What Is the Median in Statistics

It’s the midnight showing of the newest hit movie. People are lined up outside the theater waiting to get in. Suppose you’re asked to find the center of the line. How would you do this? There are a couple of different ways to go about solving this problem. In the end you would have to figure out how many people were in the line, and then take half of that number. If the total number is even, then the center of the line would be between two people. If the total number is odd, then the center would be a single person. You may ask, What does finding the center of a line have to do with statistics? This idea of finding the center is exactly what is used when calculating the median of a set of data. What Is the Median? The median is one of the three primary ways to find the average of statistical data. It is harder to calculate than the mode, but not as labor intensive as calculating the mean. It is the center in much the same way as finding the center of a line of people. After listing the data values in ascending order, the median is the data value with the same number of data values above it and below it. Case One: An Odd Number of Values Eleven batteries are tested to see how long they last. Their lifetimes, in hours, are given by 10, 99, 100, 103, 103, 105, 110, 111, 115, 130, 131. What is the median lifetime? Since there is an odd number of data values, this corresponds to a line with an odd number of people. The center will be the middle value. There are eleven data values, so the sixth one is in the center. Therefore median battery life is the sixth value in this list, or 105 hours. Note that the median is one of the data values. Case Two: An Even Number of Values Twenty cats are weighed. Their weights, in pounds, are given by 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10, 10, 10, 11, 12, 12, 13. What is the median feline weight? Since there is an even number of data values, this corresponds to the line with an even number of people. The center is between the two middle values. In this case the center is between the tenth and eleventh data values. To find the median we calculate the mean of these two values, and obtain (78)/2 7.5. Here the median is not one of the data values. Any Other Cases? The only two possibilities are to have an even or odd number of data values. So the above two examples are the only possible ways to calculate the median. Either the median will be the middle value, or the median will be the mean of the two middle values. Typically data sets are much larger than the ones that we looked at above, but the process of finding the median is the same as these two examples. The Effect of Outliers The mean and mode are highly sensitive to outliers. What this means is that the presence of an outlier will dramatically affect both of these measures of the center. One advantage of the median is that it is not influenced as much by an outlier. To see this, consider the data set 3, 4, 5, 5, 6. The mean is (34556)/5 4.6, and the median is 5. Now keep the same data set, but add the value 100: 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 100. Clearly 100 is an outlier, as it is much greater than all of the other values. The mean of the new set is now (34556100)/6 20.5. However, the median of the new set is 5. Although the Application of the Median Due to what we have seen above, the median is the preferred measure of average when the data contains outliers. When incomes are reported, a typical approach is to report the median income. This is done because the mean income is skewed by a small number of people with very high incomes (think Bill Gates and Oprah).

African American And Middle Eastern Slavery - 963 Words

A common occurrence in the twentieth century historiography of American and Middle Eastern slavery is to downplay the significance of African societies as major players in the international trade network, while ignoring the slave trade’s effect on cultures throughout Africa. Paul Lovejoy attempts to highlight these connections by examining how the demand for slaves in the export market altered local political economies and drastically changed the practice of slavery throughout Africa. Transformations in Slavery: A History of Slavery in Africa is a synthesis work, covering multiple regions of the continent over a span of five hundred years, beginning in the fifteenth century. It is an impressive piece of historical scholarship that describes the ripple effect made by the international slave trade on nearly every society in Africa, even those with limited European contact. Despite several intriguing and logical arguments, the book displays moments of inconsistency. His definitio n of a slave is too narrow for his application of it, his synthesis approach results in frequent generalizations, and by assuming total domination of the enslaver over the enslaved he denies any possibility of slave agency. Lovejoy’s definition of slavery changes based on his needs, and he rarely applies it to his analysis of Africa’s internal market. Sometimes it is rather limited, leaving the reader to wonder if any but the harsher slave societies would qualify, while in practice, particularly whenShow MoreRelatedRacial Profiling : The National Institute Of Justice Essay1311 Words   |  6 Pagesback to slavery. Racial profiling has recently started being recorded, which is why it has become such a huge national issue today, because people can no longer ignore it. This issue is not specific to one race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin. 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Bouncers Essay Free Essays

BOUNCERS BOUNCERS John Godber’s play, ‘BOUNCERS,’ was written and performed in the year 1977 and captures the generalised stereotypes of a group of Bouncers, Girls and ‘Lagalads’ on a night out in the town. With only four members in the cast, Godber cleverly directs the performance to be comedic and easily understandable through the actors’ characterisation and clever use of lighting and set. The play takes you through a typical Friday night in town at a club called ‘asylum,’ which creates a strong reference suggesting it is a place where all the ‘crazy’ people go. We will write a custom essay sample on Bouncers Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now It begins with each of the four bouncers individually walking on stage with a solid posture as a Bouncer. Each one would then suddenly break out into a dance move; the first bouncer was able to ‘lock and pop’ really well and as each one came out, the worse they got, immediately connecting with the audience as they found it hilarious. This is one of Godber’s techniques to keep the audience engaged at all times, as jokes are told that the audience understand and can relate to, ultimately making the performance more enjoyable for both the actors and audience. The play then continues on to tell the story in episodes due to its episodic structure, about a group of four girls who are preparing for a night out. Godber’s use of clean transitions allowed the plot to unfold fluently; the only four objects on stage (four beer barrels), were collected by the actors whilst they spoke, and two actors collected a beer barrel each to be placed into the centre of the stage acting as chairs and then would continue on to the next scene, making it clear to the audience that there was a scene change by introducing the characters they were representing. This is one of Godber’s techniques that was influenced by Bertolt Brecht, which is used to stop the audience thinking about what the characters are like and just concentrate on the performance. The lighting between transitions also indicated that there was a scene change, as it would either the whole stage would either be brightly lit or dimmer and more intimate, which is another influence of Brecht’s, as he would contrast and juxtaposition scenes. I found that by introducing the characters, the audience were able to enjoy he performance as they were constantly told who the actors were representing and didn’t get confused. However, I found that because the characterisation between each of the character’s they played was so different and you were able to differentiate between each one easily, the constant introductions were unnecessary. The acting style for all of the actors was very comedic throughout the play. This was portrayed extremely effectively, as their slick comedic timing between lines was fast and sharp making it very humorous. The characterisation of each of the characters also added to the comedy, especially when they were representing the female characters, as their bodies were very relaxed and they used exaggerated feminine gestures. Additionally, their versatile use of vocals created even further humour, as they could be loud and raucous ‘lagalads,’ contrasting to soft and gentle women and this created a lot of enjoyment for the audience, keeping them engaged throughout the whole play. Godber’s choice of a completely open setting worked effectively for this type of performance. The entertainment in the play was purely created by actors themselves, and the set didn’t detract away from this but emphasised it. By being completely open, the audience are able to see the good quality of acting the actors could do as they didn’t have any support from any sort of set. The lighting however, set the scene as much as the actors, as the flashing and changing lights indicated that they were dancing in the club, whereas the solid flickering lights positioned on each actor clearly and effectively indicated that they were portraying a scene on a bus. This scene was also clear due to the actors jiggering up and down and miming holding on to a handle bar above their heads. This effective scene was one of my personal highlights of the play as it was a very clever technique used by Godber and was clearly recognised. My other favourite scene was the hairdressers near the beginning, and particularly in that scene one of the actors using their hands and clicking their fingers behind someone’s another actors head representing a pair of scissors cutting someone’s hair. I found this extremely effective and easily recognisable. I particularly liked the transition between the hairdressers scene into the barbers immediately after, as all of the actors simply stood up out of character and said ‘Barber’s,’ indicating the scene change, and this was emphasised by the physicality dropping from the women into loud and scrambling men. I thoroughly enjoyed ‘BOUNCERS’ due to it’s comedy style and the actor’s excellent acting. As it was very up to date with the choice of music and clubbing scenes, I could engage with the play easily as it is what I am being brought up around in society today and this slowed me to enjoy it even further. How to cite Bouncers Essay, Essay examples

Financial Management of Theory and Practice - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Financial Management of Theory and Practice. Answer: Analysis of the Income Statement In order to evaluate the common size income statement of Microsoft for last three years in order to report on change in net income due to change in expenses there is need to carry out the trend analysis. Trend analyses are of two types, horizontal trend analysis and vertical trend analysis. Below are vertical and horizontal trend analyses (Horngren, 2012): INCOME STATEMENT Particulars 2015-06 2016-06 2017-06 USD in millions except per share data Revenue $ 93,580.00 $ 85,320.00 $ 89,950.00 Cost of revenue $ 33,038.00 $ 32,780.00 $ 34,261.00 Gross profit $ 60,542.00 $ 52,540.00 $ 55,689.00 Operating expenses Research and development $ 12,046.00 $ 11,988.00 $ 13,037.00 Sales, General and administrative $ 20,324.00 $ 19,260.00 $ 20,020.00 Restructuring, merger and acquisition Other operating expenses $ 10,011.00 $ 1,110.00 $ 306.00 Total operating expenses $ 42,381.00 $ 32,358.00 $ 33,363.00 Operating income $ 18,161.00 $ 20,182.00 $ 22,326.00 Interest Expense $ 781.00 $ 1,243.00 $ 2,222.00 Other income (expense) $ 1,127.00 $ 812.00 $ 3,045.00 Income before taxes $ 18,507.00 $ 19,751.00 $ 23,149.00 Provision for income taxes $ 6,314.00 $ 2,953.00 $ 1,945.00 Net income $ 12,193.00 $ 16,798.00 $ 21,204.00 (Annual Report, 2016 and 2017) INCOME STATEMENT (Vertical Analysis) Particulars 2015-06 2016-06 2017-06 USD in millions except per share data Revenue 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% Cost of revenue 35.30% 38.42% 38.09% Gross profit 64.70% 61.58% 61.91% Operating expenses Research and development 12.87% 14.05% 14.49% Sales, General and administrative 21.72% 22.57% 22.26% Restructuring, merger and acquisition 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% Other operating expenses 10.70% 1.30% 0.34% Total operating expenses 45.29% 37.93% 37.09% Operating income 19.41% 23.65% 24.82% Interest Expense 0.83% 1.46% 2.47% Other income (expense) 1.20% 0.95% 3.39% Income before taxes 19.78% 23.15% 25.74% Provision for income taxes 6.75% 3.46% 2.16% Net income 13.03% 19.69% 23.57% INCOME STATEMENT Horizontal Analysis) Particulars 2015-06 2016-06 2017-06 USD in millions except per share data Revenue 100.00% 91.17% 96.12% Cost of revenue 100.00% 99.22% 103.70% Gross profit 100.00% 86.78% 91.98% Operating expenses Research and development 100.00% 99.52% 108.23% Sales, General and administrative 100.00% 94.76% 98.50% Restructuring, merger and acquisition Other operating expenses 100.00% 11.09% 3.06% Total operating expenses 100.00% 76.35% 78.72% Operating income 100.00% 111.13% 122.93% Interest Expense 100.00% 159.15% 284.51% Other income (expense) 100.00% 72.05% 270.19% Income before taxes 100.00% 106.72% 125.08% Provision for income taxes 100.00% 46.77% 30.80% Net income 100.00% 137.77% 173.90% (Annual Report, 2016 and 2017) Observations for the income Statement Analysis It has been noted that there has been constant increase in cost of good gold as it was 35.30 % of the net sales in year 2015 and increased to 38.42% to net sales in year 2016. So it can be said that increase in percentage of cost of goods sold as against the sales has decreased the net income of the company. Selling and general expenses together termed as operating expenses has decreased a lot in year 2016 as compared to year 2015. In year 2015 operating expenses was 45.29% that was reduced to 37.93 % in year 2016 and 37.09% in year 2017. So it can be said that the decrease in operating expenses has lead to some increase in net income of the company. Depreciation refers to notional expense as it does not lead to cash flow of resources but it impacts the net income of company. There has been increase in depreciation amount year by year that leads to decrease in net income of the company. Taxes are the expenses that are paid to the government and it decreases the net income of the company. In year 2016 and 2017 there has been decrease in tax expenses as compared to year 2015 which leads to increase in net income of the Microsoft in both the years. There has been constant decrease in net income of the company (Brigham Ehrhardt, 2007) Analysis of the Balance Sheet Same horizontal and vertical trend analysis of the balance sheet has been carried down below and various observations are made. BALANCE SHEET Particulars 2015-06 2016-06 2017-06 USD in millions except per share data Assets Current assets Cash Cash and cash equivalents $ 5,595.00 $ 6,510.00 $ 7,663.00 Short-term investments $ 90,931.00 $ 106,730.00 $ 125,318.00 Total cash $ 96,526.00 $ 113,240.00 $ 132,981.00 Receivables $ 17,908.00 $ 18,277.00 $ 19,792.00 Inventories $ 2,902.00 $ 2,251.00 $ 2,181.00 Deferred income taxes $ 1,915.00 Other current assets $ 5,461.00 $ 5,892.00 $ 4,897.00 Total current assets $ 124,712.00 $ 139,660.00 $ 159,851.00 Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment Gross property, plant and equipment $ 32,337.00 $ 38,156.00 $ 47,913.00 Accumulated Depreciation -$ 17,606.00 -$ 19,800.00 -$ 24,179.00 Net property, plant and equipment $ 14,731.00 $ 18,356.00 $ 23,734.00 Equity and other investments $ 12,053.00 $ 10,431.00 $ 6,023.00 Goodwill $ 16,939.00 $ 17,872.00 $ 35,122.00 Intangible assets $ 4,835.00 $ 3,733.00 $ 10,106.00 Other long-term assets $ 2,953.00 $ 3,642.00 $ 6,250.00 Total non-current assets $ 51,511.00 $ 54,034.00 $ 81,235.00 Total assets $ 176,223.00 $ 193,694.00 $ 241,086.00 Liabilities and stockholders' equity Liabilities Current liabilities Short-term debt $ 7,484.00 $ 12,904.00 $ 10,121.00 Accounts payable $ 6,591.00 $ 6,898.00 $ 7,390.00 Taxes payable $ 606.00 $ 580.00 $ 718.00 Accrued liabilities $ 5,096.00 $ 5,264.00 $ 5,819.00 Deferred revenues $ 23,223.00 $ 27,468.00 $ 34,102.00 Other current liabilities $ 6,858.00 $ 6,243.00 $ 6,377.00 Total current liabilities $ 49,858.00 $ 59,357.00 $ 64,527.00 Non-current liabilities Long-term debt $ 27,808.00 $ 40,783.00 $ 76,073.00 Deferred taxes liabilities $ 2,835.00 $ 1,476.00 $ 531.00 Deferred revenues $ 2,095.00 $ 6,441.00 $ 10,377.00 Other long-term liabilities $ 13,544.00 $ 13,640.00 $ 17,184.00 Total non-current liabilities $ 46,282.00 $ 62,340.00 $ 104,165.00 Total liabilities $ 96,140.00 $ 121,697.00 $ 168,692.00 Stockholders' equity Common stock $ 68,465.00 $ 68,178.00 $ 69,315.00 Retained earnings $ 9,096.00 $ 2,282.00 $ 2,648.00 Accumulated other comprehensive income $ 2,522.00 $ 1,537.00 $ 431.00 Total stockholders' equity $ 80,083.00 $ 71,997.00 $ 72,394.00 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 176,223.00 $ 193,694.00 $ 241,086.00 BALANCE SHEET (Vertical Analysis) Particulars 2015-06 2016-06 2017-06 USD in millions except per share data Assets Current assets Cash Cash and cash equivalents 3.17% 3.36% 3.18% Short-term investments 51.60% 55.10% 51.98% Total cash 54.77% 58.46% 55.16% Receivables 10.16% 9.44% 8.21% Inventories 1.65% 1.16% 0.90% Deferred income taxes 1.09% 0.00% 0.00% Other current assets 3.10% 3.04% 2.03% Total current assets 70.77% 72.10% 66.30% Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment Gross property, plant and equipment 18.35% 19.70% 19.87% Accumulated Depreciation -9.99% -10.22% -10.03% Net property, plant and equipment 8.36% 9.48% 9.84% Equity and other investments 6.84% 5.39% 2.50% Goodwill 9.61% 9.23% 14.57% Intangible assets 2.74% 1.93% 4.19% Other long-term assets 1.68% 1.88% 2.59% Total non-current assets 29.23% 27.90% 33.70% Total assets 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% Liabilities and stockholders' equity Liabilities Current liabilities Short-term debt 4.25% 6.66% 4.20% Accounts payable 3.74% 3.56% 3.07% Taxes payable 0.34% 0.30% 0.30% Accrued liabilities 2.89% 2.72% 2.41% Deferred revenues 13.18% 14.18% 14.15% Other current liabilities 3.89% 3.22% 2.65% Total current liabilities 28.29% 30.64% 26.77% Non-current liabilities Long-term debt 15.78% 21.06% 31.55% Deferred taxes liabilities 1.61% 0.76% 0.22% Deferred revenues 1.19% 3.33% 4.30% Other long-term liabilities 7.69% 7.04% 7.13% Total non-current liabilities 26.26% 32.18% 43.21% Total liabilities 54.56% 62.83% 69.97% Stockholders' equity Common stock 38.85% 35.20% 28.75% Retained earnings 5.16% 1.18% 1.10% Accumulated other comprehensive income 1.43% 0.79% 0.18% Total stockholders' equity 45.44% 37.17% 30.03% Total liabilities and stockholders' equity 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% (Annual Report, 2016 and 2017) BALANCE SHEET (Horizontal Analysis) Particulars 2015-06 2016-06 2017-06 USD in millions except per share data Assets Current assets Cash Cash and cash equivalents 100.00% 116.35% 136.96% Short-term investments 100.00% 117.37% 137.82% Total cash 100.00% 117.32% 137.77% Receivables 100.00% 102.06% 110.52% Inventories 100.00% 77.57% 75.16% Deferred income taxes 100.00% 0.00% 0.00% Other current assets 100.00% 107.89% 89.67% Total current assets 100.00% 111.99% 128.18% Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment Gross property, plant and equipment 100.00% 117.99% 148.17% Accumulated Depreciation 100.00% 112.46% 137.33% Net property, plant and equipment 100.00% 124.61% 161.12% Equity and other investments 100.00% 86.54% 49.97% Goodwill 100.00% 105.51% 207.34% Intangible assets 100.00% 77.21% 209.02% Other long-term assets 100.00% 123.33% 211.65% Total non-current assets 100.00% 104.90% 157.70% Total assets 100.00% 109.91% 136.81% Liabilities and stockholders' equity Liabilities Current liabilities Short-term debt 100.00% 172.42% 135.24% Accounts payable 100.00% 104.66% 112.12% Taxes payable 100.00% 95.71% 118.48% Accrued liabilities 100.00% 103.30% 114.19% Deferred revenues 100.00% 118.28% 146.85% Other current liabilities 100.00% 91.03% 92.99% Total current liabilities 100.00% 119.05% 129.42% Non-current liabilities Long-term debt 100.00% 146.66% 273.57% Deferred taxes liabilities 100.00% 52.06% 18.73% Deferred revenues 100.00% 307.45% 495.32% Other long-term liabilities 100.00% 100.71% 126.88% Total non-current liabilities 100.00% 134.70% 225.07% Total liabilities 100.00% 126.58% 175.46% Stockholders' equity Common stock 100.00% 99.58% 101.24% Retained earnings 100.00% 25.09% 29.11% Accumulated other comprehensive income 100.00% 60.94% 17.09% Total stockholders' equity 100.00% 89.90% 90.40% Total liabilities and stockholders' equity 100.00% 109.91% 136.81% (Annual Report, 2016 and 2017) Observation made on the balance sheet changes: The cash and cash equivalents ranges 3% to 4% of the total assets in all the last three years The inventory ranges 0.90% to 2.00% of the total assets in all the last three years The account receivable ranges 8.00 % to 11.00 % of the total assets in all the last three years The long term debt ranges 25.00 % to 45.00 % of the total Liabilities and Shareholder Equity in all the last three years. It can be better seen in vertical analysis of balance sheet The equity ranges 28.00 % to 40.00 % of the total Liabilities and Shareholder Equity in all the last three years The retained earnings range 1.00 % to 5.00 % of the total Liabilities and Shareholder Equity in all the last three years (Besley Brigham, 2014) References Annual Report. 2016. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 5 December 2017, from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/annual-reports.aspx Annual Report. 2017. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 5 December 2017, from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Investor/annual-reports.aspx Besley, S. Brigham, E. 2014. Principles of Finance. Cengage Learning. Brigham, E. Ehrhardt, M. 2007. Financial Management: Theory Practice. Cengage Learning. Horngren, C. 2012. Financial Accounting. Pearson Higher Education AU.

How to Find Original Science Fair Project Ideas

How to Find Original Science Fair Project Ideas Do you want to come up with a truly original science fair project that is all your own and not one out of a book or used by another student? Heres advice that may help stimulate your creativity. Find a Topic That Interests You What interests you? Food? Video games? Dogs? Football? The first step is to identify subjects that you like. Ask Questions Original ideas start with questions. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Which? You can ask questions such as: Does ____ affect ____ ? What is the effect of _____ on _____ ? How much ____ is required to _____ ? To what extent does ____ affect ____ ? Designing an Experiment Can you answer your question by changing only one factor? If not, then it will save you a lot of time and energy to ask a different question. Can you take measurements or do you have a variable you can count such as yes/no or on/off? It is important to be able to take measurable data rather than rely on subjective data. You can measure length or mass, for example, but it is hard to measure human memory or factors such as taste and smell. Try brainstorming ideas. Think of topics that interest you and start asking questions. Write down variables that you know you can measure. Do you have a stopwatch? You could measure time. Do you have a thermometer? You could measure temperature? Cross out any questions that you cant answer. Pick the remaining idea that you like the best or try this exercise with a new subject. It may not be easy at first, but with a little practice, youll be generating lots of original ideas.

How to Come Up With Great College Essay Ideas

How to Come Up With Great College Essay Ideas SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Writing the college application essay is a tough gig. You’ve got to be charming, personal, memorable, and insightfulall in under two pages! But I’m going to tell you a secret: half of a great personal essay is a great topic idea. Ifyou’re passionate about what you’re writing, and if you’re truly documenting something meaningful and serious about yourself and your life, then that passion and meaning will come alive on the page and in the mind of your reader. So how do you come up with an essay idea? The best way is to brainstorm your way to an event from your life that reveals a core truth about you. In this article, I will help you do just that. Keep reading to find 35 jumping off points that touch on every possible memory you could harness, as well as advice on how to use your brainstorming session to fully realize your idea for an essay topic. What Makes an Essay Topic Great? What does your application tell admissions officers about you? Mostly it's just numbers and facts: your name, your high school, your grades and SAT scores. These stats would be enough if colleges were looking to build a robot army, but they aren't. So how do they get to see a slice of the real you? How can they get a feel for the personality, character, and feelings that make you the person that you are? It's through your college essay.The essay is a way to introduce yourself to collegesin a way that displays your maturity. This is important because admissions officers want to make sure that you will thrive in the independence of college life and work. This is why finding a great college essay topic is so hugely important: because it will allow you to demonstrate the maturity level admissions teams are looking for. This is best expressed through the ability to have insight about what has made you into you, through the ability to share some vulnerabilities or defining experiences, and through the ability to be a creative thinker and problem solver. In other words, a great topic is an event from your past that you can narrate, draw conclusions from, explain the effect of. Most importantly, you should be able todescribe how it haschanged you from the kind of person you were to the better person that you are now. If you can do all that,you are well ahead of the essay game. How Do You Know If Your College Essay Topic Is Great? Eric Maloof, the Director of International Admission atTrinity UniversityinSan Antonio, Texas hasa great checklist for figuring out whether you're on the right track with your essay topic. He says, if you can answer "yes" to these two questions, then you've got the makings of a great essay: Is the topic of my essay important to me? Am I the only person who could have written this essay? So how do you translate this checklist into essay topic action items? Make it personal.Write about something personal, deeply felt, and authentic to the real you (but which isnot an overshare). Take a narrow slice of your life: one event, one influential person, one meaningful experience – and then you expand out from that slice into a broader explanation of yourself. Always think about your reader. In this case, your reader is an admission officer who is slogging through hundreds of college essays. You don’t want to bore that person, and you don’t want to offend that person. Instead, you want to come across as likable and memorable. Put the reader in the experience with you by making your narrow slice of life feel alive. This means that your writing needs to be chock-full of specific details, sensory descriptions, words that describe emotions, and maybe even dialog.This is why it’s very important to make the essay topic personal and deeply felt. Readers can tell when a writer isn’t really connected to whatever he is writing about. And the reverse is true as well:deep emotionshows through your writing. Writing with deep emotion: because you can't just stick smileys all over your college essay. Want to write the perfect college application essay? Get professional help from PrepScholar. Your dedicated PrepScholar Admissions counselor will craft your perfect college essay, from the ground up. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. At the end, you'll have a unique essay that you'll proudly submit to your top choice colleges. Don't leave your college application to chance. Find out more about PrepScholar Admissions now: Coming Up With Great College Essay Ideas Some people know right off the bat that theyhave to write about that one specific defining moment of their lives. But if you're reading this, chances are you aren't one of these people. Don't worry - I wasn't one of them either! What this means is that you - like me - will have to put in a little work to come up with the perfect idea by first doing some brainstorming. I've come up with about 35 different brainstorming jumping off points that ask questions about your life and your experiences. The idea hereis to jog your memory about the key life events that have shaped you and affected you deeply. I recommend you spend at least two minutes on each question, coming up with and writing down at least one answer - or as many answers as you can think of. Seriously - time yourself. Two minutes is longer than you think! I would also recommend doing this over several sittings to get your maximum memory retrieval going - even if it takes a couple of days, it'll be worth it. Then, we will use this list of experiences and thoughtsto narrow your choices down to the one topic idea that you will use for your college essay. Brainstorming Technique 1: Think About Defining Moments in Your Life What is your happiest memory? Why? What was good about it? Who and what was around you then? What did it mean to you? What is your saddest memory? Would you change the thing that happened or did you learn something crucial from the experience? What is the most important decision you’ve had to make? What was hard about the choice? What was easy? Were the consequences of your decision what you had imagined before making it? Did you plan and game out your choices, or did you follow gut instinct? What decision did you not have any say in, but would have wanted to? Why were you powerless to participate in this decision? How did the choice made affect you? What do you think would have happened if a different choice had been made? What the most dangerous or scary thing that you’ve lived through? What was threatened? What were the stakes? How did you survive/overcome it? How did you cope emotionally with the fallout? When did you first feel like you were no longer a child? Who and what was around you then? What had you just done or seen? What was the difference between your childhood self and your more adult self? What are you most proud of about yourself? Is it a talent or skill? A personality trait or quality? An accomplishment? Why is this the thing that makes you proud? Kevin was inordinatelyproud of his full and luxuriant head of feathers. He hatedbeing called a bald eagle, always posting on his Facebook that the "bald" is short for "piebald," or multicolored. Brainstorming Technique 2: Remember Influential People Which of your parents (or parental figures) are you most like in personality and character? Which of their traits do you see in yourself? Which do you not? Do you wish you were more like this parent or less? Which of your grandparents, great-grandparents, or other older relatives has had the most influence on your life? Is it a positive influence, where you want to follow in their footsteps in some way? A negative influence, where you want to avoid becoming like them in some way? How is the world they come from like your world? How is it different? Which teacher has challenged you the most? What has that challenge been? How did you respond? What is something that someone once said to you that has stuck with you? When and where did they say it? Why do you think it’s lodged in your memory? Which of your friends would you trade places with for a day? Why? If you could intern for a week or a month with anyone – living or dead, historical or fictional – who would it be? What would you want that person to teach you? How did you first encounter this person or character? How do you think this person would react to you? Of the people you know personally, whose life is harder than yours? What makes it that way – their external circumstances? Their inner state? Have you ever tried to help this person? If yes, did it work? If no, how would you help them if you could? Of the people you know personally, whose life is easier than yours? Are you jealous? Why or why not? Svetlana was always jealous of climbers whose mountaineering careers weren't limited to flowers and small shrubbery. Brainstorming Technique 3: Recreate Important Times or Places When is the last time you felt so immersed in what you were doing that you lost all track of time or anything else from the outside world? What were you doing? Why do you think this activity got you into this near-zen state? Where do you most often tend to daydream? Why do you think this place has this effect on you? Do you seek it out? Avoid it? Why? What is the best time of day? The worst? Why? What is your favorite corner of, or space in, the place where you live? What do you like about it? When do you go there, and what do you use it for? What is your least favorite corner of, or space in, the place where you live? Why do you dislike it? What do you associate it with? If you had to repeat a day over and over, like the movie Groundhog Day, what day would it be? If you'd pick a day from your life that has already happened, why would you want to be stuck it in? To relive something great? To fix mistakes? If you'd pick a day that hasn't yet occurred, what would the day you were stuck in be like? If you could go back in time to give yourself advice, when would you go back to? What advice would you give? Why? What effect would you want your advice to have? For Matilda, the main challenge of time travel was packing. Just how do you fit one of those giant Elizabethan ruffle collars into a carry-on? Brainstorming Technique 4: Answer Thought-Provoking Questions If you could take a Mulligan and do over one thing in your life, what would it be? Would you change what you did the first time around? Why? Or, if you could take another crack at doing something again, what would you pick? Something positive – having another shot at repeating a good experience? Something negative – getting the chance to try another tactic to avoid a bad experience? Which piece of yourself could you never change while remaining the same person? Your race? Ethnicity? Intellect? Height? Freckles? Loyalty? Sense of humor? Why is that the thing that you’d cling to as the thing that makes you who you are? Which of your beliefs, ideas, or tastes puts you in the minority? Why do you think/believe/like this thing when no one else seems to? What are you most frightened of? What are you not frightened enough of? Why? What is your most treasured possession? What would you grab before running out of the house during a fire? What is this object’s story and why is it so valuable to you? What skill or talent that you don’t have now would you most like to have? Is it an extension of something you already do? Something you’ve never had the guts to try doing? Something you plan on learning in the future? Which traditions that you grew up with will you pass on? Which will you ignore? Why? Finnigan couldn't wait to introduce his future children to his family's birthday tradition - lemons. Brainstorming Technique 5: Find a Trait or Characteristic and Trace It Back What are three adjectives you’d use to describe yourself? Why these three? Which of these is the one you’re most proud of? Least proud of? When did you last exhibit this trait? What were you doing? How would your best friend describe you? What about your parents? How are the adjectives they’d come up with different from the ones you’d use? When have they seenthis quality or trait inyou? What everyday thing are you the world’s greatest at? Who taught you how to do it? What memories do you have associated with this activity? Which aspects of it have you perfected? Imagine that it’s the future and that you’ve become well known. What will you become famous for? Is it for something creative or a performance? For the way you will have helped others? For your business accomplishments? For your athletic prowess? When you make a speech about this fame, whom willyou thank for putting you where you are? What do you most like about yourself? This is different from the thing you’re most proud of – this is the thing that you know about yourself that makes you smile. Can you describe a time when this thing was useful or effective in some way? Thinking about her punk crewcut always made Esme smile. That hair was made to rock. 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. How to TurnYour Brainstorming List Into an Essay Topic Now that you have a cornucopia of daydreams, memories, thoughts, and ambitions, it's time to thin the herd, prune the dead branches, and whatever other mixed metaphors about separating the wheat from the chaff you can think of. So how do you narrow down your many ideas into one? Use the magic power of time. One of the best things you can do with your stack of college essaytopics is to forget about them. Put them away for a couple of days so that you create a little mental space. When you come back to everything you wrote after a day or two, you will get the chance to read it with fresh eyes. Let the cream rise to the top. When you rereadyour topics after having let them sit, do two things: Cross out any ideas that don't speak to you in some way. If something doesn't ring true, if it doesn't spark your interest, or if it doesn't connect with an emotion, then consider reject it. Circle or highlight any topics that pop out at you. If it feels engaging, if you get excited at the prospect of talking about it, if it resonates with afeeling, then put it at the top of the idea pile. Rinse and repeat. Go through the process of letting a few days pass and then rereading your ideas at least one more time. This time, don't bother looking at the topics you've already rejected. Instead, concentrate on those you highlighted earlier and maybe some of the ones that were neither circled nor thrown away. Trust your gut instinct (but verify). Now that you've gone through and culled your ideas several times based on whether or not they really truly appeal to you, you should have a list of your top choices - all the ones you've circled or highlighted along the way. Now is the moment of truth. Imagine yourself telling the story of each of these experiences to someone who wants to get to know you. Rank your possible topics in order of how excited you are to share this story. Really listen to your intuition here. If you're squeamish, shy, unexcited, or otherwise not happy at the thought of having to tell someone about the experience, it will make a terrible essay topic. Develop your top two to four choices to see which is best.Unless you feel very strongly about one of your top choices, the only way to really know which of your best ideas is the perfect one is to try actually making theminto essays. For each one, go through the steps listed in the next section of the article under "Find Your Idea's Narrative." Then, use your best judgment (and maybe that of your parents, teachers, or school counselor) to figure out which one to draft into your personal statement. Handing out trophies toyour top three ideas is entirely optional. How to Make Your Idea Into a College Essay Now, let's talk about what to do in order to flesh out your topic concept into a great college essay. First, I'll give you some pointers on expanding your idea into an essay-worthy story, and then talk a bit about how to draft and polish your personal statement. Find Your Topic'sNarrative All great college essays have the same foundation as good short stories or enjoyable movies – an involving story. Let's go throughwhat features make for a story that you don’t want to put down: A compelling character with an arc. Think about the experience that you want to write about. What were you like before it happened? What did you learn, feel, or think about during it? What happened afterwards? What do you now know about yourself that you didn’t before? Sensory details that create a â€Å"you are there!† experience for the reader. When you’re writing about your experience, focus on trying to really make the situation come alive. Where were you? Who else was there? What did it look like? What did it sound like? Were there memorable textures, smells, tastes? Does it compare to anything else? When you’re writing about the people you interacted with, give them a small snippet of dialog to say so the reader can â€Å"hear† that person’s voice. When you are writing about yourself, make sure to include words that explain the emotions you are feeling at different parts of the story. An insightful ending. Your essay should end with an uplifting, personal, and interesting revelation about the kind of person you are today, and how the story you have just described has made and shaped you. Draft and Revise The key to great writing is rewriting. So work out a draft, and then put it aside and give yourself a few days to forget what you’ve written.When you come back to look at it again look for places where you slow down your reading, where something seems out of place or awkward. Can you fix this by changing around the order of your essay? By explaining further? By adding details?Experiment. Get advice. Colleges expect your essay to be your work, but most recommend having someone else cast a fresh eye over it. A good way to get a teacher or a parent involved is to ask them whether your story is clear and specific, and whether your insight about yourself flows logically from the story you tell. Execute flawlessly. Dot every i, cross every t, delicately place every comma where it needs to go. Grammar mistakes, misspellings, and awkward sentence structure don’t just make your writing look bad – they take the reader out of the story you’re telling. And that makes you memorable, but in a bad way. Hint: writing that's flawless definitely did not wake up like this. The Bottom Line Your college essay topicneeds to come from the fact that essays are a way for colleges to get to know the real you, ayou that is separate from your grades and scores. A great way to come up with topics is to wholeheartedly dive into abrainstorming exercise. The more ideas about your life that tumble out of your memory and onto the page, the better chance you have of finding the perfect college essay topic. Answer mybrainstorming questions without editing yourselfat first. Instead, simply write down as many things that pop into your head as you can – even if you end up going off topic. After you've generated a list of possible topics, leave it alone for a few days and then come back to pick out the ones that seem the most promising. Flesh out your top few ideas into full-blown narratives, to understand which reveals the most interesting thing about you as a person. Don’t shy away from asking for help. At each stage of the writing process get a parent or teacher to look over what you’re working on, not to do your work for you but to hopefully gently steer you in a better direction if you’re running into trouble. What’s Next? Ready to start working on your essay? Check outour explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications. For more detailed advice on writing a great college essay, readour guide to the Common Application essay prompts and get advice onhow to pick the Common App prompt that’s right for you. Thinking of taking the SAT again before submitting your applications? We have put together the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs ofthe best ways to study. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Toyota Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Toyota - Essay Example In order to analyse the internal competencies of Toyota motors, the model can be used is traditional SWOT analysis in order to evaluate strengths and weakness of Toyota Company and what leads to their opportunities and threats. Toyota is among the world’s largest car manufacturers today, and has the most comprehensive global presence. Toyota Company has been able to maintain an image of quality and reliability. Moreover, Toyota Motors has been renowned for its quality controls and management operations efficiencies that enable them to capitalize on cost cutting against their competitions. Toyota is following just in time production system successfully. There have been investments in 2009 by Toyota in US and China and able to get the Net profits rose by 0.8% to 1.17 trillion yen ($11bn; Â £5.85bn), while sales were 7.3% higher at 18.55 trillion yen. This is against the global auto industry. Analysts are off the view that this profits and growth is because of strong mix of vehicles manufacturing. Some others and internet resources were of the view that the Toyota have been observed not to be the bold one pursuing the innovation at the first place but it plays fast second player role that is among the weakness or also can be termed as defensive measures. Nonetheless, they lose their first mover advantage at that time. As Toyota is now huge base all around the globe and being big has its own consequences. Toyota was supposed to follow just in time manufacturing system that is difficult to manage on this wide scale but Toyota is doing well but the threat remains there. As Toyota is working on the demand bases and just in time any fall in their own demand of vehicles can easily resulted in excess capacity and can suffer fixed costs without sale. This weakness is embedded in their operations and sales system and can prove to be fatal in the time of crisis. Lexus, the luxury line of Toyota is