SAT Rules and Regulations Dont Make a Mistake

SAT Rules and Regulations Don't Make a Mistake SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Because the SAT is such a high stakes test, the College Board has implemented a series of rules to ensure that there is no cheating and that all students have as close to the same test-taking experience as possible. Before you take the SAT, you should familiarize yourself with these rules. It would be a shame to spend months preparing and be in the middle of acing your SAT, only to get kicked out of the test and have your score canceled because your phone was on, and you received a text during the last section. That’s an extreme example, but it's possible. Know the rules so you can protect yourself. In this article, I will discuss SAT rules, the reasons behind the rules, and the possible consequences for violating SAT rules and regulations. The Purpose of SAT Rules The primary purposes of the rules for the SAT are to prevent cheating and ensure the same test-taking experience for all students. The College Board is trying to create a fair, standardized test-taking experience for everyone who takes the SAT. If certain people are given an unfair advantage, that could affect college admissions and future SAT scores. Now let's take a look at all the SAT rules and regulations. SAT Rules You can check out the rules the College Board provides for the SAT. Most of the rules are relatively basic: take your own test, follow the test instructions, and don't document or record anything from the test. However, let's go over some of these rules in more depth. I know we all generally hate talking about rules, but these are important details. Better to know them now than to run into problems later. Check out the article on SAT admission tickets. You will have to present your ticket along with valid photo identification to get into the test. How sad would it be to feel fully prepared to take your SAT and wake up early on a Saturday morning, only to be denied admission to the test center? The only resource you're allowed to use to help you on your SAT is an SAT-approved calculator. You can't use a dictionary or thesaurus for your essay. You can't bring in any notes or scratch paper. You can't use an electronic device that has the capacity to store information. During your SAT, don't leave the building for any reason. Even if you're on break and see one of your friends waving to you outside, don't do it. If you leave the building before the test is over, your test is supposed to be canceled. The hardest rule to remember is not to discuss exam content unless it's released as part of a College Board service. This means that you're not allowed to discuss any part of the test during breaks. You're not allowed to talk about a difficult reading passage with your friend after the test is over. On the Monday after your test, you can't tell your math teacher about a specific question she prepared you for. You can't post any questions on Reddit. Obviously, you're probably not going to get caught discussing exam content. The College Board is not monitoring everything you say and everything you do on the internet. However, I recommend that you don't take any chances. If a strict proctor hears you talking about exam questions during a break, that could be bad news for you. No talking about exam content What You Must Bring to the Test Admission Ticket- You must have your admission ticket on test day. Photo Identification- You must present acceptable photo ID to be admitted to the test center. You may be denied entrance to the test center or your scores may bewithheld or canceled if you can't present acceptable ID, if the validity of the ID is in question, or if you fail to follow the Identification Requirements and Policies. What You Should Bring At least two No. 2 pencils- If you want to take the test and get a score, you're going to need a No. 2 pencil. Don't be that person frantically asking everyone in the room for a pencil minutes before the test. Also, a working eraser will be helpful. An acceptable calculator- Make sure the calculator you bring to the test is one of the SAT-approved calculators. You canuse graphing calculators, scientific calculators, or four-function calculators (not recommended). You can't use as a calculator any laptop or portable/handheld computer, electronic writing pad or pen-input/stylus driven device, pocket organizer, cell phone calculator, calculator that has a QWERTY keypad, or calculator that uses an electrical outlet, makes noise, or has a paper tape. A watch without audible alarm- I do recommend bringing a watch to help keep track of your time during the test. It's possible that the room you're in may not have a functioning clock, or your proctor may forget to update you on how much time is remaining in a section. However, make sure the watch you bring doesn't make any noise. If the alarm on your watch goes off, that is an SAT rule violation and your score could be canceled. Miscellaneous Items- Here are some things you should bring that will make your test-taking experience more comfortable and less stressful: a backpack, snacks and water for breaks, extra batteries for your calculator, and extra pencils and erasers. Bring a few snacks for break time What You Shouldn't Bring Cell phones- This rule is a little tricky since we've all become so reliant on cell phones, and you might need your phone before or after your test. If your phone is put away in a backpack (including during breaks) and turned off during the test, you shouldn't have a problem. Generally, proctors will just tell you to turn your phone off since it's too difficult to confiscate everyone's phone. However, if you can't resist the urge to look at your phone and dash off a text, maybe you should consider leaving it at home. Audio players/recorders, tablets, laptops, notebooks, Google Glass, or any other computing devices Separate timers of any type Cameras or any other photographic equipment Any devices, including digital watches, that can be used to record, transmit, receive, or play back audio, photographic, text, or video content (with the exception of CD players used for Language with Listening Subject Tests only) Most of these items are prohibited to prevent cheating and make sure you aren't using any device that creates noise and distracts others during the test. Possible Consequences for Rules Violations The consequences for violating any of these rules can vary. Often the consequence will depend on the strictness of your proctor or test center. If you don't have proper ID or your admission ticket, you may not be admitted to the test. If you're caught violating any of the other rules, you can be dismissed from the test and possibly have your score canceled. If your score is canceled, your SAT registration fee won't be reimbursed. In the most extreme cases, the College Board can take legal action if you're caught cheating. Make sure you take your own test, and don't take a test for anybody else. You really don't want to be the next person to get caught up in an SAT cheating scandal. Cheating is bad What's Next? If you're prepared for your SAT, I'm sure that will lessen any temptation to cheat. Learn the 15 tips to improve your SAT score and the 21 SAT tips and tricks to use on the SAT. If you're aiming for a perfect score, learn from a perfect scorer how to get a 1600 on your SAT. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Market Research Apple

Market Research Apple Introduction Findings and discussion Apple Incorporation has over the past few years appreciated the importance of market research. One of the factors that have led to this transformation is the intensity of competition within the PC and mobile device industry. In 2011, Apple Incorporation enjoyed a substantial market share within the iPads segment (Vascellaro, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Market Research Apple specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During this period, iPads were new product in the market. Moreover, competition within this market segment was relatively low. However, this trend has changed significantly. More investors have ventured into the industry in an effort to exploit the growing market opportunity. Currently, Apple’s competitors are increasingly investing in research and development in an effort to gain a substantial market share. The firm faces intense competition from Google Nexus 7 and Microsoft Surface which has led to a decline in Apple’s market share with regard to tablets from 81% to 52%. The high rate at which firm in the PC and mobile device industry are investing in research and development has motivated Apple to continuously develop its products in order to ensure that they are aligned to customers’ tastes and preferences. According to Tassi (2012), market research plays a significant role in developing a company’s competitive strength. Before introducing the new iPad Mini, Apple conducted a market research. The market research was aimed at gathering market information on two main variables, which include the consumer and the competitor. Findings of the market research revealed that the firm’s competitors are increasingly courting their customers in order to determine their next big move. Consequently, Apple will be forced to start courting its customers in order to gain valuable market information (Vascellaro, 2012). The research revealed that there is a high market opportunity for the firm’s products. This is mainly so in emerging markets such as China (Vascellaro, 2012). Chinese customers are amongst the greatest enthusiasts of smart phones. According to Brian White, the smaller iPad will present a substantial growth opportunity for Apple compared to the current iPad. However, the firm will be required to ensure that the product features developed appeal the target customers. Vascellaro (2012) asserts that customers in both developed and developing economies are increasingly being appealed by new smart phone and tablet features.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More By analyzing its customer’s feedback, Apple Incorporation revealed that customers increasingly prefer smaller devices for convenience. This is one of the issues that the firm will take into consideration in th e process of designing the iPad Mini. The firm will ensure that the screen of the iPad is approximately 7 to 8 inches long (AppleInsider, 2012). In addition to new features, the likelihood of iPad Mini succeeding upon its introduction in emerging markets such as China is also enhanced by the fact that customers have developed a high level of trust towards Apple’s brand due to its unique design. A study conducted by the firm in seven countries on reasons that motivate customers to select their specific stores in their purchasing process revealed that most customers prefer Apple due to the high level of trust associated with the firm’s products. Fifty four (54%) of the customers interviewed in China and US cited ‘trust Apple brand’ as their core reason for purchasing Apple’s products. On the other hand, 67% of customers interviewed in China cited the products’ design and physical features are their main motivation towards Apple’s product s. This presents a unique market opportunity for Apple to exploit in the course of developing the iPad mini. Adherence to customers’ needs and wants will increase the likelihood of the product gaining sufficient market acceptance upon its introduction Vascellaro (2012). From the market research conducted, Apple Incorporation identified the education sector as one of the new market segment for its iPad Mini. According to Brian White, a renowned market research analyst, there is high probability of iPad Mini succeeding within the education sector. This arises from the fact that educational institutions are increasingly encouraging students to use technology in their learning process. In the course of designing the iPad Mini, Apple appreciates the need to exploit this opportunity. Consequently, the firm will integrate the element of portability. This will play a significant role in increasing the rate of iPad Mini utilization by students. Moreover, the convenience nature of the iPad Mini will stimulate iPad owners in developed economies to purchase the second and smaller model (Hughes, 2012). This will be made possible by the fact that the firm will integrate iCloud technology which will enable iPad users to swap between regular sized iPad and the iPad Mini.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Market Research Apple specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the course of introducing the iPad Mini, Apple’s management team intends to set the price of the product at $ 300 which is relatively high according to most customers (Oliver, 2012). However, the firm projects that the product will gain sufficient market acceptance. This will arise from the fact that the new product features will successfully lure customers to purchase the product. In summary, findings of the market research reveal that there is a high probability of the iPad Mini succeeding upon its introduction in the market. Firstly, the new product features will appeal a large number of potential customers and existing customers in the developed and emerging economies. Additionally, the unique design and usability of the iPad Mini will increase its utilization amongst new customer categories. By ensuring that the new iPad is effectively designed and developed, Apple Incorporation will be able to gain substantial market share within the PC and mobile device industry that has become very competitive. Reference List AppleInsider: Bloomberg, smaller iPad to launch by year’s end. (2012). Retrieved from http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/07/03/bloomberg_smaller_ipad_to_launch_by_years_end.html Hughes, N. (2012). iPad Mini may give Apple larger market opportunity than current  iPad. Retrieved from http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/07/05/ipad_mini_may_give_apple_larger_market_opportunity_than_current_ipad Oliver, S. (2012). Apple telling suppliers to prep for mass production of smaller iPad. Retrieved from htt p://appleinsider.com/articles/12/07/04/apple_telling_suppliers_to_prep_for_mass_production_of_smaller_ipad___wsj.html Tassi, V. (2012). iPad Mini proves major for apple shares. Retrieved from forbes.com/sites/richardsaintvilus/2012/11/23/ipad-mini-proves-major-for-apple-shares/Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Vascellaro, J. (2012). Turns out Apple conducts market research after all. Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/07/26/turns-out-apple-conducts-market-research-after-all/

Health-related program for HLP Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health-related program for HLP - Assignment Example Notably, this gives the user an opportunity to work out their muscles when they are taking a break from the running sessions. During this time, on can do a few reps with the dumbbell as he or she catches breath after having run on the treadmill. Its structure consist of a usual treadmill machine with an extension on the front where one can use to place the dumbbells A user gains various benefits from the multifunctional treadmill such as: strengthening the heart of the user thus lowering his or her blood pressure, improving the circulation of blood in the body as well as protection from blood vessels and heart diseases. It may also be used by diabetic patients on a regular basis to reduce the blood sugar levels. The one outstanding advantage that comes with using the multifunctional treadmill is that it enables the user to acquire and maintain a good body shape. The heart needs to be kept in good condition and status as it is argued to be the most important muscle of the body. Other parts or tissues of the body, however, should not be left out during exercise. The muscle tissues of the arms, as well as legs, should be well maintained to maintain a good stature. The facility has some programmes that enable a user to achieve an improved or maintained health condition in as far as health and exercise are concerned. These programmes are as follows: first it has time location for the warm up period. Therefore, this enables a user to warm up before commencing on the actual exercise. It is an allowance of one minute that the user gets before he or she starts the exercise. Secondly, it has a speed control that enables a user to set his or her desired speed. Thirdly, it has an inclination control which one uses to adjust the treadmill to an inclination that they desire either steep or slope as the extremes. Fourthly, it enables a user to choose the type of exercise he or she wishes to do and

Sex, Violence and Transgression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sex, Violence and Transgression - Essay Example In some instances, violence occurs in relation to sex. This is mostly in instances of rape and any other sexual harassment (Fausto-Sterling, 2000). This essay will look at sex, violence and transgression with representation of violence from news media and analyze them. The modern culture is obsessed with sex and sexuality while there are still too many social pressures around sex. Some of these pressures are how to wear and what fashion trends to follow, how to raise and school your children and whom to befriend. These pressures affect people since everyone wants to accepted and fit in the society as a unique person. The study of sexuality encompasses an array of social activities, an abundance of behaviors, series and societal topics. Biologically sexuality involves sexual intercourse and contact. It also involves the psychological aspects in relation to medical related concerns. Being the main force conditioning human relationship, sex is essentially political. The construction of a sexual universe is fundamentally linked to the structures of power in any social context. Construction of sexual meaning is a means through which social institutions manage and shape relationships among human beings. Body Today s’ sexual behaviors have increased regardless of age or gender. Our cultures no longer respects sex as a power capable of producing human life instead to many, sex is not taken seriously and is used for the purpose of entertainment. Trivializing sex leads to loss of value in marriage, this degrades women and their families. Use of contraceptives has destroyed the family and society as well. Once divorced from the aspect of reproduction, any type of sexual union can practice marriages legal perquisites. Many girls are giving themselves away to gain things a child craves, and it will be years before they know what they have done to themselves. Once these girls are married for the purpose of having children they came to understand that life is a sacrifi ce, fulfillment was not part of their vocabulary. Sexual activity among youths and under children can bring serious consequences. Unfortunately, the recently long term trend in sexual activity among youth has not been promising (Monro, 2005). The rates of sexual activity have increased. About twenty percent of more males and females are having sex today by 18 than the earlier 1970s. Research shows that most of people who engage in sex are between ages 12 -10. About half of both boys between ages 12 -19 have not had sex. The increase of sexual activities among teenagers has led to an increase in teen birth rate, school drop –out rate and high level of poverty in the society. Adolescents who initiate themselves in these health risk behaviors’ of sexual intercourse and substance abuse such as contraceptives at an early age have poor health in their adult life. These adolescents achieve low in education and do not contribute adequately to society. There is also a big gap o f age difference between young girls and their first sex partners. The younger a girl is during her first sexual intercourse the higher the average age difference between her and sexual partner. This is also related to the number of sex partners she will have in her teenage life. This leads to teenage pregnancy due to lack of proper sex education (Connell, 2002). Non- voluntary and unwanted sex is particularly commonly among very young girls. This becomes a trouble to the

Negative Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negative Decisions - Essay Example (Hoch, p. 26) The case with Barings Bank is one of the most vivid examples of how wrong decisions may affect a stable and seemingly reliable company. The theory and experience of decision-making state that the person should foresee all possible consequences of his actions in order to avoid possible catastrophe. It is evident that Nick Leeson omitted this regulation. He made a strategic error in his decision and this led to a collapse, which caused the bank experience trading losses that exceeded $1 billion. This accident happened in 1992, in the middle of July. It started with an error made by one young trader, working in Singapore office of the Barings Bank. This young specialist had to buy the contracts, but he sold these contracts instead, by mistake. Due to this error the bank had losses for about $30000, and the company had to cover these losses. Lesson decided to cover up this error. The question here is whether Leeson should have revealed this mistake to supervising managers or hided it. As it has been said above, he decided to hide it, wishing to help and support one of his employees. This was the first stage in a series of mistakes on many levels that resulted in collapse of the bank. What has started with an attempt to conceal employee's mistake, resulted in multiple attempts to hide his own mistakes in derivative market, and this deception together with many negative decisions led the bank to crash. As the experts comment similar situations, "How did a back office clerk in his 20s become responsible for bankrupting one of the world's oldest merchant banks The answer: many bad decisions" (Hoch, p. 40). It is evident that this manager cannot be fully responsible of what happened to company. His own mistakes that he tried to hide were evidently known to supervising managers, but these errors produced the same wrong decisions as he had once made, and supervising managers allowed him to act independently and provided him with the holes to slip through. It is known that Nick Leeson started his working career as the manager who was responsible for fixing the mistakes of other traders. These were the mistakes connected to calling out the orders to sell or buy. As a rule, these mistakes are usually noticed and fixed within a day and a night in special departments. Leeson had a capability to detail and scrupulous working, so this feature had helped him in getting this job three years before he made his fatal decision. Soon after he started working, he was sent to Jakarta branch to examine heaps of papers accumulated in one of the offices. Then in 1992 Nick Leeson was suggested a positionoif a manager responsible for running futures subsidiary in Singapore office of the Barings Bank. During a term of 3 years that passed after his appointment, the losses caused by his own trading mistakes exceeded $1 billion. He confessed he had deceived the Barings Bank and SIMEX (Singapore International Monetary Exchange). Leeson was arrested, and sentenced to 6.5 years of imprisonment. The fist question that comes to mind while observing this case is how this manager concealed his errors and deception for so long. In case his mistakes had revealed in time, this wouldn't have resulted in catastrophe. It is possible to define several strategic mistakes in the process of decision-making that led to collapse. Overwhelming emotions. It is known that supervising manag

Reconstructing Keynesian Argument Research Paper

Reconstructing Keynesian Argument - Research Paper Example Keynes deviates from what the Classical economists majorly focus upon, for the reason that he had been surrounded by Classical and Neo-Classical thinkers throughout his life, yet his ideas have a strong reliance to the Classical Thought and form an inspiration from this school of economic thought (Tarshis). Keynes strongly believes that the Classical Economic Theory focused on a specific, exceptional, rather than a general condition of economic theory, namely the strong emphasis on prices and wages as a determinant of the overall employment level of a country. He demonstrated this with respect to the Great Depression and concluded that the Classical focus was too narrow to apply in general. The Classical economists formulated the concepts which made us believe that we can drive the economy according to set preferences and likes, but in reality, it is difficult to so influentially affect the various economic forces which alter the real conditions. Hence, according to Keynes, the Classical Economic Theory is not sufficient to explain the general economic conditions. This gave rise to The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money, which focuses on general activity, unlike the Classical case. Building upon the concepts of employment, interest, and money, Keynes was not just an economist who provided core theoretical concepts, rather he believed in the formulation of sound economic policy through the application of those concepts (Johnson). Keynes’ theory, therefore, was not just focused on one particular direction of economic activity, but actually covered everything from the basics (prices, supply, demand, wages, employment, saving, investment, capital etc.) to actually applying those concepts practically, as economic policies.

Human Resource Management Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Management Essay Introduction The new trend in human resource management is strategic human resource management. It is gaining popularity edging out the traditional human resource management. Strategic human resource is critical to the success of any organization because it is management that is tied to achievement of the broader goals and the objectives of the organization. Strategic human resource gives the firm competitive advantage in the industry within which it operates as it boosts the productivity of labor, which is oriented towards the long term, and short-term goals of the organization. In pursuit of strategic human resource management there is an obvious consequence, which is attainment of competitive strategies and improved firm performance. This is so because the essence of strategic management is its ability to influence the employee to develop an attitude that leads the organization into competitive edge and productivity. A firm cannot obtain growth and expansion which strategy that facilitates operations towards the objective. 3.1 Identify a range of HR strategies for an organization There are a range of human resource strategies that are adopted by organizations in order to improve their business performance and their competitive strategies. First and foremost, the organization has resourcing strategy which ensures that the management puts in place proper human resource planning, maintains high retention rate of employees, and harness the immense talents of employees to the betterment of the organization. Secondly, there is the learning and development strategy which aims to give employees platform to engage in further training and career development. The other strategic human resource strategy is reward strategy. This strategy ensures that the employees are paid remuneration which is equal to the effort they put in the organization. Finally there is employee relation strategy which helps to ensure there is good rapport between management and employee. The employee relation strategy is achieved through having various communication channel and sound conflict reso lution mechanisms (Legge, 2005 P.154). 3.2 Assess HR strategies and their application in an organization Each organization exists in a unique industry and it is therefore prudent that each of the human resource strategies are applied uniquely depending on the industry. Industry such as manufacturing and construction industry are such that it is easy to measure employees input by physically looking at the work they have done over a given period of time. It is therefore easier for the management of the organizations in those industries to adopt reward strategy. This strategy ensures that the employees are paid remuneration which is equal to the effort they put in the organization, on the other hand, in most service industry such consultancy services it is not easy to measure employees input since input can only be assessed in terms of clients’ satisfaction (Price, 2011 P.89). Quantify client satisfaction and tying it to pay for employee is therefore almost impossibility. Other strategies are largely uniform across several organizations with only slight differences and hence they ar e applicable across organizations in different industries. 4. Identify contemporary issues affecting strategic human resource management Strategic human resource management is very dynamic and keeps changing because better approaches to the concept are realized frequently. The  dynamism that has characterized strategic human resource is driven by the fact that organizations wants to increase their competitive edge and boost their performance in the organizations within which they operate. The major contemporary issue that influences strategic management is globalization. All firms want to expand and grow into new markets to increase their revenues. In achieving this they must strategically direct the efforts of employees toward this objective. The other contemporary issue is downsizing. Firms usually are operated with profitability incentive they must therefore have cost cut measures to reduce expenses and enhance receipts (Scholes Johnson, 2007 p.69). Downsizing offers the best option to cost cutting because salaries constitute a lion’s share of organizations’ expenses. The management is therefore forced to retrench some its workers in a bid to realize profitability. Automation of systems is yet another contemporary issue affecting organizations’ strategic human resource management. Automation compels organization to ensure that their employees are knowledgeable in as far as technology is concerned. Installing system in organization is not any easy fete to achieve, it involves a lot of costs to procure the software and hardware components for the system. The other challenge is that it is time consuming because a lot of procedures have to be followed in integrating a system to the organization. The most challenging part of a management system is managing the system and its associated risks. The first risk is that the employees who are supposed to be part and parcel of such a system may refuse to embrace because they may not fully understand how such a system would be beneficial to them. The human resource team should therefore rise to the occa sion by finding ways and means of influencing the employees to embrace such system within their ranks (Sharma 2011 p.48). Conclusion . Strategic human resource is critical to the success of any organization because it is management that is tied to achievement of the broader goals and the objectives of the organization. Strategic human resource gives the firm competitive advantage in the industry within which it operates as it boosts the productivity of labor which is oriented towards the long term and short term goals of the organization. In order to achieve this daunting task human resource management is responsible for several strategic functions such as recruitment, motivation of workers, designing job analysis, making of remuneration and other non-financial packages to employees, as well as facilitating staff training and development. References Armstrong, M. Baron, A. (2004) Managing performance: Performance Management in Action. London: CIPD. P.136 Bamberger, P. Meshoulam, H. (2000).Human Resource Strategy: Formulation, Implementation and Impact. Sage Publishers, p.254 Bechet, T. P. (2008). Strategic Staffing: A Comprehensive System for Effective Workforce Planning. New York: AMACOM, p.145 Cox, W. Klinger, E. (2011) Handbook of Motivational Counseling: Goal-Based Approaches to Assessment and Intervention with Addiction and Other Problems, Wiley Sons p.125 Goodstein J. (2009) A Practical Guide to Job Analysis, John Willey and Sons pp. 68 Griffin, W. Moorhead, G. (2011) Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations, Cengage learning, p.32 Henry A. (2008) Understanding Strategic Management, Oxford University Press pp. 51 Legge, K. (2005) Human Resource Management Rhetoric and Realities, London: Palgrave Macmillan, p.154 Price A. (2011) Human Resource Management, Cengage Learning, p.89 Scholes, K. Johnson, G . (2007) Explaining Corporate Strategy, Hempstead: Prentice Hall, p.69 Sharma K. (2011) Human Resource Management: Strategic Approach to Employment, Global India publications p. 48 ASSIGNMNET 2 Executive summary Strategic human resource is critical to the success of any organization because it is management that is tied to achievement of the broader goals and the objectives of the organization. The report analyses how British Airways has adopted different strategies in strategic human resource management to achieve competitive strategies and improved firm performance. The reports also put into perspective the impact of merger between British Airways and Iberia on strategic HRM at British Airways Overview of British Airways The company commenced business in the 1974 after the successful merger of BOAC and BEA. It was owned by the state until 1987 when it undergone privatization. Up to date British Airways is the leading airline is UK flying over 400 destinations across the world through both its freight and passenger business. The company decided to merge with Iberia a Spanish Airline in order to produce synergies and as cost cutting measure through economies of scale. Task 1: Human resource strategies and their application to British Airways There are a range of human resource strategies that are adopted by British Airways in order to improve their business performance and their competitive strategies. First and foremost, the organization has resourcing strategy which ensures that the management puts in place proper human resource planning, maintains high retention rate of employees, and harness the immense talents of employees to the betterment of the airline. Learning and development strategy which aims to give employees platform to engage in further training and career development is equally applicable to British Airways. Several roles at the airline such as pilot and aeronautical engineer require immense skills and experience and as such the strategy ensures that employees attain this standard (Scholes Johnson, 2007 p.69). The other strategic human resource strategy applicable to British Airways is reward strategy. This strategy ensures that the employees are paid remuneration which is equal to the effort they put in the organization. By adopting this reward strategy employees at British Airways are driven by reward incentive to increase their productivity consequently earning the airline more business performance in terms of profitability and revenues. Finally there is employee relation strategy which helps to ensure there is good rapport between management and employee. British Airways can achieve employee relation strategy through having various communication channel and sound conflict resolution mechanisms. Task 2: Impact of merger between British Airways and Iberia on strategic HRM at British Airways The merger between British Airways and Iberia has had tremendous impact on strategic human resource management of British Airways. The merger was driven by the fact that organizations wants to increase their competitive edge and boost their performance in the organizations within which they operate. Through the merger the Airline hoped to increase its global presence by increasing its flights to the over 400 dest inations that it had before the merger. Globalization through merging with Iberia ensures that the airline now under the holding company, International Airlines Group (IAG) expands and grows  into new markets to increase its revenues. In achieving this they must strategically direct the efforts of employees toward this objective. The other impact of the merger is downsizing. (Henry, 2008 p.51) says that downsizing offers the best option to cost cutting because salaries constitute a lion’s share of organizations’ expenses. The management is therefore forced to retrench some its workers in a bid to realize profitability. British Airline after the merger embarked on an elaborate cost cutting measure; this involved reducing their costs by a whopping  £400 million in five years, one major way of achieving this would involve downsizing the workforce. The other impact of the merger is that the business adopted a new model. Installing system in organization is not any easy fete to achieve, it involves a lot of costs to procure the software and hardware components for the system. The most challenging part of a management system is managing the system and its associated risks. The first risk is that the employees who are supposed to be part and parcel of such a system may refuse to embrace because they may not fully understand how such a system would be beneficial to them (Armstrong Baron, 2004 p.123). The human resource team should therefore rise to the occasion by finding ways and means of influencing the employees to embrace such system within their ranks. The management of the International Airlines Group (IAG) decided to train 900 of British Airways staff and 4000 of Iberia staff on various aspect of this new business model Conclusion International Airlines Group (IAG) has no choice but to restructure its human capital by implementing the strategic needs of this factor of production to allow the firm a competitive edge in the industry. The management of IAG needs to integrate all the strategies of strategic human resource management to ensure that the employees are influenced towards achieving the strategic needs of the merger. The merger despite the challenges promises better gains for the holding company in terms of increased profitability and efficiency n operations. References Armstrong, M. Baron, A. (2004) Managing performance: Performance Management in Action. London: CIPD. P.123 Henry A. (2008) Understanding Strategic Management, Oxford University Press pp. 51 Scholes, K. Johnson, G. (2007) Explaining Corporate Strategy, Hempstead: Prentice Hal, p.69