Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Enter the New Era of Education - Learning Revolution

Enter the New Era of Education - Learning Revolution The Start of the Learning Revolution A lot of countries have already accepted the fact that old formal education system, which we have been using since 1900s, has become completely obsolete in the beginning of the 21st century. As it was based on the needs of industrial era, where people were prepared to perform a certain set of functions for the invariant set of professions, now, when the rules have changed and new professions appear faster than educational system can react, that system has quickly become outdated. The new harbingers of the educational revolution that we are expecting are mobile learning, problem-based learning and open online courses. These three approaches along with other new concepts are what is supposed to change the educational system as we know it. Unfortunately, the embodiment of learning revolution is far from being realized. Both small and big educational platforms often do not give free courses. Software developers are trying hard to make ministries and government officials understand that they should give a try to the newest educational technologies and the latter dont always like this idea because it can take up to year to prepare a test run for a university or school. Thats definitely not what a revolutionary pace assumes. Indeed, if we look at official reforms, theres nothing groundbreaking that we can find there. However, if we consider the individual level, we will clearly see that it is at this level where the revolution will take place, because government cannot influence peoples demand for the new type of education. So, while politicians and officials make test runs or make assumptions about the efficiency of this or that educational tool or program, people have already started the revolution. This revolution is heralded by many innovative start-ups and people who are eager to engage in their initiatives. These start-ups are becoming more and more successful because they dont plan to change the existing educational system, theyre slowly creating a new one. While, unfortunately, the goal of many students in the formal educational system is to pass the final exams and get a degree, instead of developing certain qualities and professional competencies, the new educational start-ups are aiming to provide people with whats valued most about education actual skills and competencies. Self-learning trend is showing especially good result in language learning. Babbel, Busuu, Duolingo and other platforms have already gathered more than 140 million users who are eager to challenge conventional educational methods. And its impossible to imagine this revolution happening without the advent and development of technological marvels, which have already become indispensable parts of our l ife. Smartphones, tablets, Wikipedia, e-mails, webcams are some of the tools that made this revolution possible. Modern language learning platforms include virtual classrooms, interactive online platforms as well as crowd-sourced translation communities. Moreover, the demand for mobile learning tools is growing every year. However, foreign languages is not the only learning revolution trend. Musical, programming and brain training courses emerge every week. New solutions allow people to learn literally everywhere. Although the pace of learning revolution is relatively slow, the fire that can be seen in the eyes if its heralds makes us understand that transformation of the formal educational system is just a matter of time.

Friday, November 22, 2019

The Basic Elements of the Communication Process

The Basic Elements of the Communication Process Whenever youve had a conversation, texted a friend, or given a business presentation, you have engaged in communication. Any time two or more people get together to exchange messages, they are engaging in this basic process. Although it seems simple, communication is actually quite complex, with a number of components. Communication Process Definition The term communication process refers to the exchange of information (a message) between two or more people. For communication to succeed, both parties must be able to exchange information and understand each other. If the flow of information is blocked for some reason or the parties cannot make themselves understood, then communication fails. The Sender The communication process begins with the sender, who is also called the communicator or source. The sender has some kind of information- a command, request, question, or idea- that he or she wants to present to others. For that message to be received, the sender must first encode the message in a form that can be understood, such as by the use of a common language or industry jargon, and then transmit it. The Receiver The person to whom a message is directed is called the receiver or the interpreter. To comprehend the information from the sender, the receiver must first be able to receive the senders information and then decode or interpret it.   The Message The message or content is the information that the sender wants to relay to the receiver. Additional subtext can be conveyed through body language and tone of voice. Put all three elements together- sender, receiver, and message- and you have the communication process at its most basic. The Medium Also called the channel, the  medium  is the means by which a message is transmitted. Text messages, for example, are transmitted through the medium of cell phones.  Ã‚   Feedback The communication process reaches its final point when the message has been successfully transmitted, received, and understood. The receiver, in turn, responds to the sender, indicating comprehension. Feedback may be direct, such as a written or verbal response, or it may take the form of an act or deed in response (indirect). Other Factors The communication process isnt always so simple or smooth, of course. These elements can affect how information is transmitted, received, and interpreted: Noise: This can be any sort of interference that affects the message being sent, received, or understood. It can be as literal as static over a phone line or radio or as esoteric as misinterpreting a local custom.Context: This is  the setting and situation in which communication takes place. Like noise, context can have an impact on the successful exchange of information. It may have a physical, social, or cultural aspect to it. In a private conversation with a trusted friend, you would share more personal information or details about your weekend or vacation, for example, than in a conversation with a work colleague or in a meeting. The Communication Process in Action Brenda wants to remind her husband, Roberto, to stop by the store after work and buy milk for dinner. She forgot to ask him in the morning, so Brenda texts a reminder to Roberto. He texts back and then shows up at home with a gallon of milk under his arm. But somethings amiss: Roberto bought chocolate milk, and Brenda wanted regular milk.   In this example, the sender is Brenda. The receiver is Roberto. The medium is a text message. The code is the English language theyre using. And the message itself is Remember the milk! In this case, the feedback is both direct and indirect. Roberto texts a photo of milk at the store (direct) and then come  home with it (indirect). However, Brenda did not see the photo of the milk because the message didnt transmit (noise), and Roberto didnt think to ask what kind of milk (context).

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Mosques in America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Mosques in America - Research Paper Example However with the emergence of Christianity and Islam, the technological development, particularly in the area of transportation and distribution of ideas, people started moving around the world more intensively, settling in other countries and bringing their religion with them. As a result, the societies which used to be homogeneous in terms of ethnicity and religion now included foreign elements. At the present moment this phenomenon can be easily observed world wide. It may be necessary to narrow the analysis down to a particular religion and country to perform a detailed examination of the issue. Thus, this paper will show mosques in the United States of America feature a considerable number of peculiarities which can be explained by the relationship between this country and the Arab world. To begin with, it may be particularly important to pay attention to those who visit mosques, namely the believers. According to a recent study, it is suggested that the number of Muslims in the United States may be underestimated. Indeed, it has been pointed out that only a million and a half people who live in America are to be seen as followers of Islam; however, it was found that Eid Prayer which is one of the major holidays in the Islamic world was attended by over two and a half million people in 2011 (Bagby, 2011, p. 4). It is quite obvious that this number may not be used as a rough estimation, but it surely casts a shadow on the previous estimates. There is no doubt that during census people might not have stated their religion or did not take part in it at all. However, one should put emphasis on the fact that the presence of Muslims in the United States is surely being underestimated. This holds important implications when it comes to the number of mosques as well as their value since there more there are Muslims, the more

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

UK employment law on unfair dismissal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UK employment law on unfair dismissal - Essay Example 2006) and it is necessary to refer to the common law test for defining the status of employee. The statutory provision is bolstered by the Ready Mixed Concrete test (Ready Mixed Concrete (South East) Ltd v Minister of Pensions & National Insurance [1968] 2 QB 497), which requires an examination of the â€Å"overall picture† (Jupp, 2005) The starting point for determining whether an individual is an employee is the â€Å"control† test (Honeyball & Bowers. 2006). This was established in the case if Yewens v Noakes (1880 6 Q.B.D. 530), where Bramwell LJ asserted that â€Å"A servant is a person subject to the command of his master as to the manner in which he shall do his work† (at p.532-533). However, socio-economic developments in the labour market have changed the shape of employment status, thereby undermining the suitability of the control test as a sole determinant of employment status (Pitt, G. 2007). This was further acknowledged by the Court of Appeal in the case of Walker v Crystal Palace FC ([1910] 1 KB 87), where the control test was given a different slant by focusing on whether the employer had the right to control the background arrangements for the work such as when and where the work was done, payments and holiday entitlements. However, the Walker extension of the control test was further developed into the â€Å"integration† test as propounded by Lord Denning in the case of Stevenson Jordan and Harrison v MacDonald & Evans ([1952] 1 TLR 101) â€Å"†¦under a contract of service, a man is employed as part of the business and his work is done as an integral part of the business; whereas under a contract for services, his work, although done for the business, is not integrated into it but is only accessory to it† (at p.111). Alternatively, factors pertaining to the working arrangement between the Mandox household vis-à  -vis Bill and the nannies will also be important in determining employee status such as responsibility for tax, national

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Understanding Management Essay Example for Free

Understanding Management Essay 1. How can you prepare yourself to become an effective manager in an increasingly uncertain and global business environment? 2. Would the task environment for a cellular phone company contain the same elements as that for a government welfare agency? Discuss. 3. What do you think are the most important forces in the external environment creating uncertainty for organizations today? Do the forces you identified typically arise in the task environment or the general environment? 4. Contemporary best-selling management books often argue that customers are the most important element in the external environment. Do you agree? In what company situations might this statement be untrue? 5. Why do you think many managers are surprised by environmental changes and hence are less able to help their organizations adapt? 6. Why are interorganizational partnerships so important for today’s companies? What elements in the current environment might contribute to either an increase or decrease in interorganizational collaboration? Discuss. 7. Many companies are â€Å"going green† or adopting environmentally friendly business strategies. Clorox, for example, now offers an eco-friendly household cleaner called Green Works. How do companies benefit from going green? 8. Cultural symbols are usually noticed through sight, sound, touch, and smell. For example, Abercrombie retail stores use music, attractive models, and fragrance to communicate elements of its retail store culture. Why are symbols important to a corporate culture? 9. Both China and India are rising economic powers. How might your approach to doing business with Communist China be different from your approach to doing business with India, the world’s most populous democracy? In which country would you expect to encounter the most rules? The most bureaucracy? 10. General Electric is famous for firing the lowest-performing 10 percent of its managers each year. With its strict no-layoff policy, Valero Energy believes people need to feel secure in their jobs to perform their best. Yet both are high-performing companies. How do you account for the success of such opposite philosophies?

Thursday, November 14, 2019

War Essay -- essays research papers

The first issue to be considered is what is war and what is its definition. The student of war needs to be careful in examining definitions of war, for like any social phenomena, definitions are varied, and often the proposed definition masks a particular political or philosophical stance paraded by the author. This is as true of dictionary definitions as well as of articles on military or political history. Cicero defines war broadly as "a contention by force"; Hugo Grotius adds that "war is the state of contending parties, considered as such"; Thomas Hobbes notes that war is also an attitude: "By war is meant a state of affairs, which may exist even while its operations are not continued"; Denis Diderot comments that war is "a convulsive and violent disease of the body politic;" for Karl von Clausewitz, "war is the continuation of politics by other means", and so on. Each definition has its strengths and weaknesses, but often is the culmination of the writer's broader philosophical positions. For example, the notion that wars only involve states-as Clausewitz implies-belies a strong political theory that assumes politics can only involve states and that war is in some manner or form a reflection of political activity. 'War' defined by Webster's Dictionary is a state of open and declared, hostile armed conflict between states or nations, or a period of such conflict. This captures a particularly political-rationalistic account of war and warfare, i.e., that war needs to be explicitly declared and to be between states to be a war. We find Rousseau arguing this position: "War is constituted by a relation between things, and not between persons†¦War then is a relation, not between man and man, but between State and State†¦" (The Social Contract). The military historian, John Keegan offers a useful characterization of the political-rationalist theory of war in his A History of War. It is assumed to be an orderly affair in which states are involved, in which there are declared beginnings and expected ends, easily identifiable combatants, and high levels of obedience by subordinates. The form of rational war is narrowly defined, as distinguished by the expectation of sieges, pitched battles, skirmishes, raids, reconnaissance, patrol and outpost duties, with each possessing their own conventions. As ... ...ine war not just as a conflict between states (i.e., the rationalist position), but also a conflict between non-state peoples, non-declared actions, and highly organized, politically controlled wars as well as culturally evolved, ritualistic wars and guerrilla uprisings, that appear to have no centrally controlling body and may perhaps be described as emerging spontaneously. The political issue of defining war poses the first philosophical problem, but once that is acknowledged, a definition that captures the clash of arms, the state of mutual tension and threat of violence between groups, the authorized declaration by a sovereign body, and so on can be drawn upon to distinguish wars from riots and rebellions, collective violence from personal violence, metaphorical clashes of values from actual or threatened clashes of arms. Back to Table of Contents 2. What causes war? Various sub-disciplines have grappled with war's etiology, but each in turn, as with definitions of war, often reflects a tacit or explicit acceptance of broader philosophical issues on the nature of determinism and freedom. For example, if it is claimed that man is not free to choose his actions (strong

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Educational Principles Essay

Jean Piaget’s theories continue to have a major impact on both teacher training and classroom practices. This essay will discuss the three educational principles derived from his theory and also discuss the limitations of preoperational thought from his point of view. The first educational principle is discovery learning. In this principle, children are encouraged to discover things for themselves by interacting with the environment (Berk, 2010). Teachers provide them with things that will promote development thru their imagination and exploration. By providing a variety of materials like art supplies, books, building blocks, musical instruments and more, teachers are offering opportunities to widen their creativity and enhance their learning (Berk, 2010). Through their exploring and thinking students are taking on an active role in their learning and knowledge building. According to Castronova (n. d), â€Å"Piaget was the first to show that children were not â€Å"empty vessels† to be filled with knowledge, but active builders of knowledge. With our current access to so much on the internet and through technology, there are many more opportunities for teachers to introduce children to discovery learning. Another principle is sensitivity to children’s readiness to learn. In this theory, teachers introduce new activities that build on their current skills while challenging their incorrect ways and allowing them to practice those new skills. They do not push them before they are ready (Berk, 2010). It is ok to allow children to experiment and search out answers for themselves. Teachers should assess and identify a child’s strengths and weaknesses. This is where Piaget saw the teachers as facilitators and there to guide the students (Ginn, n. d). Children need to make mistakes and be able to learn from them. The third educational principle is the acceptance of individual differences. Piaget’s theory assumes that children develop at different rates, but in the same sequence, so teachers must plan activities for small groups and individuals (Berk, 2010). This theory’s implication is that instruction should be adapted to the development level of the learner and that the content is consistent with that level of learning (Piaget, n. . ). A child needs to be compared to their own previous level of development. The limitations of preoperational thought from Piaget’s point of view are described by him as what they can’t understand (Berk, 2010). The term preoperational suggests that he compared them to older, more competent children (Berk, 2010). One of these limitations is egocentrism. Piaget assumes that the egocentric child assumes that other people see, feel, and hear exactly the same way that they do (Berk, 2010). This is responsible for animistic thinking that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities (Berk, 2010). Children also have the inability to conserve. That is, something stays the same in quantity even though it’s appearance changes. For example, two children have identical boxes of raisins, but when child 1 spreads their raisins on the table, child 2 is convinced that they have more (Berk, 2010). Preoperational children also have the inability to reverse steps. They can’t mentally go through steps in a problem and reverse direction to the starting point (Berk, 2010). Lastly, they have difficulty with hierarchical classification. This is the inability to organize objects into classes and subclasses based on their differences and similarities (Berk, 2010). In conclusion, according to McLeod (2010), Piaget drew a number of conclusions about the limitations of preoperational thought: (1) Understanding of these situations is ‘perception bound’. Child is drawn by changes in the appearance of the materials to conclude that a change has occurred. (2) Thinking is ‘centered’ on one aspect of the situation.  Child notices change in level of water or in length of clay without noticing that other aspects of the situation have changed simultaneously. (3) Thinking is focused on states rather than on transformations. Child fails to track what has happened to the materials and simply makes an intuitive judgment based on how they appear ‘now’. (4) Thinking is ‘irreversible’ in that the child cannot appreciate that a reverse transformation would return the material to its original state. Reversibility is a crucial aspect of the logical (operational) thought of later stages.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Communication in the customer service role Essay

Section 1 – Understand methods of communication with customers 1a) Use the table below to outline at least two different customer service situations and the different methods of communication that would be needed in these situations. Situation Methods of communication 1. IT department was doing a project over summer to upgrade some older PC’s in around different departments. When Staff came back to work after break there was some complaints of no printers being connected and also lost documents The best methods of communication are in person and trying to rectify the problems straight away with written reporting to helpdesk software to avoid issues reoccurring. 2. Customer has bought an item from catalogue or internet. But when it arrives He is not happy with the quality of the item. Because he can not find returns procedure, he needs to contact the store. The customer has a choice to either write an email or call the store. Find out the returns procedure and get RMA number, also to agree how much money would be refunded. 1b) Based on the information you have provided in the table above, outline why the different situations need different methods of communication. Different situations need different methods of communication to make sure your customer knows that you care and to show empathy to the current situation and customers problems if any. You need to plan the form of communication in relation to the context, and consider different audience and purpose. 2. In relation to your current organisation (or one that you know well), complete the table below by listing at least three different examples of customer interaction and identify the most suitable communication method for each one. Customer interaction Communication method 1. Customer calls to report a problem. Because he is already on the phone, the best is to deal with the situation straight away, ask politely can customer log a job on helpdesk while you look at the issue, than call back customer with the fix. 2. Customer Logs a job on Helpdesk. Prioritise jobs on urgency, and fix them one by one, even if you can not  contact the customer make sure you update comments on each job so if customer go back to check, he can straight away know the progress. 3. Customer comes in with the problem to your office. The best is to listen to customer, tell him you will log a job together and after that go and have a look at the issue. If customer has to go back to his work in the mean time, Ring them back with un update. 3. Complete the table below by identifying at least two advantages and at least two disadvantages of each communication method. Communication method Advantages Disadvantages Face to face 1. Seen body language 2. You can demonstrate the fix 1.You can be interrupted 2. if customer decides to escalate an issue it can be humiliating In writing 1. Written communication can be kept 2. Facts can be passed on without personal adjustments 1.Letters are slower methods of communication than spoken 2. there is no guarantee customer received it Via telephone 1. Instance Response 2. No special tools required 1.you can’t see customer facial expressions 2. You may still have to write to customer afterwards 4. When responding to a customer query in writing, outline the content that could be included in a standard letter. When responding to a letter of complaint you should address all of the areas raised by the customer in their letter. As an organization you need to show the concern, and let the customer know about the commitment to good customer service. Other thing are providing the detail if what do you need to resolve the situation (information details about the complaint) You should also tell them what action has been or will be taken by the organization to resolve the situation. Let customer know that competent person will deal with the matter personally, with job title detail at the end of the letter. 5a) Explain what is meant by the term ‘active listening’. Active listening is about engaging  with the person speaking, in order to understand them. Making sure that we do not disturb in any way the person speaking, but also we appear to be listening and not do anything else in the mean time. Also we keep an Eye contact with other person, nodding or agreeing with person at appropriate moments. 5b) Why is active listening important when dealing with customers? Active listening is important when dealing with customers because it helps you to: Make sure customers feel good after they leave the conversation. Check that you’ve got all the facts, and correct any errors. Encourage further sales opportunities. Properly communicate any message. Remain calm, friendly and polite with the customer. Stay motivated to communicate with that customer in the future. Support organisational effectiveness and customer relations. 6. Use the table below to describe the standard greetings of three different organisations and how these greetings impact on customers. Organisation Standard greeting Impact on customers Charity Shop, coffee shop Face to Face What you wear has an impact – are you required to wear a uniform or badge? How you sound has an impact – it’s important to be polite. Your facial expression has an impact – do you look sullen or approachable? Do you look tidy and presentable? How’s your body language? Is it negative with folded arms, or is it positive with an open posture? Smiles and acknowledgements meet guests’ needs for attention. Call centre Telephone How you sound has a make-or-break impact! If you sound tired or disengaged, the customer will pick up on this. If you sound enthusiastic and pleasant, the customer is likely to feel more at ease. Smiling as you pick up the phone may improve how you sound. It’s important to be polite.Your appearance is not as important but your manners are – offer assistance and listen and respond where appropriate. Supermarkets Boards Impersonal, some people might not notice is. Good when there are a lot  of customers. Customers feel welcomed without being disturbed. Section 2 – Understand how to handle customer service information 1. Explain what information may be held about customers by an organisation. Organisation can hold different types of data to provide an improved personalised service. WHO – essential info like name, gender email address and telephone number, also sometimes customers address, date of birth and ethnic background. HISTORY – Information concerning a customer’s transaction history with the organisation may include when and how they bought products or used services in the past. For example, did they buy products online, by phone or in person? PREFERENCES – Information about customer likes and needs and sometimes interests is essential to an organisation trying to understand exactly why customers buy or use the product or service on offer. 2. Outline at least two examples of ways in which customer information can be kept secure and confidential. COMPUTER SECURITY – One of the ways which organisation can implement to keep customer information secure and confidential. To implement computer security organisation needs to: Implement a firewall Install Antivirus, anti spyware and anti malware Keep your software up to date with latest patches Implement folder security with access to files by job description Implement IT usage policies Implement password policies Implement Backup and secure storage for it Secure format all drives before disposing OFFICE SECURITY – Steps needed to take to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information in the office: Ensure physical security to the building Implement Data protection policies with Data protection officer Make sure all confidential documents are shredded When sending information to outside recipients double check it going to right people 3. In relation to your current organisation (or one that you are familiar with): Give at least two examples of information about the organisation that  should not be disclosed to customers. 1. Any details of and pending investigations and proceedings against college. 2. Personal data of staff and students. Explain why this information should not be disclosed to customers and the implications on the organisation if it is. 1. It could impair the effective conduct of public affairs, it could ruined the public image. 2. Personal data should never be disclosed to other customers or the general public because it’s protected by the Data Protection Act 1998. The implication is of course ICO enforcement and financial penalties. Section 3 – Understand how to work as part of a team to provide effective customer service 1. In relation to your current customer service role (or one that you are interested in doing in the future), what are the limits of this role when delivering customer service (e.g. what are you able to deal with as part of this role and what situations would you be unable to handle without assistance from others)? I am IT Services engineer, product specialist. My Job role is to develop good working network for apple hardware, but also work with other engineers to maintain current systems. Answer customer queries and fix problems. If customer hardware is broken beyond repair, the only thing I can do is tell customer to request replacement, I can not promise that we will be able to do it. If repair is out of my hands I help customer to log/ update job on helpdesk and make sure the right engineer knows its been booked for him. That helps keep customer expectations at the level we can satisfy them. 2. If you were faced with a customer query outside of your individual responsibility, what sources of help would be available to you? Identify them below. Other engineers (specialities)

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Free Essays on Humanistic Therapy

HUMANISTIC THERAPY Humanistic psychology focuses on psychological health rather than on mental illness. â€Å"Its view is optimistic, with an emphasis on the human potential. It's a healthy viewpoint. In 1942, Rollo May was stricken with tuberculosis. After eighteen months in a sanitarium in upstate New York, he decided that his attitudes and his personal will were more important to his recovery than the treatments. He entered the graduate psychology program at Columbia University in New York City, receiving his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1949 with the highest honors. In the decades that followed, May's dissertation, The Meaning of Anxiety, published in 1950, and revised in 1977, had a major influence on the development of humanistic psychology† (Crompton). Rollo May argued that culture was in an "age of anxiety" and, furthermore, that channeling his own high anxiety was a major factor in overcoming his tuberculosis. (This would be the first we’ve heard of the mind/body connection to illness in the field of psychology I believe.) May was one of the most influential American psychologists of the twentieth century. He helped to introduce European existential psychoanalysis to an American audience. He was a founder of humanistic psychology, with its focus on the individual, as opposed to the behaviorist psychology and Freudian psychoanalysis that was prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s. May's writings were both practical and spiritual and they promoted the power and worth of the individual. As such, they contributed to the development of the human potential movement. May maintained that widespread alienation and anxiety were a result of breakdown and upheaval in culture and society, rather than the result of individual psychological problems. I would add that the lack of spiritual awareness is another component of breakdown and upheaval. Maslow's thinking was surprisingly original - most psychology before him had been concerned... Free Essays on Humanistic Therapy Free Essays on Humanistic Therapy HUMANISTIC THERAPY Humanistic psychology focuses on psychological health rather than on mental illness. â€Å"Its view is optimistic, with an emphasis on the human potential. It's a healthy viewpoint. In 1942, Rollo May was stricken with tuberculosis. After eighteen months in a sanitarium in upstate New York, he decided that his attitudes and his personal will were more important to his recovery than the treatments. He entered the graduate psychology program at Columbia University in New York City, receiving his Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1949 with the highest honors. In the decades that followed, May's dissertation, The Meaning of Anxiety, published in 1950, and revised in 1977, had a major influence on the development of humanistic psychology† (Crompton). Rollo May argued that culture was in an "age of anxiety" and, furthermore, that channeling his own high anxiety was a major factor in overcoming his tuberculosis. (This would be the first we’ve heard of the mind/body connection to illness in the field of psychology I believe.) May was one of the most influential American psychologists of the twentieth century. He helped to introduce European existential psychoanalysis to an American audience. He was a founder of humanistic psychology, with its focus on the individual, as opposed to the behaviorist psychology and Freudian psychoanalysis that was prevalent in the 1940s and 1950s. May's writings were both practical and spiritual and they promoted the power and worth of the individual. As such, they contributed to the development of the human potential movement. May maintained that widespread alienation and anxiety were a result of breakdown and upheaval in culture and society, rather than the result of individual psychological problems. I would add that the lack of spiritual awareness is another component of breakdown and upheaval. Maslow's thinking was surprisingly original - most psychology before him had been concerned...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How Does SAT Essay Length Affect Your Score

How Does SAT Essay Length Affect Your Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips True or False: Since essay length is not mentioned in the SAT essay grading rubric, it doesn’t matter how much you write in your essay. Answer: True...but also false. Read on for an explanation of why and how the length of your SAT essay can affect your score. feature image credit: How long by Martin Abegglen, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped modified from original. Why Does Essay Length Matter? Why would you think that essay length even matters in the first place? As I said in the introduction, it's not as if the SAT essay rubric mentions essay length at all. Well, there's at least one good reason to think this: essay length is positively correlated with essay score. Ever since the essay was added to the SAT, current MIT research affiliate (and former director of the MIT undergraduate writing program) Les Perelman has been vocal about how the longer an essay is, the more likely it is to get a higher score. According to this 2005 New York Times article by Michael Winerip, Perelman analyzed the lengths and scores of 54 SAT-approved sample essays and found a nearly 90% correlation. The shortest essays (around 100 words) received the lowest possible score, 1 (or a combined score of 2 out of 12), while the longest essays (around 400 words), received the highest score, a 6 (or a combined score of 12 out of 12). Based on these findings, representatives of the CollegeBoard stated that they would be releasing shorter examples of higher-scoring essays. This controversy first erupted in early 2005, right after the new SAT essay was introduced. To see if there had been any changes since then, I did my own analysis of the essays in the CollegeBoard's essay scoring guide that were all written in response to the sample prompt. Take a look at what I found: Bonus graph reading practice for you in this, an article on essays. You're welcome. As you can see, as essay length (measured by word count in the graph above) increases, the score also increases. Just because longer essays tend to score better, however, doesn’t mean that you should just write the word â€Å"ideology† over and over again to fill up the page. The reason longer essays tend to score better is that students who write longer essays provide more support for their theses. If this is the essay prompt: "Is it important to question the ideas and decisions of people in positions of authority," and all you write is the following: "It's important to question authority because sometimes authority stops you from doing things you want. Like getting a pony. I want a pony. I want a pony. I want a pony. I want a pony." for two pages, you'll still get a 0. Maybe a 1, if the grader is feeling generous and thinks that you made some attempt to write about the issue discussed in a prompt. For more on the thought process of essay grading, read our article about insights from real SAT essay graders. Similarly, if you try to drag out one example by writing larger than usual and restating the same facts and information over and over again, it won't automatically get you a higher score. In fact, you may lose points if either of your essay's graders think that your repeating of information leads to lack of coherence in your writing. In any case, unless you have extremely small handwriting, it’s very difficult to write an essay that presents a thesis and supports it with at least two specific examples in less than one page. Bad hair day by Brian Snelson, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Seriously, though. Look at that face. Wouldn't you want a pony? So How Long Should Your Essay Be? Many factors go into determining essay length, which makes it difficult to give a blanket length recommendation. Here are the most important factors when it comes to length of your SAT essay: Vocabulary. Often, the more advanced vocab you use, the fewer words you’ll need to get the job done, which might result in a shorter essay. Handwriting size. Students with larger handwriting will naturally take up more space on the page than students with smaller handwriting. This doesn't necessarily mean students with larger handwriting have an advantage, however; in fact, students with larger handwriting tend to run into the issue of having filled two pages and not finished saying everything they needed or wanted to say. How fast you can write and think. If you need to take longer to plan out your essay, you might end up writing a shorter essay, simply because you don't have as much time to write. That doesn't necessarily mean that you'll do worse on the essay - since an organized essay with strong specific examples will score better than a disorganized one without specific examples - but it does mean that you might end up with less time to write out your ideas. How much time you leave yourself to write (vs. how much time you take to plan). This is something you need to figure out for yourself through practice and observation. Over the years, I've realized that I can write fairly quickly, which means that it's okay if I take a little more time to plan out my essay - I'll still be able to fill up those two pages. On the other hand, if you find that you're a slow writer, you might not be able to write enough unless you get very fast at planning your essay. In general, assuming about 150 words per handwritten page, you need to write at least a page and a half (1.5 pages) to get a 3 or above on your essay (or a combined score of 6 or above). You'll need at least that much space to say what you need to say and support it clearly with concrete examples. What’s Next? Want to find out more about how to write a good SAT essay? Watch us write a top-scoring essay step-by-step, then check out our tips on how to write a long SAT essay as well as our more general SAT essay tips. Discover the secrets to getting a perfect 12 on your SAT essay here. What if you're planning on taking the new SAT? Read our breakdown of the new SAT essay here. Want to get serious about improving your SAT score? We have the leading online SAT prep program that will raise your score by 160+ points, guaranteed. Exclusive to our program, we have an expert SAT instructor grade each of your SAT essays and give you customized feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial and sign up for free:

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Risk Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Risk Management - Case Study Example The first concern area is the president and founder decision to hand shareholding to family members. This may be seen as a measure to safeguard the company’s interests and those of the main shareholders, it also poses significant threat as it limits the company’s access to additional capital, the assumption here being that any amounts that the company may have at the time are already committed to improving the business. Another eminent risk is the exposure of the company’s assets; as presented in the case, the company’s total assets are valued at 52.6 million dollars. In case these assets are destroyed by any type of occurrence, it would cost the company about $73.5 million to replace them. It is definite that such loss would also translate to a loss of significant information stored in the equipment. Other costs that the company should consider is through disruption - in any case, that there is such an eventuality the company’s operations will defi nitely be disrupted. The entire period of disruption represents a significant loss of company revenue. Yet another major point of concern is the company’s revenue. The case indicates that the company’s revenue has been on the rise for the past two years and dipped in the third year by a significant amount - 15 million. A quarter of this revenue is generated by a single employee, which implies that the firm is overly reliant on a single or a few individuals. This implies redundancy as well as inefficiency which are significant risks. The greatest risk in this case is the fact that if this individual leaves the company, then this hugely affects the company’s revenue stream (Hamilton, 2004). This will definitely have a spiral effect as the company operations rely on the revenue generated by its activities. The last significant threat to the company is loss of market share. The case indicates that the firm