The Scorpions free essay sample

Rock n roll has always been an integral part of the Great Woods Summer Series, and it was there this year too when a triple bill of the Scorpions, Great White, and Aldo Nova fed their audience with a large helping of loud and raunchy blues-rock and heavy metal on July 24th. Opening act Aldo Nova was, well, just an opening act. The band performed like your average formula-rock band. The songs were standard MTV fare, even if some were co-written by Bon Jovi, especially the inane Blood on the Bricks. Even after nearly a decade, Aldo Nova has gone nowhere, and maybe in the future they will break away from the mold and form their own identity. The middle slot of the evening was held by the blues-rockers of Great White. Lead singer Jack Russell is a skilled vocalist, and he played the crowd well, keeping them awake and on their feet throughout their set. We will write a custom essay sample on The Scorpions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The guitarists served up a feast of riffs and solos, amidst a thunderous rhythm section of drums and bass. Opening with Call it Rock n Roll, Great White proceeded through new cuts from their recent LP Hooked, and of course, it was the encore of Once Bitten, Twice Shy that the crowd enjoyed the most, especially with the spicy piano playing. Their sound mix was clean and smooth, and Russells wailing vocals came out perfectly. After their set, the members of Great White gathered backstage to meet-and-greet with members of the press. All were thrilled to oblige with the requests of the backstage crowd, taking pictures, answering questions, and signing autographs. One of the most popular hard rock bands in the world, the Scorpions were the main event of the evening. Opening with Tease Me, Please Me, the quintet got the audience back on their feet, rockin the night away. Decked out in leather, lead singer Klaus Meine howled like an animal, while guitar duo Rudolph Shenker and Matthias Jabs produced the unique Scorps rock sound. Their songs werent anything special , simple shout-along tunes with catchy hooks , but it was the way they delivered it. This was maximum impact, go-for-the-throat rock An roll, and the Scorpions didnt hesitate to let loose onstage. Highlights of the Scorpions set included The Zoo, during which the band produced various animal sounds, the thousands of lighters during Wind of Change, the blinding lit staircases onstage and the sing-along acoustic ballad Holiday. However, classics were saved for their encore, during which Klaus and crew pumped out the hits Big City Nights, No One Like You, Still Loving You, and Rock You Like a Hurricane. There is no one like the Scorpions, and after two decades in the music business, they are still loving it. On July 24th, the Scorpions rocked Great Woods like a hurricane, and proved they can do it all over again. n

Changes in Mrs. Mallard Essays

Changes in Mrs. Mallard Essays Changes in Mrs. Mallard Paper Changes in Mrs. Mallard Paper Name:Instructor: Course: Date: Changes in Mrs. Mallard â€Å"The Story of an Hour† was written by Kate Chopin and revolved around the changes that took place in the life of Louise Mallard, the wife of Brently, a man who was assumed dead but later turned out to be alive. After hearing the news of her husbands’ death, Louise Mallard underwent several psychological and physical changes in succession that will form the crux of the essay. In the narrative, Louise Mallard who was limited to the social traditions of the compliant wife, showed an unusual response to the loss of her spouse. Louise anticipated her newfound autonomy from the restraint of her husband. The physical, emotional and psychological changes are effectively analyzed. The issue of women liberation and independence emerged as a major element that will be elaborated upon further. Physical and Emotional Changes In the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mallard came out as an aged woman who was â€Å"†¦afflicted with a heart trouble†. Later in the eighth paragraph, the author again refers to her as a young woman with â€Å"†¦a fair, calm face whose lines bespoke repression.† After hearing the sudden death of her husband, several changes were witnessed physically. One, Louise Mallard was known to have a weak heart and therefore, could not handle any sudden or overwhelming emotion without suffering an injury. However, all of these weaknesses and fragility quickly change upon hearing that her husband was dead. Immediately, Louise transformed into a joyful bundle having optimistic and buoyant thoughts of freedom. She cheerfully commented, â€Å"There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature.† It was highly possible that Louise’s heart conditio n was largely emotional and psychological rather than physical. Changes in Social Status It was quite interesting to note that the name was first mentioned after her husband’s death was announced. During this moment, Mrs. Mallard experiences complete freedom. Before the apparent loss, she was only mentioned as Mrs. Mallard, and even after her husband cam back home, the author referred to her as the â€Å"wife.† When Brently married Louise, her status was transformed to Mrs. Mallard. In the process, she lost her individuality and took up a different and strange identity. While it very ordinary and regular for a woman to adopt her husband’s name in matrimony and in that era, become his property, it cannot be assumed that a part of her was lost. When she hears of her husband’s death, a transformation occurs where she changes back to her initial self and not an extension of another man. During that era, the society was predominantly patriarchal and any elements of emotion, repression or disobedience that women experienced were overwhelmed by the need to be dutiful, loyal, obedient and content wives. Chopin states that Louise knew that he husband â€Å"†¦never looked at her save with love.† When the news that her husband had apparently died, Mrs. Mallard underwent a social change from a human being bound into an irreversible contract with a man into Louise, a woman who was free to make her own decision without the weight of social accountability to her husband bearing upon her. There is a strong sense of irony, surprise and unpredictable reactions and events that are exhibited by Louise Mallard when face with the possibility of being a widow. The unexpected reaction shown by Louise represents the mixed feeling that most married women harbor in their hearts. While it is obvious that any loving wife should mourn the death of their husband, most would automatically see the death as an opportunity to express their true selves as women. The short story touched on a global issue of women liberation and independence that was probably the rationale behind the overjoyed nature of Mrs. Mallard after hearing the sad news.

Financial Conservatism. Determinants of cash and leverage Dissertation

Financial Conservatism. Determinants of cash and leverage - Dissertation Example In this analysis, both cash conservative and leverage conservative firms will be taken into account. The essence of investigation of the two policies at the same is to find out if a firm can use leverage conservative policy in the place of cash conservative policy or vice versa. From the earlier analysis, the key reason why firms are motivated to adopt conservative financial policies is to protect them from the cost that is associated with missed out investment opportunities. The analysis of the literature will reveal that firms tend to maintain large cash reserves or do away with their debt capacity to make sure that they do not miss out investment opportunities. It is not rare to find firms exercising both policies simultaneously, though it is difficult to establish the reasons why they do so. All in all, according to major theoretical frameworks of capital structure, it is strange to find a firm that adopts high leverage policy having high cash balances in their capital structure. For instance, according to the pecking order theory, firms tend to result to eternal financing only after exhausting their internally available funds. Many researchers have covered this area of financial conservatism, especially regarding the rationale behind different accumulation of huge amounts of cash and cash equivalents as well as the repercussions of such policies (Ozkan & Ozkan, 2004; Mikkelson & Partch, 2003). However, the determinant of cash and leverage conservatism in UK firms has not been focused on. ... It is not rare to find firms exercising both policies simultaneously, though it is difficult to establish the reasons why they do so. All in all, according to major theoretical frameworks of capital structure, it is strange to find a firm that adopts high leverage policy having high cash balances in their capital structure. For instance, according to the pecking order theory, firms tend to result to eternal financing only after exhausting their internally available funds. Many researchers have covered this area of financial conservatism, especially regarding the rationale behind different accumulation of huge amounts of cash and cash equivalents as well as the repercussions of such policies (Ozkan & Ozkan, 2004; Mikkelson & Partch, 2003). However, the determinant of cash and leverage conservatism in UK firms has not been focused on. What’s more, most of the studies that have dealt with this area have been concentrated on the US firms, hence making it important to investigate w hether the puzzle regarding decisions of firms in relation to financial conservatism extends to the UK firms. As such, this study will focus on the UK firms especially because it is commonly known for observance of extreme debt conservatism, considering UK firms have the lowest leverage ratio, weighed against to other developed countries (Rajan and Zingales, 1995). This study will use leverage of firms or cash holdings to determine whether the firms are finically-conservative. The objective of this paper is to carry out an empirical study on the debt policies adopted by the UK firms, which particularly focus on the factors that influence large cash reserves and extremely low leverage. In effect, the paper will attempt to find answers to a number of research questions. First and

Language Learning - Interview Analysis Assignment

Language Learning - Interview Analysis - Assignment Example This competence involves the knowledge that a listener or speaker has of what makes up accurate, proper, and effective language behaviour in relation to specific goals in communication (Ellis, 1994, p. 47). It is a common desire of students of a second language to understand and be understood by the native speakers of the target language whenever they communicate orally (Bailey, Long, & Peck, 1983, p. 17). Accent, diction, pronunciation, and enunciation are all considered significant elements of smooth and effective communication between a native speaker and a non-native speaker. It is also true that adult students of a second language, who mastered communicative competence in their mother tongue, tend to apply the rules of their mother tongue when trying to communicate using the target language. However, applying rules from one language to another language results in negative transfer (Krashen & Terrell, 1983, p. 53). Previous studies show disagreement among linguists regarding the effectiveness of a formal classroom set-up in teaching adults a second language (Krashen & Terrell, 1983, p. 56). ... iterature Review This study examined whether explicit instructions in the four areas of competence in the English language, namely, phonology, grammar, vocabulary, and pragmatic, would aid students of the second language, particularly native Arabic speakers, in improving their English reading, listening, and speaking skills. Second Language Acquisition During the early 80s, the Input Hypothesis was proposed by Krashen in an attempt to answer questions related to acquiring a second language. He asserts the importance of focusing and understanding the meaning in the content. However, he also mentions that it is not enough. Another study claims that people cannot hear dissimilarities between sounds unless they learn to make these differences. It is therefore saying that people identify sounds based on the manner they produce these same sounds (Ladefoged, 1967, p. 98). However, one should understand that this particular process is not as simple as it sounds. Levelt’s Speech Produc tion Model in 1983 identifies that communication skills requires a process of utilizing words from the lexicon (vocabulary), implementation of grammatical coding (grammar), and then conveying a phonological coding (phonology). Pragmatic competence is acquired after all these processes, coupled with the proper balance of memory and control mechanism, are learned (Ellis, 1994, p. 51-2). Methodology Thorough analysis of errors made by language students aids in identifying teaching areas that need improvement (Corder, 1974, p. 32). Error analysis is utilized for this study, wherein the errors learners made were given focus. Particularly for this research, a native Arabic speaker was interviewed. Fatima has been studying English in the UK for over 4 months. However, it needs to be considered too that

Managing high performance work teams and leadership effectivenessjob Essay

Managing high performance work teams and leadership effectivenessjob satisfaction - Essay Example Leadership is a critical part in the field of management. The consequences of poor leadership in an organization would include increase costs, damage to relationships and loss of trust. It is therefore imperative to have an effective leader in an organization to achieve goals and attain success. Effective leadership separates the successful organization from failed companies . But what is effective leadership Defining leadership is very complex. There exists a lot of meaning for leadership, along with theories and models to describe them. Leadership is the process of influencing others to accomplish an objective and the manner of guiding an organization to become consistent and unified (Briner et al 1996). Leadership capitalizes on individual strengths to fulfill the roles of the position. Effective leaders perform in a proactive manner. They also maintain a balance between the internal and external forces at play in the organization. Effective leaders today are very different from leaders from the past. The time has passed and the environment has changed. Today, leaders must have the capacity and capability to lead complex organization in a global setting and proportion. The trend for leaders now is to demonstrate visionary thinking with the ability to execute the vision. He must hold the highest standards of ethics. He should develop other people in different levels, while understanding the business as a whole and building influential relationships with customers and stakeholders. Pioneers of effective leaderships includes Peter Drucker. He searches for answers on what makes an executive most effective. To be effective means that leaders must manage their time, focus on people's contributions to create results, build on strengths, set priorities and make effective decisions (Drucker, 1967). Stephen Covey (1992), a leadership guru, provided insights into facing daily challenges by employing the concept of principle-centered leadership. Jim Collins (2001), a business consultant, defined the five level leadership hierarchy. These are: Level 1-Highly Capable Individual; Level 2-Contributing Team Member; Level 3-Competent Manager; Level 4: Effective Executive; and Level 5-The Leader. Peter Senge (1990) points out the need for an organization not only to adapt to a changing environment, but also to go beyond adapting to a generative learning approach that allows for growth. Building an organization where people are continually expanding their capabilities to shape their future is the key responsibility for leadership. He identified the need to have a learning organization. Margaret Wheatley (1992) looked at how new discoveries in quantum physics, chaos theory, and biology challenged our way of thinking about organizations. She showed that the old models of leadership, such as hero-leader or leader as individual, stands in the way of the organization's innovativeness and effectiveness. She predicted that the ultimate destination of an organization is the realization that teams are capable of being self-managed where the idea of leadership may be different. High performance teams are a product of the learning organization concept and the idea of self-managed teams. This team can work on its own. Senge and Wheatley innovated the new concept of team-based leadership. High performance teams are created with a mission that have developed their own set of norms or rules, which is written as a team charter. The team members have clearly designated

The Online Shopping In Malaysia Marketing Essay

The Online Shopping In Malaysia Marketing Essay Whether we like it or not, the Internet and World Wide Web are increasingly becoming important in Malaysian life. Online shopping may be a novel trend in Malaysia but it is fast catching up among Internet users due to rising Internet penetration. Besides, online shopping avoids with the crowd and its easier to compare prices of comparable products online, which translates into better savings (Leong and Lee 2009). As for the Internet penetration in Malaysia, 356.8 % growth is seen for the period of 2000-2009. Thereby, for instance, in 2000 it was accounted 3,700,000 subscribes, or just 15% of the population. In 2005 the amount of subscribers doubled and reached 26,500,699, 37.9 %. Currently, over 60% of Malaysians can use Internet connection actively, with almost 17 million subscribers accounted. (eCommerce Journal 2009). According to the Nielsen Company 2007 research, online travel is a favourite e-commerce activity for Malaysians, with 55% of Internet users buying airline tickets or made flight reservations online, while 41% said they had made hotel or tour reservations online and 22% computer hardware. 21% purchased book and 18% tickets to concerts and events. (eCommerce Journal 2009). A significant part of purchasing has moved to the Internet. But Malaysia is still in the infancy stage when it comes to online retail, which makes e-commerce still relatively weak in Malaysia. According to comScore (2009), the online retail (or dubbed as total online spending in the retail industry) in Malaysia is lowest compared to many other countries. The list (in Asia) goes: 1) Japan, 2) South Korea, 3) Australia, 4) Taiwan, 5) Singapore, 6) New Zealand, 7) Hong Kong, 8) China, 9) Vietnam, 10) Philippines, 11) India, 12) Indonesia, and 13) MALAYSIA. Next, the growth of Internet usage in Malaysia has been steadily growing but a far smaller percentage has actually made purchases online. According to comScore (2009), Entertainment is most popular category in Asia Pacific (includes Music, Movie, TV, Multimedia, Entertainment News, and Humor) and Email is still very important to Internet user. Therefore, visiting to retail sites is weak in Malaysia. Besides, Malaysian online retailers face the challenges with Internet users who still like to see and hold products before buying, and who have the same concerns about security issues as well as after-sales service. Is it the impact of factors attributed to large Internet users but not many shop online. Therefore this research study will contribute meaningfully to this area of research. (b) Rational of Study The Internet is no longer a niche technology. It is mass media and an utterly integral part of modern life. A major appeal for setting up online businesses is that its convenient, easy to do and cheaper (no rental fee, to state the obvious). (Leong and Lee 2009). The economic downturn has turned up the pressure on Malaysian companies, it is imperative to find new customers for their products and services for declining sales and financial constraints. Extending their marketing and advertising reach by venturing into e-commerce is a logical move. (Laalitha 2009). E-commerce in retailing has enormous potential. An organization can reach such a large number of consumers via e-commerce; it is possible to develop the business that could be profitable. The continued success for online retailers will depend for the willingness of consumer to make purchase online in the view of online shopping is still relatively weak among Malaysian. Therefore this study is clear identifying consumer attitudes toward online shopping in order to help sales and marketing department to identify the potentiality of online shopping and evaluate the future growth of e-commerce that useful for the local companies in Malaysia to have a good understanding of the dynamic online markets before to venture into online retailing. Although research predict growing internet users in Malaysia and online shopping has many distinct opportunities and advantages, but the question lingers: Why do internet users avoid online shopping? Therefore this research study will contribute meaningfully to this area of research. (c) Objective of the Study Objectives The objective of this study is to examine the online shopping in Malaysia. For this purpose, three specific scopes will be examined, that is: To identify the characteristics of online shopping in Malaysia To identify Malaysian Internet users attitudes towards online shopping To identify why Internet users do not shop online. Hypotheses: Hypotheses developed for this study are: H1: There is no relationship between internet usage and buying via internet. H2: There is no relationship between online shopping and demographic variables. H3: There is no relationship between online shopping and the traditional shopping. H4: There is no significant correlation between future online purchase variables and current issues and areas of concern variables. Research Questions: This research has aimed to explore the following questions: Why do internet users avoid online shopping? (d) Research Methodology A self-administered questionnaire will be used to collect the necessary research questions and objectives pertaining to online shopping in Malaysia. The questions are mostly present in close-ended style with well-structured questions. The survey questionnaire consists of seven distinct sections, each of which contains questions pertaining to different parts of the study. Due to time and cost constraints and also large population of Internet users in Malaysia, therefore it is more appropriate to conduct the research by using a convenience sampling method will be used to collect data mainly from the current Internet users at Klang Valley which is indicated highest penetration of Internet users. Indeed, sampling method has limitations in terms of generalisation if compared to other method of sampling, but it is assumed that the sample represent the whole population of Internet users in Malaysia. The survey will be conducted through the combination method: face to face interviews, email and postage questionnaires. Each of the method has its uses and none is superior in all situations due to email and postage questionnaires save both time and cost and can cover a wide geographical area which supplemented by personal interviews will yield more reliable results than either method alone. Once the primary data collected, several of statistical techniques will be used in the data analysis. Frequency Distribution Analysis will be used to determine a demographic profile of the survey respondents and the current internet users of online shopping. Besides, the frequency distribution analysis will also be used to determine method of payment, level of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, issue and area of concerns, reasons for shop and do not shop online. (Adeline et al. 2006). Chi-square Test in Cross-tab will be used to determine the relationship between online shopping and other conventional methods of shopping such as shopping via physical stores. The Independent Samples t-test will be adopted to compare mean differences between online shoppers and non-online shoppers. Finally Pearson Correlation Coefficient Matrix will be employed to determine the degree of correlation between future online purchases and issue of concern for current Internet users. (Adeline et al. 2006). (e) Expected Contribution from the study This study is clear realizing consumer attitudes toward online shopping in order to help management, the industry and government to predict the online shopping trend and evaluate the future growth of online commerce. Besides, online retail has enormous potential. Thus, this study is important for the small and medium enterprise (SEMs) in Malaysia to have a good understanding of the Internet as a new business strategy for driving business growth as well as to understanding what Malaysian Internet users really desire and why they are not shopping online. (Laalitha 2009). (f) Sample Questionnaire The questionnaire is adapted from Adeline (2006) with some modification to suit the context of this study. The questionnaire consists of eight sections as shown in Appendix. Section 1 is to request the respondents to complete information related to demographic profile. Section 2 is to request the respondents to provide the information related to internet usage whereas Section 3 is about the information of Internet users experience on online shopping. Section 4 is to request the respondent to provide information about the factor influencing their shopping decision. Factors include: product price and quality, more options and wider selections, ease of research, customer review availability, after-sales service, entertaining/fun, convenient, good customer service, promotion, fast delivery time, website providing sufficient product information and explanation, an item no available elsewhere. Section 5 is to request the respondent to provide information about the current purchase pattern in terms of types of goods and services, spending amount, purchasing frequency, payment method and spending time. Section 6 is to request the respondent to rate the satisfaction level and areas of dissatisfaction for their shopping experience with 1 is the lowest and 5 is the highest. Section 7 also request the respondent to rate to the future online purchase pattern (purchasing in the same retailers, types of good and services, spending amount, purchasing frequency and is important for the retailers nowadays have an online shopping facility) with 1 is the lowest and 5 is the highest. Last section is to request the respondent to provide information about the issues and areas of concerns toward online shopping, which include disclosure of personal information, security of credit card transaction, do not physically seen and touch a product, trust on online retailers and adequacy of consumer protection laws and regulations. References Adeline Chua Phaik Harn, Ali.Khatibi and Hishamuddin bin Ismail. 2006. E-Commerce: A Study on Online Shopping in Malaysia. J. Soc. Sci., 13(3): 231-242 (2006). http://www.krepublishers.com. (accessed January 31, 2011) comScore. 2009. State of the Internet with a focus on Asia Pacific. http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Presentations_Whitepapers/2009/State_of_the_Internet_with_a_focus_on_Asia_Pacific. (accessed January 17, 2011) eCommerce Journal. 2009. Internet and e-commerce industry in Malaysia. http://www.ecommerce-journal.com/articles/18271_Internet_and_e_commerce_industry_in_malaysia. (accessed January 18, 2011) IDC. 2007. IDC Reports 70% Growth in Malaysia eCommerce Spending in 2006. http://www.idc.com.my/PressFiles/IDC%20Malaysia%20-%20eCommerce.asp. (accessed January 10, 2011) Internet World Stats. 2009. Malaysia Internet Usage Stats and Marketing Report. http://www.Internetworldstats.com/asia/my.htm. (accessed January 10, 2011) Laalitha Hunt. 2009. SMEs Eager to Tap E-commerce. The Star online. December 12. http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/12/12/business/5281516sec=business. (accessed January 10, 2011) Leong H. Y. and Lee L. S. 2009. Buying via Internet. The Star online. April 11. http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/4/11/business/3620542. (accessed January 10, 2011) Malaysia Crunch. 2009. Malaysias E-Commerce Statistics. http://malaysiacrunch.blogspot.com/2009/09/malaysias-e-commerce-statistics.html. (accessed January 15, 2011) Nielsen. 2008. Over 875 Million Consumers Have Shopped Online The Number of Internet Shoppers Up 40% in Two Years. http://my.nielsen.com/site/20080414.shtml. (accessed January 25, 2011)

Unfair Drug Laws in America Essay -- Argumentative Drugs Marijuana Ess

The existing drug laws are very inefficient. This paper will focus on the people and the specific elements that are affected by the inefficiency of the drug laws. When looking at the drug laws at a glance a person might be lead to think that they would be very effective and they seem reasonable. While drug laws in themselves are necessarily wrong, some of the discrepancies in the laws make them unfair and take from the category of handing down justice and puts them into the category of cruel and unusual. First there will be an analysis of prohibition throughout American history, then an analysis of what the actual crimes and punishments are for a few of the drugs in the United States. Next there will be a look into who is affected by the laws and how. Finally, this paper will try to provide some kinds of solutions to the problems that are being caused with the drug laws. First the definition of a drug is any substance that has an effect on the mind and body except food, and the definition of a crime is an act or omission that is punishable or goes against a law. When crime is looked at in this sense it can be said that government is the cause of all crime because every crime that is committed has to go against a law that is passed by the government. In looking at the problems with the drug laws, a history of where the drug laws come from is necessary. In the first 140 years of the United States all drugs were legal. This means that if a person wanted to do any drug at any time that the person could do it without having to worry about any penalties. The actual first federal law that was passed was the Pure Food and Drug act of 1906. This law was did not even put a restriction on the drugs that were available. This ... ...s to be some other way to deal with the problem of drugs so why not try something new? There can be no guarantees that the something new will be the right thing but there has to be something that can be done that will affect the drug situation in a more positive way. Works Cited (http://www.dpft.org/history.html). (http://www.famm.org/si_crack_powder_sentencing_fact_sheet.htm) (http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/usa/Rcedrg00-03.htm http://dpft.org/alcohol.htm). http://www.cedro-uva.org/lib/reinarman.dutch.html). http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/factsht/heroin/). http://www.dpft.org/history.html#back04). http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=588601). http://www.phrusa.org/research/rockefeller_laws/tenmyths.html). (http://www.horizonmag.com/6/racial-profiling.asp http://www.commondreams.org/views/112600-105.htm).

Human Resource Officer Essay

This module is based around the job of a Human Resource Officer for a chain of outlets called Top Gear. To research this job, I will be looking at what sort of things it entails such as the process of recruitment and job interviews. I will also be interviewing an every day personnel manager to research what he does in his job, how he advertises available job positions and how he goes about selecting the right person for the job. I will look at why jobs become available within a company and the adverts a company produces to advertise the job. This project also involves how you are motivated to work and why companies use these methods for their workers. Recruitment Jobs can become available in a company such as ‘Top Gear’, for lot of different reasons. Some of these reasons are: * A member of staff retires. * A member of staff is fired. * If a member of staff becomes pregnant. * A member of staff gets promoted leaving their old position empty. * Someone leaves for a job elsewhere. * The company expands needing extra workers. * It could be a completely new job for a firm which is newly established and has just started to recruit staff. * If a member of staff becomes ill. * If someone’s contract expires. * Demotion Application Form Application forms are sent out so that people interested in the job can fill it in and then the employers will have the applicants information. This is good because they can then read the forms and decide who sounds like they would be good in the job and then give them an interview, rather than interviewing every single person that applies. Why are Job Descriptions and Person Specifications sent out to Prospective Employees? Job Description A job description is sent out so that people can see what the job entails. This is good because then people who are not suited to the job, and who don’t like the sort of work the job involves can decide whether to apply or not. This saves time as it stops people from applying and then deciding the job is not for them after all. Person Specification So that the applicant knows what sort of person the company are looking for and what sort of qualities you need in the job. These are sent out to save the company time, if an applicant looks like they fit the person specification then they will get an interview. Also, it could stop the wrong sort of person applying as the person specification tells them what sort of attitude they need and how much responsibility they must have. Advertising There are many places a position for a job, like one that was available at Top Gear, could be advertised. Some of these places are: * A local newspaper. (e.g. The Ilkeston Advertiser) The advantages of this are, if people are looking for a job then they are likely to look at a local paper in the job column. A disadvantage of this is that it may be expensive. * A free newspaper. ( e.g. The Trader) Advantages of this are that lots of people receive this paper through their doors as it is free. The disadvantages are that people wont necessarily look in a free paper for a job and also that it costs money to place an advert. * The Internet. ( On the company website) The advantages of this is that lots of people will see the advert but many might not unless they visited the company website regularly. It is also free to write an advert for the job on the website. * At the local job centre. Advantages of this is that it is free and also that a lot of people will see the advert because people looking for a job go to the job centre to find one. The disadvantages of this is that you may get too many people applying for the job. * On the Radio. The advantages of having an advert for the job on the radio are that lots of people will hear it. But the disadvantages are that it is expensive to put an advert on the radio. * On the shop premises. Advantages of putting an advert in the outlet window are that it is free and anyone passing will see it. Also, is people see your advert while inside the outlet then they will be the sort of person you want to employ because they will be the type of person right for the job. * Word of Mouth. Advantages are that it is free. Disadvantages are that people may get the wrong information as news being passed on by word of mouth gets changed as it is passed on. * Company magazine.People may look in this to see if there are any jobs available but it is hard to get hold of a company magazine if you do not already work, or know somebody working within the company. Top Gear are most likely to use the shop premises as a form of advertisement for an open position. This way, the people who apply will only be people who are interested in the type of product Top Gear sells. The Human Resource Officer would choose the people with the best application forms. They would also consider choosing people who had had past experience in a job of the same type. They must be the in the right age group and have good qualifications. Another important factor is that they fit the person specification and match the job description. The Human Resource Officer would only write letters to those who managed to get an interview. It would take too much time to write letters to everyone who had applied for the job and would be a waste of money, buying all the stamps and paying for postage. If the applicants didn’t hear from the company then they should assume that they were not successful and that they hadn’t got an interview, this means that there isn’t really any need to contact them. Letter To An Applicant That Has Gained An Interview. Dear Applicant, Thank you for your application form for the job of Shop Assistant within our Top Gear Outlet. We are pleased to inform you that your application has been successful and that you have gained an interview. This interview will take place at Top Gear on Monday 21st February at 10 o’clock. We look forward to seeing you then. Yours Faithfully, Lucy Howard Human Resource Officer Top Gear Interveiwing At the interview I would ask a number of questions to find out whether the applicant is suitable for the job. I would ask questions on a range of different subject like what hobbies the applicant has, what sort of past experience they have gained and what qualities they would bring to the job. I would ask mostly open-questions which would make it easy for the applicant to give long detailed answers and tell me as much about themselves as possible. If I chose all closed-questions to ask in the interview that could all be answered with one word answers, then I would learn hardly anything about the applicant and whether they were suitable for the job or not. I questions I choose to ask will have to be the ones that are going to tell me the most about the applicant and whether they are going to be right for the job or not. Some questions I could ask at an interview for a new sales person at Top Gear are: * Why do you think you should be the one hired for this job? * What experience have you had where you had to work with people? * What sort of things do you enjoy doing outside of work? * What qualities have you got that will make you a better person for the job than anyone else? * What do you understand to be the key responsibilities in this job? * How will your past experience equip you for this role? An Interview With a Real Human Resource Officer We decided to interview for this project, the personnel manager of McDonalds to find out what their job involved and how they went about recruiting new members of staff. 1) When you have a job placement available, how and where do you advertise it? We don’t use the job centre as the people they send tend to be desperate for any sort of job and not all that interested in what the job entails, just in the money they will be earning. We have a sign in the shop which attracts people to apply and is a good idea as if people come to eat in our shop, they are already interested in what happens in McDonalds. Jobs are also heard about through word of mouth as we often employ young people who need a job after just leaving school. 2)When sending out application forms, do you send person specifications and job description with it? No, we don’t send either of those things with an application form. When someone applies for the job, I talk to them myself as the personnel manager to make sure they understand what the job entails and what McDonalds needs in its staff. 3)How do you decide who to interview out of the applicants, and how many people get an interview.? Only about one in every ten people who apply for a job at McDonalds actually get an interview. A good application form will be neat and organised. McDonalds does not require any select qualifications to work there, but you should have at least a D grade at GCSE in Maths and English. People who work in McDonalds need to have good literacy skills. 4)What sort of questions do you ask in an interview? The best question to ask someone in an interview is â€Å"what do you know already about McDonalds?† because you can tell how much the person wants the job by how much research they have bothered to do. Another question asked in an interview is â€Å"what would you change about McDonalds?† because the staff are constantly changing things at McDonalds to suit customers needs. The questions asked are to test and see how well a person gets on with new people, how quickly they learn and their willingness to work hard. 5)How long do the interviews last? The interviews do not last very long, only about 20 minutes. In this time, you can already get a good idea of what a person is like and whether they will fit into the job well or not. 6)How do you finally decide who gets the job, what qualities do you look for in a worker? There is no special scoring system to decide who gets the job in the end. The main reason for choosing a person for the job is gut feeling about whether they will be right or not. Things that McDonalds are looking for in workers are respectable looking, bubbly, cheerful, easy to get along with, punctual and polite. From this interview I have learnt that not every personnel manager handles recruitment in the same way. It depends on the surroundings and where they are working. The personnel manager in McDonalds hired people mainly on gut feeling about whether they were right or not, which would not be an appropriate method of choosing for a big company like a bank. A Score Sheet That Would Help Me Select The Most Suitable Applicant. During the interview, I would use a score sheet to help me decide which applicants are good. The score sheets would have different areas and I would mark the applicants out of ten for how well they perform in all the different areas. If an applicant scores very low on the score sheet then they are obviously not right for the job position and not what the company is looking for. The person who scores highest on the score sheet will not necessarily be the one who gets hired for the job, but a score sheet will still give you a good idea of who is better than the other applicants. Here is a score sheet that could be used in an interview for a sales person at Top Gear: Applicant 1 Applicant 2 Applicant 3 Applicant 4 Appearance Confidence Friendliness Response to Questions asked Did they speak clearly? Good humoured? Are their answers relevant? Ease Choosing Who to Employ From the Score Sheet This score sheet is only to mark the applicants on how well they perform in the interview. It does not mark them on their qualifications or past experience in this sort of job. I would use these areas to see how friendly the applicant is with new people and how confident they are, because if they aren’t friendly or confident around the interviewer then they won’t be the right person to be working in a shop. The kind of person Top Gear would want to be working in their outlet would be someone who is friendly and polite to everyone and someone who does not lose their temper easily. Attitude is very important to an employer but so its past experience and qualifications. To the applicants that did not get the position at Top Gear, I would send a letter letting them know and maybe a voucher for the store as a sort of conciliation and to make them think that Top Gear is a worthwhile company so they would maybe apply for another position and still shop in the shop. For the 5 or 6 people who have been unsuccessful in their interview I would send a letter like this: Dear Miss Bromby, Thank you for applying and attending an interview for the position of Store Assistant at our Top Gear outlet. I am sorry to inform you that you were not successful this time. We have included a voucher for our store with this letter, as a thank you for your time and co-operation in the selection process. Yours sincerely, Lucy Howard Human Resource Officer at Top Gear For the applicant who was successful and gained the job at Top gear I would send a letter like this: Dear Miss Bromby, Thank you for applying for the job of Store Assistant at our Top Gear outlet. I am very pleased to inform you that you have gained the position and we would like you to start work next week starting the 25th of August. Other details and training will be sorted out on your first day. If you have any queries before then, you can phone (0115) 8547651 and we will sort out any worries that you may have. See you next week! Yours Sincerely, Lucy Howard Human Resource Officer at Top Gear Companies train their staff because a well-trained group of employees will be more productive as they are better at there jobs. They might also be more motivated because they enjoy the feeling that they are good at there jobs. There are three different types of training induction, off-the-job and on-the-job. Induction training is for new staff within a company. Both the employer and the employee can benefit from this type of training. The employer would want the training scheme to include: * Training on the tills, so that the new employee would understand how to take payment in the form of cheques/ credit cards/ debit cards/ cash/ gift vouchers. * Customer relations. Teaching the employee to handle difficult customers * Company History/ image. Trying to make the employee feel part of the family as it might make them work better. * The employee would be hoping that from the induction training they would learn: * The terms of their payment, when and how they will be getting paid. * What they must wear for their job. Whether there is a specific dress code or uniform. * What sort of discount their new job entitles them to. * The arrangement of breaks and lunchtimes. Also when they can have holidays and how long they can take off work for them. * Answers to any queries they might have about the job. Such as what they must do when they are ill. * What happens in the dismissal procedure. A Schedule For an Induction Training Day at Top Gear. Time Activity 10:00-11:00am Speech about company history 11:00-12:00pm Practical learning about working the tills 12:00-1:00pm Break 1:00-2:00pm Role plays about coping with difficult customers 2:00-2:30pm Answers to questions and queries In my induction day, I have included practical work as well as theory because listening to someone talking all day is boring and does not give you real practise or confidence in your new job. I have made my day useful for employers and employees. On-The-Job Training On the job training is mainly used for new employees who are unsure of what to do in their job. It usually involves a new employee staying with a more experienced worker within the company and watching them closely to see what they do. After watching for about a week, then the new employees would feel like they are ready to do the jobs themselves. This sort of training is mainly practical. Advantages of this sort of training to an employer is that it does not cost anything as the new staff would be training on the company premises and also the new staff would learn quickly and be able to put what they have learnt into practise straight away. Advantages of this type of training to an employee are that they don’t have to sit around listening and being told what they must do, they are able to learn by watching someone else. Another advantage is that if they have any queries about anything, the more experienced worker helping them would be able to tell them the answer to their problem. Disadvantages of this sort of training are that if the experienced worker has bad habits then the new employee may pick them up as well. Off-The-Job Training This is where any of the employees in a company go away on a course. This type of training is mainly theory work. This type of training can also involve things like day release where an employee goes to work some days during the week and college others, but is still getting paid for the days they aren’t working. Advantages of this sort of training for the employer are that, there staff can become a lot more experienced and know a lot more about their job after just a one-day course. Advantages of this sort of training for an employee are that they can become more confident within their job and understand a lot more about it from a course. They can also meet new people with similar jobs to theirs. A disadvantage of this sort of training is the fact that it costs the company money to send staff out on a course. Sometimes there is the cost of travel as a course may be quite far away. A problem with this sort of training for an employer is that sending staff out could leave them short staffed at the company. An Advert for a job opening at Top Gear! How an Applicant Should Prepare for an Interview: * Make sure that they look smart and presentable. No company is looking to hire someone who does not care about what they look like. * Look up some information about the company where they are having the interview as to impress the interviewer with their knowledge. * Prepare some sample questions so they are ready to answer anything the interviewer asks them. Some of these sample questions could be: * What sort of hobbies do you have and what do you like doing in your spare time? * What sort of past experience do you have and which of your qualities will most help you in this job? * What do you know about the Top Gear company? For these sample questions, the applicant should prepare an answer that will impress the interviewer and make them think that they are the best for the job. This will help the applicant during their interview as knowing what to say will make them come across as confident and friendly. How to Behave in an Interview In an Interview the interviewee should act relaxed and confident they should smile and be polite to the interviewer. The interviewer is also looking for the way you act and your body language as it tells them a lot about the sort of person you are. You shouldn’t be shy or too over the top. Methods of Training If I worked at Top Gear I would use the induction day as a method of training. I would choose this because the employee would only need one day off and would learn everything they need. They wouldn’t pick up any bad habits as they would be learning everything from new and not copying off someone who has already been in the job a while. They would get to practice new skills during practical sessions during the day and still learn about the history of the company and get to know other employee’s as well. Communication Systems in use at Top Gear Top Gear would use different methods of communication internally and externally. If communication in a business is poor then poor decisions are made and customers and suppliers will lose confidence in the company. A company such as Top Gear would be likely to use methods of communication such as these below, but all of them have advantages and disadvantages so they might only use certain ones. Companies would use written methods of communication such as notice boards, memos and reports. These are mainly used internally. Externally they would use letters, e-mails and faxes. Advantages of this are that there is a permanent record of the message if it is needed and copies can be seen by lots of people. Disadvantages of these are that it can be hard to get feedback and sometimes people cant understand what is written. Verbal methods such as telephone calls, conversations or meetings can be used as a form of communication. A disadvantage of this is that there is no record of it so people can forget the information. Visual methods can be used such as films, posters, diagrams and charts. These are good because complicated information can be summarised and visual things communicate feelings better than words. Motivation There are three main motivation theories. They all explain what managers need to do if they want to motivate their workers to perform their best. Two of these theories are: 1) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow believed that all people are motivated by the same things. The three lower needs at the bottom of the pyramid have to be achieved before the two higher things can be met. The things on this pyramid starting with the ones at the bottom are: * Physical Survival People need food, water, shelter, clothing and warmth. These should be met by a basic wage. * Safety People want to feel safe and secure from harm. Managers should give their workers job security. * Love and Belonging People enjoy the company of others. Managers should encourage team work and social contact. * Self-esteem People want to feel valued by others. Managers should praise and encourage and give financial rewards for good performance. * Self-Actualisation People want to feel they are achieving something. Managers should help staff set and reach their own personal targets. 2) Herzberg’s Hygiene Factors Herzberg’s ideas are much more straightforward than Maslow’s. Herzberg believed that all the needs of workers can be put into two groups. 1) Hygiene Factors. Are the things a business has to provide to keep workers contented. These include clean, quiet and safe working conditions as well as adequate rest breaks. 2) Motivating factors Are the things that will encourage workers to do their best, like praise from managers, career advancement for good workers and more responsibility. Motivation at Top Gear I would use mainly Herzberg’s theory if I were manager at Top Gear. I think that giving staff the right conditions to work in will help them get a better job done. Telling employee’s that they are doing well will make them happy and willing to do more of the same. Employee’s who have been consistently good would be promoted. Seeing a fellow member of staff being promoted may cause others to work for a promotion as well. I would try and make staff feel happy and secure in their job as it would make them like coming to work and enjoy what they are doing more.

What Is the SAT No Calculator Section 5 Tips to Do Well

What Is the SAT No Calculator Section 5 Tips to Do Well SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips While the prohibition of a calculator on some SAT Math questions might leave you worried, rest assured that you don't need a calculator on this section. In fact, having one would probably just slow you down! This guide will discuss the third section of the SAT: the Math with No Calculator section. Read on to learn the types of questions you can expect to see and how you can get a high score. But first, let’s go over the format of the SAT Math No Calculator section. How Is the SAT Math No Calculator Section Formatted? Let’s start with the basics: how much time you have and how the SAT Math No Calculator section is structured. This section always comes third, after the Reading and Writing and Language sections. It’s only 25 minutes long, making it the shortest section on the SAT. After you complete this section, you'll get a short five-minute break, at which time you can take out your calculator and start to get ready for the next section: Math Calculator. You’ll be asked to answer 20 questions. You'll have an average of one minute and fifteen seconds, or 75 seconds, per question. Of these questions, 15 will be multiple choice (each with four answer choices) and five will be grid-ins (also known as student-produced responses). You’ll fill in your answers to these five grid-ins on a special section of your answer sheet. Here’s how the Math No Calculator section breaks down exactly: Total Time # of Multiple-Choice Questions # of Grid-ins Time per Question 25 minutes 15 (#1-15) 5 (#16-20) 75 seconds Since the No Calculator section is the shorter of the two Math sections, it will only count for one-third of your total Math score. Now, let’s move beyond logistics and discuss the skills that will be tested on the SAT Math No Calculator section. You don't need a calculator to answer these questions- just a pencil and paper! What Skills Are Tested on the Math No Calculator Section? According to the College Board, the Math No Calculator section tests two major categories: Heart of Algebra and Passport to Advanced Math, along with problems that fall under Additional Topics. These categories focus on concepts such as linear equations, linear inequalities, functions, quadratic equations, graphs, geometry, and complex numbers. Unlike on the Calculator section, there are no Problem Solving and Data Analysis questions on the No Calculator section- these are the ones for which you must interpret data from tables and scatterplots or calculate ratios, rates, and proportions. The chart below shows exactly how many questions you can expect to find in each of the three major skills areas: Content Categories # of Questions % of No Calculator Section Heart of Algebra 8 40% Passport to Advanced Math 9 45% Additional Topics 3 15% Source: Official SAT Study Guide Some questions have multiple steps and require you to combine two or more concepts to work toward a solution. To gain a sense of how the Math No Calculator section tests the above skills, you can find official SAT sample questions below. Let’s take a look at how this calculator-free section tests these skill areas. This amphibian romantic wears his Heart of Algebra on his sleeve. How Does the Math No Calculator Section Test Your Skills? The Math No Calculator section won’t ask you to do long, complex calculations out by hand. For the most part, this section seeks to test your reasoning and problem-solving abilities. The College Board wants to ensure that you understand fundamental math concepts and don’t need to rely on a calculator to reach a solution. There will still be some arithmetic- e.g., basic adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing by decimals- but the majority of the problems will focus more on reasoning than on figures. Below are some official sample No Calculator questions. You’ll find two questions that fall into the Heart of Algebra category, two in Passport to Advanced Math, and one in Additional Topics. Notice how, for the most part, a calculator wouldn’t actually be useful at all for reaching your answer. The questions below are borrowed from the College Board’s collection of official SAT practice tests, a free resource that should definitely be part of your test prep. I also suggest checking out Khan Academy's SAT resources, though they shouldn't be a replacement for more thorough test prep. #1: Heart of Algebra This Heart of Algebra question asks you to solve for $x$ in an algebraic equation: If ${x-1}/3=k$ and $k=3$, what is the value of $x$? A) 2B) 4C) 9D) 10 To solve this problem, you could go through the following steps: #1: Multiply both sides by 3, so you're working with $x - 1 = 3k$ #2: Add 1 to both sides, leaving you with $x = 3k + 1$ #3: Then solve for $x$ by substituting $k$ with 3. Since $x = 3k + 1$, $x = 3(3) + 1$, or $x = 10$. This Heart of Algebra example represents an easy-level question. If you didn't solve for $x$, you could instead plug in the answer choices and work backward (i.e., which value of $x$ would equal 3). Either way you decide to solve it, this problem definitely doesn't require the use of a calculator. Answer: D #2: Heart of Algebra The following Heart of Algebra question is of medium difficulty; it tests your reasoning skills and understanding of an algebraic expression. While you could plug in numbers to make the scenario more concrete, the easiest way to solve this problem is to understand how to represent rates with algebraic variables. On Saturday afternoon, Armand sent $m$ text messages each hour for 5 hours, and Tyrone sent $p$ text messages each hour for 4 hours. Which of the following represents the total number of messages sent by Armand and Tyrone on Saturday afternoon? A) $9mp$B) $20mp$C) $5m+4p$D) $4m+5p$ This problem asks about the total number of messages Armand and Tyrone sent: The total number of texts Armand sent is his rate ($m$ texts/hour) multiplied by the number of hours (5). Your product for Armand's texts is 5$\bi m$. The total number of texts Tyrone sent is his rate ($p$ texts/hour) multiplied by the number of hours (4). Your product for Tyrone is 4$\bi p$. To get a total, you would add these two products together, leaving you with 5$\bi m$ + 4$\bi p$. If you were unsure about your answer, you could plug in sample numbers for $\bi m$ and $\bi p$ to check your reasoning. The easiest way to solve this problem, though, is to conceptually understand the relationship between rates and time, and how to represent this relationship with variables. Answer: C #3: Passport to Advanced Math This sample question tests your ability to manipulate an algebraic equation: $$m={({r}/{1,200})(1+{r}/{1,200})^N}/{(1+{r}/{1,200})^N-1}P$$ The formula above gives the monthly payment $m$ needed to pay off a loan of $P$ dollars at $r$ percent annual interest over $N$ months. Which of the following gives $P$ in terms of $m$, $r$, and $N$? A) $P={({r}/{1,200})(1+{r}/{1,200})^N}/{(1+{r}/{1,200})^N-1}m$ B) $P={(1+{r}/{1,200})^N-1}/{({r}/{1,200})(1+{r}/{1,200})^N}m$ C) $P=({r}/{1,200})m$ D) $P=({1,200}/{r})m$ The initial expression gives you $m$ in terms of $r$, $N$, and $P$. The problem asks you to solve for $P$ in terms of $m$, $r$, and $N$. To switch around the equation, multiply both sides by the reciprocal of the expression beside $P$. Basically, you can just flip the current expression, which gives you answer choice B. Answer: B Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! #4: Passport to Advanced Math The question below is the first example that requires arithmetic. While a calculator would be helpful here, the College Board wants to see that you can perform addition, subtraction, division, multiplication long hand. $b=2.35+0.25x$ $c=1.75+0.40x$ In the equations above, $b$ and $c$ represent the price per pound, in dollars, of beef and chicken, respectively, $x$ weeks after July 1 during last summer. What was the price per pound of beef when it was equal to the price per pound of chicken? A) $\$ 2.60$B) $\$ 2.85$C) $\$ 2.95$D) $\$ 3.35$ Since this problem asks when the price per pound of beef ($\bi b$) was equal to the price per pound of chicken ($\bi c$), you can solve it by setting $b$ as equal to $c$, or $2.35 + 0.25x = 1.75 + 0.40x$. Then, you solve for $x$ with these steps: #1: To avoid negative numbers, subtract 1.75 from both sides and $\bo 0.25\bi x$ from both sides. This leaves you with $0.60 = 0.15x$. #2: Divide both sides by $0.15$ to get $x = 4$. #3: The question asks about the price per pound of beef when both meats were equal, so plug in $x$ to solve for $b$. Your equation should look like this: $b = 2.35 + 0.25(4)$. #4: $b = 2.35 + 0.25(4) = 2.35 + 1 = 3.35$. #5: The price per pound of beef when it was equal to the price per pound of chicken was $3.35. Answer: D #5: Additional Topics in Math Finally, the following is an Additional Topics question that involves geometry (right triangles) and basic trigonometry. Here, you need to demonstrate an understanding of sin and cosine and how they relate to one another in a right triangle. Without knowing this relationship, you'd have a tough time answering this question. In a right triangle, one angle measures $x °$, where sin $x °=4/5$. What is cos$(90 °-x °)$? The easiest way to solve this problem is to recall the complementary angle relationship of sine and cosine: sin($\bi{x}$ °) $=$ cos($\bo 90$ ° $\bo − \bi x$ °). If you can recall this, you'll immediately know- without having to do any calculations- that your answer is $\bo{4}/ \bo{5}$. Answer: $4/5$ or $0.8$ As you can see, the No Calculator questions ask you to demonstrate a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. So how can you study to ensure that you comprehend these challenging questions? Read on for some study tips to use as you prepare for SAT Math. Let's talk strategy. How to Do Well on the Math No Calculator Section: 5 Tips Any prep you do for the Math No Calculator section will help you on the Math Calculator section as well. The following study tips, though, are especially essential for the No Calculator section. Tip 1: Study Key Concepts As you saw in the example questions above, many questions won’t ask you to do any calculations with numbers; instead, they'll require you to have deep knowledge of the underlying concepts and be able to apply operations to work toward a solution. In this way, some of the problems are more abstract and theoretical rather than based on figures and equations with real numbers. This shift, by the way, aligns more closely with the Common Core. Both the SAT and the Common Core standards now present math with fewer topics that are more in-depth. Some SAT critics have pointed out that this shift continues to benefit students who attend better-resourced schools whose teachers are well versed in the Common Core. If your math classes teach a curriculum that aligns with Common Core standards, then they should be teaching you key concepts in a way that will help you on the SAT Math No Calculator section. Outside of school, make time to study the key topics that will appear on SAT Math. Because of the College Board’s recent commitment to transparency, it shares exactly what those concepts will be. Algebra is especially important, and you’ll want to ensure you have a firm grasp of topics like linear and nonlinear equations, quadratic equations, and functions. Beyond the main topics shared by the College Board, make sure your SAT Math study materials break down each broad topic into its component subtopics. By covering each detail, you can fill in any gaps in knowledge. On this section, you can’t rely on a calculator to do any of the thinking for you; you need to show up with a strong understanding of the key concepts. Tip 2: Practice Close Reading Just as No Calculator problems emphasize your conceptual understanding over your ability to manipulate figures and carry out calculations, they also test your reading comprehension. You’ll have to be able to read a problem and figure out what steps it’s asking you to take. Word problems especially can be relatively involved, sometimes containing more information than is necessary for you to work toward a solution. That means it’s up to you to figure out which details are relevant and which aren't. Some of these problems, according to the College Board, feature real-world scenarios, such as calculating gas mileage or converting from one country’s currency to another. Of course, not all these real-world scenarios are part of everybody’s actual everyday experiences. Practice problems will help get you familiar with the types of scenarios that the College Board considers to be real world. Critics have suggested that this emphasis on word problems- along with the above mentioned alignment with the Common Core- could disadvantage some test takers, especially those who speak English as a second language. To prep for this section’s emphasis on reading comprehension, make sure to study with multi-step word problems. FAQ: Can I use my abacus during the No Calculator section? Sadly, no- you'll have to rely on your own counting skills. Tip 3: Brush Up on Your Arithmetic Skills For the most part, the No Calculator section prioritizes a conceptual understanding over the ability to carry out calculations. There are still a handful of problems, though, that will require you to do arithmetic. Without a calculator, you’ll have to be able to write out these calculations and solve them by hand. In example problem #4 above, for instance, you'd have to subtract and divide using decimal points. Although these are basic math skills, many students have likely grown used to performing these simple calculations on a calculator. As a result, you’ll want to brush up on your ability to write these operations out by hand quickly, efficiently, and with an eye for accidental mistakes. Tip 4: Show Your Work If you’ve been in any math class, you’re probably familiar with the much repeated math teacher mantra: show your work. Teachers don’t want you to seemingly pull an answer out of thin air; they want you to write out, step by step, how you worked through a problem. Not only does this demonstrate your understanding, but it also helps you catch any mistakes along the way. Just as you should write out any calculations you do, you should also write out the steps in other problems, whether you’re solving for $x$ or simplifying a multi-variable expression. Many of the No Calculator problems require multiple steps, so writing out your work will help you keep track of your thinking and avoid errors. Tip 5: Answer Hundreds of Practice Problems Answering practice problems should go hand in hand with reviewing key topics. Make sure you’re comfortable with the concepts and know when and how to apply them to realistic SAT problems. Taking timed practice tests will also help you develop your time-management skills and your ability to answer questions quickly and accurately. So where can you find all these practice problems? One place, of course, is the College Board. You can find automatically graded online practice questions and eight free official practice tests, which you can download and print out. You can also find problems of varying difficulty levels on Khan Academy, along with video explanations of the different concepts. Other options include SAT Math prep books and PrepScholar’s SAT prep program. Finally, you can use practice tests for the old SAT, as long as you make sure to adjust your focus for the current version of the SAT. (For instance, you’ll find fewer geometry problems on the SAT now but will need to add in some basic trigonometry practice.) After you answer questions and take timed tests, analyze your results. Figure out exactly why you got a question wrong and what you can do to fix your mistake next time. If you lacked core knowledge, study those concepts. If you made careless errors, work on your strategies for time management. Walk yourself through the answer explanations step by step to figure out how you can improve. By analyzing your results and using practice tests as valuable feedback for your approach to test prep, you can gear your math toward doing well on the SAT. As we draw to a close, let’s review the key features you need to know about the SAT Math No Calculator section. FAQ: If I can't use my calculator or my abacus, can I at least count on my fingers and toes? Probably, but it doesn't seem like the most efficient use of time. SAT Math No Calculator Section: Key Takeaways The Math No Calculator section is the third section on the SAT. It’s 25 minutes and consists of 20 questions: 15 multiple choice and five grid-ins. These questions cover Heart of Algebra, Passport to Advanced Math, and Additional Topics. Most questions draw on your conceptual reasoning skills. Calculations with equations and figures will be limited to basic arithmetic skills. As you prep, make sure to brush up on those arithmetic skills along with your word problem comprehension. Most importantly, you should show up to the SAT with a deep understanding of algebra, geometry, and basic trigonometry. Any prep you do for the SAT Math No Calculator section will also be helpful for the Math Calculator section. Above all, prioritize a strong grounding in the fundamental concepts that'll appear on SAT Math. As long as you do this, you won’t even miss your calculator as you work through the first SAT Math section! What’s Next? Has it been a while since you've done simple math without a calculator? Use our articles on adding and subtracting fractions, finding the average of a set of numbers, multiplication, common perfect squares, and inequalities to refresh your memory for SAT Math. For both the calculator and non-calculator sections, you may also find it helpful to go over our guides to the distributive property, completing the square, and graph quadrants, as well as our ultimate SAT Math prep guide. Do you find yourself rushing to answer all the questions on SAT Math? This guide is full of the best strategies to help you stop running out of time on SAT Math. Looking for the best books to study for the SAT? This fully updated guide discusses the best books currently available for prep for SAT Math. Are you a strong math student aiming for top scores? Check out our comprehensive guide for getting a perfect score on SAT Math, written by a full scorer. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. 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Free Essays on Search And Seizure

Search and Seizure The Fourth Amendment guarantees "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." The Founding Fathers of the constitution knew all too well how the king's soldiers and marshals had abused their power through sweeping searches of American homes before 1776 thus resulting in the creation of the Fourth Amendment. Despite the establishment of the Fourth Amendment, many years existed in which state and federal governments admitted evidence obtained through â€Å"unreasonable† search and seizures in criminal trials. The only criteria used by the judge were whether the evidence was incriminating and if it would assist in convicting the defendant. Through the years, the Supreme Court interpretation of the Fourth Amendment has changed due to the development of search and seizure law. The definition of â€Å"unreasonable† was first dealt with at the federal level in the 1914 case of Weeks v. United States. Federal law enforcement authorities accused the defendant, Freemont Weeks of using the mail for illegal purposes. After his arrest, the home in which Weeks was staying was searched without a valid search warrant. Evidence in the form of letters were found in his room and admitted in the trial. Weeks was then convicted of the federal offence based on incriminating evidence. The Supreme Court argued that evidence gathered in an illegal manner, without probable cause or without a search warrant, should be excluded from criminal trials. The exclusionary rule was adopted to prevent abuses by the police and other government officials. The logic followed that if police understand that evidence seized in a manner that violates any of the provisions of the Fourth Amendment will be excluded from court proceedings, they will less likely conduct searches withou t warrants or without probable cause. The Weeks decision only affected federal co... Free Essays on Search And Seizure Free Essays on Search And Seizure Search and Seizure The Fourth Amendment guarantees "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." The Founding Fathers of the constitution knew all too well how the king's soldiers and marshals had abused their power through sweeping searches of American homes before 1776 thus resulting in the creation of the Fourth Amendment. Despite the establishment of the Fourth Amendment, many years existed in which state and federal governments admitted evidence obtained through â€Å"unreasonable† search and seizures in criminal trials. The only criteria used by the judge were whether the evidence was incriminating and if it would assist in convicting the defendant. Through the years, the Supreme Court interpretation of the Fourth Amendment has changed due to the development of search and seizure law. The definition of â€Å"unreasonable† was first dealt with at the federal level in the 1914 case of Weeks v. United States. Federal law enforcement authorities accused the defendant, Freemont Weeks of using the mail for illegal purposes. After his arrest, the home in which Weeks was staying was searched without a valid search warrant. Evidence in the form of letters were found in his room and admitted in the trial. Weeks was then convicted of the federal offence based on incriminating evidence. The Supreme Court argued that evidence gathered in an illegal manner, without probable cause or without a search warrant, should be excluded from criminal trials. The exclusionary rule was adopted to prevent abuses by the police and other government officials. The logic followed that if police understand that evidence seized in a manner that violates any of the provisions of the Fourth Amendment will be excluded from court proceedings, they will less likely conduct searches withou t warrants or without probable cause. The Weeks decision only affected federal co...

The principle of party autonomy and the applicable law are playing Assignment

The principle of party autonomy and the applicable law are playing different but interrelated roles in international commercial arbitration. Critically evaluate this Statement - Assignment Example However, this tradition today fails to hold any weight given the numerous contradictions arising from facts. The most prominent facts arise from the European Commission law’s goal of establishing an integrated market within the European territory. The aim was to have goods move freely between member states as a way of facilitating production efficiency through allowing direct competition amongst producers in the member states. Such an economic angle totally or partially makes the private law of any nation irrelevant. In addition, a nation’s legal rule for the members are subject to internal market edification provided they belong to any branch of the summa division between public and private rules. However, the edification of an integrated European market within the European territory is contradicted by the diversity of legal systems in different nations that affect the costs of selling within their national public law rules and selling to other member states. The resul t of such alterations is conflict of laws, and with this realization, today’s scholarly writing recognize and focuses mandatory international laws absent in case laws, international conventions, and national statutes. Through mandatory international laws in resolution of conflict, there is no requirement to apply courts to any given disputes provided conflicts fall within such scope and without dictating the application of a foreign governing law. However, regardless of the emphasis on the purpose of forum rules in conflict of laws, the result is the weakening of their status due to widening opportunities for evasion by private operators. This weakened status of forum laws in conflict of laws is due to competition between legal systems that comes as a by-product of national market interconnectedness and cross-border trade liberalization and augmented function of party autonomy that accompany them (Muir-Watt & Brozolo, 2004). Consequently, the capacity of participants in

Holywood Studio System Between 1940s and 1960s Essay

Holywood Studio System Between 1940s and 1960s - Essay Example This was because there was discovery of the telescope, a cure for arthritis and even new advancements in astronomy. 2 With all these factors going so well for America; Hollywood home, one would presume that there would be greater opportunities for the studio system. However, this did not happen. 3 The main reasons were that there was a shift from cinema to television4, there was also politics involved and also other managerial and technological reasons came into play. 5 Details of these factors shall be examined below. In the wake of the country's economic boom, many people could now afford to purchase their own television sets. 6This meant that there was no need for any of them to go to the movies. By the year 1946, cinema attendance had diminished by a whooping 20 million consumers. 7 The studio that felt the highest pinch was the leader at that time; MGM. Before the decline in the Hollywood studio system, most studios were producing about eighteen billion dollars in revenue. However, after the popularisation of television, most studios were now making a mere four billion dollars. 8 There were also other political reasons that affected the Hollywood Studio system in the late forties. Prior to the decline, most studio owners or movie producers had exclusive rights to movie theatres. The five major studios in Hollywood (Fox, Warner's, Paramount, RKO and Lowe's) 9 had the ability to control distribution of their movies through these vested interests in movie theatres. However, The US Justice Department felt that that monopoly was going against the rules of free market and fair competition. 10Therefore, the Attorney General serving at that time gave a notice to the five major studios to appear in court. They were charged with conspiracy in the theatre industry. They were not supposed to control distribution as stated by the government and they were expected to let go of their vested interests in theatres During their appearances in court, top studio executives agreed to surrender their vested interests in the distribution sector and just after a short while all the big five studios gave up their rights to the movie theatres. 11Most of theses theatres were then sold to other vested interests. Consequently, studio producers had very little revenue to give their actors. Before selling away their theatres, most studios would contract actors for a period of seven years. But after the decline of theatres and studios, it was difficult to make such contracts anymore. Most studios started getting into deficits and they started closing down. 12These results came into play during the sixties. Eventually, the legacy of the Hollywood Studio system came to an end during those fateful years. Rise of independent movie producers During the 1960s more and more movie producers would choose locations that were outside Hollywood. They would prefer other countries such as England, Rome and Pinewood. Consequently, most of the equipments needed in studios were exported to the outdoors. This seriously affected the studio system as movie producers no longer considered the studio system as the norm. 13 The situation was made worse by increased competition from some independent movie producers. These movie producers were affiliated to their own movie producing companies and made the Hollywood studio system seem traditional. The