How to Guess Strategically on ACT Math

How to Guess Strategically on ACT Math SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The ACT allows for guessing without penalty (no negative points here!), but how can you turn guessing into the best strategy to maximize your ACT math score? The more you can increase your guessing odds, the better off you’ll be. And we’re here to show you how. We’ll go through when and how to guess strategically on the ACT math section as well as show you examples of how to guess most effectively in action. Refresher on ACT Math Scoring The ACT is a standardized test and is issued multiple times per year to hundreds of thousands of students, all of whom are scored on the same grading structure. What this means is that each ACT must look and feel like every other ACT as much as possible so that the scoring system is evenly balanced. The individual questions may vary, but the patterns in how the test-makers design both the questions and the answer choices will be as similar as possible. With time and practice, you can learn to not only recognize the structural patterns of the ACT math section when you see them, but also use the clues in both the question and the answer choices to help you find theright answer (or at least narrow down your options!). After all, why take a 20% shot of guessing the right answer when you can bump those odds up to 33% or even 50%? In terms of structure, the ACT math section is 60 math questions in 60 minutes. Each and every question will be a multiple choice question with 5 answer choices. Because the test is presented as multiple choice, the right answer will always be there amongst the answer choices, while incorrect answers are usually generated by common student errors. As for how the test is scored, for each multiple choice question, you will get: +1 point for every correct answer and 0 points for every incorrect or blank answer. There is no negative penalty for an incorrect answer. Developing a Target Score Though you will not be penalized for answering a question incorrectly, your overall test-taking strategy is still going to be tremendously influenced by your target score. And these strategies will change as your score goals change. Why does your target score matter if you aren’t penalized for wrong answers? The ACT math section puts the pressure on by putting you on a strict time crunch, which means that many students cannot take as much time per question as they would like to. You may find you cannot even finish the whole test in the time allotted, or that you couldn’t take the time to be as careful on each problem as you had hoped. Because of this, you will have to develop a plan of attack in terms of questions you can answer thoroughly and questions you have to take a guess on. But before you develop your attack plan, you must first figure out your baseline. Take a practice test andcome up with different ways to mark your questionsone mark for questions you don't know how to do, and another mark for questions you're only somewhat confident about. You may even want to create a third marker for questions that youknowhow to do, but will take a long time or will require multiple steps, so must be done carefully to avoid error. This way, you can save them for last (though this is optional). For now, use your best judgment on how to guess the questions you've marked, but do make sure that you can identify which problems were which later. These marks will help you when you go to analyze your answers (and your guessing strategy) in the next section. Lastly, once you're done with the test,check out our guide to developing your ideal target score, based on your current score and your future goals. Remember too that progress doesn't happen all at once. Let yourself celebrate milestones as you improve towards your target, or even adapt your target score based on your trajectory. Guessing Based on Target Score After you find your target curved score, see how that translates to your raw score. How many questions must you answer correctly to get that target score? Keep that number in your head and then focus the majority of your attention on a few more questions than that target. Why? You're leaving yourself room to get a few questions wrong. So if you need a raw score of 40 to reach your goal, focus the majority of your attention on the first 45-48 questions. The questions are grouped in order of ascending difficulty, so your best bet is to concentrate your hardest on this area. Do note that you should answer each and every question on the ACT math section, even if you have to make a random guess. The reason we said that you should â€Å"focus the majority of your attention† on the questions in your target range is because your time and your focus are precious commodities on the ACT. You’re trying to get as many points possible across the board, so your maximum focus should be on your target score range. Once you’ve dedicated your time to the first 35, 40, or 50 questions (whatever your score range may be), you can feel free to guess on the rest of your questions without fear of reprisal. The odds are that you’ll get a few of them right and there are absolutely no consequences. (For more on this, check out our guide on how to stop running out of time on the ACT math section.) So when should you guess and when should you try to answer the problem? Even if a question is in your prime scoring range, the time to guess is when: You have absolutely no idea how to solve the problem You think the question will take too long to go through properly (make a guess now and come back to it later if you have time) You’re running out of time and need to answer several more questions You’re in your â€Å"bonus scoring† zone (aka, not your prime scoring range) Again, remember to mark these different question types. Once you’ve scored your test, look back on the questions you marked. How accurate is your guessing right now? Is there a pattern in your missed guesses? Odds are that you've gotten some of the questions right that you guessed on, but we're looking to increase that accuracy as much as possible. So let’s talk about themost effective guessing strategies for ACT math. Think of your test-taking like a science experimentyou will have your own unique score goals and ways of thinking. As you get more used to working with ACT questions, you'll get better at refining the methods that work best for your unique skill set. ACT Math Guessing Strategies The ACT math section is designed to test how well you’ve learned your math topics and principles and whether you can recognize and figure out how to apply these mathematical concepts to new situations. Most ACT math questions will be fairly straightforward (meaning they are not designed to trick you, even if they are difficult), and each and every math topicon the test is one that you are likely familiar with and have studied for a number of years. This is all to say that you likely have a better understanding of the questions than you may think, even if you don’t know how to actually solve the problem. Often (though not always), a little strategy will allow you to eliminate at least one or two answer choices and make an educated guess. Note: this may seem obvious, but only use your guessing strategies when you don't know how to solve a problem or are not confident about your answer. Guessing often takes a little more time than a straight-solve, so if you know the answer, great! Move on to the next problem. Only stop and take the time to guess if you're stuck. We’ve laid out three of the most important rules of thumb that go into making an educated guess on an ACT math problem. Most of the time you will use a combination of these three techniques on any given problem, so they are less individual strategy than they are a combination of thought processes that you should go through every time you make a guess. So let’s look at all three techniques needed to best make guesses (and when to do so!) on the ACT math section. Guessing Strategy 1: Process of Elimination Being able to eliminate answers onACT questions is arguably a more important skill than even being able to solve questions (or at least equally as important). The entire ACT math section is multiple choice, which is great news for guessing. For every multiple choice question, the right answer is there somewhere. The more you can narrow down your options, the better off you’ll be when you go to make your selection. You don’t even need to know the right answer so long as you know that four of the answers are wrong. If you can eliminate four wrong answers, whatever remains must be correct. Do you know the answer must be a line that slopes up and to the right, even if you don't know where it's supposed to be positioned horizontally? Do you know that the answer must be negative? Even knowing just a tiny bit about the problem or its possible answer will often be enough to eliminate a few answer options. But what if can't eliminate four answer choices and find the final, correct answer? Not to worry! Even if you can only eliminate one answer choice, you’re still better off doing so than taking a shot completely in the dark. Let’s break it down. Eliminating 0 Answer Choices So you’ve come to a question and you can’t eliminate any answer choices at allshould you still guess? Always! There are two scenarios for when you can’t eliminate any answer choicesquestions you’ve looked at but don’t know how to solve, and questions that you haven’t even gotten a chance to look at. For the second scenario, imagine that you’ve just answered question 45 and you’ve got one minute left on the clock. You have no time to even look at the next 15 questions, so you’ve got to just fill in your bubbles and hope that the odds will be in your favor. But no matter what the scenario, if you truly cannot eliminate any answer choice, your best plan of attack will be the same. DON’T pick the most â€Å"tempting† answer or an answer at â€Å"random.† Instead, when guessing without elimination, choose your favorite letterA, B, C, D, or Eand always choose the same letter every time you have to make a blind guess. (Note: A is the same as F, B is the same as G, etc.) Wait, what? There are always five answer options for any given multiple choice question, so the odds of choosing the right answer at random is one-in-five, or 20%. But the catch is that human beings are NOT random. No matter how we try, our attempts at creating randomness will inevitably fail. If you try to make your best attempt at â€Å"randomness,† and guess wildly across the board, you’re more likely to get less than 20% of your guesses right. The best way to achieve randomness is to go in the complete opposite directionpick one letter and stick with it every time. When in doubt, pick your same favorite letter for every question you have to answer blindly, and move on. Eliminating 1 Answer Choice All right, but let’s say you can eliminate one answer choice. How should you guess now? Again, you will always have five total answer options for each question. Now, with one option removed, the odds of us guessing the right answer will be one-in-four, or 25%. And yet, this is still a time to stick with your â€Å"favorite letter† strategy. There are still too many options at play to start jumping around in your guessing strategy, so your best bet is to stick with your previous strategy and guess your same, favorite letter. Unless your designated letter is the answer choice that has been eliminated (in which case, go ahead and pick a backup letter), your best shot of succeeding at the random odds are to guess your same consistent answer choice. Eliminating 2 Answer Choices (Now We’re Getting Somewhere!) You’ve eliminated two answer choices that you know have to be wrong and are down to three possibilities. This is the time to change up your guessing strategy. If you can eliminate two answer choices, the odds are that you know at least a little bit about this kind of math problem. Maybe you’ve only got enough knowledge about exponentsto know that the answer can’t possibly be negative, or enough of an understanding of probabilitiesand fractions to know that the denominator must be even. If you’re familiar enough with the type of math problem that you can eliminate two answer choices, you’re likely to be familiar enough with the problem to make your best guess. A random shot at the answer will get you a one-in-three chance of getting it right, or 33%, and your best guess should put you at those same odds, if not a little higher. But the best way to test your mathematical instincts on problems like these is to look back through your practice test. For any questions where you were down to three, how many times did you guess the correct answer? How many times did you get it wrong? Take a look at your previous patterns. If your odds were less than 33%, it might be time to go back to your â€Å"favorite letter† strategy. Eliminating 3 Answer Choices If you can eliminate three answer choices, you’re in a great place! This will give you a one-in-two shot of choosing the correct answer, or 50%. Go with your gut, do eenie-meenie-miny-mo, or choose the letter you like best. And again, look over your previous guesses of this nature. How often were you right or wrong? Did you guess at 50% odds every time you were able to eliminate three answer choices? Your strategies for guessing and elimination should always be informed by your past performance. When something is working, refine it as best you can. When something isn’t working, alter your approach. Eliminating 4 Answer Choices If you can confidently eliminate four answer options, then celebrate! No need for guessing hereyou’ve found the correct answer. We’ve talked about guessing after you’ve eliminated answers, but how exactly do you go about eliminating answer choices? Let’s take a look. Always adjust your strategies based on how well they're working. If your guesses are netting lower than chance percentage, take a step back and try to find the patterns in how you're working to see what might be going wrong. Guessing Strategy 2: Approximating If you have even a general idea of what the right answer might be (even a ballpark figure will do), you will often be able to eliminate one or two of the most blatant outliers. Though the answer choices are most often generated based on common student errors, there will still generally be answer choices that are way far afield. Do you know that the answer must be positive? Discard anything negative right away. If you’re given the hypotenuse of a triangle, you know that each leg must be less than that given hypotenuse. Discard anything equal to or greater than the hypotenuse. Let’s take a look at this in action. Don’t worry about actually solving the problem, just give yourself enough of a ballpark to see if you can eliminate one or two (or three or four!) answer choices. Our two triangles are in a ratio of 2:5 for all their sides. Now we are looking to compare both their hypotenuses. The smaller triangle has a hypotenuse of 5, which means that the larger triangle must have a hypotenuse that is larger than 5. Already, we can eliminate answer choices F and G, since they are less than 5. Now that leaves us with three answer choices, H, J, and K, which aren't bad odds for guessing, but we can go a little further than this. We know that the ratio is 2:5, which if we know anything about ratios, we know means that the larger side is a little more than double the smaller side. If the smaller hypotenuse is 5, the larger hypotenuse must be a little more than double this. This means that the hypotenuse of the larger triangle must be larger than 10. The only answer choice that is larger than 10 is answer choice K, 12. 5. Though we haven't officially done the work to solve the problem, this is a very good guess, just based on approximation and process of elimination. [Note: the correct answer is, indeed, K, 12.5.] You can also approximate answers on geometric figures on the test. Although the instructions state that "illustrative figures are NOT necessarily drawn to scale," they essentially alwaysare. (The exception is those inquestions that ask about what MUST be true, i.e. what you can prove.)If you're attempting a question that asks about side lengths, angle measures, or ratios, you can use the figure to make a ballpark guess about these values. This question is asking about specific values, so we can assume it's toscale. We can, therefore, make our guesses based on the given measurements. In addition, as a general rule of thumb, the correct answer will be "cannot be determined" less than 20% of the time. So it's a good idea to eliminate this answer choice if you don't know how to solve this kind of problem. Always guess one of the values if you are forced to make a guess. So, based on the given hypotenuse measure of 6, and the fact that our drawing is to scale, we can estimate that the measure of CD appears to be about half of that. This means that CD probably measures about 3. Maybe it's little more, maybe a little less, but we can most certainly eliminate answer choices F and G. And, since we already eliminated answer choice K, that leaves us with answer choices H and J. We've got a 50-50 chance, so it's a good time to make a guess. And an educated guess between the two choices would better favor answer choice H rather than answer choice J because it's close to our initial estimate of 3. [Note: the correct answer is, indeed,H, 3.6.] Guessing Strategy 3: Finding the Round Answers and Shortcuts If we remember that the ACT math section is designed so that a student without a calculator can solve every problem, this can inform how we go about both solving our problems and eliminating our answer choices. Not being able to use a calculator limits one’s mathematical possibilities, especially when a time-crunch is involved. For this reason, the ACT tends to favor shortcuts (like triangle shortcuts) and round numbers. If you can eliminate answer choices that would not produce nice, round numbers, you can often find your right answer. Let’s look at this principle in action, We are told that a bag originally contains 18 marbles, and we must find the additional number of marbles to get a 3 5 ratio. Well, a 3 5 ratio of marbles (an object that CANNOT be broken into pieces) means that our new total number of marbles must be divisible by 5 (since 5 is our denominator). This, in turn, means that our total number of marbles must have a units digit of either 0 or 5. For 18 + x to equal a number ending in 0 or 5, x MUST end in either 2 or 7. (e.g., 18 + 2 = 20, or 18 + 17 = 35). We can, therefore, eliminate every answer choice that does NOT end in 2 or 7. In this case, we can eliminate every answer choice except for F. We didn’t even have to know how to solve the problem or walk through the steps. We just knew to look for a round and easy number to work with and found it through process of elimination. [Note: the correct answer is, indeed, F, 12.] Guessing Strategy 4: Avoiding Temptation The test is designed around the statistically average student, and many of the answer choices are generated based on common student errors. Though the ACT is not designed to "trick" you, people have a tendency to fall into predictable thinking patterns, and it’s easy to select wrong answers that the average student falls for again and again if you’re not paying close attention. If you look at a question in the medium or difficult range that you can solve in a second or two, it may just be too good to be true. If an answer choice seems immediately appealing, especially on a difficult question, it might just be a trap. Think about how many other students would have felt the same way on trial tests. Take a moment to really examine the question. Even if you don’t know how to solve it, you might still be able to spot a trap when you see it if you take a second to breathe. Let’s say this is a problem that you have no idea how to go about solving, but you do know a little about averages. If you’re going quickly through the test or you are only thinking about the bare principles of averages, you might think that answer choice C looks awfully tempting. After all, Tom’s starting with a score of 78 and he needs an 80. If he gets an 82, that seems like it will balance out about right...right? Except that this question is number 47 out of 60, which means it is in the "medium-high difficulty" range. 82 is way too tempting of an answer to be correct for this level of difficulty. Even if we don’t know how to solve the question, we can pretty safely eliminate answer choice C. Based off of our basic understanding of averages, we can also safely eliminate answer choices D and E. We might not know how to do weighted averages, but these answer choices seem way too small to raise up our current average of 78 to 80. Without knowing how to solve the problem, we have narrowed down our options to answer choices A and B, which gives us a 50-50 chance of guessing correctly. Not bad at all! [Note: the correct answer is A, 90.] Go you and your awesome, ACT-guessing self! The Take-Aways Though it is very useful to know how to actually solve your ACT math problems, we’ve seen that it is not always necessary. Though you shouldn’t guess on every ACT math question, it can help your scores to guess strategically when you have to do so. Just remember to always use your guessing strategies when you have the chance to look at the problem, and stick with your favorite letter whenever you must make a blind guess. And take a deep breath. You probably know more than you think, and you probably know enough to at least eliminate an answer choice or two, even if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Practice and focus will have you beating the odds and boosting your scores in no time. What’s Next? Still not satisfied with your ACT math scores?Improve your individual ACT math topicskills by working through ourindividual math topic guides. In each guide, we willwalk you through the definitions of each math topic, the formulas you'll need, and how you'll see the questions on the ACT math section. We'll also give you real ACT math problems (and answer explanations) for you to practice your skills on. Been procrastinating on your ACT prep?If you've found yourself in a procrastination rut, check out our guide onhow to stop procrastinatingso you can get back to studying. Aiming for a perfect score? If you're looking to score a perfect 36 on your ACT math section, then look no further than ourguide to getting an 36 on the ACT math, written by a perfect-scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Assess the impact by 1939 of Nazi Essay Example for Free (#1939)

Assess the impact by 1939 of Nazi Essay The National Socialist Party came to power through a series of swift, ruthless and devastating actions which firmly established Germany as a fascist state. The centralisation of power in Germany, known as ‘co-ordination’ (Gleichschaltung), was initiated on the day of the election and was carried out with such clinical efficiency, that the German state was completely transformed within a matter of months. Hitler’s Gleichschaltung was extremely successful in altering the cultural and economic landscape of Germany in the years between 1933 and the commencement of the Second World War in 1939. National Socialism touched every aspect of life; youth culture, the role of women, education, the economy and the effect it had on employment, the working class, as well as religion in the domination of the Christian Church. As this essay will explain, each of these individual developments in German society, which were initiated by the Nazi regime, came together to precipitate a complete cultural transformation for the lives of German people by 1939. Nazi Seduction of the German People The attraction of the Third Reich was compelling for the German people and strong feelings of national pride were instilled in the mass population. Germans were moved by wave after wave of brilliantly staged nationalistic promptings in the form of spectacular public rallies and stirring speeches. The totalitarian state model, which was so important to the Nazi Party’s grip on its people, was achieved through a mix of persuasion, motivation and discrimination. Individualism was quickly replaced by a way of life steeped in collective gestures and symbols; mass rallies, uniforms, public commemorations and in particular, the gesture synonymous with the Nazi era – the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute. Although these public messages became tiresome to many Germans, they were a constant theme throughout the Nazi era, and were therefore inescapable. They were successful in convincing the German masses of the power of the Third Reich as an all conquering, superior phenomenon. The mobilisation of German youth was a vital cog in the National Socialist propaganda machine. The drive towards creating a fiercely dependent and loyal German youth was formed on the basis of a rejection of the old bourgeois world in favour idealistic notions of a new and more egalitarian society.The lengths to which the Nazi’s went, in order to harness the loyalty of the German youth were great and centred on the creation of a rival organisation to the formal education system called the Hitler Youth (Hitler – Jugend). When Hitler came to power in 1933, the Hitler Youth organisation had only 107,956 members. By the end of 1933 however, under the leadership of Baldur von Schirach, most youth movements were under the influence of the Nazis and the few remaining nonconformists such as Catholic organisations were feeling the Nazi influence. Two laws, which came into effect in December 1936 and March 1939 made participation in the Hitler Youth (HJ) mandatory, driving up membership of the organisation to 8,870,000 at the beginning of 1939. The Hitler Youth indoctrinated young Germans with Nazi concepts of race, discipline and obedience. Summer camps were set up, in which political ideological teachings, physical fitness, rifle practice, endurance and team-building games were core activities. The aim was to breed a new type of German, one which was loyal to National Socialism and would thus ensure the future existence and expansion of Germany as a Nazi state. The family was an institution of supreme importance to the Nazis, being regarded as crucial to the future success of The Third Reich. Much was done to raise the popularity of marriage and increase birth-rate, as mothers who stayed at home to bring up large families were put on a pedestal and treated with utmost respect. On 12 August – the birthday of Hitler’s mother – every mother who had given birth to a large number of children was awarded a Mother’s Cross. Rewards for raising large families were also financial, as special welfare benefits were awarded to encourage marriage and motherhood.  Newly married couples were offered a 1,000 mark loan, repayable at three per cent interest, which was reduced by 25 per cent after the birth of each child. This loan effectively turned into a free gift from the state following the birth of four healthy children. The role of women in Nazi Germany was clearly defined, encouraging them to embrace their ‘natural’ role as mothers. As already mentioned, women were the focus of the Nazi drive to boost birth rate, and were ushered away from the idea of a full-time career in favour of starting or extending a family. Furthermore, within education, girls would be directed away from developing their academic ability and independence, in favour of training for future maternal roles through compulsory courses in domestic science and biology. Upon reaching adulthood, the indoctrination of Nazi ideals continued through membership of three women’s organisations, all created by the Nazi party – the German Woman’s Enterprise, the National Socialist Womanhood and the Reich Mothers’ Service. By March 1939, over 1.7 million German women had attended one of these Nazi organised courses. In its crusade to win over the working class, the Nazis offered a vast array of publicly funded leisure activities. The Nazi Kraft durch Freude (KdF) (Strength through Joy) organisation was officially founded to promote the physical prowess of the individual, although in reality its essential purpose was to educate and socialise the German population into National Socialism. The Nazi leisure policy was initiated with the hidden intention of rallying the German people towards active voluntary participation in National Socialist Germany. An active, thriving leisure movement it was believed would contribute to the thrust of National Socialism as a whole, enhancing the vitality and all round commitment to the German cause. The economic success of the Nazi regime is remembered most for its remarkable success in reducing unemployment. The cornerstone of this recovery was the implementation of the many work programmes, which created jobs for the phenomenal number of unemployed Germans at the beginning of Hitler’s reign. German economists had recognised that the abandonment of narrow fiscalism in favour of counter-cyclical strategies based upon investment in the infrastructure and public housing was essential in order to reduce levels of unemployment. Job creation schemes, such as the construction of the Autobahn – the major motorway network – and house building schemes resulted in a fall in unemployment from 34% in January 1933 to 13.5% in July 1934. Upon coming to power, Hitler embarked on a crusade to eradicate Christianity, as he believed it to be a product of Jewish culture – a religion he perceived as a corrosive influence on the German population. The process of gradually reducing the influence and presence of the church in Nazi Germany was achieved in a number of ways. The establishment of the Reich Church, the German Christians organisation and the German Faith movement introduced a new Christian religion based on the core ideals and beliefs of National Socialism. This was yet another example of the iron grip with which the Nazis sought to control the German population. Nazi economic and social policy had a phenomenal effect on the German mass population by 1939. The levels of propaganda used to capture the loyalty of the German people were deeply influential, effectively brainwashing the population. The focus on the future strength and solidarity of The Third Reich as a totalitarian state saw key aspects of the German lifestyle subjected to significant changes between 1933 and 1939. The effect that Nazi social and economic policies had were seen most significantly in their effect on women, youth, education, the economy with regards to employment, the motivation of the working class, and religion. Nazi propaganda went further than this in its influence on the German way of life, as the press,  industry, art and culture, and all forms of entertainment were transformed into mere puppets of the Nazi regime. The gradual erosion of individualism and devotion to The Third Reich amongst German people could not have been achieved without the changes imple mented in these fundamental aspects of daily life. Assess the impact by 1939 of Nazi. (2016, Jul 07).

Statisitcs results Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Statisitcs results - Statistics Project Example On the other hand, a mean of 2.1452 with a standard deviation of 1.34099 and standard error of the mean of 0.17031 were the statistics for the non-witnesses with respect to the prescribed punishment. Figures one and two are error bar graphs for guilt rating and punishment rating respectively. An evaluation of the dependent variables reveals that they are continuous. The two categorical groups that make up the independent variables are guilt rating and punishment value. There is also no relationship between the observations of the two groups which means that they are independent of each other. The data had no significant outliers that could reduce the validity of the results. Based on the Levenes test, it was proved that the variances were homogeneous. In this assignment we will analyze the pooled data which we collected last week Please analyze the group data from Experiment II using SPSS. Include data inspection, description, and a one-way ANOVA with supporting graphs (error bar groups are best) showing confidence intervals. Save your data file. Save your output file. Send both to me as attachments.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Business - Essay Example The Indian FDI policy allows 100 percent under the automatic route for Greenfield projects. British Airways, due to the options available for investment in India, aims to devise strategic framework to enter the Indian market. Introduction International business is different from domestic or national business operations and management. Conducting business in different countries requires strategic thinking from the management of the company. There is a greater difficulty in performing the functions effectively and integrating them to serve organizational objectives (Aswathappa, 2010). According to Johnson and Turner (2009) the essence of international business is based on the firm undertaking and dealing with the consequences of international diversity which is mainly driven by globalization of markets, firms following customers, the desire to overcome limitations of the home market, exploitation of differences between countries and regions based on culture, regulation and specific eco nomic factors. Katsioloudes and Hadjidakis (2007) mention that laws, cultures and economic conditions differ within countries which are usually less marked that those among various countries. It is further stated that polices in most of the countries vary altering the decision of the company to operate in a particular country. Internationalization of business has benefited many organizations like TCS, Asian Paints, GE, Hewlett Packard and many more (Aswathappa, 2010). Moreover globalization has also led to the internationalization of business breaking the national boundaries allowing foreign companies to operate in their backyard. Underpinning the importance expanding its business operations, British Airways (BA) is planning to initiate business operations in India and other Far East countries in view of the increasing traffic, population and FDI policies. This paper analyses the opportunities and examine other factors for expansion strategy of British Airways. British Airways Briti sh Airways is one of the world’s leading airlines and it has been on an apparent roller coaster with highs and lows since its privation in 1987. The airline has always been a strong supporter of the process of globalization and has tried to exploit the opportunities (Homer and Swarbrooke, 2004). BA aims to serve existing routes and markets, to identify new opportunities for branded services and products and to ensure its freedom to compete in world markets, all being undertaken in such a manner as to meet the paramount and subsidiary objectives (www.britishairways.com). British Airways operates a fleet of over 243 aircraft to around 140 destinations in 75 countries catering over 35 million passengers in 2006 (National Audit Office, Great Britain, 2007). Since its merger with Iberia, Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways declared of examining the possibility of entering the Indian and Far Eastern markets. Therefore the paper examines the internationalization strategies by evalu ating the cultural and sociological impact on the staff in context of India. Internationalization Strategies Jansson (2008) mentions that multinational corporation’

The Forbidden Experiment by Roger Shattuck Essay -- Forbidden Experime

The Forbidden Experiment by Roger Shattuck It is one of the oldest unanswered questions in all of science. Though slightly more grounded in empirical science than the likes of "Where did we come from?" or "Why are we here?" the impossible Nature/Nurture dichotomy has tormented truth-bound scientists for years. Recent advances in genetics have brought forward new possibilities for those who would study the pure effects of environmental variables on animals, but we are far from allowing ourselves to manipulate other human beings in such ways for the sake of collecting data. This strong moral stance does not diminish our curiosity and so the question must be asked: What would we do if a case in which the human had already been manipulated, by no will of our own, fell into the hands of science? How far would we go? Every couple hundred years, one of these humans, by chance or by a case of true cruelty, falls into the hands of scientists, eager to make the most of such a 'misfortune'. Roger Shattuck's The Forbidden Experiment follows one of the more prominent cases of our recent history, that of the 'Wild Boy of Aveyron.' The book takes little time to peak the reader's curiosity with the tale of a "savage" twelve-year-old wandering out of the woods of southern France on a cold January evening in 1800. Without a known history or the ability to communicate with his captors, Victor, as he was later named, was assumed to have lived in the wild for at least six years and probably more. In the midst of an intellectually lively France, Victor wandered into immediate fame and was brought to Paris so that the most capable scientists could take advantage of studying a human raised almost completely in isolation. The st... ...t are our motives in these 'unfortunate' instances? Would we learn from the dumb how not to speak; how to forget? Or would we teach language and culture so that Victor may live with us and suffer as we do? What does that make us? References 1) Shattuck, Roger. The Forbidden Experiment. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1980 2)NOVA transcript, transcript for 'Genie' episode http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2112gchild.html 3)The Civilizing of Genie , the story of Genie http://kccesl.tripod.com/genie.html 4)Online News Hour, Shattuck interview http://www.pbs.org/newshour/gergen/january97/forbid_1-2.html 5)Ethical Culture Book Review, review of Forbidden Knowledge http://www.ethicalculture.org/review/articles/forbiddenknowledge.html 6)Feral Children Website, a great resource about 'wild' children http://www.feralchildren.com/en/index.php

Abortion and Women’s Rights

I believe that abortion is a woman’s right in Africa.   The decision should be up to the individual woman without any outside influences from society. (2003, Thomas) Lynn M. Thomas explains how â€Å"Social controversies for women in Africa are looming presenting a risk of death† because of the laws in the country which ban women from having abortions, in which the issue of reproductive rights in Africa is an important aspect of women’s rights and is one of the central issues in human rights debated in various regions in Africa. The problem of reproductive rights is therefore linked to larger women’s rights issues in that sex and reproduction are often used as ways of oppressing women in various cultures.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Reproductive rights therefore refer to the issue of choice and the right for women to decide for themselves – particularly with regard to their bodies and the important aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. One study on this issue states the problem in the following way. â€Å"The Right to choose is just one aspect of a much larger issue of reproductive rights – women’s right to control their own bodies and reproductive lives,† according to Smith. ( Smith, 2004) The right to abortion should be an African woman’s choice and right .   Women‘s reproductive rights and human rights in general, is the right to have an abortion, if she chooses and it essentially is a women’s prerogative.   We will discuss the right of a women and why she must   choose for herself, as well as be legally available to get an abortion in Africa.. For too many years, women who live in Africa have been giving birth to children in which many of them could not afford.   Women were never asked if they wanted to give birth to the child and never given the choice if she wanted to remain pregnant.   It was always assumed that if she got pregnant, she would carry the child without ever considering the possibility of aborting the fetus.  A women should also have the full legal right with regard to choosing to have an abortion or not and this right should not be predetermined by society for cultural reasons, but by the woman who will be responsible for carrying the fetus. Very often the issue of abortion is treated as if it is a separate aspect and not related to the context of the more â€Å"acceptable† view of the legitimate rights of women.  Ã‚   Very few people question the right of the woman when it comes to the issue of abortion but the issue of abortion on the other hand carries with it negative associations and connotations and have become a very cultural issue.   However, abortion is an issue that should, of necessity, be viewed in the larger context of women’s rights because the woman is the primary caretaker of the child, if she chooses to give birth, she is the person who must decide if the child can be properly cared for.   In impoverished nations, such as Africa, it should be especially legal since the living conditions are so bad. Reproductive rights, as the essential rights of women over their own bodies and sexuality, are not something separate from other issues relating to gender rights where the central arguments put forward in this regard, that it is the woman that must make this choice and not a society that is dominated by a cultural view on abortion. It is the woman who offers her body as a vessel necessary for the growth of the unborn child, not a nation’s, such as Africa, who doesn’t offer assistance for the growth of the child and therefore he leaves the woman to be solely responsible for the development and care for the child.   Since women are the ones who carry babies for nine months, African officials shouldn’t have a right to deny the woman the freedom to make a conscious choice, therefore, they shouldn’t be able to judge the African woman’s decision or her views concerning abortion. It should also be noted that the issue of reproductive rights for women is a complex and convoluted area of moral and ethical discourse.   However the central fact is that the history of reproductive rights is intimately linked to the history of women’s rights and cultural issues in general, which have become prominent in society.   To speak of reproductive rights is to ask if it is safe for a woman to give birth in a nation that is sometimes incapable of aiding in the growth of the child.   Reproductive rights are sometimes compromised because of a nation‘s views on the subject. The issue is debated differently from traditional point of view since many Africans believe that it is always necessary to give birth without considering the harmful effects that the pregnancy may cause.   The African woman has to make the choice of if she will carry a child for nine months of her life or if he will be solely responsible for the child’s care, both emotionally and financially since African men have often in the past, denied that they were involved in the child’s development and they certainly have never had to make the choice of carrying a child to full term. One of the central arguments in favor of the right to abortion for women is that in many societies women are subjected to horrendous oppression and discrimination in terms of sexual role and norms. (2003, WHO) One example that is often quoted is that of Africa.   Many women in African countries have no control over their sexual and reproductive rights.   If, for example a husband contracts HIV/AIDS, in some cultures the wife cannot refuse to have intercourse with him – even though this would endanger her personal health and infringe her sexual rights.   In effect many women in the world have no say or control over their bodies and sexuality. This relates to the issue of abortion in that the right to undergo an abortion is an extension of these reproductive and human rights that should be accepted as ubiquitous in all societies. Another issue that is often quoted in defense of women’s abortion rights is that, a large number of poor and working-class women die when abortion is illegal. According to the World Health Organization, 78,000 women around the world die from unsafe abortions every year. Abortion is every woman’s right. This aspect is also highlighted by the fact that the problem of deaths due to abortions usually occur among the poor, oppressed or disenfranchised women of the world. This fact does not apply only to the less developed regions of the world according to (Rosenbaum, 2001) who says, â€Å"Women in Africa are at risk.† These cases are usually among the Black or Hispanic populations. With the high poverty rate for African women , it is not unreasonable to believe that the abortion rate would be high among these races. Abortion is every woman’s right, and should be closely looked at more closely when it comes to abortions in countries who offer little or no help to the mother. In many countries in the world abortion is forbidden and can result in prison terms for women.   It is often the case that reproductive rights are denied in countries which are usually poverty stricken and with poor human rights records. Approximately 25% of the world population lives in countries with highly restrictive abortion laws, which is quite common in Africa. These are the countries where abortion is most restricted according to the law. â€Å"In Africa, women still are not allowed to obtain an abortion,† says Stuart Rosenbaum. (2001,Rosenbaum) It therefore follows that allowing women their reproductive rights and providing for legalized abortions could save suffering and lives in these counties. This rationale also applies to the high incidence of rape in many countries where abortion is illegal.   Many women suffer both physically and economically as a result of laws that do not provide for the right to abortion as a fundament human right. While there is the ethical argument that the unborn fetus also has rights, this is an aspect that must be considered in terms of the rights of the mother as well.   It must be admitted that the issue of the rights of the unborn child presents intricate and complex problems, which involves many often confusing and convoluted definitions of what constitutes life.   A comprehensive study in this regard is The House of Atreus: Abortion as a Human Rights Issue is explained, (Bohan, 1999). The author tells us that â€Å"No society that truly believes in human rights can fail to recognize the right to life of the unborn. Human rights are, by definition, rights which inhere in one simply by virtue of being a human.† Notwithstanding these arguments, the problem of abortion rights finds its proper context in the general view of cultural regards. Therefore the question of abortion rights should be seen in the context of social oppression and other forms of societal discrimination of women.   The traditional view of women is for the African woman to get pregnant, carry the baby for nine month and then to give birth without ever questioning the option of abortion.   These cultural values do not recognize the importance of women's health and well-being, and they do not ever take into consideration that the woman may die during childbirth or that she may give birth to a child who is born into poverty conditions and may die from starvation or illness. The topic of abortion should be discussed in Africa and offered as an option to the woman who has the right to choose abortion if she sees that it is necessary. The argument for abortion rights for women should be linked to the larger issues and related to aspects in society that are all interconnected.   As one study suggests, the legalization of abortion rights is closely linked to issues such as class, race and economic discrimination, especially in Africa. â€Å"Abortion should be legal in Africa†¦ because statutory bans on abortion during the twentieth century were selectively or arbitrarily enforced in ways that intentionally discriminated against poor persons and persons of color,† according to (Graber, 1996) and those rights should be given to every woman in Africa, so she can make her individual decision of if she will be giving birth to her child or getting an abortion. Graber,Mark. (1996) Rethinking Abortion, p. 6 Rosenbaum, Stuart E. (2001) Pro-Life Verses Pro Choice, The Ethics of  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abortion, p. 173 Thomas, Lynn M. (2003) Politics of the Womb, University of California  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Press, p. 17 World Health Organization, (2003) Technical and Policy Guidance for  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Health Systems, p.6   

Isolation and Confronting the Cultural Norms in Philip...

Inability to communicate and longing to relive the past have been reoccurring themes throughout literature. However, Philip Larkin, whose poetry is often associated with the mundane and marginalized, transcends these themes by allowing his poetry to become more than just slices of life. His poems â€Å"Talking in Bed† and â€Å"High Windows†, examine the seemingly ordinary experiences of a couples silence, and wanting to relive the past through the lens of isolation and questioning cultural values. In his poems â€Å"Talking in Bed† and â€Å"High Windows† Larkin uses simplistic language to convey the themes of isolation and questioning the values of cultural norms. In his poem â€Å"Talking in Bed†, Larkin uses simplistic language to revel themes of isolation†¦show more content†¦Though Larkin presents this idea through the first line, hypothesizing that talking â€Å"ought to†, or should be, easy, the only connection between the t wo is their physical sharing of the bed. Continually, throughout the first stanza Larkin only hints at the idea that there should be conversation taking place between the two, establishing the historical image â€Å"goes back so far†, of the traditional relationship where honest discourse is a part of the relationship. However the main focus of the three lines is the isolation between the two lying in bed, as John Gilroy states in his analysis from Literature Insights: Philip Larkin Selected Poems â€Å"The essential solitude of the individual is a prominent concern of Larkin’s† (63). Larkin’s concern in establishing the early theme of isolation around the speaker is to call into question the normality of their relationship, one which is rooted only in a physical dimension. By drawing a focus to the couples physical relationship Larkin is than free to question the values of cultural norms based around a the normality of a strictly sexual relationship. Th e reader’s expectations, indicated by the poems title, would be that the couple are partners in a symmetrical relationship, where discourse and sex would accompany one another. However, Larkin gives no indication that the two talk, only the notion that it should be easy to do. Mazid, again draws clear lines between