personal Communication, 2013). While there is a general perception that entrepreneurs are all profit and risk seeking business people and that they would go for the first option, it is indicative that it is most likely that they will go for the 3rd choice (Casson & Buckley, 2010: p29). Entrepreneurs seek to go into business with the option of getting a higher profit but less of it. Therefore, for successful entrepreneurs like Sir Richard, reward is not as important to entrepreneurs in starting a new business. The creation of a new enterprise carries a lot of risk and uncertainty, which indicates that the entrepreneur’s motives carry more importance than financial rewards. For example, Richard contends that entrepreneurs

Find a clear thesis topic related to the Effects of Child Labor Essay

Find a clear thesis topic related to the Effects of Child Labor - Essay Example It has been a long road trying to deal with these issues, but law makers have managed to come up with the needed laws to deal with people who include children in employment (Chapter 2, 2000). Child labor regulations in the U.S. take in numerous rules and statutes regulating the employment of children below the age of 18. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, child labor regulations concern those below the age of 12 in an array of jobs (Chapter 2, 2000). The core law regulating child labor body in the U.S. is the Fair Labor Standards Act. For non-agricultural jobs, for instance, children below the age of 12 may not be employed, children from 12 to 16 might be employed in permitted occupations during partial hours, and children from 16 to 18 might be employed for unrestricted hours in harmless jobs. Numerous exceptions to these regulations are present like employment by parents, child actors and newspaper delivery (Chapter 2, 2000). Also, child labor has led to the establishment of movements against child labor or groups that advocate for proper conditions for children incorporated in the vocation field (Chapter 2, 2000). This is a matter that if let out of control ca n have stern consequences and; hence, regulatory bodies should ensure that the rules are followed

Entering the conversation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Entering the conversation - Essay Example In the event of such occurrences, human beings have been urged to accommodate the feelings and opinions of other parties involved in the dialogue (14). The author gives a detailed example of the notions a lot of people have on vegetarianism. Most people are of the opinion that vegetarianism is a lifestyle while others hold the opinion the lifestyle is dreadful (15). All in all, the author analyses both sides of the concept so as to include the opposing ideas and the ones for the lifestyle. Essentially, this is to mean that all propositions and opinions of all persons are important and must be considered in entirety. Anything is expected in the course of any form of conversation (14). The author of Reading Strategies indicates that an all-inclusive reading involves various steps. The first must be inclusive of making a preview of the entire text. Through a brief preview, the reader is able to have a quick glimpse of the ideas portrayed by the author (353). The reader must then analyse the thoughts of the author from one’s point of view. This entails the perception one holds regarding the text, either repugnance or acceptance to the author’s ideas. Afterwards, the reader must annotate the key points brought forward by the author in the text, a process that which is only successful whilst weighing the author’s viewpoints in mind. Doubting and validating the author’s views scrutinizes the reliability of the work (358). A good example is Lessig’s work where the author takes the reader through the process of analysis of a piece. On another point of view, the author argues that summarizing the main points in the course of reading helps to confirm that all sections have been analyzed properly (360). At times the author uses some patterns whilst compiling their work, which may help readers have a summary of the text (361). The readers must also use color to highlight main points in the text. All

Frederick douglass question Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Frederick douglass question - Coursework Example Covey. 2. Why does Mr. Covey buy the slave Caroline? Mr. Covey showed interest in buying the slave Caroline, because she provided him exactly what he was looking for- a breeder. She had already borne a child, she was healthy, she was strong and she was able to work. He seemed to be pleased by the purchase of this slave and it rejoiced his mood in those particular days. His pleasure got double profound when the slave bore twins as a result of the one year capacity and mastering by Mr. Covey. Mr. Covey wanted kids, and this woman gave him just what he had desired for, thereby his purchase turned out well and this was the sole reason behind her purchase. 3. What are the first six months of Douglass’ stay with Mr. Covey like? The first Six months of Douglass with Mr. Covey were unprecedented one. He was made to suffer all kinds, he suffered physically, mentally and psychologically, he was being targeted and brutalized in every aspect possible. It was the time which at once forced him thinking of bringing an end to the entire suffering, by first taking Mr. Covey’s life and then his own, however it was hope that kept him from this madness. Yet these days saw no relief with mere exceptions on Sundays. Apart from it, days, nights, seasons, cold, hot sensation, he knew nothing of them, for he had to work, and live in the dire situations as it was the only option at hand. He was mentally and physically broke, and these six months got the toll out of him in the worse possible way. It can be said that those six months were the most difficult ones for Douglass during his entire episode of stay with Mr. Covey(Trotman, 2011). 4. Douglass talks to the boats on the Chesapeake Bay. What kinds of things does he say to them? Why does he envy the boats? Douglass is engaged in a soliloquizing conversation with the boats that are around, he envies them for they are free, he expresses his heart by narrating that u have liberty to move where ever u may, yet I am chained, you get to taste different places, yet I am chained, both mentally and physically. He expresses his sorrow, and the truth state he is in, he expresses what he is going through, what he wishes for, being a free man, being able to swim, being able to fly, being able to walk free and disappear from the sight and visible eyes. He compares the two by presenting the differences such as being free and being caged. He talks to it, and tells it of how he would want to escape, how he may take up the plan, he expresses his deep feeling, and then to console his heart, knowing that there is little hope, he tells the boats that he is not the only one being the slave, thereby he should live with it 5. Douglass spends several days avoiding Mr. Covey. What happens? Douglass always wanted an end to the suffering, the humiliation, the torture, in bid to avail that he spent few days and made some effort avoiding Mr. Covey. For this purpose he decides to lodge a complaint against him at St. Michaels. He had to walk the difficult seven miles for it, and the entire journey was another difficult part of the overall suffering filled tale where he got no supper, no breakfast and covered the distance limping and covered in blood after being beaten by Mr. Covey earlier. However his endeavor comes to a fail as he is being told that Mr. Covey is the right man and Douglass should

Entering the conversation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Entering the conversation - Essay Example In the event of such occurrences, human beings have been urged to accommodate the feelings and opinions of other parties involved in the dialogue (14). The author gives a detailed example of the notions a lot of people have on vegetarianism. Most people are of the opinion that vegetarianism is a lifestyle while others hold the opinion the lifestyle is dreadful (15). All in all, the author analyses both sides of the concept so as to include the opposing ideas and the ones for the lifestyle. Essentially, this is to mean that all propositions and opinions of all persons are important and must be considered in entirety. Anything is expected in the course of any form of conversation (14). The author of Reading Strategies indicates that an all-inclusive reading involves various steps. The first must be inclusive of making a preview of the entire text. Through a brief preview, the reader is able to have a quick glimpse of the ideas portrayed by the author (353). The reader must then analyse the thoughts of the author from one’s point of view. This entails the perception one holds regarding the text, either repugnance or acceptance to the author’s ideas. Afterwards, the reader must annotate the key points brought forward by the author in the text, a process that which is only successful whilst weighing the author’s viewpoints in mind. Doubting and validating the author’s views scrutinizes the reliability of the work (358). A good example is Lessig’s work where the author takes the reader through the process of analysis of a piece. On another point of view, the author argues that summarizing the main points in the course of reading helps to confirm that all sections have been analyzed properly (360). At times the author uses some patterns whilst compiling their work, which may help readers have a summary of the text (361). The readers must also use color to highlight main points in the text. All

Business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Business strategy - Essay Example Globalisation has led to the creation of a situation where firms are desperately trying to generate a distinction for their products and services. The present study would analyse the business strategies of Google in the wake of the turbulence in the markets. The internet search engine industry has an oligopolistic market structure with only three major players namely Google, Yahoo and Microsoft having a majority market stake (Fabos, 2005, p.189-192). The value of this attractive industry segment has been pegged at 16.6 billion US dollars as of 2010 in the North American market alone (SEMPO, 2010, p.1) Task 1 Strategic formulation Vision Corporate vision statement largely displays the direction of a company that it seeks to intent for achieving its set of objectives. The vision statement largely defines the possible future strategies of the organization. A good vision statement not only helps shareholders and customers but also seeks to induce a motivating effect on the employees of t he organization (Fitzroy & Herbert, 2009, p.157). Google’s vision statement is reflected as a ten point strategic framework named as ten things. The ten point vision framework largely includes ensuring simplicity, innovation and ethics (Google-a, n.d.). Core competencies The core competency of Google is based on the aspect of the simplistic yet innovative nature of the product offering of the organization. Google core competencies lie in its ability to produce diverse product with large scale innovations that delights the users by the simple yet effective performance. The core competence of Google also comes from its unique search engine algorithm that has made it the most popular search engine of the web (Sugano, Goncalves & Figueira, 2009, p.57). Mission Statement The mission statement is a single and short statement that describes the purpose of existence of an organization (Kaplan, Norton & Barrows, 2008, p.3-4). The mission statement of Google is stated as follows: †Å"Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful† (Google, n.d.). Stakeholder Analysis Google is a public company which has its shares listed on the bourses of the NASDAQ stock exchange. The stakeholders of Google include suppliers, government, trade associations, employees as well as the employee unions. The company aims to ensure the continuous welfare of the shareholders and ensures a good return on their investments (Morrow, 2008). Environmental and Organizational Audit PESTEL PESTEL is a tool that can be used to analyse the external environment of an organization. PESTEL is an acronym that stands for Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2008, p.65). Political Political factors largely include government polices and legislations. Google is based in USA but it also has operations and business units spread around the globe. Google is being continuously affected by legislations related to censorship of its contents and

Pay for Performance Best Practices Essay Example for Free

Pay for Performance Best Practices Essay Best practice can be defined as an idea that suggests that there is some sort of technique, method, process, incentive or reward which is considered to be more useful at producing the desired outcome or result for the company than any other technique, method or a reward etc. The performance best practice is mostly done through checklists or rating scales etc. so that the desired outcome can be achieved with fewer problems and complications. (Tech Target, 2008) Compensation When talking about compensation best practice what comes to mind is incentives and gain sharing of the employees. Compensation can be defined as what the employees of the company receive in exchange for their contribution to the company. When they are managed correctly, it helps the company to achieve its targeted goals and objectives and the company is able to obtain, maintain and retain a productive workforce. Without the right kind of compensation, the current employees of the company are very likely to leave and the company will have a difficult time in replacing and the training the employees for that job. The outcomes due to pay dissatisfaction can be very harmful to productivity and can disrupt the quality of work life. If worse comes to worst, pay dissatisfaction can reduce the performance of the employees, which in return may lead to strikes which will cause grievances and that will lead to physical or psychological withdrawal ranging from absenteeism and turnover and it would also increase poor mental health of the employees. (DRMR, n. d) But it must be remembered that overpayment can also cause harm to a company and its employees. The affects of overpayment will decrease the company’s competitiveness and it will lead to anxiety, guilt and discomfort among many employees. The human resource department can contribute to the organization’s strategic objectives through the company’s compensation program. When it us seen that wages and salaries are linked with ‘pay for knowledge’ and ‘pay for skill’ the employees will have an incentive to pursue vocational training. Vocational training can be defined as training for a specific part of a work activity. For example, Dunkin’ Donuts mostly benefits from having better trained workers, who are more productive. The result of linking compensation to continuous learning is a perpetual learning machine that furthers an organization’s strategy. Compensation is not only a way to align performance with strategy. Human resource planning, recruiting, selecting, placement, development, performance appraisals and career planning are also considered in individual efforts and company strategy. But unlike the recruiting and developing activities, compensation programs can be quickly modified and linked with new strategies of the company. (Werther Davis, 1996) Strategic Objectives Strategy can be defined as a set of decisions and actions that are used to formulate and implement strategies that will provide a competitively superior fit between the organization and its environment so as to achieve the stated goals and objectives of the company. Strategy basically shows that where is the organization standing in the market? Or where does the organization wants to be in the next 5 years? It is with the help of strategy that the executives of the company define an overall direction for the company. The strategy if the company is based on growth, entrenchment and stability. The strategic analysis begins when the executives of the company evaluate the current position of the company with respect to the mission, goals and strategies. The executives scan the company’s internal and external environment and identify the strategic factors that require change. The internal and the external environment may show a need to redefine the mission or goals or to formulate a new strategy for the company at either corporate, business or functional level of the organization. (Fullmer, 1983) Dunkin’ Donuts specializes in the provision of doughnuts and beverages. Dunkin’ Donuts client and customers are mostly based of average income households. The company has established itself as one of the most formidable forces in the restaurant business. However, this does not undermine the fact that the company still has a lot to learn from other competitors in the industry. Job Analysis and Evaluation It is a known fact that job analysis collects information about jobs through surveys, observations and discussions among the workers and supervisors, to produce job and positions descriptions. With job analysis information as a part of the department’s HR information system, compensation analysts have the minimum information needed to evaluate the work activities of their employees. Job evaluations are steps and procedures that help to identify the relative worth of jobs or work activities. There are different kinds of approaches to the evaluation of a job; these approaches consider the responsibility of the employee, skills that are needed for the job, efforts done by the employee and the working conditions related to the job. Without job evaluation the HR department would not be able to create a rational approach to pay. The most common methods for job evaluation that helps with a compensation plan are job ranking, job grading system, factor compensation and the point system. The Point System The methods that I would be suggesting for Dunkin’ Donuts would be the point system. Why? Because this system evaluates the compensation factors for each job instead of using wages as the factor comparison does, this method uses points and it is more easy to use and it’s not filled with complication plus this method is most commonly used by most companies when they are evaluating their employees. This method is slightly hard to create in the initial stage, but it is more precise than any other method because it is able to handle critical, compensable factors in more detail. This system is based on six steps and theses steps are usually implemented by a job evaluation committee or by an individual HR analyst. The steps are as follows:- Step 1 is the, determine critical factor stage. The point system uses the factors which are mostly used in the factor comparison method but it mostly adds more detail by breaking down the factors into sub factors for example, responsibility can be broken down into safety for others, equipment and materials, assisting trainees and product or service quality. Step 2 is the, determine the levels of factors stage. In this stage the amount of responsibility or any other factor like skill may vary from job to job. The point system actually creates different kinds of levels which are associated with each other. This level actually helps the HR analyst to reward different degrees of responsibility, skills and other critical factors. Step 3 is the, allocate points to the sub factor stage where the factors list down to one side. And the levels are placed across the top of the evaluation sheet; the result is a point system matrix. Starting with a level IV, the job evaluation committee subjectively assigns the maximum possible points to each sub factor. For example, if safety (75) is twice as important as assisting trainees (37), it gets twice as many points.

Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds

Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds ADSORPTION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ON DIFFERENT TIMBER SPECIES Marco Vasconcelos1, Nereida Cordeiro1,2* ABSTRACT Due to the health issues associated to VOC, this work aims to study the adsorption of these compounds onto timbers, in order to improve air quality. For this task, inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to characterize surface properties (surface energy, specific free energy and enthalpy of adsorption). Dispersive component of the surface energy (ÃŽ ³SD) ranged from 39.95 to 43.81 mJ/m2, corresponding to Amburana and Courbaril respectively. Yellow Pine shows higher values of the specific free energy of adsorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs), indicating a higher number/energy of polar active sites. On the other hand, the enthalpy of adsorption values (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs) don’t go in agreement with à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs, probably due to its temperature-dependence. That said, the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values indicate a basic surface and Amburana establishes stronger interactions with polar probes while Yellow Pine establishes stronger interactions with cyclohexane. Additionally, the â€Å"thermodynamic compensation effect† was evaluated on these samples, being observed linearity in Yellow Pine, Grapia and Brazilian Mahogany. The slope was similar between the different species, indicating a similar adsorption mechanism. Keywords: Inverse Gas Chromatography, Surface Properties, Wood Fibers, Volatile Organic Compounds, thermodynamic compensation effect 1. INTRODUCTION Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are organic compounds produced in industries, motor vehicles, power plants, etc. They are usually distinguished by boiling temperatures under 250 ºC, at standard atmospheric pressure (1 atm), and with high vapor pressures, surpassing 0.5 kPa at 25 ºC (Dobre, Pà ¢rvulescu, Iavorschi, Stroescu, Stoica, 2014). The aforementioned compounds have harmful impact on human health, such as eye and throat irritation, damage to the liver, central nervous system and carcinogenic effects, due to prolonged exposure (Das, Gaur, Verma, 2004). Therefore, reducing the VOC concentration on the atmosphere is an important task in order to improve air quality and avoid health issues. Wood fibers consist in both dead and living cells, being at a macroscopic level organized within a layer of xylene, in the wood. From the chemical point of view, consists mostly in cellulose, followed by hemicellulose and lignin. Due to the hydrogen bonds established by the hydroxyl groups of cellulose of the surface, it affects strongly on the properties of the material, such as hydrophobicity and therefore its reactivity (Hodzic, Shanks, 2014). About 80.5% of the wood fibers are used in the paper industry and around 17% for wood fibers modification (composites: Kazayawoko, Balatinecz, Romansky, 1997; Adusumali, Reifferscheid, Weber, Roeder, Sixta, Gindl, 2006; Cao, Hu, Liu, 2008). In this work, Inverse gas Chromatography (IGC) was used to characterize the surface properties (surface energy, specific free energy and enthalpy of adsorption) of Amburana, Yellow Pine, Grapia, Courbaril and Brazilian Mahogany to evaluate the adsorption of some VOC (Chloroform, cyclohexane, ethyl acetate, benzene and toluene). Additionally, the â€Å"thermodynamic compensation effect† was studied to investigate the mechanism of thermodynamic adsorption on the different samples analyzed. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Materials Methane (>99.99% purity) was used an inert reference probe and the carrier gas utilized was helium (>99.99% purity), both supplied by Air Liquide Company. The probe molecules were supplied by Sigma–Aldrich with GC grade (>99% purity). 2.2 iGC analysis iGC measurements were carried out, at least, in duplicate, on a commercial inverse gas chromatograph (Surface Measurements Systems, London, UK) equipped with a flame ionization (FID), thermal conductivity (TCD) and mass spectrometer (MS) detectors. Standard glass silanized (dymethyldichlorosilane; Repelcote BDH, UK) columns with 0.4 cm ID and 30 cm in length were used. About 1.5 g of timber sawdust mesh 40-60 was packed by vertical tapping for 10 min. The columns, with the samples, were pre-treated for 2h at 343 K and 10 ml/min of flow rate, to remove the impurities adsorbed on the surface and 2h at the measurement conditions. After pre-treatment, pulse injections were carried out with a 0.25 à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­l gas loop. The iGC system was fully automated with purpose written control software (SMS iGC Controller v1.3) and data were analyzed using iGC Standard v1.3 and Advanced Analysis Software v1.21. The presented results are the average of the values obtained for each sample with a standard deviation minor than 5%. Measurements of the dispersive interaction were made with n-alkanes (n-decane, n-nonane, n-octane, n-heptane and n-hexane) at 298 K, at 0% RH. The carrier gas (Helium) flow rate was 10 ml/min. To acid-base studies cyclohexane, benzene, chloroform, toluene and ethyl acetate were used at 0% RH. Heat of sorption measurements were done with the polar probes at 298 K, 0% RH, and 10 ml/min flow rate. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Dispersive component of the surface tension The solvent–sorption properties of the timbers were studied at infinite dilution condition in order to remove the interactions between the probe molecules adsorbed at the surface of the samples. The methane injection allows the calculation of the dead time and subtracts it to the retention time in order to obtain the retention volume (Thielmann, 2004). The corrected net retention volume VN is given by: where Vd is the mobile phase hold-up volume (called dead volume), and VR the measured retention volume. The 0 superscript indicates a correction for the column pressure drop given by j: where where T is the column temperature, F is the exit flow rate at 1 atm and 273.15K, tR is the retention time and t0 is the mobile phase hold-up time. The dispersive component of the surface energy, as well as the specific free energy of sorption, was measured with dispersive and acid-base probe molecules. The relation between the retention volume and free energy of sorption à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G ºS is given by the following equation: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G0S = RTln VR0 + K where R is the gas constant and K is the De Boer or Kemball/Rideal constant depending on the chosen reference state (De Boer, 1953; Kemball Rideal, 1946). Moreover, à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G0S is related to the energy of adhesion WA (between probe molecule and solid) by the equation: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G0S = NAaWA where a is the cross sectional area of the adsorbate and NA the Avogadro constant. According to Fowkes (1964), the dispersive contribution of the work of adhesion WA is given by: WA = 2(ÃŽ ³SDÃŽ ³LD)1/2 with ÃŽ ³SD and ÃŽ ³LD as the surface tension of the adsorbent and the adsorbate respectively. Combining the equations above: Thus, the dispersive component of the surface tension (ÃŽ ³SD) values could be calculated based on the plots of RT lnV0R vs a(ÃŽ ³LD)1/2 for the adsorption of n-alkane probes, as illustrated in Figure 1. Good linear correlations (0.9991-0.9996) were obtained for the n-alkane series for all samples analyzed. The calculated ÃŽ ³SD values are given in Table 1 and show very similar results between the different timber species. The surface energy ranged from 39.95 to 43.81 mJ/m2, corresponding to Amburana and Courbaril respectively. These values are similar to those reported by Kazayawoko, Balatinecz, Romansky (1997) and Shu, Xu, JinWei, BaoLi (2007) for wood flour (35.6 mJ/m2 at 323K) and ashtree wood meal (36.52 mJ/ m2 at 323K) respectively. Gouveia, Cordeiro and John (2011) reported various lignocellulosic fibres (flax, hemp, kenaf, agave, agave hybrid pineapple, and sisal), with ÃŽ ³SD values ranged from 37.17 to 51.37 mJ/ m2 (at 298K). In the same article aforementioned, it’s also explained that variations in the ÃŽ ³SD values can be due to the different composition, growing conditions of the fibers and method of extraction. The latter is justified due to the fibers being usually covered by a layer of wax, and may interfere with elutant-fiber interactions. When removed during the method of extraction it’s expected to change drastically the surface energy. 3.2 Polar probes sorption studies A widespread approaching to the Lewis acid/base surface interactions can provide better perceptive of the chemical-physical properties of the timber surfaces. The presence of acid and base active sites on the surfaces increases the possibility of specific intermolecular interactions with solvents and others compounds. The specific free energy of sorption, à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs was determined by the distance between the alkane line and the points corresponding to the ΔG ºs value of polar probes (Gamble, Leane, Olusanmi, Tobyn, Supuk, 2012). à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs = RTln(VN) – RTln(VNref) The à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values are given in Table 2 and represented in Figure 2. Chloroform was used as an acid probe on this work. The values ranged from 0.53 to 2.50 kJ/mol, corresponding to Brazilian Mahogany and Yellow Pine respectively. Based on the results obtained, the à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values of Chloroform decrease in the following order Pine > Grapia > Courbaril > Amburana > Mahogany. This observation indicates that Yellow Pine may have a higher quantity/energy of active sites with basic character compared to the other fibers. A similar order was observed on Cyclohexane, indicating that Yellow Pine might also have a higher quantity/energy of active sites with apolar character. Although, the same order is not observed in ÃŽ ³SD, since that for the surface energy were used n-alkanes and due to the shape of cyclohexane and consequent different steric hindrance, it will have different interactions with the surface. On the other hand, Brazilian Mahogany shows the lowest à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values for the overall probes, indicating a lower quantity/energy of active sites. Ethyl acetate was used as a basic probe in Amburana, Yellow Pine and Courbaril. The interaction of this probe, alongside chloroform, with the timber surface indicates the presence of both acidic and basic sites on the solid surface. 3.3 Heat of sorption measurements In the infinite dilution region, where the isotherm is linear, VN should be measured at a range of column temperatures and ln(VN/T) plotted vs. 1/T, which yields the heat of sorption à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs according to (Conder Young, 1979): To determine the enthalpies of sorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾HS) of the VOC’s in the timber species, the specific retention volume (VN) was measured at different temperatures (293 to 298K) and the retention diagrams ln VN vs 1/T were plotted (Fig. 3-7). Some of VOC ´s couldn’t be used in some of the timber species because the retention time was too low to make accurate calculations due to the peak overlap. The à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values are given in Table 3, determined at three different temperatures. Good linear correlations (>0.99) were obtained for the probes used, as shown in Figures 3-7. In this work, the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values for the basic probes (Ethyl acetate; Higher DN/AN*) were lower than the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values for the acid probes (Chloroform; Lower DN/AN*), indicating a basic character of the solid surface. Cordeiro, Mendonà §a, Pothan and Varma (2012) and Gouveia, Cordeiro and John (2011) observed the same basic character in macro and nanobanana fibers, flax, hemp, kenaf, agave, agave hybrid pineapple, and sisal. For chloroform, the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values decreased in the following order: Amburana > Brazilian Mahogany > Grapia > Courbaril > Yellow Pine. At first sight it indicates that Amburana establishes stronger interactions with the surface, compared with the other timbers. On the other hand, Yellow Pine establishes the weakest interactions with chloroform. A similar order was also observed for cyclohexane, for the exception of Yellow Pine, that shows the highest à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs value for this probe. The results don’t go in agreement with the ones obtained from the specific free energy of adsorption study, probably due to the fact that the temperature might influence the à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values and therefore it might mislead to incorrect conclusions. Thus, the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values will give a better insight of which timber is advised (or not) to remove VOC from the atmosphere since it already have in account the temperature. Being said, the results indicate that for polar probes Amburana have stronger interactions while for apolar probes Yellow Pine have stronger interactions. 3.4 Entropy of Sorption calculation The linear dependence between ΔHS and ΔSS is called â€Å"Thermodynamic Compensation Effect†. Normally, stronger intermolecular interactions (related to ΔHS) result in less degrees of freedom of the elutant, leading into a greater order of the system, decreasing the entropy of the system (Liu L., Guo Q-X., 2001). The entropy of sorption was directly calculated according to: Figure 8 represents the entropy-enthalpy correlation, being only observed on Yellow Pine, Grapia and Brazilian Mahogany. All three dependences are linear and almost parallel, with a slope between 2.7910-3 and 3.7310-3 K-1. Therefore, these three samples follow the previous equation. According to Korolev A. et al., (2011), a similar slope indicates similar adsorption mechanism on the samples studied on this work. Since all the samples have similar composition, it was expected the same adsorption mechanism between them. 4. CONCLUSION IGC was used to evaluate different surface properties, namely surface energy, specific free energy and enthalpy of adsorption. The ÃŽ ³SD values were measured at 298K and ranged from 39.95 to 43.81 mJ/m2. These variations between results are due to different composition, growing conditions and method of extraction. The results don’t go in agreement between enthalpy of adsorption and the specific free energy of adsorption probably due to the influence of the temperature on the à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs. In Yellow Pine were observed higher à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values for chloroform and cyclohexane compared to the other fibers, indicating a higher quantity/energy of active sites with basic and apolar character. In Amburana, Yellow Pine and Courbaril, the basic probes showed lower à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values compared to acid à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values, indicating a basic character. The same was observed on other fibers found in literature. Amburana establishes stronger interactions with Chloroform while Yellow Pine establishes stronger interaction with cyclohexane, compared to the other timber species. The â€Å"Thermodynamic Compensation Effect† was only observed in Yellow Pine, Grapia and Brazilian Mahogany, with linear fits almost parallel. The slope ranged between 2.7910-3 and 3.7310-3 K-1. Similar slopes indicate similar adsorption mechanism, which makes sense due to similar composition. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT References Adusumali R-B, Reifferscheid M, Weber H, Roeder T, Sixta H, Gindl W. Mechanical properties of regenerated cellulose fibres for composites. Macromolecular Symposia 2006, 244: 119–25. Cao S., Hu B., Liu H. Synthesis of pH-responsive crosslinked poly[styrene-co-(maleic sodium anhydride)] and cellulose composite hydrogel nanofibers by electrospinning. Polymer International 2009, 58: 545–551. Cordeiro N., Gouveia C., John M. J. Investigation of surface properties of physico-chemically modified natural fibers using inverse gas chromatography. Industrial Crops and Products 2011, 33: 108–115. Cordeiro, N., Mendonà §a, C., Pothan, L. A., Varma, A. Monitoring surface properties evolution of thermochemically modified cellulose nanofibres from banana pseudo-stem. Carbohydrate Polymers 2012, 88, 125–131. De Boer, J.H., 1953. The Dynamic Character of Chemisorption, 2nd Ed., Clarendon Press, Oxford. Gamble J., Leane M., Olusanmi D., Tobyn M., Supuk E., Khoo J., Naderi M., 2012, Surface energy analysis as a tool to probe the surface energy characteristics of micronized materials A comparison with inverse gas chromatography; International Journal of Pharmaceutics; 422: 238-244 Kemball C., Rideal, E.K. The Adsorption of Vapours on Mercury. I. Non-Polar Substances. Proceedings of the Royal Society A 1946, 187: 53–73. Korolev A., Shiryaeva V., Popova T., Kurganov A. Enthalpy–entropy compensation effect on adsorption of light hydrocarbons on monolithic stationary phases, Journal of Separation Science 2011, 34, 2362-2369. Liu L., Guo Q.-X. Isokinetic relationship, isoequilibrium relationship, and enthalpy–entropy compensation. Chemical Reviews 2001, 101: 673–695. M. Kazayawoko, J. Balatinecz, M. Romansky. Thermodynamics of adsorption of n-alkanes on maleated wood fibers by inverse gas chromatography. Journal of Colloid Interface Science 1997, 190: 408-415. Thielmann F, 2004, Introduction into the characterization of porous materials by Inverse Gas Chromatography, Journal of Chromatography A, 1037: 115–123. Zhao S., Lin X., Song J. Shi B.. Surface characterization of ashtree wood meal by inverse gas chromatography. Chinese Science Bulletin 2007, 52: 1178-1181. Conder, J., Young, C. (1979). Physicochemical measurement by Gas Chromatography. Chichester: John Wiley Sons Ltd. TABLE CAPTIONS Table 1 – Dispersive component of the surface tension (ÃŽ ³SD). Table 2 – Specific free energy of sorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºS). Table 3 – Enthalpy of sorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾HS). Table 4 – Entropy of sorption (ΔSS). Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 FIGURE CAPTIONS Figure 1 Energy of adsorption vs a(à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ §DL)1/2 for n-alkanes on the timbers (Amburana, Grapia, Courbaril, Brazilian Mahogany and Yellow Pine) surface at 298K and 0%RH. Figure 2 – Specific free energy of the adsorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs) of Chloroform and Cyclohexane onto samples analyzed at 298K. Figure 3 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate measurement on Amburana timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 4 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate measurement on Yellow Pine timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 5 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and benzene measurement on Grapia timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 6 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate measurement on Courbaril timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 7 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and toluene measurement on Brazilian Mahogany timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 8 – Entropy-enthalpy compensation effect on Yellow Pine, Grapia and Brazilian Mahogany. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8

Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis :: Metamorphosis essays

The Metamorphosis The Metamorphosis is the story of a commercial traveler, Gregor Samsa, that one morning awoke turned into a gigantic insect. It is no dream but, simply and plainly, a real metamorphosis with no rhetoric in between. Facing this incredible fact, Kafka does not do any realistic concessions and keeps the new condition of the character to the end. That makes of The metamorphosis a hard work of fiction, in the way of Odyssey (with which, besides, it is closely related) or in the way of the Medieval fairy tales, specially those in which the wicked witch turns The Prince Charming into a hideous animal. >From the other side, the work, that belongs to a trilogy about marriage in relation to the individual, the family and the so-ciety written by Kafka, has a highly autobiographical contain. In The Judgment the subject is the engagement assumed as a treason to the literary calling; in The metamorphosis there is a view of marriage and family relations from a masochistic and incestuous perspective; in The Trial, it is the settlement of accounts, related with the incapacity of accomplishing the acquired compro-mises, according to an unwritten law, he must pay. In the three cases, the story ends with the protagonist's death. The Metamorphosis is built on a fiction level with two faces, Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky and Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, superposed in a way they get in contact with a real level with two faces too, the family relations and his dreams of Felice. By the merging of theses two levels, Kafka gets a fantastic reality which allows him to express his deepest dreams and desires in relation with marriage and sex in a poetic language that turns The Metamorphosis into a classic of erotism, aspect not considered until now. (Such a pleiad, Kafka, Sacher- Masoch and Dostoesky, met in The Metamorphosis turns into a height of masochism this work). PART ONE The Metamorphosis has three parts: the first one describes both the transformation of Gregory and his family's reaction to this respect; the second part shows the new cotidianity of the fami-liar group whose fragile estability crush with Gregory and sis-ter's bringing face to face; and the last part, where we attend Gregory's frustrated attemp of reconquering his sister, ends with his death. The foreground onto which Kafka builds his work is Dostoevsky's novel. This one brings to him a textual base that he lightly, mainly through substitutions, varies for adapting it to the intentions of his own story. For the first part of The Meta-morphosis, Kafka takes three

Leonard Bernstein Essay -- essays research papers

Leonard Bernstein   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrenceville, Massachusettes on August 25, 1918. He was the first born child of Samuel and Jennie Bernstein, who lived in Boston, but had gone to Lawrenceville to visit some relatives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bernstein's parents had little knowledge of, or interest in classical music. The only records Leonard remembers hearing on his family phonograph when he was a child were the popular hit songs of the day, such as â€Å" Barney Google† and â€Å"Oh by Jingo.† For the most part, Leonard Bernstein was an unhappy child. He said, â€Å" I was a miserable, terrified little child† (Musicians p.64). His family moved from town to town, during Bernstein's school days, not giving him a chance to make close friends or feel at home. Sadly, Bernstein's peers would make fun of and tease Bernstein. He was a very sickly child as he suffered from chronic asthma, rose fever, and hay fever. This pathetic child grew to be a very shy person.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leonard always had a heart for music, even as a young boy. As an eight year old, one morning, when he was sitting in the synagogue, the religious music of the choir and organ overwhelmed him by it's beauty and caused him to burst into tears. When Leonard and his family would visit their friends, Leonard would sneak over to the piano and experiment. When he was eleven, his aunt sent her piano to his house for his family to keep for storage. â€Å"I made love to it right away† he recalled (Musicians p. 65). He could escape from all his frustrations and sadness by playing the piano. His parents didn't like the fact that he was always at the piano, they wanted him to concentrate on his school work. They thought of piano playing as a waste of time because it stood in the way of Leonard's learning his father's business, which they planned for him to eventually take over.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the age of ten, Leonard found a piano teacher who would give him lessons for a dollar a lesson. But that teacher soon moved away and Leonard found himself paying another piano teacher three dollars a lesson out of his allowance. After more than a year of piano lessons that just weren't teaching him much, Leonard found a new, and th... ...  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bernstein has received such awards as the Albert Einstein Commemorative Award in the Arts from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine; the John H. Finley Medal for service to New York City; the Golden European trophy, an annual award given to an outstanding figure in popular music; the Datsun Award for â€Å"outstanding service to American music†; the Institute of International Education Award presented by President Nixon; and the George Foster Peabody Awards for his television programs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bernstein provided the music for four famous Broadway musicals with a superior amount of sophistication and technique. Often times, he would produce music with great humour and sentiment. Bernstein's great talents led him to author a few books in the 1960's. One of his most recent, famous collections of his music is used in the ever popular film West Side Story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Leonard Bernstein was the â€Å"Renaissance man of twentieth century music.† Over the decades, Bernstein has been called one of the most charismatic and gifted personalities in the music of our times.

Individual and Group Test of Intelligence

Individual vs group test Individual intelligence tests * There are two major types of intelligence test, those administered to individuals and thsoe administered to groups. * The two main individual intelligence tests are the: Stanford-Binet Intelligence Test (see Murphy & Davidshofer, 2001, Chap. 13) Wechsler tests, i. e. WISC for children and WAIS for adults (see Murphy & Davidshofer, 2001, Chap. 13) * These are individual intelligence tests which require one-on-one consultation with the child.The tests involve various verbal and non-verbal subtests which can be combined to give an overall IQ, but which also provide valuable separate subtest scores and measures based on the behavioural responses of the child to the test items. * Some of the content of these tests is clearly culture-loaded, hence there is the:Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children – a more recent test which attempts to minimize cultural bias.The test also attempts to separate crystallised and fluid intellige nce. Group intelligence tests * Group-administered intelligence tests involve a series of different problems and are generally used in mass testing situations such as the military and schools. * Examples of group tests are: Multidimensional Aptitude Battery, The Cognitive Abilities test, Scholastic Assessment Tests * There has been a trend towards the use of multiple choice items.Many of theses tests have separately timed sub-tests. A major distinction made between types of items is verbal and non-verbal. In recent years there has been a trend away from verbal and mathematical items towards non-verbal represented problems in pictures. * Part of the reason for shifting away from verbal-based tests, in particular, is the issue of culture-loading. Advantages of group tests: * can be administered to very large numbers simultaneously * simplified examiner role scoring typically more objective * large, representative samples often used leading to better established norms Disadvantages of group tests: * examiner has less opportunity to establish rapport, obtain cooperation, and maintain interest * not readily detected if examinee tired, anxious, unwell * evidence that emotionally disturbed children do better on individual than group tests * examinee’s responses more restricted normally an individual is tested on all items in a group test and may become boredom over easy items and frustrated or anxious over difficult items * Individual tests typically provide for the examiner to choose items based on the test takers prior responses – moving onto quite difficult items or back to easier items. So individual tests offer more flexibility.

Forecasting and New Car Registrations

1. There are 3 primary ways to achieve competitive advantage. Provide an example, not included in the text of each. Support your choices. 2. Why should one study operations management? 3. Explain how higher quality can lead to lower cost. 4. What happens to our ability to forecast as we forecast for periods farther into the future? 5. What are the differences between goods and services? 6. Explain the 3 basic functions of a firm. 7. How must an operation strategy interact with marketing and accounting? 8.Kleen carpet cleaned 65 rags in October, consuming the following resources: Labor Solvent Machine rental520 hours at $13 per hour 100 gallons at $5 per gallon 20 days at $50 per day a)What is the labor productivity? b)What is the multifactor productivity? c)What is the percentage change if Kleen Carpet can reduce the solvent used by 20 gallons? 9. Data collected on the yearly registration for a seminar at GIPS are shown in the following table: Year 1234567891011 Registrations (000)46 4510879121415 a)Develop a 3-year moving average to forecast registration from year 4 to year 12. )Estimate demands again for years 4 to 12 with a weighted moving average in which registration in the most recent year are given a weight of 2 and registration in the other 2 years are given a weight of 1. c)Graph the original data and the two forecasts. Which of the two forecasting methods seems better? 10. City Government has collected the following data on annual sales tax collections and new car registrations. Annual sales tax collections (in millions)1. 01. 41. 92. 01. 82. 12. 3 New car registrations ( in thousands)10121516141720 Determine the following )The least square regression equation. b)Use the results of part a, find the estimated sales tax collections if new car registrations total 22,000. 11. How does the operation management strategy change during a product's lifecycle? 12. How does fear in the work place or class room inhibit learning? 13. What is the difference between production and productivity? 14. Pepsi is a global product; does it mean Pepsi is formulated the same way throughout the world? 15. Identify how changes in the internal environment affect the OM strategy for a company.For instance discuss what impact the following internal factors might have on OM strategy: a)Maturing of a product. b)Technology innovation in the manufacturing process. c)Changes in product design that move disk drives from 3 1/2-inch floppy disks to CD-ROM drives. 16. Identify how changes in the external environment affect the OM strategy for a company. For instance discuss what impact the following internal factors might have on OM strategy: a)Major increase in oil prices. b)Fewer young prospective employees entering the market. c)Inflation versus stable prices. d)Legislation moving health insurance from a benefit to a