Wednesday, May 27, 2020

What Students Need to Know About the Computer-Based International ACT

There are a Few Tools and Quirks That Students Need to Be Aware of Before Taking the CBT International ACT The ACT recently launched computer-based testing (CBT) for all international students testing outside of the United States. A first sitting of the ACT in the CBT format occurred in September, and while there were a few bumps with the initial proctoring of the exam (test centers cancelling administrations last minute and materials not arriving on time) it seems that the ACT has finally ironed out some of the quirks. Here’s what international students need to know about the computer-based ACT – including some of the quirks with the new tools and practice materials. Test Day Computer ToolsTo grant CBT students the same opportunities as paper exam test takers, the ACT has created a ‘toolbox’ of resources available for international students. Seen in the upper right-hand corner of the examination, students are able to access a tool dropdown, enlarge or minimize the question size, and see the time remaining in the section. A useful feature that is offered on with the CBT format is a dropdown toolbar which includes a Magnifier, Highlighter, Liner Reader, Answer Eliminator and Answer Masking features. These tools aim to provide the same experience for students as they would have taking a paper examination – if not better. Magnifier This tool â€Å"makes an image larger in a graph, chart, picture, or block of text to help you see it better and view details, like data points within a graphic.† (ACT Tool Sheet, 2018) What to Know: Since there is a Zoom in option on initial toolbar, this magnifier option is not overly useful. However, if a student is struggling seeing a graph or chart in the math or science, this may be a benefit. For reading passages, the zoom in button in the top right corner of the screen would be more seamless for student use. HighlighterThis tool â€Å"highlights words and phrases in a test item to help you remember or sort out important points while you’re reading.† (ACT Tool Sheet, 2018) The highlighter tool mirrors underlining on the paper test version. What to Know: It’s important to note with this tool, as well as all of the tool box drop down items, that you must click to activate and deactivate the tool. The tool will stay active if you click to progress to the next question. However, this could help students when answering multiple reading passages back to back, since the tool will already be active, and a student can metaphorically â€Å"jump right in†! Line ReaderThis tool â€Å"pulls up a window that emphasizes a single line in a block of text, helping you separate that line from the text around it (and focus on important content while figuring out your response)†. (ACT Tool Sheet, 2018) What to Know: In theory, this tool should be a wonderful asset to students looking to section off pieces of a passage. However, the tool is a bit awkward to navigate since a student needs to adjust the inner box to the section of the text they wish to read, the grey block to hide the section they are looking to disregard, and then move the entire piece onto the section of the passage. This could be seen as a time wasting â€Å"pit† for students. Answer EliminatorThis tool â€Å"crosses out answers that you know are incorrect, helping you narrow down your choices.† (ACT Tool Sheet, 2018) What to Know: This is a tool that a student should be encouraged to click on and leave active for all questions of the ACT if they are implementing the process of elimination testing strategy or looking to narrow down answer choices to encourage educated guesses. Answer MaskingThis tool â€Å"hides answers that you know are incorrect, helping you narrow down your choices†. (ACT Tool Sheet, 2018) If having the answer choices visible is distracting for a student, the answer masking tab could be of assistance. What to Know: For Math problems where students are using the â€Å"plugging in† strategy, it would be counterproductive to mask the answers that you would need to utilize. Navigation Barâ€Å"See the number of items on the subject test, navigate among items, and flag items you’d like to review.† (ACT Tool Sheet, 2018) The navigation bar is a convenient way for students to go back and review any questions of concern. When a question that is a challenge, a student is able to click the flag button to mark an area/question they need to return back to. What to Know: Compared to the paper version of the test, this may in fact be an advantage. Previously, students needed to flip back through their answer booklets to find the questions they marked for review. However, with all questions noted at the bottom of the ACT CBT format, students can seamlessly switch among questions. Test Timerâ€Å"The test timer is a helpful way to keep track of how much time you have left in each section.† With this tool, Students are able to easily access their time left on the section of the exam. Additionally, students are still able to use wrist watches. What to Know: It may be distracting to some students since it does actively count down minutes and seconds. There is not a way to ‘turn off’ the clock, so a student who dislikes this timer format are encouraged to bring a standard wrist watch that does not make any noise. The WhiteboardA change that the ACT has not been overly transparent about to students is the transition from scrap paper to a whiteboard. Students will be given a whiteboard to supplement the scrap paper that was previously distributed during paper examinations. During the September distribution of the examination, not all testing sites were able to receive their whiteboards for the sitting. Because of this, testing centers still provided scrap paper for students to utilize. Looking ahead, students should be prepared to test using a whiteboard that is gridded on one side and blank on the other. What to Know: The whiteboard could be seen as a disadvantage to students, since they now need to worry about ‘wiping clean’ their boards as they move through problems, as opposed to writing through scrap paper. However, one may argue that this may be a helpful resource since the whiteboards are distributed at the beginning of the examination and can be utilized throughout the entire exam (across sections). Practice ResourcesThe ACT has made available an online component to their test preparation book. For international students, it is worth investing in the ACT Online Prep Pack to have access to the two full-length practice examinations, as well as hundreds of practice problems. Check out the ACT’s website for additional information on the prep pack! Additionally, ACT Academy has numerous resources available to students looking to prepare, including two additional online practice tests that are different than the ones offered in the prep pack. Examinations included in the Prep Pack, as well as ACT Academy, are previously administered ACT examinations. What to Know: The online formatting for these practice tests does not simulate all the functions and tools provided in the CBT format of the exam. These examinations have some of the Tool Box available, but not all. Additionally, while two of these exams are recent (74F and 1572C) the examinations offered in the Prep Pack online date back to 2014 and 2015. However, the ACT’s online International site does offer a semi-recent practice examination (71C, from June 2013) that fully simulates the testing experience for students. While this examination is the oldest of the lot, it does have all the tools and resources that are provided on test day. For access to 71C, click here. While the computer-based testing model is still very new, it’s important for international students to consider which test is the best-fit for their abilities content-wise. At, we recommend students take a diagnostic of both the SAT and ACT in order to determine which exam students should prep for. Want to learn more about’s test prep services? Click here or visit our Get Started page to receive more information.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

The Disillusionment of the Vietnam War Essay - 982 Words

President Dwight Eisenhower conditionally pledged to support South Vietnam’s new nation in 1955. In the time period between 1955-1961 the United States pumped seven billion dollars in aid so that Vietnam would not â€Å"go over quickly† like a â€Å"row of dominoes† (McNamara 31). In the next 6 years Vietnam would cost America billions of dollars, thousands of lives, and the disaffection of much of the United States public. Yet in the end, South Vietnam would fall to the North less than 2 years after the United States military involvement ceased. From the year 1955 when the United States vowed to help support the South Vietnamese fight off the Northern communist, a total of about 60,000 soldiers dead and 300,000 wounded. The soldiers who offered†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"In August of 1964, in response to the American and GVN espionage along its coast, the DRV launched a local and controlled attack against C. Turner Joy and the U.S.S. Maddox , two Ameri can ships on call in the Gulf of Tonkin† (Brigham 2). This resulted in the United States government giving Lyndon Johnson the ability to make war under the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. President Johnson then gave orders to perform air raids on Northern Vietnam pushing the United States further into the war. Compared to 1962 when only 9,000 soldiers supported the South Vietnamese, by June 1965 82,000 soldiers occupied the country. The number only continued to rise exponentially, and by 1966 370,000 soldiers had been sent in to prop their South Vietnam allies. President Richard Nixon withdrew American soldiers from Vietnam and as part of the â€Å"vietnamization† of the war. Over and 60,000 American soldiers had been lost in a war to preserve the status quo, not to win. The United States spent more than 120 billion dollars on the Vietnam War in efforts to stop the spread of communism. How much of this money ended up in the private accounts of the series of presidents that r uled South Vietnam will never be brought to light. Corruption was rife in the government and military of South Vietnam. This immense amount of money was merely squandered away on the war effort that was brought to an inconclusive end. ThisShow MoreRelatedThe 1950s : A Decade Of Prosperity, Conformity, And Consensus1470 Words   |  6 PagesKylie Suitum Hist 406 Final Paper 12/11/15 Historians tend to portray the 1950’s as a decade of prosperity, conformity, and consensus, and the 1960’s as a decade of turbulence, protest, and disillusionment. Do you agree or disagree with this view? Show evidence to support your argument. With the overwhelming amount of Levittown houses, the obsession to obtain the perfect American â€Å"ideal family† as seen on TV and the unspoken agreement to fear any and all foreign ideas and values, the 1950s wereRead MoreDisillusionment In Literature1616 Words   |  7 Pagesenlightened, a band-aid is ripped off to reveal the frightening world people live in. They begin to see the gory inner workings of systems meant to keep the blanket of naivete over their eyes. In a world of uncertainties, disillusionment is this blanket of protection. Disillusionment is â€Å"a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be.† (Merriam-webster) An unwelcome/traumatic event usually spurs this blanket of disappointment to be pulledRead MoreWhy Did The Tet Offensive Affect America s Societal Opinion On The Involvement Of The Vietnam War1739 Words   |  7 PagesIn january, 1968 the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam war was launched. The Tet Offensive was a carefully planned military campaign composed of surprise attacks on the republic of Vietnam by the communist parties of North and South Vietnam during the vietnamese holiday, Tet. The Tet offensive, militarily was a massive defeat for the communist parties of Vietnam, however it led to mass disillusionment within the U.S., diminishing public support for the war, inevitably forcing a withdrawal of U.S. troopsRead Moreâ€Å"Today It Is Becoming Increasingly Apparent To Thoughtful938 Words   |  4 Pagesabroad and maintain any form of imperialism at home. The war has done this to our thinking.†(Willkie). After a war, a responsible superpower would provide the ideals of a democracy, such as popular sovereignty and limited government. However after the second world war, the United States acted opposite of its highest standards, instead keeping in mind only of expansionism and corrupted ways to be the best. In its world interventions in Vietnam , Nicaragua and Afghanistan, the US behaved more as an empireRead MoreMedia and American Withdrawal From Vietnam Essay1745 Words   |  7 PagesMedia and American Withdrawal From Vietnam The history of Vietnam is characterised by struggles for independence since French rule in 1859 after the French took Saigon, and a great ability in warfare and continual determined resistance to foreign domination. Major military involvement by American armed forces came after events such as Russian communist revolution in 1917 and the Korean War in the 1950s; these events put the America people in a period of moral panic Read MoreNovel Without a Name1090 Words   |  5 PagesNovel without a Name Novel without a name by Duong Thu Huong provided a real insight on war from the Vietnamese point of view. Readers are able to contemplate with the themes that reoccur, what the war truly is like, and the effects it causes on the people, society, and the individual. Three main reoccurring themes of this novel were disillusionment of the war, betrayal, and the loss of innocence that the war causes on a human being. â€Å"How proud were we of our youth! Ten years ago the day we leftRead More06.07 Dissilusionment Essay930 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿06.07 Disillusionment: Assignment Question: Explain how events such as the Vietnam War and Watergate affected the American public’s opinion of the U.S government. Part I: Read the question above and write down what you think the question is asking in your own words. I think that this question is asking for the American public perception of the US government and their elected officials during both of these events. Both the Vietnam War and Watergate events had big impacts on American societyRead MorePort Huron Statement Analysis956 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1962 America was going through a tough period, marked by the Cold War, against USSR and its communism. This was also the time of the Vietnam War and the Arms Race, with the possession of the nuclear weapon, and the president of the time, John F. Kennedy was a fervent believer in the â€Å"Domino Theory† and intended to contain communism. This situation was one of the elements that would lead to people’s dissatisfaction and fear, and to many contestations through popular means, like music, for exampleRead MoreThe Origins Of The War967 Words   |  4 Pagesbefore we can talk about President Johnson’s decision to escalate the war in Vietnam we need to go back a little further . According to Bill Moyers at PBS the origins of the war started in 1945 when the British chose to ignore Ho Chi Minh’s declaration of independence and restored French rule to the country. After a long drawn out conflict with Ho Chi Minh’s forces and a massive defeat at Dien Bien Phu, the French finally left Vietnam in 1954. (Moyers, B.) Before Johnson took office Eisenhower and KennedyRead MoreEssay on Protest Songs Throughout the Vietnam War1445 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout all the anti-war protests and marches during the Vietnam War, it is interesting to note the changes in the music of that time. From the beginning of the war, where support and loyalty from Americans was present in songs, to the end of the war, where anger and distrust was evident in musical lyrics, American’s opinion changed about the war. This change in opinion was easily recognized by the altering of musical lyrics about the war when Americans grew tired of the constant sending of U

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The E Commerce Strategy Of Boeing - 1420 Words

Abstract Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace and defense company in the world. The company company employs over 165,000 individuals within the United States and has a wide span of control over 65 countries. Boeing generates over 90.8 billion in revenue with a diverse spectrum of products and services. The organizational behavior within a company such as Boeing is crucial to the company’s success. Therefore, an organizational behavior analysis, theory and applications in aviation are examined within the Boeing Company. More specifically, the aspects of leadership within the company are researched to determine their effectiveness. The organizational design or structure of Boeing is examined to ensure the efficiency and correct fit. Organizational culture and managerial roles are examined to include ethical issues within the company. Boeing on a global scale to include how the company compares to its peers is investigated. Additionally, in today’s world of techn ology the business concepts and strategies of many organizations must adapt to be successful. Therefore, the E-commerce strategy of Boeing is examined. Each of the aspects of organizational behavior are applied to Boeing and researched to determine if Boeing will continue to prosper as the leading aerospace and defense company in the world. Key words: Boeing, Organizational behavior Organization Behavior Analysis on Boeing Company Overview. The Boeing Company primarily designs, develops, andShow MoreRelatedBusiness Press Article And An Executive Summary Essay1512 Words   |  7 Pagescutting back. We are growing our business with UPS. We’re growing our business with the U.S. Postal Service.† It is hard to enter an existing market but Amazon plans to maximize the market share it currently captures. To ensure this, they are Leasing 20 Boeing 767s from Air Transport Services Group this march. Amazon has negotiated an option to buy nearly 20 percent of the company. Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president for worldwide operations, stated, â€Å"We’re excited to supplement our existing deliveryRead MoreEssay on Case Study – Boeing Australia Limited1064 Words   |  5 PagesIssue Identification Boeing Australia Ltd. (BAL) is a relatively new privately owned company and a global extension of the U.S. firm, the Boeing Co. BAL has continued to develop capabilities in the areas of space and communications, site management, and upgrade and maintenance of military aircraft and equipment. Historically BAL has had a myriad of systems encompassed in its diverse systems architecture which was predominantly site-centric in nature. The main issue is the processes. There are redundanciesRead MoreFinancial Analysis Of Two Stocks1518 Words   |  7 Pagesis in his final semester at SIUE. He is planning to receive his Bachelor’s Degree in Management with a Finance specialization in December. He is looking to pursue a career in banking or financial planning. His analysis was focused on McDonalds and Boeing. These two stocks purpose is to be safe and add some long-term, sustained growth to the portfolio with their size and consistent reliability. Brittany Gallego is completing her senior year at SIUE. She will graduate in May of 2018 with her degreeRead MoreThe Fedex Corporation : An American Based Worldwide Courier Delivery Service Company Essay1532 Words   |  7 Pagesfleet with Boeing 767-300 Freighters will increase margins and add flexibility to domestic and international operations Persistent growth in the U.S. and global markets will result in profitability and productivity rising for years to come The overall market for international door-to-door express shipping continues to grow, pushed by e-commerce Acquisition of TNT Express lowers FedEx Express costs to serve the European market and enables them to profit from the growth of European commerce Face intenseRead MoreFedex Express At The Fedex Corporation1662 Words   |  7 Pagesdomestic services established by 1979 and subsequent further success in lobbying for air freight deregulation, FedEx began its era of global expansion (FedEx, 2015a). The small 14 aircraft fleet of modest-sized Dassault Falcons grew to a fleet of larger Boeing 727s and McDonnell-Douglas DC-10s (FedEx, 2015a). The once-primarily southern-state network of customers expanded to cover the US, and then into Canada in 1981 (FedEx, 2015a); followed in 1988 with securing worldwide landing rights, and acquiringRead MorePotential Location For E Commerce Sales1136 Words   |  5 Pagesfor A4P within budget. A4P’s main competitor, A4 Binder, is located in Texas. This is a great strength for A4P. Since Texas is so far from the east coast, A4P will be able to market to more businesses located on the east coast. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, L3 Communications and other internationally focused businesses will be target customers. By making connections with these local companies, word of mouth will help make connections with the company’s other branches in places such as the WashingtonRead MoreEssay on Airline Industry1169 Words   |  5 PagesStrategy, Balanced Scorecard and Strategic Profitability Analysis (Custom Pub. Chap15) Based on the organisation that you have selected, you are required to describe the organisation’s mission, describe and classify the organisation’s strategy, and identify its‟ value proposition and core competencies. Using Porters Five Forces Framework illustrate these five forces for your organisation, and provide brief comments on how these forces they influence your organisation’s profit potential. UsingRead MoreE Commerce. Impact of Internet for the airline industry.4092 Words   |  17 Pageslabour requirement, together with customer participation during transactions hence service fulfilment. Providing great reach and the potential for rich interaction, the internet is a natural medium for travel transactions. Airlines are turning to e-commerce to keep business flying, and the reason they are focusing on selling tickets through their Web sites is that it is the cheapest distribution channel. From the customers perspectives, Internet have revolutioned the way of buying flight ticket. CustomersRead MoreE-Commerce Air Asia4563 Words   |  19 PagesTABLES OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Importance of e-Commerce and m-Commerce 3.0 Corporate Appraisal 4.0 Competitive Advantages 5.0 m–Commerce 5.1 Differences of m-Commerce e-Commerce 6.0 Recommendations 6.1 Benefit of Microsoft Vista and m-Commerce to AirAsia 6.2 Benefit of Microsoft Vista and m-Commerce to Customers 7.0 Conclusions APPENDIX REFERENCES 1.0 Introduction Purcel and Toland (2004, 241) said â€Å"Internet and Communication Technology offer the opportunity to reduceRead MoreShaheen Air International14539 Words   |  59 PagesOF DIRECTORS 68 ORGANOGRAM 69 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS 70 BCG MATRIX ANALYSIS 71 GE MATRIX ANALYSIS 73 IE MATRIX ANALYSIS 74 SPACE MATRIX ANALYSIS 75 GRAND STRATEGY MATRIX ANALYSIS 75 TOWS MATRIX ANALYSIS 77 STRATEGY TABLE: 84 ACTION PLAN 86 NEW VISION STATEMENT 87 NEW MISSION STATEMENT 87 THREE ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES 87 FINAL STRATEGY 87 Executive Summary Shaheen Air was founded in December 1993 and in just 10 months on account of its professional service, exceptional performance

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Operations Research Statistical Learning

Question: Discuss about the Operations Research for Statistical Learning. Answer: Introduction: The current value obtained from the data collected is not a valid summary as the number assigned to the various responses may not be considered indicative of the exact satisfaction scale. For instance, the difference between the strongly disagree and disagree is the same as that between disagree and not sure. This is rather a convenient way of simplifying the given data which does not accurately capture the satisfaction level of the consumers. The weights assigned to each of the response should be in line with the utility derived by the customer rather than some random numbers driven by convenience of computation (Hillier, 2006). Further, in the given case, it may so happen that the same score is available for a host of combinations of responses of customers which makes it difficult to draw any conclusion. A better mechanism to present the given data is through assigning of numerical scores which capture the utility from consumers end to each of the responses. Then the same technique should be applied, however the number obtained would be more representative of the actual responses of the customers (Swarup, Gupta Mohan, 2010). No, the data collected in this mechanism i.e. through website would not be reflective of all the customers of the store. This is because it is highly likely that young customers who are more tech savvy are over presented in such surveys while the older generation which prefers paper based surveys may be underrepresented in such surveys. The actual accuracy of the results in this case would depend on the sample filling up the online survey being representation of the actual customer base of the store (Lieberman et. al., 2011). There is only a very thin possibility of this happening and typically there would be misrepresentation of various sections. Also, in order to draw some meaningful conclusions, the company should allow for enough responses to be collected through the online survey and also focus on the demographics of the participant. This would provide a fair idea to the company as to whether the sample of customers filling up the questionnaire is a valid and reliable sample of the actual customers (Hastie, Tibshirani Friedman, 2001). 1. The type of data would be nominal since the variables are serving the purpose of labelling (male or female) and do not capture any particular quantitative value (Swarup, Gupta Mohan, 2010). 2. The Fahrenheit thermometer would be an example of interval data scale since the various values are represented on a numeric scale in a proper order and further the differences between two given values is also known. However, the pivotal aspect is that Fahrenheit scale does not have a true zero and hence it is not considered as ratio data (Hillier, 2006) 3. The Kelvin thermometer would be an example of ratio scale since unlike in the previous case, a true zero does exist for Kelvin thermometer. Besides the other conditions are also met such as various values being represented in a proper order on a numeric scale and further the differences between two given values is also known (Hastie, Tibshirani Friedman, 2001). 4. The number of items bought would also be an example of ratio scale as true zero is defined, data would be numeric and arranged and also comparison can be made. 5. Bank account balance is an example of ratio scale as true zero is clearly defined which implies that there is no money in the account. Also, the data would be in numeric form and further comparisons may be made between values that can be arranged in a particular format (Hillier, 2006). A descriptive non-experimental study in the given context can be done by giving the players of the local team with orange juice over four days preceding the weekend with a frequency of thrice daily and then observing if their performance has indeed significantly improved over their performance during the last weekend (Lieberman et. al., 2011). A quasi experimental study in the given context can be performed by dividing the local team players randomly into two groups where one group is the intervention group and the other is comparison group. The intervention group is given orange juice over four days preceding the weekend with a frequency of thrice daily while the comparison group is not given orange juice. The performance of these two groups is then compared over the weekend so as to ascertain whether orange juice is indeed effective (Hastie, Tibshirani Friedman, 2001). A experimental study would involve making two groups with comparable baseline. Hence, the intervention group and the control group both should have players with matched ability and performance. The intervention group is given orange juice over four days preceding the weekend with a frequency of thrice daily while the control group is not given orange juice. The performance of these two groups is then compared over the weekend so as to ascertain whether orange juice is indeed effective (Hillier, 2006). The experimental study is the most superior option since unlike quasi experimental study it accounts for the incorrect grouping where there may be difference between the ability and performance of players even before orange juice is given. Further, experimental study is superior to non-experimental study as it is more controlled and would amount to minimal influence of other factors such as training and weak opponent (Hastie, Tibshirani Friedman, 2001). References Hastie, T, Tibshirani, R Friedman, J 2001, The Elements of Statistical Learning, Springer Publications, New York Hillier, F 2006, Introduction to Operations Research, McGraw Hill Publications, New York Lieberman, FJ, Nag, B, Hiller, FS Basu, P 2011, Introduction To Operations Research, Tata McGraw Hill Publishers, New Delhi Swarup, K, Gupta, PK. Mohan, M 2010, Operations Research, Sultan Chand Sons, New Delhi