The Great Gatsby - Male And Female Interactions Essays -

The Great Gatsby - Male and Female Interactions Through the interactions between male and female characters, Fitzgerald depicts a variety of social expectations regarding "typical" male behavior in the 1920's. In the novel The Great Gatsby, characters such as Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby, George Wilson and Nick Carraway demonstrate behavior that acts to maintain and live up to expectations inherent in society. Through their controlling ways, these characters strive to define the "typical" man in the 1920's. The notion that a man's success can be measured by his possessions becomes evident through the actions of Tom, Gatsby and Wilson. These characters strive to obtain more than just material possessions. For example, Tom seems to view the women in his life as mere possessions, a sign of his success and wealth. His attitude and interactions with Daisy, his wife, and Myrtle, his mistress, demonstrate this. Through out the story, Tom does not show respect or genuine caring for either woman. Rather, he commits open adultery with Myrtle. Tom makes this affair public because it is just another way of showing-off, another of his possessions and thus boosting his ego. Tom does this without regard for the shame his affairs may bring onto his wife. Daisy comes to represent a treasured and sought possession for both Tom and Gatsby. Although on the surface it appears that Gatsby has an ever-lasting love for Daisy, I feel that his longing for Daisy stems from his need to recapture a possession which he lost during his youth. Nick comments "He talked a lot about the past and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy" (117). Furthermore by possessing Daisy's love, Gatsby can reject defeat and feel successful as a man. In the novel, Gatsby goes as far as to view the green light as a symbolic way of holding onto his possession and keeping Daisy in some way close to him. After obtaining his dream of being reunited with Daisy, the green light begins to lose its symbolic strength. "Now it was again a green light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one" (98). Now that the realization of his dream has begun, Gatsby needs to feel a greater sense of possession or control over Daisy. He may feel the need to obtain another enchanted object to replace the loss of the symbolic meaning of the light. Now the only enchanted object which he is left to obtain is Daisy's complete and everlasting. Likewise, Tom refuses to forfeit Daisy to another man or even believe that she could love another. Tom states "But all the rest is a God damnened lie. Daisy loved me when she married me and she loves me now." (138). If Tom were to give up Daisy to another man, this would surely be a sign of defeat and failure like losing a football or polo trophy. Instead of admitting defeat, Tom rationalizes Daisy's behavior by demeaning her will. For example, he states "The trouble is that sometimes she gets foolish ideas in her head and doesn't know what she's doing" (138). Another social expectation of "typical" male behavior in the 1920's depicted in The Great Gatsby is the notion that a "real" man should be in control of the woman in his life at all times. This notion is exemplified through the struggling relationship between George and Myrtle Wilson. Although Fitzgerald describes George as "one of these worn-out men...He was his wife's man and not his own." (144), a need for control takes over George when he discovers his wife had "some sort of life apart from him in another world." (131) with perhaps another man. To gain control over this situation and thus live up to the social expectation, George takes drastic measures. He states "I've got my wife locked up in there. She's going to stay up there till the day after tomorrow and then we 're going to move away." (143). Through his actions, George forces his will on his wife and strives to maintain control over his possession, his wife. In addition, Tom demonstrates control over Myrtle when the issue of whether she has the right to

“THE CELTS WERE A BARBARIC AND PRIMITIVE PEOPLE.” TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE

â€Å"THE CELTS WERE A BARBARIC AND PRIMITIVE PEOPLE.† TO WHAT EXTENT DO YOU AGREE essay on celts - gEORGIA WEBB"The celts were a barbaric and primitive people." to what extent do you agreeIn Iron Age and Medieval Europe, there were a group of tribal societies called the Celts that spread all across Europe. The Celts were believed to be semi-nomadic, moving all around Europe. Recent tells us that they were essentially located in central Europe and then migrated. More recent news, archaeological studies are now telling us that the Celts were in Europe from 1000 BC, occupying Eastern and Western Europe. The Celts spoke Celtic languages and with their own unique culture. The Celts were believed to be barbaric and primitive people, but why?It is to be believed that The Celts were "barbaric but this is only in the eyes of the Romans. Romans believed that every non-roman were "barbarians". The Celts did produce a flourishing culture that has impacted the entire world, complete with art, jewellery, and religion and housing.Overview map of the Hallstatt (yellow) and La Tà ¨n...One time in history, they were the dominant people of Europe. The Celts never being on single nation, but because of their lack of union, they were ultimately overawed by the Roman Empire. Its well known that the Celts were terrifying in battle to the opposition.Sacrifice was an initial part of Celts spiritual life and culture. Gifts of weapons, jewellery, art and even the blood of animals and humans were given to the gods in thanks to what they gave back to the Celts. They worshipped gods such as Dea Matres, Sulis, Epona and Sucellos and According to ancient sources, in honour of their gods they began to practise human sacrifices. An ancient source, Caesar tells us what the Celtics did once they won a battle. "When they have determined on a decisive battle, they dedicate as...

What Sections Are on the ACT All 4 Test Sections, Explained

What Sections Are on the ACT All 4 Test Sections, Explained SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re not sure what sections are on the ACT, we can help! In this guide to ACT sections, we’ll give you a quick summary of all the sections of the test. Then, we’ll take a closer look at each section. Finally, we’ll discuss which ACT test sections- and scores- are most important for you. ACT Sections: Quick Overview There are four sections on the ACT, and they are always offered in the same order: English, Math, Reading, and Science. If you take the ACT with Writing, the Writing section will be last. Every section is scored out of 36 points, except for Writing, which is scored out of 12 points. The longest section in terms of number of questions is English, with 75 questions. The longest section time-wise is Math, at 60 minutes. Reading and Science both give you 40 questions to answer in 35 minutes. Here’s a chart with a quick breakdown of the questions and time for each of the sections of the ACT: Section # of Questions Time Time/Question English 75 45 mins 36 seconds Math 60 60 mins 1 min Reading 40 35 mins 52.5 seconds Science 40 35 mins 52.5 seconds Writing (optional) 1 essay 40 mins 40 mins Total (without Writing) 215 2 hr 55 min (not counting breaks) - Total (with Writing) 216 3 hr 35 min (not counting breaks) - In the following sections, we’ll take a closer look at each of the sections of the ACT, in the order they appear on the test. We’ll discuss what’s tested, what question types you’ll encounter, and the most important tips for that section. Are you ready for your close up (look at ACT sections)? ACT Section 1: English The ACT English section has five passages with accompanying four-choice multiple-choice questions. In the ACT English section, you’re the editor: you’ll be looking at a passage and making sure that the grammar and punctuation are correct and that the passage is well-organized and rhetorically sound. The ACT English section tests two broad skill areas. First, it tests your knowledge of usage and mechanics- grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and so on. Basically, do you know the rules of the English language and can you implement them correctly? The second broad skill area is rhetorical skills- your big-picture ability to make sure that a passage of writing flows, makes sense, and effectively communicates a point. You’ll receive a subscore for both usage and mechanics and rhetorical skills when you get your ACT scores back. Question Types Between the two broad skill areas of usage/mechanics and rhetorical skills, there are six question types on the ACT English section: Usage and Mechanics Punctuation (10-15% of test, 7-12 questions): These questions test your knowledge of the rules of proper use of periods, commas, apostrophes, dashes, colons, and semicolons. Grammar and usage (15-20% of test, 12-15 questions): These questions test your knowledge of grammar rules associated with subject-verb agreement, pronoun use, modifiers, verb forms, comparatives, superlatives, and some idioms. (Refer to our complete ACT grammar guide for more specifics). Sentence structure (20-25% of test, 15-19 questions): On these questions, you’ll be tested on your understanding of the correct relationship between clauses. You’ll have to correctly link clauses to make clear, correct sentences (not fragments or run-ons)! Rhetorical Skills Strategy (15-20% of test, 12-15 questions): Strategy questions target your ability to build the clearest possible argument. You’ll be asked if the author should add or delete particular material and then need to choose the answer that justifies your decision. Consider if the material in question strengthens the passage or if it’s confusing or irrelevant. Organization (10-15% of test, 7-12 questions): Organization questions test your ability to build appropriate introduction and closing sentences for paragraphs and to choose the best transitions. Basically, are you able to create a passage with clear structural signposts throughout? Style (15-20% of test, 12-15 questions): On these questions, you’ll be tasked with choosing the best words, phrases, and images to go with the passage’s tone. You’ll also need to correct sentences for excessive wordiness and redundancy. Style: it's not just for your closet. Most Important English Section Tips To get a solid score on the English section of the ACT, follow these tips! Develop a Passage Strategy Because the questions on the English test are integrated with the passage, it’s critical that you develop a solid, consistent passage strategy. We recommend the graf-by-graf approach. In this approach, you’ll skim an entire paragraph, then go back and answer all of the questions associated with that paragraph. This gives you enough context to answer the questions while still being efficient. But figure out what works best for you! Learn Essential Grammar Rules While there is an array of grammar rules that will be tested on the ACT English section, there are a few rules that the test likes to ask you about over and over again. These include rules about forming correct sentences and using proper punctuation, especially commas. Learning the most important rules inside out will take you successfully through a sizable chunk of the test! Don’t Be Afraid to Pick â€Å"No Change† Students are often afraid to pick â€Å"no change† because it seems like it’s a trick or too easy. But don’t avoid â€Å"No Change†! Sometimes the sentence really is fine how it is. In fact, if you aren’t sure of the answer, â€Å"No Change† may be your best bet for guessing! Change? I haven't got any. ACT Section2 : Math There are six main content areas tested on ACT math: Pre-Algebra, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, Coordinate Geometry, Plane Geometry, and Trigonometry. Here’s a breakdown of the topics you can expect to see in each content area: Pre-Algebra: (20-25% of test, 12-15 questions) Basic operations (think PEMDAS) Place value Calculating square roots and exponents Scientific notation Factors Ratios, proportions, and percents Linear equations with one variable Absolute value and number order Basic counting techniques and simply probability Data collection, representation, and interpretation; simple descriptive statistics Elementary Algebra: (15-20% of test, 9-12 questions) Properties of square roots and exponents Solving algebraic expressions through substitution Using variables to express relationships Understanding basic algebraic operations Solving quadratic equations by factoring Intermediate Algebra: (15-20% of test, 9-12 questions) The quadratic formula Rational and radical expressions Absolute value equations and inequalities Sequences and patterns Systems of equations Quadratic inequalities Modeling functions Matrices Roots of polynomials Complex numbers Coordinate Geometry: (15-20% of test, 9-12 questions) Graphing equations, including lines, polynomials, circles, and other curves Graphing inequalities Properties of lines, including slope and parallel and perpendicular lines Distance and midpoints Conics (parabolas, circles, ellipses, and hyperbolas) Plane Geometry: (20-25% of test, 12-15 questions) Properties and relations of plane figures, including angles and relations among perpendicular and parallel lines Properties of circles, triangles, rectangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids Transformations Proofs and proof techniques Simple applications of plane geometry to three dimensions, including volume Trigonometry: (5-10% of test, 3-6 questions) Right triangles Trigonometric functions: their values and properties, graphing, modeling Trigonometric identities Solving trigonometric equations Is this the right triangle or the wrong one? Question Types The questions on the ACT math section are all five-choice multiple choice questions. We covered the topics you can expect to see in the questions above. Some of these questions will be presented as word problems, and others as pretty straightforward math problems. Some will have figures, graphs, or charts. You can check out practice ACT math questions here to get a feel for the question styles. You should also be aware that the questions are loosely ordered by difficulty and content. Roughly the first 1-20 questions will be â€Å"easy,† questions 21-40 will be â€Å"medium† difficulty, and questions 41-60 will be â€Å"hard.† Of course, whether you experience a particular question as easy or difficult depends partly on your own comfort level with different concepts. But in general, more complex questions that take more time to solve come later in the test. Questions are also loosely arranged by subject matter. The first half of the test (questions 1-30) will have more algebra and pre-algebra questions, and the second half of the test will have more geometry and trigonometry. Most Important ACT Math Section Tips Here are 3 ACT Math section tips! Learn Critical Formulas The ACT doesn’t give you any formulas for the math section, so you’ll need to memorize any you’ll need to use. We have a guide to the most important ACT formulas here, as well as advice on the best way to practice and use formulas for ACT success. Bring an Allowed Calculator While you technically don’t have to have a calculator to solve any of the questions on the math ACT section, having one will make your problem solving much more efficient! But only some calculators are allowed on test day, so be sure to use one that’s permitted! It’s best if you’re familiar with that calculator, too, so try to practice with the calculator you are going to use on test day. Work on Time Management With 60 questions to solve in 60 minutes, one of the most challenging things on the ACT math section is time management. There are a number of strategies you can use to help improve your time management skills on this section, but here are some general principles: All questions are worth the same amount of points, so focus on faster and simpler questions first to maximize points. Don’t sink too much time into any one question. If you aren’t going for a super-high score, it may be better to focus more energy on fewer questions. You’ll feel less of a time crunch that way. Crunch is a good thing for your chips and a bad thing for your time. ACT Section 3: Reading ACT Reading presents you with passages and then asks you multiple choice questions that test your reading comprehension skills. Can you correctly understand and interpret passages on a variety of subjects? Can you interpret the meaning both of small details and major theme in a passage? Can you analyze author’s purpose and tone? These are kinds of skills that ACT Reading assesses. The actual test will present you with four subsections. Three subsections will have longer passages, while one subsection will have two paired passages. The subsections will come from four different subject areas and they always appear in the same order: Prose fiction/literary narrative: The kind of fiction passages you’re probably encountering all the time in English class. Also includes passages from literary memoirs. Social science: Nonfiction passages on soft sciences areas, like psychology, sociology, and education. Humanities: This is a broad topic area that includes both personal nonfiction pieces like essays and memoirs and also nonfiction pieces on the arts, literature, and philosophy. Natural science: Nonfiction passages about hard sciences topics like biology, chemistry, physics, and medicine. Any of the four topic areas could contain the paired passages, although it seems like literary fiction and humanities are the most frequent areas where you’ll see the paired passages. Quite a pair. Question Types There are five main types of multiple-choice questions that you’ll see on ACT reading. Big Picture Questions (about 10% of test; approximately 4 questions) Big picture questions ask you a question about the passage overall: the passage’s main theme or the author or narrator’s overall perspective. In general, you’ll be asked one big-picture question about each passage/passage set. Detail Questions (about38% of test; approximately 15 questions) Detail questions (also sometimes called â€Å"little picture† questions) ask you for straightforward information about a small detail in the passage. These questions are typically the easiest on this ACT test section, because they are literal questions and you can find the answer directly in the passage! Detail questions typically make up the largest proportion of the ACT Reading section. Vocab in Context (about10% of test, approximately 4 questions) These questions ask about the meaning of a word in the context of a passage. Typically, you’ll need to pick a synonym for a given word that still makes sense within the context of the sentence. Development and Function (about 22% of test, approximately 9 questions) Development and function questions test your rhetorical analysis skills. They’ll ask about the function of a particular phrase or paragraph within the passage, how the argument in the passage is developed and advanced, or how the passage is structured. Inference (about20% of test, approximately 8 questions) Inference questions ask you to make a logical conclusion about something based on the information available in the passage. Don’t be fooled into thinking these questions are subjective- the correct answer will always be supported by evidence directly in the passage! Investigate the passage. Find the evidence. Solve the potato murder! Most Important Reading Section Tips These tips will help you sail to success on the Reading section of the ACT. Passage Evidence Students often get tripped up on this section by questions that seem subjective at first glance. But remember this: all questions have one right answer, and that answer will always be supported by evidence from the passage. Don’t be tripped up by answers that seem like they could be right because they aren’t directly contradicted by the passage- only pick an answer if you are confident that the actual content of the passage supports it. Develop Passage Strategy Developing an effective approach to the passages on ACT reading helps you manage time and more easily find the correct answers to questions. Some people like to skim the passage first and others prefer to glance over the questions first. Both of these strategies can work fine. However, we don’t recommend closely and thoroughly reading the passage on your first pass. You won’t need every detail of the passage to answer the questions, so reading too closely is a waste of precious time. Hone your strategy. Rule ACT Reading. ACT Section 4: Science What’s tested: In spite of what you may think, the Science ACT test section tests your scientific interpretation skills more than your pre-existing scientific factual knowledge. It involves more reading- of passages, charts, and graphs- than anything else! Using the information in the passages, you’ll need to apply the scientific method, evaluate theories or hypotheses, and interpret data. There are seven â€Å"passages† on this ACT section. I put â€Å"passages† in quotes because not all of them will just be straightforward written material. You can expect to see three passages summarizing research and experiments (which may or may not include graphs and figures), three passages primarily made up of graphs and figures, and one paired passage set describing conflicting viewpoints on an issue. You can expect about 5-7 questions about each passage. Question Types There are eight question types split among the three passage types on the ACT science section. They are all four-choice multiple choice questions. Research Summary Passages There are three question types you can expect to see on research summary passages, related to designing and interpreting experiments. Experimental Design and Description: These questions ask you about how and why the researcher designed the experiment the way that they did. (For example: â€Å"In experiment 2, which solution was the titrant and which solution was the sample solution?). Many of these questions are simple reading comprehension questions that just require you to find the relevant information in the passage. Some of these questions ask you to choose the figure that best describes the experimental results. Hypothetical Experiment: These questions ask you to predict what would happen if one of the described experiments was changed somehow. Interpreting Experiments: These questions ask you if a certain scientific claim is supported by the results of the described experiments, and why. There will be two â€Å"no† answers and two â€Å"yes† answers, with different justifications. So you need to choose both if the conclusion is supported or not supported and why correctly. Data Representation Passages There are another three question types you’ll encounter on data representation passages, related to reading, interpreting, and working with data. Factual Questions: These data representation questions just ask you to identify factual information presented in the graph/chart/table/etc. They essentially test your ability to read different types of data representations. Identifying Trends: On these questions, you’ll need to read the graph or chart more holistically to identify if there’s a trend or relationship between two factors. Does the graph or chart show one thing increasing while another decreases? Do they both increase or decrease together? Extrapolations: These questions ask you to make a prediction based on what is shown in the graph or chart. Conflicting Viewpoints Passages Finally, there are two question types you’ll see on conflicting viewpoints passages. These are essentially reading comprehension questions based on descriptions of different perspectives on scientific issues. Understanding Viewpoints: These questions check your comprehension of one of the author’s points of view. No synthesis of the two viewpoints is required. Comparing Viewpoints: These Science section questions will ask you to identify similarities and differences between the two viewpoints. I wish all this science could be this delicious. Most ImportantTips Here are two tips to help you make the most out of the Science section! Hone in on the Information You Need Science passages often give you way more information than you’ll actually need to answer the questions. So instead of trying to absorb every factoid from the passage, it’s better to hone in on the information you actually need to answer each question. You can develop your own strategy for doing this, but you might try quickly skimming the passage for the main ideas first and then looking back more closely for the information you need to answer each question. Save the Paired Passage for Last Answering the questions for the paired passages will almost always take the longest, because you’ll likely need to read the passages more closely to be able to accurately compare them. Because all questions are worth the same amount of points, it make sense to leave the section that will take the longest for last. So skip the paired section when you come to it and circle back around at the end of the section so you don’t waste time you could spend on faster questions. If only the paired passages were as beautiful and soothing as this pair of swans. Optional ACT Section: Writing ACT Writing tests your ability to write a clear, well-argued essay that analyzes an issue in relation to different viewpoints- all in a limited 40-minute time period! You’ll then be evaluated along four domains and given a score from 1-6 by two graders, leading to a score out of 12. If all that sounds like a tall order, well, it is a lot to take in. We’ll break down what you need to do in this overview. The Topic and Prompt On the ACT Writing section, you’ll first be presented with the topic. This will consist of two parts. First, you’ll get a paragraph introducing an issue of some global or universal importance. It will most likely be something that’s primarily philosophical in nature and it will be something that can be argued from multiple angles. For example, the sample topic below is about the implications of â€Å"intelligent machines† for human society. After the initial introductory paragraph, you’ll be presented with three positions on the topic. The positions will be a little bit more nuanced that just â€Å"this thing is good† or â€Å"this thing is bad,† but they are only a couple of sentences each. Then comes the actual prompt, which is always the same and describes the task you need to complete with the topic information. So what’s the actual task? You will need to write an essay that clearly states your perspective on the issue, analyzes the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective, and supports your own position with well-developed, logical support. You can choose to completely agree with one perspective, partially agree, or make your own different perspective. Here is a sample topic (Intelligent Machines) and prompt from the ACT’s website. Intelligent Machines Many of the goods and services we depend on daily are now supplied by intelligent, automated machines rather than human beings. Robots build cars and other goods on assembly lines, where once there were human workers. Many of our phone conversations are now conducted not with people but with sophisticated technologies. We can now buy goods at a variety of stores without the help of a human cashier. Automation is generally seen as a sign of progress, but what is lost when we replace humans with machines? Given the accelerating variety and prevalence of intelligent machines, it is worth examining the implications and meaning of their presence in our lives. Perspective One Perspective Two Perspective Three What we lose with the replacement of people by machines is some part of our own humanity. Even our mundane daily encounters no longer require from us basic courtesy, respect, and tolerance for other people. Machines are good at low-skill, repetitive jobs, and at high-speed, extremely precise jobs. In both cases they work better than humans. This efficiency leads to a more prosperous and progressive world for everyone. Intelligent machines challenge our long-standing ideas about what humans are or can be. This is good because it pushes both humans and machines toward new, unimagined possibilities. Write a unified, coherent essay about the increasing presence of intelligent machines. In your essay, be sure to clearly state your own perspective on the issue and analyze the relationship between your perspective and at least one other perspective develop and support your ideas with reasoning and examples organize your ideas clearly and logically communicate your ideas effectively in standard written English Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. HowWill Your Essay Be Assessed? There are four domains in which ACT graders will be assessing your essay: Ideas and analysis: This domain refers to how well you discussed perspectives on the essay topic, including your own. A clear thesis is critical for this domain. Development and support: How well did you develop your thesis? How well-argued was your position? This domain assesses how you presented evidence in support of your perspective. Organization: This domain scores the organizational structure of your paper. Do your paragraphs come in a logical order? Do each of your paragraphs make a clear, well supported point with a topic and concluding sentence? Language use: Scores for this domain reflect your deployment of standard written English. Two different graders will give you a score from 1-6 in each domain, for a score out of 12 in each domain. These 4 domain scores will then be averaged for your total essay score out of 12. For a complete breakdown of scoring on this ACT test section, check out our guide to the ACT essay rubric. Not how your scores are assessed. Most Important Tips for ACT Writing Here are two tips for ACT Writing success. Become Familiar with the Rubric If you want to do well on the ACT Writing section, it stands to reason that you should have a good idea of what the graders will be looking for. So you should become familiar with the rubric for the Writing section. Seeing what makes for a solid score of 5-6 in each domain will help you deliver it! Choose One of the Three Perspectives While you can create your own perspective to argue in your thesis, it’s more efficient to simply choose one of the perspectives offered with the prompt to argue in support of. (You could also blend two perspectives). This will save you time in coming up with a new, unique argument, and make it simpler to analyze the relationship between your perspective and the other perspectives. When choosing between the three perspectives, pick the one you think you can support the best. Tip #3: Sharpen those pencils! Which ACT Sections Are Most Important? You may be wondering if your scores on some ACT test sections are more important than others. While this depends somewhat on you, in general, what’s generally going to be most important is your composite score. This is what colleges are typically most interested in. However, some research suggests that the English and Math ACT sections have the most predictive power for your performance in college. So some colleges may place comparatively more weight on English and Math than on Reading and Science. You’ll note that your Writing section score is not included in your composite score. You will probably not be surprised to learn, then, that the writing section score is the least important part of your ACT score. This doesn’t mean you should totally bomb it; if schools are requesting it you should still put in your best effort. But you probably don’t need to retake the entire test to raise up your 8/12 if you’re happy with your composite score. With that said, even though composite score is the most critical thing, having a higher score in your area of interest is definitely not a bad thing. So if your composite score is a 31 but you got a 34 on math and you’re applying to engineering, that 34 will matter to admissions officers. Similarly, it may set off red flags if your score in your area of interest is considerably lower than your other scores. (It’s one thing if it’s a 27 and all your other scores are 28s, it’s another if it’s a 27 and all your other scores are 33s). Sadly, ACT, Inc. won't send you a certificate of "Epic Win" if you get a good score. Key Takeaways: ACT Sections There are four required ACT test sections and one optional one. The sections of the ACT appear in the same order, as laid out below: ACT English tests your command of written English grammar and rhetoric. You’ll have 45 minutes to answer 75 4-choice multiple choice questions. ACT Math tests your math skills in pre-algebra, elementary algebra, intermediate algebra, coordinate geometry, plane geometry, and trigonometry. You’ll have 60 minutes to answer 60 5-choice multiple choice questions. ACT Reading tests your reading comprehension skills. You’ll have 35 minutes to answer 40 4-choice multiple choice questions. ACT Science tests your ability to read and interpret scientific information and your knowledge of the scientific method. You’ll have 35 minutes to answer 40 4-choice multiple choice questions. ACT Writingtests your ability to analyze an issue and argue in support of a position. You’ll have 40 minutes to complete an essay. This section is optional. What's Next? Looking for more information on the ACT? We can help you prepare for the test, figure out what ACT score you need, andwhat to expect on test day! If you want test practice, see our massive compilation of online practice testsand a compendium of all of our ACT guides and explainers. Trying to decide if you need to take the SAT and the ACT? We can help. We can also help you decide if you need to take the ACT with Writing. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial:

The Dimensions of the Self Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Dimensions of the Self - Essay Example To summarize my identity is not easy, but in essence, I am a Middle-Eastern, male, middle-class Muslim, Emirati, young adult, who supports racial equality and enjoys talking about politics, business, society, and food. When asked about my ethnicity, I see myself as a national of the UAE, an Emirati. Some people find their ethnicity very important in distinguishing themselves from others in their own country, but I do not feel that way. Some non-UAE people might see me immediately as Arabic or Middle Eastern, but those descriptions are too vague for me. I dislike it when they stereotype me as a sexist because they think all Arabs are anti-women. This is not true because I believe that men and women are created equal in the eyes of God. Most of all, I see myself as an Emirati. Emiratis are known for their hospitality. In my family, we feel honored when we receive guests and socialize with our relatives and friends. In our house, it is common to have visitors dropping by. Family relativ es drop unannounced frequently because my mother is such as a gracious host and a good friend to them. Sometimes, this is good because we are updated about the events about the clan. Their presence can be very refreshing, as they bring their stories and humor to us. Other times, I feel no privacy. My family can be very intrusive at times, but I know this is because they want the best life for me. When our guests are in the house, we enjoy time with them, while drinking coffee or tea and eating sandwiches and fresh dates. My mother is a fantastic cook and baker, so she would invite them to lunch or dinner too. They love my mother’s Al Majboos (beef or chicken recipe) and Al Khabeesah (dessert), as well as her gourmet sandwiches. Maybe they come more for my mother’s great dishes. Though the banter can be so noisy, at the same time, they seem to be so peaceful. These are the voices of my blood and they are my soul too. My ethnicity affects me because it is the basis of my culture. My elders teach me what is right and wrong- the right clothes, the right attitudes at the right places and with the right people, and the right words to say to men, women, and children. They say this because it is Emirati and it is Muslim. They are the sources of our norms. To some people, our norms, especially for women, are very restrictive. But I believe that some conservative values protect men and women alike. As long as women can still access the same quality of life as men, conservative attitudes are not wrong. My age group is a young adult and that affects me as a person too because I am expected to make mature decisions as a student and as a man and to be prepared for family life. Right now, I have the privilege of the youth. My parents are lenient with my activities, as long as I have good grades in school and remain focused on my studies. Of course, they also want me to be a dedicated Muslim, wherever I may be. In addition, my age is the time when people prepare them for arranged marriages. My family still practices arranged marriages, but they do not force their children and relatives to marry strangers nowadays. They are not concerned with how much they will get for these marriages, but they want me to marry an Emirati as well.

Public Park Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Park - Essay Example It can be used for different types of activities depending on its character. In Cities Mostly public parks are located where children can play and adults can relaxed. So Topic of discussion is Public Park. A Public park is an area of open space provided for recreational use, usually owned and maintained by a local government. Parks commonly resemble savannas or open woodlands, the types of landscape that human beings find most relaxing. Grass is typically kept short to discourage insect pests and to allow for the enjoyment of picnics and sporting activities. Trees are chosen for their beauty and to provide shade. Fig. A Shows graph with negative slope means no of parks decreased with increasing time, Fig. B Shows graph with slope positive slope i.e. no of trees increased with increasing time and Fig. C Shows graph with 0 slope i.e. no change in no of parks with respect to time. To analyze all situations, benefits and risk factor of park should be kept in mind. There always were good reasons for bounding space and there always will be. The ancient reasons for imparking land were both domestic and religious. Unfortunately, The strife, the stress and tension of modern life have made people immune to the beauties of nature. Their life is so full of care that they have no time to stand and stare. They can't enjoy beauty of flowing rivers, swaying trees, flying birds and majestic mountains and hills. Modern parks can have a variety of human-oriented themes. Children can have fun and enjoyment by playing different games. In dense areas, parks are only place where adults can refresh and feel relaxed. Parks can be used for picnics also. Trees play an important role in purifying the air around us. Pollution free atmosphere is very much required for health. On the other hand Safety is in danger due to parks. Anybody can enter park, so by security Point of View, Parks can be dangerous. Visits of people results in wastage and dirty space. If Parks are not maintained properly, insects and other risk increases in that area, which can harm surrounding people. Again noise created disturbs people staying around. In modern cities loose agglomeration of express roads, semi-isolated buildings, free car parking and sprawling urbanization is required. What modern consumer wants are safety, comfort, and convenience. Accessibility for the rich, inaccessibility for the poor. The high walls of modern cities are time and distance. Within these walls, there is no public open space, which bothers the professionals. Conclusion Cities need both. But the two should never be confused. Some of the land should be properly imparked, to make it safe and to make it special. The remainder should be properly

Strategic Management Essay Example for Free

Strategic Management Essay Unilever is one of the world’s oldest multinational companies. Its origin goes back to the 19th century when a group of companies operating independently, produced soaps and margarine. In 1930, the companies merged to form Unilever that diversified into food products in 1940s. Through the next five decades, it emerged as a major fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) multinational operating in several businesses. In 2004, the Unilever 2010 strategic plan was put into action with the mission to ‘bring vitality to life’ and ‘to meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good, and get more out of life’. The corporate strategy is of focusing on bore businesses of food, home care and personal care. Unilever operates in more than 100 countries, has a turnover of â‚ ¬ 39.6 billion and net profit of â‚ ¬ 3.685 billion in 2006 and derives 41 per cent of its income from the developing and emerging economies around the world. It has 179,000 employees and is a culturally-diverse organisation with its top management coming from 24 nations. Internationalisation is based on the principle of local roots with global scale aimed at becoming a ‘multi-local multinational’. The genesis of Hindustan Unilever (HUL) in India, goes back to 1888 when Unilever exported Sunlight soap to India. Three Indian, subsidiaries came into existence in the period 1931-1935 that merged to form Hindustan Lever in 1956. Mergers and acquisitions of Lipton (1972), Brooke Bond (1984), Ponds (1986), TOMCO (1993), Lakme (1998) and Modern Foods (2002) have resulted in an organisation that is a conglomerate of several businesses that have been continually restructured over the years. HUL is one of the largest FMCG company in India with total sales of Rs. 12,295 crore and net profit of 1855crore in 2006. There are over 15000 employees, including more than 1300 managers. The present corporate strategy of HUL is to focus on core businesses. These core businesses are in home and personal care and food. There are 20 different consumer categories in these two businesses. For instance, home and personal care is made up of personal wash, laundry, skin care, hair care, oral care, deodorants, colour cosmetics and ayurvedic personal and health care, while food businesses have tea, coffee, ice creams and processed food brands. Apart from the two product divisions, there are  separate departments for specialty exports and new ventures. Strategic management at HUL is the responsibility of the board of directors headed by a chairman. There are five independent and five whole-time directors. The operational management is looked after by a management committee comprising of Vice Chairman, CEO and managing director and executive directors of the two business divisions and functional areas. The divisions have a lot of autonomy with dedicated assets and resources. A divisional committee having the executive director and heads of functions of sales, commercial and manufacturing looks after the business level decision-making. The functional-level management is the responsibility of the functional head. For instance, a marketing manager has a team of brand managers looking after the individual brands. Besides the decentralised divisional structure, HUL has centralised some functions such as finance, human resource management, research, technology, information technology and corporate and legal affairs. Unilever globally and HUL nationally, operate in the highly competitive FMCG markets. The consumer markets for FMCG products are finicky: it’s difficult to create customers and much more difficult to retain them. Price is often the central concern in a consumer purchase decision requiring producers to be on continual guard against cost increases. Sales and distribution are critical functions organisationally. HUL operates in such a milieu. I t has strong competitors such as the multinationals Procter Gamble, Nivea or L’Oreal and formidable local companies such as, Amul, Nirma or the Tata FMCG companies to contend with. Rivals have copied HUL’s strategies and tactics, especially in the area of marketing and distribution. Its innovations such as new style packaging or distribution through women entrepreneurs are much valued but also copied relentlessly, hurting its competitive advantage. HUL is identified closely with India. There is a ring of truth to its vision statement: ‘to earn the love and respect of India by making a real difference to every Indian’. It has an impeccable record in corporate social responsibility. There is an element of nostalgia associated with brands like Lifebuoy (introduced in 1895) and Dalda (1937) for senior citizens in India. Consequently Indians have always perceived HUL as an Indian company rather than a multinational. HUL has attempted to align its strategies in the past to the special needs of Indian business environment. Be it marketing or  human resource management, HUL has experimented with new ideas suited to the local context. For instance, HUL is known for its capabilities in rural marketing, effective distribution systems and human resource development. But this focus on India seems to be changing. This might indicate a change in the strategic posture as well as recognition that Indian markets have matured to the extent that they can be dealt with by the global strategies of Unilever. At the corporate level, it could also be an attempt to leverage global scale while retaining local responsiveness to some extent. In line with the shift in corporate strategy, the focus of strategic decision-making seems to have moved from the subsidiary to the headquarters. Unilever has formulated a new global realignment under which it will develop brands and streamline product offerings across the world and the subsidiaries will sell the products. Other subtle indications of the shift of decision-making authority could be the appointment of a British CEO after nearly forty years during which there were Indian CEOs, the c hanged focus on a limited number of international brands rather than a large range of local brands developed over the years and the name-change from Hindustan Lever to Hindustan Unilever. The shift in the strategic decision-making power from the subsidiary to headquarters could however, prove to be double-edged sword. An example could be of HUL adopting Unilever’s global strategy of focussing on a limited number of products, called the 30 power brands in 2002. That seemed a perfectly sensible strategic decision aimed at focusing managerial attention to a limited set of high-potential products. But one consequence of that was the HUL’s strong position in the niche soap and detergent markets suffering owing to neglect and the competitors were quick to take advantage of the opportunity. Then there are the statistics to deal with: HUL has nearly 80 per cent of sales and 85 per cent of net profits from the home and personal care businesses. Globally, Unilever derives half its revenues from food business. HUL does not have a strong position in the food business in India though the food processing industry remains quite attractive both in terms of local consumption as well as export markets. HUL’s own strategy of offering low-price, competitive products may also suffer at the cost of Unilever’s emphasis on premium priced, high end products sold through modern outlets. There are some dark clouds on the horizon. HUL’s latest financials are not satisfactory. Net profit is down,  sales are sluggish, input costs have been rising and new food products introduced in the market have yet to pick up. All this while, in one market segment after another, a competitor pushes ahead. In a company of such a big size and over-powering presence, these might still be minor events developments in a long history that needs to be taken in stride. But, pessimistically, they could also be pointers to what may come. Questions: 1. State the strategy of Hindustan Unilever in your own words. 2. At what different levels is strategy formulated in HUL? 3. Comment on the strategic decision-making at HUL. 4. Give your opinion on whether the shift in strategic decision-making from India to Unilever’s headquarters could prove to be advantageous to HUL or not. CASE: 2 THE STRATEGIC ASPIRATIONS OF THE RESERVE BANK OF INDIA The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is India’s central bank or ‘the bank of the bankers’. It was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with the provisions of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1935. The Central Office of the RBI, initially set up at Kolkata, is at Mumbai. The RBI is fully owned by the Government of India. The history of RBI is closely aligned with the economic and financial history of India. Most central banks around the world were established around the beginning of the twentieth century. The Bank was established on the basis of the Hilton Young Commission. It began its operations by taking over from the Government the functions so far being performed by the Controller of Currency and from the Imperial Bank of India, the management of Government accounts and public debt. After independence, RBI gradually strengthened its institution-building capabilities and evolved in terms of functions from central banking to that of development. There have been s everal attempts at reorganisation, restructuring and creation of specialised institutions to cater to emerging needs. The Preamble of the RBI describes its basic functions like this: ‘†¦.to regulate the issue of Bank Notes and keeping of reserves with a view to securing monetary  stability in India and generally to operate the currency and credit system of the country to its advantage.’ The vision states that the RBI ‘†¦.aims to be a leading central bank with credible, transparent, proactive and contemporaneous policies and seeks to be a catalyst for the emergence of a globally competitive financial system that helps deliver a high quality of life to the people in the country.’ The mission states that ‘RBI seeks to develop a sound and efficient financial system with monetary stability conductive to balanced and sustained growth of the Indian economy’. The corporate values of underlining the mission statement include public interest, integrity, excellence, independence of views and responsiveness and dynamism. The three areas in which objectives of the RBI can be stated are as below. 1. Monetary policy objectives such as containing inflation and promoting economic growth, management of foreign exchange reserves and making currency available. 2. Objectives set for managing financial sector developments such as supervision of systems and information access and assisting banking and financial institutions to become competitive globally. 3. Organisational development objectives such as development of economic research facilities, creating information system for supporting economic decision-making, financial management and human resource management. Strategic actions taken to realise the objectives fall under four categories: 1. The thrust area of monetary policy formulation and managing financial sector; 2. Evolving the legal framework to support the thrust area; 3. Customer service for providing support and creation of positive relationship; and 4. Organisational support such as structure, systems, human resource development and adoption of modern technology. The major functions performed by the RBI are: †¢ Acting as the monetary authority †¢ Acting as the regulator and supervisor of the financial system †¢ Discharging responsibilities as the manager of foreign exchange †¢ Issue currency †¢ Play as developmental role †¢ Related functions such as acting as the banker to the government and scheduled banks The management of the RBI is the responsibility of the central board of directors headed by the governor and consisting of  deputy governors and other directors, all of whom are appointed by the government. There are four local boards based at Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. The day-to-day management of RBI is in the hands of the executive directors, managers at various levels and the support staff. There are about 22000 employees at RBI, working in 25 departments and training colleges. The RBI identified its strengths and weaknesses as under. †¢ Strengths A large body of competent officers and staff; access to key data on the economy; wide organisational network with 22 regional offices; established infrastructure; ability to attract talent; and financial self sufficiency. †¢ Weaknesses Structural rigidity, lack of accountability and slow decision-making; eroded specialist know-how; strong employee unions with rigid industrial relations stance; surplus staff; and weak market intelligence. Over the years, the RBI has evolved in terms of structure and functions, in response to the role assigned to it. There have been sweeping changes in the economic, social and political environment. The RBI has had to respond to it even in the absence of a systematic strategic plan. In 1992, the RBI, with the assistance of a private consultancy firm, embarked on a massive strategic planning exercise. The objective was to establish a roadmap to redefine RBI’s role and to review internal organisational and managerial efficacy, address the changing expectations from external stakeholders and reposition the bank in the global context. The strategic planning exercise was buttressed by departmental position papers and documents on various subjects such as technology, human resources and environmental trends. The strategic plan of the RBI emerged with four sections dealing with the statement of mission, objectives and policy, a review of RBI’s strengths and weaknesses and strategic actions required with an implementation plan. The strategic plan reiterates anticipation of evolving external environment in the medium-term; revisiting strengths and weaknesses (evaluation of capabilities); and doing away with the outdated mandates for enhancing efficiency in operations in furtherance of best public interests. The results of these efforts are likely to manifest in attaining a visible focus, reinforced proficiency, realisation of shared sense of purpose, optimising resource use and build-up of momentum to achieve goals. Historically, the RBI adopted the time-tested technique of responding to external environment in a pragmatic  manner and making piecemeal changes. The dilemma in adoption of a comprehensive strategic plan was the risk of trading off the flexibility of the pragmatic approach to creating rigidity imposed by a set model of planning. Questions: 1. Consider the vision and mission statements of the Reserve Bank of India. Comment on the quality of both these statements. 2. Should the RBI go for a systematic and comprehensive strategic plan in place of its earlier pragmatic approach of responding to environmental events as and when they occur? Why? CASE: 3 THE INTERNATIONALISATION OF KALYANI GROUP The Kalyani Group is a large family-business group of India, employing more than 10000 employees. It has diverse businesses in engineering, steel, forgings, auto components, non-conventional energy and specialty chemicals. The annual turnover of the Group is over US$2.1 billion. The Group is known for its impressive internationalisation achievements. It has nine manufacturing locations spread over six countries. Over the years, it has established joint ventures with many global companies such as ArvinMeritor, USA, Carpenter Technology Corporation, USA, Hayes Lemmerz, USA and FAW Corporation, China. The flagship company of the Group is Bharat Forge Limited that is claimed to be the second largest forging company in the world and the largest nationally, with about 80 per cent share in axle and engine components. The other major companies of the Group are Kalyani Steels, Kalyani Carpenter Special Steels, Kalyani Lemmerz, Automotive Axles, Kalyani Thermal Systems, BF Utilities, Hikal Lim ited, Epicenter and Synise Technologies The emphasis on internationalisation is reflected in the vision statement of the Group where two of the five points relate to the Group trying to be a world-class organisation and achieving growth aggressively by accessing global markets. The Group is led by Mr. B.N. Kalyani, who is considered to be the major force behind the Group’s aggressive internationalisation drive. Mr. Kalyani joined the Group in 1972  when it was a small-scale diesel engine component business. The corporate strategy of the Group is a combination of concentration of its core competence in its business with efforts at building, nurturing and sustaining mutually beneficial partnerships with alliance partners and customers. The value of these partnerships essentially lies in collaborative product development with the partners who are the original equipment manufacturers. The foreign partners are not intended to provide expansion in capacity, but to enable the Kalyani Group to extend its global marketing reach. In achieving its successful status, the Kalyani Group has followed the path of integration, extending from the upstream steel making to downstream machining for auto components such as crank-shafts, front axle beams, steering knuckles, cam-shafts, connecting rods and rocker arms. In all these products, the Group has tried to move up the value chain instead of providing just the raw forgings. In the 1990s, it undertook a restructuring exercise to trim its unrelated businesses such as television and video products and concentrate on its core business of auto components. Four factors are supposed to have influenced the growth of the Group over the years. These are mentioned below: †¢ Focussing on core businesses to maximise growth potential †¢ Attaining aggressive cost savings †¢ Expanding geographically to build global capacity and establishing leading positions †¢ Achieving external growth through acquisitions The Group companies are claimed to be positioned at either number one or two in their respective businesses. For instance, the Group claims to be number one in forging and machined components, axle aggregates, wheels and alloy steel. The technology used by the Group in its mainline business of auto components and other businesses, is claimed to be state-of-the-art. The Group invests in forging technology to enhance efficiency, production quality and design capabilities. The Group’s emphasis on technology can be gauged from the fact that in the 1990s, it took the risky decision of investing Rs. 100 crore in the then latest forging technology, when the total Group turnover was barely Rs. 230 crore. Information technology is applied for product development, reducing production and product development time, supply-chain management and marketing of products. The Group lays high emphasis on research and development for providing engineering support,  advanced metallurgical analysis and latest testing equipment in tandem with its high-class manufacturing facilities. Being a top-driven group, the pattern of strategic decision-making within seems to be entrepreneurial. There was an attempt to formulate a five-year strategic plan in 1997, with the participation of the company executives. But no much is mentioned in the business press about that collaborative strategic decision-making after that. Recent strategic moves include Kalyani Steels, a Group company, entering into a joint venture agreement in may 2007, with Gerdau S.A. Brazil for installation of rolling mills. An attempt to move out of the mainstream forging business was made when the Group strengthened its position in the prospective business of wind energy through 100 per cent acquisition of RSBconsult GmbH (RSB) of Germany. Prior to the acquisition, the Group was just a wind farm operator and supplier of components. Questions: 1. What is the motive for internationalisation by the Kalyani Group? Discuss. 2. Which type of international strategy is Kalyani Group adopting? Explain. CASE 4: THE STORY OF SYNERGOS UNFOLDS Synergos is a young management and strategy consulting firm based at Mumbai. It was established in 1992 at a time when there were a lot of expectations among the industry people from the liberalisation policies that were started the previous year by the Government of India. The consulting firm is an entrepreneurial venture started by Urmish Patel, a dynamic person who worked with a multinational consulting firm at the time. He left his comfortable position there to venture into the management consultancy industry. The motivation was to be ‘the master of his own destiny’ rather than being an employee working for others. Urmish comes from an upper middle-class Gujarati family, settled in a small town in Rajasthan. His father was a government servant who retired with a meagre pension. His mother is a housewife. His other siblings are all educated and well-settled in their  respective careers and professions. Urmish is a creative individual, uncomfortable with the status-quo. During his student days at a college at Jaipur, he was continually coming up with bright ideas that some of his friends found to be preposterous. To him, however, these were perfectly achievable ideas. He studied biotechnology and then went to the US on a scholarship to do his Masters. After a semester at a well-known university there, he lost interest and switched to pursue an MBA. He liked it and soon settled down to work with an American consultancy firm and toured several countries on varied assignments during the seven years he worked there. In 1992 came the urge to Urmish to chuck his job and be on his own. It was risky, yet an exciting step to take. His accumulated capital was limited—just enough to rent office space, buy a few computers and hire an assistant. There were no consultancy assignments for the first three months. But an acquaintance soon came to his aid, introducing him to the CFO of a major family business group who needed advice on a performance improvement project they wanted to launch. The opportunity came in handy though the returns were nothing to write home about. That project was the first step to many more that came gradually. Synergos started gaining presence in the competitive management consultancy industry and attracting attention from the people whom they worked for. Word-of-mouth publicity led them from one project to another for the first three years till 1995. Synergos took up whatever came its way, delivering a cost-effective solution to its clients. A team of four had formed by now, each member of the team specialising in services rendered to the clients. For instance, one of the members is a specialist in engineering projects, while another has expertise finance. The third one is a service sector specialist, also having experience in dealing with government matters. The phase of rapid growth started some time in 1995 when the Synergos team decided to focus on the small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These were firms that realised they had problems needing specialist advice, but were apprehensive to approach the big firms on account of their limited outlay and inexperience of dealing with such firms. Synergos came to their aid by tailoring their services as near as possible to their needs. Another differentiation platform Synergos offered to its client was a fully-integrated consultancy service where it got involved right from the stage of planning down to its implementation and monitoring.   Presently, Synergos has grown to be a medium-sized consultancy firm, serving clients in India and abroad, working for industries ranging from auto components to financial services and for manufacturing organisations to service providers. Some-how, nearly half of the assignments it has worked on have been for mid-sized, upcoming, family-owned businesses, a niche it has served well. These organisations typically need a boutique sort of consultancy that can offer customised services dealing with a broad range of practices related to strategy, organisation design, mergers and acquisitions and operational matter such as logistics and supply-chain management. Synergos fits in with their requirements owing to its personalised service and reasonable commission structure. The organisational structure at Synergos has a board at the top, consisting of seven people, including the four founding members and three independent directors. One of the independent directors is the chairman of the board. Urmish, as the founder CEO, also heads an executive management committee with each of the founding members, leading three other top-level committees dealing with business portfolio, service management and executive recruitment. The management team is called the professional group. The rest of the employees are referred to as the staff. The professional group has young women and men who are graduates from some of the best institutions in India and abroad. They are assigned to taskforces based on their qualifications, experience and interests. The departmentation at Synergos is flexible, based on an interplay of the three categories: skill, service and specialty. For instance, a professional may have IT skills, may have worked to provide supply-chain management ser vices and developed expertise in handling operational assignments for medium-sized food and beverage firms. There is a lot of multi-tasking however, to utilise the wide range of skills and special expertise that the professionals have. For administrative matters, the professionals are assigned to client-service departments of industry solutions, enterprise solutions and technology solutions. The flexibility that such an organisational arrangement affords seems to have been the major reason for the evolution of the organisation structure at Synergos over the years. The staff group of employees consists of the support people who provide a variety of services to the professionals. Among  these are research assistants, industry analysts, documentation experts and secretarial staff. There is no set pattern for assignment of staff to the administrative departments and generally, a need-based approach is followed, depending on the workload at a particular time. Recruitment for professionals is stringent. Synergos typically looks for a good combination of education and experience and lays much emphasis on the compatibility of the prospective employee with the shared values. Creativity, broad range of professional interes ts, intellectual acumen, team-working and physical fitness to undertake demanding tasks and work for long hours are the criteria for hiring. There are not many training opportunities except the on-the-job learning. New professionals are assigned to a mentor for some time till they are ready to handle assignments autonomously. The staff members are usually recruited from fresh graduates, with good degrees from reputed institutions, in arts, sciences and commerce. The staff positions are also open for persons wanting to work on part-time or project-bases. Emphasis is given to the ability of the prospective staff to undertake multi-tasking and work with documentation and word processing and presentation software packages. The compensation system consists of a base salary with commission and bonus depending on performance. There are other usual elements such as medical reimbursement, loan facility and gratuity and retirement benefits. the performance appraisal is informal, with at least one of the four founding members being part of the evaluation committee for a professional. Usually, the founding member closest to the work area of the employee is involved in determining the rewards to be given. The time-cycle for appraisal is one year. Management control is discreet and performance-based rather than behaviour-based. The means for control are informal, such as direct supervision. Urmish is a strong proponent of the emergent strategy and is not in favour of tying Synergos to a fixed strategic posture. So are the other founder members, though at times they do talk about deciding on a niche such as SME organisations as clients and enterprise solutions as the core competence. In the highly fragmented consultancy industry where it is possible for even one person to set up an office in a commercial area and leverage connections to secure projects, Synergos is open to opportunities as they emerge, while trying to maintain the flexibility that has made it successful till now. Questions: 1. Identify the type of organisation structure being used at Synergos and explain how it works. What are the benefits of using this type of structure? What are the pitfalls? 2. Express your opinion about whether the structure is in line with the recruitments of the strategy that Synergos is implementing. 3. Based on the information related to the information, control and reward systems available in the case, examine whether these systems are appropriate for the type of strategy being implemented. CASE: 5 EXERCISING STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL CONTROLS AT iGATE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS The Bangalore-based iGATE Global Solutions is the flagship company of iGATE Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed US-based corporation. Known earlier as Mascot Systems, it was set up in India in 1993, to offer staffing services. It acquired business process outsourcing (BPO) and contact centre businesses in 2003, making it an end-to-end IT and ITES service provider. Its service portfolio includes consulting, IT services, data analytics, enterprise systems, BPO/BSP, contact centre and infrastructure management services. iGATE has over 100 active clients and centres based in Canada, China, Malaysia, India, the UK and the US. Chairman, Ashok Trivedi and CEO Phaneesh Murthy, an ex-Infosys IT professional and their partners hold a major stake, with some participation by institutional and public investors. The revenues for 2006-2007 are over Rs. 805 crore and net profits, Rs. 49.6 crore. The corporate strategies of iGATE are offering integrated IT services and divesting the legacy IT staffing busin ess and possibly making acquisitions in the domain expertise for financial services businesses. The business strategy is focused differentiation based on the focal points of testing, infrastructure management and enterprise solutions. The competitive tactic is avoiding head-on competition with the formidable larger players in the  industry by carving out a niche. The business definition is serving large customers and staying away from sub-contracting work. iGATE adopts a differentiation business model based on an integrated technology and operations model which it calls as the iTOPS model. This is an advancement over the prevalent model in the ITES industry based on low-cost arbitrage model. iTOPS is based on transaction-based pricing for services and supporting the clients by providing the platform, processes and services. The strategic evaluation and control has both the elements of strategic as well as operational controls. The functional and operational implementation is aimed at achieving four sets of objectives: a) Shifting from small customers to large customer (Fortune 1000 companies) b) Shifting away from stocking to project-consulting assignments c) Working directly with clients rather than with system integrators d) Moving from a local to international markets Some illustrations of the performance indicators that reflect these objectives are: 1. On-shore versus off-shore mix of business revenues: In 2004, this ratio was 55:45 and in 2007, it has improved to 27:73, indicating a much higher revenue generation from off-shore business. 2. Billing rates: Revenue charged from clients on assignments. With project consulting assignments from off-shore clients, where the revenues are typically higher, with lower costs and higher productivity in India, the realisations from billing have to be higher. The industry norms for ITES are US$18-25 per hour for off-shore and US$ 55-65 per hour for on-shore assignments. 3. The number of large clients from Fortune 1000 companies: Presently, iGATE has nearly half of its more than 100 clients from Fortune 1000 companies, of which the top 10 account for 70 per cent of its business. 4. Controlling employee costs: This is an area where concerted effort is required from the HR and finance functions. Hiring less experienced employees lowers the compensation bill. In the IT and ITES industry, attracting and retaining well-qualified and experienced employees is a critical success factor. The performance indicator for this objective is the cost per employee. 5. Human resource metrics such as the hiring and attrition rates: In the IT and ITES industry, the human resource metrics such as hiring and attrition rates are critical indicators.  Increasing the number of employees and lowering the attrition rate by retaining the employees is a big challenge. There are presently about 5800 employees, likely to go up to 8500 in the next two years. The attrition of 20 per cent presently at iGATE is on the higher side. But such attrition is common in the industry where the employee mobility is high and employee pinching a widespread trend. The human resource management function being critical in an industry where so many challenges exist, needs a strong emphasis on training and development, motivation, autonomy and attractive incentives. iGATE has an integrated people management model focusing on developing technical, behavioural and leadership competencies. The three metrics by which the HR function is assessed are: human capital index, work culture and employee affective commitment. The reward system at iGATE consists of meritorious employees across all levels being granted restricted stock options, thus providing an incentive to remain with the company till they become due. The company, though, is an average paymaster, which disadvantage it tries to trade-off offering a more challenging work environment, quicker promotions and chances for practising innovation. Critics say that that iGATE lacks the big-brand appeal of the larger players such as Infosys and Wipro, cannot compete on scale and is still under the shadow of its original business of body-shopping IT personnel. Questions: 1. Analyse the iGATE case to highlight how it could apply some of the strategic controls such as premise control, implementation control, strategic surveillance and special alert control. 2. Analyse and describe the process of setting of standards at iGATE. 3. Give your opinion on the effectiveness of the role of reward system in exercising HR performance management at iGATE and suggest what improvements are possible, given the environmental conditions in the IT/ITES industry in India at present.

Essay --

Morocco Marketing Organizations The Moroccan National Tourist Office, abbreviated as MNTO, is the primary tourism and marketing organization for the country. Their mission statement aims to ensure strength for Morocco as a tourist destination, therefore translating the positive results for the economy and society and preservation of their culture. They also state that they want to entertain internal tourists as well as foreign tourists visiting Morocco and by doing so enticing them to visit for longer periods of time and visit several destinations. Their website is visitmorocoo.com and their local office is in Dusselforf, Morocco (Morocco National Tourist Office). The tourist office is also a part of ANTOR, http://www.antor.com/ which is the principal lobbying organization for tourist offices around the world. ANTOR is a place that brings all the tourism information together into one, being a very important place to be a member of for destinations such as Morocco due to the competition it faces (ANTOR). T here is also a Ministry of Tourism for Morocco, and can be found online at www.tourisme.gov.ma. The page is in French but can be translated to English using Google Chrome or another internet browser. This website is not really for tourists themselves; instead it focuses more on how tourism can be sustainable in Morocco and goes into depth about things such as Vision 2020, job opportunities involving tourism, tourism figures, and tourism partnerships and seminars (Morocco Ministry of Tourism). The MNTO’s website is set up in attempt to get people to use their â€Å"My Morocco† function. This is a system that tourists interested in possibly visiting Morocco can use to see more of what the country has to offer. Users create... ... recommended to dress conservative when in rural areas with areas of the body from the knee to the elbows all covered. As long as these areas are covered, the locals openly invite other cultures and languages. Environmental Sustainability Since a large pull factor for tourist to Morocco is the great diversity of Nature the location has, environmental sustainability is crucial to tourism sustainability. The people and cities of Morocco treat their surroundings with care. The city of Ifran in Morocco landed at #2 in â€Å"The 12 Cleanest Cities in the World†, a ranking recently published by International Headline website MBC Times. A big reason for this is that there is no industry in this city, making the air quality superior to others. National Parks are very popular in the area, having many lakes, streams, waterfalls, and a large maple tree forest (MBC Times).

The Gifted Children

Started in the 1970†³s, America†s Gifted & Talented programs are used to enhance the curriculum of students included in either category in order to challenge and strengthen their unique abilities. These students are usually provided a separate class with specialized lessons in all areas and a teacher with a special degree in gifted education. I feel that it is important that the teacher was a gifted student who would know what the students must face as â€Å"above average† members of their school. The job market for gifted education offers a wide range of opportunity and gifted teachers are needed all over the One of the earliest programs for gifted and talented students was set up in 1974, at The Old Donation Center, in Virginia Beach. Students scoring within the top 3% of students on an assessment test are referred here to be further challenged. These students are considered gifted and have special teachers and classes to promote development of their talents and minds. Programs like this began to pop up around the nation in the 70†³s; however, gifted students were looked down upon by teachers, parents, and peers. Many people considered them to be â€Å"freaks† because they were different. They didn†t understand the implications of the terms â€Å"gifted† and â€Å"talented†. Most people simply expected gifted students to act more mature or to be geniuses, even though gifted students are the same as other children in their needs as human beings. Some gifted students were forced to grow up too fast and some simply ignored the fact that they were smarter than others, thus, they were lost in the shuffle. The irony of it all is that gifted-ness seems to run in families and the children of these repressed gifted students are, themselves, But what exactly is a â€Å"gifted† student? Students (elementary & secondary) are given a repertoire of tests. These tests check IQ, psychomotor ability, specific academic aptitude/talent, creative and productive thinking, leadership ability, and skills in the visual and performing arts. The main requirement, the IQ, is tested by a standardized IQ test (remember, however, that IQ tests are not always perfectly accurate). Ratings are given to each bracket of IQ scores: If a student receives a rating of â€Å"gifted† or higher (130+), he/she is considered to be a gifted student and is introduced into the designated programs. These students are given the opportunity to choose classes that are meant to teach them how to use their minds for critical thinking, reasoning, and artistic pursuits. Students in these classes are also exposed to culture, literature, and other subject areas that are not usually covered in what they term â€Å"normal classes†. The gifted classes are mainly in an open format allowing the student to create the parameters of his/her work and allowing them to be creative in their learning experience. Each class is presided-over by a teacher that has specialized degrees in gifted education. Almost every school in the United States has a need for a gifted class, making job opportunities endless; there are never Gifted teachers must have both a degree in education (secondary or elementary) and a degree in special education (gifted). These teachers are individuals that must have stamina, people skills, and open minds. It is also important (to the students) that the teacher himself/herself was also classified as gifted. It sets a common bond, shows them that the teacher understands the problems they face as so-called â€Å"smart kids†. These students are often ridiculed by heir peers and looked-down upon by their teachers. They are often separated from others their age by a barrier that can only be described as their â€Å"intelligence†. This is why, often, gifted teachers have degrees in administration, counseling, or psychology. All teachers that I interviewed told me that a continually upgraded education is a must (as are additional degrees). In order to keep up with the students one must attend seminars, workshops, special classes, etc. There is no end to the amount of education that could help you to understand gifted students and the role of their teacher†. Also, if a teacher has extra educational qualifications, he/she could be asked to step up to the position of administrator or, more often, counselor. This means pay raises. Though the average salary for teachers is approximately $27,500 per year, it is â€Å"a worthwhile undertaking† according to Jane Mansueto, â€Å"It is incredible to work with gifted students. They are incredible! † She went on to remark that it is fascinating to imagine that they are of the same level of intelligence as the teacher and what they must be feeling inside. She feels that the students are not othered by what their peers think, but actually tend to understand that other†s opinions mean little compared to their own. Mrs. Mansueto taught at Elm Grove Middle School for 5 years. She commented on her role as a gifted teacher to consist of â€Å"one part mentorship, one part hardship, and one part friendship†. When asked what kind of hours she keeps, she laughed and asked if she was supposed to have time off. According to Mrs. Mansueto, unlike a â€Å"normal† teacher, a gifted teacher has no books to go by or preset material to teach, or, for that matter, a preset subject to teach. They are given a blank page and, using input from students, must draw up lessons from every subject area and constantly challenge the inquisitive minds of the gifted. Jane Mansueto attended Trinity College where she majored in both elementary education and gifted education. Her favorite part of being a gifted teacher is being with the students, working hand in hand with them to plan and carry out projects and trips. Though the pay is average, and there is not much room to be promoted if you wish to remain in the classroom, gifted teaching has its personal rewards. Jeff Simpleton, a gifted teacher as well as a former gifted student, states, â€Å"I really think that by being gifted, I am in touch with what they have to go through. They know that I can understand. † Mr. Simpleton†s class consists of 6 high school students, who have many problems due to the intelligence barrier and a kind of isolation that has built up over the years between themselves and their classmates. They seem to feel that they have a reputation that they must live up to. The students try to please everyone†¦ they push themselves with sheer motivation and determination and drive. Mr. Simpleton feels that this is â€Å"what makes them so great†. He feels that anyone with a sense of adventure and a need for something new day after day would find teaching a gifted class to be the perfect job for Gifted teachers are important to the development of their students minds. They are understanding individuals who must work hard to make the curriculum interesting and challenging. With the proper education it is possible to go far as a teacher of the gifted. Various Internet sites. No info available for documentation.

Murray Syllabus Spring

It is impossible to comprehensively cover every aspect of SCM in just one semester. Nonetheless, the overarching course objective is to develop an understanding of integrative managerial issues and challenges related to developing and implementing a firm's Supply Chain and Operations Management Strategy. Attention is directed to the supply chain mission confronted by varied types of business organizations. Supply Chain Management is an increasingly strategic function and value-adding process hat achieves time and place synchronization of demand stimulation and operations fulfillment.Executed properly, Supply Chain Management can be a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Emphasis will be placed on challenges related to providing logistical support for development of customer service standards, sourcing, manufacturing, market-distribution and after-sales activities. The topics studied will span supply chain strategy, segmental positioning, service provider relationship developm ent and maintenance, value-added services, forecasting and collaborative planning, rouging strategy, order management, transportation, inventory, warehousing and materials handling and change management.The course will conclude with emphasis on future challenges in the supply chain arena, strategies such as global sourcing trends as well as global logistics issues. Another course objective is to give the student the opportunity to consider Supply Chain Management as a career. Historically, organizations devoted their â€Å"best and brightest† to manage internal operations. Today, leading companies are scrambling to grow in house Supply Chain Management talent ND ensure all general managers have at least a working knowledge of SCM.The class will focus on discussion focused on critical thinking regarding assigned topics. Lecture will be used primarily to reinforce class discussions. Advanced preparation will be essential for effective class participation and overall success. Fi nally, hopefully have some fun along the way as we learn about this dynamic topic! Supplemental Course Materials Several articles have been selected which align with the course objectives and focus topics in the textbook. The content from these readings will serve as a inundation for the class discussions.In addition to these assigned readings, you're also encouraged to read industry publications such as Supply Chain Brain, Logistics Management, Audiologist's and Supply Chain Management Review (all are available online) to learn about breaking news and developments in the field. If you read something in these magazines or Other publications, such as the Wall Street Journal, Economist or Business Week, which relates to a class topic, share it with the class. As time permits, we'll spend a few minutes at the beginning of class discussing current news and developments.

Combating Female Genital Mutation In Sudan Essays - Feminism

Combating Female Genital Mutation In Sudan Essays - Feminism Combating Female Genital Mutation In Sudan Combating Genital Mutilation in Sudan In the country of Sudan, in Northern Africa, there is a procedure that is tradition and is performed on most women called female genital mutilation, or FGM, which used to be known as female circumcision. It has been a normal practice for generations, but is now the subject for international controversy on the morality and safety of this procedure. It is now known that 82 percent of Sudanese woman have an extreme form of genital mutilation done on them, normally at a young age. This form of mutilation is called the Pharaonic form and includes the total removal of the clitoris and labia, and stitching together of the vulva, leaving only a small hole for urination and menstrual cycle. This is normally done without any type of anaesthetic or professional medical care. There is also a more moderate form of mutilation, called Sunni, where only the covering of the clitoris is removed. This practice started and became tradition in foreign countries in or der to ensure that women practice chaste behavior, and to suppress female sexuality. It has also been attributed to religious beliefs of monogamy although most religions do not support this type of practice. In today's society it has become more of a traditional and social norm, and has less to do with religious beliefs. This problem is not only in Sudan; it is practiced in the majority of the continent of Africa as well as other countries. In other cultures, such as Australian aborigines, genital mutilation is a part of the rite of passage into maturation, and is done on both men and women (Bodley, p. 58). FGM has often been referred to as female circumcision and compared to male circumcision. However, such comparison is often misleading. Both practices include the removal of wells similar to this are found in other cultures, such as the Maasai, an African cattle peoples tribe. A clitoridectomy is performed on adolescent girls in this tribe as part of their rite of passage, and sig nifies that they are ready for marriage. This practice is openly accepted by these women as another ritual and a normal precondition of marriage (Bodley, p. 121). The efforts to stop procedures of this kind are mounting though, especially with the help of women ages 16 to 30 who realize the dangers of this practice. These women can help to save their daughters and many other

Sit vs. Set

Sit vs. Set Sit vs. Set Sit vs. Set By Maeve Maddox Like many of our shortest English words, sit and set have lengthy entries in the Oxford English Dictionary. Some of the definitions overlap. Some are interchangeable. The most common uses of sit and set are similar to those of lay and lie. â€Å"To sit† is to be seated. â€Å"To set† is to place something somewhere. In these contexts, sit is intransitive and set takes an object. Mixing up sit and set is not as common as mixing up lay and lie because the principal parts of sit and set are completely different: sit, sat, (have) sat, sitting set, set, (have) set, setting However, because sit and set have so many additional uses, efforts to state a hard and fast rule as to when to use one and when the other are futile. That fact doesn’t stop people from trying. I read a comment asserting that â€Å"animate objects sit, whereas inanimate objects set, and that’s that!† If â€Å"that were that,† the following statements would represent standard usage, but they don’t. The flowers were setting on the table and the men’s tuxes were draped over chairs. We were surprised by the beautiful gift-wrapped package setting on our bed. Both â€Å"flowers† and â€Å"package† are inanimate objects, but sitting is the verb called for in both statements. The meanings of sit listed in the OED include this one:   a. Of things: To have place or location; to be situated. Ex. There were a dozen eggs still sitting on the front porch and the dustbin sat at the back of the house where the binmen had left it. The flowers were sitting on the table and the package was sitting on the bed. The expressions â€Å"to sit well† and â€Å"to set well† have differing meanings. A certain plan may not sit well with voters. Here, â€Å"to sit well† means something like â€Å"to please† or â€Å"be agreeable to.† A jacket may be said to set well on the shoulders. The OED definition for this sense of to set is, To have a certain set or hang; to sit (well or ill, tightly or loosely, etc.). In texts written about clothing, you will also see â€Å"to sit well† used in the same sense: Just because you can squeeze yourself into a garment doesn’t mean it sits well. Trousers with a wider waistband sit well. When speaking of clothing, â€Å"to set well† and â€Å"to sit well† seem to be interchangeable. In the matter of liking or not liking legislation, â€Å"to sit well† or â€Å"not to sit well† is the way to go. In speaking of an object that has been placed somewhere, the choice is â€Å"sitting.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and Expressions50 Idioms About Fruits and Vegetables13 Theatrical Terms in Popular Usage

The assignment should be presented as a Journal opinion article and

The should be presented as a Journal opinion article and address an economic issue of current interest to Wall Street - Assignment Example Louis named James Bullard revealed that the outlook of different monetary policies is incessantly enhancing the turbulent financial scenario along with mitigating the challenges resulting from inflationary pressures by a greater level. Moreover, Bullard proclaimed that the enhancement in the financial landscape might assist in slowing down the tempo of buying bonds at large (Derby, â€Å"Fed's Bullard: Weak Inflation May Argue for More Fed Stimulus†). Relating to the article, Bullard affirmed that though the conditions of the labour market have enhanced, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) can slow down the pace of purchasing bonds. But, the rise of the crucial aspect concerning weak inflation might reveal that FOMC would have to raise its tempo in buying bonds (Derby, â€Å"Fed's Bullard: Weak Inflation May Argue for More Fed Stimulus†). This can be justified with reference to the other article i.e. â€Å"Fed head says low inflation may warrant prolonging bond-bu ying program† which presented by Steve Matthews and Greg Quinn that the vital concern of weak inflation below 2 percent target of the Central Bank may raise the extensive usage of bond buying for the purpose of developing financial position and most significantly lessening the rate of unemployment. It has been apparently observed in this particular article that the FOMC will continue to purchase bonds until the conditions of the labour market enhanced considerably. In response, Bullard proclaimed that this major decision of FOMC can be related with an important concern. In this regard, the significant concern has been viewed to be the consideration of low-interest charges that can be linked with extreme risk-taking especially in the financial business markets by FOMC (Matthews and Quinn, â€Å"Fed head says low inflation may warrant prolonging bond-buying program†). According to the article â€Å"Fed Stimulus Stays Strong† which presented by Joseph Cafariello, it can be viewed that FOMC tends or promises to buy extra agency based mortgage-backed securities at $40 billion and also long-term based Treasury securities at $45 billion on a monthly basis with the motive of attaining certain additional benefits. These benefits comprise preserving downward pressure resulting from the imposition of interest charges that are long term, assisting mortgage markets and most vitally making wider financial circumstances much more accommodative among others. Furthermore, Cafariello argued in the article that the committee is quite prepared to raise or lessen its purchase of bonds or securities by taking into concern the prevailing conditions of the labour market. Similarly, it has been viewed in the article that like FOMC, the FED is also keeping itself much open towards raising or lessening purchase of bonds or securities as financial conditions necessitate. As mentioned in the article, both FOMC and the FED is much concerned towards increasing or lesseni ng their respective pace of buying bonds or securities owing to the reason that different fiscal policies are restraining financial growth by a greater level and most vitally weakening the economy at large (Cafariello, â€Å"Fed Stimulus Stays Strong†). In accordance with the article i.e. â€Å"Fed's Bullard: Weak Inflation May Argue For More Fed Stimulus† which presented by Michael S. Derby, it can be apparently observ