Saturday, August 22, 2020

The Estimation on the Value of Information Systems Dissertation

The Estimation on the Value of Information Systems - Dissertation Example The accessible writing and examines need fitting examination to draw out the genuine estimation of data framework appropriate in the wellbeing area. This investigation is planned for proposing an incorporated general data framework model that can be appropriate in emergency clinics in the UK and shows the convenience and estimation of the model for key medical clinic the board and patient’s wellbeing. Presentation More Hospitals in the UK have been confronted with strong guidelines and strain to better their clinical quality, speed and systems of administrations, diminish costs, extend get to and improve the general clinical excursion taken by patients in various medical clinics. This circumstance has prompted emergency clinics to put resources into data frameworks and data innovation with an end goal to defeat a portion of these referenced issues. In emergency clinic conditions where data frameworks have been presented, there has risen the need to assess the system’s u sage as related social insurance suppliers are encountering expanded consideration requests and better standards with regards to support conveyance (Goldszal and Bryan 102). The greater part of the examinations led before offer experiences on the data frameworks esteem comparable to speculation returns, related investment funds and costs, and quantitative estimations types. Concerns have been raised anyway with respect to the sufficiency of estimating adjustments created by emergency clinics that have actualized data frameworks and data innovation in as it is accepted to disregard the impalpable incentive from the included partners. In spite of the fact that it has been seen that data frameworks and innovative advances have enormously been accomplished throughout the years, there has been insignificant accord on the effect level of these presentations on understanding consideration. The vast majority of the investigations focus on logical and quantitative viewpoints making it diffic ult to evaluate the potential gains in a subjective nature (Huang 250) The observational piece of this examination will be led in chosen emergency clinics in the UK which have been recognized as being on the front line in the utilization of IS/IT applications to help both non-clinical and clinical capacities in the UK. An aggregate of fifteen emergency clinics were recognized and inside and out meetings led with staff and specialists from various offices with an end goal to think of a wide scope of various information and perspectives (Laet, Naudts and Vandevivere 198) Literature Review The utilization of data frameworks which have been licensed to improve the social insurance quality have prompted quality estimation through fusing quality and clinical markers as progressively obvious parts of value improvement endeavors in medical clinics are expanding sought after. Such frameworks contain the wellbeing organization of human services fragment frameworks to guarantee comfort in the wellbeing organization framework. The wellbeing profound respect framework is exceptionally compelling in deciding the quality result just as the manner in which assets are used. There are rich writing previously settled on the estimation of data frameworks on the wellbeing division yet at the same time the consequences of such writing are inadmissible. One of the principle set backs of the effectively settled writing is that they don't give a quality relationship the accreditation prerequisites even in circumstances where emergency clinic consistence with detailing and accreditation necessities is adequate. Such written works have been seen to bring about conflicting, incomplete and clashing outcomes.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

Book Riots Deals of the Day for July 31st, 2017

Book Riots Deals of the Day for July 31st, 2017 The latest episode of our new documentary podcast series, Annotated, is the best one yet. It is the story of Belle da Costa Greene, who at the turn of the century was the most glamorous and influential librarian in America. But she also had a scandalous secret that, if uncovered, could have ended her career. Come give it a listen here, or you can subscribe to Annotated in  Apple Podcasts,  Google Play, or in your podcast player of choice.. Each episode of is designed to be just around 20 minutes and focuses on some interesting story about books, language, and reading. Todays Featured Deals The Golem The Jinni by Helene Wacker for $1.99. Get it here or just click the cover image below: Girl in Disguise by Greer Macallister for $1.99. Get it here or just click the cover image below: In Case You Missed Yesterdays Most Popular Deal: Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon for $1.99. Get it here or just click the cover image below: Previous daily deals that are still active (as of this writing at least). Get em while theyre hot. The Novice by Thich Nhat Hanh for $1.99. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter Sweet  by Jamie Ford for $2.99. Fates and Furies  by Lauren Groff for $3.99. Let the Great World Spin  by Colum McCann for $2.99. Girl Through Glass  by Sari Wilson for $1.99. Rich and Pretty  by Rumann Alam for $1.99. Horrorstor  by Grady Hendrix for $1.99 The Small Backs of Children  by Lydia Luknavitch for $1.99. I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isnt)  by Brene Brown for $1.99. The Forty Rules of Love  by Elif Shafak for $1.99. Surfacing  by Margaret Atwood for $1.99. Ancillary Justice  by Ann Leckie for $2.99. 10% Happier  by Dan Harris for $1.99. Kindred  by Octavia Butler for $1.99. The Fifth Season  by N.K. Jemisin for $2.99. How to Start a Fire  by Lisa Lutz for $2.99. The Passage  by Justin Cronin for $1.99. Night Film  by Marisha Pessl for $1.99. Shogun  by James Clavell for $1.99. The Notorious RGB  for $1.99. The Valley of Amazement  by Amy Tan for $1.99. The Girl with All the Gifts  by M.R. Carey for $1.99. Graceling  by Kristin Cashore for $1.99. The Rules of Civility  by Amor Towles for $3.99. Ayiti by Roxane Gay for $1.99 Dawn by Octavia E. Butler for $1.99. The Looking Glass War by John Le Carre for $1.99. The Complete Stories by Clarice Lispector for $1.99. Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer for $2.99. Mothers Sons by Colm Toibin for $1.99. The Birthday of the World and Other Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin for $1.99. Galileos Daughter by Dava Sobel for $1.99. Brown Girl, Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson for $1.99. An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage for $1.99. Tell the Wolves Im Home by Carol Rifka Brunt for $1.99. Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury for $1.99. After Henry by Joan Didion for $1.13. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller for $1.99. The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie for $1.99. The Last Samurai  by Helen DeWitt for $1.99. The Last Policeman  by Ben H. Winters for $1.99. Notes of a Native Son  by James Baldwin for $1.99. Labyrinths  by Jose Luis Borges for $1.99. All the Birds in the Sky  by Charlie Jane Anders for $2.99. A Study in Scarlet Women  by Sherry Thomas for $1.99.. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life  by Benjamin Alire Sáenz for $2.99. We, The Drowned  by Carsten Jenson for $2.99 Big Fish  by Daniel Wallace for $1.99. The Terracotta Bride  by Zen Cho for $1.40. The Geek Feminist Revolution  by Kameron Hurley for $2.99. The Girl at Midnight  by Melissa Grey for $1.99. Cloudsplitter  by Russell Banks for $1.99. Queenpin  by Megan Abbott for $0.99. The Good Lord Bird  by James McBride for $4.99. The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick for $2.99 Frog Music by Emma Donoghue for $1.99 Bitch Planet, Vol 1 for $3.99. Monstress, Vol 1 by Liu Takeda for $3.99 Paper Girls, Vol 1. by Vaughn, Chiang, Wilson for $3.99. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova for $1.99 The Wicked + The Divine Volume 1  for $3.99 The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin for $9.99 The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith for $0.99 We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for $2.99 Sign up for our Book Deals newsletter and get up to 80% off books you actually want to read.

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Essay on King Lear and a Brave New World Similar Themes...

In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New world and William Shakespeares King Lear, the reader will find that both works use similar motifs that mirror each other to increase further the similarities and significance of the works. The Brave new world tries to destroy any of human emotion, which is why Huxley has chooses Shakespeare as the basis of Johns system of beliefs involved in personal connection. Although the story lines in both of the publications are quite different from one another, there is no doubt that there are themes that allow one to create a comparison between the two books. The most evident motifs in both novels are madness, nonacceptance and the concept of betrayal. that create an exciting plot and unite the general†¦show more content†¦Bernard Marx has always been considered different from everyone, because of his small size, unfortunately for him largeness in the new world, and smallness is travestied. Resulting him to face an inferiority complex, which leads him to pose behind a superior air,and as a result, he does not fit in well others and not popular. It seems as of Bernard was not condition correctly as he we see he is individualistic enough to defy some of the rules. The Director of the Hatcheries knowing the infractions, threatens to send Bernard to Iceland . Edmund the illegitimate son of Gloucester faces the same conflict of being an out cast because of his background. This is when Gloucester introduces Edmund to a friend:though this knave came something saucily into the world before he was called for, yet was his mother fair; there was good sport at his making, and the whoreson must be acknowledged.† (act 1 scene 1). Gloucester smiles and abuses his son, and Edmund smiles right back at him, showing that this is something normal, but this is Shakespeare, and Edmund being a villain plans to settle the score between his father and his legitimate brother Edgar. The actions Edmund takes are cruel, but its not hard to see where the impulse comes from, Shakespeare has really gone out of his way to construct the reason for EdmundsShow MoreRelatedNegative Effects of Technology in Brave New World2663 Words   |  11 Pagesâ€Å"Brave New World† Essay Technology has been used negatively in Brave New World to create a future where individuals are incapable of producing or affecting change. Discuss this statement and show HOW Huxley has demonstrated this idea to his readers. Aldous Huxley’s â€Å"Brave New World† explores the extreme impact of science and technology on an unreal world. The novel fits the science-fiction genre as a dystopia to the reader. Huxley wrote the novel in1932 and presented his thoughtsRead MoreMacbeth9435 Words   |  38 Pages  Macbeth  most clearly reflects the playwright’s relationship with the sovereign. Macbeth  is Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy, and tells the story of a brave Scottish general named  Macbeth  who receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia, and he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler as he is forced to commitRead MoreWho Goes with Fergus11452 Words   |  46 Pageslevel shore because of it. The deep woods woven shade = the unknown. And in response to the previous comment, in my opinion I think that brazen cars is in reference to battle/warfare. Summary The poet asks who will follow King Fergus example and leave the cares of the world to know the wisdom of nature. He exhorts young men and women alike to leave off brooding over loves bitter mystery and to turn instead to the mysterious order of nature, over which Fergus rules. Analysis This short poem

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Ethical Issue Of Anthem Essay - 1702 Words

The ethical issue Anthem faced is that employees felt they were betrayed and that Anthem violated their relationship which was built upon promises. This happened as result of a company decision and its communication thereafter. Description of Anthem Anthem Inc, a leading health insurance company that provides health insurance for personal, business and government entities across the States. Anthem is a prosperous company, ranking within the Fortune 50 list, with total assets equaling $61.7 Billion. They have over 52,000 associates to serve over 39.8 million members. The company has presence in 14 States and continues to offer its services in growing markets (â€Å"Stats and Facts†). Although Anthem is regarded as highly lucrative, the company’s profit margins are extremely low due to the highly competitive and regulated industry. Because there is limited opportunities for market growth, health insurance companies remain competitive by merging with other companies. Anthem is currently in the process of finalizing an acquisition deal with Cigna. This deal has been faced with much scrutiny and pushback from government due to monopoly regulations. If the deal does not go through, Anthem will have to pay a large penalty fee to Cigna. Along with this financial cost, Anthem would also lose time and resources that they have dedicated to this strategy over the past two years. Because of the competitive environment and high stakes, Anthem began cutting costs throughout the company.Show MoreRelatedColin Kaepernick s Kneeling Protest1316 Words   |  6 Pagesknee or sitting during the national anthem. This stand has become way more than a simple silent stand as many people around the nation are starting to voice their opinions on this subject. Even though everyone argues their thoughts on this subject. The president of the United States who is also the commander in chief for the United States military, Obama, has stated that everyone is strongly encouraged to stand during the playing of the countries national anthem. However he continued to say in a pressRead MoreEthics : Ethical Hacking Gaining Access1695 Words   |  7 PagesEthical Hacking Gaining Access Name Institution Ethical Hacking Gaining Access Introduction Ethical hacking is the testing of access to a system, also known as white hacking. The process entails similar tools, methods, and techniques that most hackers employ though with a legal aspect to it. The goal of hacking is done with the permission of the intended target with a goal to show varied areas of weaknesses from the hacker’s perspective. It is part of information risk management allowingRead MoreThe Most Enduring Phenomena Spawned The Great War Created A Literal Response1564 Words   |  7 Pageshuman cruelty and suffering which are carefully structured to convey meaning, and through the use of figurative language conveying the sights and sounds of the battlefield and of trauma. With reference to ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’, ‘The Next War’ and ‘Anthem Of Doomed Youth’, Owen’s intention were to arouse an awareness of the fluctuations of fortune and mood during war and to promote an understanding that a these shifts were reflec ted in an enormous body of literature. Owen successfully portrays theRead MoreThe Rhetorical Analysis Of Mary Crow Dog And Graduation By Maya Angelou1640 Words   |  7 Pagesare like animals and savages; the Indians being the animals, and the nuns and priests being the savages. Her argument is effective because it still applies in society today. The rhetor’s essay is kairotic because racism has always been a pressing issue and when Crow Dog went to St. Francis Mission School, it was during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. She was treated poorly there, and began to question the education she was receiving. Angelou argues that the African American race survivesRead MoreAnalysis Of Bush 9 / 11 Speech826 Words   |  4 PagesCongress, which was nationally televised, declaring war on terrorism. In order to console the United States in the wake of one of the darkest events in modern history and gain support for the approaching war, President Bush uses emotional, logical, and ethical appeals. Bush employs connotative diction and imagery to create pathos, consequently achieving his goal of unifying a grieving nation against the common enemy of terrorism. By using the phrase â€Å"lighting of candles† (Bush), Bush makes a connectionRead MoreInformation Systems : Computer Ethics1525 Words   |  7 Pageson decision making, values, responsibility of one’s own data and also others data (Wong, 1995) [3]. Computers store lot of information in their memory like personal information, banking information, health information, here privacy is an important issue of computer ethics. Specific guidelines, policies, rules should be developed by organizations which should be acceptable by majority of computer users in following computer ethics. People who follow morals and values in everything they do automaticallyRead MoreDemonstrations of the Power of Dictators in Anthem by Ayn Rand581 Words   |  2 PagesAnthem Essay Hitler once stated â€Å"He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.† This means that whoever is in control of the youth will control what is going to happen, because the youth are the future. 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Accounting Data in Productivity Measurement and Strategic Decision-Making Free Essays

string(52) " accounting in a firm are planning and controlling\." Table of content: Page number Executive Summary—————————————————- 2 Introduction —————————————————– 3 What is Cost Accounting? ——————————————- 5 Importance of data collection —————————————- 6 Accounting data for productivity measurement —————– 7 Accounting data for decision making ——————————- 9 Identifying profitable segment’s using accounting————— 11 Managerial Accounting changes———â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 13 Conclusion —————————————————————- 14 Reference —————————————————————- 15 Executive summary: The report titled ‘Accounting Data in Productivity Measurement and Strategic Decision-Making’ provides an analysis and evaluation of how accounting data is used by companies to promote their profitability and to improve their productivity. Most of the data and information has been collected from online journals. The journals collected were written by renowned professors and researchers from established universities. We will write a custom essay sample on Accounting Data in Productivity Measurement and Strategic Decision-Making or any similar topic only for you Order Now The journals dealt with not only the importance of data collection for promoting profitable segments but also on the recent change in accounting practices around the world with primary focus on developing countries. Results of the report suggest that data mining is an essential activity for firms who are committed to advance their productivity. The findings also suggest that such information allows for firms to obey their budgets. The report finds that more and more firms have recognized the importance of data collection for their organization and are finding new ways to promote efficient accounting practices. The report also investigates certain limitations of the journals used. The journals are often much generalized rather than using information about a certain organization. Moreover the data provided in the journals ranges over long periods of time through many different firms in many nations. Thus the findings may not be applicable for all firms. Introduction What is managerial accounting? Managerial accounting  is concerned with the provisions and use of  accounting information to managers within organizations, to provide them with the basis to make informed business decisions that will allow them to be better equipped in their management and control functions. In contrast to  financial accountancy  information, management accounting information is: * primarily forward-looking, instead of historical model based with a degree of abstraction to support decision making generically, instead of case based * designed and intended for use by managers within the organization, instead of being intended for use by shareholders, creditors, and public regulators * usually confidential and used by management, instead of publicly reported * Computed by refe rence to the needs of managers, often using  management information systems, instead of by reference to general financial accounting standards. According to the  Institute of Management Accountants  (IMA)-Management accounting is a profession that involves partnering in management decision making, devising planning and performance management systems, and providing expertise in financial reporting and control to assist management in the formulation and implementation of an organization’s strategy. Managerial accounting as practice extends to the following three areas: * Strategic management—advancing the role of the management accountant as a strategic partner in the organization. * Performance management—developing the practice of business decision-making and managing the performance of the organization. * Risk management—contributing to frameworks and practices for identifying, measuring, managing and reporting risks to the achievement of the objectives of the organization. The Institute of Certified Managerial Accountants (ICMA), states  Ã¢â‚¬Å"A managerial accountant applies his or her professional knowledge and skill in the preparation and presentation of financial and other decision oriented information in such a way as to assist management in the formulation of policies and in the planning and control of the operation of the undertaking†. Managerial accountants therefore are seen as the value-creators amongst the accountants. They are much more interested in forward looking and taking decisions that will affect the future of the organization, than in the historical recording and compliance aspects of the profession. Managerial accounting knowledge and experience can therefore be obtained from varied fields and functions within an organization, such as information management, treasury, efficiency auditing, marketing, valuation, pricing, logistics, etc. (Managerial Accounting,2011, para:1-2) Importance of Managerial accounting for firms in general Managerial accountants record financial information for their companies that is used by the organization’s management team to aid in the decision-making process. Managerial accountants develop budgets, perform asset and cost management, and create important reports used by the management team. Managers depend greatly on the information provided by managerial accountants to develop effective business strategies. Small business owners make most of the decisions within their company. The information presented by managerial accountants affects the owner’s ability to make sound business decisions. The two primary functions of managerial accounting in a firm are planning and controlling. You read "Accounting Data in Productivity Measurement and Strategic Decision-Making" in category "Papers" Both of these help managers accomplish decision making. Managerial accountants have a dual reporting relationship. As a strategic partner and provider of decision based financial and operational information, managerial accountants are responsible for managing the business team and at the same time having to report relationships and responsibilities to the corporation’s finance organization. The activities managerial accountants provide inclusive of forecasting and planning, performing variance analysis, reviewing and monitoring costs inherent in the business are ones that have dual accountability to both finance and the business team. Examples of tasks where accountability may be more meaningful to the business management team vs. the corporate finance department are the development of new product costing,  operations research, business driver metrics, sales management score carding, and client profitability analysis. Conversely, the preparation of certain financial reports, reconciliations of the financial data to source systems, risk and regulatory reporting will be more useful to the corporate finance team as they are charged with aggregating certain financial information from all segments of the corporation. In corporations that derive much of their profits from the information economy, such as banks, publishing houses, telecommunications companies and defense contractors, IT costs are a significant source of uncontrollable spending, which in size is often the greatest corporate cost after total compensation costs and property related costs. A function of management accounting in such organizations is to work closely with the IT department to provide  IT cost transparency. Managerial accountants help drive the success of the business while strict financial accounting is more of a compliance and historical endeavor. The goal of managerial accounting in a firm is to provide information for internal decision making, primarily for planning and control purposes. The types of decisions made by managers rely substantially on accounting information. Because financial accounting information does not provide enough detail for internal decisions, it must be broken into more detail of the individual products or services provided by a company. Not only do managers need to know the cost of a product or service, they need the costs broken into smaller components so they are able to perform what-if analyses and forecasts for the future. Some types of decisions that managers often make include pricing products, dropping a product or product line, buying new equipment to replace old, evaluating the performance of managers or divisions of a company, or making rather than buying a part or product. What is Cost Accounting? Cost accounting  is a process of collecting, analyzing, summarizing and evaluating various alternative courses of action (Wikipedia, March 23, 2013, Revised Standard Version). It helps to find out the detailed information to the manager to control operation based on cost efficiency and capability. Managers made decisions for their own firm. So they need to manage the cost regarding productivity and strategic decision making. Cost accounting helps managers to control and manage resources. Strategic decisions based on cost reduction and rising costs are based on cost accounting. Basically the information is designed for managers as they take all the decisions for the organization. Important strategic decision making are made depending on the costs that the company can manage to pay for. Thus cost accounting is an important tool for the managers for productivity management and strategic decision making. Importance of data mining: Data mining is primarily used today by companies with a strong consumer focus. The application of data mining is ever-increasing in today’s business as in enables business to pull out hidden information from huge amount of data for better understanding of the consumers (Chopoorian et al. , 2001). The information is analyzed based on different perspective and summarize into useful data that can be used to increase revenue or cut costs. Although data mining is a relatively new term, but large companies are using it to find co-relation among huge amount of data in large database. The importance’s of data mining for modern business are given below: Data mining is used in restoration of hidden data which helps to extract the valuable information and construct practical analysis for decision making. * Data mining gives financial institutions information about loan and credit reporting (â€Å"Zentut†, â€Å"n. d. †). * It also helps banks detect fraudulent credit card transactions to protect credit card’s owner (â€Å"Zentut†, â€Å"n. d. †). * It is being used ever more for understanding and forecasting consumer buying actions, buying tendency, customer profile and industry analysis (â€Å"Articlebase†, July 18, 2009). Data mining can be used as decision making tools in market research, industry research and competitor analysis which made it more beneficiary for the business industry. * It can manipulate large database swiftly and effectively accomplishes entire data analysis process. * Data mining helps government agency by excavating and scrutinizing records of financial transaction to build molds that can identify money laundering or criminal activities (â€Å"Wordpress†, December 5, 2006). * It can be used in every sector like science, business and others and it is cost effective. Limitation: Data mining has uncountable benefits and importance in today’s modern business but it has some limitations. Most of them are based on technological advancement, which is considered as the foremost advantage of data mining. Additional limitations are discussed below: * Security concern: One of the major limitations of data mining is the security issue. Most of the businesses accumulate their customers’ social security number, payroll etc. Hackers can easily go across their accounts and steal such sensitive data of the customers (â€Å"Zentut†, â€Å"n. . †). Thus customers do not feel safe to share information through data mining. To avoid the unwanted security concern, companies ought to take several crucial precautions so that the customers can trust them with no trouble. * Privacy concern: The misuse of internet has threatened the privacy concern among its users. People are afraid to share any of their personal information as it can be collec ted and used in unethical ways. Customers’ do not prefer to buy goods online in apprehension of getting any information revealed (â€Å"IT Law WIKI†, â€Å"n. . †). As business has to collect many of the information, they must take care about the privacy policy so that the information cannot easily disclose. * Inaccurate information: Unethical businesses or people might use information that is given in data mining for some other purposes or can inequity against some other people. Moreover the information or the assessment published in data mining is not absolutely accurate if the data has been entered wrong. Thus people cannot reliance completely on data mining. Possible benefits: Data mining is useful for modern business today as particular user will be looking for a pattern not for complete data in the database, it is better to read wanted data than unwanted data. There are some other benefits. They are: * Data mining technique is required pattern will be drawn from database with in short time * Data mining software is easy to use and does not require complicated statistical acquaintance and data preprocessing (Chen and Sakaguchi, 2000) * Data mining tools are programmed in such ways, it automatically present data analysis with visual charts and table to assist understanding Importance of Accounting Data in Productivity Measurement: According to Kaydos (1991), â€Å"Productivity and subsequently performance measurement has become more important and has been regarded as a prerequisite for continuous improvement† (as cited in Phusavat Photaranon, 2006). Accounting data is important for measuring productivity to provide a systematic and comprehensive explanation of changes in profitability. Productivity measurement is one of the criterions for performance analysis of a firm. According to Sink (1985), â€Å"Productivity is simply the relationship between the outputs (goods and services) generated from a system and the inputs provided to create those outputs† (as cited in Phusavat Photaranon, 2006). It is very important that accounting data collected should be correct and reliable otherwise productivity measurement would be inaccurate which will lead to incorrect forecast of cost and profitability data. Both technical and managerial aspects should be recognized in order to ensure successful and sustainable productivity measurement. For this purpose, strong database management is essential in order to ensure timely provision of accounting data for productivity measurement. It is essential to timely collect production-related data and report performance information by the database management to ensure better performance-analysis. According to Harper (1984), â€Å"It is vital for an organization to become continuously more productive in order to sustain its growth† (as cited in Phusavat Photaranon, 2006). The productivity measurement based on accounting data divides production inputs into five categories such as capital, labour, energy, materials, and services. Productivity also includes unit cost, price, factor proportion, cost proportion, product mix, and input allocation (Phusavat Photaranon, 2006). Accounting data consisting of integration between productivity, financial performance (i. e. profitability) at the operational level, and features such as opportunity gain/loss is used for productivity and performance measurement. Management report on opportunity gain/loss is useful for future monitoring and evaluation. Accounting data such as concepts of the opportunity gain/loss and the dynamic/static ratios in both single and partial formats are essential for performance measurement. Accounting information such as value-added labor productivity and ROA are also included in measurement technique. More comprehensive analysis of entity by measurements requires more accounting data to be aggregated (Phusavat Photaranon, 2006). Importance of Accounting in Strategic Decision making: Accounting is essential in managing business performance and the accountants helps to improve decision making by offering strategic and practical advice, by managing risk, and by supporting key decisions at all stages of the decision making process for enhanced productivity and profitability measurements. An accountant can help significantly in the areas of budgeting, investigating, interpreting and communicating results for use by both internal and external decision makers. For example, at the problem recognition stage, they may be the first to detect an opportunity or approaching threat. At the ideas stage, they can help to provide creative solutions (â€Å"Improving strategic decision making†, n. d. ). Profitability is consequence of adopting a market orientation and plays important role in decision making (as cited in Inglis Clift, 2008). Market orientations is composed of three behavioral components, such as customer orientation, competitor orientation and inter functional coordination, and two decision criteria, long-term focus and profitability (Narver and Slater, 1990). Customer orientation component of a market orientation and profitability acts as decision criterion (Inglis and Clift, 2008). There is an identified requirement for accounting information about the costs involved in providing a range of customer product-attributes which help businesses to choose most profitable market segment. According to Gray and Hooley (2002), within the market-orientation, customer value, customer product-attribute needs and accounting information are interrelated conceptually from a managerial and economic perspective (Gray and Hooley, 2002). McNaughton et al. (2002) stated that accounting function develops a sense of those attributes of greatest value to customers and in this way they may provide link between customers, value and profitability (as cited in Inglis and Clift, 2008). According to Inglis and Clift (2008), creating value for customer through product attributes requires accounting information very much for decision making. Function cost analysis and interrelated techniques of value analysis are integral to target costing (TC) which seeks to reduce the life-cycle costs of products while ensuring all customer requirements are met (Shillito and De Marle, 1992; Kato, 1993). According to Inglis and Clift (2008), the accounting function may interact with customers in managing payment procedures and terms for a richer understanding of how to differentiate its business in the market place and assist in creating value for the customer (Inglis and Clift, 2008). Importance of using ABC Method to avoid the problems faced by firms providing financial services According to Hussain and Gunasekaran (2001), activity based costing (ABC) has become highly essential to overcome shortcomings faced by traditional accounting method, in terms of validity, accuracy, completeness, consistency, understanding and relevance. It helps management to make internal decisions and formulate plans to provide new services, improve existing services and measure performances in order to achieve overall competitive strategies and advantages of organizations. The approach further provides a more factual basis for decisions by identifying truly profitable and truly unprofitable products, eliminating unnecessary costs, identifying and distinguishing between true value-add activities and non-value add activities, and pricing products so as to achieve acceptable margins. It is a powerful tool in achieving competitive advantages and in providing operational and discretionary project cost data (Hussain and Gunasekaran, 2001). Activity based costing in service costs in bank demonstrated by Hussain and Kock (1994) showed unit time is a more complex calculation involving work measurement processes (as cited in Hussain and Gunasekaran, 2001). Once information obtained the bank can calculate the profitability of various segments, retain highly profitable segments and transform unprofitable segments into profitable ones through actions on pricing, product features, operating improvements and technology introduction (as cited in Hussain and Gunasekaran, 2001). West and West (1997) demonstrated the need of activity-based costing implementation in services . . . for financial survival without which managers cannot make effective decisions involving long-term captivated contract profitability (as cited in Hussain and Gunasekaran, 2001). Harr (1990) reports activity-based accounting approach for budgeting and financial performance reduces the costs without losing either the timeliness or the quality of its services. In spite of the advantages, however, ABC costing does not solve all the problems involved in decision making as management might overlook basic analysis needed for customer adaptation, flexibility and economies of scope (Hussain and Gunasekaran, 2001). It is important to constantly focus upon customers’ total perceived service quality and to maintain relationships to profitable customers. ABCM can then be accepted as a real tool for management to make strategic decision, formulate plan and operate control (Hussain and Gunasekaran, 2001) Using Target costing to identify profitable segments and maintaining productivity: In the journal ‘Target Costing’ (1995) the authors have stated that ‘product innovation is one of the keys to a company’s survival and competitiveness’ (p. 1). Thus Management accounting and cost accounting play an important role as they help in the creation of new products which attracts customers while maintaining low costs and ensuring profitability. As the effects of globalisation becomes more apparent companies are forced to reconsider their accounting practices, more specifically there management accounting practices. This is where target costing comes in. Target costing has been defined in the book Managerial Accounting (2012) ‘the process of determining the maximum allowable cost for a new product and then developing a prototype that can be profitably made for that maximum target cost figure’ (p. 763). In other words a desired profit margin is deducted from the selling price and a new target cost is determined for the new product. Implementing Target Costing: The different departments of the firm run a cost analysis to develop a target cost for the new product. If the manufacturing cost for the new product is equal or below the target cost then the product can be introduced in the market. Finally the target cost is deducted from the selling price. Thus target costing not only helps find a profitable segment in the market but also makes sure that product is being produce in its most productive capacity. The target profit process has been summarised in Figure 1 (see appendix). The journal further states that the companies that benefit the most from Target costing (p. 6) are: 1. Firms involved in assembly production style. 2. Firms involved in product diversification thus need target costing to determine a profitable market segment. 3. Firms whose product life cycle is relatively short (less than 3 years). 4. Firms wanting to reducing costs during the planning, design and development stages of a product’s life cycle. Managerial Accounting Changes: Research shows that Managerial Accounting has under gone changes in the last decade. According to the journal ‘Managerial Accounting Change in South Africa’ (Waweru, Jan 2004) this is especially true for developing nations. The case study considers four retail firms in South Africa. This helped them to find out the exact changes in Management Accounting Practices and the reasoning behind such changes. The journal reports that the main reason for such transformations can mainly be attributed to three main reasons. They are: 1. Increased Globalisation-This has made sure there is increased competition between the countries of the world. Thus necessitating for changes to take place in the managerial accounting world. 2. Huge variations in Information Technology-Technological advancements in the last decade has revolutionized the way world does business. The introduction of supercomputers has made sure that decision making process is faster and also made information more freely available. 3. Recent economic recession-The recession which has gripped the world since 2007 has made businesses reassess their managerial practices. Thus the journal has found that in order to deal with such challenges the businesses have evolved and so has their accounting practice. In developed nations more and more firms are now involved in Target Costing, Activity Based Costing (ABC), Product Life-cycle costing and finally Quality Costing. It should again be mentioned that these changes has only been noticed in developing nations and not so much in developed nations around the world. However the paper cautions regarding such changes by stating that no one accounting system is universally appropriate for all firms. But rather that it varies from company to company. Thus the factors a firm should consider are (Waweru, 2004): 1. Size and type of the firm 2. Foreign competition 3. Economic restrictions 4. Technological advancements 5. Political and Social Considerations Hence we can conclude from this journal that Management practices evolves slowly in developing countries where it is greatly aided by government reforms/deregulations and globalisations and technological improvements. Conclusion: Thus we can say that accounting data has a strong effect on productivity and strategic decision making for firms. Since the data’s collected, both time series and cross sectional data, provides an insight into what has increased output for firms over the years and all the possible actions firms can make to engage in efficient production. Data’s are also used to make important decision. Time series accounting data gives a good understanding of the profitable segments of the firms and the different sectors the firm can further expand into. Hence we can conclude by saying that accounting data are extremely vital for management accounting practices. Reference: 1. So,S and Smith,M. (2003). Managerial Auditing Journal. The impact of presentation format and individual differences on the communication of information for management decision making. 18 (1), p1-3. 2. Farag,M and Elias,R. (2012). Public Accounting Firms’ mix of service revenue and average productivity. Evidence using revenue per person. 7 (8), p1-5. 3. Phusavat,K and Photaranon,W. (2006). Productivity/Performance measurement. Case application at the government pharmacuetical organisation. 106 (9), p1-16. 4. Waweru,N and Hoque,Z. (2004). Management Accounting Change in South Africa. Case studies from retail services. 17 (5), p1-30. 5. Inglis,R and Clift,R. (2008). Market Oriented accounting:information f or product level decision. Market oriented accounting. 23 (3), pg1-15. 6. Liu,s and Chen,J. (2009). Using data mining to segment healthcare markets from patients’ preference perspectives. Using data mining to segment markets. 22 (2), p1-18. . Hussain,M and Gunasekaran,A. (2001). Activity-based cost management in financial services industry. Managing service quality. 11 (3), p1-11. 8. Gagne,M and Discenza,R. (1995). Target Costing. JOURNAL OF BUSINESS INDUSTRIAL MARKETING. 10 (1), p1-7. 9. None. (2012). Management Accounting. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Management_accounting. Last accessed 12th April 2013. 10. None. (2009). Improving strategic decision making. Available: 10. http://businesscasestudies. co. uk/cima/improving-strategic-decision-making/introduction. html#axzz2QEPImiLQ . Last accessed 12th April 2013. How to cite Accounting Data in Productivity Measurement and Strategic Decision-Making, Papers

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Moral Story free essay sample

A King of Revenge Once upon a time, many years ago, there lived a wealthy King named Alfred. He had more power and more money than anybody in the town of Gershon. King Alfred drove the nicest car and had the biggest castle. He was a handsome man who was married to a gorgeous Queen name Dorothy. It seemed clear that Dorothy did not love Alfred, only his money and power. King Alfred is a rude, self-centered man who has never had to work for anything in his life. On a beautiful afternoon in Gershon, King Alfred and Queen Dorothy decided to take a drive around to show off their new convertible. Alfred was driving the car at an extremely fast speed when all of a sudden the car in front of him slammed on his brakes, causing Alfred to ram into the back of the other car. Queen Dorothy was covered in blood; glass stuck in her body, with a few small tears running down her cheek. We will write a custom essay sample on Moral Story or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page King Alfreds brand new car was severely damaged. He crawled his way out of his scrunched car to see who the man in front of him was. It was another wealthy man named Matthew. Alfred knew this man because he was one of the few wealthy fellows in Gershon. Alfred cursed him out, worked his way back into the car, and drove slowly but surely to the nearest octor. But as they were slowly trembling down the highway there was a moment where King Alfred know that Queen Dorothy was dead. He pulled over to the side of the road and sat in silence. The King did not even shed a tear. However, he was shaking in terror and furiousness. Alfred did eventually get back to his castle. He squeezed Dorothy out of the car and buried her in the backyard. Soon after that he stormed to the top floor and grabbed a hand gun. He ran downstairs and hopped into his older car. He knew where Matthew lived and King Alfred sped off towards his destination. Matthew had a very large home with maids and servants at the doors. King Alfred arrived and parked his car slightly before Matthews house so nobody would notice. He walked around the side of the house to the backyard and there sat Matthew poolside, all alone. The King had a clear shot. He aimed his gun straight for Matthews head but as Alfred pulled the trigger, Matthew stood up. The bullet went straight through his leg. Matthew let out a massive scream of pain and out ran the maids and servants. King Alfred took off sprinting, leaving his car behind. Alfred traveled to an unknown, hidden location. He fgured he would be safe there for a while. The shocking news spread around Gershon and some of the evil peasants took advantage of this. The evil peasants got together and rushed to King Alfreds giant castle, breaking into his vault, and stealing all of the available currency. After some time, King Alfred snuck back into Gershon to go back to his castle and retrieve his money. When Alfred arrived and opened his vault his mouth dropped and he sat down in depression. He had no idea what to do so he Just laid there and closed his eyes. King Alfreds older car was left at Matthews house.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

4 Inspirational Stories from the Hood to Make You Stop Feeling Sorry for Yourself!

4 Inspirational Stories from the Hood to Make You Stop Feeling Sorry for Yourself! Last summer, I made a promise at the end of a blog about participating in College Summit, a program that prepares inner city high school students to attend college: I announced I would return to the program in 2015. And I kept my promise! From July 23-26, 2015, I worked with four student leaders to find their unique stories and put them down on paper. I was inspired by all of them in different ways, and I’d like to share their stories with you. As you read about these young leaders, consider the things that stop you in your life. My four students each encountered situations that could have brought them down, but they did not give up on themselves or their dreams. Here are their stories (complete with typos and grammatical anomalies). Their names have been changed for purposes of this article. Benita Benita, in an initial writing exercise, referred to a â€Å"family situation† but did not say what it was. We told her we wanted to know more, and she said she didn’t write more about it because she would cry. I told her it was okay and welcome if she cried. In the next exercise, she revealed, tears streaming down her face, that her dad was arrested in front of her eyes when she was 12 years old, and then was quickly deported. He had been trying to do what he could to put food on the table. After her dad’s departure, Benita quit playing soccer; she and her two siblings quit school; and her mother quit eating for seven months. But the family ultimately was able to turn their lives around. Benita rejoined the soccer team; all the kids went back to school; and her mother opened a dance studio. Benita’s dream: to become a history teacher in the neighborhood where she grew up. How remarkable that this young woman wants to give back in the setting that holds so many painful memories. She is creating new and more positive ones. My dad would take us to Disneyland once a month or even once every week. Our family was very cheerful and probably the happiest people anyone knew. When we would be home or somewhere else we didn’t really have enough food for us to eat. But that didn’t matter to us, all we cared about was being so happy and energetic family. Jorge Jorge’s brother Paul was the first in their family to graduate high school and to go to college. He was Jorge’s idol. When Paul dropped out of college, Jorge began to doubt whether he himself had what it took to make it through college. He spoke about how he started to give up on himself, but he said it looks likely that he will graduate this year. What he didn’t mention (and what I found out from one of the college coaches at the program) was that he has a 3.8 GPA and super high SAT math scores for someone from his background. Jorge is passionate about computer science and he has started to regain confidence in himself. I see every reason why he is going to be the first in his family to graduate from college. First period I had a computer science class in which we created our own website, our own game, our own graphics and pictures, and a program for a small robot made out of Legos. Most people thought that this class was boring and pointless, but I honestly thought that this was one of the most fun classes. I wish that I had a computer with all the programs at home to finish it or continue onto something else on my own. Jennifer A fireball from the moment we started working together, Jennifer never shied away from the task at hand. This girl from the ghetto is tired of walking by drug addicts every day. She wants more for herself and for her friends and family. Daring to be different from her neighbors, she has excelled in music and theater wants to be an obstetrician. She’s the one who bandages up the bleeding when her family gets scraped up. And I’ve never heard someone so excited while talking about mitosis! Jennifer is unafraid of the 13 years of schooling she will undergo to reach her dream. Being happy with what I do is an awesome feeling but knowing that it could take me places I could never imagine is even better. I am Jennifer Johnson. I’m from the ghetto. And despite all the negative things that are happening around me I did the things that made me the happiest, and became somebody. Sandra I wouldn’t have guessed that this tiny quiet girl, who at first was reluctant to talk and told us all she had nothing to write about, was captain of her school’s 4-time winning cheer team. Her story of how she got there was inspiring, and even more inspiring was watching her unfold into a true writer. I compete to fight to the top, although there is no path there. I like taking a step forward knowing I can trip. My shoes aren’t always tied, and there will always be cracks and bumps on the floor, but I will tie my shoes, and nothing will stop me from taking another step forward and wanting to run. If you let your untied shoes, your role model’s downfall, your background, or a family crisis stop you from playing full out for your goals, I hope the spirit of Benita, Jorge, Jennifer and Sandra inspires you to keep reaching, fighting, and celebrating.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

SAT Curve Is It Real

SAT Curve Is It Real SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many high school tests are curved, but what about the SAT? Is the SAT curved? Canwhen or whom you take the exam with affect your final SAT score? In this article, we'll answer all ofyour questions about the SAT curve. First, we'llclosely examine whether there actually is an SAT curve and discusshow the SAT is scored. We'll then look at SAT curve trendsand give you tips on how you canuse SAT curves to your advantage. Is the SAT Curved? Contrary to what you may believe, there is no SAT curve. This means your SAT score willnever be affected by how other test takers perform on thetest. So even if everyone you took the SAT with were to performpoorly on it, the College Board would not raise everyone's SAT scores to account forthe surplusof low test scores. In other words,you will never receive an SAT score higher than what you actually earned on the test, regardless of whom you took the test with. But if the SAT isn't curved relative to other test takers, how does its scoring system work? Is an 800 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW) on one SAT the same as a perfect EBRW score on another? Or is it more difficult to score highlyon certain test dates? To account for slight differences in difficulty among SATs, the College Board uses a system known asequating. This processensures that SAT scores areconsistent across tests and will always indicate the same level of ability no matter when youtake the SAT.Soa 650 Math score on one SAT will always correspondto a 650 Math score on another SAT- even if one test contains easier Math questions. Inthe College Board's words: â€Å"This [equating] process ensures that no student receives an advantage or disadvantage from taking a particular form of the test on a particular day;* a score of 400 on one test form is equivalent to a score of 400 on another test form.† *Emphasis mine. Through this equating process, or "SAT curves," the College Board can account for slight variations in difficulty among SATs to give test takers on different test datesthe same opportunityto achievetheir goal scores. As a result, there is no single besttime to take the SAT. Regardless of how easy or difficult a test may be,all SATs are equated so that getting a certainscaled score will always require the same amount of effort and level of ability. So how is the SAT scored? Andhow is it equated? Read on to find out. How Do SAT Curves Work? Before we get into the SAT equating process, let's do aquick recap of the scoring system. Both theEBRW and Math scores use scales of 200-800andcombine to give youa composite score range of 400-1600. But you likely know therearen't 1,600 total questions on the SAT. So then how are these scaled scores calculated? On the SAT (excluding the Essay), you earn one point for every question you answer correctly. (You do not lose any points for incorrect or blank answers.) All of your correct answers combine to give you araw score for each section. If you were to correctly answer 45 out of 58 Math questions, your raw Math score would equal 45. This raw score is subsequently converted into a Math section score (i.e., your final scaled score). But the process is a little more complicated for the Reading and Writing sections. Like the Math section, your Reading and Writing performancesare assigned raw scores based on the number of questions you answered correctly. Theseraw scores are then converted into test scoreson a scale of 10-40. Finally, the test scores are added together and multiplied by 10 to give you an EBRW score (on a scale of 200-800- the same as it is for Math). But here's the caveat: raw scores on one SAT willnotnecessarily convert into the same scaled scores on another. Why is there this discrepancy? Each SAT varies slightly in content and difficulty, and so to account for these variations, the College Board translates raw scores into scaled scoresusing individualequating formulas for each test. This essentially meansyou'll never be able to know before you take the SAT how a raw score will convert into a scaled score. That said,by looking at ascore conversion table from an official SAT practice test, we can get a rough idea as to how the equating process works for each SAT. These conversion tables- which differ slightly with each test due to differences in equating formulas- show us how raw scores convert into scaled scores for different sections of the test. The two tables below are based on the score conversion tables forPractice Test #6and Practice Test #7(both of which are copies ofreal SATs!). SAT Practice Test #6 Raw Score Conversion Chart Raw Score Math Section Score Reading Test Score Writing and Language Test Score 0 200 10 10 1 200 10 10 2 210 10 10 3 230 10 11 4 250 11 11 5 260 12 12 6 280 13 13 7 290 14 14 8 310 15 15 9 320 15 16 10 330 16 16 11 340 17 17 12 350 17 18 13 360 18 18 14 380 18 19 15 390 19 20 16 400 19 20 17 410 20 21 18 420 20 22 19 430 21 23 20 440 21 23 21 450 22 24 22 460 22 25 23 470 23 25 24 490 23 26 25 500 24 27 26 510 24 27 27 510 25 28 28 520 25 28 29 530 26 29 30 530 26 30 31 540 27 30 32 550 27 31 33 560 28 31 34 570 28 32 35 580 29 33 36 590 29 34 37 590 30 34 38 600 30 35 39 610 31 36 40 620 31 36 41 630 32 38 42 640 33 39 43 650 33 39 44 660 34 40 45 670 35 46 670 36 47 680 37 48 690 37 49 700 38 50 710 39 51 720 40 52 730 40 53 740 54 760 55 770 56 780 57 790 58 800 Source: Scoring Your SAT Practice Test #6 Overwhelmed by all of the numbers? Time for kitty therapy. SAT Practice Test #7 Raw Score Conversion Chart Raw Score Math Section Score Reading Test Score Writing and Language Test Score 0 200 10 10 1 200 10 10 2 210 10 10 3 230 10 10 4 250 11 11 5 260 12 12 6 280 13 12 7 290 14 13 8 310 15 14 9 320 15 15 10 330 16 15 11 350 17 16 12 360 17 17 13 370 18 18 14 380 18 18 15 390 19 19 16 400 20 19 17 420 20 20 18 430 21 21 19 430 21 22 20 440 22 22 21 450 22 23 22 460 23 24 23 470 23 25 24 480 24 25 25 490 24 26 26 500 25 26 27 510 25 27 28 510 26 28 29 520 26 29 30 530 27 29 31 530 27 30 32 540 28 31 33 550 28 31 34 550 29 32 35 560 29 32 36 570 30 33 37 580 30 34 38 590 31 34 39 590 31 35 40 600 32 36 41 610 32 36 42 620 33 37 43 630 34 39 44 640 35 40 45 650 35 46 660 36 47 670 37 48 680 37 49 680 38 50 690 39 51 700 39 52 720 40 53 730 54 740 55 760 56 770 57 790 58 800 Source: Scoring Your SAT Practice Test #7 Just byglancing at these charts, you can probablytell there are several minor differences in how the raw scores for Math, Reading, and Writing convert into scaled or test scores. For Math, a raw score of 40 would net you 620 on Test #6 but only 600 on Test #7! This hints thatthe Math section on Test #7 is a little easier than thaton Test #6. How can we tell? OnTest #7, you must answer more questions correctly (and obtain a higher raw score of 42) to get a scaled score of 620. The trends are similar for Reading.You could get a perfect 40 on Reading on Test #6, even if you were to miss a question (and earna raw score of 51). On Test #7, however, missing just one question reduces your Reading test score to 39. Once again, we can see a minute difference in difficulty: the Reading section on Test #6 is slightly more difficult than that on Test #7, and has thus been equated so that even if you were to miss aquestion you willstill get a perfect score. You'll find similar differences among the Writing scores, too.A raw score of 42 will nab you a near-perfect test score of 39 on Test #6 but a noticeably lower 37 on Test #7. Ultimately, through these tables, we can confirm thatraw SAT scoresdo not consistently convert into the same scaled scores for each test. So while you can't know for sure how many questions you'll need to answer correctly on the SAT in order to get the scaled scores you want, you can use the tables above to give yourself an ideaas to how your raw scores may translate into scaled scores on test day. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! How Has the SAT Curve Changed Over Time? Because the new SAThasn’t been around that long,we can't determine yet how much the SAT curves have changed with each testing year. That being said, we can look at some of the officialscore range tables for previous testing years (for the old, pre-2016 SAT) to get a feel for how the new SAT might experience similar trends. Score range tables show us how raw scores convert into scaled scores for entiretesting years. For this analysis, we'll be looking at a10-year difference using the 2005-06and 2015-16raw score to scaled score range tables. 2005-06 SAT Score Range Table Raw Score Critical Reading Raw Score Mathematics Raw Score Writing (Multiple Choice) 67 800 65 790-800 60 710-740 55 660-680 54 800 50 620-640 50 710-750 49 800 45 580-600 45 650-690 45 700-770 40 550-570 40 610-640 40 630-670 35 520-530 35 570-600 35 570-610 30 490-500 30 530-550 30 520-560 25 460-470 25 490-510 25 480-510 20 420-440 20 450-470 20 440-470 15 390-410 15 410-430 15 400-430 10 350-380 10 370-390 10 350-380 5 290-330 5 310-340 5 300-330 0 200-270 0 210-260 0 210-260 -5 200 -5 200 -5 200 Source: SAT Raw Score to Scaled Score Ranges 2005-06 2015-16 SAT Score Range Table Raw Score Critical Reading Raw Score Mathematics Raw Score Writing (Multiple Choice) 67 800 65 790-800 60 710-740 55 650-680 54 800 50 610-630 50 700-730 49 800 45 570-590 45 650-670 45 690-720 40 540-560 40 600-620 40 620-650 35 510-520 35 560-570 35 560-600 30 480-490 30 520-530 30 510-550 25 450-460 25 480-490 25 470-500 20 420-430 20 440-460 20 420-460 15 380-400 15 400-420 15 380-410 10 340-360 10 350-380 10 340-370 5 290-320 5 300-330 5 280-320 0 200-240 0 220-260 0 200-240 -5 200 -5 200 -5 200 Source: SAT Raw Score to Scaled Score Range 2015-16 Before we analyzeeach SAT curve chart, keep in mind that these tables are for the old SAT; therefore,the Reading and Writing scores are not combined for an overallEBRW score asthey are currently. In addition, unlike the new SAT, on the old SAT you could score lower than a 0 due to penalties for incorrect answers. Let's start with the SAT Math curve. According to the data above, araw Math score of 50gave test takersas high as 750 in the 2005-06 testing year but onlyas high as 730 in the 2015-16 testing year. Similarly, if you look at the highest possible scaled score for each Math range, you'll findthat the 2005-06 maximums are consistently (albeit only marginally) higher than those on the 2015-16 table. What thispattern tells us is that, on average, the Math sections on the 2005-06 SATs were slightly harderthan those on the 2015-16 SATs. This is evidenced by the fact youtypically needed to score more raw points in 2015-16 to get the same scaled Math scores in 2005-06. But what about the other sections? On Writing,you used to be able to earn up to 49 raw points. In 2005-06, you could score as high as 770 with a raw score of 45 but only as high as 720 with the same raw score in 2015-16. And with theSAT Critical Reading curve, the 2005-06 and 2015-16 ranges are mostly the same, give or take10 points. Based on all of this information, then, what can we conclude about the SAT curve? The tables indicate that the number of questions you must answer correctly to get certain scaled scores has stayed roughly the same over the years. Generally speaking, the variations among scaled scores on each section are minimal- usually only 10- or 20-point differences at most. Therefore, these patterns- along with the fact thatSAT percentiles hardlychange each year- imply that the difficulty of the SAT has stayed relatively consistentover time. Using theSAT Curve to Your Advantage: 5 Do's and Don'ts By now you may be wondering how theSAT curve can helpyou, personally. Below, I give you thedo’s and don’ts of what to do with this knowledge about the SAT equating system,so thatyoucan give yourself a better shot at getting the SAT scores you needfor college. Do: Use raw score conversion tables toestimatehow many correct answers you’ll need to get the scaled scores you want.My recommendation is tofirst figure out your SAT goal scores.Once you have these scores, use any raw score conversiontable from anSAT practice test (or multiple tests) to get a feel for the raw scores you'll need on each section in order to hityour (scaled) goal scores on test day. (Tests #5, #6, and #7 are all former SATs, so these are great tests to use!) Take the SAT curvewith a grain of salt. Although the equating process can be helpful, at the end of the day nobody (except the College Board!) knows the exact equating formula for the SAT you’re going to take. So don’t worry too much about raw scores and how they convert into scaled scores- just know that while you can use equating tablesto help you estimate the number of correct answers you'll need, this data will never be 100-percent applicable to your particular test. Don't: Confuse the SAT equating process with a regular curve. As I mentioned before, there is no SAT curve- at least not in the traditional sense. On the SAT, how other test takers score has zero bearing on your score (though it does affect your SAT percentile).The only factor that influencesyour scaled score is the equating process, which varieswith each SAT to ensure scaled scores represent the same levels of ability across tests. Assume when you take the test willaffectyour score. Again, this is a common misconception. Many people believe certain tests areeasier to score higher on than others due to variations in difficulty or different abilities of test takers. But this isn't true! The equating process makes it so you don't gain or lose any likelihood of attaining a certain score, no matter when or with whom you take the SAT. Try togame the system.Because you can't know for certainhow your raw SAT scores will convert into scaled scores, it's impossible to use what we know about theequating process to cheat the system and guarantee yourself a higher score.Anyone who claims this is possible is flat-outwrong! Now, sit back and grab your popcorn- it's time for the recap! Recap: What Is the SAT Curve? How Does It Work? So is the SAT curved? In short, no, the SAT isn't curved.However, the College Board does use an equating system, which ensures scaled SAT scores always correlate tothe same levels of ability, no matter when you take the test. Although there's no way of knowing forsure just how your raw scores will convert into scaled scores, you can use raw score to scaled score range tables from official SAT practice tests to help you approximate the number of questions you'll need to answer correctly on test day, so you can get the scaled scores you want. Unfortunately,these tables aren't a hundred percent reliable, as each test uses a different equating formula (that only the College Board knows). Lastly, don't try to use the SAT curveto cheatthe SAT. As long as youstudy hardand usehigh-quality resources, you'll be on your way to a high SAT score (and hopefully the college of your dreams) in no time! What’s Next? You understand how the SAT curve works- but what about the scoring system? Read our in-depth guide to how the SAT is scoredto learn more about theequating process andhow subscores and cross-test scores come into play. Want to learn more about SAT scores?Find your goal score with our step-by-step guide and learn about the current averages. Once you're finished with those, check out my article on SAT scores for colleges to see what kinds of scores you'll need for popular schools! If you enjoyed this article, you'll love myanalysisof the ACT curve! Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Friday, February 14, 2020

Terrorism Attack in southern Beirut Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Terrorism Attack in southern Beirut - Essay Example The Muslim communities are out to attack Christians, and they believe that Christians are their number one enemy. Whenever a terror attack occurs, they claim responsibility and are happy about it. They refer to the fellow Muslims, who refuse to support their act as traitors and they purpose to kill them (Levitt 67). Of all the attack that are recorded, the Garissa killing of students, the Beirut killing and the Paris killing, the Muslim groups claims responsibility. They usually give warning before the attack but the governments have been so reluctant until the make it real. Most of the civil wars in Syria and Iran are just based on the Muslim belief. There are lots of advert taking the advantage of the situation, CCTV and car tracker are on the advert.The newspaper shows pictures of destroyed properties, and men and women are stranded about their business. It had not taken long since the ISIS claimed an attack of civilian during the Syrian war. The paper shows the emotional pictures of Muslim mourners who have lost their relatives in the attack. From the photos, it is clear to note that the incident left people in shock as it was never expected. The crime scene was protected with anti-terror officials some of whom were defeated on what to do. The news records a mixed reaction as some people feel that the incident that has just occurred for the first time is given much attention as compared to other attacks in other places (Levitt 67). The news shows that the government had already had the information about the attack.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

International Tourism Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Tourism Development - Essay Example Advancing tourism activities for the Silk Road Countries United Nations World Tourism Organization took some initiatives for advancement of the tourism activities for each and every Silk Road Country. There are 24 global countries that participated in this particular tourism project in order to accomplish the task quite successfully (ADB, 2013, p.1). It is highly important for the organization to consider effective and sustainable tourism activities in the Silk Road countries in order to achieve the objective of the project. According to the process and objectives of this project, each and every associated country needs to work towards a Single Visa of Silk Road. The United Nations World Tourism Organization is trying to bring several countries of the ancient Silk Route to ensure development and growth through sustainable tourism activities. According to Maslow’s theory of development there are 5 stages of basic needs which have been described in the diagram below: It is clear from the above diagram the 5 stages of development are physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem and self-actualization. Sustainable tourism can play a major role in upgrading the status of the people along the hierarchy. Tourism will stimulate demand and people will shift upwards along the hierarchy model. The people at the grass root are at the physiological part of the hierarchy diagram. Effective implementation of the tourism policies will shift these people up along the hierarchy model and will enhance their development in terms of wealth creation and social recognition. There are different types of tourism, such as food tourism, cultural... This essay stresses that it is true that global tourism industry is one of the major growth drivers of the global economy. Several leading organizations within the industry are trying to implement sustainable business operation strategies in the business processes in order to achieve significant social and cultural growth. It has been discussed earlier that the objective of this project is to encourage and stimulate the quality tourism development through healthy competitiveness between different Silk Road cities. United Nations World Tourism Organization took some initiatives for advancement of the tourism activities for each and every Silk Road Country. This paper makes a conclusion that Silk Road Programme is one of the important and popular sustainable tourism project initiated by The United Nations World Tourism Organization. The organization always tries to develop and implement unique business operation strategies to maintain effective growth rate of the industry. It is true that the tourism industry is known as one of the most important economic growth drivers. In addition to this, several other factors motivating people to visit several popular countries around the globe. People around the globe used to visit this country in order to experience the taste of delicious food items. The organization is trying to build a sustainable network through the Silk Road Countries in order to make the places more attractive and healthy among the global people.

Friday, January 24, 2020

TV Sucks :: essays research papers

In this essay I am going to express my views on the bad aspects of TV, and explain what they are. Possibly, this essay may change your views on TV and how it is used.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The truth is that most TV shows suck. This is especially true in so-called situation comedies. The reason they have to add that stupid laugh track is so you know what part is supposed to be funny. If you’ll notice, the funniest and most successful shows don’t usually have laugh tracks, such as The Simpsons, because it’s a good enough written show that you can laugh at the parts you think are funny. Instead of the laughing machine telling you which parts are funny. Yet, people sit through shows that they don’t even like because they are too lazy to do anything else while they are waiting for a good show to come on. Personally, I have about 60 channels, and in an hour period of time, there is maybe one good show on. That’s not much to select from. Since television’s primary purpose is to advertise, you also have to sit through about 10 minutes of commercials per 30 minute program. So, a 30 minute show is, in reality, only ac tually 20 minutes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  TV is mind numbing. In order to reach its maximum potential audience, so that the sponsors can sell more product, TV shows have to be brought down in intelligence to the point of having little or no intellectual value or relevance. Which causes smart people to get unintelligent. TV is always moving at a fast speed, there is usually action or a confrontation in every scene of a show so that viewers don’t lose interest. This tends to make people bored in real life which is a bad thing because then you will get lazy and board, which will cause you to watch more TV (do you see the cycle).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  TV is too censored. Only a handful of corporations control what you can and can’t see on TV, and who are they to say what should be censored and what shouldn’t. Often, what happens, is that kids (aged 1-12) ruin it for everybody else, because even though they are a small part of the population, TV’s censorship is run at their needs. It’s just the same as a classroom running at the speed of the least intelligent kid, which slows everybody else down.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

A reflective essay to reflect the feeling of pulse taking and tongue reading Essay

One of the earliest references to pulse diagnosis appears in the Huangdi Neijing, also known as The Yellow Emperor’s Internal Classic or The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine. A passage in the book notes that, â€Å"In diagnosis, observation of the spirit and facial color, and palpation of the pulses, are the two methods that were emphasized by the ancient emperors and revered teachers,† which implies that the practical use of pulse diagnosis existed long before the Huangdi Neijing was written. Pulse and tongue diagnosis are two of the more important diagnostic tools in Chinese medicine. They are both used to derive a TCM diagnosis for your condition which is used to plan your treatment. Of the diagnostic tools, pulse diagnosis is one of the more important tools used in Chinese acupuncture and herbal medicine. While tongue diagnosis provides valuable clinical information, the pulse can be used to gain a deep understanding of the patient on many levels . Pulse diagnosis is the ancient art and science of detecting status of a persons body, mind and spirit. Even at basic levels, the pulse provides immediate and specific information that can help clarify contradictory diagnostic information and symptomology . The pulse can be influenced by factors like age ,in this case the strength and quality of the pulse will decline as a person ages ,or gender , Men are generally stronger on the left and Women are generally stronger on the right. Another factor is the season when you have a more wiry pulse in Spring time ,stronger in the Summer and deeper in the Winter. Tongue and pulse diagnosis are both used to derive a TCM diagnosis for your condition which is used to plan your treatment. Generally the tongue, is much easier to learn and less subjective than pulse diagnosis. It is less meridian specific than the pulse, however, the tongue will show the depth and nature (hot, cold, etc.) of an imbalance and it is less effected by short-term influences such as nervousness. The tongue is also useful as a measurement tool to gauge the progress of a disorder. I believe the TCM is about energy and energy function condition  medicine culture, it is more than construction medicine culture, the pulse diag nosis is a energy feeling diagnosis, no only a position touch feeling diagnosis. In an ideal situation, the pulse is taken in the morning while the person is still calm and rested. In actuality, however, the procedure usually takes place in the clinic during the initial interview. It is important to let patients who have just arrived rest for a while to allow the pulses to settle down. Otherwise, it would be easy to mistake a rapid pulse for a heat condition when it is actually due to the person’s hurrying to make the appointment. This is one situation when sitting in the waiting room is to the patient’s advantage. From my personal experience in the clinic I can say some of the patients find pulse taking strange (on the first session) and also they seem to be a little bit uncomfortable when you ask to see their tongue. The pulse can be felt in a number of locations, the primary location is at the radial artery in the wrist. Each wrist has three positions that correspond to different organs. The left wrist corresponds to the heart, liver , and kidney yin .The right wrist gives information about the lungs, spleen , and kidney yang . In clinical prac tice, we have to always combine the pulse information with the whole picture derived from looking, listening, smelling, and asking. Through this process, traditional Chinese practitioners are able to accurately diagnose the patterns of imbalance in their patients without the help of laboratory tests or expensive diagnostic equipment. To make the patient feel more comfortable when the pulse is being take you must ensure you introduce yourself to the patient, explain the procedure answering any questions they may have, ask for their consent and also make sure they are sitting comfortably, with their arm rested. Sometimes what the patient says contradicts the pulse qualities, in which case the acupuncturist will want to ask more questions to get at the truth. Without the pulse diagnosis he wouldn’t have known to ask more questions, to delve deeper, and might have done the wrong treatment. If the patient is taking medication, or just been taking strenuous exercise, pulse taking may not work. If the patient is under the influence of social drugs it may not reveal much. Some patients have arteries that travel on the thumb side of the radial bone so you can’t feel the pulse in the normal position. Some patients have pulses so small (itself a pointer to their health) that they are very hard to take. The  pulse quality often changes within a few seconds of inserting the needle in the right place. As the right treatment progresses, the pulse qualities and strength improve, so that the acupuncturist knows, from pulse diagnosis, that the patient will start feeling better soon. There are three positions a practitioner is looking for, and each position represents a different organ or part of the body. This is the reason we take the pulse on both sides, not just one. By taking the pulse, we can tell if patients eating habits are good, if they have a cold coming on, and if their energy is high or low. We can also take note of how your organs are functioning at that time. The tongue has a special relationship with the Heart, in that the Heart opens to the tongue. The tongue is said to be an â€Å"offshoot† of the Heart, or â€Å"flowers† into the Heart. The tongue, containing water, electrolytes, mucus, and enzymes, is a very sensitive organ and its appearance changes with many physical changes in the body. In Chinese medicine, the tongue is a â€Å"map† of the internal body. Like the face, the tongue is divided into five-element zones that correspond to your internal organ networks. The tongue reading it’s all about finding what areas are stagnated, which need to be nourished, which are getting too much circulation or too little circulation, too much energy or too little, and how to balance out the body so that everything is in harmony. When we use the tongue as a tool for analysis and diagnosis, we are looking at the shape, shadings, markings, wetness, texture and even the way someone sticks out her tongue. Having this knowledge can help describe the current state of a patient health, as well as his or her genetic tendencies. It is a diagnostic technique, and it can reveal an existing disease process and disclose many things about a person on many levels. All the organs and the entire body can be located on specific regions of the tongue. The beauty of tongue diagnosis is in its simplicity and immediacy. Benefits of tongue diagnosis include: assesses a person’s current health condition; informs the practitioner about the underlying cause of disease; is an accurate way of determining what is happening in the digestive system: liver, stomach, spleen, small and large intestines; reveals the stage and progression of a particular illness; reflects the quality of the circulation of blood, bodily fluids and essence; mirrors the condition of the bodily fluids, function of the organs, strengths and depth of the pathogenic factors in the  body; shows the quality of the individual’s energy production. A normal tongue should be pink, muscular without tooth marking or discoloration, and have a very thin clear coating that exhibits proper salivary secretions. Tongue diagnosis is more objective than pulse diagnosis, though pulse diagnosis takes a long time to master, while basic tongue diagnosis can be taught in a short period of time. Before examining the tongue for diagnosis, make sure the patient has not eaten pickles, cayenne pepper, curry and other hot things. They will temporarily turn the tongue red. It takes a few hours for the tongue to get its normal coat back after the person has scraped it as well. And smoking turns the coat yellow. From my personal experience in the clinic I can say it’s common to see thick tongues, purplish tongues, tongues with teeth marks in them and tongues with cracks in various places. I also have noted tongues with coats both white and yellow, sticky and thin. Primarily a preventive discipline, acupuncture, especially through pulse diagnosis, the acupuncturist can detect disturbances in the qi at the earliest possible stage, before disease develops and restores balance through acupuncture treatment and herbs. References : www.acupuncture.com www.yinyanghouse.com Walsh S.& King, E. (2007) Pulse Diagnosis . Churchill Livingstone Chen, J.X. (2007) Chinese Medicine Study Guide: Diagnostics . Pulse Diagnosis .Dupler D. In: Krapp K, Long JL (eds.) Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2001 Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese medicine by Giavanni Macciocia

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Applying for Federal Loans for Online College Students

Federal student loans offer distance learners the opportunity to pay for their online class tuition without draining their bank accounts or seeking additional employment. By filling out a single online application, you might qualify for federal student loans with reasonable interest rates and terms. Federal Student Loan Benefits Many banks offer private student loans. However, federal student loans are almost always the best choice for students who qualify. Federal student loans generally offer the lowest interest rates available. Federal loan borrowers are also given generous terms and might be able to defer loan payments if they return to college or are facing hardship. Types of Federal Student Loans The federal government offers several financial aid opportunities for students. Some of the most common federal student loans include: Federal Perkins Loans: These loans offer a very low interest rate and are available to students who demonstrate â€Å"exceptional financial need.† The government pays the interest on Federal Perkins Loans while the student is enrolled in school and for a nine-month grace period following graduation. Students begin making payments after the grace period.Federal Direct Subsidized Loans: Federal direct loans feature a low interest rate. The government pays the interest on subsidized loans while the student is enrolled in school and during a six-month grace period after graduation. Students begin making payments after the grace period.Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans: Unsubsidized loans also feature a low interest rate. However, these loans begin accumulating interest as soon as the loan money is dispersed. After graduation students have a six-month grace period before their first payment is due.Federal Direct PLUS Loans: The Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students is available fo r parents who intend to pay for their child’s education. Parents must pass a credit check or have a qualified cosigner. The first payment is due after the loan is disbursed.Federal Direct PLUS Loans for Graduate and Professional Degree Students: Adult students may also take out PLUS loans after exhausting the limits for other federal loan options. Students must pass a credit check or have a cosigner. Interest begins accumulating after the loan is disbursed. However, students may ask for a payment deferment while they are in school. In the case of a deferment, the first payment is due 45 days after the end of the deferment period. Online School Student Loan Laws Before 2006, many online students were unable to receive federal aid. In 1992, Congress enacted the 50 Percent Rule, mandating that schools qualify as financial aid distributors by offering more than 50 percent of courses in traditional classrooms. In 2006, the law was overturned. Today a growing number of online schools offer federal student aid. To offer aid, schools must still meet requirements, but the percentage of online courses no longer applies. Online Schools Offering Federal Student Loans Keep in mind that not all online schools offer federal student loans. To find out if your school is able to distribute student loans, call the school’s financial aid office. You might also search for the college’s federal school code on the federal financial aid website. Qualifying for Federal Student Loans To be eligible for federal student loans you must be a U.S citizen with a social security number. You must have a high school diploma, a GED certificate or have passed an alternative exam. You must be enrolled as a regular student working toward a certificate or degree at a school that is eligible to offer federal aid. Additionally, you must not have certain drug convictions on your record (convictions that happened prior to your eighteenth birthday don’t count, unless you were tried as an adult). You cannot currently be in default for any student loans you already have, or owe the government refund money from grants you were awarded. If you are a male, you must register for Selective Services. If you don’t meet these qualifications, it’s still a good idea to discuss your situation with a financial aid counselor. There is some flexibility with the rules. For example, some non-citizens are eligible to apply for federal aid, and students with recent drug convictions may be able to receive aid if they attend drug rehabilitation. How Much Aid Will You Receive? The type and amount of federal aid you receive is determined by your online school. Aid amount is based on several factors including your financial need, your year in school and the cost of attendance. If you are a dependent, the government will determine an expected family contribution (how much your family should be expected to contribute, based on your parent’s income). For many students, the entire cost of college attendance can be covered by federal student loans and grants. Applying for Federal Student Loans Before applying for federal student loans, set up an in-person or phone appointment with your online school’s financial aid counselor. He or she will be able to offer advice for applying and suggestions for alternative sources of aid (such as scholarships and school-based grants). Once you’ve collected the needed documents such as social security numbers and tax returns, it’s easy to apply. You will need to fill out a form called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA can be filled out online or on paper. Using Student Loans Wisely When you receive your federal aid award, the bulk of the money will be applied to your tuition. Any remaining money will be given to you for other school-related expenses (textbooks, school supplies, etc.) Often, you will be eligible to receive more money than is necessary. Try to use as little money as possible and return any money you do not need. Remember, student loans must be repaid. Once you finish your online education, you will begin student loan repayment. At this point, consider refinancing your student loans so you have one monthly payment at a lower interest rate. Meet with a financial counselor to discuss your options.