Religious Studies Cumulative Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Religious Studies Cumulative Paper - Essay Example For example in all religions it is good to speak truth while it’s bad to cheat, steal, lie or kill fellow human beings. After 9/11 divide between religions has increased manifolds due to pursuing of terrorism by few fundamentalists. It is very important to understand what is meant by religious tolerance, what are its limits, how terrorism and terrorists should be separated by the large Muslim community and so many other related issues. It is also important to have a look at main religions of the world and see their views about violence and tolerance. It is imperative to note that what a religion preaches may not be followed by its follower. In this case whether a religion should be blamed or its followers. All religions trace back their roots to a creator or God. This fact should be a source of harmony or difference between various religions. Historically which religion has remained most peaceful and why?. All these questions need answers however it is not clear whether these answers will settle old questions or create new ones. Outline. The paper will be covered in the following outline:- 1. What is Religious Tolerance and what are its limits. 2. Why Religious Tolerance is important. 3. Is there really a clash of civilizations going on? 4. What are the major religions of the world and what do they say about Religious Tolerance. 5. Is Religious fundamentalism a good thing or bad? 6. Should a religion be separated from its followers or not. 7. Scientific, biological, spiritual, ethical, moral and social dimensions of religion. 8. Is Religious tolerance linked to Government actions? 9. Should an individual handover his religious freedom to a church or any other ruling institution 10. Social and political issues in religious tolerance. 11. Difference in opinion about religious tolerance amongst various thinkers. 12. Final outcome of the discussion. Discussion on Outline There are 19 major religions of the world with Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduis m being bigger ones according to population of followers. Hinduism is not a religion in classic sense since there is no single founder, center of origin or single scripture. Rather Hinduism is a combination of beliefs and traditions practiced over thousands of years. Tolerance is one of the core values in Hinduism expressed through centuries of co-existence with other religions in the sub-continent. Teachings of this religion propagate that all beings in whole universe are one family or â€Å"vasudhaiva kutumbkam†. This family includes smallest creatures, animals and mankind, all created by God. Amongst all creatures, mankind has the ability to think and rule the earth, therefore bears greater responsibility to exercise tolerance. Man must show tolerance to fellow beings irrespective of religion or caste. Hinduism preaches that tolerance is essence of human life and all other religions or paths leading to God are true and legitimate. It is wrong to consider oneself on true pa th while others at a wrong one. Due to belief of tolerance Hinduism in India co existed for centuries with Buddhism, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism and many other religions at the same time. In Indian history very less Hindu rulers invaded foreign lands in the name of religion. As said by Gandhi the famous Hindu leader â€Å"The chief value of Hinduism lies in holding the actual belief that all life (not only human beings, but all sentient beings) is one, i.e. all life coming from the universal source, call it Allah,

ICT in Manufacture Essay Example for Free

ICT in Manufacture Essay Information technology has had a massive effect on manufacture over the past decades making job losses bigger and creating new jobs for machines giving manufacturing company managers easier jobs than before. In the early fifties manufacturing companies made items such as cars and stereo systems would have been made by hand by a large group of people. These people would have a different workstation with several people working on one aspect of the item. All these would have had to have the same qualifications to do this part. For now lets take something easy like the making of dolls like action man and Barbie. A conveyor belt would go across with one item to begin with and along the conveyor belt sat workers. These workers would each have a part that they would add to the doll as it went past them. And at the end the doll would have been made fitted with all limbs and clothes. One problem with this system was that when everyone had a tea break and lunch break at the same time stopping the line of manufacture and making hard for the workers to stick to a tight schedule. Now this problem has been solved because machines do all the work. There are no conveyor belts or rows of workers needed. The machines do all of the work. The few people you may find are those with clipboards walking around the machines monitoring how they are working. So with this new system when people have to take breaks there is no need for these machines to stop they just keep on working till the end of the day. One small problem with this system is that if one of the major components of a machine breaks down then you would have to shut down all the other machines so that the one that is broken can be fixed. This would result in a couple of hours lost for making the product. When these sort of manufacturing companies invested in computer technology to make their dolls not many jobs were lost. But when car companies started employing machines to make their cars instead of people less jobs were needed in that industry. Both the making and the designing of cars have changed via the use ICT. In the designing department drawings were made by hand and tests for aerodynamics and crashes were done in a special arena. But now ICT has changed all that. Drawings are made my computer with a special programme that reads the dimensions and put makes it out to be the shape of the car. With these dimensions they can then run simulations for aerodynamics and crashes and see if it scientifically possible to build the car. Down in the production unit of the car manufacturers people use to stand in big groups making parts for cars and adjusting them, parts such as body kits, engines and the main body. These people didnt have to really be qualified they just had to be trained in how to do the job at a certain workstation. So when machines were introduced in how to do these jobs many people were left unemployed and with no qualifications. This made it harder for them to get more jobs. Companies can also take as much of the blame as ICT. If the car manufacturers were willing to pay out a bit more money on training, their existing workers how to use and control these machines then they wouldnt have to cut down on workers. They also would leave several hundred workers readily employable with qualifications if they needed to be re-employed. The majority of car companies failed to do this, keeping the younger employees and firing the employees that had been there quite long and leaving in a position where some of them couldnt provide food for their families. Therefore ICT in manufacture has had a positive and negative effect on places all around the world.

The Crisis of Religion in the Elizabethan Age :: Religion Religious Elizabethan Age England Essays

The Crisis of Religion in the Elizabethan Age The Elizabethan Age underwent a continuing crisis of religion that was marked by a deepening polarization of thought between the supporters of the recently established Protestant Church and the larger number of adherents to the Roman Catholic faith. Of these latter, Edmund Campion may be taken as the archetype. Well known as an Englishman who fled to the Continent for conscience's sake, he returned to England as a Jesuit priest, was executed by the English government in 1581 and was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church in 1970. It has been observed that the author of the Shakespeare plays displays a considerable sympathy and familiarity with the practices and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.i The intent here is to show a link between this English Catholic leader and the writer of the drama, Twelfth Night, as revealed by allusions to Edmund Campion in Act IV, scene ii of that play. A Brief Outline of Campion's Life Though Edmund Campion (1540-1581) was a scholar at Oxford University under the patronage of Queen Elizabeth I's court favorite, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Campion's studies of theology, church history, and the church fathers led him away from the positions taken by the Church of England. From Campion's point of view, to satisfy the new orthodoxy of the Church of England, a reconstructionist interpretation of church history was being set forth, one chat he found difficult to reconcile with what he actually found in the writings of those fathers [2]. Had the veil been swept away? Were St. Augustine and St. John Chrysostom really Anglicans rather than Roman Catholics? Or were the church authorities trimming their sails to the exigencies of temporal policy? Questions such as these dogged Campion, and eventually his position at Oxford became untenable since he could not make the appropriate gestures of adherence to the established church [3]. Instead, Campion retreated from Oxford to Dublin in 1569, where he drew less attention and enjoyed the protection of Sir Henry Sidney, Lord Deputy for Ireland, and the patronage of Sir James Stanihurst, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, who planned to have Campion participate in the founding of what was to become Trinity College in Dublin [4]. During this period a number of significant events took place. In 1568, the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, was driven from her realm into England, where she came under the protection and custody of the English Crown.

Critical Lenses Essay

L. a Date: 11/14/12 Critical Lenses Herodotus once said â€Å"men are at the mercy of events and cannot control them. † In saying this Herodotus meant that men cannot control any situation, but that it is fate that determines what is to occur. Prince Edward from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain and Macbeth from Macbeth by William Shakespeare prove this statement to be both true and false. Macbeth in the play (structure) Macbeth by William Shakespeare proves the statement true.The story is about a man named Macbeth and him becoming king (plot). In the year 1040 in Scotland (setting) three witches prophesize to Macbeth that he will be King (foreshadowing). Macbeth is forced to kill the current king, King Duncan, in order to take the throne. After Macbeth kills King Duncan he feels very guilty. Macbeth ends up killing even more people to cover up his lie (characterization) As Macbeth’s life goes on as king, he begins hearing voices and having hallucinations of Banq uo’s ghost (imagery).These are just the consequences of his actions, and he had to live with them. Macbeth goes from gaining respect, appreciation and wealth to losing everything (characterization). Macbeth chooses to listen to the witches’ prophesy, rather than listening to Banquo telling him the prophecy may be evil; thus, Macbeth causes his own problems. In contrast Prince Edward from The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain was more at the mercy of his situation than was Macbeth. In this novel (structure), Prince Edward has been raised in luxury.Prince Edward birth was celebrated by the whole country and was wrapped in silks and satins (imagery). He is used to fine foods, magnificent clothing, and to being waited on by hundreds of servants, as well he is accustomed to being protected and to giving commands that others obey quickly. He is used to these things simply because they are part of the life of a prince. Having spent his entire life in the confines of the roy al palace, he has daydreamed about the freedom experienced by boys such as Tom Canty (the pauper).One afternoon Prince Edward and Tom Canty trade clothing and as a result, they trade lives as well. Prince Edward trades places with Tom Canty and ends up in Offal Court. Prince Edward gets to experience what Tom Canty’s everyday life was like: to be poor and be treated horribly by Tom’s father. Prince Edward is now learning how hard life is for his subjects and how unfair the laws are. Edward, as a child, is now at the mercy of adults outside the palace, both good and bad.After many adventures, matters are set right again, with the help of Miles Hendon to take him back to the palace, with one of the boys resuming his rightful, royal position and the other boy accepting a position that recognizes his innate intelligence and good heartedness (plot). Macbeth from Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Prince Edward from The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain prove Herodotusâ₠¬â„¢s saying â€Å"men are at the mercy of events and cannot control them† to be true as well as false.The statement means that men cannot control any situation but that it is fate that determines what is to occur. Both Prince Edward and Macbeth make poor decisions which get them into trouble . However, Macbeth, the adult, makes worse decisions that are wrong and evil and deserve punishment. Edward, the child, makes an innocent mistake and is punished anyway. Yet, fortunately, though the kindness of Miles Hendon, Edward is able to return home, having learned from his experiences, unlike Macbeth who loses everything and is killed.

Democracy vs. Absolutisn Essay

Democracy vs. Absolutism During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, there were various forms of government, including democracy and absolutism. Not only is this an important topic because it deals with the government, but it also deals with the citizens and their perception of the government. However, at this time democracy was a better form of government because the people share the power with the government, the person in power does not have absolute power, and it protects the rights of the people. Through democracy, the government shares the power with its citizens. Absolutism, on the other hand, is where the government comes before everything. According to King Louis XIV, â€Å"The head alone has the right to deliberate and decide, and the functions of all the other members consist only in carrying out the commands given to them. † King Louis believes his opinion is the only opinion that matters. On the other hand, democracy is better because it considers the opinions of other people. This makes it so that one person in charge is unable to have absolute power. Having too much power was also an issue in some countries in the 17th and 18th centuries. According to Machiavelli, fear and punishment will make the citizens comply with the decisions and ideas of their leader. Democracy is better than absolutism because citizens have the ability to form their own opinions without fear of punishment for disagreeing with their leader. The right to freedom of speech is one of the many rights people value in a democratic government. A democratic government respects the natural rights and freedoms of its citizens. By allowing its citizens to make their own choices, the citizens hold a positive view of the government. A democratic government allows the citizens to have their freedoms and doesn’t invade their privacy. By allowing everyone to have a say in the government, it makes the government easy to comply with. That is why it is an obvious assumption that the citizens will have a negative view on absolutism because they won’t have their basic freedoms. In conclusion, democracy is a better form of government because the government shares power with its citizens, the person in power does not have absolute power, and it protects rights of the people. For these reasons, a democracy is a more effective government when it comes to leading its people.

Here Come the Candidates

Here Come the Candidates Here Come the Candidates Here Come the Candidates By Maeve Maddox The first Tuesday in November is known as Election Day in the United States. It is the day on which political candidates are voted in or out of office. The word candidate is an example of how ancient customs become embedded in language. In ancient Rome, a person running for an elected office wore a brightly bleached toga. Candidatus means white-robed. The word for the clothing became attached to the person. The Latin noun candidum, meaning white, pure, or sincere, came from a verb meaning to shine. Our word candle is related to these words. The adjective candid shares the same etymology. A candid person is honest, forthright, and free of deception. A candid photo is one that is not posed. Candid Camera was a popular television show produced by Allen Funt that began as a radio show, Candid Microphone, in 1947. It was perhaps the earliest reality show. Funt and his assistants would set up a hidden camera and play various tricks on passers-by, recording their spontaneous reactions. The protagonist of Voltaires little book of the same name is called Candide because of his innocent, open nature. George Bernard Shaws play Candida features a woman of that name who is motivated by honesty and self-awareness. Lets hope that all those candidates who win on Election Day will be candid with their constituents. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Legs, Feet, and ToesEmpathy "With" or Empathy "For"?Dissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied

The impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises The WritePass Journal

The impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises 1.Introduction The impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises 1.Introduction2.Literature Review2.1WHY DO WE NEED INFORMATION SYSTEMS2.2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES2.3 OUTCOME OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS ENTERPRISES3. Research Objectives and Research Questions4. Research Design5. Data collection and analysis6. Time ScaleReferencesRelated 1.Introduction This project intends to investigate the impact of information system on the success of Small and medium enterprises. Almost all the successful big enterprises have embraced information system in their various businesses. It is generally believed, that information technology enables a firm to access information needed to make decisions, to make an efficient use of resources by reducing labour and manufacturing costs, to seize opportunities in its markets and to position itself effectively in relation to its contenders (Dirks, 1994).Unfortunately, it is the same environment both big and SME’s operate and there is a need for the small enterprises to survive in this environment. We live in a very competitive world with the competition becoming fiercer. It has become so volatile that it takes more than success to stay alive. The threat posed to SME by the big enterprises is such that they can be swallowed at anytime. One of the ways by which SME’s can achieve a competitive advantage in the era of globalization is through the implementation of IS in their organizations. Implementation and practice of IS comes at a cost and its increasing high cost is a concern to management, especially in SMEs sector. With lack of sufficient funds to acquire such skills smaller organizations often implement IS in a less than optimal way, thereby attaining fewer benefits than larger organizations (Delone, 1988). The decision to invest the few available funds on information technology need to be worth it as SME’s don’t have the luxury of fund big enterprises have. Traditionally, the success of Information Systems (IS) has been studied in the context of large organisations, most businesses, however, are small and medium Enterprises (SMEs) and they have increasingly adopted packaged application software to meet their information processing requirements. Small- and medium-sized enterprises exert a strong influence on the economies of all countries, particularly in the fast-changing and increasingly competitive global market (Anaroni 1994; Drilhon and Estime 1993). They have been a major engine of economic growth and technological progress (Mulhern, 1995; Thornburg 1993). Carrier (1994) said that SMEs are often more fertile than larger firms in terms of innovation. Most IS research focuses on large firms, yet the majority of firms in most economies are SMEs. It is amazing how SME’s form the bedrock of every country’s economy yet they always find it hard to survive not to talk of competing in an environment where the big enterprises have enormous edge. Though these SME’s can’t match the financial investment of the big enterprises, they need to find a way of balancing their investment to keep abreast of what is happening in their environment. Some SME’s have decided to overlook the cost of investing in IS as they 2.Literature Review Given the dominance of worldwide competition and high rate of technological change, there will be some challenges, which most SMEs are likely to have in common (Marri et al., 2000). Blili and Raymonds (1997) identified the need and usefulness of information systems strategies (ISS) in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). In the transformational role, IS helps to Fundamentally redefine and alter the business processes and business relationships. These benefits could range from simple cost reduction to creation of new businesses or enhanced organizational capabilities (King and Teo, 1996; Feeny and Willcocks, 1998). Palvia and Palvia (1999) stressed on key areas of IT dissatisfactions that are: training and education, software maintenance, documentation and vendor support. According to them software Vendors and consultants can appropriately address these deficiencies. These issues can be addressed well by having a proper IS management in place in an organization. Poon and Swatman (1999) reported on internet use in small business sector as a part of IS management and found that although use of e-mail was very popular for business communication and documents transfer, there was almost no integration between the Internet and internal applications. 2.1WHY DO WE NEED INFORMATION SYSTEMS Information has become very important to the modern business organization that it is seen as its lifeblood. Information systems help an organization manage and make efficient use of its data to achieve utmost success. There has been more information produced in the last 30 years than during the previous 5,000. The information supply available to us doubles every five years. Information system enables companies to react, respond, cater, store, retrieve, disseminate, and control their new valuable asset that is information. In the years to come, a good information system within a company will be no longer an option; it will become a compulsory in determining success. The term IT is defined in broad sense as ‘‘technologies dedicated to information storage, processing and communication’’ (Ang and Koh, 1997). This notion of IT focuses on a combination of hardware, software, telecommunications and office equipments that transform raw data into useful information for speedy retrieval (Seyal et al., 2000). Blili and Raymonds (1997) identified the need and Usefulness of information systems strategies (ISS) in small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s). 2.2 INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES Many smaller firms now utilize computer-based information systems (IS). Top managers in these small firms have a crucial role to play in the development of IS, but the nature of this role differs sharply from that usually undertaken by the senior manager of the larger firm (Martin,J   1989) There is little doubt that advanced information and communication technologies (IT) are changing the way businesses operate and conduct commerce. As the advent of a more secure Internet and new transmission standards makes it easier and cheaper for businesses to conduct inter-organizational commerce.( Khazanchi,D 2005) 2.3 OUTCOME OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IT investments had a positive relation with the IS management practices. Increasing investments in IT and strategic role played by information systems (IS) make IT Implementation as an important research issue within the MIS discipline (Bostrom and Heinen,   1977). Schein (1992) and Zuboff (1988) outlined three major roles   that IS could play in an organization: (1) Automate; (2) Informate; and (3) Transformate. The automate role refers to mere replacement of labour processes by technology. In the Informate     role, IS provides data and information that empowers different levels of Management   and   Ã‚  organizational employees. In the transformational role, IS helps to Fundamentally redefine and alter the business processes and business relationships. These Benefits could range from simple cost reduction to creation of new businesses or enhanced Organizational capabilities   (King and Teo, 1996; Feeny and Willcocks, 1998). Palvia and Palvia (1999) stressed on key areas of IT dissatisfactions that are: training and education, Software maintenance, documentation and vendor support. According to them software Vendors and consultants can appropriately address these deficiencies. These issues can be Addressed well by having a proper IS management in place in an organization. 3. Research Objectives and Research Questions The general objective of the study is to ascertain the need for information systems in modern day small and medium business enterprise. How much are they loosing out as a result of their unwillingness to invest in information system or is the price being paid for the competitive edge provided by information system too expensive? It looks at the benefit accrued to the small and medium enterprises that have embraced information systems.I wish to create a relationship between the cost of investment in information systems and the gains accrue to small and medium organizations that have embraced it. I also intend to look at how small and medium entrepreneurs feel about the need for information systems in their business. It will also be interesting to know how much they are willing to invest in information systems even if they feel it is needed. 4. Research Design Research methodology involves qualitative method due to the nature of the work. It will be ideal to get detailed information about the operations of the small and medium enterprises because they have different challenges; these challenges affect the running of the organizations in different ways. I intend to carry out a series of one on one interview with a number of small and medium entrepreneurs. There are two categories of entrepreneurs that I wish to interview, those that have embrace information systems and those that are yet to. 5. Data collection and analysis Both primary and secondary data will be collected for this project. Primary data will be collected from SME’s especially through interview and It is intended to retrieve the required secondary data from available financial sources to measure the performance of enterprises that use IS and those that don’t use it, only data from regulated bodies will be processed 6. Time Scale Working to meet the project submission deadline, there will be critical reading of relevant materials, regular meeting with the supervisor and also to conduct interviews with some SME business owners. References    Ang, J. and Koh, S. (1997), ‘‘Exploring the relationships between user information satisfaction’’, International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 169-77. Blili, S. and Raymonds, L. (1997), ‘‘Adopting EDI in a network enterprise: the case of subcontracting SMEs’’, European Journal of Purchasing Supply Management, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 165-75. Bostrom, R. and Heinen, J. (1977), ‘‘MIS problems and failures: a   sociotechnical   perspective-part-the Causes’’, MIS Quarterly, Vol. 1 No. 3, pp. 17-32. Delone, W.H. (1988), ‘‘Determinants of success for computer usage in small business’’, MIS Quarterly, Dirks, P. (1994), ‘‘MIS investments for operations management: relevant costs and revenues’’, International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 35, pp. 137-48. Feeny, D.F. and Willcocks, L.P. (1998),   ‘‘Core IS capabilities for exploiting information technology’’, Sloan Management Review, Vol. 39 No. 3, pp. 9-22. Khazanchi, Deepak,(2005) Information Technology (IT) Appopriateness: The contingency theory   FIT AND IT implementation in small and medium enterprises, The Journal of Computer Information Systems King, W.R. and Teo, T.S.H. (1996), ‘‘Key dimensions of facilitators and inhibitors for the strategic use of Information technology’’, Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 12 No. 4,   pp. 35-54. Martin, C.J. (1989), ‘‘Information management in the smaller business: the role of the top manager’’ Marri, H.B., Gunasekaran, A. and Grieve, R.J. (2000), ‘‘Performance measurements in the Implementation of CIM in small medium enterprises: an empirical analysis’’, International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 38 No. 17, pp. 4403-11 Palvia, P., Means, D.W. and Jackson, W.M. (1994), ‘‘Determinants of computing in very small business’’, Information Management, Vol. 27, pp. 161-74. Palvia, P. and Palvia, S. (1999), ‘‘an examination of the IT satisfaction of small users’’, Information Management, Vol. 35, pp. 127-37. Poon, S. and Swatman, P. (1999), ‘‘an exploratory study of small business internet commerce issues’’, Information Management, Vol. 35, pp. 9-18. Schein, E.H. (1992), ‘‘the role of the CEO in the management of change: the case of information Technology’’, in Kochan, T.A. and Useem, M. (Eds), Transforming Organizations, Oxford University Press,     Oxford. Seyal, A., Rahim, M. and Rahim, N. (2000), ‘‘an empirical investigation of the use of information Technology among small and medium business organizations: a Bruneian scenario’’, The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, Vol. 2 No. 7, pp. 1-17. Zuboff, S. (1988), In the Age of Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power, Basic Books, New York, NY.

How to Get Into Stanford (by an Accepted Student)

How to Get Into Stanford (by an Accepted Student) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many students want to get into Stanford, one of the most prestigious undergraduate institutions in the United States. While getting into Stanford is very tough, there are definite rules to Stanford admissions. Using these rules to your advantage will greatly increase your chances of getting in. Note: the following advice also works for admissions to UC Berkeley and Cornell. While Cornell University and the University of California at Berkeley are not the same as Stanford, they are both very highly ranked colleges with a slight engineering tilt. Stanford University is one of the most difficult colleges to get into, with a current acceptance rate of only 5.1%. It is consistently ranked in the US News’ top five universities. Stanford is the top choice of many students whose focuses coincide with what Stanford offers (e.g. a West Coast life or a large research institution with a slight engineer tilt). Stanford is also, by far, the top US-News-ranked school west of the Mississippi (the second is Caltech, which attracts a completely different crowd). Stanford follows certain rules when it comes to admissions. And no, these rules are not as simple as â€Å"focus all your time on academics† or â€Å"be as well-rounded as possible.† (In fact, those two phrases are the two biggest myths for admissions to Stanford!) Knowing the rules won’t guarantee you admission, but you’ll have a heck of a better chance than if you’re applying in the dark. I'll go over everything you need to know to get into Stanford, whether you're a humanities or STEM student, and I'll explain which admissions strategies are false and could seriously impact your chances of getting accepted if you follow them. Why Listen to Me? There are lots of writers out there giving admissions advice without any personal experience. Most journalists writing articles on Stanford admissions do a few hours of research on the school (or a few days at most) to meet their article quota. However, I have personally spent weeks, if not months, thinking about Stanford admissions. I must have spent over 100 hours explicitly on Stanford admissions, and I got in: A letter from my admissions officer to me after I was accepted to Stanford discussing the admitted-student weekend details. This letter has been modified to summarize meaning and protect privacy. More than just getting accepted, I actually spent a substantial amount of time thinking about what Stanford was looking for and crafting an application specifically for Stanford. To me, Stanford was one of the top two schools I was interested in, so I took the application very seriously. I actually visited the campus twice before even applying, attended admissions sessions where I asked dozens of questions about what they were looking for, searched online and in bookstores, wrote an entirely separate essay, and had a separate admissions strategy for Stanford alone. I’m not saying this to brag; I’m letting you know that I have some unique qualifications that allow me to help you the most. That I was accepted, and that I spent tremendous energy thinking about Stanford, means that my advice can hopefully help you substantially as you prep for the SAT/ACT and apply to Stanford. Truths and Myths of Stanford Acceptance In this section, I’m going to tell you the critical three truths and two myths you absolutely need to know to get into Stanford.The first ones will be well-known, but the final ones will be uncommon knowledge and will help you get that extra boost! Note: if you’ve readour article on Harvard admissions, I will cover some similar material here. You may want to skim this section, but definitely pay attention to the differences between the application processes ofHarvard and Stanford. Also, pay attention after this section because I will talk about Stanford-specific aspects then! Truth #1: You'll Need Strong Academics The first truth is that Stanford is, first and foremost, an academic institution, so you need to have spectacular academics to get in. The 25th percentile score of admitted students is as high as a 1400 (SAT) or 31 (ACT). This means that the vast majority (75%) of Stanford students get above these scores, and those attending with scores lower than these are superstars who make up for their scores in other ways. If your scores are below those numbers, the most effective thing you can do to raise your chances of admission is studying more for the SAT/ACT sincethe primary reason Stanford will reject you is based on scores alone. The 75th percentile of Stanford scores is 1560 (SAT) or 34 (ACT), so if you are above this, you can presume your test scores are sufficient. Myth #1: All You Need Is Good Grades The first and most naive myth is that Stanford only cares about grades. Like most myths, this one results from taking the truth too far. Many people think that, since Stanford is an academic institution, shouldn’t they just care about academics? After all, if you’re trying out for the football team, they wouldn’t measure your skills in baseball, right? The truth is that Stanford, of course, cares about academics as its core, but it also cares about qualities beyond academics. Stanford is not just taking the people with the highest GPA scores and the highest SAT scores. Truth #2: You Should Excel in Multiple Areas Why isn’t Stanford just looking for students with the highest scores? The first reason is simple numbers - there are just too many students with stellar academics. The average ACT score for a Stanford student is 34 - thus Stanford considers this score or higher stellar. Yet a 34 still puts about 1% of the high school population above you. With 3.3 million high school seniors a year, this is about 33,000 students, many times larger than the roughly 2,100 students Stanford accepts each year. Therefore, top colleges like Stanford need to look beyond academic scores to distinguish between these students. The second reason starts with the understanding that many top colleges, including Stanford, are looking for students who can have a significant and positive impact on the world. Stanford believes that non-academic factors, in addition to top academics, help predict who will have a positive impact in the future. These non-academic factors (known under the umbrella term "extracurriculars") include participation in clubs or sports and dedication to helping others. Therefore, we can replace the first myth with our second truth: top colleges care about more than academics and want to see strengths in many areas, from GPA and SAT/ACT scores to extracurriculars and community service. In reality, the above truth of multi-area admissions is actually well-known to people who have done even a minimal amount of college admissions research. The myth of pure academics is more of a non-myth: it’s a myth that lots of people love to bash, but not many people believe. In fact, over-bashing this first myth leads to the second myth, which is more insidious. Myth #2: You Should Be Well-Rounded This second myth, the biggest and most harmful myth, is that Stanford cares about students being well-rounded in the sense that they should be equally excellent in all areas. This second myth is the most pernicious because so many people believe it, unlike the first myth. From many personal surveys, I have found that even well-researched students and parents fall prey to this myth. In fact, I myself, during my early years of high school, believed in this horrible myth, even though I had already done hundreds of hours of research at that point. Because so many educated people believe it, and because it has the potential to steer you wrong, I personally think this myth is the most damaging. The well-rounded myth goes like this: because Stanford wants you to be well-rounded, it’s best to perform excellently in all areas. You should aim for a high seat in your school orchestra. You should be number one or two in your school debate team. Run for student council and become the treasurer. Get a score in the 95 percentile or higher on your SAT/ACT. Get an A- or higher in all your classes. The mythical implication is that the "Stanford Scorecard" grades you based on your weakest area, so you want to eliminate all weaknesses. Under this myth, you should focus all your time on your weakest area to eliminate it and become as well-rounded as possible. At the end of the day, you end up with a mythical optimal application, one where you’re (nearly) equally great at everything. Unfortunately, college admissions is much like an unstable boat: being too well-rounded will sink you. The truth is that Stanford sees being very well-rounded as too boring. Everyone who is well-rounded looks the same: they’re great (but not earth-shattering) in everything. There is nothing to set you apart. Also, dilly-dallying in a large number of areas will make you look like a dilettante. Truth #3: You Should Have a "Spike" in One Area The third and final truth is that Stanford would much rather see a candidate who is OK at most things but really great in one specific area. That specific area is called your spike, and it can be in almost anything: conducting microbiology research, publishing short stories, starting a small business, etc. Your spike makes you a strong candidate because it's unlikely many other students will have the same spike as you, so it helps set you apart and makes you unique. Admitting lots of students with different spikes allows Stanford to create the diverse campus they desire. Furthermore, Stanford is looking for students who will succeed in the future. In our modern world, specialization is the key to success. Think about it, if you break a bone, you want to see a doctor who's great at resetting bones, right? Not a doctor who's pretty good at setting bones and also pretty good at diagnosing the type of flu you have and pretty good at recommending a diet to keep you healthy. It’s okay to be lopsided- in fact, it’s even desirable! You should aim to develop one area that you’re super strong in. In your spike area, you should definitely aim to be nationally or state ranked, or accomplish a goal that’s rare for a high school student. Think top 100 football player in California or top 1000 math competition student in the USA. Think getting a pilot’s license at age 12. In all other areas it suffices to be 99th or even 90th percentile. A moderately good score in your English class will do. A few dozen hours of volunteering will do. Recap The most naive and prevalent myth is that admissions is all about academics. In reality, selecting only for academics leads to an uninteresting community. Stanford cares about extracurriculars too, and doing well in just one area of school (or even all of school) isn’t enough. Unfortunately, an overly-reactionary response to the above generates the worst myth. Myth #2 is that you should be well-rounded and great (but not necessarily excellent) in every field. In reality, being too well-rounded makes you look exactly the same as others who are well-rounded, and it makes you look like someone without direction. The truth is that you want to be OK in every field but especially stellar in one field in particular. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Hierarchy: Truth #1: Have great academics (including stellar SAT/ACT scores) Myth #1: It’s all about academics Truth #2: Be good at a diverse set of extracurriculars Myth #2: You should be as well-rounded as possible Truth #3: Focus on one area to be extraordinary Truths and Myths of Stanford Admissions How to Apply This Information to You Based on the above information, your first goal is to ensure you are good at academics. Get good grades in school, and make sure you’re at least at the 50th percentile of the SAT/ACT cutoff for the school you are applying to. Even if you are above the 50th percentile, if you haven’t prepped at least few dozen hours yet, you should aim for the 75th percentile to strengthen your application. SAT/ACT prep is always one of the most time efficient ways to raise your chances of admission. After you’re above the 50th percentile cutoff, the next step is to overcome the first myth. Stanford cares about more than academics, and you’ll want to get good extracurriculars and volunteer experience. Once you have a sufficient set of baseline activities, it’s time to overcome the second myth. Stanford is not all about being diversified and well-rounded. You want one area to stand out above and beyond others. Stanford’s Tilt Towards STEM One difference between Stanford (and Cornell and UC Berkeley) and some of the other top 10 colleges is that Stanfordis not a pure liberal arts college. Instead, Stanford is a liberal arts college with a significant STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) tilt. What does that mean? It means that, all else being equal, if your interests are a bit more towards engineering, that will slightly help your admissions chances. For your base diversity of extracurriculars, it helps to leantowards engineering/math. It also helps if yourspike is in engineering/math. All else being equal, if you were a top 100 young writer or a top 100 math competitor, it's somewhat more helpful for admissions to be the latter. Don’t take my word for it. You can Google this yourself. Note how Stanford is in the US News’ top-ranked engineering schools, whereas Harvard and Yale are nowhere near the top 10. Stanford's strength is not just in graduate engineering, but also undergraduate engineering, making it truly stand out. (Most other stellar graduate programs, like my own Harvard Statistics program, have questionable undergrad programs). At Stanford, better professors mean more cutting-edge grad students and teaching assistants for your undergrad courses. Part of it is also a self-fulfilling prophecy: because good engineering-type undergrads come here, it becomes a good place for similarly interested students. Note, however, that I said Stanford has a STEM tilt. It is, by far, not a STEM-only school, which places like MIT, Caltech, and Carnegie Mellon are a lot more like. This means that, unlike pure engineering schools, math and math extracurriculars are NOT the only things that matter. These next two sections will give you advice based on which subjects you plan to study in college. If you're less into STEM, read the next section, but if you're already focusing on a STEM area and plan on continuing to do so, skip down two sections for guidelines for your situation. Guide for Students Less Interested in STEM Areas Do you plan on majoring in a humanities or similar subject? Then this section is for you! Just because Stanford tilts toward engineering does not mean that the only way to get into Stanford is to be an engineer. You don't even need to be interested in engineering in general. Stanford is not MIT or Caltech. Stanford is incredibly strong in say, economics and literature, as well. Your application can be completely bereft of engineering aspirations, and you can still do well.In fact, I am quite sure that any humanities-heavy application that would have done well at Harvard, Yale or Princeton will do equally well, if not better, at Stanford. However, you should not forget the fact that Stanford still likes baseline diversity. Your spike doesn't need to be related to STEM, but you should still be strong in quantitative subjects. Even if your subject of interest is Prussian history, you should be cautious about getting a B in AP Calculus AB, taking the easiest math classes, or getting as â€Å"low† as a 650 on the Math SAT section. Since Stanford has a very large number of applicants, they have enough humanities-spike applicants who can, at least, get the basic A or A- in the hardest math and science classes. You should take care to put enough effort into these subjects that you don’t drop into the middle of the pack. Stanford doesn’t take the excuse â€Å"I’m just not a math person† (and, in fact, they’re probably against the culture that makes such a phrase commonly acceptable in the first place). What’s a good enough baseline in math? I’d say something in the 720-800 range in the SAT Math section or 32-36 on ACT Math will do. The SAT/ACT is not competitive math - doing well on it doesn’t signal you’re nationally ranked in math. In fact, the SAT/ACT Math sections are only designed to test the most basic common denominator areas covered in high school math classes across the United States. Thus, scoring substantially below a perfect score on the SAT/ACT does actually signal to Stanford a lack of understanding of some rather standard areas of math. Once you get below a 700 (SAT Math) or 30 (ACT Math), Stanford will realize that you don’t have a full command of standard concepts like factorizing variables or applying the Pythagorean theorem. The good news is that you can actually improve quickly and consistently to the 700+ level on the SAT. All it requires is mastering baseline content of math and understanding the highest-gain SAT math strategies (like a slight amount of question skipping and practice). You can study on your ownby reviewing and mastering math content first while focusing lightly on math strategy. If you are studying with PrepScholar, we will automatically detect your situation and give you the right study material for this improvement. Students whose forte isn’t engineering should realize that Stanford is very welcoming of interdisciplinary study. Stanford would love to see an applicant talk, not just about the humanities, but how your expertise in the humanities uses areas like computer science or math to help refine your analysis. If you are truly interested, it will help your application if you mention an aspiration to use some amount of engineering in your future studies. For example, if you are into religious studies, with a focus on the Old Testament, you mighttalk about how you’re interested in using statistical analysis to refine the documentary hypothesis. As for your spike, since your natural strength is outside of STEM, I would not go for a STEM-type spike. Usually, spikes are much easier if done in a field with natural talent, that you naturally enjoy. A STEM spike wouldmake much less sense for you, not to mention it would be a lot less pleasant to accomplish. You should consider competitions for speech, debate, writing, essays, and so forth.For example, for enthusiasts in debate-type activities, there’s Model UN, Junior State of America, governor’s school, mock-trial, and nationwide debate. Competitions provide a direct way for admissions officers to see how good you are, but you can also do other tasks that qualitatively seem similarly accomplished. For example, if you start a theaterclub that has a huge number of audience members, or do journal-quality academic research into Victorian English literature, you will be well positioned for your spike. To find out more, you can see this article on spikes (search for â€Å"Step 1† to get directly to brainstorming!) Guide for Students Strong in STEM If your strong point is actually quantitative, then that’s a great advantage. After all, Stanford is engineering tilted. Even more to your advantage, I personally got into Stanford using this path, so I will have much more refined strategies for you than usual, including naming specific programs to try. Ensure Academic Excellence in STEM Fields Since you consider yourself a strong STEM candidate, at your core, it’s important to be absolutely stellar in the STEM fields - that means all A/A+ on your courses, with only the very occasional A- sprinkled in. Make sure you are taking the most difficult STEM courses offered by your school. That means taking APs when they are available and, within APs, choosing the harder option (Calculus BC instead of AB). For the AP exams, make sure you get a 5 as much as possible in these fields. If you’re naturally talented at STEM and take the hardest courses, there’s a high probability you’ll get great grades. However, you want to turn that high probability into a certainty. The biggest reason for naturally talented STEM students to do mediocre in STEM courses is lack of diligence. Many students naturally talented at STEM want to focus on only what they’re interested in at the moment. It’s important to see the benefits to your STEM education that would be possible if you got into Stanford and convince yourself it is worthwhile to put in the grind that sometimes is necessary to get good grades in school. To illustrate, let me tell you the real story of a high school classmate of mine. Let's call him Kevin. Kevin was intensely bright, would score at the top of intelligence tests, and was into battle bots. He would literally put all his time into building these robots, skipping English classes, Physics classes, and even sleep to spendtime onhis intense interest. Inthe end, he earned D’s in English and C’s in Physics (which he was otherwise great in). Sadly, when it came to admissions time, Kevin wasn’t able to get into any college ranked top 50. With his intelligence, he could have easily swept the US News top 50 if he had put even a modicum of diligence into schoolwork. Okay, so now you’ve got your 5 in AP Calc BC and your A’s in math, science, and technology classes. What’s next? Ensure a Good Academic Baseline Outside of STEM The next step is to make sure that your academics outside of STEM meet at least some baseline of quality. This doesn’t mean that you have to be great in the humanities, but it does mean that you’ll want to keep the B’s in the humanities to a minimum. You don’t need to take any AP humanities classes (after all, I didn’t), but taking them and getting a 4 or 5 on the AP tests and an A/A- in the class will benefit you. Standardized tests like the ACT/SAT are a great way to show well-roundedness. They are difficult enough that getting a sufficiently high score signals you’re in the 95% percentile or above in all the US - certainly enough to qualify as well-rounded. However, the ACT/SAT isn’t specialized enough to be your spike. If you’re a little weaker on the humanities side, again, shoring up your SAT/ACT score is the fastest, most effective way to improve. You’ll want to target an SAT score of above 650 (higher is better) or an ACT score of 28 or above. I firmly believe that being great quantitatively correlates with being smart in general. You can definitely get this score if you put your mind to it. (The only caveat is that you need to be reasonably fluent in English; if you are not a native speaker and aren’t fluent, I suggest you make this a priority, probably through immersion in an English-speaking culture.) Your test prep strategy will be centered around the fact that the SAT/ACT is an analytical test. The same skills you used to become good in quantitative subjects will be useful in mastering these tests. Since you’re only targeting a 650 (or 28) or above on these sections, you don’t need to stress as much about the last few problems and being careless. You do need to memorize all the most common grammar rules and learn how to identify and skip the most difficult problems. You can do this yourself, or you can use our program, PrepScholar Online Prep, to automatically identify these weaknesses and fix them. Include Well-Rounded Extracurriculars Round out your application with some lower-hanging fruit if possible. Get to a leadership position in some club that requires public speaking - whether that be debate, Model UN, Junior Statesmen of America (JSA), or something else. Many areas of politics and law are surprisingly close to the logical systems that you’re used to in STEM. Consider joining a sport - many JV teams are not incredibly competitive. Also, play to your strengths - if you’re more dexterous than strong, choose squash, for example. If you’re fast and have good hand-eye coordination, consider baseball. Sports teams will take up a ton of time though, so make sure you’re well positioned and can handle the time commitment. We have a guide that lists hundreds of extracurriculars, and you can use this list to brainstorm how you’ll build a well-diversified base. Remember, for your diverse activities, you don’t need to be great at them. Participation matters, getting small prizes like being treasurer or best debater matters. Focus On Your Spike Now that you’ve achieved good SAT/ACT scores and have a well-rounded base of activities, it’s time to build up that final factor that will get you in - your spike! This is where you really get to show off your STEM skills. When it comes to spikes, the name of the game is to be highly-ranked in recognized fields. One of the most natural environments to be ranked in is a competition. Now, naturally, the more recognized the competition, the better. As you might imagine, the most well-known, difficult, and participant-heavy competitions are the most prestigious. It’s better to rank in the top 1000 of one of the most prestigious competitions than it is to rank in the top 100 of a competition of middling prestige. Therefore, you should aim for the highest prestige competition you can do well in. You should consider competitions from highest prestige down in that order whenever possible. Here’s how to start. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. The Two Biggest STEM Spikes When it comes to prestigious STEM competitions, two of them take the day: the US Math Olympiad (I’ll call it the USAMO series here), and the Intel Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). These are two competitions everyone should consider. The USAMO Series The USAMO series is much more centered around pure math and solving problems relatively quickly (think a few minutes to an hour in a timed environment). If you want to get a taste of what an easy problem looks like in the USAMO series, just look at the hardest problems in the SAT/ACT Math section, or the hardest problems on the SAT Math II Subject test. (The hardest problems are usually the last ones.) The ISEF is more about tinkering around, spending days and months doing research similar to university academics, and then presenting your results.ISEF is closer to working on a hobby or personal project for a long time. Here's a sample AMC 12 Problem. If you can get this, you may be a good candidate for a math competition. Three real numbers in the interval [0,1] are chosen independently and at random. What is the probability that the chosen numbers are the side lengths of a triangle with positive area? A)â…™ B) â…“ C)  ½ D) â…” E) â…š To see the answer and a full explanation, go here. If you consider yourself good at math, you should seriously consider the USAMO series (more unofficial info here)- it can really be your spike. The USAMO series is so prestigious that I have known Stanford students whose main spike was placing just within the top 1000 or 2000 in the USAMO series. Why is the USAMO so prestigious? It’s the oldest of the high school subject Olympiads, and it was the subject of Cold War tensions between the US and USSR in the old days. Most importantly, hundreds of thousands of the most mathematically strong students take it, making a top ranking really matter. The best way to sign up is to ask your high school math teacher, and if your high school doesn’t do it, you should aggressively petition them to do it or search for a neighboring high school who will accept you as a guest. A good rule of thumb for whether this spike is for you is ifyour SAT Math score is 760 or above (or your ACT Math score is 35 or above) and your SAT Math II Subject Score is 720 or above. If you don’t meet these thresholds, I would think very hard before making the USAMO series your spike - the USAMO series, after all, is just a much harder version of these tests, in nearly the exact same format. Further, a college applicant who has competitive USAMO series scores but questionable standardized test math scores sends very mixed signals that will diminish the USAMO series accomplishments. Conversely, if you are above the SAT/ACT threshold, you definitely will benefit from taking the USAMO series, even if it isn’t your spike. This is because, if you're above the stated SAT/ACT thresholds, your exam score is not showing your true skill. Your true skill is literally off the SAT/ACT charts; you need to upgrade to the USAMO series to show off all your math skills, even if you don’t perform amazingly. To recap, go into the USAMO series if you do well on math tests like the SAT Math. The USAMO series will be a definite spike for you if you make it into the top 1000-2000 rankings. The best resource to train for the USAMO series is The Art of Problem Solving. If you’re good at tests and competitions, but not math, the rest of this section is for you. Intel ISEF There are also many students who are strong in STEM but aren't at their best when solving timed problems. Some students get anxious from the pressure while others just don’t do well on tests, even if they’re brilliant at STEM. These students might be found writing their own computer program for months at a time or working on a science experiment for weeks. If this sounds like you, the prestigious competition you should consider is the Intel ISEF. Like most science fairs, the ISEF requires you to do research and then present it in a competition. Unlike most science fairs though, the ISEF is the premier science fair across the entire United States. While winning your high school’s local science fair is like winning a 100-meter dash in your town, winning the ISEF is like winning the 100-meter dash in the Olympics. You can’t apply directly to the ISEF. Instead, you have to start out first in a regional science fair, and, if you do well at that, you can advance into the next ISEF rounds. You can read about their judging criteria hereand about a real winner’s experiences here. Some of the key factors to winning include being innovative and original. You have to be rigorous, but not nearly to the degree of professional science research. Being interesting is the name of the ISEF game. What does awinning ISEF project look like?Here’s an excerpt from a press release ona recent winner: Raymond Wang, 17, of Canada, was awarded first place for engineering a new air inlet system for airplane cabins to improve air quality and curb disease transmission at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, a program of Society for Science the Public. Wang’s system improves the availability of fresh air in the cabin by more than 190 percent while reducing pathogen inhalation concentrations by up to 55 times compared to conventional designs, and can be easily and economically incorporated in existing airplanes. Wang received the Gordon E. Moore Award of US$75,000, named in honor of the Intel co-founder and fellow scientist. Watch the incredible video here! To showoriginality for the ISEF, it matters that you tackle a problem that is interesting to the scientific community. Since few high school students have a good overview of the academic science literature, it is important for any student to have a professional academic scientist or engineer be their mentor. This will ensure that you work on a problem the field considers important. Also, good mentors with previous experience will know which problems can be done by students and which would be too complicated or time-consuming. After you choose your field and mentor, having the tenacity and focus to put your creative thinking towards the problem is key. Students who have historically had a lot of trouble stayingfocused or finishing projects should be wary. To get started, you can sign up for the ISEF here. With the USAMO, doing well on SAT Math is a good predictor of performance; being fast and being good on tests is important. With the ISEF, tenacity and the ability to stick with a project for hundreds or even thousands of hours from start to finish is important. Ranking in the top hundred for ISEF qualifies that as a spike for you. Other Options for Spikes Beyond the top two STEM competitions above, the number of competitions begins to increase dramatically. In the sciences, you have the Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Informatics (Computer Science) Olympiads. These competitions require you to work with logic very intelligently, and all require memorizing and being familiar with some facts. I’ll eventually have another article on these series (I personally participated in each one while in high school), but for now here’s a quick overview. Math Olympiad is special because it’s the most competitive, with the highest number of people taking the first round. Because so many people prep for the Math Olympiad, the field has changed so that a good part of doing well on it is having tons of practice, so you know immediately which equations you need to pull out when you see a particular mathematical expression. Biology requires the most memorization. In fact, most of the beginning rounds are all about recalling the text of Campbell Biology in a timed fashion. Chemistry is a happy mixture ofusing logic to solve problems and memorizing a moderate list of information to help solve those problems. The hands-on portion of Chemistry and Biology require you to be good at following memorized procedures. On the other hand, Physics and Informatics have a lot of hands-on sections that really require resourcefulness and novel problem solving. In these other competitions, I would say qualifying for the top 20-40 makes the competitio n a spike for you in the eyes of Stanford. Further, not all spikes need to be in explicitly ranked fields. You could discover a new protein with significance to medical research. There wouldn’t necessarily be a competition for the discovery, but if the discovery is qualitatively stunning enough, it can count. For Stanford’s spike, you can brainstorm an amazing discovery: perhaps a biological process, an electrical engineering discovery, or something else. You can also build something new: whether it’s an awesome computer program, a cool robot, or a fun electronics project. You should make sure that the project is impressive though. For example, make sure that qualitatively the project would feel â€Å"as good or better† as ranking 1000 or better on the Math Olympiad. Stanford is all about engineering, and they would love to see you build something of your own. There are many other competitions and ways to show off your special skill within the STEM fields. Generally, beyond the top few listed above, you can also brainstorm your own fields. Once you have a competition or field in mind, it’s useful to evaluate how prestigious it is. Remember, the less prestigious a field, the higher you have to rank to be afforded the same credit. To estimate prestige, first look at how many people participate - the more people who participate, the more prestigious. Second, look at the skills of the average participant: the more skilled people coming in, the more prestigious it is. Using this method, you can find spikes outside of the set ones above. Conclusion Stanford is one of the most difficult universities to get into, as are UC Berkeley and Cornell. However, all of them follow the same pattern of being a highly-ranked school with a slight engineering tilt, and all have a common admissions pattern. Because these schools are highly-ranked, it’s critical to keep in mind the three truths: 1) you need high baseline academics, SATs above 600 and ideally 750 in each section; 2) you need to have a diverse set of extracurriculars that you’re decent at; and 3) you need to have one â€Å"spike† area where you’re ranked top 100-1000. Dispel these two myths: 1) Stanford admissions is all about academics; and 2) Stanford wants you to be as evenly well-rounded as possible. Keep in mind that Stanford has a STEM (engineering) tilt. This means that, if your focus is outside STEM, you should be the best you can be in that area and, if appropriate, tie your work into potential interdisciplinary work with STEM. If you are in STEM, you’ll want to strongly consider pursuing success in a competition to show off the degree of your skill. What's Next? Strong standardized test scores are an important part of your Stanford application. Want more tips for test prep?We have lots of guides for SAT prep and ACT prep! Aiming for a top score?Learn how to perfect your score on the SAT or ACT! Do you already have great extracurriculars?Check out ourcollege admissions and test prepguide designed specially for students like you!

Modern fiction for children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Modern fiction for children - Essay Example The author gives the text to the publisher who, in turn, oversees its production and its shipment to the sellers. When the bookseller makes the book available to the public, this completes the life cycle or circuit since the reader can influence the author before and after the composition. This cycle, in the case of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is complicated because before the publisher, the literary agent affects the narrative produced. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’s two English language publishers in the UK and the US took the book’s text and made very different books, although the story remained as it was (Whited, 2009). The text’s presentation, therefore, is able to alter the public’s perception of her narrative, although this may be very subtle. This essay seeks to discuss the way in which the book’s production, enhanced its contents and led to the universal success of Harry Potter and the Philosopherâ₠¬â„¢s Stone. In the creation of all books, the beginning is the transformation of the book’s manuscript into a product that can be marketed. While J.K. Rowling claimed that the book was written for her consumption and not for children, she did eventually decide to have it published and sent her work to her agents (Whited, 2009). The agency she used was renowned for choosing writers with good commercial value, such as writers like Anna Pasternak, Alistair MacLean, and A.J. Quenelle. The agent, Christopher Little, did not normally deal with children’s books as he did not believe in their commercial value. However, his contract with J.K. Rowling is probably his most profitable and accumulated at least 15% of gross earnings for the British home market and 20% in the US, film, and translational deals (Whited, 2009). What the emphasis of Little’s agency on profitable business practice indicates is how the agent influences the manuscripts. Two of his assistants thought that the presented chapters were unusual to a sufficient degree to warrant his interest. However, they insisted that there should be two changes in enhancement of the narrative. One of them was that Neville Longbottom’s character needed extra development and that Quidditch, the wizard sport, needed to play a bigger role since it could appeal more to boys as a game with the rules included in the book (Rana, 2009). This alteration was significant as it indicates the manner in which the book’s agency saw the narrative. In the majority of novels aimed at schoolchildren, sport plays a major part, and the focus of the sport and its necessity, for detail, suggests that the agency saw the book as a sure bet for the school-story model (Rana, 2009). There were also doubts as to how popular the book would be; whether it would generate high sales. This was not because of the book’s contents, but because while girls were accustomed to reading books authored by men, boys wer e less likely to read books written by a woman (Mullen, 2010). As girls are avid readers compared to boys, there was a need to increase the popularity of the book for boys. This led to Rowling agreeing to publish Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and her other subsequent books as J.K. Rowling, rather than Joanne Rowling. These alterations show the agent’s concern for popularity among a diverse audience. This also indicates how the original text had to be altered with the aim of increasing its

Full case study in Jobber, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2012)Principles

Full in Jobber, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2012)Principles and Practice of Marketing(7thed). London, McGraw-Hil - Case Study Example This would reveal the extent to which the company followed the formal process of marketing planning. Dixons was a product oriented company when it stated its journey in electrical retail segment. Their followed the strategy â€Å"stack-em high – sell-em cheap in brightly coloured stores.† This strategy validated the fact that Dixons focused more towards selling good product in well-designed stores, but customer satisfaction was overlooked and it did not occupy centre position in the strategic approach of the company. A general formal marketing planning process is segregated into four parts that is goal setting, analysing present situations, create marketing strategies and allocate the marketing monitoring system and resources. In the goal setting segment companies set their mission and objectives. Dixons also established its mission to stock products and sell them in brightly coloured stores. Their objective was to offer variety of products and generate lucrative return s. However, the company missed customer service, which its competitors took advantage of. So it can be said that Dixons followed the first step of marketing planning process. The second step is to analyse current situation. The company came to know about its drawbacks during the economic crisis in 2006. It identified that there were major threats of recession in the global market and its competitors Best Buy started grabbing market share by providing better services to customers. At this juncture, Dixons revolutionised its move towards customers. This proves that the company followed the second step of marketing planning process too. The third step is to create marketing strategies, which Dixons rolled out in order to face the intense competition. It can be also called a transformation strategy of the company because it changed the focus of the company from being product oriented to customer oriented. The new business model also re-defined five specific objectives for the company. T he fourth and final stage was to allocate resources and monitor the plan. The major focus was now on after-sales and support and customer choice, value and service was the major function in the new business model. This discussion proves how Dixons followed and applied marketing planning process for devising the strategies (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2012). Answer 2 Business functions are those operations that are performed in a routine manner to achieve the business objectives of the organisation. In retail chains like Dixons, there are various business functions that they perform such as selling, which include sales, marketing, distribution or logistics, research and development. In supporting functions, activities like purchasing, human resource management, etc are performed. However, these are the internal functions, while the external business function in relation to these functions are advertising, market research, recruitment among others. In this part of the report will throw light on the business functions that supported the marketing plan of Dixons to become a success (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2012). Before the transformation strategy came into existence, Dixons specifically focused on distribution, supply, purchase and sales. However, after implementing the transformation strategy marketing strategies were enhanced and objectives were altered to develop competitive advantage. According to the new business

What factors contributed to success (or not) of these major building Essay - 1

What factors contributed to success (or not) of these major building projects - Essay Example A good construction plan is the basis for developing the budget and the schedule for work. Developing the construction plan is a critical task in the management of construction, even if the plan is not written or otherwise formally recorded. (bpo.knowledgehills.com). In managing a construction project, it is common to adopt primary emphasis on three basic elements, namely, task, resource and time. They are interrelated, and any alteration in one will affect the other two. The main objective behind time management is to complete the project in minimal time. But this should not be achieved by compromising on the quality or cost factors. It should be taken care that by optimizing performance at any stage does not have an effect on the overall project such that it does not bring in an element of benefit. Even though all these objectives were taken into account while planning The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, some flaws on the part of the managing team brought up a delay in the completion of the project. This was undesirable, in a project of such importance. Until September 2004, the delay that had occurred was as a result of delays with structural steelwork. It was noted that the time required to fabricate massive cruciform steelwork took longer than the estimated time. As all stages of work are interrelated, the delay in the ending of stage one of the construction process, took it’s toll on the starting of stage two, which again caused an unprec edented delay. Further more; to add to the miseries, bad weather was a great hindrance to the smooth proceeding of the activities, thus bringing in more delay. Europes largest glass floor and a glass external lift, â€Å"which caused most of the recent delays to the towers opening date because of safety doubts.†(Lindsay 2005). All these were defects of proper project management, which led to the inefficient utilization of time. All these resulted in the

Management Theory and Environmental Forces Essay

Management Theory and Environmental Forces - Essay Example As the discussion highlights  in the 21st century organisational structure is based on the mutual interest of the various members, so that people work together in a coordinated manner. An organisation needs to work effectively and provide significant value to various stakeholders. The value based management approach is created through the vertical chain in an organisation. Moreover, an organisation needs to decide how much the value derives from the each different players of the chain. The evolution of the notion of the value based management in an organisation is implemented, as firms need to acquire various recourses during operational process.  This paper stresses that personal social connectivity within and outside an organisation   is advocated to enhance collaboration along with reducing the cost of coordination activities in order to ensure that operations are conducted effectively with related knowledge and interest. People in an organisation having a common interest du e to similarity in working procedure, area, and operational objectives will naturally assist in building a successful social network in an organisation. Thus, it is important for an organisation to provide the maximum value that it can provide to satisfy the stakeholders, which ultimately helps them to increase its wealth. Values are the health of any organisation and it is not only preferable, but also very much essential for its long term sustainability.

Do gay athletes affect sports Annotated Bibliography

Do gay athletes affect sports - Annotated Bibliography Example In connection to this, the objective of this paper is therefore to find out how gay athletes affect sports. In order to understand how gay athletes affect sports, I am going to use three sources; Rethinking Homophobia in Sports: Legal Protections for gays and lesbian athletes by Anne Gregory. This article is relevant to this study because it looks at how the law protects gay athletes. For example, it looks at what are the consequences for those who will be found to be intimidating gay athletes. The article is divided into two parts; part 1 looks at the causes of homophobia in sports. While part 2, looks at the legal protections for gays and lesbian athletes. The second article that I will use is the ESPN magazine, which was published in 2013. The magazine conducted a survey on N.F.L players, to find out how many people would agree to have a gay team mate. Therefore, this magazine is very relevant to this study because it shows how players perceive their team mates based on sexuality. The third article is the New York Times magazine, which was published on 18th March, 2013. The article shows what N.F.L top management, has been doing to cope up with the increasing number of gay athletes in its team. Goessling, Ben. â€Å"86 % ok with gay team mate†. ESPN magazine. 14 February, 2014. Web. 28 February, 2014. The ESPN magazine carried out a survey on NTFL players and found out that 86 % of them would accept a gay team mate. According to the source, the players did not see how, the sexuality of their team mate would affect their play. Batista, Judy. â€Å"N.F.L. Is Pressured on Issues of Gay Rights†. The New York Times. 18 March, 2013. The

Management Theory and Environmental Forces Essay

Management Theory and Environmental Forces - Essay Example As the discussion highlights  in the 21st century organisational structure is based on the mutual interest of the various members, so that people work together in a coordinated manner. An organisation needs to work effectively and provide significant value to various stakeholders. The value based management approach is created through the vertical chain in an organisation. Moreover, an organisation needs to decide how much the value derives from the each different players of the chain. The evolution of the notion of the value based management in an organisation is implemented, as firms need to acquire various recourses during operational process.  This paper stresses that personal social connectivity within and outside an organisation   is advocated to enhance collaboration along with reducing the cost of coordination activities in order to ensure that operations are conducted effectively with related knowledge and interest. People in an organisation having a common interest du e to similarity in working procedure, area, and operational objectives will naturally assist in building a successful social network in an organisation. Thus, it is important for an organisation to provide the maximum value that it can provide to satisfy the stakeholders, which ultimately helps them to increase its wealth. Values are the health of any organisation and it is not only preferable, but also very much essential for its long term sustainability.

Meditech surgurical case study Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Meditech surgurical case study - Term Paper Example From all indications, it is clear that Meditech used cost-effective supply chain instead of using a responsive supply chain as it would have more useful when it comes to high innovative products considerations. The supply chain used by the company was customer service oriented and hence the delay. The company has also been facing problems in poor service quality due to strain in its production capacity. The strain in its production capacity made the company experience constant shortage in the introduction of new improved products. It also had problems with high finished goods inventory. It is important for the company to plan on the introduction of a new cycle through the three phases of manufacturing and this should be done two months before the products is marketed to avoid any shortages in the market (Leeman, 150). a. The introduction of new products in Meditech Surgical were totally unplanned for and was done without properly strategizing on it supply chain and production schedules. This was the reason why the arrival of net order in the company was more than its finished goods (FG) inventory. Lack of proper strategies in the introduction of new products led to underestimated productions hence delayed delivery of orders. b. Faulty forecasting and mechanical techniques in the company resulted into a wrong prediction which then resulted in faulty targets (Leeman, 150). The company has had a poor ability to forecast the demand for its new products which then led to underestimation in the new product production. c. Finished goods inventory in the company is almost 40% above the desired levels. High level of finished goods inventory is a clear indication that the goods are not moving in the required rate and that customer orders are not being processed within the stipulated time. d. Meditech Surgical has long organizational structure

Currency War Between China and Usa Essay Example for Free

Currency War Between China and Usa Essay Currency War: Currency war, also known as competitive devaluation, is a condition in international affairs where countries compete against each other to achieve a relatively low exchange rate for their own currency. As the price to buy a particular currency falls so too does the real price of exports from the country. Imports become more expensive too, so domestic industry, and thus employment, receives a boost in demand both at home and abroad. However, the price increase in imports can harm citizens purchasing power. The policy can also trigger retaliatory action by other countries which in turn can lead to a general decline in international trade, harming all countries. Reasons of Currency War Between USA and China: Competitive devaluation has been rare through most of history as countries have generally preferred to maintain a high value for their currency,but it happens when devaluation occur. China keeps its dollar artificially low so that countries like the US will buy its goods. China is the USs largest trading partner and if they didnt sell their goods for super cheap, markets like India would be able to under cut the Chinese and then the US would buy goods from Indian instead of China. There is so much trade between China and the US that China profits immensely without needing its Yuan to appreciate. This of course hurts the average Chinese person in that their labour is devalued but it beneficial for the country as a whole as it has quickly become a super power economicaly. In 2008, a trader paid one Ghana Cedi for one U.S. dollar, but at the beginning of April 2012, the same trader travelling to Dubai paid GH ¢1.74 for one U.S. dollar. This means that year-on-year decline in the value of cedi against the US dollar was 74 per cent over a three-year period. A point to note is that during the global economic crises of 2008-2009, the cedi depreciated by 25 per cent against the dollar. Between 2010 and 2011, the cedi again depreciated 18.5 per cent against the US dollar. For last month, the cedi exchange rate depreciated 4.29 percent against the US dollar. So is the current downward slide in the cedi value as a result of the slowdown in the global economy or due to internal structural weaknesses? This question requires a detailed research work beyond the scope of this article but it is a very relevant question to ask at this time. In economics, depreciation is basically the symptoms of an underlying problem, specifically imbalances in the Balance of Payment (BOP), emanating from excess demand for dollars. So instead of discussing the depreciating cedi, I will rather focus my attention on the causes or factors that cause currency to depreciate and what the government can do to arrest this problem in special cases. Before then, I must let readers know the difference between currency fluctuation and depreciation. Fluctuations in currency value are a common event and are usually no cause for concern. The minor daily increases and decreases in value are generally due to â€Å"random walk† and not due to an economic event or fundamental problems. However, changes in currency value become significant when the decline in value of the currency is an ongoing trend. Technically, when currency depreciates, it loses value and purchasing power, with impact on the real sectors of the economy. Although, the economic effects of a lower cedi take time to happen, there are time lags between a change in the exchange rate and changes in commodity prices. Factors that determine the value of a currency include the current state of the overall economy, inflation, trade balance (the difference between the value of export and import), level of political stability, etc. Occasionally, external factors like currency speculations on the foreign exchange market can also contribute to depreciation of the local currency. Such being the case, a government can intervene into the foreign exchange market to support its national currency and suppress the process of depreciation. Currency depreciation can positively impact the overall economic development, though. It boosts competitiveness through lower export costs and secures more income from exported goods in a similar way devaluation does. On the contrary, depreciation makes imports more expensive and discourages purchases of imported goods stimulating demand for domestically manufactured goods. Globally, governments intentionally influence the value of their currency utilising the powerful tool of the base interest rates, which are usually set by the countrys central bank and this tool is often used to intentionally depreciate the currency rates to encourage exports. Factors that can cause a currency to depreciate are: Supply and Demand †¢ Just as with goods and services, the principles of supply and demand apply to the appreciation and depreciation of currency values. If a country injects new currency into its economy, it increases the money supply. When there is more money circulating in an economy, there is less demand. This depreciates the value of the currency. On the other hand, when there is a high domestic or foreign demand for a countrys currency, the currency appreciates in value. Inflation †¢ Inflation occurs when the general prices of goods and services in a country increase. Inflation causes the value of the cedi to depreciate, reducing purchasing power. If there is rampant inflation, then a currency will depreciate in value. What causes inflation? †¢ Printing Money. Note printing money does not always cause inflation. It will occur when the money supply is increased faster than the growth of real output. †¢ Note: the link between printing money and causing inflation is not straightforward. The money supply does not just depend on the amount the government prints. †¢ Large National Debt. To finance large national debts, governments often print money and this can cause inflation. Economic Outlook If a countrys economy is in a slow growth or recessionary phase, the value of their currency depreciates. The value of a countrys currency also depreciates if its major economic indicators like retail sales and Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, are declining. A high and/or rising unemployment rate can also depreciate currency value because it indicates an economic slowdown. If a countrys economy is in a strong growth period, the value of their currency appreciates. Trade Deficit A trade deficit occurs when the value of goods a country imports is more than the value of goods it exports. When the trade deficit of a country increases, the value of the domestic currency depreciates against the value of the currency of its trading partners. The demand for imports should fall as imports become more expensive. However, some imports are essential for production or cannot be made in the country and have an inelastic demand—we end up spending more on these when the exchange rate falls in value. This can cause the balance of payments to worsen in the short run (a process known as the J curve effect) Collapse of Confidence If there is a collapse of confidence in an economy or financial sector, this will lead to an outflow of currency as people do not want to risk losing their currency. Therefore, this causes an outflow of capital and depreciation in the exchange rate. Collapse in confidence can be due to political or economic factors. Price of Commodities if an economy depends on exports of raw materials, a fall in the price of this raw material can cause a fall in export revenue and depreciation in the exchange rate. For example, in 2011, a ton of cocoa sold for US4,000 per ton. Currently, it is going for US$2,300 per ton, translating into fewer inflows of dollars. Interest rate Differential I will use the International Fischer Effect to explain the relationship between the expected change in the current exchange rate between the cedi and the dollar, which is approximately equivalent to the difference between Ghana and US’ nominal interest rates for that time. For example, if the average interest rate in Ghana for 2011 was 24 per cent and for US was three per cent, then the dollar should appreciate roughly 21 per cent or the cedi must depreciate 21 per cent compared to the dollar to restore parity. The rationale for the IFE is that a country with a higher interest rate will also tend to have a higher inflation rate. This increased amount of inflation should cause the currency in the country with the high interest rate to depreciate against a country with lower interest rates. Market Speculations Market speculations can contribute to a process of spiraling depreciation after smaller market players decide to follow the example of the leading dealers, the so-called market makers, and after they lost confidence in a particular currency start to sell it in bulk amounts. Then only a quick reaction of the countrys central bank can restore the confidence of investors and stop the currency rates of the nations currency from continuous decline. When the currency depreciation is based on market speculations, in other words, not backed by fundamental economic factors, then the central bank comes to the rescue- intervene. A sterilised intervention against depreciation can only be effective in the medium term if the underlying cause behind the currencys loss of value can be addressed. If the cause was a speculative attack based on political uncertainty this can potentially be resolved. Because after a sterilised intervention the money supply remains unchanged at its high level, the locally available interest rates can still be relatively low, so the carry trade continues and if it still wants to prevent depreciation the central bank has to intervene again. This can only go on so long before the bank runs out of foreign currency reserves. In conclusion, currency depreciation is the result of fundamental deficiencies with the domestic economy which must be corrected over a period of time to restore balance. However, where the depreciation is out of speculative attacks on the currency, then the central bank can intervene to correct the temporary anomalies, which, often is short term in nature. Lastly, intervention in the foreign exchange market by the central bank to correct fundamental weaknesses, just like the Ghanaian situation will not work, because, very soon, the central bank will run out of international reserves; hence, the cedi must therefore seek its equilibrium level. The writer is an economic consultant and former Assistant Professor of Finance and Economics at Alabama State University. Montgomery, Alabama. Currency War in the Great Depression During the Great Depression of the 1930s, most countries abandoned the gold standard, resulting in currencies that no longer had intrinsic value. With widespread high unemployment, devaluations became common. Effectively, nations were competing to export unemployment, a policy that has frequently been described as beggar thy neighbour.[30] However, because the effects of a devaluation would soon be counteracted by a corresponding devaluation by trading partners, few nations would gain an enduring advantage. On the other hand, the fluctuations in exchange rates were often harmful for international traders, and global trade declined sharply as a result, hurting all economies. The exact starting date of the 1930s currency war is open to debate.[23] The three principal parties were Great Britain, France, and the United States. For most of the 1920s the three generally had coinciding interests, both the US and France supported Britains efforts to raise Sterlings value against market forces. Collaboration was aided by strong personal friendships among the nations central bankers, especially between Britains Montagu Norman and Americas Benjamin Strong until the latters early death in 1928. Soon after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, France lost faith in Sterling as a source of value and begun selling it heavily on the markets. From Britains perspective both France and the US were no longer playing by the rules of the gold standard. Instead of allowing gold inflows to increase their money supplies (which would have expanded those economies but reduced their trade surpluses) France and the US began sterilising the inflows, building up hoards of gold. These factors contributed to the Sterling crises of 1931; in September of that year Great Britain substantially devalued and took the pound off the gold standard. For several years after this global trade was disrupted by competitive devaluation. The currency war of the 1930s is generally considered to have ended with the Tripartite monetary agreement of 1936.

PESTEL Analysis of Nokia

PESTEL Analysis of Nokia Business is all about improving, adjusting and surviving and companies face with diverse environment which is beyond the control of the business such as Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal, which is changing rapidly, rather than being rigid. It is very important for business organizations to be sensitive and aware of its business environment in which it operates. Business environment refers to those factors and variables that can influence and affect operation of a business organization. For instance, Nokia is one of the successful mobile phone companies that was affected by the technological environment and have experienced a significant fiasco. Big market leaders such as Apple and Android crushed Nokia, however it was recognized that Nokia is adaptive company and they try their force in another field. But all Nokia’s efforts to adapt wasn’t so powerful, so company fail in adaptation process. This example may show how Nokia encountered with technological environment and made effort to adapt that challenge. So in this essay I am going to write about PESTLE analysis which could show diverse external effects on business and for the better understanding here is video about PESTEL analysis[1]. PESTEL analysis Francis J. Aguilar: In 1967, there was a mention of Aguilar in Scanning the Business Environment, where he discussed the environmental factors affecting a business. He gave them the acronym ETPS to indicate the Economic, Technical, Political, and Social factors. PESTEL analysis is a simple and effective tool used in situation analysis to identify the key external (macro environment level) forces that might affect an organization. These forces can create both opportunities and threats for an organization. According to the research three main and essential business environments Political, Technological, and Environmental that managers should pay attention and adjust to them. The political environment could change as a result of the actions and policies of governments at all levels, from the local level to the federal level. It is becoming very important issue, which includes globalization and creates a risk. Businesses need to be prepared to deal with the fallouts of government politics. As for example, aviation industry have been affected by Political environment, Malaysia airlines flight MH17 have been crashed in Ukraine with 298 passengers and crew. It is the second accident that happened after MH 370, which went missing. Day of the vision of accident Boeing 777 presented the Defense Ministry of Russia there have led a number of arguments in favor of the version that the plane was shot down by a Ukrainian military. According to the Office, Boeing, while over the Donetsk region, has deviated from the corridor of the airway and was at 14 km to the north. Further, flying past Gorlovka liner tried to return to the route, but the boundaries of his airway did not have time to get, and was crashed of its limits. Ukraine nowadays has political issues and civil war, and this all circumstances has impact on aviation industry in Malaysia, MH370s disappearance had a dramatic impact on its first-quarter results, with cancelled bookings helping push the company to a loss of 443 million ringgit (US$140 million). State fund Khazanah Nasional, which holds the airlines purse strings, said in June it would announce a plan to revive the carrier within six to 12 months. Malaysia Airlines had already raked in losses amounting to US$1.3 billion over the previous three years. So all this political games may arouse risk for aviation industry and bring considerable material losses. All in all, technology has always been and continues to be the greatest change agent of our civilization. And technology is leading the most important revolution in business. It is changing at a fast pace and it ´s creating new trends in the marketplace. (Australian authorities have demanded an explanation about the Russian plane crash in Ukraine, 2014) According to Harvard Business Review 3D printers will change the world and business as well. 3D printer machine that produces objects of any shape, on the spot and as needed, really is ushering in a new era. Goods will be infinitely more customized, because altering them won’t require retooling, only tweaking the instructions in the software. Creativity in meeting individuals’ needs will come to the fore, just as quality control did in the age of rolling out sameness. These first-order implications will cause businesses all along the supply, manufacturing, and retailing chains to rethink their strategies and operations. And a second-order implication will have even greater impact. As 3-D printing takes hold, the factors that have made China the workshop of the world will lose much of their force. China has grabbed outsourced-manufacturing contracts from every mature economy by pushing the mass-manufacturing model to its limit. It not only aggregates enough demand to cre ate unprecedented efficiencies of scale but also minimizes a key cost: labor. China will have to give up on being the mass-manufacturing powerhouse of the world. This new technology will change again how the business leans. (3D Printers Will Soon Change The World, If Its Not Strangled In A Lawyered Up World, 2014). Another factor as Environmental may affect to business and research shows that the environmental impact of doing business costs the global economy $4.7 trillion a year. For example, severe floods in Australia in 2010 to 2011 resulted in more than $350 million in claims to re-insurer Munich Re, which contributed to a 38 percent quarterly drop in profit for the company. The same period of extreme weather in Australia contributed to a loss of $245 million. Furthermore water is one of the consequential environmental factor that impacts on business. Water management is of critical concern to business, from access issues that disrupt production, to tightening legislation over water quality and increasing costs associated with allocations. In a recent interview with theFinancial Times, Nestlà © Chairman Peter Brabeck suggested water access and management now comprise a more urgent concern for contemporary business even than climate change, which gains so much political attention. So, above mentioned macro environmental factors that is modifying swiftly will invent influences that could bring success or fail and different companies went over it in their own strategy. There is examples of case studies, such as Amway in China, Jessop’s photographic retailer. Following to the article in Harvard Business Review, the president of Amway Company Doug DeVos is reinventing the business to succeed in China. One of the biggest lessons that the company learned that as they have grown around the world is that a true understanding of the market- place, including culture, the economics, the politics, and the people, is essential. Amway entered Asia in 1974, with the opening of Hong Kong and by 1998 China was a $200 million operation and growing fast. However, Chinese government was becoming unhappy with the actions of some direct sellers. Issues related to product quality, reliability, and our trust were rampant. Chinese officials needed to protect consumers and to put a stop to unethical practices. But the action government pursued was extreme: outlawing direct selling and punishing legitimate as well as unethical sellers. And now it appeared that Amway could be put out of business, despite their commitment to and investment to China operation. Howe ver Amway started to change operations to accommodate Chine’s new regulations. Company created a physical stores, something that they had never done before. That meant selling products to people who came in off the street again not their usual way of doing business. Typically when Amway enters to a new country, they import products from United States. But for China they manufacture goods there, so company have changed their entire distributer compensation system. Also Amway couldn’t rely on word-of-mouth that drives direct sales, choosing to do brand advertising. In short they had to overhaul nearly everything. In 2005 legislation was passed that would allow Amway to return to direct sales business model. Company received new license to do business in China in 2006. And today China is largest market, with more than $4 billion in annual sales. From this we could recognize that Chinese political environment create risk and changed business structure. (â€Å"Amwayâ€℠¢s president on reinventing the business to succeed in China†, 2014, p. 41-45). Second, the company is the UK’s premier photographic retailer operating from over 200 stores around the UK. The photography and imaging business has experienced considerable change in recent years. Technology has beenat the front of this change. New digital cameras and digital media enable ordinary people to take high-quality photographs. These images can be quickly edited and altered. The digital camera market has expanded quickly as a result. For example, as more mobile phones come fitted with good quality built-in cameras, sales in standalone digital cameras have begun to fall. The development of the internet is also having an impact on the market. More customers are using the internet for shopping. Increasingly, people use social media to share images online on sites such as Facebook and Flicker. Many people upload images from their mobile phones onto a social media site. By consuming and sharing images in this way, there is less demand for print copies. Sales of digital p rints are declining by 10% a year. Following to case study there some technological solutions that company has done: Jessop’s have come up with technological solutions in response to these changes. The company is responding by providing products and services that reflect the way that customers take, use and distribute photos: Customers are now able to print images taken from social media or other websites. These images can be printed in a variety of sizes and shapes. They can be compiled in photo books. Selected images can be printed on canvas, acrylic and aluminum. Customers can incorporate their images in gifts such as calendars, posters and greetings cards. Jessop’s has an integrated service for images created on mobile phones and loaded onto social media sites. These developments, alongside a wider range of products, improved online functionality and consumer finance with an instant decision, have resulted in rapid growth of Jessop’s’ online business. In fact, its .com business has trebled in size over the last 3 years. By using wide-format printers, customers will be able to have wall art printed on site within the hour. New kiosk technology will enable customers to convert old videos and films to digital formats, with results saved to Blu-ray Disc or DVD. Finally, company abided technological environment and tried to stay in market. In conclusion, market leaders and new organizations strive to build a strong and sustainable strategy which could yield prosper to their internal environment of business. While they should take into account external environment which is unpredictable and could ruin company’s future or establish benefit to new level of development. [1] See video clip 1 at CD attached at the back