Nok Art Early Sculptural Pottery in West Africa

Nok art refers to huge human, animal and other figures made out of terracotta pottery, made by the Nok culture and found throughout Nigeria. The terracottas represent the earliest sculptural art in West Africa and were made between 900 BCE and 0 CE, co-occurring with the earliest evidence of iron smelting in Africa south of the Sahara desert. Nok Terracottas The famous terracotta figurines are made of local clays with coarse tempers. Although very few of the sculptures have been found intact, it is clear that they were nearly life-sized. Most are known from broken fragments, representing human heads and other body parts wearing a profusion of beads, anklets, and bracelets. Artistic conventions recognized as Nok art by scholars include geometric indications of eyes and eyebrows with perforations for pupils, and detailed treatment of heads, noses, nostrils, and mouths. Many have exaggerated features such as enormous ears and genitals, leading some scholars such as Insoll (2011) to argue that they are representations of diseases such as elephantiasis. Animals illustrated in Nok art include snakes and elephants; human-animal combinations (called therianthropic creatures) include human/bird and human/feline mixes. One recurring type is a two-headed Janus theme. A possible precursor to the art are figurines depicting cattle found throughout the Sahara-Sahel region of North Africa beginning in the 2nd millennium BCE; later connections include the Benin brasses and other Yoruba art. Chronology Over 160 archaeological sites have been found in central Nigeria that are associated with the Nok figures, including villages, towns, smelting furnaces, and ritual sites. The people who made the fantastic figures were farmers and iron smelters, who lived in central Nigeria beginning about 1500 BCE and flourished until about 300 BCE. Preservation of bone at Nok culture sites is dismal, and radiocarbon dates are limited to charred seeds or materials found within the interior of Nok ceramics. The following chronology is a recent revision of previous dates, based on combining thermoluminescence, optically stimulated luminescence and radiocarbon dating where possible. Early Nok (1500–900 BCE)Middle Nok (900–300 BCE)Late Nok (300 BCE–1 CE)Post Nok (1 CE–500 CE) Early Nok Arrivals The earliest pre-iron settlements occur in central Nigeria beginning about the middle of the second millennium BCE. These represent the villages of migrants to the area, farmers who lived in small kin-based groups. Early Nok farmers raised goats and cattle and cultivated pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), a diet supplemented by game hunting and the gathering of wild plants. Pottery styles for the Early Nok are called Puntun Dutse pottery, which has clear similarities to later styles, including very fine comb-drawn lines in horizontal, wavy, and spiral patterns and rocker comb impressions and cross-hatching. The earliest sites are located near or on hilltops at the edges between gallery forests and savanna woodlands. No evidence of iron smelting has been found associated with Early Nok settlements. Middle Nok (900300 BCE). The height of Nok society occurred during the Middle Nok period. There was a steep increase in the number of settlements, and terracotta production was well established by 830–760 BCE. Varieties of pottery continue from the earlier period. The earliest iron smelting furnaces likely date beginning 700 BCE. Farming of millet and trade with neighbors flourished. Middle Nok society included farmers who may have practiced iron smelting on a part-time basis, and traded for quartz nose and ear plugs and some iron implements outside of the region. The medium-distance trade network supplied the communities with stone tools or the raw materials for making the tools. The iron technology brought improved agricultural tools, warring techniques, and perhaps some level of social stratification with iron objects as status symbols. Around 500 BCE, large Nok settlements of between 10 and 30 hectares (25-75 acres) and populations of about 1,000 were established, with roughly contemporaneous smaller settlements of 1-3 ha (2.5-7.5 ac). The large settlements farmed pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), storing grains within the settlements in large pits. They likely had a decreasing emphasis on domestic livestock, compared to the early Nok farmers. Evidence for social stratification is implied rather than explicit: some of the large communities are surrounded by defensive trenches up to 6 meters in width and 2 meters deep, likely cooperative labor supervised by elites. The End of the Nok Culture The Late Nok saw a sharp and fairly abrupt decrease in the size and number of sites occurring between 400-300 BCE. Terracotta sculptures and decorative pottery continue sporadically in farther-flung locations. Scholars believe the central Nigerian hills were abandoned, and people moved into the valleys, perhaps as a result of climate change. Iron-smelting involves a great deal of wood and charcoal to be successful; in addition, a growing population required more sustained clearing of woods for farmland. Around 400 BCE, dry seasons became longer and rains became concentrated in shorter, intensive periods. In recently forested hillslopes that would have led to the erosion of topsoil. Both cowpeas and millet do well in savannah areas, but the farmers switched to fonio (Digitaria exilis), which copes with eroded soils better and can also be grown in valleys where deep soils can become waterlogged. The Post-Nok period shows a complete absence of Nok sculptures, marked difference in pottery decoration and clay choices. The people continued iron working and farming, but apart from that, there is no cultural connection to the earlier Nok society cultural material. Archaeological History Nok art was first brought to light in the 1940s when archaeologist Bernard Fagg learned that tin miners had encountered examples of animal and human sculptures eight meters (25 feet) deep in the alluvial deposits of tin mining sites. Fagg excavated at Nok and Taruga; more research was conducted by Faggs daughter Angela Fagg Rackham and Nigerian archaeologist Joseph Jemkur. The German Goethe University Frankfurt/Main began an international study in three phases between 2005–2017 to investigate Nok Culture; they have identified many new sites but nearly all of them have been affected by looting, most dug up and destroyed entirely. The reason for the extensive looting in the region is that the Nok art terracotta figures, along with the much later Benin brasses and soapstone figures from Zimbabwe, have been targeted by illicit trafficking in cultural antiquities, which has been tied to other criminal activities, including drug and human trafficking. Sources Breunig, Peter, and Nicole Rupp. An Outline of Recent Studies on the Nigerian Nok Culture. Journal of African Archaeology 14.3 (2016): 237–55. Print.Franke, Gabriele. A Chronology of the Central Nigerian Nok Culture—1500 BC to the Beginning of the Common Era. Journal of African Archaeology 14.3 (2016): 257–89. Print.Hoehn, A., and S. Kahlheber. The Environment of the Nok Sites, Central Nigeria—First Insights. SAGVNTVM Extra 2011 (2011). Print.Hà ¶hn, Alexa, and Katharina Neumann. The Palaeovegetation of Janruwa (Nigeria) and Its Implications for the Decline of the Nok Culture. Journal of African Archaeology 14.3 (2016): 331–53. Print.Ichaba, Abiye E. The Iron Working Industry in Precolonial Nigeria: An Appraisal. Africanology 1.1 (2014): 33–39. Print.Insoll, Timothy. Introduction. Shrines, Substances and Medicine in Sub-Saharan Africa: Archaeological, Anthropological, and Historical Perspectives. Anthropology Medicine 18.2 (2011): 145â€⠀œ66. Print.Mà ¤nnel, Tanja M., and Peter Breunig. The Nok Terracotta Sculptures of Pangwari. Journal of African Archaeology 14.3 (2016): 313–29. Print.Ojedokun, Usman Adekunle. Trafficking in Nigerian Cultural Antiquities: A Criminological Perspective. African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies 6.12 (2012): 163–76. Print.Rupp, Nicole, James Ameje, and Peter Breunig. New Studies on the Nok Culture of Central Nigeria. Journal of African Archaeology 3.2 (2005): 283–90. Print.

Cybercrime A Form Of Cybercrime - 1943 Words

Cyberspying/Cyberespionoge Definition Cyberspying is a form of cybercrime in which hackers target computer networks in order to gain access to classified or other information that may be profitable or advantageous for the hacker. Cyberspying is an ongoing process that occurs over time in order to gain confidential information. It can result in everything from economic disaster to terrorism (Techopedia). Cyberspying can be devastating toward both the government and businesses due to the classified information that can lead to copied products and gain both personal and business secrets. This ends up with consequences from major loss of money to loss of life. Background In December of 2009, Google began to notice persistent cyber-attacks aimed at acquiring information specific to Gmail accounts. The accounts were held by Chinese human rights activists, and Google wasn t the only target. To the search engine giant s credit, they quickly informed at least 20 other companies that they too were being targeted through a vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer. Preventive measures were taken, and McAfee Labs identified the problem in early 2010 and code-named it ‘Aurora’. The Aurora attackers used targeted emails with malware sent to individuals who were judged as good targets because they were likely to have a high level of access to valuable intellectual property. The reaction to this act of cyber espionage varied around the world. Microsoft sent a security breach reportShow MoreRelatedIs Cybercrime A Type Of Crime That Is Committed Over The Internet?1206 Words   |  5 Pagesindividuals to stay in touch, find information, and even ma ke a living through online businesses. When there are positive points, there are bound to be some negative ones, and that is Cybercrime. Cybercrime is a type of crime that is committed over the Internet using computers and networks; also known as Hacking. Cybercrimes are a major issue individual face in today s society; this is because the number of people using the Internet has grown rapidly over the last decade. Technology is available toRead MoreCyber Threat, Its Scope And Its Impact On National Security991 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscusses future of cybercrime in 2020. In recent years, â€Å"Information warfare† a new way of terrorism has become the major concern for information security specialists; terrorists might tamper with computers and electronic devices to commit secured information based threats to nations, to businesses and to individuals. INTRODUCTION In a world where information and communications technology (ICT) that provides the mode so people can work with each other electronically in a digital form over large distancesRead MoreCyber Criminals Are Faceless And Cybercrimes946 Words   |  4 Pagescriminals are faceless and cybercrimes are now easier and safer for criminals to troll the internet for unsuspected victims without leaving the comfort of their own home. According to a Police Executive Research Forum report (PERF, 2014), local law enforcement are struggling with responses to cybercrimes; Chief Charles McClelland of the Houston police department told PERF, â€Å"unfortunately, we haven’t properly prepared our officers to handle cybercrime calls† (p.20). Cybercrimes are not limited to creditRead MoreCybercrime And Its Effects On Society1239 Words   |  5 PagesAbstract-This research explores the different forms of cybercrime and its effects on society when compared to several years ago. Moreover, it focuses on the changes that have been made to fight the rise of cybercrimes. With the advances in technology allowing society to stay interconnected online, criminals, both who is not an expert and experienced, have taken advantage of growing opportunities. By taking into consideration the dangers on this issue, it is important to take action and provide solutionsRead MoreTrends in Cybercrime1083 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Cybercrime is nothing to new in this day and time; this has been a problem for many since the early onset of the 80’s. Although much seems to have been done to combat cybercrime over the years, criminals still have an advantage edge. With IT experts, companies see now just how important it is to involve law enforcement in the efforts to fight against computer crime. Computer cybercrime as we know it today is now used as potentially illegal activities. Many issues surroundingRead MoreCybercrime : A Victim Of Cybercrime1348 Words   |  6 Pagespeople that you didn’t send? If the answer is yes to any of the questions you were a victim of cybercrime. Cybercrime Definition Cybercrime (Computer Crime) is defined as the use of a computer to commit crimes such as fraud, trafficking in child pornography, intellectual property, stealing Identities, or violating the privacy of others (Britannica). Cybercrime and Homeland Security Cybercrime is important to homeland security because it helps to protect the United States against federalRead MoreCybercrime And The Fight Against Cybercrime1227 Words   |  5 Pages Martin, 2004). In particular, while many people are aware of cybercrime, very few understand its far-reaching implications. For this reason, this discussion will focus on exploring cybercrime, with a special focus on its legal, ethical and social impacts. In doing so, it will also comment on the responsibilities that computing professionals must undertake in the fight against cybercrime. Legal Impacts The legal impacts of cybercrime are well visualized through law enforcement. Undoubtedly, theRead MoreDigital Evidence And Law Enforcement Essay1137 Words   |  5 Pagestechnology, they have become the new weapon in committing crime, and to the burgeoning science of digital evidence, law enforcement now use computers to fight crime. Nevertheless, digital evidence is information stored, transmitted, and received in binary form that can potentially be relied on as evidence in court. Notwithstanding, digital evidence is commonly associated with crimes that involve such devices, such as a computer hard drives, external storage devices, mobile phones, among others, and are oftenRead MoreWhat Constitutes Crime And Cybercrime, And Differences Within The Legal System Of Various Nations1505 Words   |  7 Pagesglobally and this can be directly linked to the differences in the definition of what constitutes crime and cybercrime, and differences in Legal System of various nations. The diff erences in definition are because of the fundamentals of traditional criminal law. In criminal law, there are two important elements that must be present. It is a common test of criminality expressed in this Latin phrase: ’actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea’, which means the act is not culpable unless the mind is guiltyRead MoreCybercrime Is Any Act Of Crime1740 Words   |  7 Pagespredators lurk and commit unwanted acts without leaving their homes either. Cybercrime is any act of crime committed online and is one were thousands of people fall victim too every day. In the 2012 issue of police reported cybercrime in Canada it was said that â€Å"Asset violations accounts for 61% of police cybercrimes in just 2012 alone, which represent a total of 5,544 incidents† (Mazowita, Police-reported cybercrime in Canada, 2012). That’s showing that cyber-attacks where pretty high in 2012

Generated Be Presented To Qutic Management â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Generated Be Presented To Qutic Management? Answer: Introduction Plagiarism is a growing trend that is affecting students across the world. In Australia, it has been noted that this behavior is rampant particularly in institutions with international students. This may be perceived to be as a result of multicultural believes as some of students are from various parts of the world with different strictness about plagiarism, or students could be practicing it knowingly or unknowingly. This report seeks to give findings based on research on students perception about plagiarism. Queensland University of Technology International College is an institution of higher learning accounting students from all over the world. As an institution with international reputation, QUTIC management found it necessary to conduct a research on plagiarism as a major concern regarding academic dishonesty. The main objectives of this report are: To help the management come up with adequate measures from which students will fully understand what plagiarism is and its consequences. To help students to avoid practice of plagiarism Method of data collection The research was conducted by use of questionnaires which were manually distributed to respondents. Respondents were students from different faculties and of different nationalities. Items used included booklets of questions and writing pen. The questionnaires were multi choice 1where respondents were expected to tick appropriately against a economics. Sampling method employed was segregation by faculty and nationality. A total of twenty respondents took part in filling in of the questionnaires. Scope of study The research was carried out in QUTIC and it was carried out across all faculties. Countries represented in the samples were Japan, china, Vietnam, Brazil, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal and Korea. students awareness about plagiarism Choice Number of students A 10 B 12 C 10 D 17 E 12 Students were asked what plagiarism is. They were supposed to tick appropriately against the choices provided. Respondents were allowed to give more than one choice where they may deem fit. The choices given are as follows: A =To share work among friends B=copying at an exam C= Having others statements exactly without knowing D =To use other's words exactly as your own E =To pretend others results as yours From the above results, all choices appeared to be chosen as the correct meaning of plagiarism. Students from across the world gives different opinions on what they think plagiarism is. It can be concluded that most students can not define plagiarism accurately. They actually are not fully aware of what really can be said to be plagiarism or not. This could mean that students needs more explanations about plagiarism. Reasons for plagiarizing Choice Number of students A 50 B 48 C 46 D 52 E 61 This questionnaire question required students to give their reasons for plagiarizing. The multiple choices provided allowed them to tick appropriately. The choices provided were as follows: A= time management B= Language barrier C= Lack of awareness D= unclear rules E= background difference 2.2.1 Finding It was found that reasons why students practice plagiarism were diverse. Majority of the students thought that background differences was a factor that led to this practice. This was followed by unclear rules regarding plagiarism. Language barrier was the least reason that is likely to make a student commit plagiarism. It can be concluded that reasons that cause student to practice plagiarism are diverse and varies from student to student. Since all the reasons received close citations by students, it can be deduced that all the choices provided were major reasons why students practice plagiarism Comment Number of students Strongly serious 10 Serious 7 Neutral 2 Unimportant 1 This questionnaire question asked respondents about their comments on consequences of plagiarism. The comments expected were meant to be a scale of measure of seriousness with which students held plagiarism with. It was found that 50% think that consequences are strongly serious, 35% commented that consequences were serious, 10% were neutral while 5% thought it as important. From the above data, it can be concluded that majority of the students are aware that consequences of plagiarism are tough. Only few students were found to be not aware that consequences of plagiarism are serious. This part of the questionnaire required students to give their view on what means could be taken to help students avoid plagiarism. Students came up with different ideas and thoughts. Clarification of what plagiarism entails was suggestion by some students. More LLA workshops and increasing of awareness to student was said to provide a solution to cub the practice. Other students suggested that easy to use applications to check plagiarism need to be developed. Serious punishment to students caught plagiarizing was among the suggestions provided. A few think nothing can be done to prevent plagiarism. Conclusion From students comments, it can be concluded that majority of them are willing to get assistance so that they can keep away from the practice. It also arises that some students are unaware that they plagiarize and they would like applications to help them out. Recommendation From the research, finding and conclusions carried out in this study, it is recommended that QUTIC management needs to: 3.1 Provide more lessons about plagiarism to international students 3.2 Provide LLA workshops to international students more frequently. 3.3 Provide mobile and personal computer applications that will help students check plagiarism in their work. 3.4 Make students aware of seriousness of consequences of plagiarism 3.5 Help international students understand that plagiarism is a breach of ethical code of written work in Australia 3.6 Come up with more serious punishments for students caught plagiarizing References Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods. Oxford University Press. In Fook, C. Y., In Sidhu, G. K., In Narasuman, S., In Fong, L. L., In Abdul, R. S. B. (2016). 7th International Conference on University Learning and Teaching (InCULT 2014) Proceedings: Educate to Innovate. In Railean, E., In Walker, G., In Elc?i, A., In Jackson, L., IGI Global. (2016). Handbook of Business research on applied learning theory and design in modern education Kell, P., Vogl, G. (2010). Global student mobility in the Asia Pacific: Mobility, migration, security and wellbeing of international students. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars. Marsh, B. (2007). Plagiarism: Alchemy and remedy in higher education. Albany: State University of New York Press. Menager, R., Paulos, L. (2010). Quick coach guide to avoiding plagiarism. Boston, Mass: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Neville, C. (2010). The complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism. management: Open University Press/McGraw Hill. Pecorari, D. (2013). Teaching to avoid plagiarism: How to promote good source use. Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: McGraw-Hill Education, Open University Press.

Ethical Dilemmas Facing Social Workers Social Work Essay Essay Example

Ethical Dilemmas Facing Social Workers Social Work Essay Essay Social workers face ethical quandary on a day-to-day footing, Banks illustrates this in her citation ethical quandary occur when the societal worker sees herself as confronting a pick between two every bit unwelcoming options, which may affect a struggle of moral values, and it is non clear which pick will be the right 1 ( Banks 2006:13 ) . Banks implies that societal workers are frequently involved in personal and even painful issues and ethical opinions in societal work that are about human public assistance ( Banks 2006:155 ) . This poses many challenges as determinations made are likely to be life altering for service users. It is hence of import for a societal worker to be able to warrant action ( or inactivity ) consequently. The facts of a instance entirely can non find what action must be taken, it would be impossible to do picks without values ( Beckett and Maynard 2005:7 ) . It is indispensable for a societal worker to hold a strong value base from which they work. In so me cases jobs may originate as societal workers come into the profession with their ain set of personal values and these may conflict with their professional values. Hence what Banks refers to as conflict of moral values ( Banks 2006:13 ) . Personal values can non merely be eradicated because they conflict with professional values, but we must keep our values and premises under reappraisal, and be unfastened to other statements and other thoughts ( Beckett and Maynard 2005:17 ) . In the instance scenario of the Bertrams the alternatives are unwelcoming and in order to voyage the value labyrinth in societal work ( Wilson, Ruch, Lymbery and Cooper 2008:92 ) societal workers use assorted theories to inform pattern. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Dilemmas Facing Social Workers Social Work Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Dilemmas Facing Social Workers Social Work Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Ethical Dilemmas Facing Social Workers Social Work Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Kantism besides referred to as deontology was derived from the thoughts of philosopher Immanuel Kant ( 1724-1804 ) . Kant believed people should be treated as an end and non a agency to an terminal. By this Kant meant people should be valued and respected as an person and non used for the benefit of others. Hence, Kant believed that everyone should be treated every bit. Kant s political orientation was to put aside people s position of faith and religious beliefs and move to the thought of being rational. Rationality enables people to understand what their responsibilities are and how their responsibilities enlighten what they do in the universe ( Parrott 2010: 500 ) . Kant besides believed that by utilizing ground this would develop a consistent moral system . In the instance of the Bertram s if the societal worker were to utilize the deontological position to steer her decision-making it would be of import to value Mrs Bertram as a individual because the nucleus of this position is respect for individuals ( Beckett A ; Maynard 2005:35 ) . This goes manus in manus with the British Association of Social Workers ( BASW ) Code of Ethics cardinal rules: Respect for human self-respect ; Value for every human being, their beliefs, ends, penchants and demands ; and Respect for human rights and self finding ( BASW 2010 ) . Jeremy Bentham ( 1748-1832 ) developed the philosophical theory of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism looks at the effects of actions equilibrating the comparative advantages and disadvantages of a peculiar class of action, ( Parrott 2010: 54 ) Therefore one individuals agony is acceptable as the greatest figure of people is happy. There are two rules of utilitarianism, the rules of justness and public-service corporation. The rule of justness is about being equal and just as the value of everyone s felicity should be the same. The rule of public-service corporation signifies the greatest good for everyone. In many instances these two rules clash as the minority of people are unhappy. In the instance scenario of the Bertrams her felicity should be valued and it would be of import to see the reverberations of traveling against her wants if it were considered in her best involvements. A societal worker would be expected to equilibrate Mrs Bertram s right to self-government, her safety and the concerns of her household for her public assistance as it is frequently the societal worker s occupation to measure the whole state of affairs and work for a solution in the best involvements of all concerned ( Banks 2006:167 ) . Virtue moralss is a theory that looks into an person s character. Ones virtue moralss are developed by their personal belief system and this determines their character. Virtue moralss is an attack according to which the basic judgements in moralss are judgements about character ( Statman, 1997:7 ) . Ethical issues are embedded in relationships and duties. An single may lie to be seen as virtuous because they want to be seen as an honorable individual. A A Extremist societal work is seen as belonging to an country of societal work which can besides be known as critical or activist societal work. The extremist place takes a transformational position of societal work, and as such is concerned with transforming society to profit the most laden instead than concentrating on the person ( Hill, 2010 ) . Payne ( 1997 ) suggests some typical positions are that ; jobs are defined as societal and structural instead than single. McIntyre ( 1982 ) cited in Payne ( 1997 ) summarises the extremist attacks unfavorable judgments of traditional societal work as ; traditional societal work reduces complex societal jobs into single psychological 1s, it cuts service users off from others who may portion the same job and it reinforces the capitalist societal order that is oppressive. The extremist place sees the professionalization of societal work as estranging workers from service users. Praxis is the procedure of thought and moving. It is like a spiral of idea and action, or a praxis spiral. Praxis is built-in to societal work pattern and comes in the signifier of contemplation. In societal work theory, practice is the automatic relationship between theories and action. It describes a cyclical procedure of societal work interactions developing new theories and polishing old 1s. In order to work anti-oppressively societal workers need to reflect on factors that influence their pattern ; they so need to integrate the consequences of this contemplation into their pattern ( Lee, 2001 ) . Downie and Telfer ( 1969, 1980 ) province that respect can be regarded as an active understanding towards another human being ( Banks S, 2006: 29 ) . Darwell ( 1995 ) outlines two types of regard, acknowledgment regard and appraisal regard. Recognition regard is in kernel when a human being is worthy of regard whether it is for something they have communicated verbally or through their actions. Appraisal regard is admiting 1s qualities. The degree of regard would reflect on the qualities shown. Kantism has had an influence on the moral rule of regard in a relationship between a societal worker and the service user. ( Banks S, 2006: 31 ) In order for a societal worker to demo full regard there are four cardinal elements that have to be met, these are, acknowledgement, saving, non-destruction and battle ( Banks and Gallagher, 2009 ) . Relativism suggests that all points of position are every bit valid and the single determines what is true and comparative for persons. Relativism theorises that truth is different for different people, non merely that different people believe different things to be true. Subjective relativism allows us to be swayers of our ain rules and how we chose to populate our lives. Cultural relativism is the position that moral beliefs and practises vary with and depend on the human demands and societal conditions of peculiar civilizations so that no moral belief can be universally true. ( A Tocopherol Holmes 1984 ) . is this a direct quotation mark? Descriptive Ethical relativism believes that different civilizations have different moral values and normative ethical relativism suggests that each civilization is right unto itself. The Collins English Dictionary ( 2009 ) defines values as the moral rules and beliefs of a individual or group and moralss as a societal, spiritual or civil codification of behavior considered right, particularly that of a peculiar group, profession, or single. Therefore values can be seen as the cardinal beliefs that an person or group holds to be true and ethics the more formalistic regulations or guidelines of an organisation or society. Banks ( 2010 ) states that values are regarded as peculiar types of belief that people hold about what is regarded as worthy or valuable . ( direct quotation mark? need pg figure ) Although values are personal to us as persons, they may besides be shared by the society or civilization in which we live. Our values are formed through personal development and socialization and will be influenced by both past and present experiences. ( Parrott, 2010 ) Dubois and Miley ( 1996 ) province moralss are concerned with what people consider right while v alues are concerned with what people consider good. Most moral philosophers would specify moralss as a remarkable term, which is used to depict a subdivision of doctrine concerned with the survey of Morality, moral jobs and moral opinions ( Frankena, 1963 cited in Banks, 2006: page figure ) . Harmonizing to Parrott ( 2010 ) , moralss can be seen to steer an action and are at that place to inform and act upon any opinions made harmonizing to the professional value base of societal work. Reamer ( 2006 ) provides an penetration into the historical beginnings of values and moralss in societal attention and provinces that they have been at the foundation of societal attention s mission since its origin. He suggests that societal work values and moralss come from four distinguishable phases: the morality period ; the values period ; the ethical theory and decision-making period and the ethical criterions and hazard direction period ( Reamer, 2006 ) . These have culminated in the General Social Care Council s ( GSCC ) codification of behavior that is in topographic point today ( Barnard, 2008 ) . Social workers are duty bound to adhere to the GSCC codifications of pattern which acts as an ethical model. A written codification of moralss enables societal workers to judge their pattern against an ethical criterion and enables service users to understand what behavior they should anticipate from their societal worker. If societal workers are considered to be in breach of the GSCC codifications they can be removed from the societal attention registry and no longer pattern. Professional societal workers must take duty for their actions as they hold a place of trust and power that is legitimised by the province devising moralss an of import factor in answerability. The impact of all pattern on service users can be said to be powerful and hence the moralss and value base emphasises the importance that the moral standing of service users is equal to that of the professional ( Hugman, 2008 ) . The National Occupation Standards ( NOS ) for Social Workers province clearly that values and moralss are cardinal to being a competent practician. Parrott ( 2010 ) suggests that values are of import to societal work as they provide a common set of rules, which societal workers can utilize and develop as a agency of working in an ethical manner with service users . ( direct quotation mark? pg figure ) He goes on to state that they guide professional behavior, aid keep a professional individuality and protect service users from malpractice. It is of import to clear up one s personal values in order to increase one s consciousness of the possible struggles and the impact these may hold on ethical determination devising. A individual s cultural experiences and background will impact the determinations they make and may bias their behavior. Social workers must foremost clear up their ain value stance in relation to value-laden issues they meet in pattern state of affairss if they want to be true to themselves and to their profession ( Dolgoff, 2009:54 ) . When associating moral doctrine and ethical quandary to societal work pattern it is of import to admit that no 1 theory provides an reply. Traditionally societal work has taken the Kantian attack and focused on the societal worker / service user relationship. The demand for societal work to dispute inequality and subjugation on an person and structural degree means extremist societal work is besides still relevant. An overall Kantian Utilitarian Extremist attack may be better. ( Banks, 2006 ) The right of a service user to self finding may conflict with a societal workers statutory responsibility if they are potentially jeopardizing their ain life or that of others ( Clifford and Burke, 2009 ) . Neil Thompson ( 2006, p40 ) defines subjugation as inhuman or degrading intervention of persons or groups ; adversity or unfairness brought approximately by the laterality of one group over another ; the negative and take downing usage of power. It frequently involves ignoring the rights o f an single or group and is therefore a denial of citizenship . Service user s will predominately come from oppressed and marginalised groups and it is important that societal workers acknowledge institutional favoritism and avoid unwittingly pigeonholing service users, intensifying bing subjugations. ( Thompson, 2008 ) Social workers need to be cognizant of the unequal distribution of power within administrations and make up ones mind how best to recommend and negociate within these administrations for the best involvement of the service user, even if it involves disputing the construction and values of an administration from within ( Dominelli, 2002 ) . Paternalism focuses on the right for societal workers with cognition, authorization, and accomplishments to travel into the lives of those who need their aid, either by self referral or referrals from other professions. Mrs Bertram has been referred by another professional because of her Alzheimer s. Ethical consciousness is an of import portion of societal work as it gives the societal worker the ability and committedness to work aboard other professionals and service users. The Utilitarian position is eventful with the consequences given as much consideration as possible. Therefore when believing approximately pattern this attack would state to believe of the individuals outcome ( hereafter ) when covering with the present state of affairs. This would intend weighing the good with the bad. The extremist attack would authorise the service user into alteration enabling them to get the better of jobs and fit them with techniques to cover with these independently in the hereafter. Social workers should affect the service user in the determination devising procedure, working in partnership and maintaining them to the full informed about their instance. The get downing point of covering with this instance would be an appraisal of the Bertram s state of affairs. The assessment undertaking when undertaken in a professional and informed mode is honoring and sets the foundation for farther intercessions ( Wilson, Ruch, Lymbery and Cooper 2008:269 ) . The Bertrams fiscal state of affairs is ill-defined as it appears that Mr Bertram does nt hold much heritage money left which has led to lease arrears. This state of affairs would necessitate to be resolved shortly as their landlord is endangering to evict them for rent arrears and the province of the flat, which could render them both homeless. Mrs Bertrams penetration appears to be badly impaired by her terminal phase Alzheimers and an appraisal of the wellness hazards may necessitate procuring elaborate information from the GP about Mrs Bertram s Alzheimer s and other wellness issues, and the likely forecast. Mr Bertram is believed to be an alcoholic and this could hold deductions for his wellness. The likeliness of a positive result would possibly be increased if Mr Bertram could be offered aid for alcohol addiction every bit good as a carers appraisal to determine what his demands are. He spends considerable clip at his nine, go forthing his married woman entirely in the house vulnerable and at hazard. Mrs Bertram s girls distrust Mr Bertram and believe it s in her best involvement to be moved into residential attention. Before her unwellness advanced Mrs Bertram stated she wanted to remain with her hubby. Possible options to see after the appraisal would be supplying support for Mr and Mrs Bertram at place, traveling them into sheltered adjustment together or traveling Mrs Bertram into residential attention. All these options may be unwelcoming to the Bertrams therefore in order to convey about any alteration it would be of import to first construct a relationship with both Mr Bertram and Mrs Bertram and her girls using the Kantist position that the truth is told. This could intend seeking to pass on with Mrs Bertram at choice times when she is more limpid and can take part every bit much as possible. It is of import to develop/construct a shared apprehension of the job ( s ) being faced ( Wilson, Ruch, Lymbery and Cooper, 2008:282 ) . Opinions should be informed straight by what Mr and Mrs Bertram say about their fortunes. Mr and Mrs Bertram must hold a cardinal portion in the appraisal of their state of affairs, and any issues should be shared leting them to go on to hold every bit much pick as possible. The strengths of this program are that Mr and Mrs Bertram will be involved in the attention program and will be able to show their positions, every bit good as Mrs Bertram s girls being able to lend towards the attention program. This may construct a strong relationship with the household and physique on trust so they do co- operate and see all the options as they will understand that the scheme would be for the wellness and good being of both Mr and Mrs Bertram. As societal workers we need to hold a basic apprehension of what the Bertram s values are as it would be hard to sympathize and acquire the necessary apprehension of their wants if we do non. As societal workers we could so perchance struggle to do advancement when seeking to assist the Bertram s. This professional development is of import as we will utilize this type of growing everyday in the workplace. In this instance the chief value/wish seems to be that the Bertram s stayed together in their place. A societal worker s personal values may inform their apprehension of pattern. However, a societal worker demands to follow the broader model provided by anti-oppressive societal work moralss. The model provided allows a topographic point for personal values but challenges societal workers to put them within the wider model where they are accountable to others and they must abstain from enforcing their values and in fact inquiry them. ( Clifford and Burke, 2009 ) Different parts are made by assorted ethical positions in any given state of affairs and these must be considered. Ethical positions must be considered in visible radiation of an anti-oppressive attack to pattern and in relation to each other as there are occasions when the different positions struggle. Social workers have an obligation to work in a manner that demonstrates non merely cognition of relevant ethical constructs and local Torahs but besides a broader consciousness of how ethical values are related to societal ine qualities and diversenesss ( Clifford and Burke, 2009:203 ) Word Count: 2993 ( including writer inside informations in brackets )

Failing Mental Health Care System in Georgia essays

Failing Mental Health Care System in Georgia essays For every four Americans, one will have to face some sort of mental illness at least once, (Spencer A-8). In fact, more Americans suffer from schizophrenia than from HIV/AIDS. In Georgia alone, an estimated 623,000 individuals suffer with major depression, (Spencer A-8). Along with depression, 242,000 are afflicted with some form of bipolar disorder and around 93,000 with schizophrenia. This has then resulted in extreme overcrowding of local and state hospitals mental care units, (). Low funds, lack of qualified staff, and even civil rights violations have all plagued Georgias mental care facilities within the past few years. Georgias mental healthcare is in complete chaos, Its not just failing, its broken, (Spencer A-8). Despite the large numbers of mentally ill patients in Georgia, local and state elections rarely touch on the failing healthcare system geared towards mental health. Many believe that this issue fails to take prominence within elections based on the idea that very few individuals suffering from mental illness, who are the very individuals being failed by the Georgia healthcare system, do not actually financially contribute to political campaigns within the region, (Spencer A-8). This then creates a vicious cycle where would-be politicians and legislators fail to truly acknowledge the withering George system in place for its masses of mentally ill patients. Politicians are often discouraged in bringing light to the issue based on fear of loosing votes because of such massive spending on the mentally ill, (Spencer A-8). Over the past six years, this has resulted in scandals leading to 136 deaths within mental health care facilities. In 2008, this issue came to a complete head when federal authorities stepped in to further asses the situation currently going on in Georgias mental health care facilities. Federal regulators then deemed Georgias Regional Hos...

Marketing Workflow Process How to Reduce Work By 30% to 50%

Marketing Workflow Process How to Reduce Work By 30% to 50% Have you ever hit a snag as you manage projects? Maybe some details got missed. You had to work on something at the last minute. You have way too much on your plate. It felt like a fire drill. And it felt disorganized. But what if you never had to feel that way again? Workflow process mapping for your marketing projects can help you: Reduce the amount of work within a project by 30-50%. (!!!) Start projects at the right times to help you nail every deadline. Collaborate + delegate more efficiently than ever before. Ready to get started? How To Boost A Marketing Workflow Process That Will Reduce Work By 30-50%Team Management Dashboard: Manage Your Team's Workload More Effectively  Than Ever Gain powerful insight into your team’s daily and weeks tasks in one dashboard. The Team Management Dashboard gives managers ultimate visibility into team member's priorities. You can pinpoint bottlenecks in workload, see project status, and set realistic goals for your entire team (without the endless status meetings.) With the  Team Management Dashboard from , you'll: Gain ultimate visibility into each team member's daily priorities, so you can focus on driving productivity and meeting your deadlines NOT scouring the calendar for project updates. Easily identify who has too much on their plate and who can take on more work, so you can get more done and keep team members happy. Know who’s falling behind (and who’s rockin’ it).  Get a snapshot of every team member’s progress with completed, overdue, and incomplete tasks, so you can set realistic goals for your team and address concerns faster. 1. Map Out Everything That Needs To Be Done Andrew S. Grove, former chairman and CEO at Intel, writes about the concept of removing unnecessary tasks from processes in his book, High Output Management. He calls this work simplification. And, to be honest, it's a very easy idea to grasp + implement. Andrew suggests: ...you first need to create a flow chart of the production process as it exists. Every single step must be shown on it; no step should be omitted in order to pretty things up on paper. To implement this advice, you could: Open Evernote and type every step in your process in a bulleted list. Grab a stack of Post-It notes + a Sharpie and wrote one step per sticky note. Find a notepad + a pencil and get everything on paper. At this point, you are looking for a raw list of every single step in a process. For example, here is a workflow process sample of all of the steps we consider as we write a blog post at : Note: This is a simple checklist in Evernote. It's not overcomplicated. Action item: Write down every step in your workflow  in chronological order. 2. Reduce The Number of Steps in Your Workflow In High Output Management, Andrew shares: Second, count the number of steps in the flow chart so that you know how many you started with.  Third, set a rough target for reduction of the number of steps. In the first round of simplification, our experience shows that you can reasonably expect a 30 to 50 percent reduction. To implement the actual simplification, you must question why each step is performed. Typically, you will find that many steps exist in your workflow for no good reason. Often they are there because of tradition or because formal procedure necessitates it, not for a practical reason. Putting this advice into practice for our blog post workflow example, I  targeted removing at least 5 of the 28 steps (highlighted in yellow): As you do this process for your own workflow, look for steps that: Fall into other processes and will happen regardless of including this as an actual task in your workflow. Examples for the blog post included emailing audience and responding to blog comments. Simply don't need to happen. For example, our social media graphics are the same as the graphics we design for blog content (our graphic designer, Ashton, just sizes them appropriately for each social media network). No one needs to review her work if we nail the initial review correctly, so this is a step that doesn't need to exist. Used to be helpful, but are now outdated.  We used to  define angles and peer review outlines at a time when we changed our standards of performance for blog content. These steps were helpful to  instill a culture change for every piece, but now the team knows the expectations. In this example, we can remove those two steps because we trust the team to complete their work effectively. Exist for  office bureaucracy. When you completely trust your team, there is no need for approvals. More eyeballs = slower, inefficient process. If you don't trust your team to ship quality work, improving your workflow is not the problem (and it won't be the solution). Action item: Remove unnecessary steps from your workflow. 3. Combine Steps Into Tasks In addition to removing steps from your workflow entirely, there is likely an opportunity to consolidate similar steps  together. This practice will help you remove some  clutter from your workflow,  simplify your process, and make delegating + communicating tasks a lot easier. For example, with the blog post workflow, I consolidated 23 steps into 13: Note that at this point, you'll want to clearly begin every task with a verb. As you delegate, this makes it clear what you expect the assignee to do before she marks the task as complete. Action item: Consolidate the steps into tasks  beginning with clear action verbs. 4. Give Each Task a Clear Definition of Done And since you'll be delegating, you may need to literally write out your expectations for each task. What does done look like before the assignee checks it off her to-do list? This simple process gives you the chance to clearly communicate expectations before you assign work. And as you share the definitions with your team, it gives your assignees a framework to reference as they execute so they can self-serve and answer the questions themselves (further improving their productivity  and autonomy). Action item: Write the definition of done for each task.  Clearly lay out your expectations. 5. Choose Who Will Complete Each Task You likely already know the folks who serve specific marketing roles within your business. Now, it's time to determine who among your team is best suited for each of the tasks. For our blog post workflow example, defining who does what  could look like this: Action item: Choose who will complete each specific task within your workflow. 6. Determine How Long it Will Take to Complete Each Task Now that you know who is doing what, you can have a simple conversation with each team member involved in the process. During this chat, show your assignee the workflow as a whole  and explain the definitions of done. Then, ask a simple question: How long will it take to complete this task? You will use this information to help you understand when to begin working on  the project so you can nail your deadlines. For example, this is what it may look like for the blog post workflow: This process helps you see where there are opportunities for multiple different team members to be working on different parts of the project at the same time (so you can ship faster). For example,  Ben can proofread and optimize as Ashton starts her designs. It also gives you some perspective into how much work a specific team member can realistically take on. And it will help you  understand how far in advance you should assign  the tasks to be due. Action item: Determine how long it will take to complete each task within your workflow. 7. Plan When Each Task Needs To Be Complete At this point,  review every task and think about the due date as: # days before publish I've found it helpful to start your review with the last task in your workflow. Why? Because you can realistically work backward  to understand when to start the project, taking into consideration every task, team member, and their time commitment. Ask yourself: How many days before publish (or launch) does the last task in my  workflow need to be complete? Is it one day? One week? From there,  determine how many days before publish the other tasks need to be complete. Keep in mind, there may be opportunity for different team members to complete tasks simultaneously (which will help you ship faster). This is an extremely  subjective part of the framework and will require a lot of good + realistic judgment on your part. So, here is an example of what this would look like for our blog post workflow example: In this example, I started my review with the last task in our workflow: Schedule blog post to publish. I like to see blog posts 100% complete two weeks before they publish. This gives us a bank of content and a framework of when we should realistically start working on content to keep that bank of completed content a reality. After I nailed down when the  last task needs to be complete, I worked my way "up" the task list and assigned X days before publish due dates to all of the tasks. Now I know in order to write a blog post up to our standards, we should start working on it 22 days before publish. Agile Sprint Planning Can Make This Even Easier Agile is a project management technique that is growing in popularity amongst marketing teams. It is particularly popular for its ability to accurately breakdown large projects into smaller chunks that are more likely to be accomplished on time. Part of the Agile process is collaboratively determining team velocity and the break down of tasks. Doing so collaboratively means the project is more likely to be completed on time as the individual who will be doing the work can give their estimations of how long it will actually take them to accomplish the tasks. Here's how it works:   Your team velocity is their overall capacity to accomplish work. This is typically calculated based team input and historical performance. It can be calculated using some basic math. Every task your team completes a holds a certain point value. Once every task of your project is broken down, team members will assign the task a point value on a scale of 1 to 3... 1 is the easiest to complete and takes the lest amount of time; 3 is the most difficult and takes the most amount of time. Task A: 1 point Task B: 2 points Task C: 2 points Task D: 3 points Project Velocity Total: 8   Let's say that previous projects that were an 8 point velocity  were delivered in a total of 3 days. Now you know exactly how many days to allocate for the work to be completed. Action item: Determine how many days before publish each task must be completed. I'm not gonna lie: My Evernote example is starting to look like a mess. That's where comes into play. 8. Delegate The Tasks: Notify + Remind + Collaborate At this point, your team knows the tasks they are responsible for completing + the definition of done for those tasks. So your next step is to clearly: Notify the assignee when you delegate  a task so she knows what to execute. Communicate the due date for that task (transitioning your plan of # days before publish into  clearly defined calendar dates). Remind the assignee again the day before a task is due to make certain the task gets complete. You can do this via email or instant message tools like Slack or HipChat. Or you can build the workflow you created into to automatically share this information without the manual busywork. ;) Recommended Reading: How to Make the Best Process With 11 Content Marketing Workflow Tips In your marketing calendar, open a new blog post. From here, select the task template icon and + New Template. Now you can add  all of the  process you just created into a reusable marketing workflow. Simply name your task template and hit Next. Then add each of your tasks, assign it to the team member, and add your # days before publish. Now you can apply + reuse that task template with a couple simple clicks, which works extremely well for recurring projects like the blog post example we've been using as a teaching aid throughout this  article. The moment you apply the task template, everyone who is assigned a task is notified by email and in their personal dashboard (which serves nicely as a daily to-do list). The day before a task is due, automatically emails the assignee to make sure the work gets done. Action item: Assign the tasks for your project, notify  each team member on the task due date, and remind each team member the day before  her task is due. (When you use , you just need to build your task template once and apply it to automatically do this without the manual busywork). 10. Track Team Progress Now you can follow the same process you learned from this article to create workflows for any project you choose to take on! Afterward, you'll likely want to know what's working  (and what's not) so you can improve your process. Lucky you- also has a feature called  the Team Performance Report. ^^^ This report helps you know your team's completion rate for all marketing tasks on your calendar. That includes: Tasks completed on time  (so you know your workflows are really working). Tasks completed past due (so maybe you need to tweak  minor # days before publish  somewhere because the work is getting done, just not when you expected). Tasks overdue (so you can see exactly what is NOT getting done and address snags with your team  quickly). You can also use burn charts to understand the amount of tasks you are assigning to your team and how many are overdue. This helps you spot trends + address snags before you miss any deadlines. With Team Reports, you can also see who is falling behind (and who's rockin' it). You'll click through to see even more information about each team member's performance with completed, overdue, and incomplete task reports. And that will help you tweak your workflows + set realistic goals + address concerns faster. Action item: Find the tool that helps you understand when tasks are completed on time, completed past due, and  overdue. How Will You Organize Your Marketing Workflow Process? The framework you  just learned has helped  the marketing team at get organized, work smarter, and boost our productivity. And hey, if you want to make it even easier on yourself... let us know! You can set up a demo below...

Viual Aid and Gantt Chart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Viual Aid and Gantt Chart - Essay Example The high coÃ'•t of breakdown maintenance could be unbearable Ã'•uch that the need for preventive maintenance becomeÃ'• obviouÃ'•. The Ã'•afety of equipment and employee iÃ'• improved by preventive maintenance Ã'•erviceÃ'•. ThiÃ'• haÃ'• Ã'•ignificant impact on the production proceÃ'•Ã'•. Reaching maximum plant availability through minimal delayÃ'• and breakdownÃ'• and optimal equipment working condition reduceÃ'• or eliminateÃ'• the need for Ã'•ubcontracting Ã'•ome aÃ'•pectÃ'• of the job (Chen and Liao, 2005; Cheung et al., 2005). ThiÃ'• haÃ'• a reducing effect on the uÃ'•ually large maintenance budget of many organizationÃ'•. Maintenance Ã'•cheduling iÃ'• uÃ'•ually baÃ'•ed on preventive maintenance activitieÃ'• (Oke, 2004). In an organization where a large number of equipment are operated, preventive maintenance Ã'•cheduling offerÃ'• a meanÃ'• of achieving continuouÃ'• induÃ'•trial operationÃ'• without which Ã'†¢yÃ'•tem Ã'•uÃ'•tenance would be extremely difficult. Ð…ince the coÃ'•t of implementing preventive maintenance Ã'•cheduling iÃ'• more economical than that of replacing broken down equipment, in the long term, it iÃ'• more economical to implement thiÃ'• maintenance option. Ð…ound maintenance Ã'•cheduling iÃ'• indiÃ'•penÃ'•able for high maintenance performance, which in turn facilitateÃ'• the production proceÃ'•Ã'• to yield maximum output. ThiÃ'• iÃ'• attained when preventive maintenance Ã'•upportÃ'• continuouÃ'• improvement programmeÃ'•. Effective maintenance Ã'•cheduling requireÃ'• Ã'•pecific time and labor allocation, knowledge of equipment hiÃ'•tory, Ã'•pareÃ'• availability, knowledge of work and facility priority rating, job Ã'•pecification, etc.

Customer Service Excellence. Impact of technology on Customer Service Essay

Customer Service Excellence. Impact of technology on Customer Service Excellence - Essay Example Now-a-days, the customers have a huge variety of choices for each product and the organisations have to develop specific strategies that can help them in creating a distinctive image in the market and capture the attention of its targeted customers. In order to get the customer’s attention, almost every organisation is focusing on enhancing the customer experience by developing an effective customer service excellence strategy (Khan and Matlay, 2009). With dynamic changes happening in the customer needs, the organisations have to respond proactively so that they can maintain their competitive edge in the market; the companies have to be customer-centric as the technological advancements are allowing them to lower their cost of information exchange and solve customer problems effectively (Hilgers, 2007). Such advancements in the field of business require the companies to do re-evaluation of their value propositions and focus more on developing the products and services that wil l enhance a customer’s experience. ... Whether an organisation is offering a product or service, it is important for them to focus on providing excellent and out of the box customer service. In order to create demand in the market for their products and services, most of the organisations are now developing new and innovative offerings for services and their main aim is to provide the revenue producing solutions. One of the distinctive features of top ranked companies such as Singapore Airlines, Dell, Nokia, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Sony Corporation, Samsung, Apple and others is an appealing and differentiating service culture (Conklin, Powaga & Lipovetsky, 2004). Every customer is looking for the products and service offerings that will help them in having one to one interaction with the companies and ensure that they have the best buying and consumption experience. Importance of Customer Service Excellence According to Cook (2008), business models are an important aspect of every organisation and they determine four crucial elements that enhance performance and profitability of organisations i.e. choices of customers, costs of transactions, competition among companies and existence of heterogeneity among producers (companies) and customers. The customer service excellence is basically considered to be a challenge by organisations as they have to understand the customer’s perceptions about service excellence and then develop a culture that will meet their expectations level. The development of an effective customer service culture is difficult for organisations as every customer perceives differently about various service initiatives; for instance, helping customers in shopping is considered to be a

Influence of Optimist and Pessimist for Success Essay Example for Free

Influence of Optimist and Pessimist for Success Essay For example, an optimist will look at a sunset and think, â€Å"Look how beautiful nature is, thank god, life is a wonderful present,† where a pessimist will look at the same one and think, â€Å"The sunset means another day of life passed over and I have one day closer to death. † It is just like an optimist seeing a half-water filled bottle as half full when the pessimist sees half empty. Scientists believe that people with an optimistic attitude towards life can be more successful than pessimists. It is no doubt about that, but people need pessimistic thinking to triumph. Despite everyone knowing optimists are more likely successful, too much optimism or over confidence will lead to negative consequences, even disaster. For example, in ancient times there were three most undoubtedly powerful and prosperous dynasties: Ancient China, Ancient Babylon and Ancient Egypt. Once Ancient China ruled the world. Over a period of 5,000 years the Chinese people developed a unique, self-contained and self-centered society at the extreme eastern end of the Eurasian landmass. The Chinese complacently thought that they did not want what modern science offered—greater technology, power over the natural world, and an improved standard of living. Unlike Westerners, the over-optimistic Chinese felt no need to develop modern science to conquer the natural world. Eventually, as a consequence, Chinese people had been suffering from catastrophic warfare for more than hundreds of years, and there had been not less than one hundred million dead. The only reason why it happened was just because of an unintelligent decision that secluded China from the outside world made by an over-confident and over-optimistic empire. A perfect piece of art or invention, as I have observed, cannot be made simply by those are without pessimistic thinking or critical thinking. Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955-October 5, 2011) was a co-founder, chairman and CEO of Apple Inc. He had such an active professional life that it would not be easy to list all his incredible achievements in one article, but many people knew he had been a over-optimistic loser when the Apple III model came to the public. Jobs thought everything would be going well as he wanted, but truthfully it was not. The over optimism got him fired from the Apple company for eleven years before he finally returned to the Apple company that he established. After that, Jobs became a revolutionary inventor of the digital world. He made legends; he amazingly changed the world. What made Jobs success was that he turned from an optimist to a critical thinker during a low tide of his life. He no longer thought what he invented was perfection and began to criticize his work thousands of times before publishing. Having pessimistic think or called critical thinking makes it possible for people to be as successful as Jobs. However, the information above does not imply that it is wrong for us to be optimists. Optimists succeed more easily in all areas of life. Recent studies show that optimists excel in school, have a better love life, make more money, have better health and live longer. Optimists also do better in the face of stress. Even though optimists bite off more than they can chew, they still end up healthier and happier than pessimists. So the answer of which perspective is correct is neither. What is really important is not which way of thinking is correct but which is more beneficial. You can make a case for each side of the situation. Information about China history from I have learned in history class Information about Steve Jobs from Youtube Steve Jobs speeches The following list from http://www. centreforconfidence. co. uk/pp/overview. php? p=c2lkPTQmdGlkPTAmaWQ9NTY= The benefits of being optimistic include: * Better health * Longer life A happier life * Less stress and anxiety * Successful careers * Better educational qualifications * Better relationships * Better at problem-solving * More resilient in the face of adversity * Cope better with failure The costs of being pessimistic include: * Depression * Dying younger * Inertia in the face of adversity * Having a lower immune system * Suffering increased ill-health, both physical and mental * Not performing well at work * Failure when faced with crucial situa tions * Poorer relationships Even when things turn out badly, pessimists don’t feel good about making the * More fun and worthwhile. People’s Attitude towards Life Outline Thesis: It is no doubt that optimists are more likely to succeed, but success cannot be without pessimists. Opinion 1: the overoptimistic attitude will lead negative consequence. For example ancient China Opinion 2: the pessimistic thinking or called critical thinking can help you succeed. For example Steve Jobs Conclusion: we cannot totally deny the benefit brought by optimistic attitude.

Handmaids Tale Vs. Fire Dwelle :: essays research papers fc

In the two books Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and Margaret Laurence’s The Fire Dweller’s, the protagonists are very different in character. However, both of these women lost their identity due to an outside influence. In each of the books we see the nature of the lost identity, the circumstances which led to this lost identity and the consequences which occurred as a result of this lost identity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood our main character (Offred) has had her whole world stolen away by the government of Gilead. This new society is sexually repressed, and is founded by religious extremists. Women are only used to produce children, and have no rights at all in the new world of Gilead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book The Fire Dwellers by Margaret Laurence our main character Stacey MacAindra has been thrown into a life of responsibility. She has an uncommunicative husband who means well, but shows her no love. And four children who she feels are being ruined by her every action. She feels that life has much more to offer than the tediousness of every day routine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The nature of Offred’s lost identity is very drastic. Before the new religious group of Gilead took over the world she was a very normal every day woman. She did what was expected of her time and continued to do so after the take over. She had a husband and a daughter who she loved very much. But the new society which she lives in love is not permitted. “ If I thought that this would happen again I would die. But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It’s lack of love we die from. There’s nobody here I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere'; . Offred also had the choice of free will before her civilization changed. But then slowly women began to lose all of their rights and were no longer allowed to have jobs or even to use money,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “Sorry, he said. This number is not valid.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “That’s ridiculous, I said. It must be, I’ve got thousands in my account.';   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  “It’s not valid, he repeated obstinately. See that red light? Means it’s not   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  valid,';(p.164). “In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from'; (p.24). Social class was not a racial matter before the take over; and each individual was treated equally.

Types of Organizational Chart

Businesses come in many different sizes and forms. Organizational charts are used to visually summarize the structure of a business. By using charts to study the overview of a business' structure, owners can analyze how effective operations run. By identifying bottlenecks and redundancies, organizations ensure smoother operations and increased efficiencies. Organizational charts display businesses from different aspects depending on the nature of the business and the needs of the chart creators.When creating charts, it is essential to think ahead as to how the charts will be used, how they will be presented and to whom they are presented to. Hierarchical Hierarchical charts show the relationships between top and lower levels. These types of charts can show an organization's structure, key top-level personnel and areas or employees they are in charge of. Hierarchical charts show authority and can be effective in summarizing the chain of command and accountability within an organizatio n. Matrix Matrix charts display an organization as a group of teams with functions.Each box on the chart refers to the name of a team and its function or could display the team leader's name. In the latter case, each team's box breaks down into individual subteams of members and their subfunction. Flat Flat charts are used for companies that are owned, managed and operated with few employees. For instance, mom and pop stores are horizontal or flat organizations because there are few levels between these working the front line and management. Employees in flat organizations are often involved in key decision-making for the company.Flat organizational structures can be presented as a triangle which shows the owner at the top followed by a middle level and bottom level of departments. Geographic For very large companies with divisions dispersed throughout the world, a geographic organizational chart that shows the locations of divisions is beneficial. Typically, each box is used to dis play the division name, location and division head. The company's main headquarters is displayed on the top level with the other geographic locations given on the bottom level.

Quinte Mir

The immediate issue is that Benton-Cooper Medical Centre’s MRI clinic has been open for 6 weeks and not performing to expectations and to the promises made by their new MRI provider, Quinte MRI. With referrals to the clinic, doctors expect to receive MRI transcription reports within two days and the current backlog exceeds 14 days. As a result there is a loss of patient referrals from doctors within the hospital and surrounding community which means a loss of revenue for BCMC. Quinte MRI must determine what is causing the backlog and how to fix it.Secondary IssuesA secondary issue in the clinic is that the MR Technologist is putting in a lot of overtime even though the maximum number of patients each week is not being met. Quinte MRI personnel need to examine and analyze the interaction between the capacity, the process flow and the bottleneck and provide a resolution and action plan back to the CEO, Dr. Syed Haider within 2 days. Environmental and Root Causes Quinte MRI, an i nternational service provider specializing in medical diagnostic technologies signed an agreement in February 2002 with Benton-Cooper Medical Centre (BCMC) for the outsourcing of their MRI services.BCMC believed that they could competed successfully if they had a third MRI machine as they anticipated continued growth in this area by 15% through doctor’s referrals from the hospital and surrounding areas. BCMC also believed that they could generate enough revenue and promotional support through advertisements with local print and radio stations to be able to own their own fixed MR system and be recognized as a top rated hospital for the area. Quinte MRI promised the avenue for BCMC to be able to accomplish these goals through its service reliability and access to diagnostic equipment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at a reasonable cost.However, these expectations are not being met and David Wright has gone to the MR Technologist, Jeff Sinclair to examine and analyze what was caus ing the backlog (bottleneck) in the operation. Jeff indicated that due to poor communication between the hospital and the clinic, mistakes were being made due to a manual process for recording information. Patients were being booked at wrong time, cancelling or not showing up, wrong tests were being requested or recorded, and patients were not being screened properly for an MRI scan.An assessment was being done when the patient came into the clinic. A patient preparation process has not been implemented in the new facility, whereas the previous MRI provider scheduled all appointments. Jeff felt that wasted time was being spent on delivering scans to the radiologist after each patient. Jeff also accounted for the fact that during May, the clinic used a Siemens unit, which took some time to get used to, however, now that the GE machine was in place (Jeff was originally trained on this machine), things were improving.David next examined the cycle time on for a 30 minute procedure. The table below shows the current cycle time of the patient, the MR Technologist and the MRI machine. 15 minutes was dedicated to patient preparation for an MRI while only 27. 5 minutes was spent in the Magnet Room. 42. 5 minutes was being spent on a 30 minute procedure. This was where the bottleneck was in the process. Staying with this current process and resources, the maximum capacity of this process can only be 8 procedures if all other inputs into this process ran smoothly (i. . no cancellations). Exhibit 1 Patient Check in until entrance into Magnet Room Minutes MR Technologist escorted the patient to the Magnet Room (asks questions to determine if any health risks/conflicts and if any patient has any metal components internally or on clothing) 59Patient – 42. 5 minutesMR Technologist – 42. 5 minutes Changing Room for patients wearing metal on their clothing (25% of patients)Magnet Room Patient Orientation and paperwork verification 127. 5 Positioning of Coil 4 MRI Scan time based on a 30 minute scheduled MRI scan)16. 5MRI Machine – 16. 5 minutes Data Entry (happened during scan)1 Printing MRI Scans (average 8 sheets at 45 seconds each)6 Patient back to reception Escort the Patient back to Front Desk 26 Changing Room 4 Monica Zimmerman, radiology department manager was pressuring Quinte MRI to hire another MR technologist to lighten Jeff’s workload and improve the process flow. David needed to review the cost of hiring an additional person to make the process flow better.He knew that the 1. Tesla MRI machine rated capacity was 2 patients per hour, however the actual scans in a day, would be based on the type of scan required. David used the 30 minute and the 1 hour procedure to determine what the potential spend per day was and what the annual spend would be. Note that any lost appointments resulted in a $700. 00 per scan loss, however this also could be a $700. 00 increase for unscheduled (walk-in) appointments. By looking at th e potential projected income, hiring another person was a possibility.Exhibit 2 Time – Min/Hour# performed$ scan suppliesper scan Daily RevenueBCMC chargeDaily revenue – BCMC chargeAnnual Revenue25% Tax $Income 3016145$700 $ 11,200$2,320$8,880$2,800,000$700,000$2,100,000 18145$700 $ 5,600$1,160$4,440$1,400,000$350,000$1,050,000 Alternatives and Options Criteria 1. Increase the process flow, machine capacity and change the position of the bottleneck 2. Increase revenue 3. Repair relationship and reputation with BCMC Alternative 1: (Strategic) Quinte MRI has found out that the manual process for taking appointments is creating many errors.If the system was computerized MRI test requirements could be input into the system and throughput could be maximized based on MRI procedure time required in order to maximize time slot available. Quinte MRI also realized that the MRI Technologist was performing administrative tasks that could be assigned to an assistant. By removing th ese tasks from the technologist, more time availability would become available for scheduling additional MRI tests. In order to process patients faster, a form could be developed that specifies what the patient must do prior to arrival at the MRI Clinic.Another form could be developed for when that patient arrives at the clinic that asks questions regarding health risks and indicating what restriction would prevent a patient from having an MRI. The assistant could take the patient all the way through the process until the Magnet room at which point the MR technologist would take over. There are necessary requirements that the MR technologist must do prior to completion of the scan, but the collection of the MRI scans and delivery of them back to the radiologist could be done by the assistant that is escorting the patient from the Magnet room.If we assume that most of the MRI scans are a half an hour, than patients could be scheduled every half hour in order to maximize both the capa city of the machine and the capacity of the technologist. Pros: By implementing the computer, there is more accuracy being collected for appointments and test requirements. By hiring the MR assistance, there is increased flow capacity because the technologist will handle only the MRI scans and not the administration task that were previous being done him.This takes the bottleneck out of the administrative task and aligns it to the maximum capacity of the machine thereby increasing revenue which provides the ability to hire the assistant. This would create reliability with the clinic again so that doctors will send their referrals to the clinic. Cons: A second MR technologist will not be hired and when it comes time for vacation of illness, there will be no one to step into the technologist position and ensure continuous flow.Quinte MRI would need to hire from a temporary agency in order to fulfill their requirement which means addition dollars will be spend. Alternative 2: (Tactical ) Quinte MRI could hire a second MRI Technologist to perform MRI scans alternating times with the first MRI Technologist to increase the flow and capacity of the process. This would take away the backlog and doctors could send their referrals to the clinic with a sense of reliability that the clinic will get it turnaround within 2 days. Pros:This would allow Quinte MRI to always have a back up in the event that one of the technologists is on vacation and / or ill. The increase revenue being generated due to increased MRI procedures could pay for the second MR Technologist. Cons: Based on the current practices, hiring a second technologist would alleviate some of the workload, however given that no effort has been made to correct the communication issues between the hospital/patient and the booking department, there is a strong possibility, that patients will still continue to be booked at the wrong time, cancel or just not show up.Without a procedure to hand how patients are dealt w ith from checking to magnet room, people could still be turn away due to health reasons, clothing that is not appropriate for scanning purposes. Recommendation The recommendation is to take Alternative #2 as it addresses all of the criteria by increasing the process flow, machine capacity and changes the bottle neck to the maximum machine capacity. It increases revenue and repairs the relationship and reputation with BCMC.

Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr.

Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr. Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr. Starting a Business Letter with Dear Mr. By Maeve Maddox Several years ago, when a reader said he refused to use â€Å"Dear So-and-So† to begin a business letter because dear is too intimate a word to use with a stranger, I assumed that he represented a minority of one. Who, I wondered, would interpret an established convention like â€Å"Dear Sir† literally? Little did I know! I’ve recently stumbled across numerous articles with titles like â€Å"Is ‘Dear’ Dead as a Salutation?† I was amazed to find comments like these: From an English professor Rarely would anyone use dear when writing a friend, but it might be appropriate when applying for a job or emailing a boss. From a teacher Several men admitted they couldn’t force themselves to use Dear to address a business acquaintance, especially one they didn’t like. From a business consultant Dear comes across as too formal–or simply plain creepy and overly intimate.  And between men, the use of it can appear a bit too effeminate. I was surprised to learn that â€Å"rarely would anyone use dear when writing a friend.† When I lived in England, I wrote a lot of letters: to my parents, my brother, grandmothers, my aunts, and friends. Every one of those letters began with â€Å"Dear So-and-So.† Mind you, they were also written by hand with a fountain pen. Even now, on the few occasions that I write a letter to a friend with the intention of putting it in an envelope and mailing it, I still begin with â€Å"Dear.† It’s a convention. It’s courteous. It’s respectful. Just as bizarre as saying that one rarely begins a letter to a friend with Dear is the idea that using Dear to address a business acquaintance is a source of stress in grown men. Certainly, email has changed the way people communicate in writing. Because of its memo format and ease of sending, email has developed relaxed conventions for informal exchanges between friends and colleagues. For this kind of writing, a formal salutation is out of place. But even with email, a distinction is to be drawn between informal and formal communication. â€Å"Hi, So-and-So† is not a suitable way to address an unknown recipient from whom you want something. â€Å"Hey, So-and-So† is worse. â€Å"Dear Mr. Jones† and â€Å"Dear Ms. Smith† are emotion-neutral writing conventions. What I find â€Å"simply plain creepy† is the notion that the salutation Dear can be construed as â€Å"intimate† or â€Å"effeminate† in the context of a business letter. As the professor says in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, â€Å"Bless me, what do they teach them at these schools!† Related posts: ‘Dear Sir’ and Other Business Conventions Dear Sir Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Compared "to" or Compared "with"?Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsWriting Styles (with Examples)

How to Stop Running Out of Time on ACT Math

How to Stop Running Out of Time on ACT Math SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Because the ACT is designed to be taken by every high school student in the country, it can only test math concepts that every student has experience with. The way the creators of the test make it hard is by giving you questions on a wide range of subjects and sub-topics, presenting them in strange ways, and by putting you on a strict time crunch. Maybe you’ve taken the ACT beforewhether practice or realand found yourself only half way or three quarters of the way through the math section before your time was up. Maybe you just think it would be downright impossible to finish so many questions on time. Rest assuredyou are not alone. And it is not impossible. In this guide, I'll walk you through the timing of the test and teach you how to beat the clock and maximize your time on the ACT. Understanding the foundation of the test will help you keepyour strategies balanced. Math Section Time Overview Before you make a plan for how to best use your time on the ACT, it's important to know how the test is structured. As you likely know,the ACT covers four subjects: English, math, reading, and science, with an optional fifth subjectwritingfor those of you who signed up for â€Å"ACT + Writing." Each of these subjects is covered on exactly one section during the test and you’ll have and no ability to come back to it once you’ve gone on to the next section. This means you don’t have to bounce your brain so quickly from topic to topic (and back again) as you do on other standardized tests, but it also means that the math section is the only math section on the test, so focus will be crucial for maximizing your timing and score. Keep your eye on the prize and only focus on one section at a time. In terms of the questions,you will have60 math questions to do in 60 minutes. This gives youan average of one minute per question. Because the section is not broken up into smaller chunks, you and you alone have to be very careful and strict with yourself about your timing and strategies if you want to finish the test on time. A good thing to keepin mind as you go is that difficulty(how long a question takes to solve and how familiar you are likely to be with the math concepts)roughly goes up in order on the test. The second half of the test will generally have the questions that take the longest amount of timeto solve and will involvemore geometry and trigonometry than algebra. So keep that in mind as you go through. And always remember: there is no guessing penalty on the ACT, so never leave a question blank! You have to be your own ACT coach and keep track of your own timing. No one will be thereto do it for you on test-day. Figure Out Your Target Math Score, and Plan Time Strategies Accordingly To figure out your target raw and scaled scores, take a practice test to gauge your current level and scores. Next, determine what your score goals should be, both raw and scaled. (If you are unsure what your goals should be, that's okay! Check out our article on figuring out your target score.) Once you've found your target score goal, you can look to our time-saving advice to help you reach it. While most of the time-saving strategies on the ACT apply to all scoring levels, there are a few techniques and strategies that vary depending on your current score and your target score goals as well. We’ve split our advice into four main categories: time-saving strategies for all scoring levels tips for those currently scoring a scaled score of 16 or below tips if you’re scoring between 16 and 24 tips if you’re currently scoring 24 or above. Pretty soon you'll find yourselfin the ACT fast lane. Time-Saving Tips for All Scoring Levels These are the tips that will help you maximize your speed no matter what your current score. Afterwards, look belowto find the strategies that best suit your individual scoring level needs. And remember as you go- the ACT is all about balance between speed and accuracy. Once you’ve found the rhythm that works best for you, you’ll be able to up your score and finish on time. For the all-inclusive tips, we’ve further broken this section into three different parts: How toStudy Effectively Before Test Day to Improve Timing Planning Your Overall Math SectionStrategy What to Do on the Day of the Test How to Study Effectively Before Test Day to Improve Timing 1) Familiarize yourself with the test ahead of time. Standardized tests are called â€Å"standardized† for a reasonthe specific questions may vary, but each ACT is as similar to all other ACT tests as possible. The more familiar you are with the structure of and question types on the test, the better off you’ll be (and the quicker you’ll be able to answer questions!). If you can also memorize all the important formulasyou’ll need for the test, you won’t have to waste your time trying to figure them out from scratch. 2) Practice, practice, practice Sit down with a test at home and take it timed. Get used to both the types of questions on the test and the pacing you’ll need to finish on time. As you take your practice test, mark down the time after every fifteen questions. This will show you your current pace. Afterwards, you’ll have a good idea for how long it takes you to finish each set of questions. Now experiment and challenge yourself on your pacing. Were you able to finish the first 15 questions in 20 minutes? Next time you take a practice test, try to do it in 18 minutes. Once you’ve challenged yourself to complete sections faster, compare your accuracy on both testswere you able to gain those minutes back without sacrificing too much accuracy, or did you lose too many points by trying to speed up? Remember that the ACT is all about finding your right balance between speed and accuracy. 3) Practice smart and identify your areas of weakness It’s not enough to simply practice the test over and over again if you continue to make the same mistakes with regards to your timing. Identify which types of problems are the most difficult for you or take you the longest amount of time.Are they usually geometry problems? Word problems? Probabilities? As you get more used to the test and the types of math questions/concepts that appear, see if there are faster or easier ways to solve the questions that take you the most time. Sometimes this can be remembering the properties of special right triangles, like a 30, 60, 90 triangles, so that you don’t have to take the time to find the side lengths via the Pythagorean theorem. Sometimes it might mean using plugging in the answers or plugging in your own numbersinstead of trying to solve the problem algebraically. 4) Employ study strategies according to your current score level and target score. Because there is no guessing penalty, there is not as much variation in strategy by score level on the ACT as there is on other standardized tests. But there are still a few techniques that should be emphasized more or less depending on your current score. As your scores increase, yourstrategies will change. Once you’ve taken your practice test and determined both your current raw and current curved scores, read up on how, exactly, the test is scored.Then, look to the time-saving strategies that suit you for your current level. As you get more familiar with the labyrinth that is the ACT, you'll learn to navigate it with growing speed and accuracy. Planning Your Overall Math Section Strategy 1) Learn to let go of a question It can be very tempting to sit and try to puzzle a question out, but you have to learn how to be more ruthless, both with how you answer questions and in choosing which questions to answer. Each and every question is worth the same amount of points, so pick the questions you can solve easiest and fastest first and then try the more time-consuming ones. If the question takes you more than 30 seconds to figure out or solve, come back to it later. If you're movingon from a question, lightly fill in a random bubble (or your best guess answer) and go to the next question. Sometimes moving on and coming back to a question later can trigger your mind to think of a new approach. (Sidenote: I say fill it in â€Å"lightly† because your bubble should be dark enough that the scanner can read it, but light enough so that you can erase it completely if you have time to come back and find the right answer later.) By filling in an answer (any answer!) now, you’ll have saved yourself some time trying to puzzle out a long or difficult question, and will have at least a 20% chance of getting it right if you forget or don’t have time to come back to it later. 2) Eliminate answer choicesanddraw it out As you go through the test, write on your booklet. Write in the angles and lengths you’re given, draw diagrams, and, most importantly, eliminate wrong answers. Often, you’ll be given a range of choices, one or two of which will be wildly wrong. If you’re using the plugging in answers strategy especially, you can save yourself a lot of time by eliminating one or two of these wrong answers straight away. The fewer answers you have to try, the faster you’ll find the correct solution. And keep in mindany time they describe a figure and don’t provide you with a picture, it means that the question would be too fast and too easy to solve if they provided you with a diagram. Make the drawing yourself! It won’t take you long and it will often point you quickly in the right direction (or at least much more quickly than it would if you tried to work the question out in your head). 3) Identify problems that will take a long time Some questions are not that complicated to execute, but will take time to crunch through. Identify these and save them for last. It is also a particularly good time to use process of elimination on some of the answer choices here. That way, if you need to fill in a temporary answer, you’ve already narrowed down your potential answer options. And you’ve similarly reduced your time in hunting for the right answer if you have time to come back and solve the question later. Remember that your time is better spent on faster-to-solve questions.If the question will take you more than 30 seconds, move on. You can come back to itif you have time. As long as you’re sure to mark any question that you’ve skipped or guessed, you’ll be able to quickly find it when you come back to it later. The ACT is an uphill climb. Find your rhythm and practice smart, and you'll reach your timing goals. What to Do on Test Day 1) Take care of yourself Make sure to rest well the day before the test and eat a nutritious and filling breakfast that morning. It can be easy to let yourself get burned out and lose your pacing by doing so many questions in a short amount of time. But practice, preparation, and rest can do wonders for your focus and your stamina. 2) Don’t lose focus on the topic at hand There is only one math section on the ACT, so you must make it count. Don’t think about how the reading section went. Don’t start anticipating the science section or the essay. You will eat up your limited time if you start to get sidetracked; only think about the section you’re currently on at any given time. 3) Bank time to fill in the bubbles Always leave a minute or two before your time is up to fill in any bubbles for questions you didn’t even get a chance to look at. A 20% chance of getting the right answer is much better than 0% from a blank answer. To save yourself time in going back and forth from test to bubbles, fill in your answer bubbles in chunks as you take the test. Fill in either 10 questions at a time or two pages worth of questions at a time (whichever you like better) to keep yourself on track and prevent yourself from having to continuously flip between problem and answer. Make sure to also bring a good quality eraser. For questions that you’ve skipped and/or moved forward from, fill in your guess lightly in the bubble- dark enough to be read, but light enough to erase if you have time later to come back. The reason you should still fill in questions that you plan to come back to later is to prevent you from accidentally filling in the wrong bubbles on the test if you were to leave one blank (which would give you all incorrect answers down the line). It also prevents you from leaving a question blank if you completely run out of time and don’t have the chance to come back to the question. As always, a random answer is better than no answer on the ACT. 4) Don't worry about anyone else's pacing As much as possible, ignore everyone else in the room while you're taking your test. If you start to worry about how much faster or slower other people are taking the test, you will lose your focus. Concentrate on your test alone and disregard everyone else's pacing. Your test and your goals are all that matter. You are a test-taking island. Imagine there is no one else in the room but you. Current Score is 16 or Below: Time-Saving Strategies In addition to the general strategies for all scoring levels, there are a few other useful techniques you can use for your particular score range. If you’re at a 16 or below scaled score, your raw score is anywhere from a 1 to a 23. If you’re aiming for a scaled score of 20 (the national average), then your goal is to get 31-32 raw points. In order to save yourself time on the test, concentrate most of your attention on the first 40 questions. Doing so will give you 1.5 minutes per question instead of 1 minute. You’ve just increased your time per question by 33%! Consider these first 40 questions as your region of maximum score gain. Give these questions your greatest focus, applying your general strategies for saving time discussed earlier (moving on from problems that take more than 30 seconds, eliminating answer options when using PIA, etc.). By narrowing your concentration range, you will be able to slow down, as you won’t be as concerned with trying to finish every single question in the hour allotted. Anddon’t think just because the first 40 questions are in your point-gain range that you have to get them all right! If there are problems in those first 40 questions that you don’t know how to do, use your eliminating strategies if possible and then fill in your best guess and move on. You’re concentrating on the first 40 to save yourself time, not to necessarily get points on every single question. And lastly, remember to also leave yourself a minute or two to fill in random (or your best guess) answers for the last 20 questions. At 20% odds, you’ll get 4 of them right! Current Score is Between 16 and 24:Time-Saving Strategies If you’re currently scoring in the 16 to 24 scaled score range, your raw score is anywhere between a 23 and a 40. Take your target raw score and add 5-7. That should be your range of questions to pay attention to on the test, as it will allow you to get some wrong and still meet your score goal. For example, if you’re aiming for a score of 26, you’ll need a raw score of 43-44. This means you should focus your attention on the first 50 questions of the test. This will give you 1.2 minutes per question instead of 1 minute, which increases your time per question by 20%! As you solve these questions, apply your general time-saving strategies from above (mark questions that will take too long, use process of elimination, etc.). By putting your focus primarily- or completely- on these 50 questions, you will save yourself time from attempting the last 10 questions (which are often tricky and take the most time). Before you finish, give yourself a minute to bubble in random (or, if you have time to look at them, your best guess) answers for questions 51-60. If you guess randomly on the last 10, odds are that you’ll get 2 of them right anyway! Current Score is 24 or Above:Time-Saving Strategies If your scaled score is at 24 or above, then it means your raw score is currently a 40 or above. In your score range, you’re probably going to look over every single question to determine if it’s one you can do accurately and quickly (rather than focusing your attention on just the first 2/3rds of the test, for example). In your score range, it will be crucial to practice using your time-saving strategies that we covered for all levels above. Considering your goals, you’ll also want to experiment with shortening the time it takes you to complete each part of the math section, as if you’re running a series of sprints. To determine your current pace, split the math section into thirds and time how long it takes you to do each third. Work your way to minimizing each of these times. An example time plan might be for you to aim to finish the first 20 questions in 15 minutes, questions 21-40 in 25 minutes, and questions 41-60 in 20 minutes. By giving yourself 25 minutes for the middle section, you will be going slowly enough to (hopefully) avoid the most common careless math errors. The questions get trickier around questions 20-23, so it’s a good place to slow down a little. In this example time strategy, finish by giving yourself 20 minutes for the last 20 questions. You more than likely will not be able to finish them all in that amount of time, but you will be able to maximize your point gains in this section by finding the easiest and fastest questions to answer first. But bear in mind that this is only one possible time-planning strategy. If this one doesn’t work for you, play around with your timing until you find the right balance between speed and accuracy that best suits you personally. Treat yourself to a nice nap whenthe test isover. You earned it! The Take-Aways Without knowledge and understanding of how to approach the ACT, it is easy to find yourself panicking. The designers of the test know this, which is one of the reasons the test is so seemingly difficult. But if you familiarize yourself with the test ahead of time, focus your attention on your prime scoring range, and learn when and how to move on from difficult questions, you’ll be able to increase your time per question (as well as your overall score!). Deep breaths- you absolutely have the ability to succeed on the ACT. What’s Next? Now that you know the strategies for maximizingyour timeon the ACT, it's a good idea brush up on yourlist of must-know ACT math formulas. The better you know these, the faster you'll be at solving the math questions.And for many of you, you'll be able tosave yourself time (and increase your accuracy) by using plugging in answersor plugging in numbers strategies. If you feel you've got the timing and formulas down and want to see if you can get a perfect score, check out our article on How to an Perfect Score on the ACT Mathby a 36 ACT-Scorer. Feeling overwhelmed? Don't know where to begin?Look no further than our articles onwhat is considered a good, bad, or excellent ACT scoreand what exactly is tested on the ACT math. 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: