Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Is SAT Word of the Day Really a Good Way to Study Vocab

Is SAT Word of the Day Really a Good Way to Study Vocab SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips How do you learn new words, especially big ones like "obstreperous" and "percipient" that you don't often hear in daily conversation? Do you pore over long lists, make flash cards, or focus on one or two at a time? For those playing the long game, SAT Word of the Day sites and email lists can be useful resources for gradually building your vocabulary over time. This guide will point you to the best sources of SAT Word of the Day and give you some strategies for how to use them effectively. First, why might you want to study vocabulary this way? IsSAT Word of the Day Effective? Using SAT Word of the Day to build your vocabulary is effective in a gradual way, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as the only vocab studying you do to prepare for the SAT. It's a good way to start early, learn new words, and insert a little bit of SAT prep into your routine on a daily basis. That being said, SAT Word of the Day probably doesn't substitute for more extensive studying. Let's take a look at the pros and cons for studying SAT words in this way. Pros ofSAT Word of the Day Like a trickle of water filling up a bowl, learning a word a day can build up to a great deal of knowledge if you sustain it over time.It's a low-pressure, stress-free way to start SAT prep early, rather than cramming a lot of words at once and struggling to retain them. You could start freshman year and spend just 5 minutes a day learning a word's definitionand how that word isused in different contexts. Have you ever noticed how you learn a new word or fun fact for the first time and suddenly start seeing it everywhere? This "Baeder-Meinhof Phenomenon" could happen with new SAT words, too. You'll start to notice (and should be on the lookout for) SAT wordswhen you're reading books, blogs, or the news. This will both aid your long-term retention of the vocab and help you understandif a givenword has various uses and connotations. Widening your vocabulary is not just useful for the SAT, but also for your own writing, reading, and work throughout high school and college. Finally, SAT Word of the Dayalso serves as a daily reminder to stick to your overall test prep schedule. Incorporating a word a day or an SAT Question of the Day orients you towards learning and building your skills and understanding on a daily basis. While SAT Word of the Day is useful for building up your vocabulary and retaining new words over time, what are some downsides to this approach to studying? Cons of SAT Word of the Day Perhaps the most obvious question aboutusing SAT Word of the Day is whether it teaches you enough to really be effective. Since you're only focusing on one word each day, you'd have to start a long time in advance of your SAT test to learn enough words. If you don't keep reviewing and referring back to words, you might forget those you learned several months or a year ago. While you're studying a word a day in theory, likely you would end up studying more to review ones that you've already learned. Another downside to SAT Word of the Day is that it could bemore of a passive than an active approach. You're learning a word, but not necessarily putting it in context of the SAT and applying it to real SAT questions. Thus you would want to be proactive andcouple yourstudying with answering sample questions and ensuring that you can demonstrate what you've learned on SAT passage-based and sentence completion questions. How effective studying with SAT Word of the Day is also varies from student to student and depends on their individual learning style and focus. This approach may appeal more to you if you like spreading out your test prep over a sustained period of time, but may not be your preferred mode if you like to bunch up studying and focus intensively on more material at the same time. In order to get the most use out of SAT Word of the Day, you want to use high quality resources, just as you should with the rest of your SAT prep. Read on for my suggestions of the best sources for SAT Word of the Day. Where Can You Find SAT Words of the Day? You can track down high quality SAT Words of the Day on various websites, as well as sign up for daily emails. For further reinforcement, you could also choose to create your own word of the day flashcards by writing down vocabulary, definitions, and examples from SAT vocabulary lists. Below are my suggestions for the best websites and email lists. New York Times SAT Vocabulary The New York Times learning blog has an SAT Word the Day 7 days a week. It gives you SAT words anddefinitions, as well as an example of how eachword is used in a sentence. What I like about this blog is that it links you to all the New York Times articles that have used that word. This lets you gain a sense of how it's used in various contexts, which is especially helpful for passage-based vocabulary questions on the current SAT, as well as the more context-based vocabulary questions that will appear on the new SAT in 2016. Plus you can learn about current events and editorials, which might be useful to draw uponwhen it comes time to write your SAT essay. To access these words you have to visit the site. Unfortunately they don't have an email option or a phone app that you could download. You can follow the New York Times learning blogs on Twitter, but not specifically the SAT Word of the Day. Number2.com Word of the Day On this straightforward site, you can find an SAT vocabulary word, definition, and one example. Unlike the New York Times blog, this site doesn't give you additional examples of the vocabulary in context. You could do your own searches, along with keeping an eye out for words you're learning in your reading. If you prefer to have daily vocabulary emailed to you, you can sign up for the email lists of any of the sites below. Get Emailed SAT Word of the Day These sites are all comparable to one another. They will email you a vocabulary word, definition, and example sentence every day. Again, it would be up to you to seek out the new vocabulary in other contexts beyond the one sentence example. SAT Daily (this site also has a texting option) Test Magic SAT Word of the Day SAT Hot Words SAT Words Daily Signing up for an email or texting list is an easy way to keep up with the word a day. Just don't let the emails pile up in your inbox! Finally, you could also create your own vocabulary lists and words of the day on paper or online. One site that's useful for this kind of self-directed studying is Quizlet. Make Your Own SAT Word of the Day Quizlet has some useful preexisting SAT vocabulary lists that you could use to create your own flashcards. You can also upload your own lists and practice that way, perhaps to review words of the day that you studied in the past. If you have an iPad or tablet, you can also play vocabulary matching games and time yourself as you review. If you start studying vocabulary in freshman year for just five minutes a day, then you could really grow your language skills over time. To make the most of your prep, use high quality resources that access the most commonly tested SAT vocabulary words. The best way to retain words and have a complex understanding is to read them in various contexts and take note when they appear in your reading. You could even try working it into conversation or your texts, though you might cause some confusionif you start throwing words like "assiduous" and "perfidious"around. Rather than only passively reading through definitions, actively search these words out and couple your studying with answering SAT practice passage-based and sentence completion vocabulary questions. At the same time, it's important to note that this focus on vocabulary might actually be more relevant for the current version of the SAT than the redesigned one rolling out in 2016. The new SAT has less of a focus on "big" words and more focus on relatively common words that might be presentedin an unusual way.Below is a quick review of the changes as they relate to vocabulary. How Important is Vocabulary for the New SAT? If you're taking the new SAT, you might consider readjusting your approach to studying SAT vocabulary. The new SAT is deemphasizing these common SAT words, and shaping questions around more accessible words, like "intense" and "maintain," that might have different connotations in different sentences. Instead of stand-alone sentence completion questions, the vocabulary questionswill be more passage-based. If you're taking the current version of the SAT, then SAT Words of the Day are still a very useful tool for building your vocabulary and learning the words you'll need to achieve strong scores on the Critical Reading section. If you're taking the newer version, you might still benefit from the SAT Word of the Day, but should focus on connotation and context and not worry too much about particularly obscure words. By learning more about what skills the new SAT will test, you can reshape your prep and continue to use older practice materials effectively. With SAT Word of the Day and all your test prep, you'll be best served by reflecting on your learning style and uncovering the tactic that works best for you. How Do You Learn New Words? As with all aspects of studying for the SAT, reflect on how you learn and retain information and customizeyour study plan to best help you improve. Even if you're someone who likes to bunch up studying, SAT Words of the Day can be a useful tool, especially if you start early. Even though I gave several options of websites and email lists above, the "word of the day" is meant to be just that, a single vocabulary word that you examine and incorporate on a daily basis.With this approach, it's better to prioritize quality of words, definitions, and examples over quantity. Pick just one of those resources (or two, if you really want) and stick with it. Pay attention to how it's used, where you can find it, and how it helps express a thought or idea. Even if only a fraction of the words you learn actually show up on your official SAT tests, you'll still have advanced your language and sharpened your reading, writing, and communication skills. Plus you can impress your friends and family with your ever expanding repertoire of impressive vocabulary. What's Next? Besides Word of the Day, you might also be learning a lot of SAT vocabularyat the same time. Learn about the "waterfall method" of studying SAT words and definitions. Do you have a choice between taking the current version of the SAT and the new SAT? Read about the differences and how to decide between the two here. Gunning for a top SAT score? Read our guide on how to get a perfect SAT score. Learn how to get an 800 on SAT Reading, SAT Math, and SAT Writing. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this 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:

Saturday, November 23, 2019

5 Study Habits You Should Develop in College

5 Study Habits You Should Develop in College Studying isn’t the most fun thing you’ll ever do at college (that spot is reserved for Ultimate Star Wars Strip Poker). Still, if you haven’t learned how to study by the time you’ve made it this far into your educational career, you may be in big trouble. Statistics from the U.S. News and World Report say that as many as 3 out of 10 college freshman will drop out due to poor grades during their first year. In order to keep yourself from becoming a statistic, you need some study hacks. That’s why we’ve compiled the 5 best and most productive study habits you can develop before its too late. Remember, having a worry-free semester of straight A’s is much more fun than failing out and missing your calling as a Jedi Poker Master. Skip the Highlighting, Summarizing, and Mental Imagery Although these are things you’ve been taught to do since you were small, research published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest basically calls your 4th grade teacher a liar. The research says that things like highlighting texts, summarizing texts, and mental imagery of facts are some of the least effective study habits you can pick up. Other things to avoid are re-reading texts and using word mnemonics to memorizing a new language. Go the Distance The best studying is done in small bursts over a longer period of time. So, instead of cramming for an exam just before it hits, study in small increments every day. Not only is this easier on your schedule (you don’t have to give up a whole night of sleep), but you will retain the information longer, as well. Use Technology to S.O.A.R The recent study published in The Journal of Educational Psychology highlighted that technology is only as good as your study habits. Students who are using their computers to reread articles or drill information perform half as well as students who are using their technology to synthesize material in new ways. The author of the study, Ken Kiewra, says that the best students use the S.O.A.R method: Select key lesson ideas. Organize information with comparative charts. Associate ideas to create meaningful connections. Regulate learning through practice. Although this sounds like a lot of work, it’s actually not. By thinking more critically about your information through comparisons and connections, and incorporating small daily study sessions, you are building a neural network for your new information that allows you to access it quickly whenever you need it. Turn Off the Music While you might think that you study better with the music on, there is significant research that shows it can impair your recall of the topic you’re studying. Nick Perham, a professor at the University of Wales Health Sciences School, completed research that showed music – whether you like it or not – impairs your ability to remember even simple things. And, although music with fewer chord and musical variations (like classical music) impair memory less than Grunge Metal, neither is as effective as studying in a quiet place. Mix it Up This applies not only to types of things you’re studying, but to location. Scientists found in the Psychological Science in the Public Interest study that students who change up the kinds of review questions they do perform better on exams. For example, they study a math problem, then follow it up with a psychology question. In addition, if you vary where you study when you do a new type of review, your brain will â€Å"anchor† the new information better. So, try the couch, then the table, then your bedroom. When it comes time to recall the information, your brain will have a better time if it can recall a unique place, time, or position you learned it in. Studying is a huge part of your college life, but it doesn’t have to take up all of your time. With a little good advice and a daily dose of studying, you can be acing all of your exams quicker than you think. Just make sure that you are avoiding the time-sucking activities that don’t work, and use your study sessions in a way that keeps your information memorable and easy to access. Can you think of some more useful study habits? Tell us! We want to hear from you!

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The American Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The American Revolution - Essay Example British Had an overwhelming advantage in that particular war as it had a strong navy; well trained army, experience and was the wealth empire in the world (Frank 35). It also had the largest population in the world, which comprised of eight million people compared to approximately three million people from the enemy country, America. On the other hand, America suffered numerous disadvantages. They had no regular and a strong army. The American soldier had no experience in this field. The other resources like ammunitions and the general weapons were in a short supply (Frank 39). Its military comprised much of local militia forces who fought for limited period before returning home for other chores. The colonists had no professional armed forces, no established central government, no industry to supply them with proper equipments and no financial reserves. Moreover, not all the American supported this type of war because they saw British as an undefeatable empire, which ruled wide regi ons and they faced less resistance from the natives (Joseph 25). Some other people were neutral and supported neither side in the independence conflict (Joseph 27). For instance, the Quakers could not participate in any war because they disliked all armed conflict. Other Americans remained honest and loyal to the British Empire and therefore discouraged any move to quit the rulers. These loyalists had different reasons to support the British Empire ... Tactical strategies In any war, it is always recommended to analyze the situation in terms of the strength of the enemy, in relation to their weapons, tactics, financials, and the skills of the military personnel (Joseph 53). This will help one to develop the best strategies and much applicable tactics to manage the enemy. In addition, learning the weaknesses of the opponents is the most important thing, since it can determine the end of any war if the weaknesses are well targeted (Joseph 79). In this context, exposing military’s weaknesses or showing any kind of disunity costs the military much in winning the war. Any kind of war involves such issues like secrecy, a well plan on how to carry out the attack, the military financing i.e. supplying the necessary equipments, sufficient supply of food, and the soldiers motivation. Military success is greatly determined by order and the level of discipline. As a general in the American Revolution, I could ensure a concrete unity in the military, by meeting all the personnel and appoint group leaders to properly manage and solve minor issues of their groups. Since the supply of arms for the military was the main challenge, raiding to acquire the weapons from the loyalists and the British residents could be the first assignments to soldiers (Frank 97). Ensuring a constant supply of weapons and ammunition as well as motivating the patriots to facilitate bravery could be the first action. I could ensure adequate and camouflaged uniforms to reduce visibility of the patriots. Food and medical care remains the key components of the fight since they should be strong enough to handle their enemy sufficiently. The New York City was

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Article review one Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Review one - Article Example In teaching business ethics, it is not necessary that the virtues are built from scratch but already developing students can be helped into becoming ethical business people. The article is informative in personal development and showcases the tactics used by business schools into grooming young people in developing the skills to excel in the corporate world. The article discussed the Aristotelian point of view of personal development and how the upbringing in a particular environment is responsible for the building of character and virtues. The type of upbringing and the scenarios that are faced by an individual during early life make a larger impact and direct the behavior of individuals accordingly. For example, if successful people are asked to change something about their life they tend to say that, they would rather spend more time with their families than on their business. The article further depicts how human behavior constantly keeps on changing with time and age. Perspective widens and a more open approach towards issues leads to better decision making or alteration. The incorporation of business example with everyday scenario makes the article gripping and coherent in conveying the view of point that how personal development can happen on any scale. This can apply to business as well where business students are given case stu dies that help them broaden their perspective and achieve goals. The article discusses character building and reshaping of virtues in business schools. The main point is how from an Aristotelian point of view, people develop their morals and virtues. Business ethics are far more different with respect to the fact that every client is different and needs to be dealt with in a different manner. There is a question of personal goals and then the ways through which it can be achieved. The

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Curious Incident of a dog in the nighttime“ - Mark Haddon Essay Example for Free

Curious Incident of a dog in the nighttimeâ€Å" Mark Haddon Essay In the Curious Incident of a dog in the nighttime from Mark Haddon, the author is trying to bring us nearer to the life of an autistic child by showing us his realm of thinking and behavior  Haddon creates in his book a story that actually stands more in the background. The story talks about the autistic ï ¬ fteen-year-old narrator, Christopher John Francis Boone, who ï ¬ nds the dog of a neighbour dead in the garden. He wants to ï ¬ nd out who killed the dog and wishes to write a book about it. He is standing in front of many problems to ï ¬ nd out what really happened, because his father doesnt like the idea that he is meddling in the business of others. In trying to ï ¬ nd his book his father took away from him, he ï ¬ nds letter from his mother, who seemed to be dead at the beginning when in actuality she is still alive. After that, he is convinced his father is a liar and the murderer of the dog, and he runs away to his mom in fear that his own dad wants to kill him. At the end of the book they are showing the difï ¬ culty to get conï ¬ dence back from an autistic child. In the foreground is the behavior of the autistic Christopher Boone. Directly from the beginning we notice that something is different with Christopher Boone. The book never directly talks about autism, but several aspects let us know this. The capitals in the book are counted as prime number; this language technique lets us directly go in the mind of Christopher Boone. His thinking is that prime numbers are acting like life: logical, but impossible to fully comprehend. This missing of comprehension of human being is lined throughout the whole book, for example that he has difï ¬ culty determining people’s emotions from their facial expressions, but he can name each country in the world, their capitals and every prime number up to 7057. Christopher recognizes his social limitations, and he focuses instead on the extraordinary intelligence he displays in other regards. His complex brain is shown in the book with mathematical forms and information about space and physics.  Christopher Boone is the only one in his class who is making the A-level in mathematics, with the wish to ï ¬ nish it in physics too and when he is adult he would like to be an astronaut.  These inputs, whether we understand them or not, are helping the reader to get more and more into the way of thinking of this autistic child. We are reading the   entire book through the eyes of Christopher, the narrator, showing us just what he is seeing and feeling. This technique is extremely important for the story and the message of the book.  Christopher’s poor social skills are shown from the beginning to the end of the Book. He quickly feels overwhelmed and his social deï ¬ cits lead to misunderstandings and conï ¬â€šicts. He doesnt let people touch him, when an ofï ¬ cer tries to touch him he assaults him and has to go to the jail. But even during that incident, he enjoyed the fact that his cell has perfect dimensions and he feels secure. Christopher’s obsession with the physical details of his surroundings, particularly aspects of color, number, and time†¦serves as a great asset to him in his investigation. When his father arrives, even he is allowed to touch him, other than with his hands spread like a fan. The truth is one of the most important things for him as an autistic child, because his logical brain may explode with a lie because there are going to be a million new possibilities. This difï ¬ culty with an autistic child is also shown in the role of the parents. His mother, who is thought to be dead at the beginning, was running away because she couldnt handle the relation with her own child. The father as well, who was always calmer and had a better relation with his child, is coming to a point of desperation. Christopher wants to ï ¬ nd out who killed the dog, the investigation into which he tries to stop because of his own guilt. However, his child is special and he doesnt want to hear what his dad is saying and changing the words in his mouth. The dad also is unable to be honest with his child, and invents the story of the dead mother to protect him. Christopher has a strong desire for order, and he works to remove any sense of disorder from his life. For instance, his system for determining how good the day will be, despite its apparent illogicalness, provides him with a  sense of control over the ambiguities and uncertainties he encounters every day. The difï ¬ culty of a normal day with an autistic child is shown well at the beginning. The farther we go into the book; it loses a bit of consequence. The author is giving us several different aspects of an autistic child. What makes the story so special is that at the end Christopher is over breaking his fears in running away from his father because he killed the dog and lied to him. Another problem that is shown in the book is the difï ¬ culty in creating friendships. Christopher is going to a special school; hes calling the other children stupid and dumb because nobody has his level of logical thinking. He has no friends, the only person he is talking with and trusting is Siobhan. At the beginning we dont know who this person is, which lets us think he has a friend in his age that he can communicate with. At the end we realize it is his teacher and it is really interesting to see the methods and the ideas that the teacher is giving or training with Christopher. The book tries to show the world what is going on in a child with autism. Of course, it is not a guide on how to handle autistic children, it is just a tale intended to help non-autistic people to understand better the thinking of this child. The author himself worked in preparation for his book with autistic children. In my opinion the book is really well structured and successfully brings the message that it should bring. Myself as a total beginner in this arena of thinking, now know more about this illness and about the rules and regulations that thinking in the head of such a child seem to follow. The difï ¬ culties surrounding this illness are really well represented in the role of the parents. We are just seeing the thoughts of him and his feelings, but the story is really good at creating just enough clues to see more between the lines. The mother who is running away because of her failure to cope raising her own child, the dad who is trying to handle this struggle all alone and who is just able to do that by constantly lying to his own child. The book was published in two versions, one for children and  once for adults. In my opinion, the title and the story of the book seems more for children than for adults. However, when you take a look at the message and the background of this boy, and let the story be a side issue, it is a really sensible and informative book about the life of a child with special issues. It seems that the end is a just a little bit thin and it seems that the author was not that careful enough at wrapping up the ending with the fears and consequen ces of autism. The book was criticized with the idea that the author is giving inaccurate descriptions about a child with autism, although the novel never mentions autism. Seeing as Christopher displays several of the symptoms that are included in this illness, they take the logical conclusion. I would recommend this book to everybody who wants to read a funny, informative and lovely story about a boy with special needs. The logical thinking presented which also teach a little bit about math and physics is what makes this ï ¬ ctional book really interesting.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Conformity and Rebellion in Antigone Essay -- conflict, change, mistake

Would you rather not have conflicts in your life? Antigone is a play, based upon conflicts between the characters. Antigone is the sister of Polynices, who is dead. Polynices is considered a traitor to Creon and he doesn’t bury those who are against him. As conflicts occur, Antigone, Creon, and the Chorus argue on whether to have Polynices buried or not. Conflicts are a necessary part of life because of the changes that we run in to. It is appropriate to rebel and create conflict when we believe in doing the right thing to do, but someone is taking the necessary tool away from us so we can’t accomplish those goals. Also, it is appropriate to conform when violence gets out of hand. The changes that happen make us, the readers better individuals and once we have the conflicts solved, we won’t repeat the same mistakes and then conformity is possible. It is appropriate to rebel and create conflict when you believe in doing the right thing, but somebody takes away from you the necessary tool from doing so. The main conflict in the play between Antigone and Creon is the best example for this argument. Antigone believes that everybody deserves a proper burial. In her opinion, even if somebody is a traitor or dislikes Creon’s views, he or she deserves a proper burial. In this case, Creon decides that Polynices doesn’t deserve a proper burial because Polynices is a traitor to him. Antigone now wants to bury Polynices and doesn’t care about Creon’s edict. However, Ismene warns Antigone,† But think of the dange! Think what Creon will do!† (469). Ismene is telling Antigone that she is scared of burying Polynices behind Creon’s back, because if they get caught they will be punished greatly. Ismene and everybody else in Thebes are scared of Cr... ...d how we can be better individuals from the original conflict. Choragos Is telling us if we want to be happy, we have to be intelligent. In Antigone, it is appropriate to conform when violence gets out of hand. This happens when all of Creon’s love ones die because of how his stubbornness and pride. However, it is appropriate to rebel when we believe in doing the right thing to do, but someone is taking the necessary tool away from us so we can’t accomplish those goals. This happens in the play when Antigone wants to bury Polynices, but Creon is too powerful and causes fear upon all of the people of Thebes. We can learn from this play that conflict is necessary in our lives, because without it we can’t learn. Works Cited Sophocles. Antigone. Abcarian, Klotz, and Cohen, eds. Literature: The Human Experience. 11th ed. Boston: Bedford. 2013. Print.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Contemporary Approaches Essay

Explain how the four contemporary approaches to management are different from one another. Define â€Å"open systems† and describe the internal, competitive, and macro environments of an organization. Lastly, indicate whether the four contemporary approaches to management are relevant in these three environments and why or why not. You may research external sources to support your answer. Cite any external sources used. Sociotechnical Theory suggests that organizations are effective when their employees have the right tools, training, and knowledge to make products and services that are valued by customers. Sociotechnical promotes the use of teamwork and semiautonomous work groups as important factors for creating efficient production systems. They believed that workers should be given the chance to correct problems at an early stage of production rather than wait until products were finished creating waste. Quantitative Management helps a manager make a decision by developing mathematical models of the problem. Computers facilitated the development of specific quantitative methods. It included techniques such as: statistical decision theory, linear programming, queuing theory, simulation, forecasting, inventory modeling, network modeling, and break even analysis. Despite having all these methods, many managers will use results that are consistent with their experience,  institution, and judgment. Many managers have not been trained to use these techniques. Organizational Behavior studies and identifies management activities that promote employee effectiveness through an understanding of the complex nature of individual, group, and organizational processes. Organizational behavior draws from a variety of disciplines, including psychology and sociology, to explain the behavior of people on the job. Systems Theory organizations are open systems, dependent on inputs from the outside world, such as raw materials, human resources, and capital. They transform these inputs into outputs that meet the market’s needs for goods and services. The environment reacts to the outputs through a feedback loop; this feedback provides input for the next cycle of the system. System Theory also emphasizes that an organization is one system in a series of subsystems. â€Å"Open Systems†/ organizations are open systems meaning they are affected by and in turn affect their external environments. They use inputs like goods and services from their environment to create goods and services that are outputs to their environment. Open System is a system that interacts with its environment by exchanging energy, materials, and information with an aim of system renewal and growth. A feature of an open system is negative entropy, where the open system continues to import energy, information and resources to function while becoming more heterogeneous and complex.- http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/open-system-in-management-definition-example-quiz.html#lesson. Internal Environment is the conditions, entities, events, and factors within an organization that influence its activities and choices, particularly the behavior of the employees. Factors that are frequently considered part of the internal environment include the organization’s mission statement, leadership styles, and its organizational culture.   Competitive Environment is the immediate environment surrounding a firm; includes suppliers, customers, rival and the like. This includes the consisting of rivalry among existing competitors and the threat of new entrants, the threat of substitute and complementary products, and the bargaining power of suppliers and buyers. Macro environment is the general environment that includes governments, economic conditions, and other

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Mini-Case – Finance

In order to decide on an IPO price, we must look at the current financial position of the company, as well as make projections for possible future scenarios. From the data given, we know that Prairie Home Stores (PHS) has a current book value of $80,000,000. With 400,000 outstanding shares, the book equity per share is $200. There are two possible paths for future performance to consider. The first, a constant growth scenario, assumes that PHS will continue on its current trajectory of paying out 2/3 of its earnings as dividends, and retaining the other 2/3 to grow the business.In this scenario, we will continue the company’s growth rate of 5%, with no change in plowback or dividends. In this scenario, price per share is determined by the current dividends, divided by (r-g) The value of the company will be equal to the present value of all future cash flows ( i. e. dividend payments) that investors expect to receive. Constant growth scenario: EPS 2013 = $ 12,000,000 / 400,000 shares = $ 30. 00 Book equity per share in 2013 = $80,000,000 / 400,000 shares = $200. 00 per share Dividends paid out per share in 2013 = $ 8,000,000 / 400,000 shares = $ 20. 00 per share Payout ratio in 2013 = $ 20. 0 (DIV2013) / $ 30 (EPS 2013) = 0. 67 Plowback ratio 2013 = $10. 00 (RE per share 2013) / $ 30. 00 (EPS 2013) = 0. 33 Sustainable growth rate = 0. 15 (rate of return) x 0. 33 (plowback ratio) = 5 % Price per share 2012 = DIV2013/(r-g) = $20/(11%-5% ) = $ 333. 33 $ 333. 33 price per share x 400,000 shares = $ 133,333,333 – value of the company in 2012 P/E ratio = $ 333. 33( price per share) / 30 (EPS) = 11. 11 Rapid Growth Scenario: Since Price = DIV / r-g, and there are no dividends paid in the years 2013 – 2016, we can calculate the value of the company in 2016 and discount it to obtain the Present value in 2012.EPS 2017 = $21,000,000 / 400,000 shares = $52. 50 Book equity per share 2017 = $139,900,000 / 400,000 shares = $349. 75 Dividends paid out per s hare 2017 = $14,000,000 / 400,000 shares = $35. 00 Payout ratio in 2017 = $ 35. 00 (DIV per share 2017) / $ 52. 50 (EPS 2017) = 0. 67 Plowback ratio in 2017 = $ 17. 50 (RE in 2017) / 52. 50 (EPS in 2017) = 0. 33 Sustainable growth rate = 0. 15 (rate of return) x 0. 33 (plowback ratio) = 5 % Price per share in 2016= $35. 00 (DIV 2017) / 0. 06 (r – g)= $583. 33 Let’s discount it to 2012 value: Financial calculator: FV = 583. 33 N = 4, I/Yr = 11% PV = 384. 5 – price per share in 2012 384. 25 x 400,000 shares = 153,700,000 – value of the company in 2012 under rapid growth Conclusion: Rapid growth scenario promises higher stock price, so it should be chosen. PVGO between the previous example and this one: 153,700,000 – 133,333,333 = 20,366,667 Under both scenarios, current price per share is more than $200. Now here’s my calculations: Constant growth scenario: Assuming a 15% required return: P0 = DIV1 / (r-g) = $20 / (. 15 – . 05) = $20/. 1 = $200 Assuming an 11% required return, we’ll have: P0 = DIV1 / (r-g) = $20 / (. 11 – . 05) = $20/. 06 = $333. 33In the constant growth scenario, the stock is valued at $200 if we assume a 15% expected return, and $333. 33 if we assume 11% expected return. Now, in the rapid growth scenario, things get even more exciting. I think that 2017/2020 is the horizon year, because it’s AFTER that point when the growth goes down to 5%. In paragraph 6, the problem states â€Å"†¦ would require reinvestment of all of Prairie Home’s earnings from 2016 to 2019. After that the company could resume its normal dividend payout and growth. † your book’s years:20122013201420152016201720182019 my book’s years:20152016201720182019202020212022 year #01234567 arnings growth from previous year—4. 6%15%15%15%15%5%5% dividend0000$35$36. 75$38. 59 todayH NB: neither book shows 2019 or 2022, but we know that the beginning of the year figures are the same as the end of year figures for the previous year, so that’s where I got those. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter – I’m just reinforcing the point that we turn into a constant growth scenario beginning with year 6. Our non-constant growth model says this: PV = D1/(1+r)1 + D2 / (1+r)2 + †¦ + DH / (1+r)H + PH / (1+r)H and we get PH with this formula: PH = Dt+1 / (r-g) The dividends for the foreseeable future (years 1 – 4) will all be 0, so hose first numbers will add up to 0. We know that the dividend at the horizon year – year 5 – is $35. The expected future price of the stock at year 5 will be: P5 = D6 / (r-g) Plugging in numbers there, we have: P5 = $36. 75 / (. 15 – . 05) = $36. 75/. 1 = $367. 50 Again, that’s assuming a 15% required return. Then the third part of the process is to add up all of those numbers, discounting them to the present value: P0 = D1 + D2 + D3 + D4 + D5 / (1. 15)5 + P5 / (1. 15)5 = 0 + (35 + 367. 5) / (1. 15)5 = 402. 5/(1. 15)5 Or on the calculator: FV = 402. 50, I/YR = 15, N=5, PV = $200. 11 Then we go to the 11% required return.There, we’ll see that: P5 = D6 / (r-g) = $36. 75 / (. 11 – . 05) = $612. 50 And then: P0 = D1 + D2 + D3 + D4 + D5 / (1. 11)5 + P5 / (1. 11)5 = 0 + (35 + 612. 50) / (1. 11)5 = †¦ (Calculator: FV = 647. 50, I/YR = 11, N = 5, PV = $384. 26) In the rapid growth scenario, the stock is valued at $200. 11 if we assume a 15% expected return, and $384. 26 if we assume 11% expected return. This is the point where I defer to you, or we can talk about this more tomorrow. Our math says to price the stock somewhere between $200 and $384, but how do we choose? I get the sense that you understand that better than I do, so I can use your input for sure.We believe that Prairie Home Stores should value the stock at $384. xx because we should choose the We recommend choosing the rapid growth scenario, plowback more earnings into growing the company, and set the IPO price as $384. whatever. Our prospectus will show that we intend to invest more of our earnings into growing the company over the next 4 years, and as a result investors and the market will support a price of $384. We chose to use 11% as our expected rate of return, because this is the rate shown in the Journal of Finance as being the rate offered by other, equally risky stocks in the same industry as Prairie Home Stores.The PVGO is $153,700,000 – 133,333,333 = $20,366,667. This indicates that the company has room to grow, which will be attractive to investors. Investors believe that under the rapid growth scenario. According to our calculations, Mr. Breezeway was wise to counsel his son( ) to not sell the stock for $200, as we believe that the company is worth more than current BOOK VALUE PER SHARE – include something about this. $200 per the current values (this is what the whoever dude offered the son), but our calculations show that th e company is more valuable than the $200 price indicates.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Dentistry personal statement Essay Example

Dentistry personal statement Essay Example Dentistry personal statement Paper Dentistry personal statement Paper How important is your smile for humanity? how important is for a person to be able smiling? How important is for a person to have a beautiful smile and not be afraid to laugh? These questions struck me when I came across with an article about a smile in a dentist magazine. That was a year before to finish my secondary school. After a long consideration about the role of the dentist in our live and bear in mind Mother Teresa`s phrase â€Å"I can not understand how such a simple thing as a smile can do so much better† I came to outlet that when you smile, you look better. When other people see you smiling, then they also smile, it  is contagious. When other people smiles, they don’t only look but also they feel better. The desire to become a person who can deliver a happiness, relive pain and make a big difference to the quality of life derive from the comprehension that the majority of my relatives have Hereditary Periodontal Diseases and there is no any dentist in our relation to take care of them. I feel like it`s my responsibility to help them also and all of that reasons trigged my enthusiasm to study dentistry. During the summer holiday, driven from my intention, I start volunteer work as a dentist receptionist  in a Pleven dental clinic in Bulgaria. I had the great opportunity to work 2 months with one of the best dental technicians and dental specialists in my town. Working in a such environment boost my intension to pursuit a dental career, especially after a couple opportunities for observation of ceramic teeth modelling. Motivated to achieve my goal I finish my secondary school with excellence and my Chemistry and Biology was one of the highest marks. I was unable to start my degree in Bulgaria because of financial instability. I was disappointed but I didn`t give up. I took the decision to come in UK, work for a while, to save some money and go back to start my degree. After a year hard work and long consideration about the enormous chances for development and the great environment for studying, especially the well-balanced dental program which provides fairly extensive professional training suggest teamwork and the opportunity to participate in research projects, I took the decision to shadow my dream in Great Britain. Perhaps studying dentistry is not an easy task when English is not your native language, but I don’t scary easily. After 4 years living in UK and after a big effort to achieve best results and improve my English I fell more than ready to take the challenge and reach highlight in a such a demanding academic program and become a five stars specialist in the Periodontology. A part of my 2 weeks observation in 21 Dental Clinic-London where I had the occasion to shadow a dentist carrying more complex methods such as a root canal therapy, construction of bridges , crowns and veneers. I arrange of doing another 2 weeks observation in Bulgaria this September. I also have no passion to visit the  further Premier dental exhibition in London on 4-6 October and find out the latest innovative products, technologies and meet the top on-stand experts. Through my work experience I had the chance to improve my communication skills with people from different variety of ages and social backgrounds. Furthermore, I find my hobby as footballer that can also contribute my soft skills as I work well in a groups and I would be cooperative and take a leadership role when is appropriate. In my spare time I enjoy calligraphy as hobby also. I find it really helpful to improve my hand skills. I have to be also very patients and allow yourself to work precisely and understand the process that you are going through. I find the dentistry in calligraphy as few professions where you can incorporate both science and art into my daily work life. From the observation witch I’ve done so far I can conclude that dentistry is unique career and there is nothing more rewarding than taking someone’s pain and seeing their satisfied faces. This â€Å"mission† extremely influent on my resolve and enthusiasm to achieve success and improve the first thing the people notice- â€Å"the smile†.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Meaning and Origin of the Surname Duda

Meaning and Origin of the Surname Duda From the Polish noun duda, meaning bagpipes or bad musician, the common Polish surname Duda is most likely an occupational surname for one who played the bagpipes or, possibly, one who played them badly.  A dudy  is a form of bagpipe with a single reed in the chanter, common in the southern and western areas of Bohemia in the Czech Republic, and in  parts of Poland and Austria.   Another possible meaning, suggested by Polish name expert Prof. Kazimierz Rymut in his book Nazwiska Polakow (The Surnames of Poles), is one who made a lot of needless noise. Duda is among the 50 most common Polish surnames.   Surname Origin: Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, Slovak Alternate Surname Spellings:  DUDDA, DADA Where do People with the Surname DUDA Live? According to Slownik nazwisk wspolczesnie w Polsce uzywanych, Directory of Surnames in Current Use in Poland, which covers about 94% of the population of Poland, there were 38,290 Polish citizens with the Duda surname living in Poland in 1990.   Famous People with the Surname DUDA Lucas Duda - American professional MLB baseball playerAndrzej Sebastian Duda - Polish lawyer and politician; sixth President of Poland Genealogy Resources for the Surname DUDA Duda Family Tree DNA Surname ProjectMale individuals with the Duda or Dudda surname can come together with other Duda researchers interested in using a combination of Y-DNA testing and traditional genealogical research to connect Duda families back to common ancestors. Duda Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Duda surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Duda surname query. DistantCousin.com - DUDA Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Duda. Looking for the meaning of a given name? Check out First Name MeaningsCant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. Sources Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967. Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005. Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Bergenfield, NJ:  Avotaynu, 2004. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Hoffman, William F. Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings. Chicago:  Polish Genealogical Society, 1993. Rymut, Kazimierz. Nazwiska Polakow. Wroclaw: Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich - Wydawnictwo, 1991. Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

How does online shoppers' behaviour differ from traditional shoppers Essay - 1

How does online shoppers' behaviour differ from traditional shoppers - Essay Example of terms 30 Investigative report Abstract Shopping is a part of everyday’s life. Some fulfils their necessities from shopping while some get something more from shopping. It is viewed as releasing the stress and a way for completing some desire in mind or a way for adding flavour to the mechanical way of life. There are two types of shopping in general, traditional shopping and online shopping. Both of them have merits and demerits respectively. Now-a-days, large number of people goes for shopping by means of internet. This has been possible due to the prevalence of computer. The trend of online shopping came with the booming of internet. Thousands of items are reflected on the screen by clicking in one word. This does not require roaming across a long road through the hustling crowds for getting a pair of items. What is required is to have a click on the keyboard and the goods will be delivered on the spot. The advent of internet has an impact in our everyday lives in all way s like the manner we communicate to the way we shop. The increase in sophisticated technology in the 21st century has made everything virtually possible like purchase of an outfit of Armani who has been wearing pyjamas which was once seemed as an outlandish idea. The starts of retailing on web from sometime in the middle to late 1990s have given rise to the debate of online vs. traditional shopping. This debate is still ongoing. Though shoppers have thronged the shopping centres, as it is done in internet but still the question remains as to whether everything will be conquered by online shopping or the survival of traditional shopping will remain in the increasing trend of e-shopping. Introduction The rising debate of online shopping vs. traditional shopping can be viewed from the angle of considering the pros and cons of traditional and online shopping. The main advantage of online shopping is that it eliminates the need to make a drive to somewhere for purchasing something. So, t here arises no frustration to deal with parking problems and traffic. Besides, in case of traditional shopping, half of the petrol is consumed while going for shopping. With rise in prices of petrol, the cost of shopping also increases. This money is however saved in case of online shopping. The money needed to be paid in case of online shopping is enough to purchase few gifts or items. The precious time is saved by way of online shopping. In the busy lives lead by us these days, anything that can contribute towards saving in time can prove as a boon. While shopping online, it takes only a minute to log on to internet and to access the website of store as per choice (Khosrowpour, 2006, pp.30-31). Further, it can take only ten to fifteen minutes for selecting the items to be purchased, again further five minutes for filling information about payment and to get a print of receipt. All total, it will take only thirty minutes to complete the shopping. This facility of saving in time can provide quality time to be spent with the kids and an extra time to watch movies. Literature review Difference between online and traditional shopping Again, online shopping provides a sense of ease and comfort against traditional shopping which requires running in high streets and hunting for the things required. The difference between traditional and o

Friday, November 1, 2019

STARTING A BUSINESS ONLINE PART 2 Research Paper

STARTING A BUSINESS ONLINE PART 2 - Research Paper Example Domain name In web marketing domain name is an asset. Usually the domain name should be relevant, catchy, stylish, fashionable and easy to remember. According to Ethics Newsline (2013) â€Å"The introduction of new top-level domain names — the ending letters in web addresses, such as .com and .org — is raising some unanticipated ethical issues, according to various press reports†¦Addresses such as .car, .toronto, or .apple will become available, reports the  Toronto Star, but at a price.† Web spoofing and cyber-squatting are unethical activities in e-commerce. Spoofing refers to creating domains similar to well-known brands or established corporate companies like valmart.com for wallmart.com. Cyber-squatting is registering domain name of a well-known company or brand with the purpose of misusing it or selling it to the concerned company at an exorbitant price. Firms may be forced to buy these domains simply to avoid e-commerce frauds. Though $1,000 for dom ain re-sale is attractive, the name was not registered with the intention of re-sale. The name was selected after carefully considering various factors to ensure its suitability to the business and it is expected to be beneficial for the growth and development of the business in the long run. Also, it is felt that resale of domain name amounts to selling the name to our competitor who finds it worth to buy at this price. Also, if the buyer is not likely to become our competitor, it is bought with some ulterior motive and the domain name could be misused that is unethical. So, there is no question of resale of domain. E-Commerce software The Internet has emerged as a global medium for communication that is used gainfully used for commerce by creating web-based applications. In e-commerce, catalog designing is important like physical display of products in a showroom. It should be imaginative to include online marketing tools like gift certificates and discounts apart from display of prices and special features. The possibilities of expanding the market potential are unlimited with a good blend of content, photography, association with popular themes with a proper mix of graphics, flash and background images in a website. Online shopping cart software should incorporate features for selection of product, price comparison, placement of order and change the products selected if necessary. In the case of shopping cart software, synchronizing price and quantity with accounting and stores is very important and lack of this facility in software impedes real time inventory control. Establishing a good system for incorporating returns and exchanges in software is also essential for ensuring smooth flow of business. Order processing includes single-order processing, batch processing or mail order processing. Providing reputed online payment gateway in shopping cart for secure, fast and reliable transactions on real time basis is essential. Achieving optimum processing ca pacity of the system is very important for enhancing user experience. Null and Lobur (2012, p. 40) stated â€Å"No matter how many processors are placed in a system, or how many resources are assigned to them, somehow, somewhere, a bottleneck is bound to develop. The best we can do to remedy this is to make sure that the slowest parts of the system are the ones that are used the least.† Web presence and increasing Website usability The important factors need to be focused in