How to write argumentative essays: 2019

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Ancient History Glossary Emperor Chin

Definition: Emperor Chin shih huang-ti was the first Chin (Qin) Dynasty emperor for which reason people call him simply the First Emperor. Appraisals of this 3rd century B.C. emperor vary. Some consider his government unprincipled, and him, a violent, superstitious ruler who ordered a bibliocaust. He condemned Confucianism and other schools of thought, save Legalism, which supported his imperial position. They say he buried alive Confucian scholars and artisans working on his funeral complex. Others praise him as a peace-bringing political and legal unifier, who built roads to handle the standard distance between carriage wheels, and started the Great Wall; a reformer, who standardized coinage, weights and measures, and the written language. Like the early Egyptian pharaohs, the first Chinese emperor expended prodigious resources provisioning the afterlife, including a subterranean palace and an enormous terra cotta army complete with life size, realistic, painted warriors, chariots and horses. Even the treadmarking on shoe bottoms was fastidiously individualized. A docent at the 2012 exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Chinas Terracotta Warriors - The First Emperors Legacy) says the warriors are about six feet tall, which might seem tall as an average for the modern Chinese male, but is considered to be life size for these descendants of Steppe denizens. [See: What Armor Did the Qin Dynasty Warriors Wear?] Reign Originally called Ying Zheng, Emperor Chin was born in 260 B.C. and died in 210. His reign as king of the more than 500-year old state of Qin had started when he was only 13. Having unified the warring states, Chin became emperor of a unified China in 221 B.C. His rule as emperor had lasted for 12 years when he died at the age of 49. When he died, his body was covered by fish to disguise the odor and to delay news until his body arrived back home -- according to legend. Rebellion followed soon after. Weak successors followed, so his dynasty lasted only another three years. Warring States Emperor Chin put an end to the Warring States period in ancient Chinese history, which ran from about 475-221 B.C. It was a period of violence and chaos during which the philosopher Sun-Tzu -- called the author of The Art of War -- is said to have lived. Culture flourished. There were seven states of China during the Warring States period (Chin Qi Chu Yan, Han, Zhao, and Wei). Two of these states, the Chin and Chu (which had, incidentally, incorporated Confucius home state of Lu, in 249), came to dominate, and in 223, the Chin defeated the Chu, establishing the first unified Chinese state two years later, in the 26th year of King Chengs reign. (As first emperor of all China, King Cheng became known as Emperor Chin.) Historical and Archaeological Sources on Emperor Chin In 213 B.C., three years before Emperor Chin died, Chin ordered a book burning (bibliocaust) that was to destroy much of the historical record of earlier periods. Chin documents were probably destroyed in a palace complex-burning, by Hsiang Yu, in 208, two years after the first emperors death. Archaeological remains of the tomb of the first emperor, including the famous terra cotta army of more than 7000 men, and legal documents were found in the 1970s when farmers dug up unexpected quantities of pottery. Another source of information on Emperor Chin is the Shih chi (Historical Records), written by Han dynasty historian Ssu-ma Chien in around 100 B.C. This same historian and storyteller, also called Sima Qian, wrote a biography of the sage Confucius (Kongzi) Periods of Ancient China Also Known As: Chin shih huang-ti, Qin or Qin Shihuangdi, Cheng Alternate Spellings: Chin Shih Huang, Qin Shi Huangdi, Qin Shih Huang-ti, Qin Shihuang Examples: Chairman Mao, the famous leader of the Communist Party in China, who was in power when farmers unearthed the artifacts of the Emperor Chin in 1974, is credited with the following words or sentiments: What can Emperor Qin Shi Huang brag about? He only killed 460 Confucian scholars, but we killed 46,000 intellectuals. In our suppression of counter-revolutionaries, didnt we kill some counter-revolutionary intellectuals as well? I argued with the pro-democratic people who accused us of acting like Emperor Qin Shi Huang. I said they were wrong. We surpassed him by a hundred times.The Epoch Times Commentaries on the Communist Party References: New Scientist Nov 16, 1978Imperial Rulership and Cultural Change in Traditional China, by Frederick Paul Brandauer, Junjie Huang; (1994).Encyclopedia BritannicaThe Oxford Companion to Military History.Minneapolis Institute of Arts: Chinas Terracotta Warriors - The First Emperors LegacyChinese History (Mark Bender at Ohio State University) Go to Other Ancient / Classical History Glossary pages beginning with the letter a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | wxyz

Ancient History Glossary Emperor Chin

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

The Importance Of Drug Testing - 765 Words

The bell rings for fourth period to end and Jack is not planning on going to 5th period, he is skipping class so he can do drugs with his friends. After, he goes through the rest of the day normally, he has been doing drugs for 3 years now. Since eighth grade. Imagine if his school had drug tests. He would be trying his best to quit so he doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t get found out. There are many reasons drug tests are helpful for student athletes. Drug tests for student athletes are effective because they keep students safe, they improve students behavior and they are supported by the fourth Amendment. Schools use drug tests to keep students safe. Ã¢â‚¬Å"We love and we do not want to lose youÃ¢â‚¬ (Guilty untilÃ¢â‚¬ ¦). The schools that use drug tests are trying to keepÃ¢â‚¬ ¦show more contentÃ¢â‚¬ ¦One example of this is Ã¢â‚¬Å"If kids have nothing to hide they wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have any problem taking a testÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ The kids who protest may be the ones who need to be tested the mostÃ¢â‚¬ (Put to. ..). This represents a change in behavior because if the students will not test there is a chance they do not want to be tested because they have been taking drugs and they will act strange when they are being talked to. Another example is Ã¢â‚¬Å"random drug tests discourage students from using illegal substancesÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Put them...). This represents a change is the students behavior because random drug tests will change their behavior to doing drugs in school because they will get caught by the urine test. One last example of drug tests changing students behaviors of students is Ã¢â‚¬Å"...10 percent drop in drug use over the past yearÃ¢â‚¬ (Guilty until...). This represents a behavior change because when schools introduced drug tests 10 percent of adolescents stopped using drugs because they would be scared of getting caught. Some others believe however that drug tests are bad for students behaviors because they will be rude to all their teachers because they are worried ab out the drug tests. But that can be good because then teachers will have an idea of who is doing drugs and they can try to test them further Finally the fourth Amendment supports drug testing. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Of particular concern is the the rise in use of anabolic steroids, tranquilizers, and barbituratesÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ non-medicallyÃ¢â‚¬ (PIAC). There are many drugs being used toShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Drug Testing In Schools1384 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 6 PagesWhy should we drug test students in schools? Some seem to think drug tests could have a negative effect on students and their relationship with their community amongst their school, while others think drug tests should definitely find their way into the school system. Really, drug tests should be implemented into all school systems. Schools arenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t looking to punish students for going on the wrong track, rather they aspire to lead them back onto the correct way. The age of students in high schoolsRead MoreEmployee Drug Testing: Fair and Effective Essay1648 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 7 Pagesdollars are spent to pay for the unnecessary expenses caused by drug-impaired employees. Workers whose performances are negatively altered by drug use contribute to losses in business productivity and assist in lowering workplace safety. On average, according to the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), $100 billion is lost per year due to accidents, decreases in productivity, and other related expenses caused by incompetent, drug abusing employees (Ã¢â‚¬Å"CoalitionsÃ¢â‚¬ ). However, through a thoughtfulRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Be Banned Essay1707 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 7 Pagesan animal on the line. While businesses have searched for other methods of testing, there is no more accurate way of testing toxicology than through a live host. Despite it not being the most ideal choice to everyone, there is no better or more safe option, and animal testing is an absolutely necessary step in testing pharmaceuticals until we can fi nd an equal replacement. Pharmaceutical businesses should continue testing their products on animals to ensure human safety, because the benefits of usingRead MoreDrug Abuse On The Workplace Essay1704 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 7 PagesDrug Abuse in the Workplace: The human resource topic I chose to write my research paper on is Ã¢â‚¬Å"Drug Abuse in the WorkplaceÃ¢â‚¬ . Drug abuse in the workplace is something very common that many of us will encounter at some point. Alcohol and drug abuse has a major effect on employee absence and lost productively that leaves a negative working environment. It is important a company addresses the right guidelines to keep a drug free workplace. Establishing a clear and fair substanceRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Animal Testing1502 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 7 PagesIn recent studies scientist claim that animal testing is beneficial to the advancement of human knowledge, while animal rightsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ activists claim that animal testing is not humane and violates animalsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ rights. The controversy over animal testing is best understood as a disagreement about whether animal testing is beneficial to humans. Each year more than 100 million animals are killed in the U.S. Every country has a law that permits medical experimentation on animals. While some countries protectRead MorePros And Cons Of Animal Research1529 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 7 Pagesin a similar position, confused about how to further research while protecting the rights of animals. I believe animal research for drug safety is a necessity and must be legal, but only if it can strengthen scientific research towards medicine, and possibly save human lives. Many cases show how animal testing can save lives by using examples from the past where drugs where prescribed without first being tested. Ã¢â‚¬Å"In the late 1950s thalidomide was prescribed to pregnant women for early-morning sicknessRead MoreThe Effects Of Animal Testing Essay1432 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 6 PagesThe Effects of Animal Testing Animal testing is by far, inhumane and downright unacceptable. Although, there are various types of organizations that are pro-animal care, such as, Animal Welfare information center, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare and, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or, PETA, all in which do their best to keep animal testing as humane as possible, there are alternatives for finding cures or testing the safety of certainRead MoreArgument Essay Random Drug Testing859 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 4 PagesARGUMENT ESSAY RANDOM DRUG TESTING Drug abuse has always been a very delicate question as it always it deals with the health, well-being and even lives of human beings belonging to any country. Many people have argued that mandatory drug testing is a violation of their civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The Fourth Amendment grants you the right against unreasonable searches and seizures, otherwise known as a persons right to privacy. However, employers have the right to know whetherRead MoreThe Importance Of Animal Testing857 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 4 Pagesviewpoint when it comes to animal testing. A considerable amount of people believe that examinations should be banned, others think it should be continued. According to NCBI, animals have been utilized repeatedly since 384 BC. This disagreement has been debated since before the 1920Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s and is still continuing. The main opposing point of animal examinations, is the extent of the experiment used on the animal. But, if scientists did not take part in animal te sting, humans safety would be in dangerRead MorePros And Cons Of Animal Testing1288 Words Ã‚ |Ã‚ 6 Pageslaboratories could potentially cease. Those in society who advocate for animal testing disagree with the reliability of these techniques, creating a controversy. Animal testing has a long and torrid history in terms of medical use. However, the real question lies in whether we deem it both necessary to medical advancements and ethically responsible, neither of which has been proven outright. The history of animal testing took off during the nineteenth century. Though experiments prior to this time

Monday, December 9, 2019

Applied Counseling Stability of Happiness

Question: Discuss about the Applied Counseling for Stability of Happiness. Answer: Introduction: As stated by Parkes et al. (2105), Bereavement caused on the occasion of a spouse death has been regarded as one of the most significant and stressful events of life. Grief is linked with feelings of sadness. Prolonged grief if exist for more than six months, might result in the psychological phenomenon which includes the searching for the deceased, preoccupation, yearning, disbelief about the loss, hallucination, survivor guilt, and bitterness. Emotions are often astonishing in their strengths, and these emotions often can be confusing especially in situations when a close person is being missed. The act of grieve varies from person to person. Some people recover from grief within few months, though this period of recovery might involve moments of sadness. Others may take a long time to get relief which might be temporary. During this period of stress and depression family support plays a vital role. When such grief related feelings and thoughts are extreme or distressing, it become s important to concern with qualified "mental health professionals" who could provide the remedies to get relief. Certain counseling intervention strategies have shown to produce positive results. Communication, assessment of the problem and clinical therapies could be a successful way of bringing about the change in the behavior and emotional status of the deceased's spouse (Parkes Prigerson, 2013). Discussion: Spousal mourning is a problem that commonly affects the women since women are generally younger than their husband, and they have more longevity. Moreover, their marriage rate is also lower than that of the widowers. As stated by Carr et al. (2014), a window experiences the feeling of loneliness, loss of camaraderie, need of physical attachment, comfort and also the support of a partner. In the case of dependent women, loss of her spouse might result in a decrease in financial income and also a scarcity of various requirements. In order to meet the needs, she might have to relocate to a different place which might lead to a relocation trauma. The most significant issue is that after a particular duration the family support fades out, relatives and friends instead of consoling the person observe the widowhood as a component of a stigma. Thus, without minimal support, it becomes hard to grow the children. Studies reveal that grieve is more prolonged in old age spouse due to the living together for a long time (Carr et al., 2014). According to Parkes et al. (2015), a complementary factor other than social and psychological distress, bereavement constitutes chronic physical health deterioration and also causes survival risk. A study constituted on windows under the age of sixty-five revealed that during the first year of their widowhood consulted health physicians very frequently. Moreover, it was also noticed that they have more number of sedatives than the expected number of use, and they were observed more in bed and hospitals than non-widowed females (Schulz et al., 2015). According to Schulz et al. (2015), the various phases of grief involve shock and numbness leading to yearning, weeping due to depression. The third phase involves attaining equilibrium to help life to achieve comfort. The fourth phase or the final stage involves identity reconstruction where an individual develops a new role in life or crystallization of fresh relationships. Identification of these phases is very important in order to undergo the diagnosis process (Schulz et al., 2015). As stated by Svenaeus (2014), aged people who suffer due to the loss of their spouse after living throughout the life with happiness, chronic and fatal illness of the spouse was reported to have poor post bereavement medical adjustment. The grief is suppressed or delayed. As discussed by Asai et al. (2013), family members are a great support this point of time, especially when the family is close-knit. Outside support is not required. However, when families split, that support remains empty. In this case, the grief is suppressed and indicates a poor prognosis. Certain factors that operate to delay the grief are: (a) the loss might be socially stigmatized. (b) If there remains an uncertainty in the death like missing soldiers. (c) A grieving person whether it is a widow or widower becomes concern about their health or concerned about growing the children well. (d) Multiple losses might have made the grieving difficult. (e) Trivial factors such as overcrowded cemetery might inhibit gri ef (Yu et al., 2015). Several types of research using "DSM III" termed the diagnosis as "Uncomplicated Bereavement." All the current researches reveal that there are comparable differences that exist between the normal and abnormal reactions. As stated by Dayringer (2013),there are few proposed diagnoses for Complicated Bereavement disorder in the DSM V. There were four criterions that involve the abnormality in the client. The first criteria was yearning, the second criteria involved the experience of any four of the eight symptoms such as anger, trouble to accept the truth, excessive bitterness, inability to trust others, feeling uneasy to live life, feeling numbness due to emotions, feeling emptiness, feeling agitated and feeling future is meaningless (Svenaeus, 2014). According to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, bereavement diagnosis is associated with the death of a close person. This is the main key to the diagnosis, but other factors need to be given importance as well. According to Cameron Green (2015), Bereavement is the only diagnosis that might lead to the delay of the Major Depression Disorder. There are symptoms associated with this particular state which is characterized by feeling of loneliness, sadness, loss of interest in various activities, change in the weight, appetite and significantly insomnia. If the individual experience symptoms of guilt, preoccupation, feeling of worthlessness, suicidal thoughts, psychomotor retardation, hallucination, etc. then these relate to Major Depression Episode as contrasting to bereavement (DSM-5 American Psychiatric Association. 2013). According to Gillies et al. (2014), in assessing such a condition, more informal and less structured approach is generally used. Researchers and scientists have outlined different models on the phases of grief and bereavement. The first model was developed by Kubler-Ross which was used to illustrate the process of grief after the death of near ones. The developers of this model noted that every individual experience at least any two of the five stages of grief. Some people might revisit the phases over and over again. A stage-based model known as The Four Tasks of Mourning was created by psychologist J.W.Worden for coping with the death of a close person. The four task involved in this model were to accept the truth, to work through the grief, to adjust to life without the presence of the deceased and lastly, to maintain a connection with the person lost throughout the life (Wade et al., 2016). Margaret Stroebe and Hank Schut developed a dual process model of bereavement. They noted two tasks were associated with the loss. Firstly, "Loss-oriented activities and stressors which are related directly to the death and secondly, Restoration-oriented activities and stressors relates to the secondary losses such as routine, lifestyle and relationships (Klass et al., 2014). As discussed by Holland et al. (2013), the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual do not define bereavement as a disorder rather a preexisting condition like depression, or repercussions linked with the trauma of a death of a closed one. These components can complicate the condition of bereavement. As discussed by Litz et al. (2014), the difference between grief and depression is that depression is characterized in general terms of despair or lack of joy, while the feeling of grief is related to the loss or death. Presently several instruments have been designed used to evaluate bereavement. But no instrument has been developed yet to constantly monitor the phases of bereavement and the symptoms associated with it. The choice of instruments varies depending upon the population. It is specific for every population such as the death of children, parents, spouses, and other loved ones (Cameron Green, 2015). According to Litz et al. (2014), the majority of the individuals are apparent as experiencing normal grief. It is very natural for a person to be depressed and it requires a short or long period to get adjusted or overcome the situation of grief. Certain researchers are recently focusing on the adaptive functioning so that they can understand the process how to protect individuals who are continuously experiencing maladaptive functioning has grown an interest in resilience and how the affected individuals function normally after a negative experience in life. According to psychology Resilience can be defined as the sense of recovery despite an encounter with the adverse situation in the life. Coping strategies differ completely from resilience since resilience relates to adaptation to certain adversities (Klass et al., 2014). Anusic Lucas (2014), Reconstruction model on the fact that bereaved individuals are faced with the task of reconstructing their understanding of how the world works and their personal identity without the presence of the loved one. As discussed by Gerson (2013),there are three core dimensions to the process of meaning reconstruction. The first dimension is sense-making, or the ability to find an explanation for the death and make sense of the occurrence. This is predominantly important untimely in the grieving course, although it is a continuing procedure for the majority individuals. The second aspect is benefited finding, where individuals can identify benefits to the bereavement in order to aid in their adjustment, whether the benefits are personal, spiritual, or philosophical. The last dimension is individuality reconstruction, which needs the bereaved individual to modify and adjust their intellect of personality after experiencing the loss of a near one (Klass et al., 2014). Maximum research on "adaptation to widowhood" in later years has focused on a female since women inclined to live longer than their spouses. According to Tomer et al. (2013), both men and women who are widowed in later life account inferior life satisfaction and well-being than those who stay married, and widowhood is a risk factor for fading, while being wedded is not. Most result research with bereaved older persons has utilized formless group interventions, often led by friends or paraprofessionals, with achievement reported in dropping depression and mounting thoughts of support. For example, in a study, it was discussed a nationalized program to assist recently widowed individuals that use skilled paraprofessional counselors for outreach and hold. Follow-up questionnaires finished by sixty two participants who attempted bimonthly talk groups exposed that most consideration that the crowd experience was positive (Anusic et al., 2014). Aging is a part of the life span rather than being apart from the life span. All persons who age experience common life transitions and developmental challenges, notably the search for ego integrity identified by (Armenta et al., 2014). The design of interventions to help older persons cope with these normative changes has focused on two primary and overlapping strategies: group counseling and life review therapy. Research on both options reveals almost universal support for their effectiveness in helping older persons to develop successful coping mechanisms for a variety of life problems and also to achieve life satisfaction despite the unwanted change. After completing their education and formal training, psychiatrists may not be fully prepared to handle some of the most common clinical challenges they will face in practice. Diagnosing and treating complicated grief and bereavement-related major depression will undoubtedly rank high on the list of such challenges. Both conditions o verlap with symptoms found in ordinary, uncomplicated grief, and often are written off as normal with the assumption that time, the strength of character and the natural support system will heal. This prolonged, complicated grief response tends to be chronic and persistent in the absence of targeted interventions, and may be life threatening. Complicated grief usually responds well to a specific psychotherapy, perhaps best when administered in combination with antidepressant medication (Armenta et al., 2014). Conclusion: Grief is linked with feelings of sadness. Prolonged grief if exist for more than six months, might result in the psychological phenomenon which includes the searching for the deceased, preoccupation, yearning, disbelief about the loss, hallucination, survivor guilt, and bitterness. During this period of stress and depression family support plays a vital role. When such grief related feelings and thoughts are extreme or distressing, it becomes important to concern with qualified "mental health professionals" who could provide the remedies to get relief. Certain counseling intervention strategies have shown to produce positive results. It is essential for them to recognize their own vulnerabilities to the personal assaults that often accompany such losses, not only for their own mental health and well-being, but also to provide the most sensitive and enlightened care to their patients. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual do not define bereavement as a disorder rather a preexisting co ndition like depression, or repercussions linked with the trauma of a death of a closed one. Resilience can be defined as the sense of recovery despite an encounter with the adverse situation in the life. "Reconstruction model on the fact that "bereaved individuals are faced with the task of reconstructing their understanding of how the world works and their personal identity without the presence of the loved one. Most result research with bereaved older persons has utilized the formless group interventions, often led by friends or paraprofessionals, with achievement reported in dropping depression and mounting thoughts of support. Thus, it can be concluded that although mourning over the death of ones spouse or grieve can have detrimental effects on physical and mental health, so needs to be counseled and treated. References: Anusic, I., Lucas, R. E. (2014). Do social relationships buffer the effects of widowhood? A prospective study of adaptation to the loss of a spouse.Journal of personality,82(5), 367-378. Anusic, I., Yap, S. C., Lucas, R. E. (2014). Does personality moderate reaction and adaptation to major life events? Analysis of life satisfaction and affect in an Australian national sample.Journal of research in personality,51, 69-77. Armenta, C., Jacobs Bao, K., Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M. (2014). Is Lasting Change Possible? Lessons from the Hedonic adaptation Prevention Model.Stability of Happiness. Theories and Evidence on Whether Happiness Can Change, Elsevier Academic Press, London, Waltham, San Diego, 57-74. Asai, M., Akizuki, N., Fujimori, M., Shimizu, K., Ogawa, A., Matsui, Y., ... Kinoshita, T. (2013). Impaired mental health among the bereaved spouses of cancer patients.PsychoÃ‚ Oncology,22(5), 995-1001. Cameron, E., Green, M. (2015).Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers. Carr, D., Sonnega, J., Nesse, R. M., House, J. S. (2014). Do Special Occasions Trigger Psychological Distress Among Older Bereaved Spouses? An Empirical Assessment of Clinical Wisdom.The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences,69(1), 113-122. Dayringer, R. L. (2013).The Heart of Pastoral Counseling: Healing Through Relationship. Routledge. DSM-5 American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.Arlington: American Psychiatric Publishing. Gerson, B. (2013).The therapist as a person: Life crises, life choices, life experiences, and their effects on treatment(Vol. 6). Routledge. Gillies, J., Neimeyer, R. A., Milman, E. (2014). The meaning of loss codebook: Construction of a system for analyzing meanings made in bereavement.Death studies,38(4), 207-216. Holland, J. M., Futterman, A., Thompson, L. W., Moran, C., Gallagher-Thompson, D. (2013). Difficulties accepting the loss of a spouse: A precursor for intensified grieving among widowed older adults.Death studies,37(2), 126-144. Klass, D., Silverman, P. R., Nickman, S. (2014).Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief. Taylor Francis. Klass, D., Silverman, P. R., Nickman, S. (2014).Continuing bonds: New understandings of grief. Taylor Francis. Litz, B. T., Schorr, Y., Delaney, E., Au, T., Papa, A., Fox, A. B., ... Prigerson, H. G. (2014). A randomized controlled trial of an internet-based therapist-assisted indicated preventive intervention for prolonged grief disorder.Behaviour research and therapy,61, 23-34. Parkes, C. M., Prigerson, H. G. (2013).Bereavement: Studies of grief in adult life. Routledge. Parkes, C. M., Laungani, P., Young, W. (Eds.). (2015).Death and bereavement across cultures. Routledge. Parkes, C. M., Laungani, P., Young, W. (Eds.). (2015).Death and bereavement across cultures. Routledge. Schulz, R., Boerner, K., Klinger, J., Rosen, J. (2015). Preparedness for death and adjustmReferences:ent to bereavement among caregivers of recently placed nursing home residents.Journal of palliative medicine,18(2), 127-133. Svenaeus, F. (2014). Diagnosing mental disorders and saving the normal: American Psychiatric Association, 2013. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, American Psychiatric Publishing: Washington, DC. 991 pp., ISBN: 978-0890425558. Price: $122.70 (Review Article).Medicine, health care and philosophy,17(2), 241-244. Tomer, A., Eliason, G. T., Wong, P. T. (Eds.). (2013).Existential and spiritual issues in death attitudes. Psychology Press. Wade, J. B., Hart, R. P., Wade, J. H., Bekenstein, J., Ham, C., Bajaj, J. S. (2016). Does the death of a spouse increase subjective well-being: An assessment in a population of adults with neurological illness.Healthy Aging Research,5(2). Yu, N. X., Chan, C. L., Zhang, J., Stewart, S. M. (2015). Resilience and vulnerability: prolonged grief in the bereaved spouses of marital partners who died of AIDS.AIDS care, 1-4.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Saint Peter, the Apostle Essay Example

Saint Peter, the Apostle Essay Peter is originally named Simon; one of the disciples closest to Jesus (and the one most frequently mentioned in the Gospels). He is a strong leader in the early church. The disciple Peter earned a reputation for impulsiveness. He won highest praise for discerning JesusÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ true identity, but in the very next paragraph he made one of his biggest blunders. He wanted Jesus to avoid pain, not understanding that the pain of the cross would bring salvation to the whole world. Peter showed courage by following Jesus, rather than going into hiding. Perhaps trying to gain information, he even went into the high priestÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s courtyard. But there he was recognized; partly because of his Galilean accent (Cullmann, 2003). After denying that he knew Jesus, peter remembered with pain in his boast that he would be willing to die with Jesus. Jesus had accurately predicted even Peter would desert him. On the subject of suffering, Peter makes an ideal counselor for readers then and now. He had been flogged and imprisoned for his own faith, once even expecting execution. Also, Peter had personally watched Jesus endure suffering, and in writings in the Bible points to him as an example how to respond. According to Peter, suffering should not catch a Christian off guard. He added that we are Ã¢â‚¬Å"strangersÃ¢â‚¬ in a hostile world, and where Christians thrive, storm clouds may gather. Saint Peter was the leader of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus, and often called Ã¢â‚¬Å"Prince of the Apostles.Ã¢â‚¬ The Roman Catholic Church considers him the first bishop of Rome and the first pope. As mentioned earlier, his real name was Simon, or Simeon; he was sometimes called Bar-Jona, or Simon the son of John. Jesus named him Cephas (an Aramaic word meaning Ã¢â‚¬Å"rockÃ¢â‚¬ ), in tribute to his strong rocklike character. (Petros, from which is Peter derived, was the Greek word for Cephas). Peter was the leader and spokesman of the Twelve Apostles, and he with James and John formed an inner circle. These three were with Jesus at the Transfiguration, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and on other special occasions (Becker, 2000). We will write a custom essay sample on Saint Peter, the Apostle specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Saint Peter, the Apostle specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Saint Peter, the Apostle specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Peter made the great confession of faith: Ã¢â‚¬Å"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.Ã¢â‚¬ Jesus replied: Ã¢â‚¬Å"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my churchÃ¢â‚¬ (Matthew 16:16, 18). Catholics believe that Jesus made Peter head of the church and gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven, which granted him authority through Jesus Christ to admit or bar souls. Protestants believe that the Ã¢â‚¬Å"rockÃ¢â‚¬ refers to PeterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s faith. Peter and his brother Andrew were natives of Bethsaida along the Sea of Galilee, but during the ministry of Jesus they lived Capernaum. They were fishermen and were partners with Zebedee and his sons James and John. Peter was led to Jesus by Andrew, the first apostle. PeterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s home apparently became JesusÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ headquarters (Foakes-Jackson, 2001). Peter had one blot on his career. After the arrest of Jesus, he denied three times that he knew his master, a sin for which he grievously repented. After the Resurrection, Christ gave Peter a commission to feed his sheep, that is, to give pastoral care to his church in Jerusalem. On the day of Pentecost, his preaching won about 3,000 converts. Peter continued his preaching in spite of persecution. He was the first to baptize Gentiles, but later after strong criticism he withdrew from association with Gentile Christians, a retreat that drew a sharp rebuke from Paul. About 43 A.D. after imprisonment by Herod Agrippa I, Peter left Jerusalem (Acts 12:170. He apparently became a missionary to the Jews, and suffered martyrdom under Nero in Rome, supposedly at Vatican Hill. According to Catholic tradition, peter became bishop of the Church of Rome. He met death by crucifixion (Cullmann, 2003).Ã‚ He is said to have been crucified with his head downward at his request. Peter is credited with the authorship of two epistles. The Roman Catholics celebrate PeterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s fest day every 29th of June. Peter is a representation of a Christian who commits mistakes but willingly repented in order to be reconciled to his master. He is very aggressive and quick in his actions yet ready to humble down. He has also a teachable heart and a character that is ready to be taught and nurtured by the teachings of Christ. Though at first, Peter failed to defend his faith by denying Christ but in the long run, after his repentance and received forgiveness from the Lord, he was very bold in proclaiming the gospel even though he was persecuted and cost his life. His passion in serving God is rekindled because of GodÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s kindness and love that was shown to him during the time Peter failed God.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Securities Paredes3 03 Essay

Securities Paredes3 03 Essay Securities Paredes3 03 Essay SECURITIES REGULATION OUTLINE PART ONE: RAISING CAPITAL I. SECURITIES REGULATION OVERVIEW A. Goals of Securities Regulation: The goals of securities market focus on the issuance of securities. These laws are all about disclosure. Investors need information. They are not able to kick the tires or to squeeze the fruit to test the product. So they need to make an informed decision when buying the product Ã¢â‚¬â€œ a future stream of earnings. Nearly 84 million Americans (43.6%) of the US own some sort of stock. Institutional (pension funds, mutual funds, commercial banks, insurance companies) own the rest. 1) Assuring Informed Investor Decision-Making & Consumer Protection: Investors need to trust that the company they are investing in is doing the right thing. Securities laws instill trust because the disclosure of information will mean that the investor can be confident in the company. The investor knows that that there are protective measures and legal recourse. However: this can also lead to complacency. Ex. Enron: Thus investors not confident when laws not enf orced. EnronÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s forms hadnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t been looked at in 3 years. 2) Allocative Efficiency: We want to ensure that stocks and other securities are priced accurately according to their true objective value. So long as the information that the regulations require is processed appropriately on the market, capital will flow to productive uses. The higher the value, the higher the price of the security and vice versa. We donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t want money being spent in places it shouldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t be. However, corporations may restrict the outflow of information to prevent later liability actions. 3) Corporate Governance and Agency Costs: Sometimes agent/corporate interests will diverge from shareholder interest. Securities regulation mitigates these concerns, telling corporate managers donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t cook your books or stock will go down. Brandeis: Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sunlight is the best of disinfectants.Ã¢â‚¬ 4) Economic Growth, Innovation, Access to Capital: We want companies to be able to expand and grow. Securities regulation ensure that investors will feel confident about investing and then companies can get capital, expand, grow. A securities-centered economy like the US encourages entrepreneurial ventures. A banking-centered economy like EuropeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s encourages firms dominance and corporate consolidation. 5) The Market for Lemons: Investors need to know which companies are lemons, which arenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t. Rigorous scheme of securities regulation allows the non-lemons to signal to market that theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re not lemons and thus investors wonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t be afraid of investing. B. Overview of the Financial Markets: The securities markets are a subset of the many financial markets. There are non-securities markets (bank loans, treasury bills, CDs and commercial paper) and equity markets. The decision of which market for a company to enter is based upon the cost of capital in the particular market, the time necessary to effect a transaction, and regulatory supervision. When a financial product is considered a security, the breadth of the securities laws applies. C. The Equity Markets: 1) The Trading Markets: a) The Primary Market: The primary market is issuer transactions sold to investors. b) The Secondary Market: The secondary market are trading transactions between investors, done on NYSE, NASDAQ, Electronic Communications Markets. D. Regulatory Framework: 1) The SEC: The Securities & Exchange Commission is an independent administrative body charged with the administration of the securities laws. Subject to the Administrative Procedure Act, thus there are open meetings, advance notice of regulatory changes, opportunities for interested parties to comment. Very New Dealesque. Maintains EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval). a) The Composition: One Chairman and four commissioners. Each commissioner has a five-year term, staggered, no more than three can be from the same party. b) The Divisions:

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Mississippi Online Public and Charter Schools (List)

Mississippi Online Public and Charter Schools (List) Mississippi offers resident students the opportunity to take online public school courses for free. Below is a list of no-cost online schools currently serving elementary and high school students in Mississippi. In order to qualify for the list, schools must meet the following qualifications: classes must be available completely online, they must offer services to state residents, and they must be funded by the government. Virtual schools listed may be charter schools, state-wide public programs, or private programs that receive government funding. List of Mississippi Online Charter Schools and Online Public Schools Mississippi Virtual Public School (off-site link) About Online Charter Schools and Online Public Schools Many states now offer tuition-free online schools for resident students under a certain age (often 21). Most virtual schools are charter schools; they receive government funding and are run by a private organization. Online charter schools are subject to fewer restrictions than traditional schools. However, they are reviewed regularly and must continue to meet state standards. Some states also offer their own online public schools. These virtual programs generally operate from a state office or a school district. State-wide public school programs vary. Some online public schools offer a limited number of remedial or advanced courses not available in brick-and-mortar public school campuses. Others offer full online diploma programs. A few states choose to fund Ã¢â‚¬Å"seatsÃ¢â‚¬ for students in private online schools. The number of available seats may be limited and students are usually asked to apply through their public school guidance counselor. (See also: 4 Types of Online High Schools). Choosing a Mississippi Online Public School When choosing an online public school, look for an established program that is regionally accredited and has a track record of success. Be wary of new schools that are disorganized, are unaccredited, or have been the subject of public scrutiny. For more suggestions on evaluating virtual schools see: How to Choose an Online High School.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Peter Alex Keller Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Peter Alex Keller - Research Paper Example Peter Alex Keller, 41, a resident of North Bend Washington, was formally charged with first degree murder and first degree arson on Wednesday, 25 April in King County Superior Court, after he shot his wife , Lynnette, 41, and daughter, Kaylene, 18 with .22 caliber gunshot and fled to the woods. After murdering his family and pets, Keller torched his rental home at 47227 S.W, 159th Street North Bend before heading on The Rattlesnake Ridges to hide in a bunker he spent eight years in building. According to court documents, Lynette and Kaylene died due to injuries from gunshot wounds to the head, inside. The week following the murders, the police searched the whole area for the forty-one year old suspect. Meanwhile, the county prosecutors were compiling a case against the suspect who was missing after the police discovered bodies of the two victims at the burned down North Bend house. KellerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s disappearance added fuel to the speculation about the real identity of the killer and i f the police found him, he would be sentenced to 51 to 65 years in prison. Due to the discovery of KellerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s car, the police knew he was hiding in the woods and warned hikers as well as community members that a killer was on the loose in the woods. (Anonymous, 2012). The Investigation According to the court documents, Keller had been planning to murder his family and pets since quite a while. Using an Issaquah branch of Chase Bank on Friday, April 20, withdrew $6,200. The same day in the evening Keller switched off his cell phone. Furthermore, he took Monday, Thursday, and Friday before the murders off from work. According to court documents, Keller when questioned by a co-worker about when he was going to return to work, he replied, Ã¢â‚¬Å"I may not come back next week, the week after that, or maybe neverÃ¢â‚¬ . The court records also state the fact that one KellerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s co-workers reported about the firearms Keller possessed which included high powered rifles with scopes , and silencers. According to the co-worker, Keller had not informed his wife about the silencers because they were excruciatingly expensive. The police during their search of the burned house, found two empty boxes for silencers on the master bedroomÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s floor. The police also found on the bedroomÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s floor, one box of .22 caliber bullets, spent .22 shell casings along with few empty firearms boxes. (Anonymous, 2012). At the crime scene, detectives found that the shed door was open which suggests that it was most probably used by Keller to hide plastic gas cans filled with gasoline. During the crime scene investigation, the detectives found seven cans of gasoline which had been placed in different parts of the house. The reports of arson investigators suggested that the house was deliberately set on fire. This was a very important piece of evidence which proved that Keller was the murderer. The investigators found that the fire was initiated by placing a one gallon plasti c gas on a skillet which was placed on the stove. The burner ignited fumes inside the can and the fire spread quickly which damaged the kitchen roof and it collapsed partially. According to the evidence found inside the house, the arson investigators concluded that the fire started to spread within half an hour after the gasoline can was placed on the burner. The firefighters found and removed two five-gallon gas cans and three two-gallon gas cans from different strategic locations inside the house. After the fire was put out, the firefighters removed the two victims. The firefighters who found Kaylene on top of a bunker bed stated that her body was limp which meant that she had died a short while ago because rigor mortis had not set in. According to the charging papers, the firefighters stated that Ã¢â‚¬Å"death had occurred within a short period of timeÃ¢â‚¬ . LynetteÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s hair contained a spent shell and there were two gunshot wounds on her head. Of the two gunshots wounds, o ne was behind her right ear

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Economic Analysis Of Schoolhouse Lane Estates Winery Essay

Economic Analysis Of Schoolhouse Lane Estates Winery - Essay Example Thus, the case study opens with Jane (Jan) Thaw having considerable difficulty responding to information she had just received from her cousin, Stan White pertaining to the state of affairs in the wine industry which had begun to decline owing to reduced demand of wines selling above $25 per bottle at retail price. This is against the background of ThawÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s intended plan to expand her Schoolhouse Lane Estates winery located in Cutchogue on the North Fork of Long Island. This brings uncertainty to her business strategy following a negative development in the wine industry. The level of analysis of Schoolhouse Lane Estates winery is Level 1 since it is related to industrial issues. Of great concern is the fact that the wine industry is mature where there are many competitors ranging from vineyards owners as well wineries. This shows that this is a lucrative industry in which competition exists as illustrated by PorterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s analysis in (Appendix 1). The problem to be overcome by Schoolhouse Lane Estates winery is that of competition where there has been a decline in the demand for wine seen as expensive owing to large supply on the market. (PorterÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s analysis in Appendix 1 illustrates this). The wine industry is characterized by strong competition. In 2004, it can be noted that there were 56 Vineyards and 30 wineries and 20 largest firms produced approximately 90 % of all American wine. During the same period, it can be noted that imports were also gaining popularity on the market which further shows that there are many actors in the market. It can be noted that during the late 90s, white and blush/rose wine sales declined to about 40% and 21% respectively where red wine considerably gained an increase in its sales. It is important for the marketers to be aware of the consumer needs and wants so as to be better positioned to satisfy them profitably. It can be noted that the market is dynamic and is susceptible to inevitable changes such as the macro environment. ConsumersÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ spending is also greatly influenced by monetary factors as well as the nature of products available in the market.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Importance of Internal Communications Essay Example for Free

Importance of Internal Communications Essay Importance of Internal Communications for a company and two case studies. Internal communications is considered a vital tool for connecting people within the company. It does not refer only to those few Ã¢â‚¬Å"officialÃ¢â‚¬ channels of communication in a company, it is also the strategic management of information flows to ensure the optima level of employee engagement. (Civicus, 2001) This business context of communication is a dual listening process. It is a top-down, bottom-up, side-to-side communication harnessed as a means of delivering messages, listening to concerns and motivating staff. Maintaining a good internal communications within a company could reinforce the vision, values and culture among employees, who can then communicate it to internal and external audiences. Internal communications aims to ensure that employees in the company work together towards the same goal, know what they should be doing and by when. Internal communication has evolved various ways of communicating internally. Traditionally, it started off with informal and formal one-to-one and one-to-many meetings where usually the Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe bossÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ would communicate in a highly one-way fashion with employees. Lee, 2006) In this case the message is mostly communicated in one way, it does not include feedback from the message recipients. When print materials were introduced, it was then involved for formal, top-down transmission, for instance, company annual report. Internal communication then evolved to the digital era where Internet was highly used as a communication tool. When email was in troduced into the business settings and with it the nature of communication has radically changed. Lee, 2006) As the digital technology advances, internal communication has evolved to the point where not only can employees and employers freely email each other, forward messages without any editing (showing the whole conversational trail), and forward those messages outside of the corporate walls, but also employees and employers can use these emails to bring about grievance procedures, litigation and dismissal. (Lee, 2006) It is seen that internal communication has undergone deliberately change and will continue growing. TodayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s internal communication practitioner is focused on challenging and stimulating employees, managing change and gaining employee engagement and commitment. (Chalmers, 2008) The aim has moved from controlling and directing people, through providing information, making announcements and supporting industrial relations, to supporting the development of a flexible work environment which adapts to change, seeks improvement, shares knowledge and know-how, generates ideas and involves people in achieving strategic goals. Chalmers, 2008) Most of the people understand the significance of internal communication but very few could manage it efficiently. Many people think that internal communication is one of the functions that they think they can do well. In fact, when it comes to real situation on handling employees, certain strategies and techniques are needed to communicate and tackle. In talking to many individuals at very different levels in very disparate sectors, what has come across as crucial is the need for internal communication to be championed at the very top of the organization and also for senior management and the boardroom to respect the expertise of the specialist tasked to deliver, be they internally or externally placed. Smith, 2008) A large number of studies by both professional management groups and professional communications bodies consistently find that Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcommunicating with employeesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ is a useful and powerful way of engendering greater Ã¢â‚¬ËœengagementÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the propensity of the employee to want to come to work and want to contribute to the success of the company. (Lee, 2006) Gauri Deshmukh, head of HR at SAS India states that internal communication is important for a company as it provides information and encourages sharing by driving and supporting the organisationÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s short-term and long-term goals and objectiv es. In addition, Deshmukh also mentions that with effective internal communications, it ensures that knowledge-sharing and communication processes are part of the daily workflow across all functions of the business. By having good internal communication, a company ensures that in between employers and employees they are constantly updated with information. In fact, a good internal communications not only affects organizational and operational success, but it has a considerable impact on external functions such as marketing, community and government relations, nd investor relations. (Brown, 2002) Internal communication is significant in any company because it is the building block of the organisational culture. (Civicus, 2001) Furthermore, internal communication is important so that employees become advocates for company. It is important to create a Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcommon purposeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ across the company Ã¢â‚¬â€œ creating the sense of a team where everyone feels ownership in their roles and in a chieving the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s goals. (WK, 2010) In this way employees feel accepted and being part of the company. Likewise, internal communication is one of the key Ã¢â‚¬ËœintangibleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ factors leading to high performance. (WK, 2010) For instance, if communication in a company is managed well employees are more confident and clear with the company mission and vision thus makes excellent financial as well as business. Not only that, having good internal communication helps build out companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s brand internally as employees are the best ambassadors, and internal perceptions should mirror what the company is telling the world. Trout, 2012) When the company is communicating effectively with its internal stakeholders, be it employees, management or volunteers, programmes and departments share more resources and information resulting in less duplication of work and stronger impact as a whole company. (Civicus, 2001) Without an effective internal communications, a company allows others to determine what information (or disinformation) is communicated to employees about their company. Brown, 2002) Smart employers realize that in environments where employees are able to move from one employer to another with relative ease, it is in the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s best interests to retain the smarter and more productive employees; doing all they can to communicate with them, inform them, influence them and enter into some sort of psychological contract with them is a wise move. Lee, 2006) Besides, without effective internal communications, the crisis of confidence in businesses and corporate leadership could hurt sincere efforts to build a positive corporate culture and to enhance employee morale and productivity, and devastate the overall image of an organization. (Brown, 2002) Case Study I: Nokia is one of the top mobile phone manufacturer favoured by many people. In order to compete with other mobile phone manufacturer Nokia is constantly improvising and upgrading their gadgets to serve people needs these days. The reason Nokia has been so successful is no doubt its creation on mobile phones, as well as the strong team in the company that has made where it stands today. In a technologically savvy company like Nokia, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s no surprise that theyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve been successfully implementing social media into their internal communications. (Kass, 2012) NokiaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s motto is connecting people and exploring ways to enhance communication. (Kass, 2012) In order to realize that vision, Nokia uses a number of different vehicles for two-way and push or pull communications; social media plays a big part with fitting into that strategy. NokiaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Social Media Communications team was established in early 2008, aimed to improve inter-company communications and engaging employees. The objective of the team is to: encourage the use of social media internally to bring out the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s unique authentic voice and to engage in social media externally on behalf of Nokia, and contributing to product and service announcements by opening up a dialogue and driving online engagement. (Kass, 2012) Nokia has 125,000 employees around the world. It is the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s utmost important task to engage all employees in order to achieve company business goal. There are a few platforms in Nokia allowing employees from global to connect as if they work in a small company together. According to Molly Schonthal who worked on the companys Social Media team in North America, the BlogHub is NokiaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s most powerful and effective social media tool that is used internally. It has been said that BlogHub lowers the barriers for employees to find conversations relevant to them. In terms of interaction, employees are allowed to communicate freely via BlogHub. They could make comment on posts, share ideas and knowledge on issues that have been mentioned. In addition, BlogHub serves as a useful search engine for employees to seek out information relevant to them. From a management point of view, through BlogHub feedback on various issues are gained quickly and track the conversations that are happening inside the company. Voting and ratings on posts are enabled as well for employees to be part of the decision team. Nokia has also introduced Nokia Conversations blog where latest Nokia product news would be posted. Through this blog employees could find a big overview of all the topics going on in Nokia. Similar to any other company that is engaged on social media, Nokia has its very own YouTube and Twitter account. Other than that, VideoHub has grown increasingly popular with employees allowing for postings to be updated on a daily basis. Besides, NokiaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Infopedia wiki allows employees to share knowledge inside the company. If someone needs to quickly check a piece of information, NokiaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s effective internal communication channel, Instant Messaging (IM) is available for employees. It claims to remove the barrier of more formalized communication in between employees. For global company like Nokia, in order to save cost and time, Nokia has itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s own video conference channel where annual communication meetings and real time conversations could be held. Considering people do not check their mailboxes as much anymore Nokia has slowly cut down prints publications in an effort to become more environmentally aware. In fact Nokia in North America has completely eliminated print publications. Newsletters are now kept to an electronic HTML format, which is e-mail so it is more easily distributed. Similar to every other company Nokia uses intranet communications as well. It is the center of where people go to get information on benefits or organization charts. Furthermore, to reach more employees, Nokia regularly posts relevant company announcements on plasma screens around regional offices, usually in cafeterias and breakout rooms, with its promise on going environmental friendly. At North America, leadership also encourages employees to speak directly with their line managers to better understand organizational strategy and what role they can play in that strategy. For all of NokiaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Web 2. 0 tools, Schonthal is quick to point out that Ã¢â‚¬Å"social media is never a replacement for high touch engagement. Ã¢â‚¬ (Kass, 2012) Instead, it can contribute to various company events and other in-person initiatives. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Social media complements these things but doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t take away from the ability to internally engage and share ideas,Ã¢â‚¬ she further explains. Nokia provides many platforms for employees to stay engaged, all for one clear identified goal Ã¢â‚¬â€œ connect all the people in the company. For such global company I believe Nokia in different countries or branches could decide on which channel they prefer but I believe as a whole, all the employees in Nokia stay connected via BlogHub. After reviewing how Nokia strives to engage the employees I could see that the management team work hard on receiving feedback as well. They listen to their employees. They make changes. All these actions give employees feel accepted and belonged to the company. The end result is the employees are clear with the goals, mission and procedures of the company, which can result increase their work effort and efficiency and boost business. Case Study II: Ã¢â‚¬Å"We were driven to connect the organization with itself, and realized enterprise social networking was the solution. I can truly say after more than two years that we have achieved an official internal communications channel. Socialcast lifted the boundaries and made our organization transparent. We connect daily with people from India, China, the US, and Brazil. Without Socialcast it would not be possible,Ã¢â‚¬ says Dennis Agusi, Global Internal Communications Officer, Royal Philips Electronics. Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving peopleÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of Ã¢â‚¬Å"sense and simplicityÃ¢â‚¬ . Philips Case Study 2012) In 2010, Philips began to explore how the company should help its employees spread around the globe to feel engaged, work like a small team driven by shared goals. On the way of researching, the Corporate Communications and IT department discovered that approximately 1,600 employees were actively using a free tool they had found on the Internet to communicate and collab orate. Knowing two platforms for collaboration would not be a great idea so the team took initiative to introduce a new platform to these early users. These early users provided positive and valuable feedback and recommendations on how to improve the enterprise social experience the best it could be. Then it led to a successful launch of an enterprise social network. The company adopted Ã¢â‚¬Å"Connect UsÃ¢â‚¬ and the network was launched with wide support. On launch day, Connect Us had 400 members. Within two months, 7,000 employees had joined the community. Through Connect Us they allow employee-to-employee exchanges as well as management-to-employee communications. Employees are allowed to post freely, share knowledge to make work easier. Connect Us helps to remove barriers between departments as well. Through Socialcast Reach, employees are allowed to share information and data in between departments resulting a more seamless flow of work. In addition, a new idea can be communicated more broadly, increasing sense of connectedness and engagement across the company. From management perspective, through Connect Us, the Communications and IT team could monitor whatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s happening in the company, check trending topics or people, at real time. According to report, Connect Us has enabled new and sometimes unexpected forms of employee engagement. All Employee JamÃ¢â‚¬ was a crowdsourcing project designed to bring to life the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s new, refreshed Mission and Vision statement through dialogue, discussion and debate. This exercise has successfully drawn employees who had not yet joined the social community into Connect Us. According to feedback, employees who participated in this exercise were found to be far m ore aware of and aligned with the Philips Mission and Vision than those employees who did not participate. This resulted Philips truly believes that enterprise social networks help companies increase employee engagement and retention. I liked the idea of how Philips tries to maintain the communication channel as one, which is Connect Us. I believe there are other platforms available for instance intranet but Connect Us is actively used by people in the company. From not knowing employees are using free online tool to communicate to introducing socialcast network, Philips has come a long way into realizing the importance of internal communication. The All Employee Jam has definitely demonstrated the power of enterprised social networking. It encouraged the employees to share knowledge, to stay connected which resulted in a greater identity with the company. In this two case studies, both companies Nokia and Philips selected appropriate channels for communication according to its needs. Nokia has different communication platforms serving different purposes. For instance, BlogHub allows employees to find information they need and Instant Messaging is a tool for quick and easy communication. On the other hand, Philips focus mainly on Connect Us, from searching information to accelerating ideas to sharing data it is all done on Connect Us. However, on my opinion, Nokia has too many platforms it might be tough to engage all the employees in one platform, as the users are free to choose which platforms they get information from. Whereas Philips uses Connect Us, most of the employees are part of the community and anything they need require can be found on Connect Us. I think this is one of the advantages of having a focused channel. Likewise, the tools and tactics, both companies chose to be focus more on information technology. In terms of interactivity, both companies engage their employees as well as welcoming their feedbacks. The employees are encouraged to utilise these channels to feel more accepted and being part of the company. For instance, Philips Connect Us not only allows employees-to-employees exchange, as well as management-to-employees communication. In this case it removes barriers between management and employees so work can be done easier. As for Nokia, feedbacks are valued through voting and ratings on posts and comments, allowing management to understand the employees better. Besides, both case studies reviewed the importance of evaluation on internal communication. In order to improve, the management team has to constantly measure the effectiveness of the communication tools and find ways to improve. Nokia and Philips monitor their employees through these platforms to find out what is really happening in the company. This way they could make sure the employees are on par with companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s goals. In conclusion, internal communication has never been so important. Many people know what internal communication is and they think they know how to function this but they might not know the true meaning behind it. Effective internal communication does not mean to have a lot of communication platforms, spending big budget on this function but utilizing the appropriate communication tool for employees get involved. If you want to build brand for your company first you have to build your brand internally. After all employees are the representatives of your company, they are the brand. Internal communication comes a long way to build, it might need more time and effort to achieve the effective result as desired but the end result is always proven satisfaction, that I am sure. A combination of strong communication, teamwork and camaraderie framed within trusting relationships will help achieve remarkable results in times of large-scale change and uncertainty, writes University of Nottingham chief executive Peter Homa. And finally, in my own words, you cant communicate with your audience until your internal message is crystal clear.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke Essays -- Philosophy essays

In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke I wish to defend and support John Locke's "The Causal Theory of Perception" because it is a logical argument with many useful applications. Primarily, this argument allows us to make more objective judgments about the world we perceive - it allows us to more accurately see reality by telling us how to separate the object itself from our own opinions or qualitative value judgments about the object. However, just the fact that a particular theory is useful does not mean that the theory itself is correct, even though that might be the motive for trying to prove its correctness. Therefore, I must also address George Berkeley's argument, put forth by his character Philonous in Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, that "to exist is to be perceived." To tackle Berkeley's argument, I will take Hylas and Philonous's Tree Argument. This is a nice variation on the common riddle of "If a tree falls in the middle of a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Philonous is trying to prove that everything that exists is perceived, and therefore exists only in the mind. If this is true, then nothing exists without the mind, and it is therefore pointless to distinguish between primary and secondary qualities as Locke does. Philonous challenges Hylas to conceive of any sensible object that exists without the mind. Hylas responds with the idea of a tree existing by itself, independent of, and unperceived by, any mind whatsoever. Philonous then points out that this is a contradiction - conceiving a thing that is unconceived. However, these two riddlers are failing to take into consideration one crucial element - time. Now, I intend to prove that ... ... Locke gives another good illustration with his flame example. A flame can have a definite temperature - a primary quality of something that exists. It can also have warmth - a secondary quality that we see in the object that is closely related to the primary quality, but is a value judgment. And there can be the perception of pain - an idea which exists only in the mind, independent of the flame, even though associated with it. If one accepts these ideas, one has a useful tool to help oneself be objective about a certain thing. If we remember these distinctions, then we can identify and separate from each other those qualities which exist in the object itself, those judgments we make about those qualities, and those ideas we have independent of an object. Separating primary qualities from secondary qualities allows us to more accurately perceive reality. In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke Essays -- Philosophy essays In Defense of Hylas and Support of Locke I wish to defend and support John Locke's "The Causal Theory of Perception" because it is a logical argument with many useful applications. Primarily, this argument allows us to make more objective judgments about the world we perceive - it allows us to more accurately see reality by telling us how to separate the object itself from our own opinions or qualitative value judgments about the object. However, just the fact that a particular theory is useful does not mean that the theory itself is correct, even though that might be the motive for trying to prove its correctness. Therefore, I must also address George Berkeley's argument, put forth by his character Philonous in Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous, that "to exist is to be perceived." To tackle Berkeley's argument, I will take Hylas and Philonous's Tree Argument. This is a nice variation on the common riddle of "If a tree falls in the middle of a forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Philonous is trying to prove that everything that exists is perceived, and therefore exists only in the mind. If this is true, then nothing exists without the mind, and it is therefore pointless to distinguish between primary and secondary qualities as Locke does. Philonous challenges Hylas to conceive of any sensible object that exists without the mind. Hylas responds with the idea of a tree existing by itself, independent of, and unperceived by, any mind whatsoever. Philonous then points out that this is a contradiction - conceiving a thing that is unconceived. However, these two riddlers are failing to take into consideration one crucial element - time. Now, I intend to prove that ... ... Locke gives another good illustration with his flame example. A flame can have a definite temperature - a primary quality of something that exists. It can also have warmth - a secondary quality that we see in the object that is closely related to the primary quality, but is a value judgment. And there can be the perception of pain - an idea which exists only in the mind, independent of the flame, even though associated with it. If one accepts these ideas, one has a useful tool to help oneself be objective about a certain thing. If we remember these distinctions, then we can identify and separate from each other those qualities which exist in the object itself, those judgments we make about those qualities, and those ideas we have independent of an object. Separating primary qualities from secondary qualities allows us to more accurately perceive reality.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Ã¢â‚¬Å“HedonismÃ¢â‚¬Â By Jessica Shelby Essay

Oscar WildeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢sThe Picture of Dorian Gray is a prime example of hedonism, a movement in the late 1800Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s that claims pleasure to be the prime goal in oneÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s life. The focus of the novel is the beauty of Dorian Gray, his self-destructive search for pleasure, and the corruption of both the lives he has encountered and his own soul. Beauty and pleasure are the focus of all characters and scenes depicted in The Picture of Dorian Gray. WildeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s timeless novel vividly portrays the hedonism ideals as the theme of the Picture of Dorian Gray with its charactersÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ mentality, roles, and eventual demise. The hero of the novel, Dorian Gray, is introduced as an innocent, beautiful young boy until he-in a mad instant- prays that his beauty shall live on while his portrait bares the resemblance of his shame and disgrace. Basil Hallward, the painter of the doomed portrait, praises Dorian for his timeless beauty and innocence. Basil is obsessed with Dorian, and his pleasure is found with the ideal of Dorian that allows him to paint so elusively. The corruption of Dorian begins with BasilÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s adoration, but it is lofted with Lord HenryÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s hedonistic ideals and all around negative influence. Lord Henry teaches Dorian to cherish his youth and beauty, all the while filling DorianÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mind with selfish ideals of pleasure and beauty. Ã¢â‚¬Å"I believe that if one man were to live out his life fully and completely, were to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought, reality to every dream- I believe that the world would gain such a fresh impulse of joy that we wouldÃ¢â‚¬ ¦ return to Hellenic ideal- to something finer, richer, than the Hellenic ideal.Ã¢â‚¬ With musings such as this, Lord Henry begins his takeover of young DorianÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mind, ideals, and eventually his soul. Dorian tries to redeem himself, but with a few words from Lord Henry, he is back in the pursuit of pleasure. For example, Dorian realizes his injustice to Sybil Vane and intends to apologize. Then, Lord Henry tells him of her death and makes it sound glorious- like the perfect ending to a delightful play.Ã‚ Rather than dwelling in the death of a loved one, Dorian tosses the matter aside. Dorian develops in the novel. He begins lofty collections, but eventually bores of them. Then, Dorian searches for pleasure in religion; he even considers converting to Catholicism-not because of any interest in God, but because he fancies the customs. However, Dorian soon grows weary of that and begins to seek refuge with opium, experimentation, and the finding and destroying of romances. All of the lives that Dorian touches are blasphemies, banished, or buried. The women who have met Dorian cannot walk about shamelessly, because Ã¢â‚¬Å"Prince CharmingÃ¢â‚¬ -as Sybil Vane christened young Dorian- has taught them shame, has disgraced them, and found pleasure with his shameless use of them. The men who have befriended Dorian either are banished from London, living in Opium dens like Adrian Singleton, or have taken their own lives like Alan Campbell. Meanwhile, Dorian remains gorgeous, but his picture grows hideous. Even in the growing bestial creature on the unfortunate canvas gives Dorian pleasure. Dorian is so pleased that he bares no shame; the thing behind the cloth that lives in the canvas is destined to that. Not Dorian, however, he can seek pleasure with no outward consequences. Not until Dorian-in, yet another fit of rage- stabs the portrait transferring all of his sins, shame, and corruption to his own flesh and blood and his once luminous beauty takes its place on the canvas. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, not only depicts the hedonistic ideals, but it also portrays why the movement cannot last in society. Yes, the novel is factual, and it is highly unlikely that a portrait will bare a manÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s shame while he remains forever young. However, Ã¢â‚¬Å"sin is a thing that writes itself across a manÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s face,Ã¢â‚¬ and if all of society was in pursuit of selfish pleasure, not only will there be no society, but those who did live such lives would be outcast. For example, all of those in the novel not as fortunate as Dorian to be forever innocent looking were banished from London, not able to show their face, or so ashamed that they resorted to taking their own lives. Oscar WildeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢sThe Picture of Dorian Gray is a prime example of hedonistic ideals because of the characters, their actions, andÃ‚ demise.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Analyzing why difficulties arise in intercultural communications Essay

In analyzing why these difficulties arise in intercultural communications, Sheryl L. Lindsley (assistant professor of communication at California State University, Stanislaus), put forth four layers of intercultural communication in 1999: The first layer is the Ã¢â‚¬Å"macro-context,Ã¢â‚¬ which includes the economic and political situations in which the communications occur. A good example is the domination of Mexico by the U. S. , while at the same time increasing MexicoÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s revenue made possible by NAFTA (Jennifer Peltak, n.d. ). LindsleyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s second layer consists of individual competency or incompetence, in regard to bilinguals who are generally the bridges to communication. In terms of intercultural businesses, if the bilinguals harbor their own stereotypes of the other culture, some problems cannot be overcome. The third layer is comprised of communicative behaviors. This is in the perception category; using Mexican/American relations as an example, Lidsley identifies expectations on both sides as a potential problem in negotiating. Mexicans tend to keep conflicts private and save face in public, where Americans have no problem resolving conflict in public, and then acknowledging privately that there are no hard feelings. The fourth layer individual attribution to meaning. In the case of preconceived stereotypes, the listener can misinterpret the speakerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s intent because of the mind set barrier. Messages can be perceived selectively, reinforcing cultural stereotypes. While this information may cast a better light on solving or minimizing obstacles to intercultural communication, if we look on the broader scale of business relations, a critical problem emerges; people, no matter what culture, have become a means to an end rather than an integral and important part of a company. This became very obvious in the 1990Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s when more companies went global and acquisitions and mergers occurred. In 1993, Business International published the key factor for international business failure: cultural differences (Charles Gancel, Chilina Hills, 1997). To avoid this problem of collapse of the infrastructure of an international company based on a shift in the balance of power and the inaccessibility of remote teams geographically dispersed, Gancel and Hills recommend three fundamental conditions: 1. Clarifying the objective (the companyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s philosophy, protocol and methodology must be clearly understood). 2. Negotiating its implementation (in a complex structure, introduction and implementation of systems does not need to be imposed. Some of the systems can be designed and negotiated by those that will be applying them, incorporating the needs of the culture involved). 3. Accompanying change (managers being trained in intercultural relations, informed of their new cultureÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s way of communicating and imparting information). Last, nonverbal communication and the method by which information is given are important to note. While Americans and many Europeans have no problems asking for and receiving feedback or suggestions from corroborators, a Chinese or Indian individual would see this practice as a personal affront. This is but one example of cultural differences in the workplace. Management that will be working abroad should have a through knowledge of the culture they are about to enter and work within. Along with this verbal exchange, it is important to understand that certain gestures or even forms of eye contact are offensive or insulting to another culture. In order to get the most from the foreign work force, understanding the culture, even having a coach within the new culture is imperative in order to achieve a smoother transition. While intercultural communications will always have its problems and comical blunders, it need not be so painful. Understanding another culture is, now more than ever, the key to successful negotiations from the individual to the corporate level. Works Cited Brislin, Richard. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Encouraging depth rather than surface processing about cultural differences through critical incidents and role plays. Ã¢â‚¬ Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. Center For Cross Cultural Research, Western Washington University. N. d. , 23 April 2006 http://www. ac. wwu. edu/~culture/brislin. htm Burgess, Guy & Heidi. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Language Differences. Ã¢â‚¬ Conflict Research Consortium, University Of Colorado. 1998 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 2002, 21 April 2005 http://www. colorado. edu/conflict/peace/problem/langdif. htm Gancel, Charles & Hills, Chilina. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Managing the pitfalls and challenges of intercultural communication. Ã¢â‚¬ Communication World. December 1997, 22 April 24, 2006 http://www. findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m4422/is_n1_v15/ai_20219196 Jones, Anna & Xuan Quach. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Intercultural Communication: For Students In the Faculty Of Economics and Commerce. Ã¢â‚¬ University Of Melbourne. 2004, 22 April 2006 tlu. ecom. unimelb. edu. au/pdfs/intercul_comm. pdf Peltak, Jennifer. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Intercultural communication problems are best seen via multiple levels. Ã¢â‚¬ National Communication Association. N. d. , 23 April 2006 http://www. natcom. org/pubs/CM/cm699. htm.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Most Common Answer on the ACT Guess C

Most Common Answer on the ACT Guess C SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Everyone knows that, when guessing on a multiple-choice test, the best answer to choose is C...right? A friend of a friend swears by it, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s served you well in the past (maybe?), and itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s become such a commonly known Ã¢â‚¬Å"fact,Ã¢â‚¬ such an undisputed strategy, that you may feel as if you were born knowing it- Ã¢â‚¬ when in doubt, pick C and move on.Ã¢â‚¬ But does this time-honored tradition of picking C when in doubt actually work on the ACT? And if not, what can you do to improve your odds when guessing? LetÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s look at the facts. Why You Should Answer Every Question on the ACT First of all, there is no penalty for choosing a wrong answer on the ACT, so make sure tonever leave a question blank. You'll earn one point for every correct answer you choose and zero points for any blank or wrong answers, so it doesn'thurt you to make a guess. If you don't knowan answer and guessit wrong, you'll earn the same number of points that you would have had you left it blank (zero). And if you guessthe question right, you'll earn yourself one point! Now when you're forced to guess on a question for whatever reason, you'll have to decide between thetwo main types of guessing: educated guessing and blindguessing. So let's break down how and when to go about making each type of guess. Educated Guessing You can make an educated guess when you: understand the gist of a question, butdon't have the timeto workthrough it completely, don't quite know how to work through a question completely, or you're torn between a few answer options. But if you've got some idea of what the answer can (and- just as important- what it can't) be, it's time to eliminate some answer choices and make an educated guess. For example, let's look at an ACT math problem: Even if you don't have enough time to completely work through the problem or don't know all the steps, just a little knowledge of lines and slopes will tell usthat the answer will be B, C, or D. Why? Because our given slope is $-{2/3}$and a negative slope will fall down towards the right when drawn through our given point (2, 5). This means we can eliminate answer choices A and E immediately. (Spoiler alert: D is the right answer.) BlindGuessing But let's say you've come up against a question and you have absolutely no clue where to begin. Or maybeyou've got ten seconds left on the clock and fifteen questions still left unanswered. You know that leaving a question blank is tantamount to throwing your points out the window, so now it's time to make a blindguess. There's no time for educated guessing or eliminating answer choices- you just have to fill in a bubble. Butwhen you have to make a blindguess like this (or multiple blind guesses), are you better off choosing C than any other answer choice? Let's see. Don't let their cheerful smiles fool you- three of them are hiding the wrong answer, dun dun DUN. Fact or Fiction: Is C the Most Common Answer on the ACT? The idea that C is the best answer to choose when guess-answering a question on a multiple choice test rests on the premise that ACT answer choices are not truly randomized.In other words, the implication is that answer choice C is correct more often than any other answer choice.After all, if the answer key were truly randomized, then why should C be any more likely to be the right answer than any other option? [Note: the ACT switches between using A, B, C, D (andE on the math section) and F, G, H, J (and K on the math). H is the equivalentto C.] Some (or even many) of your high school teachers likely still design their tests by hand, which means that their answer keys will not be statistically random.No matter how much your teachers try to randomize their choices, human beings are NOT random and cannot properly randomize a series.For instance, a truly random sampling will actually produce bizarre strings of patterns- e.g., five ABÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s in a row, or twenty questions without a D- and most people do not (or cannot) create these patterns when they try their best to be Ã¢â‚¬Å"random.Ã¢â‚¬ Fortunately or unfortunately, this is NOT the case on the ACT. Unlike many of the tests you take in high school, ACT answer keys are completely computer generated. And computers are very good at being random. This means that the answer choices will have a statistically even distribution of 1 in 4 for each answer choice letter (or1 in 5 on the math section): there is no most common answer on the ACT. So, ultimately, guessing C (or any letter!) will give you the correct answer only a statistical 25% of the time(20% on the math section). Which meansit's NOT true that choosing C will give you a better rate of success than choosing any other letter for your blind guessing. What to do, then? So How Should You Guess? If C isn't the most common answer on the ACT, then which letter should you guess? The truth is that it doesn't matter which letter you pick, only that you stick to the one you choose. The best strategy,and the one that will maximize your overall point gain,is to pick your favorite letter and fill it infor every blind guess. Maybe that letter is A/F or B/G - it doesn't matter. Just be sure to stick with it every single time. So definitelygo ahead and choose C/H to be your designated letter if you like it best! (Just don't expect C to be any betteran answer choice than A, B, or D.) But maybe you're thinking that sounds completely illogical. Why should you fill in the same letter over and over? Why Does Sticking to One Letter Increase Your Odds of Guessing the Right Answer? Your overall score will improve if you stick to choosing the same letter again and again when making blind guesses. This isbecause people are never truly random. If youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re making "random" blind guesses in a spread, you will almost certainly reduce your overall guesses odds, because your best attempt at random guessing cannot replicate computer-generated randomness. But by sticking to your designated letter when making blind guesses, you are re-introducing an element of randomness. LetÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s see this in action to better demonstrate why this works. Scenario: ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s crunch time and youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve run out of minuteson the clock. You have 15 questions left to goand only a few seconds to bubble in your answers. This means you donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have time to even look at the questions, so you must try to make the best blind guesses you can and maximize your point-gain. You are left with two options: make a random guess spread, or fill in every letter with the same answer choice. LetÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s see how each option does when compared to a real ACT answer guide (in this case, we are using the first 15 answers of the 2015/2016 ACT reading section answers, with all F, G, H, J's converted to A, B, C, D's.) (Note: for our random spread, we tried to guess as randomly as we could without looking at the answer key, and for our consistent letter, we simply went with C.) Ã¢â‚¬Å"RandomÃ¢â‚¬ Spread Consistent Guess (C) Correct Answers A C A C C D B C C A C C A C B B C D D C A B C C D C B B C D C C A A C D C C C C C D D C B By choosing a random spread, we earned 2 points out of a possible 15.But by sticking with one answer choice, we earned 4 points. Ultimately, sticking to the sameletter won't work better for each individual question, but on average and over a spread, the strategywill let you maximize your overall point-gain. Oh, statistics, you strange creature. The Take-Aways So is C the most common answer on the ACT? No! But is it the best letter to choose when you're in a bind and don't know what the right answer choice is? Well, that's more complicated. Always remember that it'sin your best bet to eliminate answer choiceswhenever possible. But if you can't, and you must make a blind guess, then stick to one letter and run with it every time. If you want this letter to be C (and it's equivalent, H), then go right ahead! Just make sure you stick with it every single time. C isn't any better or worse than any other letter, or any more likely to be the correct answer, but if you decide to stick with it for every blind guess you make, you'll be better off than trying to be "random." What's Next? Blind guessing strategy is great in a pinch, but elimination is always better! Check out our guides on how to make your best guesses on the ACT, how to eliminate answer choices on the ACT math section, and how to avoid the top elimination pitfalls that many students make. Want to get more ACT practice? Check out all the free ACT tests available online and gauge how you're scoring by checking out what falls into a "good" and "bad" ACT score. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points or more? Check out PrepScholar's test-prep programour five day free trial. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today: