ACT Subscores vs. SAT Subscores How to Compare

ACT Subscores vs. SAT Subscores How to Compare SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Both the ACT and SAT subscores provide students with detailed information about their weaknesses and strengths in categories more specific than English, Reading, Math, Science, and Writing (ACT) or Reading, Writing, Math, and Essay-writing (SAT). Understanding the implications of that detailed information, however, can be difficult, due to the sheer number of scores. In this article, we'll discuss how subscores can be useful to students and whether or not subscores on one test can indicate how a student would do on the other. feature image credit: 029.365 Elements of Perspective/used under CC BY-SA 2.0/cropped from original. What Are SAT/ACT Subscores? In addition to total scores out of 36 and 1600 and section scores out of 36 and 800 (or out of 40 for individual "test scores" on SAT Reading, Writing, and Math), the ACT and SAT both provide students with subscores. The stated goals of these subscores are to â€Å"provide more detail about student achievement† (SAT) and give students a "better understanding [of] strengths and areas for improvement in each subject"(ACT). The subscores calculated on each test fall under one of two different categories: Section-level subscores: These â€Å"reporting categories† subscores give information about the different types of question within a specific section (e.g. types of Math questions). Cross-test scores: These subscores give information about how student is doing ona specific topic, computed by combining information from multiple sections (e.g. Math and Science on the ACT to get the STEM subscore). SAT vs. ACT Subscores: Can You Compare Them? And Why Would You? The short answer: yes, some subscores can be compared. The closest relationships are between the SAT and ACT essay subscores, followed by the SAT Writing and ACT English subscores. In practical terms, this means, for example, that students who score highly on all the ACT essay subscores can expect to do fairly well on the SAT essay subscores, while students who don't do well on ACT English subscores can anticipate similarly poor results on SAT Writing subscores. By contrast, it's unlikely that students would see any relationship between their subscores on SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and ACT Reading, because the subscores measure such different things. If you get high ACT Reading subscores, that's great, but it doesn't tell you anything about how you'd do on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing subscores. This is even more true for ACT Science, since the only science-related subscore on the SAT measures something completely different from what the ACT Science subscores are trying to capture. Subscores for SAT/ACT Math fall into the middle between the highly comparable SAT/ACT essay and Writing/English subscores and the divergent SAT/ACT Reading subscores. There is some overlap between what the Math subscores measure across the two tests, but the correspondence is a little fuzzier. A high subscore on ACT's Algebra subscore could mean you'd get a high score on SAT's Heart of Algebra subscore, but you could just as easily get a medium score because there's a considerable difference in what the Algebra questions on each test are meant to measure. But why would you want to compare subscores across the SAT and ACT? The biggest reason is that doing so can give you more information about whether or not it's worth taking both the SAT and the ACT. For instance, if you take the ACT and score poorly on certain subscores in ACT English, you can expect to not do any better on the SAT Writing versions of those subscores (and thus on SAT Writing). Conversely, even if you did poorly on some of the ACT Math subscores, there's a much better chance that you could do better on the related SAT Math subscores and get a relatively higher overall SAT Math score. The head on the right is ACT Math subscores, the head on the left is SAT subscores, and you're the goateed man in the middle, wondering if you should take the SAT as well. It's...it's not a perfect representation. So what are the different subscores, and which ones are comparable? We’ll start off by comparing different reporting categories for the SAT and ACT, section by section. Section-Level Subscores on the SAT and ACT Reporting categories function similarly on the SAT and ACT in that they both attempt to break down entire sections like English or Math into more specific skills that students can then focus on. There is a slight difference in how questions are sorted into different subscores, however: on the ACT, a question is always grouped into at least one subscore category, while on the SAT there are some questions on the Math and Reading sections that don't fall into any specific reporting category. One other difference between the way section-level subscores are used on the SAT and ACT is that on the SAT, subscores are scaled to a range of 1-15, while on the ACT, subscores are measured on a scale of 0-100%. As you'll see in the more detailed analyses below, the number of questions that go into each subscore varies a little bit more on the ACT than on the SAT, so a percentage reporting system makes more sense for the ACT. Important caveat: our descriptions of correspondence between the different subscores on the SAT and ACT are based purely on content (what the subscores say they're measuring), rather than empirical data on correlations between different subscores (since that data is not currently available). We'll update this article if and when that data is released. Division Street Between the Bridges/used under CC BY 2.0/Resized from original. Reporting Categories: Math (SAT and ACT) Out of the 58 questions that appear on the Math section of the SAT, there are three no-calculator and three calculator questions that don't apply towards any subscore, leaving 52 questions to fall into one of three non-overlapping categories: Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving and Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math. Name # of questions Score Range Heart of Algebra 19 (8 no calculator, with calculator) 1-15 Problem Solving and Data Analysis 17 (all with calculator) 1-15 Passport to Advanced Math 16 (9 no calculator, 8 with calculator) 1-15 In contrast to the relatively straightforward division of questions on SAT Math, ACT Math reports eight different subscores to students. Two of these subscore (Preparing for Higher Math and Integrating Essential Skills) cover all 60 ACT Math questions; of the remaining categories, five are further divisions of Preparing for Higher Math, while one (Modeling) measures questions from both the Preparing for Higher Math and Integrating Essential Skills subscore categories. Name # of questions Score Range Preparing for Higher Math 35 0-100% Number Quantity ~5* 0-100% Algebra ~8 0-100% Functions ~8 0-100% Geometry ~8 0-100% Statistics Probability ~6 0-100% Integrating Essential Skills 25 0-100% Modeling ~22 0-100% *Number of questions with a "~" next to it indicates variation from test to test. SAT Math vs ACT Math Subscores Based on the SAT and ACT's descriptions of what each subscore covers, there is a lot of overlap between subscores on the two tests. The biggest links are as follows: SAT Heart of Algebra and ACT Algebra SAT Problem Solving and Data Analysis and ACT Statistics Probability and/or ACT Integrating Essential Skills and/or ACT Modeling SAT Passport to Advanced Mathematics and ACT Functions The overlap between the subscores is not complete (for instance, Heart of Algebra on the SAT does not cover exactly the same things as Algebra on the ACT), but there still should be some correspondence between the above subscores on the SAT and ACT. We have a much more detailed look at the ways SAT and ACT Math compare to one another in this article. for my math girl/used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. Reporting Categories: Writing and Language (SAT) and English (ACT) On SAT Writing and Language, all 44 questions fall into one of two section-level subscores: Expression of Ideas or Standard English Conventions. Name # of questions Score Range Expression of Ideas 24 1-15 Standard English Conventions 20 1-15 Similarly, ACT English divides up its 75 questions into three different subscores: Production of Writing, Knowledge of Language, and Conventions of Standard English. Name # of questions Score Range Production of Writing 23-24 0-100% Knowledge of Language 10- 0-100% Conventions of Standard English 40 0-100% SAT Writing vs ACT English Subscores Based on the descriptions of the two tests' subscores, students can expect their SAT Standard English Conventions subscore to be similar, percentage-wise, to their ACT Conventions of Standard English subscore. For instance, a student who gets 14/15 (93.3%) on Standard English Conventions should expect to get a similar score on Conventions of Standard English. SAT's "Expression of Ideas" subscore appears to cover items that both Production of Writing and Knowledge of Language subscores cover on the ACT, so it's possible that those scores would also be correlated; however, because you'd be going from one subscore to two subscores (or two to one), the equivalency is likely to be less clear. For more about the connection between SAT Writing and ACT English, read our comparison of the two sections. Knowing your Onions/used under CC BY 2.0/Resized from original. Reporting Categories: Reading (SAT and ACT) SAT Reading is unusual among SAT sections in that there are no subscores that only reflect performance on the SAT Reading section. Instead, the SAT has two reporting categories that combine questions from Writing and Language and from Reading: Words in Context and Command of Evidence. The breakdown of how many questions from each section are included in each subscore is shown in the table below. Name # of Questions Score Range Words in Context 18 (10 Reading, 8 Writing) 1-15 Command of Evidence 18 (10 Reading, 8 Writing) 1-15 The ACT is much more straightforward with its Reading subscores. The Understanding Complex Texts subscore measures how well students understand the central meaning of college-level texts (although which subset of items this subscore refers to is not told to the student); in addition, all 40 Reading questions are further divided into one of three subscore categories (Key Ideas and Details, Craft and Structure, and Integration of Knowledge and Ideas). Name # of questions Score Range Key Ideas and Details 23-24 0-100% Craft and Structure -14 0-100% Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 3-5 0-100% Understanding Complex Texts 40 Below, Proficient, or Above SAT Reading vs ACT Reading Subscores Because the SAT "Reading" subscores draw on items from both SAT Reading and Writing and Language, while the ACT Reading subscores only apply to ACT Reading items, it's harder to compare the categories. Based on the descriptions of the subscores, the SAT Words in Context subscore likely will show some kind of correlation with ACT Craft and Structure subscore, while the SAT Command of Evidence and ACT Integration of Knowledge and Ideas subscores are also likely linked; however, the relationship is much weaker than with ACT English/SAT Writing and Language items. Learn more about the differences between SAT and ACT Reading here! Two stacks of books next to each other/used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Reporting Categories: Science (ACT Only) The ACT Science Test provides three subscores: Interpretation of Data, Scientific Investigation, and Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results. Name # of questions Score Range Interpretation of Data 16 0-100% Scientific Investigation 10- 0-100% Evaluation of Models, Inferences, and Experimental Results 13-14 0-100% ACT Science vs SAT Subscores Since the SAT has no science section, there is no direct comparison possible from section-to-section. While the descriptions of the skills measured with ACT Science subscores may have some relationship to the items captured by SAT Reading and Math, the tasks that the ACT asks students to complete are specific enough to ACT Science that it's unlikely there'd be a strong correlation between subscores on ACT Science and those on SAT Reading or SAT Math. Science, it works./used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Reporting Categories: Writing (ACT) and Essay (SAT) With the changes to the SAT in March 2016, there is no longer one total SAT Essay score reported. Instead, students who opt to take the essay will receive three different subscores: Reading, Analysis, and Writing. Name Score Range Reading 2-8 (two graders scoring on a scale of 1-4) Analysis 2-8 (two graders scoring on a scale of 1-4) Writing 2-8 (two graders scoring on a scale of 1-4) The ACT still provides students who opt to take ACT Plus Writing with an overall Writing score on a scale of 2-12, but since September 2015 has also reported four different subscores to students: Ideas Analysis, Development Support, Organization, and Writing. As of September 2016, the total ACT Writing score is just an average of the four domain scores each student receives on the essay, so it's debatable whether or not the domain scores count as "subscores," but I've included them below for completeness's sake (and to make it easier to compare with the SAT essay). Name Score Range Ideas Analysis 2-12 (two graders scoring on a scale of 1-6) Development Support 2-12 (two graders scoring on a scale of 1-6) Organization 2-12 (two graders scoring on a scale of 1-6) Language Use 2-12 (two graders scoring on a scale of 1-6) SAT Essay vs ACT Essay Subscores As with ACT English vs SAT Writing, a very strong case can be made for the correlation between subscores on the SAT and ACT essays. While the SAT Essay Reading score is its own beast, there's a fairly straightforward relationship between the remaining two SAT essay subscores and the four ACT essay subscores: SAT Essay Analysis = ACT Essay Ideas Analysis and ACT Essay Development Support SAT Essay Writing = ACT Essay Organization and ACT Essay Language Use The numerical relationships aren't exact between the essay subscores (you can't just multiple your ACT Essay Organization and Language Use summed scores by 2/3 to get your equivalent SAT Essay Writing score), but the theoretical relationships between SAT/ACT essay subscores are strong. If you do well on the Analysis and Writing portion of the SAT essay, chances are you will also do very well on the ACT essay; if you get extremely high ACT Organization and Language Use scores, you'll likely do well on at least the Writing area of the SAT essay. For further reading, check out our articles analyzing the rubrics that determine your SAT and ACT essay scores. home work routine/used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Extra Advice: Want to get into the best college you can? Read our famous guide on how to get into Harvard, the Ivy League, and your top choice college. In this guide, you'll learn: What colleges are looking for in your application How to impress your top choice colleges Why you're probably wasting your time on activities that don't matter Even if you're not actually interested in Ivy League schools, you'll still learn something fundamental about how to apply to college. Read our top college admissions guide today. Cross-Test Scores on the SAT and ACT Cross-test scores are meant to analyze performance on a broader level than the section subscores can. Theoretically, these cross-test scores are capturing information about broader skills like â€Å"analysis in science† and â€Å"English/Language Arts† that students have to draw on for multiple sections. As of March 2016, the SAT now provides students with two scores that incorporate items from all sections of the test: Analysis in History/Social Sciences and Analysis in Science. Name Sections Included Topics Covered # of questions Score Range Analysis in History/Social Sciences Reading, Writing, Math analytical thinking about texts and questions in history/social sciences 35 (21 Reading, 6 Writing, 8 Math) 10-40 Analysis in Science Reading, Writing, Math analytical thinking about texts and questions in science 35 (21 Reading, 6 Writing, 8 Math) 10-40 The ACT's cross-test scores are a little more limited in scope; the English Language Arts score averages together students' English, Reading, and Writing test scores, while the STEM score averages together students' Math and Science test scores. Name Sections Included Topics Covered # of questions Score Range ELA (English Language Arts)* English, Reading, Writing overall performance on English, Reading, and Writing Tests 6 (75 English, 40 Reading, 1 Writing) 1-36** STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Math, Science overall performance on Math and Science Tests 100 (60 Math, 40 Science) 1-36 *Only calculated for students who do the optional essay (ACT Writing) **Calculated using the Writing Test scale score (1-36) rather than the normal ACT Writing score (2-12), although this scaled Writing score is no longer reported to students on score reports (Source: Email communication with ACT Customer Care). Unlike section-level subscores, the cross-test scores on the SAT and ACT are not really comparable, due to methodological differences (SAT cross-test scores use some items from Reading, Writing, and Math, while ACT cross-test scores use all items from selected sections). So if you get a high ACT STEM score, that's no guarantee you'd get an equally good "Analysis in Science" score on the SAT. Apples Oranges - They Don't Compare/used under CC BY 2.0. A Quick Note on College and Career Readiness Scores These scores are only part of ACT score reports, so they’re not comparable across SAT and ACT, but I wanted to briefly mention them because the college benchmarks, at least, do show up on every student's score report (the career readiness information only shows up if students have previously completed ACT's Interest Inventory). With college readiness benchmark and estimates of how well high school students are likely to do in introductory college courses like Freshman English or College Algebra, ACT, Inc. is trying to provide more guidance for high school students. This is admirable, but it's unclear whether or not the benchmarks twist the test into supporting interpretations that were never meant to be made and that the data do not support. Because the methodology used to calculate benchmarks and college readiness is not public (for instance, students can't see which Reading questions go into their "Arguments" benchmark score, or what constitutes a college "History" class for the purpose of benchmarks), it cannot be independently assessed for veracity and validity. Similarly, there has been no public research released thus far that shows supplying students with these benchmarks has any benefit. In my personal opinion, these college and career readiness scores, absent empirical proof, are more likely to have a neutral or harmful effect than to provide any benefit. This is particularly true for scores that tell students they aren't REALLY interested in what they think they're interested in (as the Interest Inventory might), or inform students have no chance at succeeding in a field they are interested in (for instance, if they have 25% chance in getting above a C in Engineering but want to be an engineer). My advice: Skip looking at the College and Career Readiness subscores and benchmarks. Until there's evidence that shows the ACT benchmarks are a more reliable predictor of college success than high school GPA, there's no point fretting over them. Widgeroo/used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Cropped from original. No need to worry about the College and Career Readiness benchmarks. Do Subscores Succeed? In a very limited sense, subscores do succeed in their goal of providing more information about student achievement. In particular, subscores help students who can’t afford or don’t want to order Test Information Release (ACT) or Question and Answer Service/Student Answer Service (SAT). Large discrepancies between subscores within a section are a sign that students have specific areas they can improve on and see a large impact in their scores; for example, if you get 16% on statistics and probability and 100% on all other math subscores, then you can know with precision what's keeping your Math score down and what you have to work on to increase it. For the most part, though, there’s going to be some correlation among performance on subscores within a section (that’s why they’re in the same section – they’re testing related skills), and blips on the subscore percentages won’t tell you as much as looking at the individual questions you got wrong and determining why you got them wrong. Cross-test subscores are more independent and so do provide unique information, but that information isn’t really useful to students in terms of test preparation. For instance, if a student gets 38/40 in â€Å"Analysis in History/Social Science† and 40/40 in â€Å"Analysis in Science† on the SAT, that might show where the student’s strengths lie, but it’s not an area that students can specifically target to improve on; any improvement on cross-test subscores has to come at a lower level, through students increasing their question-level or section-level knowledge. College and career readiness subscores like the ones the ACT provides could potentially be helpful to students who have no idea what they want to study in college, but in all honesty there are better places to get guidance for that than your performance on a 4-hour standardized college entrance exam. Emptiness/used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Bonus: Want to improve your SAT/ACT section scores? Check out our top guides for every single section of the SAT and ACT. SAT 800 Score Guides: SAT Reading | SAT Writing | SAT Math | SAT Essay ACT 36 Score Guides: ACT English | ACT Math | ACT Reading | ACT Science | ACT Essay These are the very best guides available on boosting your SAT/ACT scores, section by section. They're written by Harvard grads and perfect SAT/ACT scorers. Don't disappoint yourself - read these guides and improve your score today. What’s Next? Pit the SAT and ACT against each other with our full breakdown of the differences and similarities between the SAT and ACT; if you prefer a side by side comparison, then you'll prefer our SAT vs ACT comparison charts. Scoring equally well on both tests and thinking about doubling down? Learn the best (and only) reasons to take both the SAT and ACT here. Not sure which test to take? Read our guide on whether you should take the ACT or new 2016 SAT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

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buy custom Politicians Discourse Community essay Over the past decades, the concept of discourse community has been among the most contested notions in the political arena. This is subject to the range of the well known analysts that this idea is too utopian, sure or hegemonic. From the real social perspective, discourse communities appear to be stable to most advocates. Critics therefore assume an imaginary consensus as well as a shared purpose that does not really reflect the exact experience among the political community (Marshall 26). The fact that the political discourse communities is utopian has been taken to be so seductive to a point that it conceals both the language and social practices which takes place within its boundaries. This therefore has made it difficult for researchers to get into its working systems because it hinders being recognized or studied. For this reason, the issue of political discourse community has maintained its limited educational value (Marshall 26). What Makes the Political Discourse Community? It is difficult to understand the political means of communication in various parts of the world. For example, when looking at a public discourse about political democracy in an Arabic country, there is a fresh way of understanding their political discourse (Paltridge 59). Different methods of combining ethnographic research with communities in various parts of the world lead to a political discourse. This is done with combined investigations in regard to the discourse itself (Paltridge 58). Tools such as anthropology and sociolinguistics as well as pragmatics are used. These tools are broad methods that are applicable in general political discourse. Given the fact that all kinds of discourse are based on social aspects and interaction, it is important to note that individuals use public discourse in order to achieve both political and social goals in a totally new perspective as a result of the significance it creates (Marshall 31). Role of the Political Discourse Community Given the responsibility of the political discourse in the ratification, reproduction as well as the legitimization of power, there have emerged several other critical discourse on political talk and text. Up to this point, most of this study has been done by linguistics together with political discourse analysts owing to the fact that political science is one of the few fields with little of its discourse known (Marshall 30). This is regardless of the fact that there is influence from postmodern approaches of discourse. Despite the fact that political discourse in English is best know in the international level because of its hegemony in English, there is quite a lot of work that has been done in other languages too (Marshall 30-1). Germany, for example has a long history of political discourse analysis. In this study, research is based on the study of language of war and peace, as well as how speech affects political discourse. In analyzing political discourse, there is need to understanding the existence of a strong tradition in studying fascist language and discourse (Marshall 31). This entails understanding of what lexicon, propaganda and the role of media in politics. These go hand-in-hand with knowing the political language. In France, the study of political language has earned respect in the analysis of both politics and discourse (Paltridge 68). What is most important in political discourse analysis is the role played by particular genres in excising power and influence in the entire community (Paltridge 69). In addition, their role in the exact definition of politics and the definition of political institutions is critical in understanding political discourse. For this reason, political institutions as well as the semiotics of the planning, outfit and body language all depend on the transformance of customary forms of expression (Paltridge 71). For example, parliamentary debates in a given politics are made known through the implicit and explicit rules that govern ther conduct. This leads to the emergence of new institutional political genres. The most prominent of all these may be the journalistic interview of politicians as well as the idiosyncratic genre such as the British Radio. These are some examples that describe the relationship between a politician and the general public. As a result, they are described as discour se and linguistic features. The description may go forth to an extent of evaluation of their value and the power to manipulate. The Political Community as a Type of Human Community Political communities are surrounded by the state and influenced by the means of commands. These commands are established by prescription of forces. There is a ratio existing between these forces and the individuals or groups that implement them. For example, in a democratically organized political society, the commands take the place of law and are basically grounded on the value played by justice and equality (Paltridge 59). These laws establish rewards upon which those who observe them are rewarded while those who fail are to be punished. The laws are also aimed at maintaining social order and at the same time imposing sanctions on those go against them. Political discourse is fundamental in the definition of state. The term state is surrounded by an aura of suggestions so that the definition professed by any individual reveals the philosophy of life and a given perspective on the social order (Marshall 34). Therefore, people who are actively participating in politics and government are well informed of the pros and cons of the community they belong to. Politicians are therefore inclined to make considerations in regard to the state being made up of the territory as well as the population that constitute that given territory (Marshall 34). On the other hand, people who are opposed to politics view this perception as a means of restricting their own means to pursue happiness. In addition, some people view political discourse community as people who take responsibility in order to use political influence while considering the state as an impersonal structure. This structure is considered to be an institution, an authority and an abstra ct entity. Furthermore, individuals who consider personal autonomy view the state as an assembly of individuals which is responsible for personal and public actions (Marshall 35). Political community is intrinsically unpredictable. All over time, the political discourse keeps changing its composition, its core values as well as interpersonal processes and associations. The interesting part is that the changing variables are well accepted in both economic and affinitive communities though denied or offensively interpreted by supporting political communities (Paltridge 96). However, in the situation of political communities, state organizations raise the argument of legitimacy in order to maintain or prolong through force in a given territory. Therefore, variability is allowed only in a case of argumentation, in no case in that of diminution/. Political community is justified by neither past justices, nor language nor religion. In addition, history confirms that there is contingency of all political communities in various kinds of organization. Methods of Data Collection Information regarding the political community was collected through interviewing Political Science students at the university during their project presentations. Student union council leaders were also interviewed afterwards. I also interviewed part time student-politicians at the University of Dayton via email. The email interview of part time student politicians took place before elections. In this interview, politicians explained how they are putting into place strategies to come out the best in the political race (Marshall 39). Politicians explain that daily newspapers play a critical role in either building their career or destroying it. Majority of the student politicians are new in the political community. However, tthere were a few who have been in the field long enough to know the pros and cons of political systems. They reason for involvement in politics is to help people feel they are represented in the government (Marshall 39). Politicians explain that they main means of communication are via the print and digital media. They always aim at getting closer to the electorate so that they can win their vote. This is done in a very persuasive way. In some cases, politicians choose to use incentives such money so as to win the electorates interest. From the political science students, I carried a one on one interview. Their response in regard to the political discourse community was not quite detailed. They believe that members of this community share the same idea, though they differ in interest which is propelled by propaganda. They also believe that politicians main reason for involvement in this community is both personal and public, with personal interests in most cases coming first (Paltridge 102). Data Analysis The reason for this choice of method in data collection is because it allows for direct communication with both politicians and political analysts. This also gave me a chance to have a look at the thoughts behind their ideas. The interview was only involving open-ended questions that brought out the understanding of the political community as well as different issues associated with it (Paltridge 61). The data was finally analyzed basing on the John Swales six characteristics of a discourse community. First, politicians seem to have common goals and ambitions. The political community has their target as satisfying the wishes of the general public. This community convinces people of their ability to bring changes that have long been desired. The purpose the existence of such a community is to cause representation of the population in top government and legislative chambers where the general public cannot reach (Marshall 34). Most members of the political community converse mainly through meetings. This is because most members have large followings; they are mostly in meetings to make communications. Cell phones and emails are used in situations where privacy is a key priority. The reason for using meetings for communication is because it shows their commitment and improves their performance in situations where there is need for mergers. In addition, meetings are used to raise money and grow better roots for political influence. The genre for communication in the political community accepted by most members is meetings. This is because in a single meeting, several issues can be discussed as opposed to phone calls or reports. The Lexis for the political discourse is not very unique as compared to other discourses like football coaching. This is because politicians are people from different backgrounds and the main issue involved is communication to the general public. This makes most of their communication formal. The old timers in political discourse are individuals who have been involved in politics for over ten years. These are individuals that are experienced in politics. Newcomers in political discourse are the new individuals who are joining the political community for the first time or are in their first terms in their respective political offices. Newcomers lean the political genre through continued involvement with experienced members and attending most of the meetings. Conclusion The political arena is one of the most involving communities in most countries. Some of the characteristics and traits portrayed by the political class are hard to understand and live by. Politicians have the responsibility of understanding the mind of the electorate and trying as much as possible to win their interest. There are several behind-the-scene factors that make politics interesting or not interesting. This makes it relevant to understand the literacy factors as well as general understanding that one should have in order to involve in politics. Buy custom Politicians Discourse Community essay

Do you accept extra hours at your work Should your work ethic be based Assignment

Do you accept extra hours at your work Should your work ethic be based upon the state of the economy - Assignment Example For example,  my job requires me to have open availability on the weekends, however  I don't always work  every Saturday and Sunday   of the month. I believe the acceptable amount of extra hours that an organization should expect from their workers are 26 per month; apart from the Monday to Friday's 40 hour/week. Also, even thought one might work 9 hours a day, we waste around 1 hour and 30 minutes per shift; so in reality we do not work exactly 40 hours per week. YOUR RESPONSE HERE: I agree that in any organization, an employee must be informed of the actual expectations and responsibilities demanded from the job. Like in retail stores, whatever extra hours that need to be rendered should be paid for as overtime pay. These are just to ensure that employees’ rights are protected and employers comply with the regulations imposed by the Labor Department. Person #2 While I may not completely agree with the demand, I don't think that it is completely unfair. I believe that this subject is more of a gray area because of what each individual and each company would consider as being reasonable. If you are expected to work extra hours on  a regular basis* (i.e. 2 or more extra hours per day) at the same salary, I feel that this is definitely unfair. Looking at it from a personal standpoint, I know that I would feel  used and underappreciated.

Advertising Targeting Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Advertising Targeting Children - Essay Example In most cases, what raise an alarm are the commercial programs targeting children. This is because of the influence of format and the audiovisual techniques meant to capture children’s perception of things. The effects of characters in commercials advertisements, exceptional offers, self-concept appeals, the volume food advertising, and repetition of commercials, and medicine advertising have all been proved to have a high level of influence of the children (Simona, 2010). I concur with this article because I feel that violence and unsafe acts in commercial advertisements directed to children is unsafe and very influential in their perceptions towards life. These kinds of advertisements have an effect on the consumer socialization in this case children, with their parental relationship. I also believe that children in any state or country deserve the same level of protection against advertising similar to that offered to adults. However, the current law is precise in necessitating that commercial messages be unmistakably recognizable as such to their intended audience. Unquestionably, it would be unbearable to safeguard young kids from exposure to all advertising on television, thus necessitating a differentiation for an advertisement targeting children and one targeting adults. With the development of innovative media techniques and the inventive marketable practices that are now being focused to children, it is indispensable that the arena of marketing and the associated social sciences give a boost to their consideration of how young people comprehend and are predisposed by contemporary publicizing messages. By doing so, the world will gain a better comprehension of how a young people’s mind works, in addition to providing critical experiential confirmation to help form the future of both public guiding principle and accountable marketing industry practice in this arena. Advertisers are well aware that their efforts inspire children viewers, and they

Strategic Corporate Finance case study 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Corporate Finance case study 1 - Essay Example have a useful life of around 20 years and after that they are expected to be removed with a decommissioning cost of around  £2,000 and  £5,000 for onshore and offshore projects, respectively. As far as the adjustments are concerned, sales revenue has been the same for both projects and there is no change in either of profit and loss account and working of cash flows. Government grant has been adjusted such that the government grant would be received by the company in first year of the project which is  £2,000 and  £5,000 for both these projects respectively. However, in profit and loss account, government grant is spread to all 20 years in equal proportion which, however, is adjusted for the estimation of cash flows. Local taxes are included in the profit and loss statement however they have not been included in the estimation of cash flows as guided in the additional information. Being a non-cash expense, depreciation is not considered in the cash flow estimation which is however included in the profit and loss statement (Scott and  Megginson, 2008). Cash reserve is in fact working capital which is not included in the profit and loss statement. However, an outflow of cash reserve is shown before the start of first year project and has been realized in the last year of the project with the same amount. Capital budgeting process has been conducted for both these projects in order to evaluate the financial viability of these projects. The financial viability can be envisaged using four types of investment appraisal techniques such as 1) Net Present Value (NPV) 2) Internal Rate of Return (IRR) 3) Accounting Rate of Return, and 4) Payback Period (PP). The following discussion incorporates each of these four techniques with respect to both â€Å"onshore† and â€Å"offshore† projects. Net Present Value of any projects determines the present value of all the future cash flows discounted with an appropriate cost of capital of the firm after deducting the initial

Laws and Policies affecting Oil Gas industry

Laws and Policies affecting Oil Gas industry Every oil and gas industry are working according to the oil and gas laws, the law covers every aspects of the oil industry for example , ranging from licencing, operational issues, joint venture, project contracts, service contract and construction , disposal, acquisition, farm -in, marketing and sales , oil and gas transportation and diligence work. There are three major laws shown below Downstream Energy Law and Policy The Downstream Energy Law and Policy, the legislation and regulation are implementing implement policy for down stream energy industries. . The importance of this the policy decision is to restructure the electricity and gas industries it will change the legislation, the approach of regulators. The law can makes working environment better Environmental Law and Policy for Natural Resources and Energy This policy deals with national and international environmental policy and power generation, consumption of natural resources and production. Example there may be problem rising in production sector, mining activities, transportation of petroleum, use of new clear energy, global climate effects and air pollution and d ad regulatory systems International and Comparative Petroleum Law and Policy This is law and policy implementing in the international petroleum industry, The main part of this law are oil company, investors and host government. In this law financial investor and international corporate are faced in a open and practical way, The stake holders are very much interested on the financial development of petroleum resources .The law fully supporting the taxation issues also solve the variety issues , economic , lawyer , accountants , engineers and geologists in A brief introduction is provided to petroleum taxation issues. Private and Government Policy Some factors should be considered before deciding to choose a private or government policy. 1. Private company wont have a nationality requirement ie not be a citizen of host country also they provide insurance without regard to countrys economic development level or investment economic effect. 2. Private companies insure both existing and new ones whereas government insure only new project or expansion of the existing one. Also if we want a government policy for the project we must register our project with the government company at an earlier stage. 3.The government usually write policies for a long term(15-20 years)whereas private one write only for short usually three years basis and is renewed at the end of each year for an additional year so that there is always a three year basis. Currently political risk insurers provide coverages at a fixed rate .Most recently private companies offer coverage up to 15 years 4. Government insurance cost is cheaper than private ones. 5. Private offers more flexibility and opportunities to change the conditions of policy whereas government is not willing to change the rules from a standard form 6. The government polices inform the host government about the coverage .But private firms forbid the investor from disclosing the information regarding the investment because disclosure will make the policy invalid. For some investors it is advantageous to use both private and official markets to meet their needs in securing investments. Government insurers such as MIGA and OPIC encourage public private partnerships and syndicated insurances in cooperation with private companies. http://www.dundee.ac.uk/cepmlp/academic/FT-MBA-Oil%20and%20Gas%20Mgt.php Development strategy achieved through transforming corporate governance I took Halliburton petroleum industry to analyse the structure, performance and management. It is the one of the richest refinery in US .is the prime responsibility of the Top level directorial board to ensure the benefits of its share holders and the main duties includes The evaluation of the chief executive officers performance and commitment and to take adequate action which includes dismissal , removal etc.In this main duty of the board in the executive section in each boad meeting is to evaluate the chief executive officers performance by the main director and the evaluation includes both qualitative and quantitve work area of the chief executive .The quatitive and qualitive ares includes leadership ,following managent development ,Integrity,perfomance of the business, informing the board matters that effects that Halliburton and its operation unit The final evaluation department made by the main director will present in the compensation commity after being communicated with chief executive officer and the duies if the compensation community includes the review of the evaluation of the report and and provide the recommendation for the coming year and Setting the compensation of the chief executive officer.The compensation is made according to the recommendation made by the compensation community The setting and evaluation of compensation of the executive management Annual revaluation and review of the plans and development program for the executive management The monitoring performance of the corporate against strategy and business plans Innovation Management in oil and gas Industry Innovation is not simply start the business but is a business of creativity ,It has some thing new , it is a new art .Innovation is strongly support the performance of the business ,Innovation is the result of hard work, efficiency. I choose BP to explain innovation management .BP is a UK company based company and it the 4th largest company in the world and also largest private energy corporation in the world. Innovative characteristics Now BP is gain an important place in the world oil industry. it was founded by George Reynolds. BP gain momentum in innovative process in nineties and it has got enough investment and is declaring now but 2001/2000 it was on its peak .BP is the biggest 10 company in the world constantly alter its technology by updating the new and latest .Bp using ultra modern technology to keep themselves at top. Innovation Strategy of The Company Dedication shown by the senior management with in the business strategy. Dedication by the employment is very important to implement innovative process. The main innovative steps are Performance Progressive Health and Safety-which ensure no harm to the people of environment Innovative- transformation new business ,bottom line performance and HSE expected a achievement are I part and factor of innovative process BP achieved innovation by abandonment of effective management and process added heavy stress and multi performance to the staff and which effects the working pattern of the company .Every motivated individual are the great and strength of every business sector but pressure of the management will effect their performance .BP creating campaign to make aware every employer that about priority and making comfortable in their own way to provide effectiveness and innovation Innovation requires knowledge of customer and user, BP providing training programs for understanding the innovation application in their working field by this new technology BP achieved performance management, new idea will be a risky factor to companies .Innovation occurs motivation .Innovation need encouragement for the new idea in the driving force for the innovation. BP providing innovation needs, active support to improve employees skills. Innovation is long term process involve lot of money and time BP investing millions of pounds for theses activities 2009 was the worst economical year in oil and gas industry>The recession hit all over the world . Demand of the energy resources doesnt gone down but even through the production goes down .It is reported that world will use 45% of energy by 2030 there may be some challenges which need ultimate solution to the innovation strategic level , some example are invest more money on innovation , a alternative fuels like wing , solar ,increase innovation process Sustainable Development in Oil and Gas Industry I am analysing Zadco oil company to examine about the corprote Overview of Sustainable development .It is the second largest oil company in U.A.E. The main objecitive of the Suitable Development of the development of the present generation and meet the development future generation Economic Sustainability Zadco is producing approximately one by fourth of U.A.E oil , Upper Zakum field which is the fourth largest oil in the field is the main assets of the Zadcos maily depend upon the growth Social Sustainability Zadco contribute for the social sustainability and some contribution in includes employement opportunity, community welfare project , promation of educational institution Enviromental Sustainability Zadco has strictily maintaint its effort to reduce the environment pollution, it also monitor its emission and discharges constantly to to reduce the harmful effect in the ecosystem http://www.halliburton.com/AboutUs/default.aspx?navid=973pageid=2305 Business Planning Processes The success of an organization depends on how effectively their strategies are implemented and how it works. The main function of the business plan is to identify and develop strategy to support the companys mission and vision. It may be long time or short time. The corporate performance focussing the development of companies in all area.The corporative planning team interfaces every group in the business units. http://www.zadco.com/CMS/AboutZADCO/CorporateOverviewMissionVisionValues/BusinessPlanning/tabid/251/Default.aspx Operation management in oil and gas industry The basic ethics and idea of operation management in the framework of the upstream Oil and Gas business is to enable executives to carry out a decisive evaluation of their concerns contrive and supply chain to comprehend the ways in which strategic goals are interpreted into decision-making. Decipher calculated objectives into rational calculated verdict associated to effective placing, viewed within a global context for the oil and gas sector. Transmit and converse the relation between manufactured goods and development design, and examine and construct strategies for re-engineering effective and supply chain practices to gather diverse market needs. Evaluate and expand stratagem for facility development and classify deliver chain arrangement and control worth planning, manage and skill management. Competent of effort out troubles relating to strategic operational decisions leading to the achievement of competitive advantage through an effective operational strategy. Characteristics , The model of transformation, how cooperate strategy links with operation strategy, operations by strategic drives, project appraisal, project management, location of operations, planning capacity, capacity strategies: methods of forecasting demand; Operational Scheduling; aggregate plan formulation; capacity strategies; purchasing and supply chain strategies, global sourcing and supplier selection; inventory management; MRP/MRPII/ERP; quality and environmental policy: quality management; quality control and international standards for quality systems; environmental policy; risk management; measuring performance, performance metrics, improvement strategies. Strategies for Facilities Management; Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). QUALITY MANAGMENT The industry handles hazardous fluids and gases through a variety of processes. Considering the personal safety for both staff and public, protection of the environment and business continuity (maintenance of revenue streams, both for companies and for national economies) require a high level of operational integrity. A solution element in the reassurance of appropriate products being supplied is the quality management system operated by the goods dealer and service contractor. The experience of previous editions of API Q1 has proven that requirements additional to ISO 9001:2000 are necessary to provide assurance with high opinion to quality of products and services on a consistent and global basis. It is a collaboration between the American Petroleum Institute (API) and ISO technical committee ISO/TC 67, Materials, equipment and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. According to John Modine, Director Certification Programs, American Petroleum Institute (API), ISO/TS 29001 is expected to result in Increased international acceptance of time-tested sector-specific quality system requirements on a broad scale for the worldwide oil and gas industry. He defines it as: One industry one standard. We knew that API Spec Q1 (6th Edition) contained extremely valuable quality system requirements for the oil and gas industry and we wanted to help disseminate those sector-specific quality requirements to the international oil and gas industry. We concluded that the best way to do that would be to draft the next version of API Spec Q1 (7th Edition) with a joint API/ISO committee with the final result being a joint publication of API Spec Q1 and ISO/TS 29001. The final goal is to obtain worldwide receipt and use of the standard. The new technical specification aims at the growth of a quality management system that provides for frequent improvement, highlight defect prevention and the reduction of variation and waste in the supply chain and from service providers. Incorporating the requirements of ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 29001:2003, it also includes detailed, sector-specific requirements for design, development, production, installation and service of products. To assist the user, the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 are given in boxed text, followed by specific direction and additional requirements for its implementation within the industry. Although some of the supplementary requirements may be viewed as not specific to this industry, they are needed in TS 29001 in order to ensure that the requirement(s) are explicit and can be audited. ISO/TS 29001 is obtainable for use by manufacturers of oil industry utensils and materials (upstream and downstream), service providers to the oil and gas industry, purchasers of utensils, materials and services and organizations who could use the criterion for assessments and certification. Major risks in oil and gas industry One of the main consideration in any global investment is the political risk .It is mainly focus on oil and gas or energy sector. This sector is very large and controversial most of the all countries energy sector is privatized, when Investing money on foreign country the investor should evaluate the political risks, economical, and geological risks. The oil companies producing the hydrocarbons in reasonable profit at right time. An contract signed with the government for particular time that should be a longer time than the present government. A upcoming government might ready to western companies and allow a more autonomist policy for their general resources. Once geological survey finished the economists will analyze finance budget, i company management will assess the major risk in a new project and resolve that risk in an suitable way, Political risks has been changing according to their political and socio-economic situation of their own country, For example in1990s Enron Corp in India and1980s Belco Petroleum Corp Peru in both cases present government changed and new government came and adopt new anti foreign investment policies because of that they dropped their project. There are mainly two types of risks one is Country specific political risks and another is firm political risks .Firm specific risks are directly connected to the company, for an example government might chance to cancel the project or terrorist group may decided to attack the Industry. But in the country specific politics risks is not directly connected the firm but it will effect national wide, for example the government decision will effect money fluctuation or civil war Dfferent types of l risks are shown below . Government Risks Instability Risks Firm exact Risks unfair regulations damage Creeping expropriation Kidnappings break of contract Firm particular boycotts County Level Risks Mass nationalizations labour strikes Regulatory change rural rioting Risk Management There are number of essential ways to protect the investment firms from the political risk, economic risks, environmental risks, and technological risks. Assessment factors can strongly influence the companys fiscal performance. Political risk is mainly managed by two ways one is actual political risk insurance and another is De facto insurance. De facto insurance is the protection from strategic partnering and planning. Political insurance is covering all part of the investment .In De facto insurances is mainly preventing the loss in risky areas for example exploration and production , money fluctuations, civil war etc. Two important sections in a political risk policy constitutes event of loss and the measure of damages and it wil be as a result of the type of coverage that is purchased. So it is important to understand the types of political risk insurance coverages. These coverages generally includes expropriation, currency inconvertibility, war and civil disturbance, trade disruption and breach of contract.all these should be closely examined Expropriation coverage protects against patial or total loss of investment caused by host government which eliminates insureds ownership or exercise of its rights with respect to the investment. Coverages can also used against creeping expropriations which had effect of preventing the investor of its ownership.to its investments. The amount of loss wil be the investments net book value. While discussing the amount of loss based on a particular coverage the concept of book value become important and it determines how much will be recovered in the event of loss For example in US there are two methods of accounting for drilling results. An oil company can either use an accounting under which dry hole costs are written off in the year incurred, or the full cost method of accounting whereby all drilling costs are capitalized and written off over the economic life of the reserve. Both methods will produce different results. So it is important to discuss a definition for net book value that will produce a promising financial result for the insured. Expropriation can take the following forms Confiscation of Fixed Assets and Bank Accounts Many companies have investments in the form of subsidies or joint venture .In order to attract foreign direct investment government will give some concessions or signed agreement with the company .But w hen the government changes some changes will happen in investment regulations and the locally held assests will undergo some unfairly actions imposed by the new government which restricts its operations. Share holder loans invested by the companies are at the risk of legal penality. Insurance is needed to protect such loans. Expropriation coverages also include losses due to material change imposed by the host government. The following agreements are mentioned Drilling Rights Long term agreements should contain remedy to protect against future disputes because such licenses may be cancelled later. The contract should significantly relay on qualitity of arbitration provision to secure against legal indebtness through court. Exploration/Exploitation (Production Sharing Agreements) When overseas government attract western companies to share in the travel of discovery of the potential field this agreement will comprise the unfair treatment at the next phase. Thus this agreement will identify how the oil revenues are split between the company and the government. At the time of struugle the government will undergo any of these agreements and identify the indebteness of the government and coverage is available on grounds similar to drilling rights Proven Reserve In situations where future oil revenues are included in the balance sheet and the underwriters are satisfied with the accounting principles it is possible to include loss of future earnings as a part of net asset value in the event of expropriation by the host government .2. Confiscation of Mobile Assets Contractors who take specialized mobile plants or equipments such as barge from overseas will re-export it after the completion of their project. Before re-exporting he needs permission and license from host government. If he refused the permitted the permission he will be exposed to a potential loss caused by confiscation and deprivation. 2.Currency inconvertibility coverage helps the investor to meet the loss arise due to his inability to convert local currency into the foreign currency specified in the policy, which is usually United States dollars, or the investors home currency,to transfer aborad. The coverages include excessive delays (usually expressed in terms of a stated time period), adverse changes in local laws or regulations, and an adverse change in the conditions governing the conversion to foreign exchange. The risk of devaluvation is for the insurance company.the investor will pay over the blocked currency to the company in exchange for the foreign currency. 3. War and civil disturbance coverage protects against damage or destruction due to war or any other disturbances. This coverage includes revolution, insurrection, coup detats, sabotage and terrorism. The damage may not be actual but the investment is considered as a total loss.The measure of loss will be investors net book value of the assets destroyed or damaged. The company also needs a option to replace the destroyed ones or a reasonable price for the maintenance of the damaged ones. 4. Breach of contract coverage protects the host countrys repudiation against investors contract.this coverage will provide a process for resolution of disputed and the investor can obtain an award for damages. If it is not paid with the state period of time, the investor can then demand for net book value of investment under the policy. Future loss in profit is not covered 5. Project finance Majority of overseas project requires bank finance on a limited or non-recourse basis. Private companies now offer a coverage of 10 years to protect banks giving loans to such projects. . The project sponsors will be seeking finance from the lenders where the assets of the project are assigned as collateral and the cash flows derived used to repay financing. 6. Border closures, blockades and sanctions will not cause a loss of the local investment Two possible consequences that tailores the insurance programs are loss of profit and increase in operating costs .

Ambient Music And The Impulse Towards Deconstruction :: essays research papers

Out of Light – cometh Darkness, dark ambient music and the impulse towards deconstruction  © 2000 Daniel du Prie 1. â€Å"These recordings may be seen as a notation of our deadminded society, but not as a reaction against it, we will all become ambient dead heads, if not...† (Archon Satani, In Shelter, liner note, 1994) If not, then ellipsis. The conditional clause of fact, followed by an open-ended ellipsis, where not only the conjunction between a conditional present and an effected future (then...), but the whole of future time itself is omitted – is a good way to immerse oneself in a description towards a functional definition of a difficult form of a â€Å"popular† underground music (I write popular because it is, in critical terms, usually excluded from the domain of â€Å"high† culture, or â€Å"serious† music, being more aligned with other popular underground genres, eg, industrial, death metal), that would seem to defy the very notion of popularity a priori: I write of so-called ‘dark ambient’ music. 2. Your attention is drawn to a notation of the future as ellipsis, as a potent form of signifying a coming-into-being that is never-yet, and may well never be, as a danger: The future can only be anticipated in the form of an absolute danger. It is that which breaks absolutely with the constituted normality and only be proclaimed, presented, as a sort of monstrosity (Derrida, 1974: 3). This ellipsis of the future, signifying danger (becoming, in Archon Satani’s space, dead headed), also dislodges the comfort of the present, and of presence; of the representing object, and its relation to the object represented, of the sign versus its referent. Hence the need for a notation, obtuse of signifying directives, not yet as a denotation and decoding, full of revealed meaning, of a certain type of society; but only of the function of recording qua art in reality, over and against symbolised reality, and even without any metaphysical reality. Archon Satani refuse permission for their recordings (not yet historicised as music, nor art) to be seen and hence, to be read as a reaction qua art against society: â€Å"we will all become ambient dead heads...†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3. In refusing music, and art, and reaction as historically revealed, politics are also seen to be refused. The future is one where the listener-subject will become as dead as the given inanimacy of the environment that surrounds her. Fundamentally psychoanalytic desires – those hinged upon death and sex may be in nuance in such a statement.