Testing jumps for individual stock Dissertation

Testing jumps for individual stock - Dissertation Example In this test, emphasis is placed in the comparison of two measures of variance: the Bipower Variation which is robust to jump contribution and the Realized Variance which includes the contribution of jumps to the total variance. And based on a high frequency data set of exchange rates, a statistically significant test of the difference between these two measures of variance provides evidence on the presence of jumps. ... e the joint asymptotic distribution of BVt and RVt as M Where And using It can be seen that there is no coincidence of the fact that asymptotically similar to a situation encountered in Hausman’s test in 1978. Asymptotically, RVt is the most efficient estimate of the integrated variance and under the no jumps assumption, BVt is less efficient estimator, therefore the difference of RVt – BVt is independent of RVt on the volatility path following of the Hausman (1978) test. According on Huang and Tauchen (2005), the power of each absolute return should be less than 2 to be robust to jumps for the statistics. With the results from Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard (2006), Andersen, Bollerslev and Diebold in 2004 used time series to test for daily jumps: Where on the assumption of no jumps: Another test for daily jumps is: The results of research conducted by Andersen, Bollerslev, Diebold and Labys (2001, 2003) and Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard (2004a) show that the sample pe rformance is improved by basing the test on the logarithm of the variation measures. Therefore the test is: And the maximum adjustment: The logarithmic adjustment to is: And the maximum adjustment is: The OP-versions of these tests are equivalent to the ratio jump of Barndorff-Nielsen and Shephard’s results in 2006. A simple t-test on the Relative Jump measure is: Where the classical estimate of the variance of the mean Another form is: Where : a HAC estimator of the variance of the mean. A bootstrap version is: Where : a bootstrap estimate of the variance of the mean. The Relative Jump can get a bootstrap confidence interval (tlow, tup) for the t test. b) Empirical results: The Monte Carlo findings developed z-tests for performing the jumps in a fairly realistic scenario and analyzed on daily

Structure Of Travel Tourism And Hospitality Tourism Essay

Structure Of Travel Tourism And Hospitality Tourism Essay The purposes for this essay are to present the structure of the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Firstly, we need to know what the definition of tourism is. As the World Tourism Organisation (WTO), tourism is the activities of person travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes (World Tourism Organisation, 1993). Therefore, the tourist is a person who travels to another place outside of their normal place of residence at least 100 miles for more than 24 hours and less than 12 months. Travel and tourism does not necessary involve travelling abroad. It could be in domestic tourism such as peoples home country, on visits to attractions, city breaks, trips to business meetings, sports events or concerts, and visits to friends or relatives. According to Weaver Lawton (2002, p.3), tourism includes the businesses that provide goods and services wholly or mainly for tourist consumption such as restaurants and food/beverage services, and lodging. Hence, it linked to hospitality industry which including accommodations segments, food services segment and other hospitality operations segments. Structure of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry The travel, tourism and hospitality industry is one of the largest industries in the world. It includes many sectors that we need to go through each part of the industry on its own. The key sectors in the travel and tourism industry can be distributed into three different parts. They are public, private and voluntary sectors. Figure 1: Tourism industry Tourism industry The private sector The public sector The voluntary sector Tour operators Travel agents Accommodations Government NTOs NATA UFTAA IATA SHA Private sector The private sector is generated of commercial operators run or owned by individuals or companies such as travel insurance, travel press, travel marketing, private colleges, tour operators or travel agents, whose main purpose is to produce benefits from the facilities and goods, which they deliver to their consumers. In addition, these agencies play a very important role in the development of the travel and tourism industry. They are the components which communicate directly with customers. For instance, they arranged a group which understand the demands of visitors and advertise their packages at different tourist locations through interactive methods of communication such as distribute brochure or advertise in their websites. Accommodations are the basic needs in tourism industry which including hotels, resorts and timeshares or condominiums, conference centres, camp and park lodges, food and beverages. For example, resorts offer good services such as spa, massage, hot tub for customers who come to relax on holiday. They gain high benefits due to customers consumptions when they provide good services. Therefore, the private sectors are commercial businesses with the objective of making a profit for shareholders and owners. They run businesses at all levels of the distribution chain suppliers, wholesalers and retailers. Public sector Public sectors are major groups who decide on the strategy and leadership for the growth of the tourism sector. This is the government body which supporting the tourism industry. The role of this organisation is to work with the industry and provide the required amount of support. The services offered by the public sector are delivered to the public and paid through government. Public sector includes NTOs and RTOs (national regional tourist offices). It may also be suppliers, especially in transportation and visitor attractions. Most of the public services are non-profit-making. Voluntary sector Voluntary sector contains different bodies involved in the lobbying and being the force factors who work for the benefit of the tourism sector and the benefit of the respective associations they represent. They are namely National Parks Association, YHA (Youth Hostels Association), National Trust, ANTOR (Association of National Tourist Office Representatives), FTO (Federation of tour Operators), ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies), Museums Association, UK Inbound Tourism, Tourism Concern and PSA (Passenger Shipping Association). Organizations of the voluntary sector are controlled and ran mainly by volunteers. These organizations are usually not making profit or contributively. This creates some financial benefits that may include reduced rates and VAT, income tax exemption for investments, covenants and bank deposits. Voluntary sector organisations that register as contributions have to satisfy specific terms. Their purposes must be charitable, non-profit-making, for the educations improvement or for other aims beneficial to the society. Horizontal integration According to Weaver Lawton (2002), horizontal integration takes place when firms reach a higher level of consolidation or control within their own sector. Horizontal integration is where an organisation owns two or more companies, on the same level of the buying chain. For example, EasyJet took over Go! in 2002. It was a case of one budget airline taking over another no-frills airline. Although the two companies became one, they could have retained their different brand names. In fact in this case, EasyJet rapidly re-branded all of Go!s planes with their own distinctive livery. Principal Figure 2: Horizontal integration Principal Tour operator Tour operator Travel agent Travel agent Vertical integration Vertical integration occurs when a company achieve greater control over elements of the product chain outside its own sector (Weaver Lawton, 2002). This integration can be forward in the direction of the chain, or backward against the direction of the chain. Forward vertical integration is more common. Company gains greater control over distribution. It helps them getting closer to the customer. For example, an airline sets up a subsidiary to distribute or market products to consumers such as buying-out a hotel chain or car rental operation. Figure 3: Forward vertical integration Tour operator Principal Travel agent Backward vertical integration is buying upward in the distribution chain. In contrast to forward vertical integration, company gains greater control over supplies using backward vertical integration. For instance, First Choice is a tour operator which also has an airline named First Choice Airways, or Thomas Cook Holidays setting up Thomas Cook Airways. Principal Figure 4: Backward vertical integration Tour operator Travel agent Key historical developments Socio-economic Leisure time: Tourism currently very popular and it is widely acknowledged as a global social phenomenon. In most advanced developed countries, the natural of society has now changed from an economy based on manufacturing and production to focus on the services and consumer industries. Simultaneously, the disposable income and the amount of leisure time and holiday in many countries increased in the post-war period. Therefore, employees have the opportunity to engage in the new forms of consumption such as tourism. Incomes/holiday taking: The income is produced from wages, profits and interest, has increased every year. The UK economy is one of the strongest in Europe, levels of disposable income and consumer credit are rising and expenditure on leisure is growing at around 6 per cent. Depend on that, employees life is improved. They can spend time to enjoy their life such as travel without worry too much about money. Most people today will have travelled abroad and expect to take at least one holiday a year. When tourists are willing to pay for travel, tourism industry will generate more profit. Car ownership: By the early 1900s the car was being used for public transport in most cities. But it wasnt until the 1950 when the car really took off. There were only 8,000 cars in the whole of Britain at the start of the 20th century. By the end of the century the car population had soared to 21 million. Car ownership statistics gives an indication of the level of personal mobility in a population (domestic, continental travel). In 1989 in Britain, each car was used for an average of 30 trips per week, which declined to 24 by 2006. The distance travelled by car per week slightly decreased. Car ownership in the UK has increased considerably in recent decades. It is not uncommon for a household owning two or more cars in nowadays. Technological Transportation is an essential need in the tourism sector. It is divided into different areas such as air, road, rail, sea. Transportation is a tool to assist travellers to get to where they want to go. Sea: Up until the 1920s the only way to travel abroad was by boat. It used to take days/weeks to travel abroad. Nowadays, ships are mainly used for ferries to mainland Europe and for cruises. Road: Road travel is the first method people used to travel. In the past, people used to travel by horses, camels,  or even humans carrying goods over dirt tracks that often followed game trails. The most famous road in the past is Silk Road. The start of the Silk Road was on 2nd century BC when Chinese ambassador Zhang Qian visited the countries of Central Asia with diplomatic mission. Thus, travel by road is the pioneer in tourism. Nowadays, road travel can be buses, private cars, bicycles, motorbike, etc. People using those transportations to travel are much faster than in the past. Rail: After sea and road, rail is the third method people use to travel. By the end of the 2nd world war (1940s) the rail network covered nearly every town and village. Japan is the country famous for mass and high-speed trains. Moreover, Japan has an impressive number of subway systems. Air: Travel by air is the latest and fastest transportation in the world. The first commercial flight from the UK was to Paris in 1919, but it was very expensive. In the 1970 the introduction of the Boeing 747 brought flying cost down dramatically and open doors to mass tourism. In our time, people can travel from one place to another place very convenience. For example, a flight from Singapore to Vietnam only need 4 hours including food and beverage in the plane, while traveling by sea needs days. As we can see, tourism cannot develop without technological. It is a part has a great contribution to the tourism industry. Business developments Airlines/air travel: Airlines or air travel play a very important role in the travel and tourism industry. Early forms of technology in the travel and tourism industry were systems which linked tour operators to travel agencies via terminals and allowed travel agents to make bookings through the system. Meanwhile, airlines developed computer reservation systems (CRS). Airlines started to use computers in the 1950s to store and change the huge amount of information they needed to access. The CRS was used internally by airlines, and agents would use the OAG publication to look up flight times etc., and then telephone the airline to make a booking. Tour operators: The role of tour operators is to put together all the different components that make up a holiday and sell them as packages to the consumer. They make contracts with hoteliers, airlines and other transport companies to put the package together. All the holiday details are incorporated into a brochure which is distributed either to travel agents or directly to customers. In simple terms, they organise and package different elements of the tourism experience, then offer the product for sale to the public through different mediums like leaflets, brochures, advertisements, etc. Travel agents: The role of travel agents is to give advice and information and sell and administer bookings for a number of tour operators. They also sell flights, ferry bookings, car hire, insurance and accommodation as separate products. Thus, they are distributors of products. Increasingly, travel agents also do a little tour operating, for example putting together a holiday for a group. Some industry professionals believe that the role of the travel agent is in decline as many people are booking their own holidays and travel on the Internet or by telephone directly to tour operators. Conclusion In conclusion, this assignment helps me know more about the structure of travel, tourism and hospitality and key historical developments of its industry. Hence, I will know how tourism and hospitality work. Briefly, tourism and hospitality industry is one of the largest industries in the world. It plays a very important role in the industry. There are many sectors which contribute and help to generate the tourism and hospitality industry. They are indispensable parts of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry.

ME :: essays research papers

Me Hey you, yes you. Is there anyone else that I could be talking to? Read this. Just the beginning part and if you don’t like it then don’t read it. I wont force you. And if you decided to read this, you might be wondering what the title means. Well it’s a mindless waste of paper and ink as it is about (NO, you dimwit, it isn’t about the Windows Millennium Edition!!!) me, the writer, who is simply telling you (the reader) about his boring and melodramatic life. Now that you know the meaning of the title lets, us begin this waste of time. I was born in Karachi, on the 12th of September in the early nineteen eighty’s, along with two other babies, but not from the same mother. I was a healthy baby boy of nine pounds and a loud voice. I was the second born, of my mother, but the biggest by my mother. I was told that I was a troublesome baby, but hey, how do I know what happened or what I did seventeen and a half years ago. Anyway, that’s enough about my birth. (If you want to know more, feel free to contact my lawyer, who is currently in a coma due to a head injury sustained while guest starring in the Jerry Springer Show) I was christened after twenty- one days of my birth and was named Hassan, after one of the Imam’s in my religion, Islam. And through these seven-teen and half years, I have proven my name wrong in it’s meaning except in a few certain aspects. I started to speak at the tender age of two and a half years, and my first word, as my elders tell me, is â€Å"Chicken†. I still wonder, to this day how I said it, but for some strange reason or the other, all of my favorite foods and dishes are or contain some form of chicken in them. I grew up to be large and tall, and due to this I was kicked out of kindergarten and promoted to grade I. This was the first and last time I was double promoted, not because of my intelligence of because of my size. Like they say ‘SIZE DOES MATTER!!!!’ Anyway, enough of that. I must have shifted more cities than anyone else in my age, except the babies of nomads. I first lived

Pleasantville Essay

David and Jennifer lead different high school social lives. Jennifer is shallow and extroverted. David is introverted and spends most of his time watching televisions. One evening while their mother is away, they fighting over the TV. Jennifer wants to watch a concert but David wants to watch a marathon of the Pleasantville. During the fight, the remote control breaks and TV cannot be turned on manually. When the mysterious TV repairmen show up to quizzes David about the Pleasantville and gives him a strange remote control. David and Jennifer resume fighting right after the repairman leaves, however they are somehow transported into Pleasantville living room. David and Jennifer must pretend they are Bud and Mary Sue, the son and daughter of the show. David tell Jennifer they must stay in character and do not disrupt the lives of the town, who does not know any difference between Bud and Sue to David and Jennifer. David and Jennifer have to fix in the show, but Jennifer doesn’t like lives they has in Pleasantville and David love the roles he play as Bud. Jennifer was a popular girl in high school, and she never focus on school but her boyfriend. David always focus on school and the Pleasantville show. David doesn’t have much reaction to show like Jennifer. David always wanted his life as Pleasantville show. Jennifer went along with her role as Mary Sue but she changes her roles a little. Jennifer changes the Pleasantville by having sex with her boyfriend that made him color. Jennifer didn’t play her role exactly the way she supposed to, but David plays his perfect role as Bud. He went along with the Pleasantville until Jennifer start changing her role as Mary Sue. She shows them how her lives were as Jennifer not Mary Sue. When people starting become color, they freak out; they didn’t know what was happening to them. Jennifer and David started showing the Pleasantville village people about their lives outside of Pleasantville, about how they are color and things they have outside of village. The end of Pleasantville, people reaction became angry about people and village changes. David started changing people feeling in the court, David show them about how emotion feel and once emotional get in them, they start changing color and feeling reaction toward to others. David and Jennifer reaction has changes a little from beginning of the movie. David wanted play his roles as Bud, until he found out about the changes with his mother and his boss. David helps his family by showing everybody about the emotion and their lives outside of Pleasantville. David didn’t want his live as Bud, he miss his lives at home with his mother. Jennifer reaction has change a little, she didn’t play her role as Mary Sue. She hasn’t changed her lives outside of Pleasantville to inside of the village. Jennifer realizes that she like her life as Mary Sue and Pleasantville has changed her to become better person. End of the Pleasantville David went home while Jennifer stay in the village to enjoy her life.

Inequlity in South Asia

Efforts to solve inequality in South Asia have had no Impact. † How far do you agree? Explain your answer with reference to examples from both gender and caste inequality. In south Asia, there are critical Inequalities practicing, especially the gender and caste Inequalities. Realizing the harm that these Inequalities will bring, governments as well as non-government organizations are putting great efforts to improve this situation. However, based on what is happening right now in south Asian countries, these efforts did not really help.Although the disadvantages present much more in political positions compare to before, but the mind-set is still ingrained in people's heart. Therefore, I agree to a large extend that efforts to solve inequality in South Asia have had no impact. Politically, situation is improving with the effort of the government. It is a government's responsibility in a modern world to help the people been systematically oppressed. Governments can also promote their international image by helping the disadvantages, through reserving seats for lower caste for example.This does help in solving Inequality In amount of people who inning the government. Under the 73rd Amendment Act of the Constitution, India had proffered 33% reservation for women In rural and urban local bodies. The Parliament raised the percentage of women to 50% In local bodies in 2009. Currently, there are more than a million elected women representative in local bodies. At present, 22. 5% of places in government-funded academic institutions are set aside for Dalais and listed tribes who make up roughly 25% of the population. Therefore, there are some achievement in fighting against inequality in political Jobs.Governments also have good policy in solving the problem but they are not implemented well. Once It is out of the control of the government, it will be very hard to really be implemented. Since there are no obvious consequences, not many people will be willing to o bey the rules. A state In India had committed $15,000 to construct a new school building, $900 for a new kitchen and $400 for new school benches. But only some of the money had arrived, so no construction had started a chairman of a village said $750 had been demanded of his village committee In exchange for building permits. N Pakistan, a young married woman, Samba Impair, as shot in the office of a lawyer helping her to seek a divorce which her family could never countenance, no government minister has condemned the killing, nobody has been arrested for Samba's murder, no government minister has condemned the killing. Therefore, it is really hard to implement government's good policy to solve the problems. The most serious thing Is, public still have a strong sense of discrimination. The thousand years old mind-set is very hard to change once It is set up in people's thinking.Moreover, since some people can still benefit a lot from these Inequalities, hey will not willing to chang e their mind and give up practicing these Inequalities so easily. For Instance, Harlan, a state In north India, Is notorious for frequent murders of young men and women who transgress. Caste is still an important criteria in Five women were buried alive in Pakistan ‘honor killing' on 02 September 2008. Girl babies are killed by the mother and buried surreptitiously with the connivance of the elders in the family and some grooms are still asking for dowry.Unfortunately, education and economic development do not solve the problems: gender imbalance s more serious in richer area since more people can afford to do ultrasound check in India. Various examples around the world prove that, the ancient mind-set is wide spread in today's world in South Asia. However, think of the achievement been made in politic, there is only a very tiny amount of women or the lower caste are able to enter government to work and the work they do might not necessarily important. While the policy not bee n implemented and the mind-set among the majority of Indian can actually influence a very huge number of the people.In rural area of India, even teachers practice fierce discrimination on lower caste students, without mass education, it is almost impossible to change the mind-set of the public. Thus, the achievement is still small compare to the problem. Perhaps the government need to be guaranteed to ensure its policy and correct education about inequality must cover the whole country. Yet, it requires time to improve the situation. In conclusion, there are a lot of efforts been made, and there are achievement, but the not many people can enjoy the achievement and effort been made has no much impact.Hence, I agree o a large extend that Efforts to solve inequality in South Asia have had no impact. Although the caste system, dowry, and honor killing are outlaw, a long time ago, people still have a strong sense of discrimination: they are not willing to change. Teacher practice Politi cally: Government works very to Women's dalais percentage. Socially: mind-set examples: honor killing, cross marriage. Infanticide. Examining Equal voting right The parliament raised the percentage of women to 50% in local bodies in 2009 The provisional census for 2011 indicates a positive increase of 1 1. % in literacy rate amongst women. Protection of women from domestic violence act enacted in 2005 has given women a powerful tool. Anti-trafficking nodal cells adopting victims. Rescue, rehabilitation reintegration, repatriation. The government responsibility to ensure the laws being implemented, not changing mind-set. So the state government has offered to adopt abandoned babies as an incentive against killing them. In most cases, Nags say that the baby is killed by the mother and buried surreptitiously with the connivance of the elders in the family. In the last five months alone 47 babies have been received.

Categories of Hurricanes

Categories of Hurricanes The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale sets categories for the relative strength of hurricanes that may impact the United States based on the sustained wind speed. The scale places the storms into one of five categories. Since the 1990s, only wind speed has been used to categorize hurricanes. To estimate wind speed, the wind and wind gusts are measured over some period of time (typically one minute) and are then averaged together. The result is the highest average wind observed within a weather event.   Another measurement of weather is the barometric pressure, which is the weight of the atmosphere on any given surface. Falling pressure indicates a storm, while rising pressure usually means the weather is improving.   Category 1 Hurricane A hurricane labeled Category 1 has a  maximum sustained wind speed  of 74–95 miles per hour (mph), making it the weakest category. When the sustained wind speed drops below 74 mph, the storm is downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. Although weak by hurricane standards, a Category 1 hurricanes winds are dangerous and will cause damage. Such damage could include: Roof, gutter, and siding damage to framed homesDowned power linesSnapped tree branches and uprooted trees In a Category 1 hurricane, coastal storm surge reaches 3–5 feet and the barometric pressure is approximately 980 millibars. Examples of Category 1 hurricanes include Hurricane Lili in 2002 in Louisiana and Hurricane Gaston, which hit South Carolina in 2004. Category 2 Hurricane When the maximum sustained wind speed is 96–110 mph, a hurricane is called a Category 2. The winds are considered extremely dangerous and will cause extensive damage, such as: Major roof and siding damage to framed homesMajor power outages that could last days to weeksMany uprooted trees and blocked roads Coastal storm surge reaches 6–8 feet and the barometric pressure is approximately 979–965 millibars. Hurricane Arthur, which hit North Carolina in 2014, was a Category 2 hurricane. Category 3 Hurricane Category 3 and above are considered major hurricanes. The maximum sustained wind speed is 111–129 mph. Damage from this category of hurricane is devastating: Mobile homes destroyed or heavily damagedMajor damage to framed homesMany uprooted trees and blocked roadsComplete power outages and unavailability of water for several days to weeks Coastal storm surge reaches 9–12 feet and the barometric pressure is approximately 964–945 millibars. Hurricane Katrina, which struck Louisiana in 2005, is one of the most devastating storms in U.S. history, causing an estimated $100 billion in damage. It was rated Category 3 when it made landfall.   Category 4 Hurricane With a maximum sustained wind speed of 130–156 mph, a Category 4 hurricane can result in catastrophic damage: Most mobile homes destroyedFramed homes destroyedHomes built to withstand hurricane-force winds sustain significant roof damageMost trees snapped or uprooted and roads blockedElectrical poles downed and outages lasting several last weeks to months Coastal storm surge reaches 13–18 feet and the barometric pressure is approximately 944–920 millibars. The deadly Galveston, Texas hurricane of 1900 was a Category 4 storm that killed an estimated  6,000 to 8,000 people. A more recent example is Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall at San Josà © Island, Texas, in 2017. Hurricane Irma was a Category 4 storm when it hit Florida in 2017, although it was a Category 5 when it struck Puerto Rico. Category 5 Hurricane The most catastrophic of all hurricanes, a Category 5 has a maximum sustained wind speed of 157 mph or higher. Damage can be so severe that most of the area hit  by such a storm could be uninhabitable for weeks or even months. Coastal storm surge reaches more than 18 feet and the barometric pressure is below 920 millibars. Only three Category 5 hurricanes have struck the mainland United States since records began: The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Florida KeysHurricane Camille in 1969 near the mouth of the Mississippi RiverHurricane Andrew in 1992 in Florida In 2017, Hurricane Maria was a Category 5 when it devastated Dominica and a Category 4 in Puerto Rico, making it the worst disaster in those islands histories. When Hurricane Maria hit the mainland U.S., it had weakened to a Category 3.

Example Sentences of the Verb Have for ESL

Example Sentences of the Verb Have for ESL This page provides example sentences of the verb Have in all tenses including active and passive forms, as well as conditional and modal forms. Base Form: havePast Simple: hadPast Participle: hadGerund: having Present Simple We often have guests over for dinner. Present Simple Passive Showers are often had in the morning. Present Continuous Peter is having breakfast at the moment. Present Continuous Passive Breakfast is being had in the dining room this morning. Present Perfect He has had a lot of luck! Present Perfect Passive Meals have been had in the dining room this month. Present Perfect Continuous We have been having problems for a while. Past Simple Alice had a shower before she left for work. Past Simple Passive Lunch was had on the balcony last Saturday. Past Continuous We were having lunch when she telephoned. Past Continuous Passive Lunch was being had when she telephoned. Past Perfect Oliver had already had lunch when I arrived. Past Perfect Passive Lunch had already been had when the guests arrived. Past Perfect Continuous Susan had been having a hard time when Peter decided to give her a helping hand. Future (will) You will have a good time! Future (will) passive A good time will be had by all! Future (going to) We are going to have a great time at the park. Future (going to) passive A great time is going to be had by all the guests. Future Continuous This time tomorrow we will be having lunch on the beach. Future Perfect She will have had her meeting by the time he arrives. Future Possibility She might have an appointment later today. Real Conditional If she has any problems, she will ask Jack for help. Unreal Conditional If she had any problems, she would ask Jack for help. Past Unreal Conditional If she had had any problems, she would have asked Jack for help. Present Modal You can ask the doctor for advice. Past Modal You must have had a wonderful time! Quiz: Conjugate With Have Use the verb to have to conjugate the following sentences. Quiz answers are below. In some cases, more than one answer may be correct. Meals _____in the dining room this month.We often _____ guests over for dinner.We _____ problems for a while.Oliver _____ already _____ lunch when I arrived.You _____ a good time!This time tomorrow we _____ lunch on the beach.If she _____ any problems, she would have asked Jack for help.Lunch _____ when she telephoned.Alice _____ a shower before she left for work.He _____ a lot of luck in his life. Quiz Answers have been hadhavehave been havinghad hadwill havewill be havinghad hadwas being hadhadhas had

How to Get 800 on SAT Writing 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer

How to Get 800 on SAT Writing 9 Strategies From a Perfect Scorer SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you scoring in the 600–750 range on SAT Writing? Do you want to raise that score as high as possible- to a perfect 800? Getting to an 800 SAT Writing score isn't easy. It'll require near perfection and a mastery of both grammar rules and essay writing. But with hard work and my SAT writing strategies below, you'll be able to do it. I've consistently scored 800 on Writing on my real SATs, and I know what it takes. Follow my advice, and you'll get a perfect score- or get very close. Brief note: This article is suited for students already scoring a 600 on SAT Writing or above (this equates to a Writing Test Score of 30+ out of 40 on the New SAT). If you're below this range, my "How to Improve your SAT Writing Score to a 600" article is more appropriate for you. Follow the advice in that article, then come back to this one once you've reached a 600. Also, the New 2016 SAT now has a single 800 Reading + Writing score, combining the individual Reading and Writing test scores. Technically, when I mention a perfect Writing test score, I'm referring to a perfect 40/40 test score, which is essential to getting an 800 Reading and Writing score. In this guide, I'll use800 and 40 interchangeably to mean a perfect Writing score. We won't talk about Reading here, but if you want to improve your Reading score too, check out my Perfect SAT Reading score guide. Overview Most guides on the internet on how to get an 800 on SAT Writing are pretty low quality. They're often written by people who never scored an 800 themselves. You can tell because their advice is usually vague and not very pragmatic. In contrast, I've written what I believe to be the best guide on getting an 800 available anywhere. I have confidence that these strategies work because I used them myself to score 800 on SAT Writing consistently. They've also worked for thousands of my students at PrepScholar. In this article, I'm going to discuss why scoring an 800 is a good idea, what it takes to score an 800, and then go into the nine key SAT Writing strategies so you know how to get an 800. Stick with me- as an advanced student, you probably already know that scoring high is good. But it's important to know why an 800 Writing score is useful, since this will fuel your motivation to get a high score. This guide has been updated for the New 2016 SAT Writing and Language section, so you can be sure my advice works for the test you're about to take. Final note: In this guide, I talk mainly about getting to an 800. But if your goal is a 700, these strategies still equally apply. Understand the Stakes: Why an 800 SAT Writing? Let's make something clear: for all intents and purposes, a 1540+ on an SAT is equivalent to a perfect 1600. No top college is going to give you more credit for a 1600 than a 1540. You've already crossed their score threshold, and whether you get in now depends on the rest of your application. So if you're already scoring a 1560, don't waste your time studying trying to get a 1600. You're already set for the top colleges, and your time is better spent working on the rest of your application. But if you're scoring a 1520 or below AND you want to go to a top 10 college, it's worth your time to push your score up to a 1530 or above. There's a big difference between a 1460 and a 1560, largely because it's easy to get a 1460 (and a lot more applicants do) and a lot harder to get a 1560. A 1540 places you right around average at Harvard and Princeton, and being average is bad in terms of admissions, since the admissions rate is typically below 10%. So why get an 800 in SAT Reading+Writing? Because it helps you compensate for weaknesses in other sections. By and large, schools consider your composite score moreso than your individual section scores. If you can get a perfect 40 in SAT Writing and a perfect 40 in SAT Reading, that means you only need a 750 in SAT Math. This gives you a lot more flexibility. Princeton's 75th percentile for Writing is 800. There's another scenario where an 800 in SAT Writing is really important: if you're planning to apply as a humanities or social science major (like English, political science, communications) to a top school. Here's the reason: college admissions is all about comparisons between applicants. The school wants to admit the best, and you're competing with other people in the same "bucket" as you. By applying as a humanities/social science major, you're competing against other humanities/social science folks: people for whom SAT Writing is easy. Really easy. Here are a few examples from schools. For Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Dartmouth, the 75th percentile SAT Reading+Writing score is an 800. That means at least 25% of all students at these schools have an 800 in SAT Writing. But if you can work your way to an 800, you show that you're at an equal level (at least on this metric). Even if it takes you a ton of work, all that matters is the score you achieve at the end. Know That You Can Do It! This isn't just some fuzzy feel-good message you see on the back of a milk carton. I mean, literally, you and every other reasonably intelligent student can score an 800 on SAT Writing. The reason most people don't is they don't try hard enough or they don't study the right way. Even if language isn't your strongest suit, or you got a B+ in AP English, you're capable of this. Because I know that more than anything else, your SAT score is a reflection ofhow hard you work and how smartly you study. SAT Writing is Designed to Trick You - You Need to Learn How Here's why: the SAT is a weird test. When you take it, don't you get the sense that the questions are nothing like what you've seen in school? You've learned grammar before in school. You know some basic grammar rules. But the SAT questions just seem so much weirder. It's purposely designed this way. The SAT can't test difficult concepts because this would be unfair for students who never took AP English. It can't ask you to decompose Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. The SAT is a national test, which means it needs a level playing field for all students around the country. So it HAS to test concepts that all high school students will cover. Subject verb agreement, run-on sentences, pronoun choice, etc. You've learned all of this throughout school. But the SAT still has to make the test difficult, so it needs to test these concepts in strange ways. This trips up students who don't prepare, but it rewards students who understand the test well. Example Question Here's an example: find the grammar error in this sentence: The commissioner, along with his 20 staff members, run a tight campaign against the incumbent. This is a classic SAT Writing question. The error is in subject/verb agreement. The subject of the sentence is commissioner, which is singular. The verb is "run," but because the subject is singular, it should really be "runs." At your level, you probably saw the error. But if you didn't, you fell for a classic SAT Writing trap. It purposely confused you with the interrupting phrase, "along with his 20 staff members." You're now picturing 20 people in a campaign- which suggests a plural verb! The SAT Writing section is full of examples like this, and they get trickier. Nearly every grammar rule is tested in specific ways, and if you don't prepare for these, you're going to do a lot worse than you should. Here's the good news: this might have been confusing the first time, but the next time you see a question like this, you'll know exactly what to do: find the subject and the verb, and get rid of the interrupting phrase. So to improve your SAT Writing score, you just need to: Learn the grammar rules that the SAT tests. Study how the SAT tests these grammar rules and learn how to detect which grammar rule you need in a question. Practice on a lot of questions so you learn from your mistakes. I'll go into more detail about exactly how to do this. First, let's see how many questions you need to get right to get a perfect score. What It Takes to Get An 800 in Writing If we have a target score in mind, it helps to understand what you need to get that score on the actual test. On the Writing section, there are 44 multiple-choice questions. How many questions you get right determines your scaled score out of 40. From theOfficial SAT Practice Tests, I've taken the raw score to scaled score conversion tables from the first four tests.(If you could use a refresher on how the SAT is scored and how raw scores are calculated,read this.) Raw Score Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 44 40 40 40 40 43 39 39 39 39 42 38 38 38 38 41 37 37 37 37 40 36 36 36 37 39 35 35 35 36 38 34 34 35 35 37 34 33 34 34 These grading scales are harsh.For every test, if you miss just ONE question, you get dropped down to a 39. This means your maximum Reading + Writing score becomes a 790, in the best case. The exact score conversion chart depends on the difficulty of this test. This particular score chart is as strict as it gets- sometimes, you can miss one question and still get a 40. But I've never seen a test allow missing two questions and getting a 40. Sometimes, if you miss two questions, you drop down to a 37. So the safest thing to do is to aim for perfection. On every practice test, you need to aim for a perfect raw score for an 800, and an essay score of at least 10. It's pretty clear then that you need to try to answer every question. You can't leave any questions blank and expect to get an 800 reliably, which means you need to get to a level of mastery where you're confident answering each question. Whatever you're scoring now, take note of the difference you need to get to a 800. For example, if you're scoring a 38 raw score now, you need to answer six more questions right to get to a perfect 40. As a final example, here's a screenshot from my exact score report from March 2014, showing that I missed 0 questions and earned an 800. (This was from the older 2400 version of the SAT, but the grading scale was similarly tough back then.) OK- so we've covered why scoring a higher Writing score is important, why you specifically are capable of improving your score, and the raw score you need to get to your target. Now we'll get into the meat of the article: actionable strategies that you should use in your own studying to maximize your score improvement. 9 Strategies to Get an 800 on SAT Writing What's your greatest weakness? Strategy 1: Understand Your High-Level Weakness: Time Management, Content, or Essay Score We're deliberately starting high level, before diving into grammar rules, because you need to know what type of game you're playing before you practice. Every student has different flaws in SAT Writing. Some people don't have full mastery of the grammar rules. Others run out of time on the test. Yet others aren't fluent in their essay writing. Here's how you can figure out which one applies more to you: Find an official SAT practice test, and take only the Writing section. We have the complete list of free practice SATs here. For each section, use a timer and have it count down the 35 minutes for the Writing section. Treat it like a real test. If time runs out and you're 100% ready to score your exam, then do so. If you're not ready to move on, keep on working for as long as you need. For every new answer or answer that you change, mark it with a special note as "Extra Time." Grade your test using the answer key and score chart, but we want two scores: 1) The Realistic score you got under normal timing conditions, 2) The Extra Time score. This is why you marked the questions you answered or changed during Extra Time. See what we're doing here? By marking which questions you did under Extra Time, we can figure out what score you would get if you were given all the time you needed. This will help us figure out where your weaknesses lie. If you didn't take any extra time, then your Extra Time score is the same as your Realistic score. Here's a flowchart to help you figure this out: Was your Extra Time scaled score a 35 or above? If NO (Extra Time score 35), then you have strategy and content weaknesses. All the extra time in the world couldn't get you above a 35, so your first angle of attack will be to find your weaknesses and attack them (We'll cover this later). If YES (Extra Time score 35), then: Was your Realistic raw score a 43 or above? If NO (Extra Time score 35, Realistic 35), then that means you have a difference between your Extra Time score and your Realistic score. If this difference is more than three points, then you have some big problems with time management. We need to figure out why this is. Are you taking too much time for each question? Or are particular types of questions slowing you down? More on this later. If YES (both Extra Time and Realistic scores 35), then you have a really good shot at getting an 800. Compare your Extra Time and Realistic score- if they differed by more than two points, then you would benefit from learning how to solve questions more quickly. If not, then you likely can benefit from shoring up on your last content weaknesses and avoiding careless mistakes (more on this strategy later). Hopefully that makes sense. Typically I see that students have both timing and content issues, but you might find that one is much more dominant for you than the other. For example, if you can get a 40 with extra time, but score a 35 in regular time, you know with certainty that you need to work on time management to get a 40. Strategy 2: Comprehensively Learn the Grammar Rules There's just no way around it. You need to know all the grammar rules tested on the test and how they work. Certain grammar rules, like punctuation usage, appear far more often than other rules. But because we're going for perfection, you'll need to know even the less-common rules. In our PrepScholar program, we've identified the following as the most to least important grammar rules: Punctuation Sentence Structure Conventional Expression (aka idioms) Possessives Agreement Parallel Structure Modifiers Verb Tense Pronouns Within these general categories, there are a lot of rules, but they differ from each other in how often they appear on the test and how hard they are to study. For example, Punctuation is by far the most common grammar rule on SAT Writing, but it only uses a few separate concepts. The Idioms skill is slightly less common, but it uses a wide range of idioms (like "as a means of" or the use of "whereby" vs "from which"), such that each unique idiom appears no more than once on each test. As another example, Punctuation appears 4.12 times as often on SAT Writing as the least common concept, Pronouns. So, assuming you're equally weak across all skills, you get more bang for your buck by studying Punctuation and nailing it. It's therefore important for you to focus your time on studying the highest impact grammar rules. Our PrepScholar program, for example, quizzes you in relation to how common each grammar rule is, so that you focus your efforts on the rules that make the biggest difference to your score. Strategy 3: Get Intimately Familiar With the Rhetoric Question Types Aside from grammar rules, the other major category of questions in SAT Writing is what we call Rhetoric. These questions concern how to make persuasive arguments and construct logical sentences, paragraphs, and essays. The College Board also calls this "Command of Evidence" and "Expression of Ideas." Unlike sentences with incorrect grammar, sentences in rhetoric questions don't usually have anything technically wrong with them. Instead, the SAT is testing you to find more effective ways to construct the sentence or passage. Here's a rundown of the types, from most common to least: Sentence Function "At this point, the writer is considering adding the following sentence...Should the writer make this addition here?" Concision "Which choice most effectively combines the two sentences at the underlined portion?" Transition These questions underline a key transition word in between sentences or phrases. You need to pick the transition that makes the most sense. Example: "This assertion is not supported by scientific research. For instance, one review published in..." Logical sequence "To make this paragraph most logical, sentence 2 should be placed..." These questions require you to order the sentences to get the most logical flow. Precision These questions underline a word or phrase and ask you to pick the best replacement for them. This is as close to a vocab test as the SAT gets. Example: "The reason for Siqueiros's secrecy became clear when the mural was confided." Answer choices: A) NO CHANGE, B) promulgated, C) imparted, D) unveiled. Quantitative These questions are the only ones in SAT writing that deal with graphs and data. You're usually asked to make sense of figures in the context of the text. Note - if you don't consider yourself a math person, don't be scared - the graphs are never super complex. But you do need to be able to read graphs and charts quickly. "Which choice offers an accurate interpretation of the data in the chart?" Style and tone These questions deal with maintaining the tone of the article - if it's a professional science article, it shouldn't use words like "icky" or "okay." Example: "The writer wants to convey an attitude of ___. Which choice best accomplishes the goal?" Even though questions of a single type look the same, they do vary significantly in difficulty. The difficulty depends on how subtle the answer choices are and the passage context. Once again, inour PrepScholar program,we break down every single Rhetoric skill and have thousands of practice questions to drill them to perfection. Which brings us to: Strategy 4: Do a Ton of Practice, and Understand Every Single Mistake On the path to perfection, you need to make sure every single one of your weak points is covered. Even one mistake on all of SAT Writing can knock you down from an 800. The first step is simply to do a ton of practice. If you're studying from free materials or from books, you have access to a lot of practice questions in bulk. As part of our PrepScholar program, we have over 4,500+ SAT questions customized to each skill. The second step- and the more important part- is to be ruthless about understanding your mistakes. Every mistake you make on a test happens for a reason. If you don't understand exactly why you missed that question, you will make that mistake over and over again. I've seen students who did 20 practice tests. They've solved over 3,000 questions, but they're still nowhere near an 800 on SAT Writing. Why? They never understood their mistakes. They just hit their heads against the wall over and over again. Think of yourself as an exterminator, and your mistakes are cockroaches. You need to eliminate every single one- and find the source of each one- or else the restaurant you work for will be shut down. Here'swhat you need to do: On every practice test or question set that you take, mark every question that you're even 20% unsure about. When you grade your test or quiz, review every single question that you marked, and every incorrect question. This way, even if you answered a question correctly by guessing, you'll make sure to review it. In a notebook, write down the gist of the question, why you missed it, and what you'll do to avoid that mistake in the future. Have separate sections by grammar skill (e.g. Number Agreement, Idioms, Sentence Fragments). It's not enough to just think about it and move on. It's not enough to just read the answer explanation. You have to think hard about why you specifically failed on this question. By taking this structured approach to your mistakes,you'll now have a running log of every question you missed, and your reflection on why. No excuses when it comes to your mistakes. Always Go Deeper- WHY Did You Miss a Writing Question? Now, what are some common reasons that you missed a question? Don't just say, "I didn't get this question right." That's a cop out. Always take it one step further- what specifically did you miss, and what do you have to improve in the future? Take the Subject/Verb Agreement example I gave above (with the Interrupting Phrase trick). You likely already know how Subject/Verb Agreement works. But if you missed that question, you'd need to think about why you missed it (because the interrupting phrase made you confuse the subject and verb). Then you need to write down a strategy for noticing this in the future. Here are some examples of common reasons you miss a Writing question and how you should take the analysis one step further: Content:I didn't learn the grammar rule needed to answer this question. One step further:What specific rule do I need to learn, and what resources will I use to learn this grammar rule? Overlooked Rule:I knew the grammar rule, but the SAT question was written in a way that made me miss it. One step further:How do I solve the question now? Is there a strategy I can use to notice this grammar rule in the future? Careless Error:I knew the grammar rule and normally would get this right, but I slipped up for some reason. One step further:Why did I make this careless mistake? Was I rushing? Did I misread the question? What should I do in the future to avoid this? Get the idea? You're really digging into understanding why you're missing questions. Yes, this is hard, and it's draining, and it takes work. That's why most students who study ineffectively don't improve. But you're different. Just by reading this guide, you're already proving that you care more than other students. And if you apply these principles and analyze your mistakes, you'll improve more than other students too. Bonus: If all of this is making sense to you, you'd love our SAT prep program, PrepScholar. We designed our program around the concepts in this article, because they actually work.When you start with PrepScholar, you’ll take a diagnostic that will determine your weaknesses in over forty SAT skills. PrepScholar then creates a study program specifically customized for you. To improve each skill, you’ll take focused lessons dedicated to each skill, with over 20 practice questions per skill. This will train you for your specific area weaknesses, so your time is always spent most effectively to raise your score. We also force you to focus on understanding your mistakes and learning from them. If you make the same mistake over and over again, we'll call you out on it. There’s no other prep system out there that does it this way, which is why we get better score results than any other program on the market. Check it out today with a 5-day free trial: Strategy 5: Justify Every Answer. Point Out Specific Grammar Errors. Justify the Rhetoric Choice. Many top students take a "soft approach" to SAT Writing. They learn the grammar rules when studying, but on the test they go "by ear": if a sentence sounds off, they'll assume it's wrong without thinking too hard about why. When you've mastered grammar rules, this can serve you well. For example, if I said "The bee fly to the hive." You know this is wrong instantly- it just feels wrong. You know simple subject/verb agreement so well that you can tell something is wrong before you can articulate what exactly it is. However, most students never get to this level of familiarity with all SAT grammar rules. This makes trusting your ear unreliable for many rules. What's the strategy to counter this? Point out the specific error, and justify it to yourself. This isespeciallytrue in rhetoric questions, where the answer choices can be vague and subtly different. Youhaveto understand why one answer is definitely the right answer, and the other three answers are definitely the wrong answers.This is a standardized test. Let's take one of the more difficult questions in an SAT practice test: Try to solve it yourself if you like. Here's what I'm thinking as I read the question (a "stream of consciousness"): " 'Likewise, anyone considering a career as a video game designer must be skilled writers and speakers,' and 'skilled writers and speakers' is underlined. There's no clear glaring problem, but the end of the sentence is funky. 'Anyone' is singular, as is 'video game designer,' but it switches to plural 'skilled writers and speakers.' This is a number agreement error - it should be "a skilled writer and speaker." Let's look at the answer choices. B is exactly what I predicted. C and D both have the same issue of inappropriate plural forms, and, aside from this error, neither is that much better than A. So I'm pretty confident B is the best answer." Now, I'm not literally thinking all these words in my head, but it matches my thinking process as I go through the question and evaluate each answer choice. As you learn the different grammar skills and how they appear on the test, you'll start evaluating answer choices for common ways that the SAT tries to trick you. Is a verb underlined? I'm going to check the subject to see if it follows subject/verb agreement. Then I'll check the verb tense. Is a pronoun underlined? I'm going to check the antecedent to see if it matches. Does an underline come right after a comma? I'm going to check if there's a faulty modifier error. I can justify every one of my answers because I know the grammar rules. This makes my answering more robust, not just based on whether something 'feels' right or wrong. Let's try another example for fun. Try to solve it yourself if you like. I'll start my stream of consciousness after I read the question: "This is a classic illogical comparison error - you're comparing "organically grown crops" with "people." Crops aren't more nutritious than people! We need to compare organic crops with conventionally grown crops.So I need an answer choice that solves this: A: same as original, which is wrong B: "organic crops are safer than the purchase of their conventionally grown counterparts" - no - it's better than comparing crops to people, but it's still not comparing crops to crops C: "organic crops are safer than purchasing their conventionally grown counterparts" - no, same error. This would be fine if the sentence read "they believe purchasing organic crops is safer than purchasing conventionally grown counterparts." But it doesn't. D: "organically crops are safer than their conventionally grown counterparts" - yes! It's crops to crops, perfect. You can see how I first identified the illogical comparison error in the original sentence. That made it very clear to me how I could find an answer choice that fixed this error. Then I went through each answer choice, replacing the text and seeing if it fixed the error. Note that in these questions, the SAT often fixes the original error in an answer choice- but then introduces another error. You need to make sure the answer you choose is 100% correct, in terms of both grammar and logic. Don't be intimidated if you can't do this right now. With practice and reflection, you will get to this point. Once again, it's like "the bee fly to the hive." You want to get to a point where all SAT grammar rules automatically sound as wrong as that sentence. Find patterns to your mistakes, and make sense of the chaos. Strategy 6: Find Patterns to Your Weaknesses and Drill Them Remember Strategy 4 above, about keeping a lot of every mistake? You need to take this even one more step further. If you're like most students, you're better at some areas in SAT Writing than others. You might know pronouns really well, but you'll be weak in sentence constructions and fragments. Or maybe you really like parallel construction, but you have no idea what faulty modifiers are. If you're like most students, you also don't have an unlimited amount of time to study. You have a lot of schoolwork, you might be an athlete or have intense extracurriculars, and you have friends to hang out with. This means for every hour you study for the SAT, it needs to be the most effective hour possible. In concrete terms,you need to find your greatest areas of improvement and work on those. Too many students study the 'dumb' way. They just buy a book and read it cover to cover. When they don't improve, they're SHOCKED. I'm not. Studying effectively for the SAT isn't like painting a house. You're not trying to cover your bases with a very thin layer of understanding. What these students did wrong was they wasted time on subjects they already knew well, and they didn't spend enough time improving their weak spots. Instead, studying effectively for the SAT is like plugging up the holes of a leaky boat. You need to find the biggest hole and fill it. Then you find the next biggest hole, and you fix that. Soon you'll find that your boat isn't sinking at all. How does this relate to SAT Writing? You need to find the grammar rules that you're having most trouble in, and then do enough practice questions until they're no longer a weakness. Fixing up the biggest holes. For every question that you miss, you need to identify the type of question it is and why you missed it. When you notice patterns to the questions you miss, you then need to find extra practice for this grammar rule. Say you miss a lot of misplaced modifier questions. You need to find a way to get lesson material to teach yourself the main concepts that you're forgetting. Then you need to find more practice questions for this skill so you can drill your mistakes. This is the best way for you to improve your Writing score. Once again, this is exactly how I designed our PrepScholar online SAT prep program to work. It automatically figures out your greatest weaknesses so you don't have to. We use advanced statistics with data from our thousands of students. With PrepScholar, you don't need to worry about what to study- you just need to focus on learning. Because it's worked for thousands of students, I'm pretty sure it'll work for you too. Click here to learn more. Strategy 7: Be Careful With NO CHANGE Answers In SAT Writing, most questions have a NO CHANGE option. In Improving Sentences types, A is the answer choice that doesn't change the underlined section. The SAT loves tricking students using these answer choices, because it knows that students who don't know grammar rules won't see anything wrong with the sentence. NO CHANGEis a really easy answer to choose. NO CHANGEs are one of the most common careless mistakes- make sure you don't fall for them. Be very careful whenever you choose one of these NO CHANGEanswer choices. Typically, these are correct answers around 25% of the time- not much more. If you find that you're choosing NO CHANGE 40% of the time, you're definitely not detecting grammar errors well enough. Every time you choose NO CHANGE, try to double-check the other answer choices to make sure you're not missing a grammar error. Especially take note of grammar rules that you tend to ignore mistakenly. Like I mentioned in Strategy 2 above, if you write down your mistakes and study your weaknesses, you'll be able to know which grammar rules you're weak at and then pay special attention to them. Personally, this was my most common careless error mistake. When I could see the error, I got the question correct nearly 100% of the time. The only times I missed questions were when I accidentally ignored an error. I solved this by double-checking each of the answer choices to make sure I wasn't leaving any stone unturned. Strategy 8: Think About Grammar in Everyday Life Among all subjects, Writing on the SAT is special because it appears in your everyday life. For school, you have to read a lot and you have to write a lot. Use these experiences as opportunities to notice grammar rules and sentence constructions. This is unique to SAT Writing. SAT Math is so bizarre compared to everyday life that you won't just naturally find ways to apply the Pythagorean theorem at breakfast. SAT Reading similarly requires very specific skills when reading a passage. But you can practice your grammar skills throughout the day. Here are some ideas: Proofread your friends' essays. Challenge yourself to uncover every grammatical error. Notice common errors around you. A lot of people comma splice, for example. Read high-quality, formal publications, like the New York Times or the Economist. These articles go through editors, so they rarely have grammar errors. You'll develop that ear for language I mentioned. Note that this isn't very efficient studying, and I don't recommend this for the sake of improving reading comprehension for SAT Reading. If you read like this for fun anyway, then go for it, but don't spend 100 hours reading for the sake of SAT Reading+Writing - spend that time on practice questions instead. The more you think about grammar as a fundamental skill rather than something specialized for the SAT, the more natural it will feel to you. Strategy 9: Finish With Extra Time and Double Check Your goal at the end of all this work is to get so good at SAT Writing that you solve every question and have extra time left over at the end of the section to recheck your work. In high school and even now, I can finish a 35 minute Reading section in 20 minutes or less. I then have 15 minutes left over to recheck my answers two times over. The best way to get faster, as explained above, is to get so fluent with SAT grammar that you rapidly zero in on the grammar mistakes without having to think hard about it. And to get fluent with Rhetoric questions so you can spot the trap answers. Try to aim for a target of spending 35 seconds on each question, reliably. This gives you enough time to doublecheck comfortably. What's the best way to double-check your work? I have a reliable method that I follow: Double-check any questions you marked that you're unsure of. Try hard to eliminate those answer choices. If it's a NO CHANGEquestion, double-check that you're not missing any grammar mistakes. If I'm 100% sure I'm right on a question, I mark it as such and never look at it again. If I'm not sure, I'll come back to it on the third pass. At least two minutes before time's up, I rapidly double-check that I bubbled the answers correctly. I try to do this all at once so as not to waste time looking back and forth between the test book and the answer sheet. Go five at a time ("A D E C B") for more speed. If you notice yourself spending more than 30 seconds on a problem and aren't clear how you'll get to the answer, skip and go to the next question. Even though you need a perfect raw score for an 800, don't be afraid to skip. You can come back to it later, and for now it's more important to get as many points as possible. Quick Tip: Bubbling Answers Here's a bubbling tip that will save you three minutes per section. When I first started test taking in high school, I did what many students do: after I finished one question, I went to the bubble sheet and filled it in. Then I solved the next question. Finish question 1, bubble in answer 1. Finish question 2, bubble in answer 2. And so forth. This actually wastes a lot of time. You're distracting yourself between two distinct tasks- solving questions, and bubbling in answers. This costs you time in both mental switching costs and in physically moving your hand and eyes to different areas of the test. Here's a better method: solve all your questions first in the book, then bubble all of them in at once. This has several huge advantages: you focus on each task one at a time, rather than switching between two different tasks. You also eliminate careless entry errors, like if you skip question 7 and bubble in question 8's answer into question 7's slot. By saving just five seconds per question, you get back 100 seconds on a section that has 20 questions. This is huge. Note: If you use this strategy, you should already be finishing the section with ample extra time to spare. Otherwise, you might run out of time before you have the chance to bubble in the answer choices all at once. In Overview Those are the main strategies I have for you to improve your SAT Writing score to a perfect 40, and to a total 800. If you're scoring above a 30 right now, with hard work and smart studying, you can raise it to a perfect Writing score. Even though we covered a lot of strategies, the main point is still this: you need to understand where you're falling short and drill those weaknesses continuously. You need to be thoughtful about your mistakes and leave no mistake ignored. One last tip: try to keep a steady head while you're taking the test. It's really easy to start doubting yourself because you know you need a near-perfect raw score. Even if you're unsure about two questions in a row, try to treat every question as its own independent test. If you start doubting yourself, you'll perform worse, and the worse you perform, the more you doubt yourself. Avoid this negative spiral of doubt and concentrate on being confident. You'll have studied a lot, and you'll do great on this test. Here's a recap of all the strategies, in case you want to go back and review any: Strategy 1: Understand Your High Level Weakness: Time Management, Content, or Essay Score Strategy 2: Comprehensively Learn the Grammar Rules Strategy 3: Get Intimately Familiar with the Rhetoric Question Types Strategy 4: Do a Ton of Practice, and Understand Every Single Mistake Strategy 5: Justify Every Answer. Point Out Specific Grammar Errors. Justify the Rhetoric Choice Strategy 6: Find Patterns to Your Weaknesses and Drill Them Strategy 7: Be Careful with NO CHANGEAnswers Strategy 8: Think About Grammar in Everyday Life Strategy 9: Finish With Extra Time and Double Check Keep reading for more resources on how to boost your SAT score. What's Next? We have a lot more useful guides to raise your SAT score. Read our complete guide to a perfect 1600, written by me, a perfect scorer. Read our accompanying guides on how to get an 800 on SAT Math and how to get an 800 on SAT Reading. Learn how to write a perfect-scoring 8|8|8 SAT essay, step by step. Make sure you study SAT vocab using the most effective way possible. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by SAT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

The International Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The International Economy - Essay Example According to the World Bank reports, the net capital flows to developing countries have increased tremendously from $ 28 billion in 1970s to $306 Billion 1997 (World Bank 2001: 110). This has led to increased investments and economic growth of those countries. However, the performance of a nation depends on its structural characteristics, resource endowment and policies or the investment climate. Though developing countries account for a third of world trade, most of its trade is to other developing countries and mainly depends on primary commodity exports. Trade liberalization in these countries therefore has not been able to stimulate economic growth and exports (Parikh 2007). For economic growth to be realised, developing countries need to engage in trade of manufactures and services. If developing countries still remain underdeveloped and the gap between developed and developing countries continues to widen, what then is the role of trade liberalization and investment in the econ omic growth of third world countries? To answer this question, the paper will discuss trade liberalization, investment liberalization, economic growth, and the reasons why there is a wide gap between developed and developing countries. Trade Liberalization There has been a tremendous growth of the world trade for the past 20yrs. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) puts the growth rate at six percent per year (IMF 2001). This has been made possible by various rounds of multilateral trade agreements under GATT which later formed the world Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. The WTO is entrusted with the role of regulating world trade and settling disputes among trading nations and is guided by several principles. The Most favoured Nation (MFN) and national treatment principles guard against any form of discrimination. The trade is also supposed to freerer by removing trade barriers through rounds of negotiations. The trade is also competitive as unfair practices such as damping of pro ducts at cheap prices are not encouraged. The trading partners are guided by the WTO rules hence cannot change trade policies arbitrarily thus the trade is predictable. Another principle of the world trade is that it is to be beneficial to less developed countries. As such, various rounds of negotiations have been going on to decide on how to make trade favourable to developing countries especially by allowing them more time to implement tariff reduction. As a result, most developing countries have opened their economies to trade and are enjoying the benefits. According to Blandford (2007), 2/3 of the current 148 members of WTO are developing countries. Despite opening the economies to trade, most developing countries continue to put restrictions to trade to protect domestic industries. Furthermore, as Parikh (2007) notes, most developed countries continue to put restrictions of access in areas of export interest to developing countries and are also experiencing slow growth hence do not import a lot from those countries. This affects many developing countries that rely on primary commodities for export as their imports outweigh exports resulting in unfavourable terms of trade. Most beneficiaries of trade liberali

The role of play in the curriculm for young children with special Term Paper

The role of play in the curriculm for young children with special needs - Term Paper Example It is believed that such pedagogy enables young children to begin the process of early learning (Open University, 2009). During play, â€Å"children demonstrate improved verbal communications, high levels of social and interaction skills, creative use of play materials, imaginative and divergent thinking skills and problem-solving capabilities† (Wood, 2004, p. 21). Play offers many benefits. It engages the mind to actively imagine various scenarios for fun or for problem-solving. Babies and toddlers display play in motion and we observe that they do it to get to know their world – how things work, how people react, etc. They get to explore and discover things that otherwise they will not learn about if they do not actively engage in play. Free exploration is considered Heuristic play by Holland (2003). It is encouraged without adult intervention. Adults simply provide simple materials and allow the child to just be and let his imagination take off . â€Å"The child lea rns from observing directly what these objects will ‘do’ or ‘not do’, in sharp contrast to much of the ‘educational’ equipment which has a result predetermined by the design which has been devised by the adult maker (Holland, 2003, p. 142). Heuristic play will not only stimulate a child’s thinking, but it also develops his creativity as he will see in his mind endless possibilities in imaginatively transforming ordinary objects into various things with various functions. Play has value in all the developmental areas of children (Macintyre, 2003). Unwittingly, children delight in games that stimulate thinking. Such cognitive benefits extend to their real lives as they make decisions, compare and contrast things, use their imaginations and thinking critically and creatively. Play also engages the body. Certain games involve gross and fine motor coordination. It also helps to expend the stored energy within them, willing to be set free. Run ning around, jumping, tumbling and other physical activities help them be physically fit as well as release tension. Active play develops their muscles, agility, flexibility and endurance. It is the foundation of one’s potential for certain sports. Socially, play coaxes a shy child outside his shell. Play fosters the development of friendships. As children play with other children or adults, they get to know about how other people behave, think and feel. They also get to learn socially acceptable behavior like not hurting others and playing fair. Most importantly, they get to know themselves better- how they react to certain situations in the play setting. Vygotsky (1978) believed that children’s intellectual development is influenced more by social context than by individual experiences. His theory places a great deal of emphasis on effective social interaction. Bingham (2008) cites Vygotsky (1978) as he writes: â€Å"Play creates a zone of proximal development of th e child. In play the child always behaves beyond his average age, above his daily behavior; in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself." He defined the ZPD as the distance between a child’s independent problem-solving level and that obtained under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers (Wertsch, 1985). A young learner’s exposure to peers, teachers and other adults and learning materials greatly influences his development. â€Å"Such cognitive apprenticeships are, of course, inherently reliant on a

US should enact stricter immigration laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

US should enact stricter immigration laws - Essay Example US should enact stricter immigration laws: America has for long been home to illegal immigrants from all over the world. These immigrants work in America, avail the benefits and deprive America of money by moving it out of America. There is dire need for more implementation of severe illegal immigration laws. Too many illegal immigrants in US have bilked the American economy. Illegal immigration feeds on the strength of American economy. This is the fundamental reason why poverty in America is increasing day by day. Jobs in which poor Americans need to be employed are indeed being given to people who are not Americans and who send the money earned to their homelands as remittance. In this way, money is slipping away from the hands of Americans. According to an estimate, more than US $ 200 billion have been sent by illegal immigrants to their homelands since 1996 (Hopkins). This has given severe blows to the American economy. Americans being replaced by illegal immigrants is another h arsh reality. Owing to the widespread economic recession that has occupied the whole world in the recent years, business entrepreneurs have taken all possible steps to reduce their expenses and maximize their profits. Workers have been asked to put in the same amount of effort as before but for a lower compensation. Many Americans have refused to accede to such plans of the employers, and have thus given resignations as a protest. This has hardly affected the employers as they have got many illegal immigrants that would love to work for the lowered compensation.

Calculus for Business Economics Math Problem Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Calculus for Business Economics - Math Problem Example Thus . Or . 12. Same procedure as in the question no. 10. 20. (a) Given. So . Thus multiplying the two derivatives we get. (b) Similar as part (a). 24. (a) Given. Differentiating on both sides with respect to x, we get, which implies. So at given point (1, 2), the slope of the tangent to the curve is given by. (b) Given. Differentiating on both sides with respect to x, we get, which implies. So at given point (0, 3), the slope of tangent to the curve is given by. 50. Take the road towards east as x-axis and that towards north as y-axis. So their intersection is the origin. Set the clock at 0 at noon. After t hours the truck will be at point A (0, 70t) and the car will be at B (105(t-1), 0). So the distance S = AB is given by, which is equal to or simply. Thus . So required rate of change of distance at t = 2 is. 52. The quantity produced by the worker is given by. (a) So R(t) = Q'(t) = (b) Setting clock at 0 at 8:00 am., the time at 9:00 am is represented by t = 1. So R(1) =. (c) The time 9:06 am is represented by t = 1.1. So Q(1.1) - Q(1)R(1).(1.1 - 1) = (27)(0.1) = 2.7. (d) Q(1.1) - Q(1) = Q(1.1)- 27 can be calculated by actually substituting t = 1.1 in the expression for Q(t). 56. Given no. of units manufactured by the relation. The cost is given by. Now . So at t = 2, it is equal to 1663.2. 58. Letbe the error in the measurement of radius r. And be the error in the measurement of surface area. Here. So . That is, % error in S = 2(% error in r). As % error in S is no greater than 8%. So the largest % error in r is 4%. Chapter 3 18. Given. For critical values we solve or. This gives. Also, which is +ve for and is -ve for . So at there is a relative minimum and at there is a relative maximum. 22. Given. So . This gives the critical...Equating 6t and 90 + 0.5t, we can get t. Set the clock at 0 at noon. After t hours the truck will be at point A (0, 70t) and the car will be at B (105(t-1), 0). So the distance S = AB is given by, which is equal to or simply. Thus . So required rate of change of distance at t = 2 is. 58. Letbe the error in the measurement of radius r. And be the error in the measurement of surface area. Here. So . That is, % error in S = 2(% error in r). As % error in S is no greater than 8%. So the largest % error in r is 4%. (a) The fence is on all the four sides of the pasture. So 2(x + y)= 320. Thus y = 160 - x. Therefore the area A = xy = x(160 - x) =. . On equating it with 0, we get x = 80. So y = 80. These dimensions give maximum area. 28. The traffic speed is given by. Where t represents the time in hours measured 0 at noon. So . The critical values are given by. Or . Thus t = 1 and t = 5. Also . It is -ve for t = 1 and is +ve for t = 5. Therefore, the traffic speed is fastest at 1 hour past noon that is at 1:00 pm. It is slowest at 5 hours past noon that is at 5:00 pm. 30. Let the breadth = x in. So the length = 2x in. If height = y in, then the . Thus . Now the area of the four walls and the bottom equals. The area of the top is. Therefore cost of the material used is. Its derivative can be equated with zero to get the value of x. 40. Let the coffee break occurs after x hours.

Argumentative on Prison Overcrowding in the United States Research Paper

Argumentative on Prison Overcrowding in the United States - Research Paper Example As a result of this, prison overcrowding is a cause of major inefficiency in correctional facilities in the USA and the world over. This paper will be an argumentative essay on prison overcrowding in the United States. Over the last forty years, the United States increasingly tough response to crime and punishment has resulted in an overwhelming rate of incarceration within its states, thus overcrowding its correctional facilities. This is due to the criminal justice policies that the United States has adopted. Between 1972 and 2008, the number of men, women and children locked up in the United States has grown by 705 percent (Johnson & Johnson 4). Harris County is one of the most affected, despite the fact that they tried to increase the number of these facilities, the problem has not been solved as more and more people got arrested for misdemeanor crimes including minor drug offenses, filling the new facilities. As a result of this detainees are not provided with adequate medical c are, mental health care, protection from serious physical harm and protection from life safety hazards (Johnson & Johnson 5). The idea of mandatory minimum sentences is another factor for prison overcrowding. These laws were enacted in 1986 and are fixed sentences to individuals convicted of crimes regardless of proof whether they were guilty or not. The mandatory minimums were set with the objective of capturing the leaders in drug distribution networks. Thus low level drug sellers are the ones that are being held in most federal prisons in the United States. Room has to be made for the non-violent crimes yet the violent crimes are released on parole (Pollock 62). The three strikes law is another factor for prison overcrowding in the United States. This is a law that was created to control the rate at which offenders were received in courts. The law states that after a third major felony, an offender is eligible for 25 years of life in prison (Moore 1). Many of the offenders sent i n prison under this rule are the non-violent offenders especially those held because of petty theft. Thus people that have committed violent crimes tend to spend less time in prison than those who commit the less violent crimes. The offenders that commit petty crimes are many than the ones who commit the violent crimes, thus prisons end up being filled up due to the large number of petty offenders that are locked up (Moore 1). When prisons are filled up, it means that many law breakers are being punished; hence a peaceful and more secure society. This is the reason why the federal government is not disturbed with the idea of having to accommodate more inmates in gymnasiums. It is an indication that the society is rid of the people that hamper its peaceful coexistence. Therefore, it is in order for the prison department to lock up all the people that commit crimes so that they can serve as an example to potential and other wrongdoers as well as have a secure society. This is also an opportunity for the prisoners to change and integrate back to the society as proper persons when their terms end. Prison overcrowding puts the state on toes. It gets aware of the citizens that it harbors and this way, the state and the society as a whole knows that it has a lot of obligation to ensure that its citizens are well behaved. The overcrowding serves as a challenge to the society to know that the obligation of ensuring that the obligati

The four parts of the S.A.R.A. problem-solving process Essay

The four parts of the S.A.R.A. problem-solving process - Essay Example Analysis is the use of different informational sources to find out the cause of a problem, the responsible parties for it, the entities that are affected, the location of the problem, it’s time of occurrence, and the form it takes. It requires identification of the patterns which describe the conditions facilitating the problem. Response means the execution of actions that not only address the problem analysis phase’s most important findings but also address at least two of these; deflecting offenders to prevent occurrences of problem again, safeguarding the likely victims, and reducing the tendency of crime locations to be problematic. Assessment means gauging the responses’ impact on the targeted crime problem by use of the collected information from different sources before as well as after their implementation. An example of its use by an officer is when a problem like a murder needs to be investigated in a neighborhood. The S.A.R.A. model helps the officer identify the problem’s cause, its stakeholders, effectively respond to it, and assessing its impacts to ensure it does not happen

Argumentative on Prison Overcrowding in the United States Research Paper

Argumentative on Prison Overcrowding in the United States - Research Paper Example As a result of this, prison overcrowding is a cause of major inefficiency in correctional facilities in the USA and the world over. This paper will be an argumentative essay on prison overcrowding in the United States. Over the last forty years, the United States increasingly tough response to crime and punishment has resulted in an overwhelming rate of incarceration within its states, thus overcrowding its correctional facilities. This is due to the criminal justice policies that the United States has adopted. Between 1972 and 2008, the number of men, women and children locked up in the United States has grown by 705 percent (Johnson & Johnson 4). Harris County is one of the most affected, despite the fact that they tried to increase the number of these facilities, the problem has not been solved as more and more people got arrested for misdemeanor crimes including minor drug offenses, filling the new facilities. As a result of this detainees are not provided with adequate medical c are, mental health care, protection from serious physical harm and protection from life safety hazards (Johnson & Johnson 5). The idea of mandatory minimum sentences is another factor for prison overcrowding. These laws were enacted in 1986 and are fixed sentences to individuals convicted of crimes regardless of proof whether they were guilty or not. The mandatory minimums were set with the objective of capturing the leaders in drug distribution networks. Thus low level drug sellers are the ones that are being held in most federal prisons in the United States. Room has to be made for the non-violent crimes yet the violent crimes are released on parole (Pollock 62). The three strikes law is another factor for prison overcrowding in the United States. This is a law that was created to control the rate at which offenders were received in courts. The law states that after a third major felony, an offender is eligible for 25 years of life in prison (Moore 1). Many of the offenders sent i n prison under this rule are the non-violent offenders especially those held because of petty theft. Thus people that have committed violent crimes tend to spend less time in prison than those who commit the less violent crimes. The offenders that commit petty crimes are many than the ones who commit the violent crimes, thus prisons end up being filled up due to the large number of petty offenders that are locked up (Moore 1). When prisons are filled up, it means that many law breakers are being punished; hence a peaceful and more secure society. This is the reason why the federal government is not disturbed with the idea of having to accommodate more inmates in gymnasiums. It is an indication that the society is rid of the people that hamper its peaceful coexistence. Therefore, it is in order for the prison department to lock up all the people that commit crimes so that they can serve as an example to potential and other wrongdoers as well as have a secure society. This is also an opportunity for the prisoners to change and integrate back to the society as proper persons when their terms end. Prison overcrowding puts the state on toes. It gets aware of the citizens that it harbors and this way, the state and the society as a whole knows that it has a lot of obligation to ensure that its citizens are well behaved. The overcrowding serves as a challenge to the society to know that the obligation of ensuring that the obligati

Google wallet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Google wallet - Research Paper Example With the help of Google Wallet, people can successfully make secure payments by simply tapping the mobile phone and then entering the security code on PayPass enabled terminal checkout. The overall process of making transaction is simple and convenient for the users. Despite of the fact that Google Wallet technology has recently been introduced and it is still in its early stages, however it has been predicted in next few years and it would grow and increase its users. Google do not be charging any amount from users and merchants for having access to wallet. Debit or credit card if stolen can be used in some situations without signature or personal identification number however Google wallet has an extra layer of security as additional security is required to complete transactions (Google Wallet). Google has claimed that it is just the starting of a new era and in future Google Wallet would become a necessity for everyone (Google Wallet). Also it is expected that with the passage of time, compatibility of Google Wallet would extend to all Google Android smartphones. Google aims to support all the cards that an individual would keep in his wallet so that Google Wallet can take place of these cards (Google Wallet). According to Drew Sievers, CEO of mFoundry, sales volume of Google wallet would grow as the number of merchant increases, more banks sign agreement with the company and new phones are made compatible. He further added that merchants would be able to have an increase in the number of qualified customers as Google Wallet grows (Tode. 2011). Google has to face different challenges in order to ensure growth of Google Wallet and make it a success and the most important hurdles or challenges that it has to face are providing different variety of cellular phones compatible with the software, making the software easy to use and interested cardholders and merchants ready for the software. However, considering the

The value of the Sime Darby Brand

The value of the Sime Darby Brand Founded in 1910, now Sime Darby (Holding Company-Divers) is ranked at 9 in 50 most valuable brands in Malaysia. Sime Darby Berhad Malaysia is leading Oil and Gas Services is fully innovative and productive company leading in Malaysia. Sime Darby Berhad consists of several components of business units such as plantation, property, industrial, motors, energy and utilities and healthcare as well. The main vision of the company is we are building our tomorrows, today (www.simedarby.com). The Sime Darby in 1910 got the name from two European business partners by name; William Sime and Henry Darby. William Sime, a traveler and adventurer from Scotland, ventured to Malaysia when he was in his late 30s. Sime Darby Berhad is the largest conglomerate in Malaysia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia . Within its territory are more than 270 operating companies in 23 countries, while foreign operations in Hong Kong of which account for 25% of revenues, Singapore (14 %), and Australia (11%). The company generates 38 percent of its revenues domestically. Its broadly diversified activities include a wide range of industries, with the core businesses being plantations including oil palm and the companys original business, rubber, tire manufacturing, heavy equipment and motor vehicle distribution, property development, power generation, and engineering services. Natural rubber synthetic rubber was still being developed and had just been introduced to the country from Brazil. Sime and other entrepreneurs at the time recognized that the climate of Malaysias jungle region was similar to that of Brazils. Therefore, rubber could just as easily be grown in that country and sold not only in Malaysia but throughout Southeast Asia and the world. However, Sime Darby encountered opposition to its venture from locals, who were wary of outsiders coming in to operate a plantation in Malacca, in order to overcome this, Sime and Darby forged friendships with several members of the Chinese business community. The company expanded, becoming a manager for owners of other plantations and then moving into the trading end of the industry. Sime set up a branch office in Singapore in 1915 and shortly thereafter established a marketing office in London. Demand for rubber eventually outstripped Sime Darbys production capacity, and by the late 1920s the company found it necessary to clear more jungle. To do so, Sime Darby purchased Sarawak Trading Company in 1929. Sarawak (later renamed Tractors Malaysia) held the franchise for Caterpillar heavy earthmoving equipment. That important purchase signaled Sime Darbys expansion into the heavy equipment business, which would eventually become a major component of its expansive network. In 1936 the companys head office was relocated from Malacca to Singapore. Sime Darby made a fortune in the global rubber industry during the 1920s and 1930s. Growth in the industry began to fade, however, as natural rubber was gradually supplanted by synthetic rubber. Sales of natural rubber boomed during World War II as warring nations purchased all available supplies. The war, however, also led to significant advancements in synthetic rubber technology. A good deal of it was used to acquire other companies, thereby expanding Sime Darbys reach into several other industries. Much of Sime Darbys success during that period was attributable to its acquisition of the giant Seafield Estate in 1971 and the establishment of Consolidated Plantations Berhad that same year. Through Consolidated Plantations, which became the companys main plantation subsidiary, Sime Darby became a leading force in the regions thriving agricultural sector. In addition to growing the oil palms and cocoa, the company began processing the crops into finished products for sale throughout the world. As its sales and profits spiraled upward during the early and mid-1970s, Sime Darby became a shiny feather in Britains cap. To the surprise and chagrin of the British stockholders, however, the company was wrested from their control by the Malaysian government late in 1976. The intriguing events leading up to the takeover began in the early 1970s. During that time, Sime Darbys chief executive, Denis Pinder, began investing the companys cash in new subsidiaries throughout the world. The companys stock price soared as Sime Darbys sales spiraled upward. At the same time, some observers charged that Sime Darby was engaged in corrupt business practices (with critics coining the phrase Slime Darby). Allegations of corruption were confirmed in the eyes of some detractors when, in 1973, Darbys outside auditor was found stabbed to death in his bathtub. The Singapore police ruled the death a suicide, but Pinder still ended up in prison on misdemeanor charges. Pinders successor took up where he left off, investing in numerous ventures, most of which were located in Europe. Unfortunately, many of those investments quickly soured. Some Malaysians felt that Sime Darby was taking profits from its successful domestic operations and investing them unwisely overseas. So, in 1976 the Malaysian government trading office bought up Sime Darby shares on the London stock exchange. It effectively gained control of the company and installed a board made up mostly of Asians. Also in 1976, Asian and British board members were able to agree that Tun Tan Chen Locks son, Tun Tan Siew Sin, would be an acceptable replacement as chairman of Sime Darbys board. In 1978 Sime Darby was reincorporated in Malaysia as Sime Darby Berhad. Its headquarters was moved to Kuala Lumpur the following year. Staggering in the Early 1980s; Rebounding in the Late 1980s and Early 1990s Sime Darby jettisoned some of its poorly performing assets during the late 1970s and early 1980s under Locks leadership. But it also continued investing in new ventures. It purchased the tire-making operations of B.F. Goodrich Philippines in 1981, for example, and secured the franchise rights to sell Apple Computers in southeast Asia in 1982. The addition of B.F. Goodrich Philippines marked the companys entrance into the tire manufacturing sector; also in 1981 came the establishment of Sime Darby International Tire Company, which in 1988 was renamed Sime Darby Pilipinas, Inc. In 1984 the company purchased a large stake in a Malaysian real estate development company, United Estates Berhad, and used it to begin developing plantation lands. This company later was renamed Sime UEP Properties Berhad. In Malaysia, Sime Darby acquired the franchises for BMW, Ford, and Land Rover vehicles. By the early 1980s Sime Darbys push to diversify had given it a place in almost every industry, from agricultural and manufacturing to finance and real estate. Although it did diversify into heavy equipment, real estate, and insurance businesses, new management also plowed significant amounts of cash into the companys traditional commodity and plantation operations. Sime Darby became a favorite of investors looking for a safe bet. Indeed, the mammoth enterprise tended to minimize risks after the investment mistakes of the early 1970s and seemed content to operate as a slow-growth multinational behemoth that could withstand any market downturns. Even if something did go wrong, the company had a war chest of nearly a half billion U.S. dollars from which it could draw. Unfortunately, Sime Darbys staid strategy negatively impacted its bottom line. Sales dipped to M $2.78 billion in 1992 before plunging to M$2.17 billion in 1983. Sime Darby lumbered through the mid-1980s with annual sales of less than M$2.5 billion, and net income skidded from about M$100 million in the early 1980s to a low M$59 million in 1987. To turn things around, Sime Darbys board promoted Tunku Ahmad Yahaya to chief executive. Ahmad was a veteran of the companys executive ranks and was a favorite nephew of Malaysias first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. Under Ahmads direction, the giant corporation began a slow turnaround. Significantly, Ahmad was instrumental in luring Tun Ismail to Sime Darbys board. Ismail was a highly influential central bank governor and the chairman of Sime Darbys biggest shareholder. Ismail became nonexecutive chairman of the company following the death of Tun Tan Siew Sin in 1988. During the late 1980s and early 1990s Ahmad invested much of Sime Darbys cash hoard into a bevy of new companies and ventures. Sime became a relatively big player in the global reinsurance business, for example, and tried to boost its activities related to heavy equipment and vehicle manufacturing. Most notably, Sime began pouring millions of dollars into property and tourism in key growth areas of Malaysia in an effort to get in on the development and tourism boom that began in that nation in the late 1980s. The success of that division prompted the company to invest as well in tourism overseas. Through its UEP subsidiary, for instance, Sime Darby bought a full-service resort with condominiums in Florida (Sandestin Resorts) and a hotel in Australia, among other enterprises. As the company dumped its cash into expansion and diversification, sales and profits bolted. Revenues climbed from M$2.53 billion in 1987 to M$4.98 billion in 1990 to M$6.20 billion in 1992. During the same perio d, net income soared from M$85 million to M$353 million. Sime Darby realized a stunning 65 percent average annual growth in earnings during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite its gains, though, critics charged that the company had concentrated too heavily on traditional commodity industries and had failed to move into the 1990s with the rest of Malaysia. In fact, Sime Darby continued to garner about 43 percent of its sales from commodity trading activities in 1993 and only 18 percent from manufacturing. The rest came from heavy equipment distribution, insurance, and its property/tourism holdings. Although building strength in those businesses had added to the companys sales and profits during the late 1980s and early 1990s, the strategy had caused Sime Darby to fall behind more progressive holding companies in the region that were participating in booming high-tech, gaming, brokering, and manufacturing sectors. Many company insiders believed that Sime Darby would have to eliminate its heavy reliance on commodity industries if it wante d to sustain long-term growth. The Crisis The companys stock price began to fall in 1993 and its rapid revenue and profit growth began to subside in comparison with late 1980s levels. In 1993 Ahmad stepped back from control of the company when he named Nik Mohamed Nik Yaacob to serve under him as chief executive. Among Mohameds first moves was to initiate the merger of the companys plantation assets, organized as Consolidated Plantations, and the parent company, The company also bolstered its regional insurance business in 1993 by joining forces with AXA of France for its insurance operations in Malaysia and Singapore. These efforts signaled an end to the companys historical emphasis on commodities and reflected Mohameds desires to increase activity in manufacturing, high-tech, financial services, and other fast-growth businesses and reduce Sime Darbys bureaucracy. The turn around after the crisis The company began increasing investments in businesses such as power generation, oil and gas, and heavy equipment exporting. In heavy equipment, Sime Darby bought the Australian distributor of Caterpillar equipment, Hastings Deering (Australia) Ltd., in 1993. In power generation, a key move came in 1994 when Sime Darby took a 40 percent interest in Port Dickson Power Sdn. Bhd., an independent power producer in Malaysia. That same year, the company acquired U.K.-based Lec Refrigeration plc, which was involved in the manufacturing, marketing, and servicing of refrigeration equipment and related products. At the same time, Mohamed worked to absorb the flurry of acquisitions conducted during the previous several years and streamline the company into some sort of cohesive whole. Despite restructuring activities, Sime Darby managed to boost sales to US$3.15 billion in 1994, about US$186 million of which was netted as income. In 1995 Sime Darby stepped up its acquisition drive through the purchase of a controlling 60.4 percent interest in United Malayan Banking Corporation from Datuk Keramat Holdings Berhad. The US$520 million purchase deepened the companys involvement in the countrys fast-growing financial services sector. United Malayan, which was the fourth largest bank in Malaysia in terms of assets, soon was reorganized as Sime Bank Berhad, with the companys brokerage arm becoming a subsidiary of Sime Bank under the name Sime Securities Sdn. Bhd. For the fiscal year ending in June 1997 Sime Darby posted record net income of M$835.8 million (US$322.9 million) on record revenues of M$13.24 billion (US$4.35 billion). Sime Bank and SimeSecurities played a key role in these stellar results (accounting for 30 percent of pretax earnings), but the eruption of the Asian financial crisis in July 1997 quickly proved that the acquisition of United Malayan had been ill-timed, if not also ill-advised. The severity of the crisis in Malaysia, which included a steep decline in the Malaysian stock market and a sharp depreciation of the ringgit (the nations currency), led Sime Bank to post the largest loss in Malaysian banking historyM$1.6 billion (US$431 million) for the six months to December 1997. In turn, Sime Darby posted its first loss in decades for the same six-month period, a loss of M$676.2 million ($172.7 million). With other Sime Darby units being hit hard by the crisis as well, the company posted the first full-year loss in its clo se to 90-year history in the 1998 fiscal year, a net loss of M$540.9 million (US$131 million). Subsequently ,it beat a hasty retreat from its aggressive expansion, determining that the prudent course would be a return to the companys core areas: plantations, property development, tire manufacturing, heavy equipment and motor vehicle distribution, and power generation. In June 1999 Sime Darby sold Sime Bank and its SimeSecurities subsidiary to Rashid Hussain, who merged it with RHB Bank to form the second largest commercial bank in Malaysia. During the 1999 fiscal year, the company also sold Sandestin Resorts for US$131 million. In 1999,it returned to the black with net earnings of M$821.8 million (US$216.3 million) on revenues of M$9.91 billion (US$2.61 billion). A further pull-back from the financial services sector came in March 2000 when Sime Darby sold its interest in Sime AXA, its insurance joint venture with AXA of France. Meantime, an area of growing interest was emerging at the turn of the millennium as Sime Darby increased its interest in Port Dickson Power to 60 percent, giving it majority control and turning Port Dickson into a company subsidiary. Flush with cash from the sale of its financial services units, Sime Darby appeared poised to make additional forays into the power generation sector. Given the near disaster of its aggressive moves into financial services, however, the company was likely to proceed with much caution in all of its future expansionary endeavors in a return to its traditional style of conservative management. Business activities: Plantation: Plantation is Sime Darby largest revenue generator with about 70% of the conglomerate profits come from this segment. The company operates palm oil and rubber plantations in Malaysia and Indonesian islands of Sumatera, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. With a land bank of over 633,000 hectares, including 300,000 hectares in Indonesia, it is one of the largest plantation company in the world. Property: The company is involved in the property development business in eight countries, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Peoples Republic of China, Australia and United Kingdom. Industrial and Monitoring :The company is involved in the purchasing, leasing and selling of industrial equipment such as Caterpillar Inc. heavy duty trucks and tractors.. it has partnership with Ford, it sells Fords cars and trucks together with the Land Rover brand. It is also a major BMW dealer in Singapore, Australia and Thailand. In Southern China, the company sells BMW and Rolls-Royce. In addition, Sime Darby co-owns Inokom Corp Bhd, a joint-venture with Hyundai Motor Company which assembles and sells Hyundai vehicles in Malaysia. Energy Utilities: The company is an Oil and Gas services company which provides equipment for exploring oil and gas assets in the South East Asia region. The company is also an independent power provider in Malaysia and Thailand. The company also provides engineering services in the system integration and sales sectors, security and oil gas sectors. Healthcare: The company owns hospital named Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya Sdn. Bhd ,SDMC Formerly known as Subang Jaya Medical Centre, and college formerly known as SJMC Academy of Nursing and Health Sciences which was established in 1995 and now is known as Sime Darby Nursing and Health Sciences College. Other businesses: The company has a port utility company named Weifang Sime Darby Port Co Ltd. Other businesses that the company is involved in include healthcare, aerospace (divested from Asian Composites Manufacturing (ACM) in 2009), bedding, consumer and industrial products, logistics and packing.The company also owns the 30% of the Malaysian arm of Tesco stores. Sustainable Practices: Sime Darby plantations implemented Zero Burning Planting Techniques Techniques (ZBPT), a practical and environmentally sound technique of replanting, in 1989. The Board of director and audit committee profile: Company Profile Bhg Dato Mohd Bakke, was chosen on13th May 2010 as the new president and group chief executive (PGCE) and formerly group president/CEO of Felda Global ventures Holdings SDN Bhd, he has necessary experience in corporate restructuring exercises as well as in management expertise in the plantation. Dato Azhar Abdul Hamid, Chairman,board of Directors and Managing Director of Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd. He is head of the Sime Darby Groups Plantation and Agri-business Division Aditheb Bisalbutr Chairman of Executive Committee (EXCOM) Member of Board of Directors Chairman of PTT Chemical International Pte. Ltd. (since October,2008)   Dr. Kongkrapan PhD. He is the group Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board and the Executive Committee of Emery Oleochemicals Group. chemical Haris Fadzilah Hassan Executive Committee Board of Directors ,Senior Vice President of Downstream Operations, Sime Darby Plantations Sdn Bhd    Puntip Oungpasuk is the member of board of directors oversees PTT Chemicals business strategy, business development, corporate planning, corporate strategy portfolio management, innovation technology, and international businesses.   Veerasak Kositpaisal :The President and CEO of PTT Chemical Public Company Limited. Also the Chairman the Plastic Industry Club of the Federation of Thai Industries Tn Hj. Khairudin Hashim :The Head, RD Centre for Sime Darby Plantation. He is also a Board Member of several of Sime Darby Plantations subsidiaries. Now, Panel Member of the Advisory Panel for RISDA College. Mustamir Mohamad (Alternative Director) Head, Strategy and Business Development Sime Darby expanded their operations in more than 20 countries throughout the Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle and Unites States. Sime Darby Berhad is one of the largest listed oil plantation groups. It has been estimated approximately near 6% of the total palm oil production in the world. The financial accounting standards of Sime Darby In Malaysia, a Sime Darby Berhad financial accounting standard is accordance to Malaysian Accounting Standard Board (The Sime Darby Group, 2005). The financial statements have been arranged in accordance with the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board approved accounting standards in Malaysia; comply with the Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) and the provisions of Companies the Act, 1965. The functions and powers of the Malaysian Accounting Standard Board (MASB) as provided under the Act are to (MASB, 2010): issue new accounting standards as approved accounting standards and to review, revise or adopt existing accounting standards as approved accounting standards; issue statements of principles for financial reporting; sponsor or undertake development of possible accounting standards; conduct public consultation as necessary; develop a conceptual framework for the purpose of evaluating proposed accounting standards; make such changes to proposed accounting standards as considered necessary; seek the view of the FRF in relation to new and existing standards, statement of principles, and changes to proposed standards; determine scope and application of accounting standards; and to perform such other function as the Minister of Finance may prescribe Harmonization must begin with a standardization of the reporting requirements. In Sime Darby, (Sime Darby Berhad Annual Report, 2009), the accounting standards have been issued with regards to segment reporting. The accounting standards are based on; The Directors are required by the Companies Act, 1965 (Act) to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Group and the Company at the end of the year and the results of the Group and the Company for the year. The Directors plays role in responsible in safeguard the assets of the Group and to prevent and detect fraud and other misdeed Malaysian necessities the Companies Act 1965 and on the standards of the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board. The Malaysian Accounting Standards Board (MASB) uses IAS 16-Property, Plant and Equipment, as the foundation for rising accounting standards. Convergence of accounting standards will be not achieved without significant cooperation between government and business community. The financial statements are presented in Ringgit Malaysia (RM) which is the companys functional and presentation currency. How can this company combine of  financial accounting standards between in its branches (Singapore and other countries) according to the existence accounting system In Singapore, Sime Darby Singapore Limited Is under US GAAP, Statement of Financial Accounting Standards. In United States, Sime Darby Plantation USA financial accounting standard was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the United States of America. The Securities and Exchange Commission The Securities and Exchange Commission is a U.S. regulatory agency that has the authority to establish accounting standards for publicly traded companies. The Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 require certain reports to be filed with the SEC. For example, Forms 10-Q and 10-K must be filed quarterly and annually, respectively. The head of the SEC is appointed by the President of the United States. When the SEC was formed there was no standards-issuing body. However, rather than set standards, the SEC encouraged the private sector to set them. The SEC has stated that FASB standards are considered to have authoritative support. The adoption of International Accounting Standards as Philippine generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In Philippines, Sime Darby Pilipinas Inc, the standards financial accounting was based on Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the Philippines as set forward in Philippine Financial Reporting Standards (PFRS). PFRS includes statements named PFRS and Philippine Accounting Standards (PAS), including interpretations by the Philippine Accounting Standards Council. These are the Companys first consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with PFRS. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are generally accepted because an authoritative body has set them or the accounting profession widely accepts them as appropriate. Prior to this, Philippine generally accepted accounting principles were based mainly on US-based accounting standards. According to Parker, (2010) Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) has four basic principles. The historical cost principle requires companies to account and report based on acquisition costs rather than fair market value for most assets and liabilities. The revenue recognition principle requires to record when revenue is realized or realizable and earned, not when cash is received. The way of accounting is called accrual basis accounting. The matching principle-Expenses have to be matched with revenues as long as it is reasonable doing so. The full disclosure principle-Amount and kinds of information disclosed should be decided based on trade-off analysis as larger amount of information costs more to prepare and use it. Information disclosed should be enough to make judgment while keeping costs reasonable. In Malaysia, refer to Nathan et al, (2000) Malaysia Standard Auditing is issued by Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and the Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA) to harmonize the auditing practice. The authors mentioned that in order to harmonize the accounting standard practices, Malaysia has been implementing good standards by strengthening actual accounting and auditing practices. Nathan et al, (2000) also emphasized that to maintain the relationship between national standards and international standards and as well as maintain and improved the standards; the professional accounting bodies review the published accounting statements annually and Malaysian Accounting Standard Board (MASB) were set up to ensure that; the issuance of new standards as approved accounting standards the assessment, revision or implementation as accepted accounting standards existing accounting standards go aboard on a programme to review all extant accounting standards for consistency the latest developments in International Accounting Standards (IAS), legal and regulatory reporting requirements evaluate the practical practice of International Accounting Standards (IAS) relate to application of the accounting standards According to Carlin et al, (2009) MASB to adopt global harmonization of standards (IFRSs) is a reflection of Malaysias obligation to support with global accounting standards in order to achieve harmonization with international practice. Based on the financial accounting standards between its branches, from my point of view, the process for harmonizing accounting standards seems based on a harmonious relationship among national and international standards setters. Sime Darby Berhad neither replaces nor eliminates the need for standard setters. The monitoring of reporting and agreement with approved standard and as well as regulatory body has been done by financial institutions i.e. Bank Negara. Does it succeed  to achieve that or not  if not what are the obstacles that face this company to achieve that According to Pasceri, (2005), a Chief Internal Auditor and Finance Director of Sime Darby Malaysia, Francis Anthony stated that; Nothing has changed except for disclosure requirements, which have become quite onerous today, with no doubt. As far as the statutory reporting and financial community, especially the auditors, there are more requirements to be met. Unfortunately, with the rush of regulatory changes in the US and their impact on international accounting standards, we have erred in moving too much towards a rule-based environment. As far as the basic accounting system goes management reporting and management accounting thats not changed. The basic principles are the same except for today you must ensure stricter compliance with cross-border and transfer pricing rules and be more familiar with management decision-making techniques for risk management. Francis Anthony also pointed out that; There is overload now even for wellrun companies and I think it is maximised, and the challenge now is balancing. The challenges of Sime Darby faces today is just that the audit management need to maintain and balance the role and keep side by side of all regulatory changes on finance. Having worked in multiple jurisdictions in the region Anthony finds that for companies in Hong Kong and the other local exchanges like Malaysia and Singapore, there are varying degrees of reporting requirements that will be getting more and more stringent with SarOx (Pasceri, 2005). Internal and External Audit Duties and comments To say that the group had processes in place its just that they had not been implemented properly certainly laughable because it is all too  familiar. If one was to seriously respond to this excuse, it would be that is why you have internal and external auditors. And when the internal auditors raised the red flag in August 2008, it was conveniently swept under the carpet! If the excuse was that, the non-executive independent directors were obliged to give the benefit of the doubt to management, the external auditors, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) certainly had no such obligation or professional reason to do so! This was their red flag to delve into the issue of cost over-runs including its recovery of such costs. This is no more an ordinary run of the mill statutory audit. PWC had been put on enquiry and were obliged to look into the concern meticulously. The question to be answered is that, what did PWC do? They signed off the accounts of Sime Darby for 2008 and 2009 with a clean audit report! Not even an emphasis of matter especially on the possible cost over-runs and its recoverability! The fact that official media had highlighted these matters, besides the media report prior to the finalization of the 2008 and 2009 accounts speak volumes about the role (or lack of it) of PWC The official media currently has been quite polite about this latest incident .yes, they have been polite relatively speaking, but if you read in between the lines, the insinuation is the total collapse in the check and balance roles of the other parties involved with Sime Darby notably the auditors and members of the Audit Committee headed by the ex-chairman of PWC. Andrew Sheng, a proponent of strong corporate governance is unfortunately embroiled in this mess as director and he cannot easily extricate himself out of this especially when he was appointed in 2007.He has to regain credibility by insisting massive and fundamental changes to the way things are done in the Malaysian corporate world in general and Sime Darby in particular. The audit committee In April 2008, for example, there were news reports that Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd had incurred cost overruns of between RM120mil and RM150mil in its offshore engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning project for Maersk Oil Qatar (MOQ). In February 2009, a report also alleged that there had been costs overruns in the same project, but this time, the figure mentioned was far bigger. At a media briefing on Feb 4, Zubir dismissed this: Theres no such thing as the RM800mil losses. The Minority Watchdog Group (MSWG) wrote to Sime Darby chairman Tun Musa Hitam in March 2009 on issues in the energy and utilities division. At the companys AGM last November, the MSWG also raised questions about the divisions shrinking bottom-lin