Dynamic Programming Essay

Dynamic Programming is a mathematical technique dealing with the optimization of multistage decision processes. In this technique, decisions regarding a certain problem are typically optimized in stages rather than simultaneously. This generally signifies that the original decision problem is divided into small sub-problem (stages) which can then be handled more efficiently from the computational view point. Basic Elements of Dynamic Programming To apply Dynamic Programming, we have to pay special attention to the three basic elements of the DP Model. They are: 1. Definition of the stages. 2. Definition of the alternatives at each stage. 3. Definition of the states for each stage. Definition of the states varies depending on the situation being modeled. Nevertheless, as we investigate each application, we will find it helpful to consider the following questions: 1. What relationships bind the stages together? 2. What information is needed to make feasible decisions at the current stage without reexamining the decisions made at previous stages? Application of the Dynamic Programming in the Business World We will try to present three application models and finally a worked out implementation of Dynamic Programming showing the superiority of DP over the usual or straight forward method of solution. 1. Work Force Model: In some construction projects, hiring and firing are exercised to maintain a labour force that meets the needs of the project. Given that the activities of hiring and firing both incur additional costs. In such cases, through the implementation of DP Model, we can get the optimum result regarding how the labor force should be maintained throughout the life of the project. For example: A construction contractor estimates that the size of the work force needed over the next 5 weeks is to be 5, 7, 8, 4 and 6 workers respectively. Excess labor kept on the force will cost $300 per week and new hiring in any week will incur a fixed cost of $400 plus $200 per worker per week. The elements of this DP model are: 1. Stage i Such problem can optimally be solved through DP Model. Equipment Replacement Model: The longer a machine stays in service, the higher is its maintenance cost, and the lower its productivity. When a machine reaches a certain age, it may be more economical to replace it. The problem thus turns into determining the most economical age of a machine. Suppose that we are studying the machine replacement problem over a span of n years. At the start of each year, we decide whether to keep the machine in service an extra year or to replace it with a new one. For example: Shajib Farms wants to develop a replacement policy for its 2-year-old tractor over the next 5 years. A tractor must be kept in service for at least 3 years, but must be disposed of after 5 years. The current purchase price of a tractor is $40,000 and increases by 10% a year. The salvage value of a 1-year-old tractor is $30,000 and decreases by 10% a year. The current annual operating cost of the tractor is $1,300 but is expected to increase by 10% a year. Such problem can optimally be solved easily by applying DP Model. Investment Model We commonly assume that an investor wants to maximize â€Å"Total Return†. Suppose that Mr. Jamal wants to invest Tk. 4,000,000 (4 Million) now and 2,000,00 (2 Million) at the starts of years 2 to 4. The interest rate offered by NCC Bank is 8% compounded annually and the bonuses over the next 4 years are 1.8%, 1.7%, 2.1% and 2.5% respectively. The annual interest rate offered by Eastern Bank is 2% lower than that of NCC Bank, but its bonus is .5% higher. The objective is to maximize the accumulated capital at the end of 4 years. Such problem can also optimally be solved easily by applying DP Model. A company is selecting the advertising for its productand the frequency of advertising by each material are shown in the following table: |Frequency per week |Expected Sales (In Tk. 1,000) | | |Television |Radio |Newspaper | |0 |0 |0 |0 | |1 |25 |20 |33 | |2 |42 |38 |43 | |3 |55 |54 |47 | |4 |63 |65 |50 | We have to determine the optimum combination of advertising frequency and sales. Solution: States: Let X1= The frequency of advertisement at stage-1 (0~6) X2= The frequency of advertisement at stage-2 (0~6) X3= The frequency of advertisement at stage-3 (=6) S= Total Frequncy Stage-1 |Total Frequency (S) |Frequency at |Expected Sales | | |Stage-1(X1) | | |0 |0 |0 | |1 |1 |25 | |2 |2 |42 | |3 |3 |55 | |4 |4 |63 | Stage-2 | X2 |f 2(S, X2)=R2(X2)+ f 1*(S-X2) | | | | | |f2*(S) |X2* | |S | | | | | |0 |1 |2 |3 |4 | | | |0 |0+0=0 | | | | |0 |0 | |1 |0+25=25 |20+0=20 | | | |25 |0 | |2 |0+42=42 |20+25=45 |38+0=38 | | |45 |1 | |3 |0+55=55 |20+42=62 |38+25=63 |54+0=54 | |63 |2 | |4 |0+63=63 |20+55=75 |38+42=80 |54+25=79 |65+0=65 |80 |2 | Stage-3 | X2 |f 3(S, X3)=R3(X3)+ f 2*(S-X3) | | | | | |f3*(S) |X3* | |S | | | | | |0 |1 |2 |3 |4 | | | |4 |0+80=80 |33+63=96 |43+45=88 |47+25=72 |50+0=50 |96 |1 | Now we can derive the optimal values: X1=1 X2=2 X3=1 Expected Sales= 96,000 Usual or Straight forward method of solution √ Circle indicates alternative plans at each stage & √ Arrows represent the decision. The features of the above exhaustive enumeration scheme are: 1. All the decisions of any combination must specified before a combination can be evaluated. Here during solution, we have to make 64 alternative plans first. 2. An optimum policy cannot be determined until all combinations have been evaluated. This method is inefficient because some of the combination may not be feasible. 3. In other cases the number of combination may be too large to allow exhaustive listing. The Dynamic Programming approach avoids the above mentioned difficulties by first breaking up the problem into smaller sub-problems which are called stages in DP. A stage here signifies a portion of the problem for which a separate decision can be made.

Diabetes Research Essay

Diabetes is often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus. This describes a group of diseases in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar). This could be because either insulin production is inadequate or the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin. There are 3 types of diabetes: 1)Type 1 Diabetes: The body does not produce insulin. People usually develop type 1 diabetes in early adulthood or teenage years. Approximately 10% of all diabetes cases are type 1, it is nowhere near as common as type 2. Patients with type 1 diabetes will need to take insulin injections for the rest of their life and carry out regular blood tests and a special diet to ensure proper blood-glucose levels. 2)Type 2 Diabetes: The body does not produce enough insulin for proper function, or the cells in the body do not react to insulin. Some people may be able to control their type 2 diabetes symptoms by losing weight, a healthy diet, and doing lots of exercise. They would also have to monitor their blood-glucose levels. Although the patients will most likely end up having to take insulin in tablet form because type 2 diabetes is typically a progressive disease. 3)Gestational Diabetes: This type affects woman during pregnancy, some woman have very high levels of glucose in their bodies and are unable to produce enough insulin. The majority of gestational diabetes patients can control their diabetes with exercise and diet. Undiagnosed or uncontrolled gestational diabetes can raise the risk of complications during childbirth. History For 2,000 years diabetes has been recognized as a devastating and deadly disease. In the 17th century a London physician, Dr. Thomas Willis,  determined whether his patients had diabetes or not by sampling their urine. If it had a sweet taste he would diagnose them with diabetes mellitus- â€Å"honeyed† diabetes. In the early 20th century, diabetologists such as Dr. Frederick Allen prescribed low calorie diets-as little as 450 calories per day for his patients. His diet prolonged the life of people with diabetes but kept them weak and suffering from near starvation. In his book, The Discovery of Insulin, Michael Bliss describes the painful wasting death of many people with diabetes before insulin: â€Å"Food and drink no longer mattered, often could not be taken. A restless drowsiness shaded into semi-consciousness. As the lungs heaved desperately to expel carbonic acid (as carbon dioxide), the dying diabetic took huge gasps of air to try to increase his capacity. ‘Air hunger’ the doctors called it, and the whole process was sometimes described as ‘internal suffocation.’ The gasping and sighing and sweet smell lingered on as the unconsciousness became a deep diabetic coma. At that point the family could make its arrangements with the undertaker, for within a few hours death would end the suffering.† Then in 1921 something truly miraculous occurred in Ontario, Canada. A young surgeon Frederick Banting, and his assistant Charles Best, kept a severely diabetic dog alive for 70 days by injecting it with a murky concoction of canine pancreas extract. Since insulin’s discovery, medical breakthroughs continued to prolong and ease the lives of people with diabetes. In 1935 Roger Hinsworth discovered there were two types of diabetes: â€Å"insulin sensitive† (type I) and â€Å"insulin insensitive† (type II). By differentiating between the two types of diabetes, Hinsworth helped open up new avenues of treatment. In the 1950s, oral medications-sulfonylureas were developed for people with type II. These drugs stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin, helping people with type II diabetes keep tighter control over their blood sugars. In the 1960s urine strips were developed, and Becton-Dickinson introduced the single use syringe in 1961. This greatly reduced the amo unt of pain from injections as well as the time-consuming ritual of boiling needles and glass syringes. Chemistry behind diabetes Diabetes is characterized by elevated levels of glucose in the body. The management of insulin therapy in relation to carbohydrates can be hard to deal with for most diabetics. Carbohydrates lead to increased blood sugar. Once digested, carbohydrates break down into glucose molecules, which are then converted into ATP in the cells with insulin. Too little insulin causes an excess of unconverted glucose, and too much insulin causes low blood sugar. Carbohydrates are necessary when a diabetic is experiencing hypoglycemia to compensate for the excess insulin in the blood stream, which can lead to serious consequences, such as seizure or even death. Social Impacts Diabetes is more than a health condition. For most people, it’s a new way of life, and it affects relationships in all areas as much as it affects eating and physical activity. One challenge facing a diabetes student is the ongoing medical care required during school hours. It is up to the parents to make sure the school officials, nurses, and teachers are educated and comply with their child’s needs. Another challenge is helping the child fit in. often other children have no knowledge or understanding of diabetes and with a perception that the child is being treated differently this could lead to teasing and possibly bullying. Sports are an important part of many people’s lives. Teamwork and physical activity are vital parts of a well-rounded life. Diabetes doesn’t have to alter that Exercise is essential in diabetes management, and participation in sports can provide this and other benefits. But it does require some extra effort by the diabetic. Economic impacts Diabetes is a disease that occurs worldwide, and therefore its economic impact is experienced globally. With increasing concern among providers about the rising cost of health care, economic assessments of the impact of various diseases are growing in importance. This imposes a large economic burden on the individual, national healthcare system and economy. Environmental impacts Environmental factors appear to play an important role in the pathogenesis of childhood-onset of type 1 diabetes. Breastfeeding, the early presence or lack of certain foods, birth weight, childhood over-nutrition, and negative stress events have been shown to be related to the prevalence of type 1 diabetes. More studies are starting to show that pollution can affect the symptoms of diabetes by increasing inflammation and contributing to weight gain. People who live in urban areas are more likely to breathe polluted air, which is believed to be a factor in insulin resistance. Moreover, diabetics have a harder time controlling blood flow during times where air pollution is increased leading to intensified cardiovascular problems.

Relationship between RMG Export growth and GDP of Bangladesh

Karakul Hosing, Professor of the Department of Finance, University of Dacha for his constant supervision, moral support, valuable instruction, & helpful advice during the course of studies & research work. Finally, I am deeply indebted to my family, teachers, & friends whose invaluable support & encouragement have done much to make this report a successful one. Description ARM Redeemed garments Export A function of international trade whereby goods produced in one country is shipped to another country for future sale or trade.GAP The monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific period, though GAP is usually calculated on an annual basis. It includes all of private and public consumption, government outlays, investments, and exports less imports that occur within a defined territory. PEP Exports Promotion Burro Qualitative control Acceptance sampling, can be used when a decision must be made to accept or reject a group of part s or items based on the quality found in a sample. Net Exports (NIX) The value of a country's total exports minus the value of its total imports.It is used to calculate a country's aggregate expenditures, or GAP, in an open economy variable A variable is any characteristics, number, or quantity that can be measured or counted. A variable may also be called a data item LAST Lot Quality Assessment Technique Work schedule A work schedule includes the days of the week and times of the day a particular employee is scheduled to work of a research or project. A nation could accelerate the rate of economic growth by promoting exports of goods and services. Remittance plays a vital role to economic development of that country.At present, Bangladesh is a good amount of remittance from export of ARM from 1970. By PAYOFF, within a span of about two decades exports have gone up to USED 4. 5 billion. Over the past decade alone, the sector registered a phenomenal growth rate of 15 percent per annu m, which is impressive. In fact, this was an exceptionally high growth rate for an emerging industry anywhere in the world. The industrial base, which sustained such high growths, also enjoyed a robust expansion, from less than 50 factories in 1983 to more than 3,400 in 2002, with the number of ARM workers reaching approximately 1. Million. Trend of period average simple growth rate of total export of Bangladesh is almost similar in two periods; 1980-90 and 1991-2004. During the whole period under consideration ready-made garments, (ARM) exports contribute lion's share (around 75 percent). For ARM export as a whole, the average annual growth rate is much higher (95. 2 percent) during the first period. Of the ARM export, the average annual Roth rate of knitwear export is much higher (74. 0 percent) during the last period as compared to woven wear.Working adolescent girls tend to avoid early marriage as they have their own source of income and are self-dependent. The mean age at marri age for girls working in ARM, factories tend to be higher than the national average. Employment opportunities especially for women created positive impact on family planning and population control in the country. Independent working-women are getting more conscious about the advantage of a small family, and are exposed to modern family planning methods.Nevertheless, repeatedly times the magnitude of its multiplier impact and implications will Justify the support that this sector has been given over the past years and the support it is currently seeking from the government. In PAYOFF Bangladesh exported ARM products worth 4. 5 billion US dollars. Her share in total US imports of apparels was 3. 2%; in EX. it was 3. 3% and in Canada it was 3. 0%. Bangladesh is known in these countries as a small country with a strong presence. This research proposal attempts to qualify the inter-relationship between Export growths of ARM and GAP of Bangladesh.

Research methods assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Research methods - Assignment Example sistent health anxiety not only causes great suffering for the patient and those around them but is also costly in terms of higher medical care utilization (Barsky, Ettner, Horsky & Bates, 2001). Hence, it remains a priority to understand the aetiology and maintenance of hypochondriasis and to develop effective treatments. Although DSM-IV-TR (2000) currently classifies hypochondriasis as a somatoform disorder it has been argued that the underlying cognitive processes are more consistent with those in anxiety disorders (Mayou, Kirmayer, Simon, Kroenke, & Sharpe, 2005; Noyes, 1999; Olatunji, 2009; Deacon &Abramowitz, 2009,) and thus it has been conceptualized as such for the purposes of treatment (Paul, Warwick, Deale, 2003; David Clark et al., 1998; Wells, 1997). Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling mental illness that has a particularly negative impact on patients with the disorder. For example, compared to normal people, schizophrenics will often face significant problems with developing social relationships, self-care, and are often unable to hold down a job. As a result, everybody knows that they are usually unemployed, socially isolated, and dependent on the financial support of family or public welfare. It is, therefore, imperative that mental health professionals develop effective treatments to tackle the problem. A number of different treatments have been developed to target the problem of Schizophrenia. These include antipsychotic medications, electroconvulsive therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, family education and therapy, and social skills training (Rosenberg & Kosslyn, 2014). Many Schizophrenics don’t like taking medication, usually because of the many distressing and long term negative side-effects. Cons equently, I would recommend treating Schizophrenia with psychological interventions, rather than medication. An experiment was carried out to examine the impact of drinking alcohol on driving ability. One hundred participants took

Legal Rights of Buyers and Sellers Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal Rights of Buyers and Sellers - Case Study Example In Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) website any person can see the consumer rights forum and can use for his rightful purpose. This paper presents about the rights that are applicable to a consumer and a seller. If both parties are in dispute regarding the product they can approach OFT or court. After making an enquiry court will rule in favour of the party that follows the rules and regulations. Lets look at the present case. Bigbeef Ltd is in the business of butchery trade as a wholesale supplier of fresh meat. While supplying the products they give customers a detailed description of the standard terms and conditions of trading which has to be strictly followed. It includes a clause. According to this clause until buyer pays the amount in full the ownership of the goods supplied will remain with the seller, which in this case is Bigbeef Ltd. If the buyer hasn't paid in full or paid some amount then the seller has every right to take action by recovering and selling the goods and may enter buyer's premises for that purpose. Afterwards legal action would be taken against the buyer to recover the dues. Before the payment of the dues if the buyer alters the supplied goods in any way then the seller has the whole property rights on those altered and processed goods until such payments has been made and seller' s would be extended to those altered or processed goods. Until the buyer pays the amount in full for the goods relationship between them would be money related in respect of the goods.Bigbeef Ltd supplied 100 sides of fresh British beef to Frosty Ltd that is a frozen meat distributor and a regular customer. Frosty Ltd hasn't paid any amount regarding the supply of the British beef. Of the 100 sides 75 were cut into joints, packaged and frozen ready for resale. Because of the stringent government laws and regulations regarding labelling of beef the original supplier of the goods can be easily traced. Frosty Ltd sold the remaining 25 sides to a local super market that were supplied by Bigbeef Ltd to Frosty Ltd. Frosty Ltd made no profits from this trade to local super market.The above is the scenario in which one party supplies goods to the second party without receiving any payment. The second party sells a part of the supplies to the third party without making any profits. Due to UK's strict laws with respect to labelling of the goods the second party cannot sell the goods supplied by first party without prior permission from them or until full payment is made. The General Consumer council for Northern Ireland (The Consumer Council) is a statutory body, whose aim is to promote the interests of all consumers. The Consumer Council campaigns on behalf of consumers for the best possible standards of service and protection, undertakes research and gives advice and information and issues publications. The Consumer Council also manages consumer line that gives advice and information to consumers on: Practical help on how you can deal with your problem. Sources of additional help. Advice on using Small Claims Court. Your legal rights as a consumer. The Council has an Environmental Health

ACCOUNTING THEORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ACCOUNTING THEORY - Essay Example Among these are the ground concepts that may be used in the formulation of accounting theories among other aspects of accounting theories. Some contend that in the beginning many primitive societies, those that were in existent in the earliest days, developed the art of counting before developing the art of naming (Brown, 2006, 3). These primitive forms of accounting for the number of items provide the basis by which early societies may be said to have been practicing accounting. Such groups are likes of the Egyptian with the need to account for grain harvested and stored. Examples of other such systems may be found in other early civilizations such as the Greeks and the Tibetans. Over time these systems of accounting for various items moved into the business world. This was in earlier European and Asian countries that mostly participated in trade with one another and within their countries. One will find evidence of the differences in practices among the various countries to indicat e differentiation in as far as the earlier practice of accounting is concerned. There is also need to mention the contribution of the likes of Luca Pacioli who made contributions to the earlier forms of accounting (Riahi-Belkaoui, 2005, 3). He is credited with developing the double entry system of bookkeeping that is still widely taught and practiced in accounting spheres to date. It is though that over time this Italian system of accounting was adopted in most parts of the world. In the United States various forms of accounting methodologies were also being applied. These methods may not have been allowed for uniformity, due to the differences in the underlying guidelines. These theories were to be streamlined with the development of bodies such as the SEC which became the ultimate authority as far as providing guidance on accounting related matters (Previtis, Walton & Wolnizer, 2011, 121). Accounting theory development The development of accounting theory on the other hand may be said to have progressed with the developments that were being experienced in the accounting field. Their development was also being fueled by the changes that were occurring in corporate world. A good example may be the case with the development of the railway that led to the growth of the stock market for the purposes of raising needed financing. This growth in a whole industry catapulted the need to develop theories to be used in corporate financing deals (Schroeder, Clark & Cathey, 2011, 4). The current environment The recent financial crisis affected the world in a way that most did not see coming. This crisis also exposed a lot of the misdeeds that have been happening in the financial world. The effect is that there has been an increase in the oversight that is being paid to these sectors of the economy. Accountants and the accounting theories that they choose to use are being placed under greater scrutiny by various bodies. This is in a bid to try and prevent the recurrence of another crisis. The major concern being caused by the derivatives that have come to play a major part in corporate entities and that may have carried some blame when it comes to the causal effect of the crisis. Accounting for these derivatives requires additional accounting regulations as compared to other marketable securities (Stickney, 2010, 579). Accounting theory definition Before an in depth analysis and look at the various theories and how they affect the accounting world, one needs to be aware of the definition or the basic characteristics of an accounting theory. Dictionaries place the definition as, well organized knowledge that can be applied in a wide variety of situations. These are principles and assumptions that can be used to predict how a given

The Movie Rental Industry of the Future Assignment - 10

The Movie Rental Industry of the Future - Assignment Example It is highly likely that customers will pay per minute for streaming. As a result, it should invest in its streaming services and an online platform (Chapter 3 55). However, it should consider developing features that allow users to view the movies offline. For example, there can be an option for users to download content from the site. Furthermore, industries are being disrupted at an overwhelming pace. As a result, they cannot afford to stick to the present strategy. Instead, it should develop a strategy that is responsive to changes in the market. Â  In order for Netflix to achieve more growth and prosperity in the movie rental industry, it needs to change tack on some things. In addition, it also needs to adopt some new strategies so as to prepare itself for the movie rental industry of the future. Firstly, the organization needs to stop relying on established entertainment houses for content. It should focus on creating its own original content. Although the initial cost of investment will be high, the long-term rewards will be phenomenal. In addition, it will enable it to reduce its operating costs by eliminating the licensing fees paid (Chapter 3 151) Â  Secondly, the organization needs to expand into China, Nigeria, India, and South Africa. The four countries have an established entertainment industry that would be glad to partner with an organization that gives them a platform to reach more consumers. Thirdly, the organization needs to come up with an appropriate pricing plan that enables them to make a profit on their investment but also makes it possible for the price-conscious consumer to buy their service. In addition, it needs to establish different packages for consumers. Â  

Jewish Sabbath Laws and the Practice of Jesus Thesis

Jewish Sabbath Laws and the Practice of Jesus - Thesis Example Evidently, Jesus found nothing unusual about partaking in the religious and cultural practices of his community, and what made the difference was that the strict legalistic interpretation and the practice of the law was not his prime objective when adhering to the Jewish law. Referring to the views of Giorgio Jossa, Stuart argues that there existed a distinct difference in Jesus’ teaching and it was partial regarding the practice of Sabbath. The author points out that Jesus’ views were distinct and unique from those of others in terms of keeping laws (145-147). Most people consider the Sabbath as the day on which Jews refrain from all sorts of work so as to comply with God’s law. However, in real sense (though often undermined), Sabbath is a day of great joy, celebration and rest rather than a day for learning the rules and keeping them. In other words, it is a day on which the Jews can relax being with family, study, pray, and reflect. The Hebrew word  Shabbat  actually means â€Å"rest†. According to Torah, which is the main source of information on Sabbath laws, the celebration of Sabbath intends the remembrance of two important events; the creation of the world and the Israel’s liberation from Egypt. These two events indeed are the central aspects of the Jewish belief, and according to the tradition, people ought to remember those events avoiding all kinds of usual activities. Admittedly, the day is more important than a normal holiday, and hence the restrictions on activities on the Sabbath are also a bit stricter. The prohibited activities include but not limited to cooking,  washing clothes, building, mending, writing, cutting, making a fire, fishing, climbing trees. Obviously, many of the listed activities need extensive interpretation to figure out what they actually stand for or to what extent they are applicable in the present day religious practices.

Pros and Cons of Horizontal and Vertical Analysis Essay

Pros and Cons of Horizontal and Vertical Analysis - Essay Example The above table presents the horizontal analysis of Nike for the three quarters such as Q2, Q3 and Q4 ending November 2012, February 2013 and May 2013. In the horizontal analysis, each line item of income statement is divided by the total revenues figure in order to check the percentage of that line item with respect to sales. If cost of sales of Nike is considered, it can be observed that it has remained quite consistent in all the three quarters and remained around 56% of sales (Nike Inc., 2013). Accordingly, the gross profit margin of the company is around 44%. Nike incurs substantial expenditure over its demand creation activities such that this expenditure covers around 10% of sales every quarter. As far as operating overheads of the company are concerned, the company absorbs the expenditures at around 20% of sales level which remained consistent in previous three quarters. Similarly, selling and administrative expenses of the company are around 30% of the turnover of in each of the three quarters. Other incomes and interest incomes are nearly negligible such that they do not even constitute to 1% sales level. Income before taxes has been improved by 2% in third and fourth quarter as compared to second quarter. Income tax expenditure of the company is also improving, i.e. showing a very minute decline on quarter-level percentages. Net income of the company has increased to double figures especially in third and fourth quarter. Overall, from the horizontal analysis of income statement of Nike, it is quite evident that the company has performed well and maintained consistent percentages of sales in the last three quarters. Vertical Analysis – Balance Sheet    May-13    Feb-13    Nov-12 ASSETS    Current assets: $ in million % change $ in million % change $ in million Cash and equivalents 3,337 30.50% 2,557 11.61% 2,291 Short-term investments 2,628 76.97% 1,485 20.34% 1,234 Accounts receivable, net 3,117 -3.56% 3,232 1.38% 3,188 Inventories 3,4 34 3.15% 3,329 0.33% 3,318 Deferred income taxes 308 12.00% 275 -15.90% 327 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 802 -9.07% 882 20.33% 733 Assets of discontinued operations 0 -100.00% 29 -91.57% 344 Total current assets 13,626 15.58% 11,789 3.10% 11,435 Property, plant and equipment 5,500 2.42% 5,370 1.13% 5,310 Less accumulated depreciation -3,048 -1.99% -3,110 1.90% -3,052 Property, plant and equipment, net 2,452 8.50% 2,260 0.09% 2,258 Identifiable intangible assets, net 382 1.60% 376 0.53% 374 Goodwill 131 0.00% 131 0.00% 131 Deferred income taxes and other assets 993 -6.23% 1,059 8.84% 973 TOTAL ASSETS 17,584 12.61% 15,615 2.93% 15,171

Web Software Testing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Web Software Testing - Research Paper Example Moreover, all the applicable tests are performed according to approved test procedures on approved test cases. However, the software testing process can be assisted with software tools that can be used in order to make the software testing process automated (Mustafa, Al-Qutaish, & Muhairat, 2009; Pressman, 2001). Web based software applications are one of the most evolving type of software systems now a days. In addition, these web applications have been built to support wide range of activities such as business related transactions such as product sale, transactions and delivery, scientific processes such as information transfer and sharing, and medical related activities such as expert system-based diagnoses. Because of the significance of these activities in everyday life, faulty web applications may have negative impact on businesses, economies, scientific evolution. For these reasons, a web application must be completely tested to guarantee that the web application is reliable and complies with its original requirements (Qian, Miao, & Zeng, 2007; Mao, 2009). The properties of web applications include distributive nature, hypermedia, and multi-platform, dynamic, the possibility to generate software components at run time (web services) and interaction with a large number of users. Additionally, web applications are different from the traditional software in the sense that their operating environments are always diverse, heterogeneous and independent. In this scenario, web applications should be tailored to such heterogeneous and diverse client environments, to satisfy the different requirements of the users. However, the main focus of web applications remains usually on the information publication, searching, and indexing as compared to the traditional software. This makes their functionalities comparatively weaker but requires faster up-dating speeds in their contents and

Exaggerated Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Exaggerated Global Warming Essay Global warming is worldwidely experienced climatic phenomenon; but the question is, is it really that serious? Global warming has been a major issue as a result of industrialization as well as human progress since the past few decades. The cry to bring global warming to an end has been carried on by private in addition to international organizations since the initiative was first put forward. Global warming occurs as a result of devastating factors that negatively affect the climate. There are numerous sources that give details about the causes and effects of global warming. Each and every living organism has been negatively affected by the current global warming. This paper will evaluate various sources in order to demonstrate the dangers of global warming. Introduction Gupta asserts that global warming is primarily a change in the climatic conditions of the earth (p, 4). These climatic conditions differ as a result of various reasons; both internal and external. Changes to climatic conditions and thus global warming can occur as a result of natural, for example volcanic emissions and solar activity, or man-made circumstances, such as deforestation. The issue concerning global warming in the United States has in the past few years generated heated debates in the political arena. The former U. S. Vice President, Al Gore, an anti-global warming crusader, through the U. S. National Assessment of Global Warming as pointed out by Harmon, convinced a lot of people that global warming manifest an evident and current danger to the United States (p, 29). However, Al Gore’s report was termed as a misrepresentation claiming that it portrayed deliberate scientific deceit for the purpose of political agenda (Johnston para, 7). Many people, according to Johnston, claim that Al Gore failed the movement for climatic change and that his negligence resulted in an irreplaceable harm to the climate (para, 8). All in all Al Gore notes that global warming is an overwhelming danger currently facing the United States and the world at large. Gore asserts that left uncontrolled, global warming will tremendously affect the future of humankind (Harmon p, 36). Exaggerated Global Warming Global warming occurs as a result of a combination of numerous factors. The solar variation theory, according to DSilva, states that the suns energy has been increasing day by day over the past sixty or so years (para, 1). This theory states that the sun may now be acting as a major cause of global warming. Studies, as illustrated by DSilva, have revealed that the amount of sunspots in a particular area directly affects the amount of time taken by the nearby earth to cool (para, 1). The sun acts as the main source of energy to the earth. The earth takes in a very large percent of the earth’s solar flax. As a result of this flax, the earth, land, and ocean’s atmospheric temperatures increase drastically (Sinha p, 89). Orbital forcing, as Sinha states, is the other factor believed to be a natural cause of global warming (p, 90). The slow tilting of the axis of the earth is also believed to have some negative effects on the climate. This tilting causes the sun to be positioned at different angles than normal, thereby causing it to hit the icebergs. The most significant cause of global warming is the greenhouse effect (Sinha p, 91). Green house effect is the increase in earth’s surface temperature as a result of infrared radiation from the atmosphere. Green house effect has led to an in crease in the atmospheric temperature by about 24%. Increase in carbon dioxide is the main factor that results in greenhouse effect (Gupta p, 8). Methane is the other gas that is linked to global warming. The other factor that may lead to global warming is solar variations; these are the changes that occur in the quantity of radiant energy emitted by the sun. Rapid industrialization is the other factor, in addition to natural causes, that result in an increase in global warming presently. Global warming is believed to have first been experienced about 8,000 years ago with the start of agriculture (Maslin p, 40). Forests were cleared, a factor that increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Industrialization is believed to increase the release of gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, which lead to global warming to the atmosphere. Forests are cleared in order to establish industries. Cutting down of trees results in an increase in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere as trees contain a very high quantity of carbon. Burning of fuel fossils is the other humankind activity that increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the air and, thus an increase in global warming. Over the past two decades the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that results in global warming has increased by about 80% (DSilva para, 5). Although global warming is believed to cause numerous negative environmental effects, it is hard to link specific conditions to global warming. It is also hard to tell whether the link between the global warming and the tremendous global effects attributed to it are true. The former vice president of the United States, Al Gore, was highly criticized for publishing work that many claimed over exaggerated the effects of global warming for political gains (Harmon p, 41). However, the effects of global warming are dangerous and real. The two major effects of global warming are increase in the atmospheric temperature by approximately 3Â ° to 5Â ° C, and the rise of sea level by about 25 meters (Roleff p, 54). Increase in global temperatures result in a wide range of changes including rise in sea levels as a result of thermal expansion of the ocean, along with melting of the land ice. The numbers as well as the patterns of climatic phenomenon predictions are changing at a very high rate as a result of global warming (Maslin p, 45). The total power of hurricanes has increased as a result of global warming; this is due to the increase in their average intensity and duration. Extreme changes in temperature and patterns of prediction increase the frequency, duration, and magnitude of other climatic events such as floods, tornadoes, heat waves as well as draughts (Roleff p, 68). Hurricanes as well as other storms are likely to become more and more intense if the current rate of global warming is not checked (Gupta p, 16). Global warming leads to a drastic reduction in agricultural production. It also leads to glacial retreat, lesser summer street flows, and extinction of certain species. Some species are moving from regions experiencing adverse effects of global warming to cooler regions. This if left unchecked will result in tremendous changes in the ecosystems. Global warming is also believed to cause diseases, which had been eradicated in certain places, to return with severe consequences (Schneider p, 57). On average, precipitation has increased across the world. Schneider notes that the amount of fresh water drastically reduces with increase in global warming (p, 75). This leaves a lot of people as well as animals which rely on it for drinking water and power production without a source. Scientists predict that heat waves, hot extremes in addition to heavy precipitation will become a common phenomenon (Roleff p, 51). Scientists argue that the sea will become more acidic as a result of taking up more carbon dioxide (Schneider p, 79). Global warming, as asserted by Kriengsak, causes devastating economic effects to the U. S. as well as the whole world (para, 1). Kriengsak argues that tornadoes and hurricanes in addition to other storms result in bullions of dollars in damage, disease and control of conflicts that may arise (para, 4). Global warming, according to Roleff, is also believed to be the major cause of extreme cold weather that has recently afflicted the eastern and southern regions of the United States (p, 87). This is believed to be as a result of movement of cold polar air masses to the southern regions. Global warming is also attributed to heavy snow falls. This is due to the fact that higher temperatures results in more evaporation of water in addition to higher humidity content in the atmosphere, and therefore to heavier snows incase the warm, humid air comes across cold air masses moving to the southern regions from the polar regions. The real exaggeration of global warming as a result of man-made related factors must be somehow greater than a factor of two, due to the fact that most of the rise in atmospheric temperature occurred before 1940, but carbon dioxide in addition to other green house gases entered the atmosphere after 1940 (Maslin p, 65). This may lead to a conclusion that the effect of green house can only be accountable for only a few proportions of the observed rise in temperature. Exaggeration of global warming for the last few years, as argued by Maslin, is important as it acts as a resource of the forecasts of a devastating global warming in the next century (p, 112). Conclusion It can therefore be concluded that global warming, which is primarily a change in the climatic conditions of the earth, is a real danger to not only the united states, but also to the rest of the world. Private as well as international organizations have been in the forefront in the fight against global warming. The former vice president of the U. S, Al Gore, though was highly criticized, clearly illustrated the effects of global warming to humankind. The two major effects of global warming are increase in the atmospheric temperature by approximately 3Â ° to 5Â ° C, and the rise of sea level by about 25 meters. Global warming has also resulted in an increase in the total power of hurricanes due to the increase in their average intensity and duration. Global warming leads to a drastic reduction in agricultural production. Global warming causes devastating economic effects to the U. S. as well as the whole world. It also leads to glacial retreat, lesser summer street flows, and extinction of certain species. Work Cited: DSilva, Roy. What Causes Global Warming? N. d. viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/what-causes-global-warming. html Gupta, KR. Global Warming, ISBN 8126908815: Atlantic Publishers Distributors, 2008 Johnston, Robert. Falsehoods in Gores An Inconvenient Truth, 2006 viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://www. johnstonsarchive. net/environment/gore. html Kriengsak, Global Warming: The Economic Risk Factor, n. d. viewed on May 4, 2010 from http://blog. nationmultimedia. com/print. php? id=1693 Maslin, Mark. Global Warming: Causes, Effects, and the Future, ISBN0760329656: Voyageur Press, 2007 Roleff, Tamara. Barbour, Scott. and Swisher, Karin. Global warming: opposing viewpoints, ISBN 1565105125: Greenhaven Press, 1997 Schneider, Stephen. Global warming: are we entering the greenhouse century? ISBN 0718828151: James Clarke Co. , 1990 Sinha, PC. Global Warming, ISBN 817488954X: Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. , 1998 Harmon, Daniel. Al Gore and Global Warming, ISBN 1404217614: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2008

Wheel of Change Sustainability Tool Essay Example for Free

Wheel of Change Sustainability Tool Essay Bob Doppelts Wheel of Change is a great tool for companies that seriously want to change their operations towards sustainability. According to Bob Doppelt, organizations can have the best intentions for improving and moving in a more sustainable direction, yet they fall prey to sustainability blunders. These blunders are: 1- Patriarchal thinking that leads to a false sense of security. This is the most serious of blunders. Employees who are not empowered and only take directives from superiors will lack in personal responsibility to drive change. 2- Silo approach to environmental and socio-economic Issues. Organizations where functions work independent of each other, like islands, have difficulty grasping a 360 view of the companies procedures and opportunity areas. This silo ed approach is an impediment to change. 3- No clear vision on sustainability. Without a clear vision change is not possible. 4- Confusion over cause and effect. When an organization focuses on the symptoms of a problem rather than the root cause of the problem, then the impact on sustainability will not be optimal. 5- Lack of information. Today, more than ever, transparency and the sharing of data are critical aspects in driving employee engagement, customer loyalty and stakeholder support. Transparency is key in driving change. 6- Insufficient mechanism for learning. Organizations that lack an openness to innovation and who do not promote a safe environment for testing and learning will find it very difficult to change their ways. 7- Failure to institutionalize sustainability. For change to happen within and organization, sustainability has to be baked into all aspects of a business. What the wheel of change provides a framework that helps organizations overcome the seven sustainability blunders. The wheel counteracts each blunder with a sort of antidote that, if followed accordingly, guarantees successful implementation for sustainable change. The seven interventions are: Intervention One – Change the dominant mindset through the imperative of achieving sustainability. Organizations need to disrupt the controlling mental models in place. Status Quo needs to be shattered. How can you bring it to life? Relentless and compelling messages from senior executives that make the case for sustainability. Intervention Two – Rearrange the parts by organizing transition teams. Cross functional team involvement and representation from all levels is required. Each team should be as diverse as possible to minimize the risk for status quo perpetuation. Teams will develop new goals and strategies as well as implement plans. Best Practice Example: The Herman Miller company maintains an Environmental Quality Action Team, composed of nine sustainability driven subcommittees. Intervention Three – Change goals by crafting an ideal vision and guiding sustainability principles. Leading organizations use end planning to craft the vision of the new sustainable enterprise. A compelling vision will be felt by the heart and understood by the mind. Best Practice Example: Scandic Hotels adopted a vision towards â€Å"resource caring†. A simple yet compelling way of communicating its objective for waste reduction. Intervention Four – Restructure the rules of engagement by adopting new strategies. Alter the rules that determine how work gets done. Align the rules to the vision. How to bring this to life: Change internal procedures, strategies, tactics and implementation processes in alignment with the new vision. Intervention 5 – Shift information flow by tirelessly Communicating the need, the vision and the strategies. Communication must be consistent, persistent, engaging and transparent. Best Practice Example: At Interface environmental issues are discussed at every staff meeting, every retreat and through internal communication. At one point in time, Ray Anderson said: â€Å"Sustainability has become the language of the company†. Intervention 6 – Correct feedback loops by encouraging and rewarding learning and innovation. Leading organizations have systems set up that allow for accurate feedback to flow as it relates to progress and setbacks. These organizations also reward those willing to take risks, experiment and learn. Best Practice Example: Henkel incorporated the â€Å"Henkel Innovation Awards† awarded to employees who develop sustainable products. Intervention 7 – Adjust the parameters by aligning systems and structures with sustainability. Change towards sustainability is an iterative process. To some extent, Change   Sustainability. In conclusion, The Wheel of Change demonstrates how the seven interventions interact with one another to form continuous transformation and improvements in line with a sustainability imperative.

Analysing The Effects Of Voting Apathy In Democracy Politics Essay

Analysing The Effects Of Voting Apathy In Democracy Politics Essay What is apathy and does it threaten our democracy? During the course of this investigation, I argue that ones understanding of apathy is dependent entirely upon ones interpretation of the term democracy. Beginning with an explanation of the ways in which apathy is apparent within politics, I then attempt to address its causes, concluding that feelings of disconnection and disenchantment with political parties, along with social status and education, are the main determinants of political participation. After doing this, I examine elitist and participatory attitudes towards democracy, finding the concept of apathy within both schools of thought to be radically different. The phenomenon of apathy within politics is usually seen to be expressed through a lack of participation during elections, a failure to engage in discussion and failure to contribute to matters of local significance. It is often measured by examining electoral turnout. Since the middle of the twentieth century many established liberal democracies have experienced declining electoral participation. Indeed, during the 2001 general election, the UK experienced its lowest level of turnout since the introduction of universal suffrage  [1]  . This situation has also been experienced throughout much of the Western world. As Hay (2007) suggests, democratic systems of government clearly require some form of participation in order to appear legitimate, with turnout rates having now fallen low enough to give considerable cause for concern  [2]  . Figure 1 (p.11) represents the average turnout during European and American elections since 1945, whilst figure 2 (p.12) displays the maximum and minimum levels of turnout over a similar period. As the figures show, to experience turnout of below 50% in any election raises many questions about the health of a democracy and the legitimacy of electoral results. How can a government which claims to represent the people be seen as legitimate if more than half of those eligible to vote did not do so? Political apathy as represented through non-voting would seem to have created a crisis of legitimacy. However, to concentrate on electoral participation as the only measure of a healthy democracy is to ignore the many other measurements which characterise a democratic state, such as access to free elections, freedom of speech, or the independence of the judiciary. The way in which one views the significance of participation depends entirely upon which democratic theory is found more convincing, and is an issue which is addressed in greater detail later. So why have participation rates declined so dramatically over recent decades? The Power Inquiry, a 2006 study into political disengagement within the UK, found the most significant factors to be a sentiment amongst voters that their views are simply ignored by politicians and that their opinions are not taken sufficiently into account by the process of political decision-making  [3]  , along with the widely held belief that the main political parties are too similar in character and lacking firm beliefs. Further to this, it was discovered that a lack of understanding or knowledge of political debate and the workings of democracy also increased non-participation  [4]  . A growing distrust of politicians and of politics in general within Western populations has also fostered apathetic sentiment. Within Britain especially, this corrosive cynicism  [5]  has been fuelled by decades of sex and political scandals, corrupt practices and abuse of the parliamentary system. Indeed, the 2010 British Social Attitudes survey found severe distrust of politicians had risen from only 11% in 1987 to 40% today  [6]  . It is perhaps no coincidence that declining participation has occurred during a period where distrust of politicians has risen. Social status and education also play significant roles in determining political participation. Lower class identifiers have historically felt less inclined to participate, either electorally, through conversation with peers, or through membership of an organisation. The link is confirmed by Beeghley (1986), who provides data suggesting a positive correlation between income and participation  [7]  . However, Hillygus (2005) finds that it is education which plays the decisive role as a determinant of future political participation  [8]  . She suggests that in the majority of analyses, education remains the strongest determinant of participation even when measured against other socio-economic factors such as class, gender or race  [9]  . Figure 3 (p.13) demonstrates the relationship between verbal SAT scores (US) and expected future levels of political participation, whilst figure 4 (p.14) shows the pattern repeated, but concerning voting only. We have outlined some possible causes of apathy, finding that non-participation has increased dramatically over recent decades. But is this phenomenon harmful to democracy? As touched upon earlier, the answer to this question depends entirely upon how one understands the meaning of the term democracy. The elitist theory of democracy, centred on a faith in the merits of representative democracy, is rooted in the belief that an enlightened few should control public policy- elitist theorists believing that the masses are too uneducated or uninterested to exercise judgement. Indeed, Bachrach (1980) states that the elite is enlightened, thus its policy is bound to be the public interest  [10]  . Rather than concentrating upon participatory opportunities to assess the health of a democracy, elitists view access to elections and the responsiveness of those elected as the key measure of a democracy  [11]  . All that is required to validate an electoral result is at least some degree of participation (voting). A degree of apathy is to be welcomed, as it is assumed that those who do vote are those with enough knowledge to do so. Elitist theorists such as Schumpeter argue against the classical conception of mass participation, believing that [m]any decisions of fateful importance are of a nature that makes it impossible for the public to experiment with them  [12]  . Matters of national importance, then, are better resolved by elites. Direct participation is not necessary, or desirable, from the public. A central argument of the elitist school is the belief that some measure of apathy within a society actually helps strengthen democracy by stabilising the system of elitist rule. Bachrach (1980) provides a succinct critique of elitist thinking regarding apathy; the ordinary man still plays a role in the system since he has the freedom to vote, to bring pressure upon political elites, and to attempt himself to rise to an elite position. But by and large he does, and is expected to, remain relatively passive in fact the health of the system depends upon it. For if he becomes too activeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦political equilibrium is thrown out of balance  [13]  . Berelson, Lazarsfeld McPhee (1954) add to this by suggesting that low participation rates help established political parties (elites), by preventing the fragmentation of votes towards smaller parties, which would otherwise gain popularity as a result of greater participation. Additionally, low interest provides manoeuvring room for political shifts necessary for a complex society in a period of rapid change  [14]  . Underpinning this is the belief that all societies will inevitably come to be dominated by small minorities, even those which have experienced proletarian revolution (such as the post-revolutionary Soviet Union). As Michels would have it, society cannot exist without a dominant or political class  [15]  . Further to this, Dye Zeigler (2009) believe that a strong democracy does not depend upon mass participation, stating that the masses tend to hold antidemocratic beliefs. They contend that an increase in participation would undermine democracy  [16]  , claim ing it to be à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the irony of democracy that democratic ideals survive because the masses are generally apathetic and inactiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦all that is necessary is that they fail to commit themselves actively to antidemocratic movements  [17]  . Elitists, then, see apathy as essential as a means of shoring up their dominant position over the masses they certainly do not see it as a threat to our democracy. Contrary to the position of the elitists, participatory democrats champion the concept of direct democracy as opposed to the representative system present in liberal democracies today. They see existing institutional structures as being designed to discourage mass participation, wishing instead to foster a situation whereby citizens actively attend meetings, deliberate, discuss and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦participate in the executive arm of government and the workplace. For participatory democrats, The process of taking part becomes integral to democracyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the decisive test of a democracy is its capacity to encourage its population to play an active role in its government  [18]  . This is clearly in stark contrast to the elitist understanding of democracy, which views any form of direct involvement by citizens, with the exception of voting, as unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Pateman (1970) believes that it is a lack of participatory institutions which prevents political engagement in a representative system. Citing empirical studies, she argues that political efficacy and an increased willingness to participate are best fostered through direct participation at a local or workplace level, arguing that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the experience of participation in some way leaves the individual better psychologically equipped to undertake further participation in the future  [19]  . Bowler Donovan (2002) confirm this link, by suggesting that American states which make use of direct citizen initiatives help to increase the efficacy of their populations  [20]  . Barber (1984) and Pitkin Shumer (1982) see the main component of a strong democracy as active participation by citizens rather than through a reliance on representatives  [21]  22. Barber argues that citizens should be free to make political decisions not necessarily at every level and in every instance  [23]  , but often enough and in areas where significant issues which may affect them are to be considered. He advocates the creation of institutions designed to facilitate a civic participation, with the aim of fostering discussion, deliberation and eventually the formation of legislation the process of which he refers to as common work. He goes on to suggest that under the present form of liberal democracy, voters do not participate in the governing of a country at all the act of voting simply serving as a method by which to select various elites. It is only once masses start deliberating, acting, sharing, and contributing, they cease to become masses and become citizens. Only then do they participate'  [24]  . It is evident that apathy is certainly not a desirable feature within the participatory democrat interpretation of democracy. Any amount of apathy within a polity would create a situation whereby those who did actively participate would find themselves becoming a form of elite- those unwilling to contribute simply pass their responsibility to another, trusting them to make the right decisions. Evidently, this is not much better than the representative status quo. Apathy, then, is a symptom of a weak democracy, as the role of participation is paramount to its success. But should participation be defined as active involvement by the public, as participatory democrats argue, or is the simple act of voting enough? If participation is taken as meaning direct citizen involvement, then apathy is certainly a threat to legitimacy. If democracy is government by the people, how can a result hope to be considered legitimate in a situation where less than fifty percent of a population express an opinion? If however the elitist approach is followed and participation is limited to voting only, then to a degree the public does indeed take part in the democratic process via the choosing of the elites which are to lead them. It is through the act of voting during elections that a government can claim legitimacy. As long as there is some degree of participation, this is all that matters. As such, apathy should not be seen as a threat to the legitimacy of a result. Clearly, the gulf between elitists and participatory democrats is vast. They hold diametrically oppose d ideas as to the consequence of apathy within a democratic society. As we have seen, the phenomenon of apathy within democracies is a highly contentious subject perhaps essentially contested  [25]  . We have found that apathy presents itself within democratic societies most significantly in the form of non-participation, noting that turnout rates have declined dramatically since their peak in the middle of the twentieth century. Weve looked at the causes of apathy, discovering that social status and education along with a cynicism and distrust of politicians and the sense of remoteness and disconnection from the legislative process also strongly contribute to apathetic sentiment within a population. In regards to whether or not apathy threatens democracy, it is possible to conclude both ways by differentiating between both representative and participatory democracy. Representative democracy is strengthened by the existence of apathy and relies upon it to maintain political stability. Conversely, direct or participatory democracy is threatened by apathy, as it requires widespread interaction from the public. Because elitist theorists are describing the present state of liberal democracies, it is hard to conclude that apathy can be seen as a threat to the legitimacy of government a party still wins, regardless of turnout. It is only once democracy is viewed in terms of public participation that the issue of apathy becomes a threat, undermining the very meaning of the word. In short, apathy threatens the concept of direct democracy, but it doesnt threaten the existing system of representative democracy, it merely strengthens it. The answer to this question depends solely upon whic h theory of democracy one finds more convincing.

Essay Comparing Glass Menagerie and Streetcar Named Desire

Comparing Glass Menagerie and Streetcar Named Desire   Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams is one of the greatest American playwrights. He was constantly shocking audiences with themes such as homosexuality, drug addictions, and rape. He broke free from taboos on such subjects, paving the way for future playwrights. Williams wrote about his life. The Glass Menagerie is a very autobiographical play. A Streetcar Named Desire, although meant to a play that anyone can relate to, also contained characters and situations from his life. In both plays, the characters are drawn from his life. This essay  will discuss is the similarities between The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire, which have similar characters and themes throughout them.   A Streetcar Named Desire takes place in New Orleans. The characters are Blanche Dubois, Stanley Kowalski, Stella Kowalski (Blanche’s sister, Stanley’s wife), and Mitch, a friend of Stanley’s. The play focuses on Blanche and how she falls deeper and deeper into her delusional state, until, finally at the end, a doctor and a nurse take her away. The Glass Menagerie takes place in St. Louis. The play features the Wingfields. Amanda is the mother and her two children are Tom and Laura. A gentleman caller named Jim O’Connor comes in at the end of the play.   This play is basically about Tom’s memories of the last bit of time he was with his family, before leaving them as his father did. Since the play takes place in the memory, it is dark and some things are very exaggerated. Laura is a cripple who is lost in her own world, with no hope of ever finding someone to love her. Amanda is also living in her own world, one where she is still a southern beauty. She feels that if Laura doesn’t marry so... ... one in The Glass Menagerie.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout both of these plays run many common themes, often themes from Williams own life. He was a writer who broke taboos and wrote about depraved people, people going crazy and many other themes that weren’t considered appropriate at the time. His own life was very chaotic. Works Cited A Streetcar Named Desire. By Tennessee Williams. Dir. Scot Whitney. Harlequin Productions, Olympia. September 1998. 2.â€Å"Remember Tennessee Williams.† Tom Sullivan. 21 June 2000. http://www.lambda.net/~maximum/williams.html Roudane, Mathew C. Ed. The Cambridge Companion to Tennessee Williams. New York: Cambridge Press, 1997 Williams, Tennessee. â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†. Anthology of American Literature: From Realism to the Present. By Tennessee Williams. Ed. McMichael, George et. al. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2000. 1445-   

I Was a Willing Participant :: Personal Narrative Writing

I Was a Willing Participant Toward the end of last semester, I registered for this class mainly for one reason: I had had Emily as a professor before, I liked her class and her teaching style very much, and I wanted to again take a class she was teaching. This was my first opportunity to do so, and I jumped on it. In the bulletin, the class was described as the Graduate Writing Seminar, and through the grapevine, I found out it was not a creative writing class, but instead, a study in critical feminist pedagogies.What the hell, I thought. Ià ­ll take it anyway. After all, I really just wanted to take another class with Emily, whatever the topic might be. Over winter break, I started thinking about who else would be in the class. I am sure some of the usual suspects would be in Dixon 432 on that first day. Sure enough, when I walked, in I saw Alicia, Megan, Kate, and Kelly, just as I had expected. Before that first day, however, the number one thought going through my mind about this class and the makeup of my classmates was, of course, just how many males would be in that room. For a while, I thought I may be the only one, but I shook that thought out of my mind pretty quickly when I reminded myself that, after all, this was grad school, and the guys here were actually open minded and weren't afraid to take a class containing the prefix fem. I was right. In walked to see Gary and Leon. I had had classes with both of them before, and I knew their ways of thinking, so I felt à ¬safe.à ® (Though I must admit that when Gary first proclaimed himself a à ¬feministà ® in Sharon Lewis' class last semester, my initial thought was à ¬this guy just wants to get laid.à ® That was stupid and wrong.) So here I was, one-third of a population of a class that was certainly not going to be the topic of discussion for the next 5 or so months. I was ready to accept that. The program here at MSU had given me many chances to expand my thinking in ways that I had not previously been exposed to, and this class was yet another in that long line.

Placing English Language Learners in Special Education Essay -- ELLs a

When do English language learners need to be placed in special education? In the United States, there has been an increase in in the number of children from Spanish speaking backgrounds. The English Language Learners, commonly known as ELL’s, are being placed in Special Education without being properly tested for a learning disability. However there are a large number of ELL’s with learning disabilities in elementary grades that truly have a learning disability and are over looked. Many school districts have problems placing ELL’s. As a result these students end up in special education whether they have a learning disability or language impairment. Teachers are also indecisive when dealing with ELL’s. Most teachers recommend that ELL’s be placed in special education from day one. It is not because the child has a learning disability, it’s because most teachers are not properly trained to interact with ELL’s. Teachers also find it difficult, due to lack of training, having ELL’s with learning disabil ities in their classrooms. More teachers would find their selves comfortable if they had training in dealing with ELL’s and ELL’s with learning disabilities. This paper discusses the issues and the concerns teachers have in dealing with ELLs and ELLs with disabilities, the challenges of identifying individuals with learning disabilities, and what type of assessments classify English Language Learners as having a learning disability. First, teachers are rarely prepared to handle the challenges of assessing students who have a learning disability coupled with limited English proficiency (Haung, Milczarski, Raby, 2011). Teachers usually have trouble distinguishing between a learning disorders and acquiring a second language. Eve... ..., K., Milczarski, E., & Raby, C. (2011). The Assessment of English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities: Issues, Concerns, and Implications. Education, 131(4), 732-739. Kapantzoglou, M., Restrepo, M., & Thompson, M. S. (2012). Dynamic Assessment of Word Learning Skills: Identifying Language Impairment in Bilingual Children. Language, Speech & Hearing Services In Schools, 43(1), 81-96. doi:10.1044/0161-1461(2011/10-0095) Wagner, R. K., Francis, D. J., & Morris, R. D. (2005). Identifying English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities: Key Challenges and Possible Approaches. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice (Blackwell Publishing Limited), 20(1), 6-15. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2005.00115.x Sullivan, A. L. (2011). Disproportionality in Special Education Identification and Placement of English Language Learners. Exceptional Children, 77(3), 317-334.

Essentials of College Writing Essay

Peer editing is an evaluative method of judging or critiquing written text with the valuable engagement of peers. The purpose of writing within the context of peer editing is to write a text that will be able to incite responses, not only from people in authority who oversee the writing process (ex. teachers, professors, technical writing instructors, etc. ), but also from an individuals’ peers. The process of peer editing follows the writing process, the reading process, the critiquing session, and the rewriting process. Peer editing allows the expression of comments or suggestions regarding a written text which an individual may use to modify errors within the text, identify ambiguous elements that defeats the purpose of a cohesive theme, and draw out additional information that are instrumental in improving the written text. (Adger, Wolfram, & Christian, 2007) The overall result of peer editing is the improvement of literacy or skills in writing. (Topping & Ehly, 1998) Perhaps, it is also important to reiterate that peer editing allows individuals to identify errors or mistakes in the writing process that may be unknown to them. The diversity of peer characters and points of views allows one to look at the theme and quality of written works from different angles, allowing a writer to complete a written work clearly and concisely. What are some of the techniques a team can use to integrate various writers work into one cohesive document? Integrating various written works into a cohesive document should follow a series of steps. The first step is to read all the written works carefully in order to identify the main points and focus of each text. The team should then group or categorize written works according to their similarities in meaning, theme, or points of view. Once this is accomplished, the team should agree on the organization or framework of the single document they will be working on depending on the ideas or information drawn from the grouped or categorized written works. This process is similar to constructing an outline that will become the basis of the targeted cohesive document. Moreover, constructing an outline will require a team to identify what the focus of the article would be, what work will best fit in the introduction, the body, or the conclusion, etc. The next step would be to fill in parts of the outline, such that main and valuable points from each written work of team members will be drawn out to be integrated into the outline of the targeted cohesive document. At this point, the team is prepared to layout the finished document. What is the purpose and historical academic use of the APA style and why is it important to use APA style? The American Psychological Association or APA is a common citation style utilized by professionals in their written works. Its use is most common in the social sciences. The content of the APA citation style is usually the author and the year of publication, as well as the title of work and the imprint. Other elements of written works designed under the framework of the APA style include the reference list, intext citations, headers, page numbering, and page margins. (Hajnal, 1997) The origin of the APA citation format is traced back to a discussion between professionals who write journals with anthropology and psychology as subjects. It was a way to set a standard of writing for journals in order to promote structure and organization in the formality of writing professional articles. After this discussion, the APA published a written work containing writing standards and guidelines. (Hunter, 2007) The importance of utilizing the APA style is to organize a written body of work by structuring the writing styles and citation references into something formal or standard. Standardized writing will benefit readers in such a way that reading other journals is recognizable and comprehensible. (Seas & Driscoll, 2007) Aside from this purpose, the significance of utilizing APA as a writing guide ensures clarity, consistency and unity all throughout the body of the written work or article. (â€Å"APA Style†) For authors or writers, following the APA format or writing style is a means of abiding by rules set forth a particular publication – in this case, publications that publish written works of professionals in fields wherein the APA writing style is commonly used (such as psychology, sociology, education, nursing, etc. ). (â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions†) Discuss what is meant by Parallel Structures in the writing process. Abiding by the rules of parallel structure during the writing process, an author or writer should present equally important thoughts and ideas appropriately. This means that if a sentence calls for the presentation of several thoughts or ideas that are within the same level of importance, structure, or content, these should be written as such. No thought or idea should go against the flow of thoughts, especially in form. For instance, a sentence calls for the enumeration of activities that a person does in the morning. If the form of the verbs being enumerated are in the present tense, they should be written as such: â€Å"†¦ waking up, eating breakfast, brushing one’s teeth, and bathing. † and not â€Å"†¦waking up, eat breakfast, brush one’s teeth, and bathing. † This rule goes the same with the use of clauses and words that follow a colon. (Purdue OWL & Driscoll, 2006) Discuss the meaning of verb tense in the writing process. Like the parallel structure which signals consistency and uniformity within the body of a written work, verb tenses also results to the same outcomes in writing. Aside from the general rules of verb tenses such as past tense for actions done in the past, present tense for actions that are currently taking place, and future tense for action that are about to take place, verb tenses in the writing process also necessitates consistency and uniformity of thoughts. For instance, a written work is in the form of a narrative then it should not only be written in the past tense, but should be written in the past tense all throughout the remainder of the text. Website: http://apastyle. apa. org/ â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions. † (2008) Retrieved October 22, 2008, from The American Psychological Association. Website: http://www. apastyle. org/faqs. html#1 Hajnal, P. I. (1997). International Information: Documents, Publications, and Electronic Information of International Governmental Organizations. SC: Libraries Unlimited. Hunter, S. (2007). APA Writing Style. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from Associated Content, Inc. Website: http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/181223/apa_writing_style. html? cat=3 Purdue OWL & Driscoll, D. L. (2006). Parallel Structure. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue. Website: http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/623/01/ â€Å"Tenses in Writing. † (N. D. ) Retrieved October 22, 2008, from University of Washington. Website: http://depts. washington. edu/engl/askbetty/tenses. php Topping, K. J. & Ehly, S. W. (1998). Peer-Assisted Learning. NJ: Laurence Erlbaum Associates. Seas, K. & Driscoll, D. L. (2007). APA Overview and Workshop. Retrieved October 22, 2008, from The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue. Website: http://owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/664/01/

Personal Ethics

Personal Ethics In day to day living we all face challenges and have to make decisions that affect our lives and the lives of those around us. These decisions are made based upon a person’s ethics, morals and values in which help to define a person’s character. In this paper this author will define her own personal morals, ethics and values and explain how they relate to her nursing practice. Loyalty, passion, motivation and inspiration will also be discussed in this paper Merriam Webster describes ethics as â€Å"the principles of conduct that governs an individual or group. Ethics are personal and are actions one takes on himself. Morals on the other hand are usually set up and passed on by society. Morals are not necessarily one’s own. Morals can be explained as write or wrong behaviors or actions. Values according to Merriam Webster dictionary help to promote sound functioning and strengthen society. We learn values or the things that are important to us fro m our families or other people that may be influential to us.As this author reflects upon her own personal ethics, morals and values it is important to know what brought me to the place that I am now. This author has many passions and one of the greatest is a passion for life. That is what brought me to the nursing career that I have grown to know and love. A personal decision was made many years ago in my own life to help others and to always try to prevent harm to myself and others.As my grandfather lay dying I watched nurses treat him and my family with so much dignity and compassion that I knew from that moment 15 years ago that I would spend the rest of my life as a nurse and would treat others with the same compassion and respect that we were given, I knew that was who I wanted to be. I found motivation to achieve this goal through my children. It was important for this author to be a good role model and teach my children that they could achieve any goal they desire if they wo rk hard and stay motivated.This same motivation is used daily in my nursing career as well. I consciously think about how and why I became a nurse and never want to lose that drive, or compassion that got me to where I am today. Inspiration is often found from my family to continue to care for others and their families, however; one of the biggest inspirations I can think of is when I have cared for someone’s loved one and after doing so am told how grateful they are that I am a nurse and that I took care of them. Having a positive effect on my patients’ lives is very motivating.There are times in nursing where patients die no matter what you attempt to do and this can damper a nurses inspiration so it is important to find what does inspire you so that you can look back on that inspiration when needed. Loyalty is also important in many aspects. Loyalty for this nurse is important at work not only to the facility that employs me but also to the team that I work with. Ha ving loyalty produces trust in our team which in turns makes for a safer environment for our patients. At the same time loyalty is found for my family and God.If a nurse is aware of his/her own individual moral compass this may allow them to understand the needs of patients better. A nurse may be faced with a patient that has different religious believes than the nurse but this should not in any way affect the care the patient receives. The nurse should assist the patient in practicing what is comfortable for the patient to ensure the patients’ needs are fully met. The same thing applies for cultures that differ from our own. Some cultures prefer that the man of the house make all medical decisions.The nurse should be aware of this and address the situation with respect so as not to offend the patient or the family. Doing so may help the family to trust the nurse and her clinical judgment more. Our own personal values, morals, or ethics should never hinder the care that is gi ven to a patient but at times it does get in the way. I have heard nurses and doctors voice that a patient was nothing but a drug addict because he had tattoos all over his body. Therefore pain remained unaddressed with the patient because the patient looked different than the staff caring for him.This patients morals may have been different from the staffs, but in no way should have hindered his care. The same thing has been said about patients who come in the ER that have rotted teeth. The staff always assumes that the patient is a meth addict and treats them differently, sometimes hatefully. It may very well be that the patient is just poor, had bad oral hygiene, or maybe was just born with bad teeth. These patients all too often are made to suffer with pain as well because the doctor refuses to medicate because he/she feels the patient is a drug addict.We all come from diverse ethical backgrounds that were taught to us by family, friends, teachers and others that are deemed impo rtant in our lives. Every individual should have their own ethical standards but they work best when we strive to do well and not harm others or ourselves with our ethical believes. We can always strive to raise the bar for own ethical believes, standards, and morals while at the same time respecting others. Reference Weber, S. (2009). The Moral Compass of Nursing. Advance for Nurses. Retrieved from http://advanceweb. com/Article/The-Moral-Compass-Of-Nursing. aspx

Fracking: Water Quality and Hydraulic Fracturing

Our Future3 REFERENCE: www. epa. gov www. wikipedia. com Documentary: â€Å"GASLAND† Josh Fox 2010 Our Futurejoe cool OUR FUTURE Joe cool Intro. 105 ? Our Future1 Hydraulic fracturing is the propagation of fractures in a rock layer caused by the presence of a pressurized fluid. (wiki 2011). This occurs naturally in nature, but the Hydraulic fracturing that I will speak of in this paper is a process being used by gas companies nationwide. Fracking is currently regulated by the EPA under the clean water act of 2005 (EPA. ov). However, this only partially governs the methods of injecting fluids and the retrieval of such fluids into the earth. It does not govern the types of chemicals that are being allowed to be used, or how much fresh water is wasted (millions of gallons per â€Å"Frack job†) and it does not carry stiff enough penalties for spills or irreversible damage to community’s water supplies. For those of you, who are unfamiliar with this practice, allow me to paint a picture for you. Big gas corporations have researched and found giant fields of natural gas in a layer of rock eight thousand feet deep in the earth’s crust known as the Marcellus shale line, and it is in four different regions in the U. S. spread over thirty states. Historically gas companies would drill for their gas, but in recent history have developed a process of Hydraulic Fracturing which at one job can use one million gallons of fresh water, and over nine hundred chemicals, to include Benzene and various heavy metals (Gasland). Once this mixture is forced ight thousand feet into the earth’s crust it destroys the shale and releases the natural gas. It is a fact that the companies can only recover forty percent of the fluid that is sent into the below. The rest is absorbed by the porous Marcellus shale. It is now being learned that this process is destroying ecosystems and making fresh water tables completely unusable. I don’t know where any of you live and I don’t k now whether you like where you live. But try and imagine if tomorrow you found out that twenty miles away there was a frack site, and the people of your community began getting sick. What would you do? Who would you look to for help? The Our Future2 government is of no use because there are no safeguards in place. What do you do? The only thing you can do is run, but I ask you fellow scholars, what happens when there is nowhere else to run? It is a fact that in Wyoming they are finding contamination in water tables as far away from fracking as forty miles. You tube videos of people igniting their tap water are numbered in the hundreds. These gas companies are poisoning our environment and destroying people’s entire way of life just to make money. Now most of us on some level are concerned about the environment, you don’t have to live in a tree and only eat organic fruits and vegetables to care about the future of earth. You just have to open your eyes and become comfortable to the fact that big corporations dictate government. These people live to make money, at all costs. Through my research on this paper I learned that in the same mountain range that a windmill project is being utilized there is also fracking going on. It is a humbling experience to stand under a windmill and see a frack site. The reason green energy is not being explored further? There’s no money in it.

Marketing Strategies Of Greenwich Pizza Essay

Greenwich re-invents itself more with a more dynamic â€Å"G† logo to attract more customers. This brand look is also an indication of how attuned the company is with the ever-changing times and evolving customer lifestyles. From its previous dark green and red color scheme, Greenwich stores were redesigned with a contemporary motif using the brighter and more dynamic colors of brilliant green and vivid rose. The new colors and graphics help create a livelier, more inviting ambience in Greenwich stores. In addition to this, the new corporate visual identity graphics exhibit the dynamism of the brand. This new look is also complemented by crunchier and tastier pizza products. With rich loads of toppings on crunchy pizza crust, Greenwich created an ideal balance between the customer’s expectations of product quality and taste and a pleasant dining experience. A whole new look, a whole new Greenwich! This is part of Greenwich’s continuing effort to reach out to pizza lovers all over the Philippines. POWERFUL ADVERTISING Greenwich aggressively harnesses tri-media to communicate all the benefits consumers can enjoy at Greenwich. This is augmented by the use of outdoor advertising materials and merchandising collaterals that help heighten public awareness of Greenwich offerings. All these complete effective campaigns and exciting promotions that inevitably translate to high sales performance. Greenwich focuses its marketing campaign on the yindie groups and the strategy has worked wonders. The term â€Å"yindie† has been around for a while now, although it did not become a buzz word like â€Å"yuppie. †It is defined in dictionaries as an informal term referring to a person who combines a lucrative career with non-mainstream tastes. From a pizza chain that was ranked five years ago somewhere in the bottom of the industry ladder with other small pizza stores, Greenwich has become the No. 1 pizza chain in the country, accounting for at least 60 percent of the P5-billion market. â€Å"Our market share is now bigger than those of the other two major pizza chains in the country, combined,† says Luis U. Velasco III, marketing director of Fresh N’ Famous Foods Inc. , maker of Greenwich pizza and a member-company of the Jollibee Foods group. Velascosaysthecampaignfocusingonthebarkadasstartedwhen,after conducting research five years ago, the company realized it was nowhere to be found in the pizza industry’s list of major players. It was lumped with the rest of small players, which were hardly making a dent in the pizza market. â€Å"We decided that we want our brand to be stronger in the minds of our consumers. We took a closer look at our products, identified our strongest offering, which is pizza, and studied its characteristics. We then looked for the type of market that we wanted to talk to,† Velasco recounts. â€Å"Pizza is a fun product, adventurous considering the many kinds of toppings one can put on it, less formal as you eat it with your bare hands whether sitting or standing and it is a type of food that people enjoy eating when shared,† he says. Given the characteristics of its main product offering, it was decided that Greenwich pizza and the yindies were a perfect match. Just like Greenwich pizza, the yindie market is casual, more adventurous, hip and fun, and interactive and inclusive. As Greenwich turned its focus on this segment of the market, the company decided to level up and redefine itself from being a fast-food to a fast-casual chain of restaurants. â€Å"Our roots are fast food and we are not abandoning it, we are only upgrading the customers’ experience in our restaurants,† Velasco says. To transform into a fast-casual restaurant, Greenwich did a makeover of all of its outlets, improved on its pizzas in terms of quality and the varieties of its offering, made its pastas (especially the lasagna) at par with the offerings of even some fine-dining restaurants in the metropolis, introduced other fun food like chicken wings, offered full meals and even breakfast meals in some outlets. â€Å"We upgraded our looks and our service to customers. Our offerings now are not the usual fast-food type of products anymore,† Velasco says. We have been known as the affordable pizza option, that is fine and we are keeping that. But we also want to be known for good taste, quality service and a part of the barkada. †

What Does It Really Take to Get Into Dartmouth?

Each year, thousands and thousands of hopeful college applicants wait with bated breath to hear back from Dartmouth College, the smallest of the Ivy Leagues. With the number of college applicants on the rise, college admissions have never been so competitive, but the good news is that there are some things that savvy applicants can do to stand out. In this post, we’ll share our top tips for scoring that increasingly rare acceptance to Dartmouth College. Keep reading to unlock our unique insights, gained through our experience with thousands of Ivy League applicants. It should come as no surprise that we’ve written about getting into Dartmouth before. In fact, for a comprehensive overview of all the nitty gritty, including school statistics, requirements, and deadlines, don’t miss our post The Ultimate Guide to Applying to Dartmouth College . In this post, we’ll focus specifically on your application and how you can ensure you’re optimized your chances of getting in. Of course, the first thing you need to do is make sure you meet the basic requirements. This includes getting your application in before the deadline and ensuring that it includes all the required elements. Dartmouth College accepts both early decision (ED) and regular decision (RD) applications. The deadline for ED applications is November 1st. Remember that if you apply early decision, you may only apply to one school and are committed to attending should you be accepted. For more information, don’t miss our post Early Decision versus Early Action versus Restrictive Early Action . The regular decision deadline is January 1st. Dartmouth College accepts the Common Application and the Coalition Application (CAAS). They do not accept the Universal Application. To learn more about the Common Application, don’t miss our post A User’s Guide to the Common App . To complete your application to Dartmouth College, you’ll need to be sure you include: In addition, it is recommended (though not required) that you submit scores from at least two SAT Subject Tests and a recommendation written by a peer. Again, these elements are not required, but they are recommended and you should submit them wherever possible. Dartmouth College is among the most selective colleges in the country. It accepted just 8.7% of its 22,033 applicants to the class of 2022. Applications to Dartmouth have risen 10% over the last year and its most recent admissions cycle was its largest applicant pool in five years. Dartmouth has also increased its yield recently, meaning that it has recently begun to garner a higher percentage of accepted students than in prior years. For this reason, the admissions committee is handing out fewer acceptances than in years past. The yield for the class of 2022 was 61%, the highest in 25 years. Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. With such a competitive selection process, Dartmouth College has the ability to be very picky about who it accepts. Ultimately, admissions are offered to students who meet its standards both in terms of academics and achievements outside of the classroom. Dartmouth is of course very selective academically. Students admitted to the class of 2022 achieved a mean SAT score of 1497 or a mean ACT score of 33. 97% of students whose high schools rank students were ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class. Doing well academically is definitely a top priority for students who want to attend Dartmouth, but it is not the only factor considered. Dartmouth values diversity of all kinds. 15% of its admitted students were first-generation college students this year, and 50% are students of color. 11% of the admitted class are foreign citizens and 60% applied for financial aid. Dartmouth also places high value on community, a stance that was reinforced by President Philip J. Hanlon when he welcomed the class of 2022 to campus. â€Å"The search for truth is a team sport, most effectively done when ideas and opinions are exchanged in an open and respectful manner,† he reminded students. To get into Dartmouth, you’ll need to prove that you’re not only a strong student academically, but also that you’re a positive contributor to your community. This is hard for the admissions committee to glean from an application, so you should strive to highlight it through your essays, extracurriculars, and recommendations. Start Early . Don’t rush your college application. You’ll need plenty of time to mull over your essays and short answer questions, and even more time to edit and proofread. If you’ve left your college applications to the last minute, you’ll be at a disadvantage at selective schools like Dartmouth. Highlight Your Value to Your Community. Dartmouth values respectful discourse, cooperative work, and students who work to change the world. You can most easily highlight these skills through your extracurriculars. Try to engage in activities that give back to your community in some way and that show a commitment to civic duty and teamwork.   Ã‚   Consider Early Decision. Of the 1,925, students offered admissions to the class of 2022, 525 were accepted through the Early Decision program. This means that your odds of getting in are significantly increased by applying early. Be Yourself. Admissions committees see a lot of applications over admissions season and they are well trained at recognizing when a student is being true to him or herself. Be authentic and genuine and unapologetically you. If you don’t get in, at least you’ll know if was the real you who didn’t fit, and you can take comfort in knowing the real you will do better elsewhere. Dartmouth is extremely selective and many top students ultimately are rejected. In fact, far more academically qualified students apply to Dartmouth than it is able to accept each year. This means that it routinely turns away students who present top SAT scores and high GPAs. While it can be hard to move past a rejection, try not to dwell on it. Dartmouth does not accept admissions appeals, so don’t waste your time formulating any compelling arguments to change their mind. Dartmouth does accept transfer students, though, and you are allowed to reapply as a freshman another year if you choose to take a gap year. While neither of these should be your knee-jerk reaction after a rejection, they are opportunities to consider if you are well suited to them in other ways too. To learn more about gap years, check out our post What Are the Pros of Taking a Gap Year? and What You Need To Know When Applying to Colleges After a Gap Year . For more about transferring, see our post Transferring Colleges: Opportunity Costs to Consider . Sometimes, the easiest choice after rejection is simply to set your sights elsewhere. While this can initially be a bitter pill to swallow, it’s important to remember that ultimately it’s not where you go to college that matters, but what you do with your time there. For our advice on adjusting to life at a college that wasn’t your first choice, read our post Envisioning a New Future: Preparing for Life at Your Second-Choice (or Third, or Fourth) School .