Friday, August 21, 2020

How to Revise for Exams During Ramadan

How to Revise for Exams During Ramadan How to Revise for Exams During Ramadan From Friday May 26 to Saturday June 24 this year, Muslims around the world will be observing Ramadan, a month of fasting and religious observance. In this period, Muslims go without food and water from dawn until sunset, which can be as long as 19 hours. If this already sounds like enough of a challenge, it’s even trickier if you’re a student revising and taking exams at the moment. Juggling the responsibilities of Ramadan and your studies can be tricky, especially if you’ve not had experience of this before. Here are some tips to ensure your performance in exams doesn’t suffer. When you do eat, eat well During Ramadan, there are two meals: Suhur (pre-fast, eaten around 2am) and Iftar (evening meal, eaten around 9pm). Iftar, in particular, becomes extremely important when revising as it’s the first opportunity to eat after being hungry all day. In these circumstances, it can be tempted to eat lots of fried, stodgy foods. However, doing so will leave you feeling tired and lethargic, which will have a knock-on effect on your revision. Choose foods which will boost your brain power and help you revise (we’ve put together a handy guide here). Also make sure you’re replenishing your fluids, as the more water you drink each night, the better you’ll feel the following day. Change your daily revision routine As your daily routine is changing during Ramadan, it’s important to also change the times and ways you revise. The daytime is now likely to be the best opportunity for you to catch up on sleep, while the time between Iftar and Suhur is a great opportunity to revise while you’re feeling less hungry. Obviously, there’s no right answer for how you structure your time, and you may have additional responsibilities to factor in, but the important thing is to avoid overloading yourself during the daytime when your body will be under the most stress. Also, it’s worth considering alternative ways of revising. During the day, you’ll potentially struggle to have the mental discipline to sit and read through a textbook or lengthy, academically rigorous journals or essays, so try and come up with revision techniques which are quicker and easier to absorb. Visual revision techniques such as flash cards or posters will be easier to focus on and memorize while you’re fasting. Don’t overdo it â€" take frequent breaks Nobody can efficiently revise for hours at a time, so expecting to be able to do so during Ramadan just isn’t feasible. Break up your revision with frequent breaks that help to take your mind off how hungry you are. Don’t just sit at your desk either, stretch your legs and take some time completely away from books and your computer screen. Not only will you feel better, but the change of scenery will also help time feel like it’s going quicker. If possible, don’t revise alone Coping with the challenges of revising during Ramadan can be made much, much easier if you have a friend or two to team up with. Form a study group, chat to each other regularly about how your studies are going and help provide each other with the motivation and support that can make all the difference as you prepare for each exam.

Monday, May 25, 2020

Personal Statement on Military Lawyer

I am a strong energetic man, student at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, a school that is popularly known for diligence of its students, and I am writing this personal statement in hope of joining U.S. Army JAG Corps in your esteemed military camp. Such career, I believe, is indispensible for my future fulfillment of my dream and will benefit me for the rest of my life. I believe a better life especially as a U.S Army JAG Corp is all about working hard and aiming high. When I lastly made a decision of joining Western Illinois University in August 2006 to pursue Bachelor of Arts and Science in Political Science, US Army JAG Corp was one of the best careers I needed to try and attained my full potential. In the United States competition is so steep that if someone losses his career goal especially to join US Army JAG Corp he or she may miss a chance of joining any other better career in the United States of America. In my case, I have managed to join United States Navy in 1996-1998 where I participated in the Presidential Guard. However, I had always dream of joining US Army JAG Corp. The reflection of my work when I was a United States Navy, reminded me of what someone once said, that; people know the kind of a person you just know by what you have done but you know who you are by what you are capable of doing. With my tremendous confidence and effor ts, I improved my career skills when I was in the Washington as a United States Navy. I even got more motivated especially to join Thomas M Cooley Law School. After entering Western Illinois University in 2006, I chose to take Political Science as my major because I was very interested and long been attracted to that specific area. As a student in Thomas, M. Cooley School of Law pursuing Juris Doctors Degree, I have chances and opportunities to access most developed experiment equipment and learned many advanced ways, making me more interested with the field of politics and laws. In this particular School of Law, I have worked very hard through the past three years, and have build up a well-rounded background not only in Political Science but also in areas related to laws. As well as a student in Thomas M. Cooley School of Law, I have also been working as Law Clerk Dowd and Dowd Limited. My main duty as a Law Clerk is to conduct legal research and prepare memoranda for partners. Moreover, I have a role of drafting successful opposition response to motion mainly for summary judgment. I have also attended oral arguments, depositions, and case managements. I have had several opportunities to interact with witnesses and attorneys. My perfection in this particular field upheld my motivation to join Western Illinois University to pursue Political Science. Nonetheless, understanding that practice experience and research skills are necessary for successful US Army, I decided to join Dowd and Dowd Limited and also Thomas M. Cooley School of Law to pursue laws. My knowledge, skills and experience in United States Navy, Political Science and Laws were not the only motivating factors that motivated me to join US Army but also my desire and dream. However, my experience in the United States Navy is the major motivating factor that has constantly inspired me to join US Army JAG Corps. Besides conducting legal research and preparing memoranda for partners in Dowd and Dowd Limited, I have also participated in other social activities such as drafting all contracts used by the company, developed and managed a Department of Energy project for a fortune 100 clients and attained contract compliance for not less than 200 sub-contractors. My capabilities, especially in communicating skills and organizing, have been strengthen further through my responsibilities and roles as one of the active participants in the United State Navy, Where I organized the major volunteer activities, for example the planning and estimation of multi-million dollar government projects, calculation of man-hours for each phase of projects, managed a grew of nearly 35 people, and became a director of Battalion level physical training. The experience I attained while I was the director of Battalion level physical training helped me improve my practice and theories, as well as gain a sense of maturity and responsibility. Realizing some limitation of my current scope of knowledge, I felt quite anxious to join Thomas M. Cooley Law School. In conclusion, it is my intention to get the best possible experience, and, of course the skills and knowledge that I need to obtain my goals of life. For this reason, I deeply believe that my choice to join US Army JAG Corp at your institution is the best decision that I will make, therefore your positive consideration of my application will greatly be appreciated.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

The Minimum Wage Must Be Increased Essay - 1488 Words

â€Å"Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. †¦ And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.† –President Obama, State of the Union address, Jan. 20, 2014 In the 2014 State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour, and soon after signed an Executive Order to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for the individuals working on new federal service contracts. An increase in the minimum wage has been a topic of†¦show more content†¦Professor of Economics and author Ravi Batra found that employment has increased almost every time the minimum wage has gone up (187). For example, in the year following the minimum wage increase in 1997, the last time there was such a raise, employment rose by 1.9 million people. In 47 years the minimum wage increased 17 times, 14 of which saw a rise in employment a year after the increase took place. Even in the short-term, an increased minimum wage will not create unemployment. As for small businesses being harmed by an increase in minimum wage, Batra proves that a rise in minimum wage, as long as it is not faster than the rise in prices, will not adversely affect the businesses’ profits. He says that a business’s profit equals the revenue, less wage costs and all other costs. Batra offers an example with a popular fast-food franchise: Suppose you own a McDonald’s franchise; a teenage cook makes ten hamburgers per hour for you, and each hamburger is sold for $2. Your hourly business revenue from hiring that cook is $20, i.e., price times the cook’s output. Suppose all other costs add up to $12 per hour of production, and the minimum wage you pay the cook is $5 per hour. Then your hourly profit from hiring that cook is $3 [$20 - $5 - $12]. Now suppose all costs a prices double, that is, a hamburger fetches $4, the minimum wage becomes $10, and other costs rise to $24.Show MoreRelatedEssay on The Minimum Wage Must Be Increased1575 Words   |  7 PagesNo family gets rich from earning the minimum wage. In fact, the current minimum wage does not even lift a family out of poverty. -- Jon Corzine Many people can think back and remember what it was like to put in an application for that first job and be presented with a position. Taking that position represents adulthood and is a very exciting time for a young person. All first jobs usually start with a minimum wage. Minimum wage is the minimum an employer has to pay an unskilled workerRead MoreThe Effects Of Minimum Wage On The Economy1391 Words   |  6 PagesThe Effects Minimum Wage on the Economy The controversial topic about increasing minimum wage is debated countless times over the years. Minimum wage is the lowest wage an employer can pay an employee permitted by law. The contemporary federal minimum wage is $7.25. Minimum wage applies to all domestic workers but teenagers are the main receivers of minimum wage. Minimum wage has a major effect on the economy. The question is are the effects positive or negative. There are many arguments on whetherRead MoreShould The Miniumum Wage Be Increased? No?1477 Words   |  6 PagesShould the Miniumum Wage be Increased? No. In recent times, Congress has been spending a great deal of time advocating increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10. Most democrats support the proposal; however, most republicans oppose it. The greatest reason republicans have to oppose a minimum wage increase is that the jobs lost from an increase outweigh the benefits of paying higher wages to workers who keep their jobs, and that a majority of those earning the wage are students who areRead MoreJob Openings And Labor Turnover Essay1422 Words   |  6 PagesTurnover in the Restaurants and hotels Employees play a pivotal role in delivering customer service to customers and generally speaking companies are aware of that role. However, companies seek out every avenue necessary to keep internal cost at a minimum while being able to offer price commitment. A great deal of these cost reduction strategies maybe the cause of the increase in the latest turnover number in 2014. It was reported that for the past four years prior to 2014 there has been an increaseRead MoreMinimum Wage Persuasive Essay1067 Words   |  5 Pages2013 Persuasive Essay $7.25 equals two gallons of gas, one fast food meal, or a simple school supply. With the minimum wage at the current rate you must work one hour to earn the seven dollars and twenty-five cents that only supply you with small necessities for everyday living. This problem was encountered before and was resolved with the agreement to higher the minimum wage from $5.85 to the current $7.25. Although that was a big increase in salaries, was it truly enough? This controversyRead MoreMinimum Wage At The United States1129 Words   |  5 Pagesintended to raise the current minimum wage floor of $7.25 in the United States stalled in Congress. As the November election approaches, many Democratic senate members are placing the issue of minimum wage at the forefront of their election campaigns, hoping to sway working-class voters in their favor. The issue of minimum wage has become a matter of politics, politics which far overshadow the far more pertinent concern of minimum wage’s econom ic effects. Minimum wage is a complex issue, and understandingRead MoreMinimum Wage Should Be Raised910 Words   |  4 Pagesmaximize the American Dream on the minimum wage† (Benjamin Todd Jealous). In 1938, minimum wage was created by the federal government in order to protect workers by ensuring a minimum of twenty-five cents per hour worked. Though President Roosevelt had the right idea in protecting the workforce, something needs to be done to ensure that Americans are getting a reasonable amount of money for the amount of hours they have worked. As Benjamin Todd Jealous stated, minimum wage is not enough for the averageRead MoreMinimum Wage And The Wage1639 Words   |  7 PagesMinimum wage is one of the many microeconomic policies that serve to correct imbalance in the economy. It is defined as the lowest amount of remuneration required of an employer to pay his employees during a given period of work. There exist different laws in different states that can fix the min imum wage policy. A current economic issue is minimum wage, or specifically, its pertinence to social inequality. Many sectors of society would be affected by changes in this policy. Minimum wage relies onRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Policy During The United States1714 Words   |  7 Pagesincrease the federal minimum wage. Headlines throughout the country highlight recent minimum wage policy changes in major cities such as Los Angeles and Seattle. Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York announced an approved minimum wage increase to $15 an hour for all fast food workers in the state (McGeehan). Even the website for the White House has a separate page, â€Å"Raise the Wage,† advocating for Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour (Raise the Wage). The most commonlyRead MoreMinimum Wage And The Wage1176 Words   |  5 Pageswork weeks at minimum wage can be insufficient to provide for life’s necessities. Many minimum wage workers must supplem ent their income with taxpayer-funded federal assistance programs in addition to working beyond the standard 40 hour work week. There is an economical and ethical imperative to increase the pay of low-income workers, and this can most effectively be done by raising the federally established minimum wage. The federal government assumed responsibility for ensuring wage fairness by implementing

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Preventing and Addressing Problems in Human Services Essay...

Preventing and Addressing Problems A variety of different problems can and do arise in human service organizations. Unfortunately, they do not come with instruction manuals on how to resolve them. It is the responsibility of human service administrators to identify problems and strategies to address them. It is important to consider and reflect upon the steps and actions that administrators in the human services field take to address problems. It is also equally important to consider what administrators can do to prevent problems from occurring to being with. In this paper, a brief description of a human services administrator from this week’s video will be illustrated; secondly, descriptions of the problems associated in the†¦show more content†¦Because their program thrives off of serving clients, they have to recruit more children, if needed, to ensure consistent growth occurs within the organization. Maurice William’s understands that social workers get tired because of their relentless job responsibilities, therefore, she makes sure they don’t experience burn out since it is her responsibility to keep the families intact (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Since she is not out in the field visiting the homes, she puts her faith in her upper management team to be able to listen and pay attention to any problems or potential future problems (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011). Since she is unable to be out in the field, Williams uses her supervisory skills to train her staff to be able to identify potential problems and also to report back to her what the problems are. If there were problems out in the field (i.e., foster parents, foster children), she shoulders the full responsibility to make sure that the problems are addressed and resolved, or modify changes that are in the best interest of the children. One way Maurice William’s faces problems in the foster homes is to have a meeting with every foster parent under their program every three months. In this meeting, all issues are discussed in great length and an appropriate procedure to deal with each specific problem are agreed upon and implemented so that the problems do not come upShow MoreRelatedEmployee Harassment And Employee Misconduct1212 Words   |  5 Pagesresidential care facility’s staff and several other defendants liable for breach of contract, negligent conduct, and invasion of privacy. The complaint filed by the mother/guardian of a resident alleged that a Georgia facility responsible for providing services to persons with mental disabilities did not supervise its employees, which led to the neglect and abuse of the residents. In her complaint, the mother/guardian alleged that the employees at the facility beat her son on numerous occasions, forcedRead MoreWhat Is Human Services?1217 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: WHAT IS HUMAN SERVICES? What is Human Services? Candice K. Holt BSHS/302 University of Phoenix August 24, 2009 The Goal of Human Services Human Services is the practice of assisting needy and less fortunate individuals with meeting their basic needs in life. â€Å"The Human Services profession is one which promotes improved service delivery systems by addressing not only the quality of direct services, but also by seeking to improve accessibility, accountability, and coordinationRead MoreGuidelines For Preventing Workplace Violence Essay1742 Words   |  7 Pagesaware of the signs when people exhibit behaviors that can lead to workplace violence. As a society, the issue needs to be acknowledged of the reality and work together for creating a solution. Lastly, employers and employees must not live in fear of addressing concerns if they see the potential for workplace violence or report when they witness or experience workplace violence. Prevention / Intervention Strategies Within the United States, state and federal agencies have responded to dataRead MoreMotivation, Stress, and Communication1713 Words   |  7 Pagescommunication in the workplace, I have selected the position of human service manager in United Way of Central Indiana. The company is located in Indianapolis and focuses on helping to sustain significant services for people in need of help and preventing the occurrence of such needs for future generations. United Way of Central Indiana has two major priorities that are centered on providing important human services and education. On the human services priority, the organization seeks to lessen obstacles andRead MoreConsultation And Collaboration With Other Human Service Activities1623 Words   |  7 PagesOther Human Service Activities Kayla Winger Concordia University - Wisconsin Abstract Understanding the difference between consultation and collaboration with human service functions can be very difficult. Many human service professionals use consultation and collaboration in their practice but there is a distinct difference between a therapy session and consultation and collaboration. The main goal behind consultation and collaboration is to attempt to alleviate current problems whileRead MoreWorkplace Violence773 Words   |  4 Pagesthat early warning signs and profiles of potentially violent employees are in much of the literature on the subject of workplace violence. It would save time and solve problems if managers could figure out ahead of time what behaviors and personality traits are predictive of future violent actions. No one can predict human behavior and there is no specific profile of a potentially dangerous individual. However, indicators of increased risk of violent behavior are available. These indicatorsRead Morecomputer waste1369 Words   |   6 PagesComputers have become such valuable tools that today’s business people have difficulty imagining work without them. Yet the information age has also brought the following potential problems for workers, companies, and society in general: Computer waste and mistakes, Computer crime, Privacy issues, Work environment problems Ethical issue. Computer waste involves the inappropriate use of computer technology and resources. It may be defined as discarded computers. This definition includes used computersRead MoreWhat Is The United Nations Strategic Framework1548 Words   |  7 Pages2015, the UN in Lebanon is managing an annual portfolio of approximately $1 billion including humanitarian and development assistance particularly in assistance to the most vulnerable; support to municipalities and to the delivery of basic public services such as education and water. Normative Framework of the UNSF Describes the key national and international frameworks and mandates that underpin the identification of national priorities and the UN’s proposed interventions. They consider UN strategies’Read MorePrevention Of Chronic Disease And Improving Public Health996 Words   |  4 Pagesthe United States Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) for research in public health services and the examination of best prevention practices. One focus of this part of this provision is research and evaluation of pain management, the assessment, and treatment standards through an Institute of Medicine Conference on Pain Care.3 Discussion Chronic diseases are a tremendous burden on the health care system. The best way to reduce this problem is by public policies aiming at primary preventionRead MoreThe And Early Termination Of Mental Health Services For Latinos1460 Words   |  6 Pageshealth services for Latinos in the U.S continues to be a concern for current research and practice in social work. A synthesis of current research demonstrates that there are several factors impacting access and utilization of mental health services for Latinos. According to U.S Department of Health and Human Services (2001), although Latinos are at increased vulnerability for developing mental illness, they continue to be half as likely in comparison to whites to access mental health services. Low

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Strategies Understanding Applying Multiple -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Strategies Understanding Applying Multiple? Answer: Introduction The topic learned in the previous two weeks involves research which entails acquiring knowledge and information to determine the business, and individual goals and opportunities. Businesses need to conduct business research since it helps recognize challenges, and guides in understanding the customers needs which facilitate effective decision-making. Moreover, business research provides the executives with knowledge based on sales, markets, organization, and economy which ensures they acquire intelligence needed in decision-making (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill, 2012 pp.10). There exist various steps which should be followed to conduct and useful business research which vary due to various types of research which prevails. Examples of business research are applied, basic, and pseudo. Business research relates to workplace since it facilitates effective communication which is essential in business for productivity and smooth operations (DePoy Gitlin, 2015 pp.20). Therefore, business research shows that workplace communication leads to improvement of business performance. Besides, communications enhanced through business research in a workplace increases employees job satisfaction and motivation (Sekaran Bougie, 2016 pp.11). Example of research which leads to increased job satisfaction is the departmental assessment since it entails comprehending the processes and purposes of a department. Research may aid personal and professional development through various ways. Based on my personal development, it helps in recognizing the strengths and weaknesses, habits, droves, habits, and personalities. In simple words, it allows individuals engage in self-reflection which facilitates self-awareness which is vital to increase the individual growth (Bryman Bell, 2015 pp.30). Moreover, individual judgment is enhanced. On the other hand, professional development is enhanced through research since professionals acquire knowledge to recognize opportunities to improve their skills. References Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2015.Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA. DePoy, E. and Gitlin, L.N., 2015.Introduction to Research-E-Book: Understanding and Applying Multiple Strategies. Elsevier Health Sciences. Saunders, M. Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2012). Research Methods for Business Students. 6th Ed. London: Pearson. Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R., 2016.Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley Sons.

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Martha Stewart Omnimedia Report

Summary The conviction of Martha Stewart on allegations of insider trading dented her public image as well as the image of the MSO Company. The allegations also led to loss of public trust that significantly affected employee morale and performance, company communication channels, and leadership credibility within the company.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Martha Stewart Omnimedia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More My recommendations, to enable the company turn around and achieve profitability, revolve around enhancing employee morale, rebranding, implementing CRM, and adopting a horizontal organizational structure where, power and authority is spread among many people. Previously, the company brands had a close association with Martha’s name, who wielded a lot of influence within the company. The new management model should focus on selling the company’s image and separating the MSO identity from Martha. Analysis of the MSO Case Prior to the legal crisis in the late 2001, Martha Stewart had a prosperous career. However, the stock sale scandal led to legal suits that resulted to her conviction in 2004, which turned her career and her life upside down. It all began in 1999, when Martha bought shares of a biotech company, ImClone, which dealt with the manufacture of drugs. During this period, ImClone shares were doing well in the stock market hence, Martha’s decision to invest in the company. However, subsequent events in the same year dented the financial prospects of the biotech company. ImClone’s owner, Sam Waksal, aiming at improving the profitability and revenue of the company, approved the release of a new cancer drug, Erbitux, by the company. Before the FDA announcement date, Sam received prior information that the FDA was not going to approve the drug on the due date. Acting on advice from Sam, Martha sold her ImClone stocks. As a result, Martha faced alle gations of insider trading, which led to her conviction in 2004. Consequently, the conviction tarnished Martha’s reputation and the MSO shares’ value declined significantly. Most importantly, the morale of the employees and credibility of the management were affected by these events. Implications of Martha’s Conviction Martha Stewart allegations involved insider trading and other business malpractices. Her conviction in 2004 had profound implications on her career and the image of her organization, MSO. Prior to her conviction, Martha enjoyed a prosperous career as the founder of MSO, a large corporation with branches in many areas including publishing, merchandising, and broadcasting. The product offerings of the company reflected the tastes and preferences of Martha. In addition, the brand name of most of the products, that earned the respect of many in the United States, bore her name. Martha also was a writer; she published many books and magazines through M SO.Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, her conviction resulted to a crisis in her personal life, as well as to the MSO Company. The performance of MSO stocks declined tremendously in the course of her conviction. The employee morale also declined while anxiety and stress levels increased. As a result, the public lost trust in the company. Therefore, the management should adopt a different strategy once Martha returns to the company. In my opinion, stress management training should be integrated into employee development programs. Additionally, a new organizational structure that delegates responsibility and powers on many senior executives, not only on Martha, is appropriate. Strategies to improve Communication The conviction of Martha caused a crisis that created extensive negative consequences in three main organizational areas at MSO management viz. communication , employee relations, and morale and leadership credibility. With regard to communication, the top management at MSO should consider a communication model that emphasizes on teamwork. In particular, the internal communication should focus on improving consumer attitudes and influencing organizational behavior patterns within Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO). Presently, the brand name of MSO is associated with its chief executive officer. Thus, the external communication strategies should aim at making a clear separation between personalities and the company’s identity. In this way, individual business malpractices by the management will not affect the reputation of the company. In essence, the company values override the interests of the founder(s). In addition, the communication model should strengthen the employee performance by informing them of the current trends within MSO and align employee goals with organizational goals. Essentially, employees in any organization possess diverse skills and different cultural backgrounds. Hence, internal communication in MSO should be open and allow participation from all employees. MSO should adopt a communication strategy, whether oral or written, that allows clear expression of expectations, concerns, or suggestions and regular feedback, both internally and externally.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Martha Stewart Omnimedia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a way of enhancing external communication and company image, the MSO management should implement a customer relationship management (CRM) strategy alongside rebranding of its products. CRM employs the Internet and social media to manage customer relationships and enhance customer loyalty and product or price differentiation. MSO management should build a database regarding its customers so that the employees, management and other service providers can easily access customer inf ormation and align their product offerings with customer needs. Additionally, the CRM database can be used to notify customers and investors of any rebranding of the customer products or services (Payne et al., 2001, p. 197). Improvement in telesales or profits will indicate the success of this CRM strategy. Addressing the Employee Morale and Leadership Credibility Issues Evidently, the ImClone scandal that implicated Martha, the MSO’s Chief Executive Officer, led to loss of public trust in the company. Consequently, the employee morale and motivation, as well as performance, were adversely affected (Stajkovic, Luthans, 2003, p. 155). To improve on employee motivation and morale and boost performance, many organizational changes have to be implemented to address the internal problems. Firstly, the MSO management should adopt an organizational structure. With the resignation of Martha as the company’s CEO, much restructuring at the management is necessary. Since the fo under and mentor of the company has left the company, the new top management should endeavor to motivate and raise the morale of the employees, enhance proper communication channels, and align the employee goals with that of the company. According to Maslow’s theory, this will create job security and enhance employee performance. Secondly, the company should adopt a new organizational culture that emphasizes on teamwork. In this way, employee concerns and needs can be addressed adequately. Additionally, a strong organizational culture will promote desirable morals and values that are essential in the future growth of the company. Rebranding is another way the company can project a strong image to the public and enhance employee morale. Mason and Meyer argue that, rebranding influences company image positively especially by the external environment (2006, p. 801). In line with Maslow’s theory, good image will satisfy the self-esteem needs of the employees and enhance th eir performance (Stajkovic, Luthans, 2003, p. 171).Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In other words, the MSO management should identify the different levels of employee needs and take the necessary steps to satisfy them. Additionally, increased employee benefits or rewards for top performers can boost employee morale and performance. However, the management should make careful deliberations with regard to the rebranding process as this may lead to loss of public trust and employee morale. The rebranding should aim at retaining the appealing public image projected by Martha and establishing a different identity for the company. Reference List Mason, A., Meyer, M. (2006).Living With Martha Stewart Media: Chosen Domesticity in the Experience of Fan. Journal of communication, 63(51), 801-804 Payne, A., Christopher, M., Clark, M., Peck, H. (2001). Relationship marketing for  Competitive advantage. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Stajkovic, D., Luthans, F. (2003). Behavioral management and task performance In organizations: conceptual background, meta-analysis, and te st of alternative Models. Personnel Psychology, 56(18), 155-194 This report on Martha Stewart Omnimedia was written and submitted by user Crimson Dynamo to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, March 9, 2020

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer

How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The maximum score on the ACT is a 36. Out of the 1.8 million students who take the test every year, only about 1,000 get the highest possible ACT score. This elusive perfect score places you at the top of millions of high school students and can be a big boost to your college applications. I scored a perfect score on the ACT. Most of the advice out there about how to get a perfect score comes from people who didn't get perfect scores. In this exclusive article, I'll be breaking down exactly what it takes, and the techniques I used to get a perfect score. Quick Disclaimer Let me start with a disclaimer: I'm a humble person, and I don't like talking about my accomplishments without good reason. I know a lot of you are looking to score the highest ACT score possible, so I've written this guide to help you get there. So whatever I say here, please take it as advice from a mentor eager to help, not as a braggart strutting his stuff. (Even if you're not aiming for a perfect score, you're going to find this helpful). Another disclaimer: I co-founded the company PrepScholar- we create online ACT/SAT prep programs that adapt to you and your strengths and weaknesses. I want to emphasize that you do NOT need to buy a full prep program to get a great score. If you follow the principles below and are very driven, you'll do just fine. I do believe that PrepScholar is the best ACT program available right now, especially if you find it hard to organize your prep and don't know what to study. I'll refer to decisions we made in creating the program to flesh out principles I discuss below. What It Takes to Get a 36 on the ACT At the top end of the scoring range, the ACT is not forgiving. You need to aim for perfection. Because the ACT uses Composite scores, what you need to aim for is a 35.5 average or higher. This means you can get two 35's and two 36's, or one 34 and three 36's. If you get even one 33, you're already not going to get a perfect ACT score. What does it take to get a 36 in each section? This varies a little from test to test, as each test has different difficulty levels. I studied the scoring charts of five practice tests, and here are the conclusions: In English, you can miss 0 questions. This means a full raw score of 75.If you miss 1 question, you always got a 35. In Math, you can miss 0 questions or 1 question.Two practice tests let you miss 1 question to keep a 36. The other three tests gave a 35 if you missed 1 question. In Reading, you can miss 0 questions. In one practice test only, you could miss 2 questions- this test likely contained an abnormally difficult passage. In Science, you can miss 0 questions.In all five practice tests, missing a single question brought your Science score down to a 35 or even a 34. Here's a sample score chart from an official ACT: Essentially, you need to aim for perfection during your prep. If you're consistently missing 1 or more questions on each section, you're not performing consistently enough to be safe for a 36. We'll go into more detail about this below. If you want to confirm my statements here, check out the ACT score charts for official practice tests. One last question to answer before my actual advice on how to get a 36 on the ACT: But Wait...Are You Just Smart? Will This Advice Work for Me? You may have heard about perfect students who just rolled out of bed, strolled to the ACT test center, and scored the highest possible ACT score without any prep. This was not me. Some people like the ones above may in fact exist, but they're rare.In high school, I was naturally stronger at math- I participated in math and science competitions- and I could reliably get 800's on the SAT math section (I focused my prep for the SAT). But my reading and writing needed work. When I started off, I consistently got in the 700 range. Now, this is already pretty high, but it wasn't enough for Ivy League schools and other colleges I wanted to go to. I just wasn't that accustomed to the ACT reading passages and the types of questions they asked. It took a lot of hard work for me to learn how the ACT works, how it tries to trick students, and how to find a strategy that worked for myself so I could reliably get top scores.My co-founder at PrepScholarhad a similar story. Since I'm older, I also have the benefit of seeing whether my methods worked over time, or just on the ACT. Emphatically, the principles below have worked throughout my academic career. Here's another example. As an undergraduate in college, I planned to attend medical school, so I had to take the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test). In my view, this is a much harder test than the ACT. It covers many more topics: general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, biology, and verbal reasoning. Furthermore, you're competing with pre-med students across the nation, people who are naturally driven and dying to get into medical school, not just average high school students. When I started studying for the MCAT, I scored around the low 30's. The test was scored out of 45 and was curved very aggressively. Again, this was already well above average, but it wasn't enough for the top medical schools I was going for. So I worked hard. I put in the time, covered all the subjects I needed to know, and was ruthless about my prep. In the very end, I scored a 44: As the testing organization notes, this is in the 99.9 percentile rank, with 0.0% achieving this score (this figure is rounded). I had multiple medical advisers tell me that they had never seen a score this high before, and there might indeed be fewer than 3 people per year- or none at all- who get a 44.Scoring this high definitely helped me get into the MD-PhD program at Harvard Medical School and MIT. I wish I were talented enough to get these test scores naturally without hundreds of hours of hard work. That would be the cooler thing to say. But it wasn't true for me, and it probably won't be true for you either. With this foundation laid, here's the meat of what I want to say: What Do You Need to Do to Get a Perfect 36 ACT Score? In broad strokes, it takes a lot of hard work, a lot of smart work, and some amount of luck. But this isn't helpful. Let's dig deeper. You have to want it. Really, really want It. You need the drive to push yourself. You need to put ACT prep as one of your top priorities in life, overcoming watching YouTube or hanging out at the mall. In the darkest of days, when you take a practice test and drop 3 points inexplicably, and your parents are freaking out, and you're worried you're never getting into Harvard, you need the inner fire to not fall into a rut. Instead, you need to pull yourself up and calmly rip apart your mistakes so you don't repeat them. People don't often mention motivation when talking about test prep, but in my view this is one of the most important pieces that differentiate successful people from not, in all aspects of life. It's much more important than just being smart. Make a list of all the reasons you want to get a perfect score. Write them down. Stare at them when you lose energy or motivation. Want to get into Harvard or an Ivy League school? Want to make up for a bad GPA? Want to prove to your parents that you can beat their expectations? Want to compete with your friends?Want to show up your 3rd grade teacher who said you would never amount to anything? That's all good. Anything that drives you from within is a valid reason to work hard. In my personal case, beyond the academic benefits, I thought the ACT was a dumb test that was impeding my life. I was angry at test writers who devised tricks to fool students. I approached it like a video game- the ACT was a boss that I needed to dominate. Plus, my brother had a near-perfect score, and I wanted to one-up him. Write down all the reasons you want a perfect score and use it to motivate yourself every study session. Exclusive Blog Bonus: We've written a popular free guide on 5 tips to improving your ACT score by 4+ points. Get a free download here. Step 1: Do High-Quality Practice and Avoid Low-Quality Materials The ACT is a weird test. It's unlike tests that you've taken throughout school. There's a specific format to each section, and it tests concepts in ways that are likely different from what you've studied in school. It also tends to trick you with lots of bait wrong answers, and if you're not careful, you'll continue to fall for these. To excel at this test, you need the highest-quality practice materials. Because the ACT has questions that are twisted in a particular way, you need to train in exactly the way they're twisted so you learn the patterns. As we've said before, by far the best practice material comes directly from the ACT in the form of official ACT practice tests. We include these tests in our ACT prep program at PrepScholar. Just like the mantra about your diet and body, what you put in is what you get out. Trash in, trash out. If you train yourself on questions that aren't anything like what the ACT writes, you're going to learn the wrong patterns. Using bad materials is like training for baseball by playing tee-ball. Yes, if you spend 1000 hours practicing tee-ball, you'll be a pro at hitting a ball off a stick. But when someone pitches a real baseball at you, you're going to get super confused and likely end up striking out. This is what you're doing if you study with bad materials. To be frank, most of the books available on the market are trash. They have a lot of questions, but they're written by people who aren't truly experts on the test. This means the questions don't test concepts in the same way; the answers are sometimes ambiguous; the questions don't trick you in the same way the ACT does. When I was studying, I devoured every ACT practice test I could find. I took over 15 full-length practice tests and was ruthless about finding my mistakes, as I'll talk about soon. Now, a major weakness of the ACT practice tests is that their explanations aren't very good (and sometimes nonexistent). If you don't know how to teach yourself from your mistakes, you may need supplemental materials focused on a single section. Generally, books rated 4.5 stars and above on Amazon are pre-vetted to be pretty good (read here for my reviews of the best ACT prep books). In my company PrepScholar, we hired only ACT full-scorers and 99 percentile scorers to write all our questions. You need to have mastered the test to really understand the intricacies of how the ACT works. We turned away applicants who scored below a 33 since they really don't understand the test well enough. We then triple-checked all our content for quality and resemblance to the real ACT test so that our students have the best possible prep materials. Collect good prep materials and study using only these. Step 2: Focus on Quality First, Quantity Second Now you have a lot of materials, whether it's through PrepScholar or prep books. Some students focus hard on getting through every single page of every book they have. They might not know why they're studying what they're studying, but at least they sure put in a lot of time and effort! This is the wrong idea. You don't want to pound your head against the wall and use a brute force approach. Improving your ACT score is about quality first, and quantity second. It's so tempting to just focus on getting work done, because that's the easy part. "Mom, I'm studying hard, I did 10 practice tests this week!" Great- you probably didn't have any time to review your mistakes, and I bet your score didn't improve from test to test. Understanding your weaknesses, as we discuss below, is what takes real energy and insight, and it's what really works. Think about it this way- let's say you're learning to throw a football with a perfect spiral. You can pick up a football and, by trial and error, if you throw it 1,000 times, you'll make some progress. Now imagine you have New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady standing by your side. You throw the ball once, and he corrects your technique. Angle your leg back this way, have your hand follow a certain motion, and follow through. You try again, and it's way better. In throwing 50 balls this way, I'm certain you'd end up doing better than 1,000 by yourself. I'm not suggesting that Tom Brady in this analogy is a tutor, and that you must have a tutor. You can be your own Tom Brady, and we discuss below how to do that. But you need to make sure you get the most out of your studying and make it as efficient as possibleto have a chance at a perfect ACT score. You need your own ACT Tom Brady. Step 3: Be Ruthless About Understanding Your Mistakes When you're actually studying, this is by far the most important way you'll succeed over other students. Every mistake you make on a test happens for a reason. If you don't understand exactly why you missed that question, you will make that mistake over and over again. If you're performing at the 32 level, you're missing around 10% of the questions. This means you have some consistent errors that are holding back your score. This is what you need to do: On every practice test or question set that you take, mark every question that you're even 20% unsure about. When you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. This way even if you guessed a question correctly, you'll make sure to review it. In a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by subject and sub-topic (english- grammar rule vs rhetorical skill, math- numbers vs algebra vs geometry, etc.) It's not enough to just think about it and move on. It's not enough to just read the answer explanation passively. You have to think hard about why you specifically failed on this question. By taking this strict, regimented approach to your mistakes,you'll now have a running log of every question you missed, and your reflection on why. Everyone who wants to get to a 36 on a section has different weaknesses from you. It's important that you discover for yourself what those are. Now, what are some common reasons that you missed a question? Don't just say, "I didn't get this question." Always take it one step further- what specifically did you miss, and what do you have to improve in the future? Here are some examples of common reasons you miss a question, and how you take the analysis one step further: Content: I didn't have the skill or knowledge needed to answer this question. One step further:What specific skill do I need to learn, and how will I train this skill? Incorrect Approach: I knew the content, but I didn't know how to approach this question. One step further:How do I solve the question, and is there a general rule that I need to know for the future? Wrong Guess:I was stuck between two answer choices, and I guessed wrong. One step further: Why could I not eliminate one of the last answer choices? Knowing the correct answer now, how I can eliminate it? Does this suggest a strategy I can remember for the future? Careless Error: I misread what the question was asking for or solved for the wrong thing One step further:Why did I misread the question? What should I do in the future to avoid this? Does this seem hard? It is- you have to think hard about why you're falling short and understand yourself in a way that no one else can. But few students actually put in the effort to do this analysis, and this is how you'll pull ahead. By the end of my studying, I had notebooks filled with practice questions that I'd missed, and when eating breakfast I could thumb through them to review them, like flashcards. Each mistake understood brought me closer to a perfect ACT score. Adopt a no-mistake-left-behind policy toward your mistakes. Letting one slip through can mean you make the same mistake on your real ACT. No excuses when it comes to your mistakes. Step 4: Find Patterns in Your Weaknesses, and Drill Them to Perfection Now that you're collecting mistakes in a notebook, you'll be able to start finding patterns to your weaknesses. This might be a content area- like problems with math circle problems, or a specific grammar rule. Or it might be a personal habit of yours, like misreading the passage or eliminating the wrong answer. Focusing on your weaknesses is important because you have a limited amount of time to study, and you need to spend that time on the areas that will get you the biggest score improvement. I've worked with students who just love drilling their strong points because it's comfortable. Of course, this is a waste of time- you have to confront your demons and pick at where you're weak, which is uncomfortable and difficult. I kept track of my mistakes in an Excel spreadsheet. I found, for example, that I consistently missed Reading passage questions about inferences because I was reading too far into what the author was saying. I then focused on drilling those specific types of questions until I had developed my own strategy for solving the questions. As another example, you might find that you get confused by certain ACT vocabulary. The ACT doesn't test vocabulary nearly as much as the SAT does, but it tends to use the same words over and over again. We've compiled the most important ACT vocabulary you need to know, with a guide on the best way to memorize vocab words. Depending on your area of weakness, you may need to search online for resources for that content area, or use a high quality book, as I mentioned above. In our PrepScholar program, we detect your weaknesses andautomatically organize your quizzes by skill so that you can focus on learning and not on the higher-level activities of analyzing your own progress. By the way, a quick side point- be suspicious of any content-level strategies that promise you results. By content-level, I mean strategies that tell you how you must solve a type of question. At your level, you need to focus on what works best for you. For example, people approach reading passages differently. Some read the passage first, then answer questions. Some skim questions first, then go back to the passage. I know what works best for me, but that's not necessarily what works best for you. What you will have to do is aggregate strategies for your weaknesses, then test them out yourself to see if they work for you. Specific strategies for each weakness is out of scope of this article, but we'll post examples later- make sure you subscribe to our blog to get the most recent updates. Find the weak link in your chain. Step 5: Eliminate Careless Errors These types of mistakes are by far the most frustrating. You know the content, you know how to solve it, but because of a misreading of the question, you miss a point from your raw score. This can already disqualify you from a 36 in every single section. In my own ACT, I made careless errors because I was trying to finish early and save time for the end, so I would rush through questions too quickly. I hated myself every time I made a careless error. But when I focused on the two things below, I was able to claim back my lost points. #1: Double check that you're answering the right question. The ACT is designed to ask you tricky questions.You might find the area of the square, but the question actually asks for the perimeter. To eliminate this, always underline what the question asks you to solve for. Don’t stop your work until you solve for the correct thing. Another strategy is to write what the question is looking for in your scratch area. For example, if it asks for seconds instead of minutes, write â€Å"= ____ seconds† and circle it before you start your work. This might sound like extra work, but how you defeat careless errors is by having a reliable, failproof system. #2: For English, a common careless error is choosing "(A) NO CHANGE"in sentence error questions.Whenever this happens, make sure you double check the other answer choices to make sure that NO CHANGE is absolutely the best answer choice. You should check especially for grammar rules that are easy to overlook, like Subject-Verb Agreement and Misplaced Modifier. By analyzing your mistakes, you'll be able to find patterns in grammar rule weaknesses that you have. You can then build your own system for grammar rules that you often miss- for example, for Subject-Verb Agreement, identify the subject and the verb, and then make sure they match. Watch out for the banana peel of the ACTs- careless errors. Step 6: Get Fast Enough to Always Double Check Your Answers Now that you’re aiming for a top score, you need to finish each section ahead of time to give yourself time to double check your answers. A good rule of thumb is to finish the section with at least 5 minutes to spare. As you get better at the ACT, this will be easier to accomplish since you’ll solve each question in less time. The ACT has pretty intense time pressure- more than the SAT. Where on the SAT I reliably finished each section with five to ten minutes to spare, on the ACT I was often left with just five. But with this time, I would mark any questions that I felt I had to return to and double-check. I had enough time to review all my answers at least once. The real time-killers are questions you get stuck on. It’s very easy to get sucked into a question for five minutes, frustrated that the ACT is taking a point away from you. Avoid this temptation. Follow this rule: if you’ve spent 30 seconds on a question and can’t see how you’re going to get to the answer, circle the question, and skip it. You’ll have time at the end to come back to it. For now, you need to work on the other questions.How do you double check effectively? It varies between sections. For math, you should try to re-solve the question quickly in a different way. For some questions, you’ll be able to plug the answer back in. For others, you’ll just need to check your steps you took the first time around.For English, confirm that the answer choice fixes the original grammatical error. Again, for NO CHANGE answer choices, make sure you aren't missing something in the question.For Reading, confirm that there is no other bette r answer choice than the one you picked. For passage questions, make sure you rule out three incorrect answers. For Science, make sure you calculated correctly (if it's a calculation question), or that you're reading the right graphs on the test. It's easy to mix up Figure 2 and Figure 3 when you're moving fast. As you get better at the test, you'll have more time left. Aim for at least five minutes left after each section, and use that time to doublecheck your answers. Step 7: Don't Get Inside Your Own Head During the Test If you're vying for a perfect 36 score, you'll face pressure during the test. You know how little room for error there is. This means that if you're having trouble with a question, it's easy to psyche yourself out. "Oh no! I'm having trouble with this math question. If I don't get this right, my 36 in math is gone!" This will make you nervous, which makes you even less likely to answer the question, which makes you more nervous, and so forth. This vicious spiral can suck you down for the rest of the test. Controlling your mental status is important during the test. Just like a pro athlete or performer, you need to be confident about your skills. You already put in a ton of work, and you've learned most of what the ACT has to throw at you. The last thing you want to do now is ruin more of the test. So it's a single question you're unsure about- this doesn't affect your performance on any other question. Try your best and clear your head, then move on. Stay calm during the test, even if you get confused on a question. Does All of This Really Work? I can say from personal experience that these are the principles that I used to excel in academics. If you follow these principles for your own classes and in college, you'll do an amazing job. I would also be hard-pressed to find any top scoring student who doesn't agree whole-heartedly with the advice above. This advice also works if you're not aiming for a 36. If you want to improve from a 24 to a 30, you can use these principles to power your learning. These principles also work in life. As a startup founder, I adhere to lean principlesto constantly analyze where my weaknesses are, how to build them, and how to focus on what's really important for our company. While the ACT tests specific skills that you may not use in everyday life, the process of preparing for it can teach you a lot about yourself, your limits, and your ambitions. This sounds a little hokey, but take it from this old man, you can learn a lot about yourself. Finally, keep in mind that you don't need a 36 to get into top colleges! A 34+ will make you more than competitive for top schools, like the Ivy League. If you get a 34, your time is better spent building up the rest of your application than eking out a few more points. Quick Plug:I've mentioned my company PrepScholar a few times. If you agree with what I say above, you'd like my course. I designed our ACT course around the principles above, knowing that most students don't have the energy or expertise to diagnose their own weaknesses. PrepScholar automatically figures out what you need to work on and focuses your learning by drilling your weak skills. It also builds in motivational features so you're up to date on your progress and commit to more study time. Check out our ACT program here. What's Next? Now that you've learned how to get a perfect score on the ACT, the hard work is ahead. Check out our guides on getting a 36 on each of the ACT sections: English, Math, Scienceand Reading. If you liked this article, you'll also like our logistics articles on choosing the best test dates and the best test locations. Every detail matters. If you missed the link above, here's the ACT vocabulary you must know. Finally, check out our online ACT prep program.We have a 4+ point money back guarantee: if you finish our course and don't improve by 4 points, you get all your money back, no questions asked. Try our program with a 5-day free trial today: