Guilds Contribution in the Feudal Society Research Paper

Guilds Contribution in the Feudal Society - Research Paper Example In general, a feudal society incorporated the obligations of the clergy, the nobility, and the peasantry who were governed by manorialism system. Various discussions have revolved around historians based on the role it played in the formation of the medieval society (Heilbroner & Milberg, 2012). This paper will explore the functions, roles, and rationale for the guild in the feudal society to determine whether it can be considered a precursor to industrial manufacturing and as a basis for capital accumulation. In the feudal society, some of the greatest contributors in the system were the guilds. The guilds played a vital role in the political and social structure of the feudal society. They were considered a vital element during the middle ages. The feudal system encouraged individuals to become members of the guild since membership to the group would help them acquire a higher social position in the society. Individuals who became guild members realized several benefits unlike in the case of those who were not. Every guild either served as a type of merchant or crafts guild. The term guild originated from the word ‘gilden,’ which meant ‘paying.’ The guild members subscribed to their particular guilds in order to be considered active in the groups (Heilbroner & Milberg, 2012). The feudal society became dominant in Europe when the Roman Empire collapsed. The knights, barons as well as other nobility members taxed and took rent from peasants and serfs in their jurisdiction. To help them avoid excessive taxation, as well as avoid the various forms of tyrannical situations they were subjected to, ordinary men deemed it necessary to gather and give their opinions together since no individual had sufficient power to oppose the feudalistic system (Heilbroner & Milberg, 2012).

Why Some Companies Are More Successful Than Others Commerce Essay

Why Some Companies Are More Successful Than Others Commerce Essay Why are some companies successful, while so many other businesses fail. Some organizations may just be lucky. They may have the right mix of products and/or services at the right time. But even if luck leads to success, it probably will not last. Most companies that are highly successful over the long term effectively acquire, develop, and manage resources and capabilities that provide competitive advantages. For example, McDonalds enjoys outstanding brand recognition and a world class operating system. Marriott enjoys these same benefits in the lodging industry. Successful companies have also learned how to develop and manage relationships with a wide range of organizations, groups, and people that have a stake in their firms. The emergence of a fiercely competitive global economy means that firms have to expand their networks of relationships and cooperate with each other to remain competitive. McDonalds investment in Chipotle was a cooperative venture. As Steve Ells, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Chipotle noted, Weve enjoyed our relationship with McDonalds since the beginning and appreciate the support theyve shown in funding Chipotles growth over the last seven years. Still, weve always operated independently, and that wont change as McDonalds Continues to reduce its investment in Chipotle and focuses on its core business. Strategic management is a process through which organizations analyze and learn from their internal and external environments, establish strategic direction, create strategies that are intended to move the organization in that direction, and implement those strategies, all in an effort to satisfy key stakeholders. Stakeholders are groups or individuals who can significantly affect or are significantly affected by an organizations activities. An organization defines who its key stakeholders are, but they typically include customers, employees, and shareholders or owners, among others. Although larger companies tend to use the strategic management process, this process is also a vital part of decision making in smaller companies. Firms practicing strategic planning processes tend to outperform their counterparts that do not. In fact, executives have reported higher levels of satisfaction with strategic management tools and ideas than with most other management tools. Furthermore, 81 percent of companies worldwide reported doing strategic planning. In North America, the figure was even higher (89 percent). Hospitality firms also benefit from strategic planning, as suggested by a recent study of hotels in the United Kingdom, which found that business performance was positively associated with the thoroughness, sophistication, participation, and formality of strategic planning processes. An example of how strategic analysis can help guide business strategy is shown in Starwood Hotels Resorts efforts to launch a new product. This book also recognizes that there is a difference between the strategic planning process and strategic thinking, and that both are a part of effective strategic management. The strategic planning process tends to be a rather rigid and unimaginative process in many organizations. Strategic thinking, however, leads to creative solutions and new ideas like Starwood Hotels launch of the Heavenly Bed. As illustrated in the Heavenly Bed example, a firm that injects strategic thinking into the strategic planning process has the best of both worlds. THE ORIGIN OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 5 THE ORIGIN OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT The increasing importance of strategic management may be a result of several trends. Increasing competition in most industries has made it difficult for some companies to compete. Modern and cheaper transportation and communication have led to increasing global trade and awareness. Technological development has led to accelerated changes in the global economy. Regardless of the reasons, the past two decades have seen a surge in interest in strategic management. STRATEGIC THINKING AT STARWOOD The Heavenly Bed, first launched by the Westin brand of Starwood Hotels Resorts, has transformed the bed, a basic feature of any hotel room, into a luxurious object of desire, enhancing the revenues of the chain and leaving many hotel operators to follow suit with copycat linens and custom bedding of their own. The strategic process at Starwood began with consumer analysis and product testing. First, Westin commissioned a study involving 600 business executives who travel frequently. The results showed that 84 percent said a luxurious bed would make a hotel room more attractive to them. What is more, 63 percent said a good night s sleep is the most important service a hotel can provide. Half of those surveyed said they sleep worse in hotels than at home. After testing 50 beds from 35 lodging chains, Westin developed its prototype all white Heavenly Bed with a custom designed pillow top mattress, goose down comforters, five pillows, and three crisp sheets ranging in thread count from 180 to 250. Once the product was designed and tested, the fi rm introduced the bed with a carefully planned marketing strategy. USA Today ran a story on the front page of its business section. The same day, 20 pristine white Heavenly Beds lined Wall Street up to the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. Inside the Stock Exchange, Barry Sternlicht, the then Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels Resorts rang the opening bell and threw out hats proclaiming, Work like the devil. Sleep like an angel. Meanwhile, at New York s Grand Central Station, 20 more beds graced one of the rotundas there, and commuters disembarking the trains were invited to try them out. Similar events were staged the same day at 38 locations across the United States, tailored to each city. Savannahs event featured a bed floating on a barge down the river with a landing skydiver. Seattles event took place atop the Space Needle. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT Traditional Perspective As the field of strategic management began to emerge in the latter part of the 20th century, scholars borrowed heavily from the field of economics. For some time, economists had been actively studying topics associated with the competitiveness of industries. THE ORIGIN OF STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 7 Industry concentration, diversification, product differentiation, and market power. However, much of the economics research at that time focused on industries as a whole, and some of it even assumed that individual firm differences did not matter. Other fields also influenced early strategic management thought, including marketing, finance, psychology, and management. Academic progress was slow in the beginning, and the large consulting firms began to develop their own models and theories to meet their clients needs. Scholars readily adopted many of these models into their own articles and books. Eventually, a consensus began to build regarding what is included in the strategic management process. The traditional process for developing strategy consists of analyzing the internal and external environments of the company to arrive at organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). The results from this situation analysis, as this process is sometimes called, are the basis for developing missions, goals, and strategies. In general, a company should select strategies that (1) take advantage of organizational strengths and environmental opportunities or (2) neutralize or overcome organizational weaknesses and environmental threats. 10 After strategies are formulated, plans for implementing them are established and carried out. Figure 1.1 presents the natural flow of these activities. The first of these ideas was that the environment is the primary determinant of the best strategy. This is called environmental determinism. According to the deterministic view, good management is associated with determining which strategy will best fit environmental, technical, and human forces at a particular point in time, and then working to carry it out. The most successful organization best adapts to existing forces. Some evidence suggests that the ability to align the skills and other resources of the organization with the needs and demands of the environment can be a source of competitive advantage. 12 However, after a critical review of environmental determinism, a well known researcher once argued: There is a more fundamental conclusion to be drawn from the foregoing analysis: the strategy of a firm cannot be predicted, nor is it predestined; the strategic decisions made by managers cannot be assumed to be the product of deterministic forces in their environments. On the contrary, the very nature of the concept of strategy assumes a human agent who is able to take actions that attempt to distinguish one firm from the competitors. Basically, a large firm may decide not to compete in a given environment. Or, as an alternative, the firm may attempt to influence the environment to make it less hostile and more conducive to organizational success. This process is called enactment, which means that a firm can influence its environment. THE PRINCIPLE OF ENACTMENT The principle of enactment assumes that organizations do not have to submit to existing forces in the environment; they can, in part, create their environments through strategic alliances with stakeholders, investments in leading technologies, advertising, political lobbying, and a variety of other activities. 14 Of course, smaller organizations are somewhat limited in their ability to influence some components of their environments on their own. For example, a small restaurant firm may have a difficult time influencing national government agencies and administrators. However, smaller organizations often band together into trade groups, such as the National Restaurant Association, to influence government policy on pressing issues like minimum wage, immigration policy, and health care costs. Also, they may form alliances with other entities. The Global Hotel Alliance is one example, in which Omni Hotels, Kempinski Hotels Resorts, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, Rydges Hotels Resorts, Marco Polo Group, Dusit Hotels Resorts and Landis Hotels Resorts have joined forces to compete against the mega chains. In addition, even a small firm may be able to exert a powerful influence on its local operating environment. The key to enactment is understanding that a firm does not necessarily have to adapt completely to the forces that exist in its operating environment. It can at least partly influence certain aspects of the environment in which it competes. DELIBERATE STRATEGY VERSUS EMERGENT STRATEGY The traditional school of thought concerning strategy formulation also supported the view that managers respond to the forces discussed thus far by making decisions that are consistent with a preconceived strategy. In other words, strategy is deliberate. Deliberate strategy implies that managers plan to pursue an intended strategic course. In some cases, however, strategy simply emerges from a stream of decisions. Managers learn as they go. An emergent strategy is one that was not planned or intended. According to this perspective, managers learn what will work through a process of trial and error. 16 Supporters of this view argue that organizations that limit themselves to acting on the basis of what is already known or understood will not be sufficiently innovative to create a sustainable competitive advantage. In the first week of launching the Westin Heavenly Bed, 32 guests called to ask where they could buy the bed. A light bulb went on. Westin executives put order cards with a toll free number in every room. Then they started placing catalogs by bedsides and desks and set up a web site. By June of 2004, Westin had sold 20,000 pillows $ 75 for the king sized version and 3,500 bed/bedding combos, at $ 2,965 each, enough to spread the idea throughout Starwood, with the Sheraton, St. Regis, and W lines all turning into retailers. The unanticipated success of the Heavenly Bed has spawned a new business companies that help hotels run their retail arms. Boxport, a spin off of San Francisco based hotel procurer Higgins Purchasing Group, operates web sites and catalogs for several chains that now sell Bedding of this example of emergent strategy, it is not a good idea to reject deliberate strategy either. One of the strongest advocates of learning and emergent strategy recently confessed, We shall get nowhere without emergent learning alongside deliberate planning.Both processes are necessary if an organization is to succeed. When Starwood first launched the concept of the Heavenly Bed in 1999, the strategy was a deliberate effort, but the opportunity to provide retail sales was an unintended outcome, and this unforeseen opportunity led to an emergent and highly successful retail strategy, as the above example shows. EFFECTIVE STRATEGIC PLANNING In summary, scholars have determined that both adaptation and enactment are important to organizations. They should adapt to environmental forces when the costs of enacting (influencing) the environment exceed the benefits. However, they should be proactive in creating their own opportunities. In addition, organizations should engage in deliberate strategic planning processes, but they should also be willing to make mistakes and learn from them as they chart a strategic course. In other words, strategy should be both deliberate and emergent, and firms should both adapt to and enact their environments, with the situation determining which option to choose. Westin learned these lessons by paying attention to their customers. The Organization as a Bundle of Resources: The Resource Based View In recent years, another perspective on strategy development has gained wide acceptance. The resource based view of the firm has its roots in the work of the earliest strategic management theorists. 20 It grew out of the question, Why do some firms persistently outperform other firms? One of the first competencies identified was general management capability. This led to the proposition that firms with high quality general managers will outperform their rivals. Much research has examined this issue. Clearly, effective leadership is important to organizational performance, but it is diffi cult to specify what makes an effective leader. Also, although leaders are an important source of competence for an organization, they are not the only important resource that makes a difference. Economic thought also influenced development of the resource based view. Nearly two centuries ago, an economist named David Ricardo investigated the advantages of possessing superior resources, especially land. 22 One of Ricardos central propositions was that the farmer with the most fertile land had a sustained performance advantage over other farmers. More recently, another economist, Edith Penrose, expanded on Ricardo s view by noting that various skills and abilities possessed by firms could lead to superior performance. She viewed firms as an administrative framework that coordinated the activities of numerous groups and individuals, and also as a bundle of productive resources. 23 She studied the effects of various skills and abilities possessed by organizations, concluding that a wide range of skills and resources could influence competitive performance. A common thread of reasoning in the distinctive competency literature and the arguments of Ricardo and Penrose is that organizational success can be explained in terms of the resources and capabilities possessed by an organization. Many modern scholars have contributed to this perspective of the firm. According to this view, an organization is a bundle of resources, which fall into the general categories of: 1. Financial resources, including all of the monetary resources from which a firm can draw. 2. Physical resources, such as land, buildings, equipment, locations, and access to raw materials. 3. Human resources, which pertains to the skills, background, and training of managers and employees, as well as the way they are organized. 4. Organizational knowledge and learning 5. General organizational resources, including the firm s reputation, brand names, Patents, contracts, and relationships with external stakeholders. Envisioning the firm as a bundle of resources has broad implications. For example, the most important role of a manager becomes that of acquiring, developing, managing, and discarding resources. Also, much of the research on the resource based perspective has demonstrated that firms can gain competitive advantage through possessing superior resources. Superior resources are those that have value in the market, are possessed by only a small number of firms, and are not easy to substitute. If a particular resource is also costly or impossible to imitate, then the competitive advantage may be sustainable. A sustainable competitive advantage may lead to higher than average organizational performance over a long period.

Essay --

Leedy and Ormrod (2001) have studied the inventory policies and the inventory techniques that a company manages to incorporate in its armory to a great extent. They have said that the inventory policies or techniques that are commonly used are ABC analysis, XYZ analysis, VED analysis, Analysis of stock levels etc. The main importance of the inventory tools like inventory categorization tools that the company follows mainly is seen at a cost level. The cost component is given the major importance whereas the other benefits that arise out of it are not realized, even though it is achieved. Thus the advantages regarding the cost aspect is beautifully explained in this study, but as mentioned in the study, the other factors that are benefited from inventory management are not touched down to very fine detail. But from this study, the fact that can be ascertained is that there is a connect between the inventory policies and the improvement of customer service, but it is more or less not r elated to. Trent and Handfield (2002) have given a very detailed study of the customer perceptions towards a firm, customer service levels, service quality aspect and the determinants that arise in a company which leads to good customer service. The basic thing what the authors want to say in this study is that the customers would always like to see the company that is serving them to be rid of inefficiencies. Also the consumption of the product, if achieved by the customer on time or by the time the customer is expecting it to be consumed is a major factor in the customer perception towards the company, and there is no doubt that such factors can only have a positive impact on the perception of the customer. Pycraft (2000) has stated about the hap... ...n managing the affairs of the departments which may not be directly interacting with the customers, but whose services would surely impact the service quality. †¢ It should be clearly understood that factors like presentability and aestheticity, discounts etc are not the only factors which would impress customers. Good service comes from following basics and this can be achieved by having a good inventory policy. 6.3 CONCLUSION We can conclude by saying that if we want to have a good image on the minds of the customers, then we have to be efficient in our services and our co ordination has to be impeccable. All this can be achieved through following of a good inventory techniques. Thus we should not neglect the inventory aspects of the company and focus on other things which may look good, but won’t help in improving efficiencies and delighting the customers.

The Hawksbill Turtle

The Hawksbill Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata Shane Stoughton GS 108 Oceanography Suzanne Bannan September 05, 2012 INTRODUCTION Sea turtles were making their appearance about 65 million years ago, also the time that dinosaurs were being wiped out. These magnificent creatures did not succumb to extinction like their dinosaur counterparts primarily because they were submerged beneath the ocean when the asteroids struck Earth. This is one of main reasons I chose the specific sea turtle The Hawksbill Turtle. The scientific name of The Hawksbill turtle is eretmochelys imbricata.This sea turtle gets its name from its hooked beak formed by its yellowish jaws. The Hawksbill Turtle is one of nature’s longest surviving creatures. This fact sparks the interest of many people into wanting to learn more about sea turtles. One unfortunate fact of life for this turtle is that they have always been creatures of high demand with their shells prized for their use in jewelry and beads and their b odies for meat. As with other sea turtles, one of the best ways to monitor the status of populations is to survey nesting beaches over many years.However, because hawksbills usually nest in small numbers and often on remote beaches, it is very difficult to estimate the population size. Like many sea turtles, hawksbills are a critically endangered species due mostly to human impact. Hawksbill eggs are still eaten around the world despite the turtle’s international protected status, and they are often killed for their flesh and their stunning shells. (NatGeo 2012) The decline of this species is primarily due to human exploitation for tortoiseshell. While the legal hawksbill shell trade ended when Japan agreed to stop importing shell in 1993, a significant illegal trade continues.Other threats include loss or degradation of nesting habitat from coastal development and beach armoring; disorientation of hatchlings by beachfront lighting; nest predation by native and non-native pre dators; degradation of foraging habitat; marine pollution and debris; watercraft strikes; and incidental take from commercial fishing operations. (FWS 2012) The most important thing that can be done for this species is to make the public aware of their actions that harm the turtles and how they can change their ways. One surprising threat to sea turtles is the balloons that people let go.These balloons often float over the ocean before popping, and sea turtles can choke on the pieces of the balloon that fall into the water. Floating balloons look like jellyfish to sea turtles. Where can we find the Hawksbill Turtle? When it comes to where sea turtles are found, it can vary from very shallow waters, to greater depths of the ocean. Hawksbills are found mainly in the tropical regions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. In the western hemisphere, nests have been reported as far north as Massachusetts, with some being present in the Long Island Sound.However, between the Carolinas and Ne w Jersey, very few Hawksbill Turtles have been sighted, much less recorded. Hawksbill Turtles are also found around the Oceanic Islands, and the Indian Ocean. Hawksbills use different habitats at different stages of their life cycle. It is widely believed that posthatchling hawksbills are pelagic and take shelter in weedlines around convergence zones. Sargassum and floating debris such as styrofoam, tar balls, and plastic bits (all common components of weedlines) are consistently found in the stomachs of youngsters that strand in Texas.It is likely the weedlines in the Gulf of Mexico serve as a habitat for hawksbill that enter the US waters. (Turtles 2005) After the turtle spends some time growing concealed in the weedlines, these are known as pelagic zones, the creature re-emerges back out in the oceanic waters, (oceanic zone) mostly off coastlines when they reach 20-25 cm in length. This is after the turtle has matured quite a bit considering that the turtles average length throug hout the span of its life (30 to 50 years) and can usually reach 2-3 feet (roughly . to 1 meter) in length, which is not particularly large when compared to other species of sea turtles, and weighs anywhere from 100-200 (45-90 kg) pounds. So, long story short, they spend a considerable amount of time on in the weeds of coastlines before they re-enter deeper oceanic zones. Hawksbill turtles are most commonly found in coral reef habitats where sponges, a food source for hawksbills, grow on solid substrate. They also reside in shoals, lagoons of oceanic islands and on continental shelves. MarineBio 2012) In the Caribbean, as hawksbills grow they begin exclusively feeding on only a few types of sponges. However, in the Indo-Pacific, hawksbills continue eating a varied diet that includes sponges, other invertebrates, and algae. The ledges and caves of coral reefs provide shelter for resting hawksbills both during the day and at night. Hawksbills are known to inhabit the same resting spot night after night. Hawksbills are also found around rocky outcrops and high energy shoals, which are also optimum sites for sponge growth.They are also known to inhabit mangrove-fringed bays and estuaries, particularly along the eastern shore of continents where coral reefs are absent. The main threats that are associated with this turtle’s habitat are: habitat loss of coral reef communities, harvest of their eggs and meat aka commercial exploitation, increased commercial as well as recreational use of their prime nesting beaches, and accidental capture in commercial fishing nets. Reproduction, nesting, and migrationMales can be distinguished from females by their longer, thicker tail that extends well beyond the posterior part of the carapace. Mating often occurs at the surface in shallow waters near nesting beaches. Males will use their long heavy claws and tail to hold onto the females carapace. Copulation may last for several hours. (allthesea 2012) After the turtles hav e mated, the female turtles go into a nesting period, at night during the months between May and October the turtles will find a secluded small island somewhere to select a place to lay her eggs.They make sure that when choosing a site in which to lay their eggs that it is some distance away from the high tide line and more often than not choose a site underneath the brush on the island. They then begin to dig a pit about the size of their body with their fore and hind flippers creating a chamber for the eggs. After the turtle has laid all of her eggs, she will then refill the pit with sand covering the newly laid eggs and promptly return back into the ocean.Hawksbills only nest every two to three years but can lay up to six clutches of eggs within one breeding season, which on average lasts anywhere between 14-21 day increments. Females who re-nest often return to the same island where they originally laid their eggs, and it can also be within a few meters of the last nest. Most cl utches average about 130 eggs, but they range anywhere from a few to as many as 230 eggs! The Hawksbill Turtle migrates up to 2400 km between foraging areas and nesting beaches (Miller et al. 1998).The recovery of flipper tags suggests that Hawksbill Turtles are highly migratory, as animals that were tagged in the northern Great Barrier Reef have been recaptured in foraging areas in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria, south-eastern Indonesia and southern Papua New Guinea (Limpus in press, as cited in DEWHA 2008). Individual turtles foraging in the same area do not necessarily take the same migration route (Limpus 1992). Nesting populations in eastern Queensland migrate from the Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu (Miller et al. 1998; Parmenter 1983).Captures of tagged turtles have also shown that individual Hawksbills also move between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands (Vaughan & Spring 1980). Satellite tracking has shown that Hawksbill Turtles nesting on Varanus Island and Rosemary Island in Western Australia feed between 50 km and 450 km from their nesting beaches (Pendoley 2005). (environment 2012) Works Cited http://www. fws. gov/northflorida/SeaTurtles/Turtle%20Factsheets/Hawksbill-Sea-Turtle. htm â€Å"The Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys Imbricata). † The Hawksbill Turtle. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. . Hawksbill Sea Turtle. † National Geographic. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. . â€Å"Hawksbill Sea Turtles, Eretmochelys Imbricata. † At MarineBio. org. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. . â€Å"Hawksbill Sea Turtle. † : Size, Color, Distribution, Feeding. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. . â€Å"Biodiversity. † Eretmochelys Imbricata a Hawksbill Turtle. Web. 22 Aug. 2012. .

Liquor Advertisements

The television is one of today’s major sources of entertainment. It could not be denied that this particular innovation of technology attracts numerous audiences that share a certain agreement that television is indeed a primary source of relaxation to the weary minds of many people in the society. In fact, â€Å"According to the International Herald Tribune, over a billion TV sets cover the globe, 50  percent more than there were five years ago. In Japanese homes, TV sets outnumber flush toilets. Only about half of Mexican homes have a telephone, but just about every household has a TV. And many Americans have 25 or 30 channels to choose from. States the Tribune: â€Å"The cultural, political and economic effects of this global television revolution are enormous. .  .  . Some worry that all that TV watching will make the rest of the world lose its appetite for reading, as has already happened to two generations of Americans.† (Herald tribune, 1990, 3) Certainly, from this particular report, it could be observed that television has been taking over the other forms of entertainment ever since the time it was first introduced to the society. It could be noted too that as years pass, the simple innovation of a box like feature of a television continuous to involve in such a state that the said form of entertainment is able to meet the specific standard of relaxation for different types of audiences. There exists the large screen televisions, the flat screen TVs, the mobile televisions and so on and so forth (Anuradha, 1994, 34). From this point it could then be agreed upon by many that television fondness among the present generation towards the next generations is here to stay. However, the question is, with the large amount of hours spent by viewers in front of the television, how true is it to say that the habit of television viewing affects the viewers directly, leaving a great impact upon their lives as individuals? It could also be understood that television is among the major mediums used to host several advertisements that are posted for liquor beverages. To understand the impact of the system, understanding what television has originally made for could be the first step in the clarification. Television can plant the same idea in hundreds of millions of minds—all in the same instant! And unlike the printed page, it does not require its viewers to be educated in the complex art of reading, nor does it ask them to form their own mental images and impressions. It delivers its messages with pictures and sound and all the enticements they can produce. (Evra, 1997, 24) It did not take long for politicians to see the tremendous potential of television. In the United States, Dwight D.  Eisenhower used TV shrewdly in his 1952 presidential campaign. According to the book Tube of Plenty—The Evolution of American Television (Greenwood,1980), Eisenhower  won the election because he proved the more â€Å"merchandisable† candidate in the media. The book shows that TV may have played an even greater role in John F.  Kennedy’s victory over Richard M.  Nixon in the 1960 election. When the candidates debated on TV, Kennedy scored higher with viewers than Nixon did. Yet, audiences who heard the same debate over the radio felt that it had been a draw. Why the difference? Nixon looked pale and haggard, while Kennedy was robust and tanned, exuding confidence and vitality. After the election, Kennedy said of television: â€Å"We wouldn’t have had a prayer without that gadget.† (Evra, 1997, 25) â€Å"That gadget† continued to make its power felt worldwide. Some began calling it the third superpower. Satellite technology enabled broadcasters to beam their signals across national borders and even oceans. World leaders used TV as a forum to garner international support and denounce their rivals. Some governments used it to transmit propaganda into enemy countries. And just as governments had tried to control Gutenberg’s invention once they understood its power, many governments took tight hold of television. In 1986 nearly half of all nations were broadcasting only government-controlled programs. At present, there are numerous developments with regards the programs presented through the use of the satellite connections of televisions. News programs were among those, which primarily utilized the benefits brought about by television networking (Evra, 1997, 29). However, aside from this particular programming presentation, other recreational sorts of programs also found the said satellite networking system quite much effective in helping the society gain recreation and not simply information from utilizing the said technological gadget. Since then, entertainment and recreation became one of the most important factors of interest it television programming (Scheuer, 1999, 99). The production of soap operas, and fantasy based stories that are aimed to entertain especially the young audiences (Evra, 1997, 54). This is where the negative and positive effects of television on the human society enters the discussion. (A)   The Benefits of Television Television has made available some wholesome entertainment programs too. In the privacy of his home a person can enjoy a Shakespeare drama, the Metropolitan Opera, ballet and concerts. There is a television series produced in England that may be enjoyed with or without sound. When the actors talk to one another (which is very seldom) they also employ sign language. This makes available an entertaining and instructive program both for people who can hear and for those who cannot. (Awake! 1990, 29) The field of education has greatly benefited from television. It makes available a variety of instructive material with a full view of the teacher and of any experiments or visual illustrations that he may provide. One can learn about mathematics, various other sciences, basic household skills, languages and many other things on educational television. Many enjoy â€Å"visual essays† that couple a fine view of live performances in arts such as music or dancing with commentary by an expert in the field. Some countries employ TV to cut down their illiteracy rate (Littner, 1980, 25). Developing countries have found it an effective tool to train people for jobs where there are not enough qualified teachers. And television presentations can be stored on videotape for repeated use. Young viewers can often talk intelligently on matters that the pre-television generations never dreamed of; and in the case of very young children, TV may contribute to a larger vocabulary, though it often has the opposite effect on older youths. â€Å"But television is merely a means of communication. Whether it benefits you personally depends upon the type of programs that you watch. Many voices have been raised in protest at the poor quality of much TV programming. In the United States television has been criticized for â€Å"pandering to the lowest common denominator in public taste.† (Evra, 1997, 32) Certainly, the power of television viewing has mainly affected the ways by which the young learners are able to increase their vocabularies as well as their knowledge about the major factors of the society as well as the major branches of education, especially when they are viewing educational programs. In these terms, the fact that television also brings about benefits to the society is indeed proven. (B)   The Disadvantages of Viewing TV There are several factors of viewing that brings about negative effects to the human individuals. There are at least four major themes that characterize this particular impact. The said program themes in the television that brings about the disadvantages include (a) Sexual Immorality; (b) Corruption and Social Chaos or dishonesty; (c) fantasy and make believe; and (d) Violence (Anuradha, 1994, 24). These particular themes are usually the primary themes used by television programming that at some point attracts the larger amount of viewers form the public. Why is this so? According to psychology experts, people who usually watch television are those who are having not much of things to do; those who are not preoccupied enough with their jobs that they are able to spend long hours of the day sitting in front of their televisions (coon, 1999, 26). They are the main targets of the producers of programs in the television. Hence, to be able to gain much profit from them, these producers aim to tickle their interests through the utilization of the major themes that directly attract their attention (Anuradha, 1994, 54). Making believe is among the top themes used by producers in creating the programs that they present to the society. Movies and television series that are arranged in patterns of the fantasy themes have normally received much appreciation from public viewers (Scheuer, 1999). As for a fact, movies such as Harry Potter, the Terminator, Lord of the Rings and other more programs following the same theme attracted much of the population in the society. They are among the movies, which are considered to become the blockbusters of the years when they were first shown to the public. True, the relaxation that the said movies bring to its viewers is indeed incomparable. Psychologists again add that the need of people to rest from reality through believing in fantasy stories is indeed a defense mechanism of the society in facing the reality of life (Coon, 1999, 145). Watching movies that make them realize that they are powerful enough like â€Å"heroes† such as Spiderman and batman in facing their lives, effective and strategic in ways of facing their transgressions through the use of magic like Harry Potter; makes the human society feel like there are of no limits and that they are empowered in terms of fantasy to face the challenges that they meet everyday (Coon, 1999, 146). However, not all the audiences that are able to access the said movies are mature enough to understand that what they are seeing is simply make believe. In fact, 70% of the viewers of these particular themes are young children from the ages two towards the ages six, who are known to believe whatever they see in the television. They are not that much capable of setting apart the truth from make-believe. Hence, upon seeing the programs that were mentioned above, they are disposed of to beliefs that they are able to become like that of the characters that they see on television. Children as young as they are have no limitations as to what they are supposed to or not believe in. The trend of television toward the â€Å"new morality† is also a disheartening one. Startled viewers have seen shows that deal with homosexuality and lesbianism. Full frontal nudity has appeared on stations of the Public Broadcasting System. Comedy shows often feature off-color humor. And what about the â€Å"soap operas†? The pamphlet TV and the New Morality observes: â€Å"Daytime soap operas deal frankly with adultery and casually show unmarried couples in bed together.† (Awake! 1998, 23) Again, the young audiences are not addressed fairly in this part of the program arrangement of the television showing. Form this particular picture; it could be observed that the moral disposition of the children is rather placed in such a confusing status. Hence, when they grow older, their understanding of what is right and what is wrong is then misarranged that they be subjected to confusion when they are already facing the actual situations in life when they are the ones who are already expected on what is right and what is not. In terms of human relations, in bygone days when a person wished to learn of events or matters of local or world importance, he would have to get that information by direct communication with other people. Friends would gather at the village well or at the general store for an exchange of news and views. But with television, people may get the same information without bothering with their neighbors (Evra, 1997, 47). If they are not careful, they can allow television to quash their incentive to communicate with others. One writer spoke of TV watchers as being â€Å"anonymous island-audiences, newly separated from one another.† (Awake! 1998, 24)Certainly, television programs at some point ruins the doubtless relationships of humans with each other. The used to be loyally disposed relationships between humans are being directly affected by the doubtful ideas presented in televisions. Knowing both the advantages and the disadvantages brought about by television viewing, it should then occur to each individual that the importance of balancing television viewing with other activities away from it is an essential part in assisting the youths especially in their behavioral advancements towards adulthood that are actually directly affected by their practices in television viewing. Television and Liquor Advertisements WHAT is the aim of commercial advertising? Businesses say that their advertising provides a public service because it gives us information about their products. The International Advertising Association states: â€Å"To be properly informed the Consumer needs advertising. Informed choice is based on information. Advertising—in its broadest sense—is the vital conduit for that information between Producer and Consumer.† Of course, we all know that such advertising does more than merely inform—its job is to sell. It is not objective or neutral. Successful ads skillfully engage the mind of the consumer and motivate him to buy the product advertised. Recently, advertisements using sexuality as a way of persuading consumers to buy adult beverages has been a trend in the advertising industry. Why is this so? As we know the advertising business is enticed with the goal of targeting a specific group of consumers to attract to buy their products. As to clearly explain, to be strategically sound, an ad is usually carefully directed to a certain audience, whether it be children, housewives, businesspeople, or some other group. The message is crafted to appeal to the most important concerns of that audience. Then the ad is run in the media that will most effectively reach them. Before an ad is designed, a great deal of research goes into finding out about the group of people most likely to buy and use the product being advertised. Advertisers need to know who these people are, how they think and behave what they desire and dream of. Advertisers also consider informations about consumers such as who they are, where they live, what they buy and why. Knowing all these gives them the ammunition to write persuasive sales messages. Their targets will respond to persuasion; they won’t respond to bluster, our self-interests, or rhetorical arrows shot randomly into the air. And as obvious as it is, the prospect consumers of hard liquor products or adult beverages, which are men had been successfully persuaded by such kind of advertisements using sexuality. In fact, these kinds of advertisements have already been socially accepted as years passed in the advertising industry. The question is, is this kind of practice to be considered healthy? Could it be justified as to becoming socially accepted as a simple norm in the society? How should consumers react on this kind of persuasion? These questions and more shall be answered in the following paragraphs. The Reality behind Advertisements using Sexuality Ads are carefully crafted to appeal to the specific desires and values of the target audience. Perhaps an ad will appeal to the need to have fun, the hunger for security, or a yearning to be accepted by others. Maybe the ad will direct itself to a desire to impress others, to be clean, or to stand out as different. Indeed, advertisements could be in any form. It could be shown through music, visual materials such as posters, newspaper ads and the television, it could also be posted through the Internet. In fact, these ads are usually accompanied by women who almost wore nothing holding the beverage on one hand and the other hand flirting with the man whom they are luring to have a drink with. Yes, this has become a common trend. Although all the advertisements showing sexual patterns of persuasion are most likely addressed to the grown-ups, it still couldn’t be denied that it is not only them who are able to have access to these advertisements. As reality suggests, the advertisements specially shown in TV are not only viewed by adults but as well as young children. Of course the advertisers know that TV, as a medium of communication, has a profound effect. Their advertising conditions people mentally so that they will buy their products. Surely, the commercial leaders of the world are not so simple-minded as to throw away money if TV advertising has little or no effect. On the contrary, instead of buying, the innocent minds of children are more likely polluted with trash and lust, things that they should not even see. Not only that, Internet today is mostly accessible to anybody who would like to learn anything. Yet, behind the aims of learning something new, many youths stumble to the sites showcasing commercial ads regarding beverages that has a strong spirit affecting the aggressiveness of anybody who drinks it. The worst thing it, the ads are more often then not, posting pornographic materials along with the product they sell. Aside from this, teens that are able to watch these kinds of â€Å"short flicks† on sexuality are usually stimulated to do the same things they see. Unfortunately, many teenagers fail to see the real effects of these advertisements to them selves. As a result, grave conclusions on the matter have been accepted by the society as parts of norms already. Things such as premarital sex, grave sexual assaults between teenagers and cases alike. Yes, the advertisements showcasing the sexuality as a social norm prove to be quite disturbing. Knowing this, how should we react as consumers towards the said advertisements? Conclusion As conscientious consumers, we should be aware enough of what we buy from what we watch and what we see. Basing from the thing we see, we should be prompted to protect the children and teenagers from becoming victims of the effects of advertisements posting lust to be such a luring and desirable act for anybody. Regarding the said issue, it is more considerable to accept banning commercials and advertisements showcasing sexuality as a medium of consumer-persuasion-strategy. Why is this so much agreeable about? First, the effects of the said advertisements prove to be much overwhelming especially concerning the morality of many people specially youths worldwide. This fact should wake everybody up to face the reality that each of us has a responsibility to protect our society from being polluted by the many grave effects of the wide array of pornography which are usually seen in Adult beverage advertisements. Second, everyone is liable of being a responsible citizen for the next genera tin following the footsteps of the older generation. Third, we all have a battle against exploitation. Why is this related? It is because many of the talents used in the posters and commercials for adult beverages are more likely underage, or if not, at times because of financial reasons, they are encouraged to pose for certain ads. Although there is an Advertising code for beverage commercials stating that women posing for the said commercials should be aged 25 and above, it is still more often that not being abused. Yes, each person has his own reason for agreeing in making their society a better place to live in. One way of making it is cleaning the most influential power in the society which is the media.   One of the key solutions to this problem is our respect for each other. As we could see, if people tend to respect each other’s right and think of other’s welfare other than just thinking of the profit to be gained, the morality of humanity could be closely watched and circumstances such as commercials involving sexuality could be fairly avoided. References: â€Å"Advertising-How necessary?† (February 8,1988). Awake! Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Brooklyn, New York. 3-4. Alcohol.gov. (2005). ALCOHOL BEVERAGES ADVERTISING CODE. www.alcohol.gov.au/advertising.pdf.   (November 6, 2007).   

How to Become a Writer Essay

How to Become a Writer Essay How to Become a Writer Essay Peter Gendreau â€Å"It’s never too late† 1/29/13 Journal entry 1 Beginning college can have multiple meanings and overwhelming feelings for a freshman student. As young adults most students begin the preparation to soon become a college student. As seniors in high school, students are eagerly completing any task sent their way in order to graduate on time. With the idea of college, friends, parties, and leaving home and heading off to the adult world has never sounded so good. Unfortunately, college is not mandatory and not every student has the immediate option to attend. I will always remember the day I came home from school and asked my father â€Å"why didn’t you go to college†? The response my father gave me was a direct response to my question, however hearing the response â€Å"because I had to work† never rang very clear to me. While walking to the bus stop the next day, I turned to my older sister who was a junior in high school at the time and asked her what she thought of college. Her response was â€Å"smart people go to college, so you probably shouldn’t go†. Being the annoying little brother, I was used to hearing her not so pleasant attitude so early in the morning. By the age of 14 I had a weekend job at the local burger king, by Starting work so early I could â€Å"buy the car I wanted† instead of getting the old truck my father used as a farm hand. At the age of 14 you are legally authorized to work less than thirty hours a week as long as it didn’t conflict with your school schedule. Fridays never came quick enough; I was hooked on making money. Eventually my grades began to slip, and my interest in school wasn’t what it should have been either. I continued to work throughout my high school years and eventually made the decision to withdraw myself from my senior year of high school. My excuse was â€Å"I had to work† and that excuse was easy for me to swallow because I had

SAT Essay Tips 15 Ways to Improve Your Score

SAT Essay Tips 15 Ways to Improve Your Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Whether you've never written an SAT Essay or didn't get the score you wanted on your last test, you can benefit from knowing more: both about the essay itself, and what really matters when the graders are reading your essay. To introduce you to what you'll have to do, we've gathered up these 15 tips to master the SAT essay. If you can reliably follow all these points, you'll be able to get at least a 6/6/6 on the SAT essay- guaranteed. The Challenge The SAT Essay is a very short assignment. You only get 50 minutes to read a 650-750 word passage, analyze the devices the author uses to structure her/his argument, and write a full-fledged essay- and it can pass in a flash if you don't have a method for attacking it. Writing an SAT essay requires a very specific approach that's unlike the essays you've been writing for English class in school. The goal of this strategy is to cram in as many as possible of the desired components in the 50 minutes you've got. In this article, we give you 15 key tips for the SAT essay. The first five tips in this article relate to what the College Board tells us about what's a good essay. The next five are truths that the College Board doesn't want you to know (or doesn’t make explicit). And the last five tips for SAT essay writing show you how to build an SAT essay, step by step. What the College Board Does Tell You: 5 Tips The College Board explains the main components of the successful SAT Essay in its scoring criteria. Here they are, condensed: #1: Give a Clear Thesis The SAT essay rubric states: "The response includes a precise central claim.† What this means is that your essay needs to make a clear argument that the reader can easily identify.All you have to do to create your "precise central claim" is to identify the main idea of the passage andlistthe methods the author uses to support it. Fortunately, the SAT provides you with the passage’s main idea, so you don’t have to go hunting for it yourself. I've bolded the claim in this (fake) sample prompt so you can see this for yourself: Write an essay in which you explain how Sam Lindsay builds an argument to persuade her audience that more works of art should feature monsters. In your essay, analyze how Lindsay uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of her argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with Lindsay’s claims, but rather explain how Lindsay builds an argument to persuade her audience. Now, here's an example of a thesis statement for an essay responding to this prompt: In the article â€Å"Monsters Monsters Everywhere,† Sam Lindsay uses personal anecdotes, vivid language, and appeals to emotion to persuade her audience that more works of art should feature monsters. It's fine to copy the exact words describing the author’s central claim from the prompt into your thesis statement- in fact, this guarantees that the graders will see that your thesis is there and on-topic. #2: Include Both an Introduction and a Conclusion The SAT essay rubric states: "The response includes a skillful introduction and conclusion.† Including an introduction paragraph in your essay is absolutely essential to getting a Writing score above a 4 (out of 8). The introduction paragraph introduces the reader to what you’ll be talking about and allows you to set up the structure for the rest of the essay. Plus, an introduction can be a pretty good indicator of the quality for the rest of the essay- a poorly constructed introduction is often a warning that the essay that follows will be equally discombobulated. It's best to have both an introduction and a conclusion, but if you’re running short on time and can only have one, definitely pick the introduction. The main reason for this is that a good introduction includes your thesis statement. For the SAT essay, your thesis (or your "precise central claim") should be a statement about what devices the author uses to build her/his argument. Introductions can be tricky to write, because whatever you write in that paragraph can then make you feel like you’re locked into writing just about that. If you’re struggling with the introduction paragraph, leave yourself 10 blank lines at the beginning of the essay and jump into writing your body paragraphs. Just make sure you remember to go back and write in your introduction before time’s up! #3: Use Effective Language and Word Choice There are a couple of parts of the Writing score section on the SAT essay rubric that pertain directly to style. The SAT essay rubric states this about a perfect-Writing-score essay: "The response is cohesive and demonstrates a highly effective use and command of language." For most of us, "command of language" is an area that takes a long time to develop, so unless your language skills are really rough or you're prepping at least a year ahead of time (or both), you'll probably get more out of focusing on the other components of the essay. The SAT essay rubric also states: â€Å"The response has a wide variety in sentence structures. The response demonstrates a consistent use of precise word choice. The response maintains a formal style and objective tone.† This basically boils down to: don't be repetitive and don't make grammar mistakes. In addition, you should avoid using first person statements like "I" or "My" in the essay, along with any other informality. You're writing the equivalent of a school paper, not an opinion piece. Bad (Too informal): â€Å"I think that Sam’s super persuasive in this article causeshe’s just so passionate. It made me feel kinda bad that I don’t really monster it up in my everyday life.† Good (Formal): â€Å"Lindsay’s passionate defense of how drawing monsters 'allows us to laugh at our personal foibles' causes her audience to put themselves in her shoes and empathize with her position.† Finally, try to use different words to describe the same idea- don't use "shows" 15 times. Take the chance to show off your vocabulary (if, and only if, the vocabulary is appropriate and makes sense). This component is the biggest reason why revising your SAT Essay is essential- it's fast and easy to change repeated words to other ones after you're finished, but it can slow you down during writing to worry about your word choice. If you're aiming for a top score, using advanced vocabulary appropriately is vital. #4: Only Use Information From the Passage All the relevant information is in the passage, so avoid getting drawn into the topic and using your outside knowledge- you want to be sure to show that you’ve read the passage. In real life, there are many ways to support a thesis, depending on the topic. But on the SAT, there's one kind of correct support: specific details drawn from the passage you’re asked to analyze. We'll show you more below. #5: Focus Your Essay on Relevant Details You don’t have to mention every single detail that makes the argument effective. In fact, your essay will be more coherent and more likely to score higher in Analysis if you focus your discussion on just a few points. It's more important to show that you're able to pick out the most important parts of the argument and explain their function that it is to be able to identify every single persuasive device the author used. Think about it as if you were asked to write a 50-minute essay describing the human face and what each part does. A clear essay would just focus on major features- eyes, nose, and mouth. A less effective essay might also try to discuss cheekbones, eyebrows, eyelashes, skin pores, chin clefts, and dimples as well. While all of these things are part of the face, it would be hard to get into detail about each of the parts in just 50 minutes. "The New Dance Craze."  ©2015-2016 by Samantha Lindsay. Used with permission. And this is the eye, and this is the other eye, and this is the...other eye...and the other eye...and the other...wait...what's going on here? What the College Board Doesn’t Tell You: 5 Secrets Even though the SAT essay has clearly stated, publicly-available guidelines, there are a few secrets to writing the essay that most students don't know and that can give you a major advantage on the test. #1: Read the Prompt Before the Passage Why? Because the prompt includes the description of the author’s claim. Knowing what the author’s claim is going into the article can help keep you focused on the argument, rather than getting caught up in reading the passage (especially if the topic is one you're interested in). #2: Your Facts Must Be Accurate†¦But Your Interpretation Doesn’t Have to Be A big part of the Analysis score for the SAT essay is not just identifying the devices the author uses to build her argument, but explaining the effect that the use of these devices has on the reader. You don’t have to be completely, 100% accurate about the effect the passage has on the reader, because there is no one right answer. As long as you are convincing in your explanation and cite specific examples, you’ll be good. Here's an example of an interpretation about what effect a persuasive device has on the reader (backed by evidence from the passage): Lindsay appeals to the emotions of her readers by describing the forlorn, many-eyed creatures that stare reproachfully at her from old school notebook margins. The sympathy the readers feel for these forgotten doodles is expertly transferred to Lindsay herself when she draws the connection between the drawn monsters and her own life: â€Å"Often, I feel like one of these monsters- hidden away in my studio, brushes yearning to create what no one else cares to see.† Now, you don't necessarily know for sure if "sympathy for the doodles" is what the author was going for in her passage. The SAT essay graders probably don't know either (unless one of them wrote the passage). But as long as you can make a solid case for your interpretation, using facts and quotes from the passage to back it up, you'll be good. #3: You Should Write More Than One Page This has always been true for the SAT essay, but for the first time ever, the College Board actually came out in The Official SAT Study Guide and explicitly said that length really does matter. Here's the description of a one-paragraph, 120-word-long student response that received a Writing score of 2/8 (bolding mine). â€Å"Due to the brief nature of the response, there is not enough evidence of writing ability to merit a score higher than 1. Overall, this response demonstrates inadequate writing.† (source: The Official SAT Study Guide, p. 176) You’ll have one page for (ungraded) scrap paper that you can use to plan out your essay, and four pages of writing paper for the essay- plan on writing at least two pages for your essay. #4: Be Objective When Reading the Passage Being able to stay detached while reading the passage you'll be writing the essay about can be tricky. This task might be especially difficult for students who were used to the old SAT essay (which pretty much made it mandatory for you to choose one side or the other). You’ll have to practice reading persuasive essays and gaining objectivity (so that you are able to write about how the argument is constructed, not whether it’s good or bad). A good way to practice this is to read news articles on topics you care deeply about by people who hold the opposite view that you do. For instance, as a composer and violist/violinist, I might read articles about how children should not be encouraged to play musical instruments, since it holds no practical value later on in life (a view I disagree with vehemently). I would then work on my objectivity by jotting down the central ideas, most important details, and how these details relate to the central ideas of the article. Being able to understand the central ideas in the passage and details without being sidetracked by rage (or other emotions) is key to writing an effective SAT essay. "Always Wear a Helmet."  ©2015-2016 by Samantha Lindsay. Used with permission. Don't let the monster of rage distract you from your purpose. #5: Memorize and Identify Specific Persuasive Techniques Once you’re able to read articles objectively (as discussed in point #4 above), the next step is to be able to break down the essay passage's argument. To do this successfully, you'll need to be aware of some of the techniques that are frequently used to build arguments. The SAT essay prompt does mention a few of these techniques (bolding mine): As you read the passage below, consider how Lindsay uses evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed. It’s certainly possible to wing it and go into the test without knowing specific names of particular persuasive devices and just organically build up your essay from features you notice in the article. However, it's way easier to go into the essay knowing certain techniques that you can then scan the passage for. For instance, after noting the central ideas and important details in the article about how more works of art should feature monsters, I would then work on analyzing the way the author built her argument. Does she use statistics in the article? Personal anecdotes? Appeal to emotion? I discuss the top persuasive devices you should know in more detail in the article "6 SAT Essay Examples to Answer Every Prompt". How to Get All the Necessary Components in 50 Minutes: 5 Step-By-Step Strategies When you write an SAT essay, you only have 50 minutes to read, analyze, and write an essay, which means that you need a game plan going in. Here's a short step-by-step guide on how to write an effective SAT essay. #1: Answer the Prompt Don’t just summarize the passage in your essay, or identify persuasive devices used by the author- instead, be sure to actually analyze the way the author of the passage builds her argument. AsThe Official SAT Study Guide states, "[Y]our discussion should focus on what the author does, why he or she does it, and what effect this is likely to have on readers." College Board makes a point of specifying this very point in its grading rubric as well- an essay that scores a 2 (out of 4) or below in Analysis "merely asserts, rather than explains [the persuasive devices'] importance." If you want to get at least a 3/4 (or a 6/8) in Analysis, you need to heed this warning and stay on task. #2: Support Your Points With Concrete Evidence From the Passage The best way to get a high Reading score for your essay is to quote from the passage appropriately to support your points. This shows not only that you’ve read the passage (without your having to summarize the passage at all), but also that you understand what the author is saying and the way the author constructed her argument. As an alternative to using direct quotations from the passage, it’s also okay to paraphrase some of what you discuss. If you are explaining the author's argument in your own words, however, you need to be extra careful to make sure that the facts you're stating are accurate- in contrast to scoring on the old SAT essay, scoring on the new SAT essay takes into account factual inaccuracies and penalizes you for them. #3: Keep Your Essay Organized The SAT essay rubric states: â€Å"The response demonstrates a deliberate and highly effective progression of ideas both within paragraphs and throughout the essay.† The main point to take away from this is that you should follow the standard structure for an SAT essay (introduction-body-body-conclusion). Using a basic four- to five-paragraph essay structure will both keep you organized and make it easier for the essay graders to follow your reasoning- a win-win situation! Furthermore, you should connect each paragraph to each other through effective transitions. We'll give you ways to improve your performance in this area in the articles linked at the end of this article. #4: Make Time to Read, Analyze, Plan, Write, and Revise Make sure you allocate appropriate amounts of time for each of the steps you’ll need to take to write the essay- 50 minutes may seem like a long time, but it goes by awfully quick with all the things you need to do. Reading the passage, analyzing the argument, planning your essay, writing your essay, and revising are all important components for writing an 8/8/8 essay. For a breakdown of how much time to spend on each of these steps, be sure to check out our article on how to write an SAT essay, step-by-step. "Watch Yourself."  ©2015-2016 by Samantha Lindsay. Used with permission. #5: Practice The more you practice analysis and writing, the better you’ll get at the task of writing an SAT essay (as you work up to it a little at a time). It's especially important to practice the analysis and writing components of the essay if you are a slow reader (since reading speed can be difficult to change). Being able to analyze and write quickly can help balance out the extra time you take to read and comprehend the material. Plus, the time you put into working on analysis and writing will yield greater rewards than time spent trying to increase your reading speed. But don't forget: while it’s okay to break up the practice at first, you also really do need to get practice buckling down and doing the whole task in one sitting. What’s Next? This is just the beginning of improving your SAT essay score. Next, you actually need to put this into practice with a real SAT essay. Looking to get even deeper into the essay prompt? Read our complete list of SAT essay prompts and our detailed explanation of the SAT essay prompt. Hone your SAT essay writing skills with our articles about how to write a high-scoring essay, step by step and how to get a 8/8/8 on the SAT essay. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

How GPA Conversion Works, With Charts

How GPA Conversion Works, With Charts SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Because final class grades are usually given either as letters (A-, B+, etc.) or as percentiles (87, 92, and so on), you might be a little stuck onhow to convert them into the decimals used to calculate GPA. No worries - this article is here to help! Keep reading to see how to translate all your grades into GPA-ready numbers. What Is a GPA? GPA stands for "grade point average" and it is exactly that: an average of all the final class grades that you received during your high school career.The GPA scale converts the letter and percentile grades your school gives youinto a decimaltypically ranging from 0.0 to 4.0, and then uses those decimals to calculate one summary number. Your GPA is one of the most important pieces of your college application. It allows colleges to very quickly assess your intelligence, skills, work ethic, and willingness to challenge yourself. At the same time, it’s a way for them to see how you stack up againstother people who graduated from your school, and all of the other applicants. Think about it: for an admissions officer, it's easy to have one handy numberthat compares you with other applicants at a glance. It's way harder to have to round up eachof your grades, then compare them with each of the other person's grades, and so on and so forth for thousands and thousands of applicants. Sisyphus thinks about going through applicants one grade at a time and is all, "Uh, no thanks, I'll stick with the giant boulder." How Are Letters and Percentiles Converted Into GPA Scale? Different schools use different systems to convert your grades into your GPA. Sometimes, they take the difficulty level of your classes into account, and sometimes all classes are treated the same. Sure, they're both pumpkins - but a weighted comparison would be helpful. Unweighted GPA Conversion Most schoolsuse anunweighted GPA. This means that all of your final grades get equal treatment, sogrades earned in honors/AP courses get the same numerical value as grades earned in standard/college prep courses. In other words, if Matangets an A in AP Calculus and Camille gets an A in standard level Chemistry, they will both convert these A’s to 4.0. Here is the typical conversion scale for an unweighted GPA: Letter Grade Percentile GPA A+ 97-100 4.0 A 93-96 4.0 A- 90-92 3.7 B+ 87-89 3.3 B 83-86 3.0 B- 80-82 2.7 C+ 77-79 2.3 C 73-76 2.0 C- 70-72 1.7 D+ 67-69 1.3 D 65-66 1.0 F Below 65 0.0 Weighted GPA Conversion Some schools also calculate a weighted GPA. This grade point average takes into account how challenging each course actually is. So,final class grades in Honors-level courses have .5 added to them, while final grades in AP/IB courses have 1 added to them. For this reason, weighted GPA scales usually range from 0.0 to 5.0. In our previous example, since Matan's Acame from an AP class, it would convert to 5.0. Meanwhile Camille’s A, which came from a standard class, would become 4.0. The typical weighted GPA conversion scale looks like this: Letter Grade Percentile Honors GPA AP/IB GPA A+ 97-100 4.5 5.0 A 93-96 4.5 5.0 A- 90-92 4.2 4.7 B+ 87-89 3.8 4.3 B 83-86 3.5 4.0 B- 80-82 3.2 3.7 C+ 77-79 2.8 3.3 C 73-76 2.5 3.0 C- 70-72 2.2 2.7 D+ 67-69 1.8 2.3 D 65-66 1.5 2.0 F Below 65 0.0 0.0 Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Steps Let's work through a couple of examplesto seehow grade conversion works for a transcript that uses letter grades and one that uses percentile grades. How to Convert Letter Grades Into a GPA First, let's check outa transcript where final grades are given as letters by taking a look at the high school career of renowned secret operativeJohn Doe: Here's how its conversion works. Using the unweighted conversion table from before, we can see that, year-by-year, the grades John earned are: 9th Grade 10th Grade th Grade 12th Grade 2.7 2.3 3.0 4.0 2.7 4.0 3.3 3.0 2.3 3.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 2.7 2.7 3.3 3.7 3.0 3.3 4.0 3.3 3.3 3.7 2.3 2.0 4.0 2.0 2.0 4.0 3.0 4.0 3.0 Now, to figure out John'sGPA, first we have to add up his grades to get the sum. Then we have to count how many classes he took. Finally, we divide the sum by the number of classes and round to the nearest tenth: 9th Grade 10th Grade th Grade 12th Grade Total Grade Sum 28.0 25.3 27.0 21.6 101.9 Number of Classes 8 8 9 7 32 So: 101.9 / 32 = 3.1 (John's cumulative high school GPA) To figure out the GPA John would submit on college applications, we just leave off the senior year grades and repeat the same process: 28 + 25.3 + 27 = 80.3 (sum of final grades from 9th to th grade) 8 + 8 + 9 = 25 (number of classes taken from 9th to th grade) 80.3 / 25 = 3.2 (GPA sent on college applications) How to Convert Percentiles Into a GPA The process for converting percentiles into GPA is almost exactly the same. Let’s see it in detailby calculating the GPA of John’s archrival and spy nemesis, Jane Smith: First, we'll convert her grades into GPA scale, and then find the sum and the number of courses she took: 9th Grade 10th Grade th Grade 12th Grade Total 4.0 3.3 3.7 4.0 3.7 2.7 4.0 3.7 3.3 2.3 3.0 4.0 2.3 4.0 4.0 3.3 4.0 3.0 2.7 3.7 3.3 3.7 3.3 2.3 3.0 3.3 3.7 3.0 3.7 3.3 4.0 3.3 Sum 27.3 25.6 28.4 27.3 108.6 Number of Courses Taken 8 8 8 8 32 So: 108.6 / 32 = 3.4 (Jane's cumulative high school GPA) And, leaving off the senior year we see that: 81.3 /24 = 3.4 (the GPA shewill submit to colleges) What’s Next? Still confused about how weighted and unweighted GPA calculations work? Let us help you figure it all out with our comprehensive explanation. Worried about how your GPA will measure up? We explain what a good or bad GPA score is, and run the numbers on the average high school student. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

1. Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

1. Paper - Essay Example In this regard, the essay aims to provide two concrete business examples of Kant’s CI theory by elaborating on the dilemma and by providing appropriate solutions, as deemed ethically appropriate. The term lay-offs are defined as â€Å"suspension or termination of employment (with or without notice) by the employer or management† (Business Dictionary, par. 1). The option for management’s decision to layoff employees are evaluated when organizations are faced with any of the following: business slow-down, financial difficulties, work interruption, positions are no longer required, among others. More significantly, justifications could be categorized as any of the following moves, to wit: to make strategical organizational changes, to make necessary improvements, or ultimately, to save the company from further dilemmas. Despite the mentioned justifications, layoffs have been known to cause emotional pain, stress, suffering and anxiety for potential employees to be laid off and to the supervisors who are appointed, by responsibility, to inform the employees of the decision. Ethical dilemmas of layoffs ensue when employees need to be terminated despite appropriate and expected performance delivered according to their job descriptions. Using Kant’s CI, Gilbert emphasized that â€Å"applying a rights and duties approach to the ethical analysis of layoffs, it appears that the central question is whether an employee has a moral right to his or her job, and whether supervisors then have a corresponding moral duty not to terminate that employee until he or she forfeits that right† (Gilbert, 16). Using Kant’s basic premise of the CI, the supervisor is given the duty by senior management to layoff identified employees to ensure that the organization would survive, an impending financial threat that could be due to recession, depending on their performance in the company, length of service, and other

Form a short story base on this conversation Essay

Form a short story base on this conversation - Essay Example He said it was just to see how the fields were coming along, but they both knew it was because she enjoyed the tractor rides. But a few months ago Uncle Vern hadn’t woken her up when he left on foot to check the fields. When she asked him about it he replied, â€Å"Oh I thought you might be getting too big for tractor rides.† Not only that, they had stopped asking about her homework. Aunt Marie always knew when report cards came out too, but this time she hadn’t asked to see it. A week later when Annelise was starting to wonder if she had truly become invisible she asked her Aunt Marie if something was wrong, because she hadn’t asked to see her report card. All she said was, â€Å"Well honey, you’re almost eighteen, you are responsible for your own grades.† Now she had begun to worry, The Eighteenth Birthday, the birthday when everything changes was here. Would she be kicked out of her home and expected to fend for herself? Was she no longer wanted now that she was â€Å"older?† As she walked down the stairs she pushed those thoughts aside and tried her hardest to smell coffee cake. Nothing. She saw her Aunt and Uncle reading the paper and drinking coffee. They looked up and said â€Å"happy birthday,† but then went back to reading. She made a bowl of cereal and stared at the Cheerios floating around in the milk. She began to wonder if things would have been different if her parents had lived. If the car crash had never happened would she be happier or in worse circumstances. Aunt Marie looked up from the paper. â€Å"Is something wrong Annelise?† â€Å"Well,† Annelise began, she knew an explanation was necessary, â€Å"it has kind of seemed like since I’ve been getting older the little things that I used to expect no longer happen.† All of the little things that had changed poured out of her at once, and her fears about what would happen after today tumbled out as well. When everything was out

Form a short story base on this conversation Essay

Form a short story base on this conversation - Essay Example He said it was just to see how the fields were coming along, but they both knew it was because she enjoyed the tractor rides. But a few months ago Uncle Vern hadn’t woken her up when he left on foot to check the fields. When she asked him about it he replied, â€Å"Oh I thought you might be getting too big for tractor rides.† Not only that, they had stopped asking about her homework. Aunt Marie always knew when report cards came out too, but this time she hadn’t asked to see it. A week later when Annelise was starting to wonder if she had truly become invisible she asked her Aunt Marie if something was wrong, because she hadn’t asked to see her report card. All she said was, â€Å"Well honey, you’re almost eighteen, you are responsible for your own grades.† Now she had begun to worry, The Eighteenth Birthday, the birthday when everything changes was here. Would she be kicked out of her home and expected to fend for herself? Was she no longer wanted now that she was â€Å"older?† As she walked down the stairs she pushed those thoughts aside and tried her hardest to smell coffee cake. Nothing. She saw her Aunt and Uncle reading the paper and drinking coffee. They looked up and said â€Å"happy birthday,† but then went back to reading. She made a bowl of cereal and stared at the Cheerios floating around in the milk. She began to wonder if things would have been different if her parents had lived. If the car crash had never happened would she be happier or in worse circumstances. Aunt Marie looked up from the paper. â€Å"Is something wrong Annelise?† â€Å"Well,† Annelise began, she knew an explanation was necessary, â€Å"it has kind of seemed like since I’ve been getting older the little things that I used to expect no longer happen.† All of the little things that had changed poured out of her at once, and her fears about what would happen after today tumbled out as well. When everything was out

What does Pascal make for religious faith in the reading The Wager Essay

What does Pascal make for religious faith in the reading The Wager - Essay Example In plain language, his practical persuasion was, â€Å"if I believe in God and there is God, I am okay; and if I still believe in God but in fact there is really no God, I am still fine. And if I did not believe in God and there is really a God, then I am in trouble.† So it is always better to believe in God. Pascal’s Wager’s differ from other religious theologians who purported a priori proof of God’s existence that is independent of any proof or observation. Unlike Anselm who placed an ontological argument that because God is God, that his existence does not need to be validated by experience to justify that He exists, Pascal instead argued that one loses nothing in believing in God that it does not hurt to believe in God. In short, Pascal’s evidence can be derived from its possible benefit in believing God that one has everything to gain and losses nothing. Pascal might have approached the issue on the belief of God from a consequentialist point of view because he persuades people to believe in God out of the expected benefit that can be derived from it or the avoidance of harm and pain if one does not believe in God. While his reasoning is simple, the argument of weighing the benefit of believing in God vis-a-vis negating God is sensible especially to the modern mind who often asks, â€Å"What is in it for me?† He did not propose any elaborate philosophical reasoning that requires higher understanding such as the explanation of St. Augustine who argued that God does exist but the mode of knowing should be proportional to what is being observed. Man, being just a created being, cannot be proportionate to the understanding required to comprehend God because God being above all things, is above knowledge. He has to be understood on a higher plane of understanding or through â€Å"divine light†. For Pascal, man in his presen t cognitive ability, can already understand and believe in

How Does Nokia Continue to be Successful in The U.S. Market Essay

How Does Nokia Continue to be Successful in The U.S. Market - Essay Example The aim of this research presented in the essay is to analyze how Nokia continue to be successful in the United States Market. The onslaught of new cell phone brands from China and India is a strong factor prompting Nokia to be on its toes ready and eager to come up with more accessories and benefits for the Nokia cell phones. The public must now use a cell phone to get emails. One very popular cell phone is known as the Iphone which is being marketed by the this brand called Apple. Apple should be one of the hall of fame companies for coming up with the first computer. The old standard of sending messages is through the use of snail mail or the post office has declined because companies and individuals can communicate better and faster using the email and yahoo messenger or the new favorite of the crowed, Skyped chat. The researcher then presents some of the Nokia famous products and demonstrates the income statement of Nokia company, that shows that the company was very successful during the years 2005 to 2007. The researcher then concluds that Nokia continues to be successful in the United States market, mostly because the company continues to innovate by adding additional benefits of buying a cell phone. Conclusively, the researcher also mentiones that Nokia continues to be successful in the United States Market because of the strong advertising promotions that Nokia is willing to pay for. The returns of the advertising budget will include increased revenues, increased gross profit and increased net profits.

IT Project Risk Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

IT Project Risk Management - Research Paper Example Additionally, efficient and successful project management requires effective management of all avenues that bring uncertainty into the project. The paper is structured into phases that outline how project risk management typology can be achieved effectively. The phases include the define phase, focus phase, identify issue-phase, Structure the Issues phase, Clarify ownership phase, Estimate Variability phase, Evaluate Overall Implications phase, and manage implementation phase. Currently, knowledge has been earmarked as an indispensable ingredient to innovative companies and to their overall objective of maintaining a competitive advantage over their rivals. In particular, knowledge has become an important factor in the development of dynamic key competencies, as well as the vocal point for companies to meet their global ambitions (Talet, Zin & Houari, 2014). IT, in particular, has become an important tool in all-important sectors, and any organization will highly feel the impact of any failure of IT project management on competitive advantage. California Technology Agency (2011) asserts that most of the business managers are not privy of the magnitude IT-related risks in projects management a firm will be exposed. Most of these managers are only able to learn the value of IT-related risks after they have computed the amount of damage the risk has brought about. According to Leong California Technology Agency, (2011) past research studies have primarily be en concerned with how effective IT-related risks may be analyzed and compensated for. Therefore, it would be imperative for IT managers constantly to embrace the holistic view of IT project risk management rather than just focusing only on financial issues. There exist little empirical research studies showing the correct way of handling the management of the IT-related projects risks during the launching of the project. Though a myriad of studies have been done in regards to I.T project risk

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

Reading response - Essay Example The meaning, that is used by Shames regarding the American culture, is that having more is and has been an essential idea of the country. From my reading of â€Å"The More Factor†, Shame has the opinion that it is already part of the culture of Americans to desire for more, however, I should say that most people desire for more in their lives and not only Americans. This is true because even me I desired and still desire for more in my life. Most of all, I felt greatly surprised by what Shames described as like Americans have lost focus in what is very important as he says â€Å"Americans have been somewhat backward in adopting values, hopes, ambitions that have to do with things other than moreâ€Å". It surprised me because all, what Americans have done, is to find ways to grow and expand. Shames puts it out clearly that lost focus because they became selfish and greedy since they only bothered to help themselves and not others. In any event in 1800,s the speculators built towns and would pay individuals to move into their town and provide for them a home to live in. The fact of the matter was to build the railroad for a real town to develop. I feel that the idea of "more" is not such a terrible thing. I mean it is useful for individuals to need to have a better life and succeed, to goals and aspirations. However, it is my opinion that everything ought to have a limit, or in any event, we ought to know when to stop and enjoy life. I believe that everybody needs to live a life that is full of commodities. I do so as well. I need to go to visit new places around the globe, have things I didnt have and provided my family a home, as well as a better life. Shames’s idea of the concept of more reminds me of my childhood friend. We used to share a lot, do almost all things together; however, the guy did not accept defeat. He was ever competing and always liked to be in the front line in everything. I used to pity him because no

IT Project Risk Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

IT Project Risk Management - Research Paper Example Additionally, efficient and successful project management requires effective management of all avenues that bring uncertainty into the project. The paper is structured into phases that outline how project risk management typology can be achieved effectively. The phases include the define phase, focus phase, identify issue-phase, Structure the Issues phase, Clarify ownership phase, Estimate Variability phase, Evaluate Overall Implications phase, and manage implementation phase. Currently, knowledge has been earmarked as an indispensable ingredient to innovative companies and to their overall objective of maintaining a competitive advantage over their rivals. In particular, knowledge has become an important factor in the development of dynamic key competencies, as well as the vocal point for companies to meet their global ambitions (Talet, Zin & Houari, 2014). IT, in particular, has become an important tool in all-important sectors, and any organization will highly feel the impact of any failure of IT project management on competitive advantage. California Technology Agency (2011) asserts that most of the business managers are not privy of the magnitude IT-related risks in projects management a firm will be exposed. Most of these managers are only able to learn the value of IT-related risks after they have computed the amount of damage the risk has brought about. According to Leong California Technology Agency, (2011) past research studies have primarily be en concerned with how effective IT-related risks may be analyzed and compensated for. Therefore, it would be imperative for IT managers constantly to embrace the holistic view of IT project risk management rather than just focusing only on financial issues. There exist little empirical research studies showing the correct way of handling the management of the IT-related projects risks during the launching of the project. Though a myriad of studies have been done in regards to I.T project risk

Individual Assignment 1 Implementation of the Porters Five Forces Research Paper

Individual Assignment 1 Implementation of the Porters Five Forces Model - Research Paper Example Despite of this, yet there are minute chances for them to differentiate the way they do businesses. The framework of Professor Michael Porter is widely used to analyze the attractiveness of an industry as well as its competitive positions. Porter’s five forces model is applicable to banking industry to a great extent (Hill 2008). Five forces that are used in this model are: Threat of new entrants refers to the number of entrants that cause an increase in the number of players performing similar activities and serving a similar market. In banking industry, an average person cannot start up his own bank therefore there is low threat of new entrants due to variety of forces that discourages the new players. Main threat to enter in a banking industry is the requirement of large capital investment. This obligation doesn’t permit every other person to enter into this industry and only entrepreneurs can commence business in this sector. Running a bank needs specialized knowledge and expertise regarding this area which can not be possessed by every other person. The complexities of this sector can only be understood by someone who has lifetime experience of working in this area. Owners who have life time experience of working in banking sector and deals with the complications with sharpness are observed to achieve greatest success in this area. Not every other person is able to take such huge responsibility. There can be threat of new entrants for banking sector when other financial institutions start offering the services which are being offered by conventional banking systems. What if insurance companies start offering loan and mortgage services? That can be a threat for banking sector. Substitutes tend to steal the market share and intensify the competition. In banking sector, there are plenty of substitutes as one can probably imagine. Every banking suite is offering similar products and services. At the lending side of industry, there are

Motorcycle and Car Essay Example for Free

Motorcycle and Car Essay Everyone knows that in a crash motorcycle riders usually come off worse than car drivers. Riders avoid some problems, like being trapped in a burning or sinking car, but in general an accident that dents a car can put a motorcyclist in hospital. However motorcycle fear is often based on rumor or reports, not actual experience. It is guilt by association. Guilt by Association A friend once told me she didn’t like motorcycles as her brother was killed on one. When I asked how, she said he stopped at an accident, got off his bike, and was struck by a car as he walked over to help! I wondered, â€Å"Well, couldn’t the same have happened if he had been in a car? † This guilt by association ignores the fact that lots of people who drive cars also die. It is a fixed attitude, that just associates motorcycles with danger. Like many other fixed attitudes, it is often reinforced by the media. It is hard to see the reality amidst the smoke of false fears, worries and imaginations. A motorcycle is safer than a car if it is less likely to have an accident in the first place But safety also depends on how likely you are to have an accident in the first place. I find motorcycles safer because one can better avoid accidents on them. In a car, I feel safe because I have protection, but on a motorcycle I feel safer because I have more options. A motorcycle is safer than a car if it is less likely to have an accident in the first place. That the careless can kill themselves more easily on a motorcycle is not denied. However what about competent riders? Competent riders are less likely to haveaccidents because they: 1. See more 2. Evade better 3. Attend more 4. Assume less Do motorcycles cause deaths? The death rate for riders is higher than for drivers, but perhaps that is because so many motorcycle riders are young men, who are still developing risk awareness. It seems a hard thing to say, but were they not on motor-cycles, perhaps they just would kill themselves in some other activity, as young men and risk go together. But here is a puzzle. If the risk of riding is so high, how can some people ride motorcycles every day for decades? Even with a tiny risk, sooner or later, their number should come up. Yet such people exist, and I know, because I am one. If the risk of riding is so high, how can some people ride for thirty years and live? Safe riders prove that safety is no accident, and that motorcycle riding is not inevitably dangerous. See more A rider’s field of vision is further and wider than a car’s A rider is usually higher than a car driver, and so has a better view. A better view means you see danger earlier, and can avoid it better. Riders have no car body around them to create vision blind sports. Just turning their head gives a clear all round view. A bike can also move left or right in the lane for a better view, if a truck blocks your vision. A car driver in contrast must remain on the steering wheel side. A motorcycle rider’s field of vision is further and wider than that of a car. When I drive a car, I feel I have a much more constricted field of view. The ability to see more lets you avoid more. If a person in a car three cars ahead stops suddenly, as a rider, I see it earlier, and have more time to make adjustments, to avoid a crash. If seeing danger first means avoiding it better, a motorcycle is safer. Evade better A motor-cycle has evasion options not available to a car A motorcycle is smaller than a car, and so less of a target to be hit. Being smaller, it also has more places to go safely. If the car ahead stops suddenly, the car behind must hit it. Highway pile-ups occur because cars in a lane have nowhere to go in sudden stop. However a bike can swerve to the side, or fit between two cars on a many lane highway. It can pull onto the safety shoulder if necessary. A motor-cycle has evasion options not available to a car. It can accelerate better out of a trouble situation. In nearly every situation, a motorcycle has more evasive choices, because it is smaller and more mobile. In terms of accident evasion, bikes are safer. Attend more When the body is right there, the brain tends to be right there with it There is something about traveling at high speed a few feet above hard ground that gets your attention. When the body is right there, the brain tends to be right there with it. By comparison, a driver is separated from the world by the car body, air-conditioning and comfort. Drivers are distracted from the road by:   Coffee and food   Talking on cell-phones   Listening to the radio   Talking to passengers   Adjusting seats or windows   Disciplining children   Adjusting make-up   Shaving Inattention is the main cause of road accidents Perhaps shaving is uncommon, but the others happen all the time. Studies show that inattention is the main cause of road accidents. You only have so much attention. Attending to one thing degrades your attention to another. Distractions reduce your attention to the road, which leads to accidents. Cars have many distractions, but on a motorcycle, it is just you and the road. Motorcycles are safer because they increase attention and reduce distractions. Driven to distraction One has visions of some driver talking on a cell-phone, while listening to and adjusting the radio, turning to look back at a child, with a cup of coffee in the other hand. My personal dislike is soccer Mums in big SUVs trying ineffectively to discipline rowdy children in the back seat while driving. Kids are the most effective distraction machines every invented. Its much better to stop the car and deal with them. Assume less Life insurance should be called what it really is death insurance People driving large vehicles with life insurance think they are â€Å"safe†. Life insurance should be called what it really is death insurance. Then people would understand it better. Money cant replace life. You dont really have insurance (in the sense of replacing what you had). Car safety features cannot avoid the nut behind the wheel problem. Safer cars are no use if people are more careless. If drivers with anti-skid brakes just drive faster in the rain, what is the safety benefit? The accident rate depends as much on attitude as on mechanical safety features. Motorcycles create a better attitude, because on a motorcycle, you know you are vulnerable. No matter how big the motorcycle, what happens is likely to happen to you, personally. Motorcycle riders assume less, which makes a motorcycle safer than a car. The Anti-SUV mentality There are two approaches to avoiding accidents: The SUV mentality: Have accidents, but avoid the results.   The Anti-SUV mentality: Avoid accidents entirely For every big vehicle, there is a bigger one America’s current approach is the first buy cars so big you are unhurt in a crash. But for every big vehicle, there is a bigger one. If your Mercedes meets a truck/trailer combine, you will be crushed whatever your safety rating. Metal is not a cure for carelessness. While SUVs seem safe, studies show they tip easily, maneuver poorly, waste petrol, hog the road, make bigger targets, and overfill parking spaces. If we all drove in tanks, would the roads be safer? Whatever the metal around you, a bigger vehicle can always penetrate it. The SUV mentality tries to put a metal barrier between you and the world, so others (not you) pay the price of accidents. The result is a vehicle arms race, where everyone drives bigger cars. That big vehicles also cause more damage is ignored. If we all drove around in main battle tanks, would the roads be safer? SUV drivers would insulate themselves from the world, but that is not a good way to go. The goal is to avoid accidents, not to â€Å"safely† have them Motorcycle riders follow the Anti-SUV mentality, which is to avoid accidents entirely. The â€Å"strength† of a motorcycle is its flexibility, not its invulnerability. The goal is to avoid accidents, not to â€Å"safely† have them. I prefer the attentive but unprotected motorcycle rider any day over a careless SUV driver. The anti-SUV mentality is not only about saving petrol, it is also an attitude to life, a willingness to be responsible for your own acts. Bigger is better? Americans have a fixed idea that to ride a motorcycle you have to be big, strong and tough. Yet in countries like Italy, Malaysia or New Zealand, everyone rides: young and old, men and women. Young women ride motorcycles and scooters all around Rome. In Kuala Lumpur, everyone rides motorcycles everywhere. These countries dont have the same fear mentality regarding motorcycles as America does, and they dont see size as the solution. On a motorcycle, size doesnt matter. What matters is your ability to see risk.   Conclusion Riding a motorcycle is safer than driving a car because riders see more, evade better, are more attentive, and assume less. The rider has higher stakes, but if they ride safely, are less likely to have an accident in the first place. Building character I knew a good father who suggested his son ride a motorcycle not a car, as â€Å"Then your carelessness will kill yourself, not innocent people. † Interestingly, the son turned into a great guy. Did the father care about his son? Of course. He cared that he would be a good person, who accounts for his acts. Most advice is about looking after the body. In this case, the father cared for his son’s character.  © Brian Whitworth, 2004, 2005.