write an essay on abc analysis

Always better control (ABC) Analysis Essay

Always better control (ABC) analysis has historically found application in inventory and materials control. Some scholars also refer to ABC analysis as Selective Inventory Control (Wild 39). ABC analysis is among the most established techniques in the field of business administration (Lun and Hung 157).The technique has proved useful in determining the frequency of counting various items.

One of the leading policies governing ABC analysis is that items in category A are characterized by accurate records and tight control, while those in category B are characterized by good records and are less tightly controlled. In contrast, C items have the minimal records and have the simplest controls.

As such, the various products in an organization can be arranged into three classes namely, A, B, and C. There are a lot of similarities between the ABC analysis and the Preto principle in the sense that items in class ‘A’ represent a large portion of the cumulative value but a smaller percentage of items in use. For example, 20 percent of items in class ‘A’ could represent 70 percent of the value of items consumed in a year.

On the other hand, 30 percent of items in class ‘B’ accounts for 25 percent of the value of items consumed in a year (Wild 40). Finally, in class ‘C’, 50 percent of items in this category accounts for just 5 percent of the value of items consumed in the category annually. What this means is that ABC analysis tries to separate the most important products (those in class A) from the less important products (those in classes B and C).

ABC analysis presents us with a technique for categorizing items that have a huge effect on overall inventory control (Lun and Hung 158). The ABC analysis theory appears to suggest that different inventories of a firm are unequal in value (Wild 40). For this reason, they are grouped into various categories. The categorization of the items of an organization using the ABC analysis technique allows an organization to ascertain the worth of its inventory.

Accordingly, the organization is in a position to make the necessary adjustments to such inventories. For example, Class A items could be checked periodically and shipments of items in this category recorded and tracked carefully. On the other hand, items in Class B get less attention that those in Class A, while items in Class C get the least attention as they are less valuable than those in Class A.

One of the strengths of the ABC analysis is that it allows managers to exercise selective focus and control on a limited number of items, and more so when the manager is faced with less items.

Also, by concentrating mainly on the ‘A’ category, the materials manager is in a position to exercise control over inventories, in addition to demonstrating visible results within a short period of time. This also helps to identify obsolete stocks (Vollmann 89). The ABC analysis further allows the materials manager to reduce clerical costs, thereby leading to enhanced inventory turnover and planning.

In terms of weaknesses, the system does not provide proper codification and standardization of the inventory items needed. It also becomes difficult to make periodic reviews when only the ABC analysis is recalled. Another weakness of the system is that it only takes into account the monetary value of items at the expense of the significance attached to items of functioning, assembly, or production process.

Works Cited

Lun, Kee and Hung, Lai. Shipping and Logistics Management . London: Springer, 2010. Print.

Vollmann, Thomas. Manufacturing planning and control systems for supply chain management . New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Print.

Wild, Tony. Best Practice in Inventory Management, 2nd Ed . Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann, 2002. Print.

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ABC Analysis – Steps, Diagram, Advantages and Disadvantages

Table of Contents

Introduction To ABC Analysis :

ABC Analysis ( Always Better Control )

Concept and the necessity:

• In inventory management, ABC analysis plays a vital role. It is an analysis of the range of items divided into three categories. A- Outstandingly important items B- Average important items C- Relatively unimportant items
• So, items in our inventory can be classified into the above three categories. ‘A’ types of items are given more attention than B category. ‘C’ types of category items are given the least attention as they are relatively unimportant.
• ABC analysis is also called as Always Better Control. The reason is all items are not of equal status in the inventory. If the same attention is given to all, then the outstandingly important items may suffer (i.e. production flow may be seriously disturbed) or least important items may get unnecessary care (which is not required).
• Any organization usually deals with lots of items. It is very difficult to exercise control over all the items. Controlling means transactions related to inventory, degree of control, type of records to be maintained, lot sizes, frequency of review, size of safety stock to be maintained, etc.
• ABC analysis helps to classify the thousands or even millions of individual items into three groups namely items belonging to A group, B group, C group items respectively. ABC analysis is done based on the Pareto’s principle.
• Consumption value is the basis for ABC classification. Consumption value is the product of unit price and consumption.

Mechanism of doing ABC classification:

Steps involved:

1. Collect previous year consumption and unit price for each item. 2. Multiply the consumption and unit price for each item to get the consumption value. 3. Rank the items corresponding to the consumption value. 4. Calculate cumulative consumption value against each item. 5. Find the percentage of cumulative consumption value.

Usually to classify the items into ‘A’ class there is leverage available. The leverage is 60 to 70 percent of the consumption value. This means the cut-off value can be fixed in between 60 to 70 percent of consumption and the corresponding items which contribute up to the cut-off value are classified as class items. Similarly, to classify the items into B class, there is a leverage of the consumption value to the extent of 10 to 20 percentage of the consumption value. To classify the items into C class, there is a leverage of the consumption value to the extent of 10 to 20 percentage of the consumption value.

Kinds of Control

The purpose of classifying the items into ABC is to control over each item. The degree of control required for A class is not the same for B and C class items. The following table helps the material manager in the kind of control to be exercised on these items.

STEPS TO DO ABC ANALYSIS

1. Prepare a list of all items and estimate their annual consumption. 2. Determine the unit price of each item. 3. Obtain annual consumption in rupees by multiplication. 4. Arrange the items in descending order. 5. Calculate cumulative annual usage and number of items in %. 6. Draw the graph. 7. Classify in A, B, C categories. 8. Decide the policies of inventory control.

Important Considerations in ABC Analysis: 1. ABC curve is similar in shape for different industries. 2. All items that the company consumes should be considered together. ABC curve is common for all types of materials in the 3. Consumption of items may be annually, monthly or applicable for any period. 4. Some categorizations like A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2 may be possible if required.

Managing Inventories by ABC:

ABC analysis is the method of classifying items involved in a decision situation on the basis of their relative importance. Its classification may be on the basis of monetary value, availability of resources, variations in lead-time, part criticality to the running of a facility, new customer parts unique to that product, and others.

Cycle inventory can be managed through ABC analysis:

“A” value items have to be counted more frequently i.e., once in a week to do accurate monitoring of these items which has more impact on the inventory value. “B” value items can be counted once in a month because they are moderate value items that have less impact on the inventory value. “C” items have to be counted once in three months or six months because they are least consumed value items and has very less impact on the inventory value.

Obsolescence budgeting also takes the management of ABC analysis into consideration.

“A” items have the most impact on the budget if it is determined to be obsolete and scrapped from inventory. These parts may fool the reviewer because the “A” parts may not have a use for several years, but due to its critical importance may be needed at a later date. The slow-moving activity report would not detect this need. Management and storeroom management need to consider all aspects of the parts before it is scrapped to obsolescence. ABC analysis puts a perspective that enhances this decision-making.

Other use of ABC analysis is in the reorganization of the storeroom.

Yearly, a review of parts storage areas needs to take place by the storeroom manager. In this analysis, ABC coding should be considered so that the “A” parts are continually being moved to the lower or easier access areas. ‘B” items are to be moved to middle areas, and “C” items placed in all other areas of the stores.

Advantages of ABC Analysis:

1. Better exercise of control over all materials. 2. The capital invested in inventory can be reduced to minimum levels. 3. Warehouse and storage costs can be reduced.

Limitations of ABC Analysis:

• ABC analysis mainly provides a guideline for inventory management. It needs to be supplemented by basic understanding and judgment as there are certain items that may fall into category C or category B due to their low usage value but are otherwise very critical for the production process of the firm. Their inventory levels have to be carefully monitored.
• The ABC analysis, to be effective, needs to be constantly undertaken and periodically reviewed by the management, as the number of items and value of items keeps on undergoing changes.
• The practical problem in the usage of ABC analysis is that generally, thousands of items fall in category C, as a result, a lot of time is spent on managing the inventory of items of this category (even if it needs simple control). The time left for controlling the inventory stocks of categories A is therefore much shorter than that required for their effective management.

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Sachin Thorat

Sachin is a B-TECH graduate in Mechanical Engineering from a reputed Engineering college. Currently, he is working in the sheet metal industry as a designer. Additionally, he has interested in Product Design, Animation, and Project design. He also likes to write articles related to the mechanical engineering field and tries to motivate other mechanical engineering students by his innovative project ideas, design, models and videos.

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The Power of Analysis: Tips and Tricks for Writing Analysis Essays: Home

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• Super Search Webpage Where to start your research.
• Scribbr Textual analysis guide.
• Analyzing Texts Prezi Presentation A prezi presentation on analyzing texts.
• Writing Essays Guide A guide to writing essays/
• Why is it important?
• Explanation & Example
• Different Types of Analysis Essays

Text analysis and writing analysis texts are important skills to develop as they allow individuals to critically engage with written material, understand underlying themes and arguments, and communicate their own ideas in a clear and effective manner. These skills are essential in academic and professional settings, as well as in everyday life, as they enable individuals to evaluate information and make informed decisions.

What is Text Analysis?

Text analysis is the process of examining and interpreting a written or spoken text to understand its meaning, structure, and context. It involves breaking down the text into its constituent parts, such as words, phrases, and sentences, and analyzing how they work together to convey a particular message or idea.

Text analysis can be used to explore a wide range of textual material, including literature, poetry, speeches, and news articles, and it is often employed in academic research, literary criticism, and media analysis. By analyzing texts, we can gain deeper insights into their meanings, uncover hidden messages and themes, and better understand the social and cultural contexts in which they were produced.

What is an Analysis Essay?

An analysis essay is a type of essay that requires the writer to analyze and interpret a particular text or topic. The goal of an analysis essay is to break down the text or topic into smaller parts and examine each part carefully. This allows the writer to make connections between different parts of the text or topic and develop a more comprehensive understanding of it.

In “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses the first-person point of view and vivid descriptions of the protagonist’s surroundings to convey the protagonist’s psychological deterioration. By limiting the reader’s understanding of the story’s events to the protagonist’s perspective, Gilman creates a sense of claustrophobia and paranoia, mirroring the protagonist’s own feelings. Additionally, the use of sensory language, such as the “smooch of rain,” and descriptions of the “yellow wallpaper” and its “sprawling flamboyant patterns,” further emphasize the protagonist’s sensory and emotional experience. Through these techniques, Gilman effectively communicates the protagonist’s descent into madness and the effects of societal oppression on women’s mental health.

There are several different types of analysis essays, including:

Literary Analysis Essays: These essays examine a work of literature and analyze various literary devices such as character development, plot, theme, and symbolism.

Rhetorical Analysis Essays: These essays examine how authors use language and rhetoric to persuade their audience, focusing on the author's tone, word choice, and use of rhetorical devices.

Film Analysis Essays: These essays analyze a film's themes, characters, and visual elements, such as cinematography and sound.

Visual Analysis Essays: These essays analyze visual art, such as paintings or sculptures, and explore how the artwork's elements work together to create meaning.

Historical Analysis Essays: These essays analyze historical events or documents and examine their causes, effects, and implications.

Comparative Analysis Essays: These essays compare and contrast two or more works, focusing on similarities and differences between them.

Process Analysis Essays: These essays explain how to do something or how something works, providing a step-by-step analysis of a process.

Analyzing Texts

• General Tips
• How to Analyze
• What to Analyze

When writing an essay, it's essential to analyze your topic thoroughly. Here are some suggestions for analyzing your topic:

Read carefully: Start by reading your text or prompt carefully. Make sure you understand the key points and what the text or prompt is asking you to do.

Analyze the text or topic thoroughly: Analyze the text or topic thoroughly by breaking it down into smaller parts and examining each part carefully. This will help you make connections between different parts of the text or topic and develop a more comprehensive understanding of it.

Identify key concepts: Identify the key concepts, themes, and ideas in the text or prompt. This will help you focus your analysis.

Take notes: Take notes on important details and concepts as you read. This will help you remember what you've read and organize your thoughts.

Consider different perspectives: Consider different perspectives and interpretations of the text or prompt. This can help you create a more well-rounded analysis.

Use evidence: Use evidence from the text or outside sources to support your analysis. This can help you make your argument stronger and more convincing.

Formulate your thesis statement: Based on your analysis of the essay, formulate your thesis statement. This should be a clear and concise statement that summarizes your main argument.

Use clear and concise language: Use clear and concise language to communicate your ideas effectively. Avoid using overly complicated language that may confuse your reader.

Revise and edit: Revise and edit your essay carefully to ensure that it is clear, concise, and free of errors.

• Understanding the assignment: Make sure you fully understand the assignment and the purpose of the analysis. This will help you focus your analysis and ensure that you are meeting the requirements of the assignment.

Read the essay multiple times: Reading the essay multiple times will help you to identify the author's main argument, key points, and supporting evidence.

Take notes: As you read the essay, take notes on key points, quotes, and examples. This will help you to organize your thoughts and identify patterns in the author's argument.

Take breaks: It's important to take breaks while reading academic essays to avoid burnout. Take a break every 20-30 minutes and do something completely different, like going for a walk or listening to music. This can help you to stay refreshed and engaged.

Highlight or underline key points: As you read, highlight or underline key points, arguments, and evidence that stand out to you. This will help you to remember and analyze important information later.

Ask questions: Ask yourself questions as you read to help you engage critically with the text. What is the author's argument? What evidence do they use to support their claims? What are the strengths and weaknesses of their argument?

Engage in active reading: Instead of passively reading, engage in active reading by asking questions, making connections to other readings or personal experiences, and reflecting on what you've read.

Find a discussion partner: Find someone to discuss the essay with, whether it's a classmate, a friend, or a teacher. Discussing the essay can help you to process and analyze the information more deeply, and can also help you to stay engaged.

• Identify the author's purpose and audience: Consider why the author wrote the essay and who their intended audience is. This will help you to better understand the author's perspective and the purpose of their argument.

Analyze the structure of the essay: Consider how the essay is structured and how this supports the author's argument. Look for patterns in the organization of ideas and the use of transitions.

Evaluate the author's use of evidence: Evaluate the author's use of evidence and how it supports their argument. Consider whether the evidence is credible, relevant, and sufficient to support the author's claims.

Consider the author's tone and style: Consider the author's tone and style and how it contributes to their argument. Look for patterns in the use of language, imagery, and rhetorical devices.

Consider the context : Consider the context in which the essay was written, such as the author's background, the time period, and any societal or cultural factors that may have influenced their perspective.

Evaluate the evidence: Evaluate the evidence presented in the essay and consider whether it is sufficient to support the author's argument. Look for any biases or assumptions that may be present in the evidence.

Consider alternative viewpoints: Consider alternative viewpoints and arguments that may challenge the author's perspective. This can help you to engage critically with the text and develop a more well-rounded understanding of the topic.

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How To Write An Analytical Essay A Full Guide

Crafting an impeccable analytical essay is an art form that demands precision, insight, and a structured approach. Whether you’re delving into literature, dissecting historical events, or unraveling scientific theories, the ability to present a compelling analysis is pivotal. Here’s a comprehensive guide to navigate the intricate path of writing a flawless analytical essay.

What Is An Analytical Essay

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing that delves deeply into a topic, idea, or piece of literature. Unlike descriptive or narrative essays, which focus on providing a vivid description or telling a story, an analytical essay aims to examine and dissect its subject matter.

The primary objective of an analytical essay is to present a thorough analysis or interpretation of the subject, often breaking it down into its constituent parts and scrutinizing how they contribute to the whole.

Why Analytical Essay Is Important

Analytical essays play a pivotal role in developing critical thinking skills and fostering a deeper understanding of complex subjects. Through the meticulous examination and interpretation of information, these essays teach individuals how to dissect arguments, evaluate evidence, and form well-supported conclusions. They serve as a platform for honing analytical prowess, enabling individuals to engage with diverse perspectives, challenge assumptions, and articulate their insights effectively. Moreover, mastering the art of analytical essays equips individuals with invaluable skills applicable across various disciplines, fostering a capacity for logical reasoning, problem-solving, and persuasive communication—a skill set indispensable in academia, professional endeavors, and everyday life.

Tips For Writing A Good Analytical Essay

Understanding the essence.

To excel in analytical writing, one must comprehend the essence of analysis itself. It’s not merely about summarizing or narrating; it’s about deconstructing the core components, scrutinizing their significance, and synthesizing perspectives to derive insightful conclusions.

Devising a Strategic Blueprint

Begin with a comprehensive understanding of your subject matter. Formulate a thesis statement —a succinct encapsulation of your perspective—which serves as the guiding beacon throughout your essay. Craft an outline delineating key sections and their respective arguments, ensuring a logical flow that seamlessly connects each point.

The Pinnacle of Research

A sturdy analytical essay is built upon a foundation of rigorous research. Delve into reputable sources, be it scholarly articles, books, or credible online repositories. Gather diverse perspectives and data to fortify your arguments, but always uphold the standards of credibility and relevance.

Structure: The Backbone of Brilliance

A well-structured essay is akin to an architectural marvel. The introduction should entice readers with a gripping hook, provide context, and introduce the thesis statement. The body paragraphs, each beginning with a topic sentence, should expound on individual arguments supported by evidence and analysis. Finally, the conclusion should reaffirm the thesis while offering a nuanced synthesis of the essay’s core ideas.

The Art of Analysis

Here’s where the magic unfolds. Analyze, dissect, and interpret the data and evidence gathered. Scrutinize underlying themes, dissect intricate details, and juxtapose contrasting viewpoints. Employ analytical tools pertinent to your subject, such as literary devices for literature analyses, statistical methods for scientific inquiries, or historical frameworks for historical essays.

Precision in Language and Style

The language employed in an analytical essay should be precise, articulate, and tailored to convey complex ideas clearly. Utilize a formal tone, vary sentence structures, and employ transitions to ensure a seamless progression of ideas. Embrace clarity and coherence as your allies in elucidating intricate analyses.

Revisiting and Refining

Revision is the crucible wherein a good essay transforms into a great one. Review your work meticulously—check for coherence, refine arguments, ensure logical transitions, and verify the alignment of evidence with your thesis. Seek feedback from peers or mentors to gain diverse perspectives and refine your essay further.

Conclusion: A Culmination of Mastery

In conclusion, a perfect analytical essay isn’t merely a collection of facts and opinions; it’s an orchestrated symphony of critical thinking, analysis, and eloquent expression. Embrace the journey of discovery, relish the complexities, and let your essay resonate as a testament to your mastery of analytical prowess.

Best Place To Avail Analytical Essay Service

At Allessaywriter.com, excellence meets expertise in crafting exceptional analytical essay services . Our platform is your gateway to top-tier service, offering a seamless experience to elevate your academic journey. With a team of seasoned writers dedicated to precision and depth in analysis, we ensure tailored essays that reflect critical thinking and comprehensive understanding. Trust us for meticulous research, compelling arguments, and impeccable structure, all aimed at delivering the finest analytical essays that exceed expectations.

An analytical essay service encapsulates the culmination of rigorous analysis, insightful interpretation, and concise articulation. It serves as the pinnacle of intellectual prowess, combining critical thinking with eloquent expression to offer a profound understanding of complex subjects. So if you are still wondering about analytical essay writing then ask our writers and get our do my essay help services.

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Analytical Essay Guide

Analytical Essay Writing

Last updated on: Feb 9, 2023

How to Write an Analytical Essay - Step-by-Step Guide

By: Dorothy M.

Reviewed By: Chris H.

Published on: Nov 12, 2019

An analytical essay is a common assignment that high school and college students often need to do. It is the most difficult type of essay that requires a thorough investigation of a topic and its substantial analysis.

Are you having difficulty writing a good analytical essay?

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to write an analytical essay.

This blog will help you understand the core basics of an analytical essay. Once you are done reading it, you will be ready to write your essay easily.

On this Page

What is an Analytical Essay?

According to an analytical essay definition, ‘it is a piece of writing in which the writer analyzes, interprets and critiques a work of art, situation, issue, or a particular event.’ Such essays aim to break down a topic into several subparts and dissect and analyze them in detail and find out the main points.

Analytical essay writing significantly differs from other types of essays. High school students often confuse this type of essay with argumentative essays. However, there is a sharp contrast between them.

The main goal of an analytical essay is to analyze the main topic and convince the reader about your viewpoint. On the contrary, an argumentative essay aims to present a claim about the topic and prove it written with evidence.

How to Start an Analytical Essay?

To write a good analytical essay, you must first spend your time planning for it. Let’s take a look at what the prewriting stage looks like.

• Find the Focus

Students can write an analysis essay on a literary work, a film or a play, or even an issue or problem faced by society.

So the first step is figuring out the core focus of your essay and presenting relevant facts. The evidence can be collected from a novel or film, or it could be the findings of your research that back up your point of view.

• Choose Your Topic

You can only start writing your essay once you have a topic in mind. Most professors like to assign a topic themselves; however, if you are allowed to pick the topic yourself, you have an edge.

You can go with the idea that you are passionate about and find interesting. It will make researching and writing the essay itself a fun and simple process for you.

• Form a Thesis Statement

Once you have chosen the topic for your essay, the next step is crafting the analytical essay thesis statement. A thesis statement is the basis of your overall essay.

The purpose of a thesis statement is to inform the readers about the purpose of your essay and the rhetorical question discussed throughout the paper.

• Find Supporting Evidence

The next step is finding evidence that supports your argument. You can opt for primary or secondary sources, depending on the requirements of your assignment. Look for evidence that is authentic yet persuasive and directly related to the thesis to support your claim. Use transition words to create proper linkage in the provided information.

• Add Contextual Evidence

Besides adding facts and evidence from credible and relevant sources, you should add quotes and paraphrased passages from the text. In an analytical essay example on a book, it is necessary to add phrases and quotes from the text as the main evidence. Reading the text from books or credible sources will help you collect relevant examples.

Adding textual examples build credibility as the reader would know that you know your work inside out. It will also help you support your thesis statement and the main claim of the essay.

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How to Write an Analytical Essay?

Analytical writing can prove to be a difficult task for students but certainly not impossible. To learn how to write an analytical essay step-by-step, follow the guidelines given below.

The goal of analytical essay topics and essays is to explain a topic in detail. It aims to increase the reader’s understanding.

Create an Analytical Essay Outline Worksheet

The first step to write a compelling and strong analytical essay is to craft a detailed outline worksheet for your essay. Preparing a good and detailed outline will help you in focusing on the main topic.

The outline includes the following key sections:

• Introduction

1. Write an Impressive Analytical Essay Introduction

The essay introduction aims to provide the reader with basic background information on the issue. An introduction section starts with a hook, an interesting and engaging fact or statement. Consider it first and probably the last chance to impress your readers.

The introduction should be exciting and leave the reader wanting to know more. However, be specific and keep everything brief. Do not overwhelm your readers with tons of information, and keep the details for the latter part of the essay.

2. Write a Concise Thesis Statement

The thesis statement comes after the introduction, and it is usually a one or two-liner. It is the core essence of the entire essay, and this is why it should be brief and to the point. It is usually written at the end of the introduction and is a small section.

To make it impressive, mention the main theme of the essay briefly.

3. Write Analytical Essay Body Paragraphs

The body of any essay is the main part that consists of the flesh of the essay. Writing an analytical essay, the number of body paragraphs varies, depending upon the complexity of the topic.

Generally, each paragraph comprises a topic sentence, analysis of the original text, and evidence from the text that proves your opinion. Use this opportunity to compare and contrast different views about the topic and then present your perspective.

Please remember that each paragraph must present a single idea or topic. Do not try to add multiple ideas into a single paragraph.

4. Write Analytical Essay Conclusion

Want to know how to conclude an analysis paper strongly?

Writing a conclusion has the same importance as the introductory paragraph. Use the conclusion to prove how and why your point of view was correct. Summarize all the main points, bring the discussion closer, and restate the thesis in a global context.

However, don’t introduce new ideas at this stage. It will only confuse your reader further. Explain the importance of the issue and your stance on it to the reader.

How to Perfect Your Analytical Essay?

Once you have finished the writing process, the next step is to perfect your draft. To do so, you must practice the following techniques.

• Make it Error-Free

If your essay tackles an important issue and presents a solid argument, but at the same time, if it has grammatical or spelling errors, then it won’t come across as a well-written piece of writing.

Before the final submission, make sure that your essay is completely error-free. Check for spelling and grammar and make sure that everything is in line with your analytical essay structure.

Make it your habit to get rid of any mistakes before handing in your paper. You can do this easily by using spelling and grammar check software.

• Read the Essay Out Loud

It may sound weird, but reading the paper aloud will help you identify your paper’s shortcomings. When writing, you may not be able to identify any complex or vague words and phrases. Reading it out loud will help you in picking such words and rectifying them before submission.

Reading it this way will also help you notice the readability of your text. In case something is not falling in place, you can change it at this stage.

• Make Sure that You Have Added All the Necessary Details

Every assignment has specific guidelines and requirements, and as a student, you need to follow all of them. Some details include the analytical essay format, the required number of references, the required number of pages and words, etc. Other details include the correct mentioning of the characters’ names and location, as mentioned in the novel, or your chosen subject.

• Ask a Friend or Sibling to Read it For You

Sometimes we miss minor mistakes and errors, and it is natural. This is why having someone else read it for you will help you in rectifying those mistakes. Ask your friend or a sibling to read it for you and point out structural or any other types of errors.

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Analytical Essay Examples

To help you further, we have added some interesting analytical essay examples and essay samples here. You can download them and use them as a guide for your essay writing process.

ANALYTICAL ESSAY OUTLINE TEMPLATE (PDF)

ANALYTICAL ESSAY EXAMPLE (PDF)

Analytical Essay Topics

The range of analytical essay topics is almost limitless. You can write an analytical essay on topics as wide-ranging as the arts, political movements, social phenomena, scientific methods of discoveries, and current events.

To help you choose a topic for your essay, we have presented some topic ideas below:

• How does fashion influence the lives of teenagers?
• Do you think that footballers are overrated in terms of pay? If yes, then why?
• Can you imagine a world without technology? Prove your arguments with strong evidence.
• Express your views on having school uniforms mandatory. Provide strong arguments and proof.
• The voting age in the US should be revised. Agreed?
• Analyze ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and the theme of fate.
• Explain and analyze different literary terms.
• Discuss and analyze the theme of Ambition in the play ‘Macbeth.’
• Analyze the role of different female characters in ‘Hamlet.’
• Analyze Twain’s ‘Huckleberry Finn’ and discuss the themes of white supremacy and black slavery in the book
• Analyze the concept of ‘Power Corrupts’ in Marlowe’s ‘Doctor Faustus.’
• Identify and analyze different symbols in Samuel Beckett’s ‘Waiting for Godot.’
• How does the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ discuss the era of the Great Depression?
• Discuss the elements of fantasy and reality in the play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire.’
• Analyze the various symbols in the play ‘The Glass Menagerie.’
• Is higher education directly related to a higher quality of life?
• Are high school and college exams necessary?
• Is peer pressure affecting students today?
• Analyze the latest presidential speech.
• Analyze the differences between identical twins.

If you don’t consider yourself a good writer or you simply don’t have time to complete your assignments, then we have the solution for you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of an analytical essay.

An analytical essay is a type of writing where the author explains an idea, describes a process or analyzes the text. It differs from summary in that it focuses on critical analysis instead of just retelling what happened without explanation.

What is the difference between an essay and an analysis?

The sole difference is in the definition and the way both of these are conducted. An analysis could be both verbal and written while an essay could be in written form only.

What is an analytical paragraph?

An analytical paragraph writes down and explains a topic by breaking down the information given in charts, clues, outlines, and other material.

Is academic writing analytical?

Not always but most of the time, academic writing is analytical. It breaks down and analyzes a subject and explains it in detail.

What is analysis in simple terms?

An analysis is the breaking down of a theme, a topic, or an idea to understand it in a better manner.

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Dorothy M. is an experienced freelance writer with over five years of experience in the field. She has a wide client base, and her customers keep returning to her because of her great personalized writing. Dorothy takes care to understand her clients' needs and writes content that engages them and impresses their instructors or readers.

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The Ultimate Guide to Analytical Essay Writing: How to Craft an A-Grade Paper?

25 January, 2021

17 minutes read

Author:  Kate Smith

An analytical essay is often considered the most challenging piece of writing. However, those who have dealt with it at least once are a step closer to calling themselves masters of essay writing. This type of paper requires plenty of analytical skills to carry out an in-depth analysis of the assigned topic. Yet, the main goal of an analytical essay is not only to demonstrate your ability to learn the basics of the theme.

You also need to think critically, analyze facts, express your standpoint, and clearly show a deep understanding of key concepts. In short, your main task as an author is to prove the validity of your views by coming up with strong arguments that do not beg any questions.

The given guide provides a full analytical essay definition, as well as specifies its features and structural aspects. The following information will help you properly start your paper, choose a relevant topic, and come up with compelling conclusions. 

What is an Analytical Essay?

An analytical essay is a piece of writing aimed to provide a thorough analysis of a definite phenomenon using persuasive arguments and supporting assertions. Analysis in the analytical essay writing process stands for a method of research that allows one to study specific features of an object. Analytical papers also have to do with analysis of a specific problem; that is consideration of the problem itself and identification of its key patterns. The subject matter of analysis can be a well-known or little-studied scientific phenomenon, artistic work, historical event, social problem, etc.

The content of an analytical essay will totally depend on the object that has been chosen for analysis. Thus, when shedding light on any kind of scientific work, an analytical essay can be devoted to the analysis of research credibility, its relevance, or the adequacy of conclusions. When considering a work of art, an essay writer can focus on the analysis of the author’s artistic techniques or issues raised in the book. For this reason, it is essential to accurately determine the topic and subject matter of your future analytical essay.

Steps to Take Before Writing

The preparational stage of analytical essay writing cannot be omitted. It lays the basis for the A-grade paper and should be carefully completed. If you don’t know how to start an analytical essay, read a few handy tips that will ensure a solid foundation for your paper.  

Define a subject matter

You first need to clearly understand the issue you will base your essay on. Since analytical essays imply an in-depth analysis of a specific problem, you need to define its core. Try to split the analysis into several components and provide arguments taken either from a book, a research, a scientific work, or a movie (depending on the subject matter of your analysis), and support your views comprehensively.

Decide on the content of your analytical essay

If you are a student who was given an analytical essay topic, read the task several times before you are 100% sure that you clearly understand the requirements as to the analytical essay format. In case you were lucky to choose the topic of the analytical paper by yourself, make sure the theme you will be dealing with is familiar or at least seems interesting to you. 

Remember that different subject matters require a different approach to their analysis. If you examine some literature work, you can prove your opinion based on the deeds of a certain or several characters. But if you have been assigned the task to elaborate on some historic events, analyze their main causes, driving forces that have affected their course, and their global consequences.  

Take care of the proper start

Don’t forget to start your analytical essay with a thesis statement. It is a sentence or a couple of sentences that aim to summarize the key statements of your paper. A thesis statement should provide readers with a preliminary idea of what your essay is all about.  

Find extra reasoning

Make sure your thesis is supported by compelling arguments. To find enough evidence, you should carry out a thorough analysis of the assigned topic. List the crucial points of your research and ponder over the ways they can be used to prove your final opinion. 

Elaborate the outline

A sound outline elaborated at the preparation stage will help you ensure a proper analytical essay structure and make the overall writing process easier. As a rule, an analytical essay consists of an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Your outline plan should include the key arguments you want to discuss in each paragraph. 

Analytical Essay Thesis

A thesis statement represents the central idea of your paper and must serve as strong proof of your standpoint. While elaborating your thesis statement, it is crucial to include it at the end of the first paragraph and thus set a direction for the overall paper. 

Analytical Essay Outline

An outline is not a required element of analytical essays writing and should not be included in the text, but it can greatly facilitate the whole process of paper writing.

The analytical essay structure looks as follows:

Introduction

In the introduction of an analytical essay, you will need to identify your paper’s subject matter. Mention the purpose of your work and specify its scope of research. Don’t forget to include a thesis to let readers know what your work is about.

Body Section

As has already been mentioned, the body section covers three or more main paragraphs, each being supported with arguments and details. Besides, you need to provide a small conclusion to each statement to make your essay sound professional and persuasive. 

At this stage, you need to summarize the points elucidated in your paper and make sure there is a smooth and logical transition from the body section to the concluding part of the text. If you don’t know how to conclude an analytical essay, try to restate the thesis statement without copying it word for word.  

Analytical Essay Examples

Writing an analytical essay may seem to be a thorny way. If you are still not sure how to properly craft one, try to find some examples that will help you go in the right direction. Below, there are some great examples of analytical essays. Take a look at their structure and try to write something similar based on your views and ideas:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JeR4i4RIZIj448W3KVFyHP-eS3QPN7gW/view

https://stlcc.edu/docs/student-support/academic-support/college-writing-center/rhetorical-analysis-sample-essay.pdf

https://www.germanna.eduhttp://handmadewriting.com/wp-content/uploads/tutoring/handouts/Literary-Analysis-Sample-Paper.pdf

30 Analytical Essay Topics

If you were allowed to choose the theme for your paper by yourself, check on the following analytical essay topics. Each of them can bring you the highest score:

General topics

• The influence of social networks on the life of teens
• Are salaries of football players too high?
• Wearing uniforms in schools should be banned
• A person in society: the problems of loneliness and privacy
• Sociology of corporate relationships
• Does the observation of space need more investments?
• Should the voting age in the UK be decreased?
• Reasons why capital punishment should be brought back in the UK
• A world with no rules: a new human era or a road to the global collapse?
• Life without technologies: will modern people survive?
• Should scientists test drugs on animals to fight cancer?
• The problem of keeping the balance between career and family life
• The importance of listening to your body 
• Problems caused by the lack of communication
• Food addiction and the problems it causes
• Problems of vaccination in the XXI century
• Does evil really rule the world?
• How does body size affect life quality?
• Pros and cons of video games 
• The role of a family model in the life and career of a person

Analytical Essay Topics on Literature

• “Robinson Crusoe”: fantasy vs reality
• Observation of the artistic uniqueness in the comedy by W. Shakespeare “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” 
• Observe the social problems in the novel by John Steinbeck “The Grapes of Wrath”
• Convulsions and death of the “little man” in the networks of impersonal, alienated forces in the novel “The Metamorphosis”
• Observation of the problems of a man on a plagued land in the novel “The Plague”
• Revolt of the protagonist in the novel by J. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”
• Observation of friendship and love in the fate of humanity in the XX century
• The triumph of immorality in the novel by F. Sagan “Hello Sadness”
• Observation of the personality of an American student in the novel by J. Salinger “The Catcher in the Rye”
• Eternal tragedies of humanity in the tragedy by W. Shakespeare “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”

How to Write a Well-Structured Analytical Essay With a Solid Argument

Writing an analytical essay with a clear structure might be challenging unless you are thoroughly prepared. We decided to help you out and create a detailed guide listing the main things to consider when creating an analytical essay outline. You need to explain your main idea in a concise way to bring your point across. As analytical writing has high requirements, it pays off to find an analytical essay example and analyze how this text was written. It will allow you to understand the analytical essay format better and learn how to provide substantive analysis on various topics. Read on to learn how to write a top-level analytical paper and submit it on time.

Main Tips for Writing an Analytical Essay

An analytical essay should provide a comprehensive analysis of a chosen topic. What makes an analysis essay different from other assignments is that it includes a personal opinion of an author. This is why analytical writing should be persuasive.

Below, we have rounded up the key tips you need to follow when producing an analytical essay outline and the main body of your text. Read on to learn more about the analytical essay format and create a text that will fully meet the requirements.

Select an Analytical Essay Topic

Before creating an analytical essay outline, make sure to pick a topic that you are interested in. It should be provocative enough to engage your readers. A widely-debated topic will help you write an analytical essay that grabs the attention of a wide audience.

Consider your goals and conduct thorough research to see if you have enough sources to support the main thesis of your analysis essay.

Come Up With a Strong Analytical Thesis Statement

When writing an analytical essay, start by formulating a thesis statement that includes the topic and the main goal of your text. It will help you create an analytical essay outline and show your readers what you will discuss in your analysis essay.

Add it to the last paragraph of your analytical essay introduction. Due to this, your analytical essay outline will look better structured. Look at any analytical essay example to see how you can introduce your subject. In most cases, one sentence will suffice to state your analysis essay’s goal. However, a complex analytical essay outline might require you to use two sentences for a thesis statement.

Write an Analytical Essay Body with a Clear Structure

Your analytical essay outline should include 3-4 paragraphs. However, a literary analysis essay usually consists of 5 paragraphs. When it comes to analytical writing, it is important to cover a different point in each section of the main body of an analysis paper.

After writing an analytical essay, check whether each paragraph contains an introduction and the main point. Besides, it should contain evidence. An expertly written analytical essay outline will help you reach out to your target audience more effectively.

Conduct Research Before Writing an Analytical Essay Outline

While this step is preparatory, it is a must for those who want to write a well-grounded analytical paper.

• First, select the best ideas for your essay
• Then, emphasize the problems with works written by other researchers
• Finally, write your analytical essay outline to demonstrate what approach you want to take

Examine the context and find examples to illustrate the scope of the issue. You may draw parallels to emphasize your point and make your topic more relatable.

Analyze the Implications of the Evidence

After listing your pieces of evidence and demonstrating how it is related to your thesis, show why it is important. You need to explore it deeply and use it to support your argument. It will make your analytical essay outline well-grounded facts.

Write an Analytical Essay Conclusion

Whether you write a literary analysis essay or other types of assignments, there is no need to add any new data at the end of your analysis paper. Instead, summarize the arguments you mentioned in your analytical essay outline. The conclusion of your analysis essay should be short and clear. Here, you need to demonstrate that you have achieved your goals.

Analytical Essay Writing Tips

If you want to get the highest grade for your analytical essay, you need to know a little bit more than just the basics of paper writing. Read these handy tips to write a perfect essay you will be proud of:

• Double-check your paper for spelling and grammar mistakes. In case your essay contains too many errors, neither an in-depth analysis nor the elaborate writing style will make it look any better. Situations when essays of great value in terms of research and a message they convey are poorly assessed because of the abundance of mistakes are not rare. Make sure you have enough time to proofread your paper before submission. Also, you may consider asking somebody to take a fresh look at your essay and check it for you.
• Reading your analytical essay out loud helps you discover all types of errors or weak phrases. This method might seem a bit uncomfortable, but it has proved to be very effective for many students. Note that silent reading of your paper isn’t even half as helpful as reading it aloud. 
• Another great idea to check on the rhythm and flow of your paper is to ask someone to read it for you. While listening to the text, you could perceive it from another perspective and discover even more inconsistencies and mistakes.  
• Double-check the facts you use in your analytical essay. The names of people, books, research, publications, as well as dates of historical events are too important to be misspelled. Things like these show your professionalism and the way you treat your readers.

Write an Analytical Essay with HandmadeWriting

Writing an analytical essay requires time, strong writing skills, great attention to detail, and a huge interest in the assigned topic. However, life can be unpredictable sometimes, and students might find themselves at risk of failing their creative assignments. Stress, family issues, poor health, and even unwillingness to work on a certain topic may become significant obstacles on their way to the A-grade work.

If you have similar problems, there is no need to compromise your reputation and grades. You can always refer to HandmadeWriting professionals who are ready to help you with a paper of any type and complexity. They will understand your individual style and totally devote themselv

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 How to Write a Perfect Analytical Paragraph

• 8-minute read
• 30th January 2023

If you are looking up how to write an analytical paragraph, you are most likely writing an argumentative or analytical essay. Analytical essays are similar to other essays, such as descriptive essays, in that you have a central idea, organize supporting ideas into body paragraphs, and make conclusions.

However, analytical essays differ from other essays because the writer must go further. They require the writer to interpret and analyze a given text or information using evidence to support their central idea or thesis statement. This analysis takes place in analytical paragraphs, or body paragraphs, if you are writing an analytical essay .

In this article, you’ll learn the components of a perfect analytical paragraph: the topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and conclusion. Keep reading to learn more.

What Is an Analytical Paragraph?

An analytical paragraph is a paragraph that breaks down a piece of literature, an idea, or a concept into smaller parts and analyzes each part to understand the whole. Being able to write an effective and successful analytical paragraph reflects a writer’s critical thinking and organizational writing skills. All in all, like any other type of writing, writing an analytical paragraph requires skill and practice.

Write the Topic Sentence

A topic sentence is usually the first, or sometimes second, sentence at the beginning of anybody paragraph. Your topic sentence should contain one main idea related to the thesis statement . If it is not related to your thesis statement, then you are likely off topic.

Pro Tip: If your topic sentence is the second sentence of your paragraph, then your first sentence should be a transitional sentence .

Let’s look at a thesis statement and some topic sentences to get a better idea.

Topic: Examine and analyze the marriages in George Eliot’s Middlemarch .

Thesis Statement: Eliot uses three different marriages to give depth to everyday people and show the reader the struggles of marriage within the nineteenth century’s societal standards of submissive roles, class range, and financial status.

Topic Sentence 1: Lydgate and Rosamond had a terrible marriage in Middlemarch , like all other marriages during this time.

This topic sentence is not effective because it is not specific enough and does not directly relate to the thesis statement. It does not mention how their “terrible” marriage is related to submissive roles, class range, or financial status. Additionally, the overly generalized language of “all” marriages being terrible marriages during this time is a weak argument.

Topic Sentence 2: Financial matters play a huge role in the Lydgate and Rosamond marriage, as Lydgate has no money and Rosamond is a big spender.

This topic sentence is effective because it directly supports the thesis statement. It is focused on the financial status of this marriage.

Provide Evidence

The type of evidence you use to support your topic sentence will largely depend on the topic of your analytical essay. For example, if you are writing an essay related to a work of literature, you will need to provide direct quotes, paraphrasing, specific details, or a summary from the work to support your main idea. If your topic is related to analyzing data, then you may use figures, statistics, or charts and graph evidence to support your topic sentence.

Regardless of what type of evidence you provide, it must be appropriate and directly relate to and support your topic sentence.

For example, if we take the above thesis and topic sentence, we might select direct quotes, paraphrases, or summaries from the novel Middlemarch that depict the marriage’s financial stress.

Pro Tip: When using direct quotes, make sure you always provide an in-text citation and use correct punctuation to ensure your essay is neat and clean.

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Once you have provided evidence, you should analyze it to illustrate its significance and how it relates to the topic sentence. In your analysis, you can discuss how an author uses certain literary devices to emphasize character traits, themes, patterns, and connections in a literary work.

Be sure that your analysis always connects to the topic sentence/main idea of the paragraph. Avoid introducing new ideas in this section. Save those for later paragraphs or consider creating a new one to explore and analyze the new point.

Conclude Your Paragraph

When closing an analytical paragraph, you can consider doing two things:

●  Briefly emphasize the main point your reader should take away after having read the paragraph.

●  Begin a transition if the analysis continues into the next paragraph. (This strategy may be more suitable for longer, more in-depth analytical essays).

Using the above example topic sentence, we might conclude the paragraph as follows:

Notice how this concluding statement not only emphasizes the main points from the paragraph but also ties back into the thesis statement.

Writing Tips For Analytical Paragraphs

Leave out first person language.

Avoid using language such as “in my opinion,” “from my perspective,” or “I think.” While the analysis is your interpretation of a text or information, you should rely on and focus on using evidence to support your ideas. Overall, you should aim to maintain an objective tone .

Instead of saying “I think Rosamond is manipulative,” you should use evidence from the text to show that she was manipulative. For example, “Rosamond shows a pattern of manipulation throughout Middlemarch , specifically toward her husband. For instance, she says, ‘…’”

Do Writing Exercises

When writing, especially in the early drafts of an essay, it is typical to find the main idea of a paragraph at the end. This is a natural course for our thinking process. However, the main idea should be presented as your topic sentence at the beginning of this paragraph. Additionally, most students leave this main idea at the end because they do not identify it as the main idea.

To overcome this dilemma, try a looping prewriting exercise . In this exercise, you write continuously for a designated time (maybe 10 minutes, your choice). At the end of that time, read over what you’ve written and circle the main idea of the text (this is usually at the end). In the next cycle, you start with this main idea at the beginning and further examine and analyze it.

This is a wonderful exercise to help you pick out main ideas and delve deeper into your analysis.

Get Feedback

If you are a student, there are several options to get feedback for free. Ask a friend to read your essay. Go to your writing center to get feedback and help with your writing. Go to your professor’s office hours with your writing or questions to get detailed advice. More often than not, they are happy to see you take advantage of their expertise.

As a working professional, writer, or author, you can look to fellow authors or bookish friends to read your work. You can find free beta readers online from sites such as Goodreads to get feedback from your target audience. You can also find writing groups on social media platforms.

Proofread Your Work

It can be easy to finish writing an essay and think “Finally, I’m done!” Unfortunately, that is only half the process. Be sure to always read and reread your writing before hitting submit. Check for stray commas, spelling errors, or awkward sentences to make your main ideas and hard work shine. Learn about 6 Quick and Easy Tips for Proofreading you can do at home.

Writing an analytical paragraph doesn’t have to be stressful. Be sure to include a topic sentence at the beginning of your paragraph that connects to the thesis statement. Provide a variety of evidence to support your main idea, analyze the text by highlighting literary devices used, themes, and patterns, and end with a brief concluding statement.

If you need more help with writing analysis, descriptive essays, or any other type of essay, then Proofed is here to help. Try our free trial today!

What Is a Topic Sentence?

A topic sentence goes at the beginning of a body paragraph and clearly states the main idea of the paragraph.

How Do I Organize an Analytical Paragraph?

An analytical paragraph has four components: topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and conclusion. The topic sentence is the most important part of any body paragraph because it establishes the main idea of the paragraph and relates to the thesis statement.

What Makes a Good Analytical Paragraph?

A good analytical paragraph has a clear topic sentence, strong evidence, and a thorough analysis that reflects the writer’s critical thinking and writing skills. It should conclude by emphasizing the main idea of the paragraph and how it supports the essay overall.

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The Fosters on Abc Family Analysis

This essay about “The Fosters” on ABC Family examines its groundbreaking portrayal of a non-traditional family structure and its exploration of themes such as love, identity, and societal challenges. Through authentic representation of LGBTQ+ characters and narratives, the show challenges stereotypes and fosters empathy. Additionally, it confronts pressing social issues like race, class, and privilege, inviting viewers to reflect on their own biases. With its multidimensional characters and compelling storytelling, “The Fosters” celebrates the power of love and resilience, leaving a lasting impact on popular culture and inspiring audiences to embrace diversity and compassion.

How it works

“The Fosters,” a gem in the crown of ABC Family, later Freeform, from 2013 to 2018, emerged not just as a television series but as a cultural touchstone, weaving intricate narratives of love, identity, and societal challenges within the fabric of a non-traditional family structure. Crafted by the visionary minds of Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg, this show etched its mark by exploring the tapestry of human relationships with depth and resonance.

Central to the storyline are Stef and Lena Adams Foster, a couple whose unwavering commitment to each other forms the cornerstone of their family life.

Their journey, both as partners and as parents, transcends the conventional norms of television dramas, offering a refreshing portrayal of love in its myriad forms. In the backdrop of their relationship unfolds a narrative that resonates with audiences, regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs.

What sets “The Fosters” apart is its unflinching portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and their narratives. Stef and Lena’s love story, depicted with authenticity and sensitivity, serves as a beacon of representation in a landscape where such narratives were often relegated to the sidelines. By humanizing their experiences and struggles, the show not only broke new ground but also fostered empathy and understanding among viewers, challenging ingrained stereotypes and prejudices.

However, “The Fosters” is more than just a story of queer representation; it is a tapestry woven with threads of social consciousness and advocacy. Through its diverse ensemble of characters, the show confronts pressing issues such as race, class, and privilege, offering a lens through which viewers can examine their own biases and assumptions. From the plight of foster children to the struggles of undocumented immigrants, each storyline serves as a mirror reflecting the complexities of the world we inhabit.

One of the show’s greatest strengths lies in its ability to delve into the intricacies of human experience with nuance and compassion. Each character, whether it be the headstrong Callie or the sensitive Jude, is imbued with depth and complexity, their journeys marked by triumphs and tribulations alike. It is through these characters that “The Fosters” invites viewers to embark on a journey of self-reflection, challenging them to confront their own preconceived notions and biases.

At its core, “The Fosters” is a testament to the enduring power of love and resilience in the face of adversity. Through its portrayal of the Adams Foster family, the show celebrates the beauty of diversity and the strength found in unity. It is a reminder that family is not defined by blood, but by the bonds of love and acceptance that transcend societal expectations.

In conclusion, “The Fosters” stands as a beacon of representation and inclusivity in the landscape of television dramas. Through its compelling storytelling, authentic characters, and unflinching exploration of social issues, the show has left an indelible mark on popular culture, inspiring viewers to embrace empathy, compassion, and the transformative power of love.

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How to Write an Essay Using ABC Method

The ABC essay writing method derives from a time management procedure of the same name. The time management procedure helps you prioritize your daily or weekly schedule to ensure that you complete the most important tasks. Writing an essay with the ABC Method helps you to prioritize information in your essay so that your main points are strong and support your thesis.

Unlike some essay brainstorming methods, you must know your thesis statement and what you're hoping to achieve with your paper before you being writing. The ABC Method works best with information-based essays.

Write down your thesis statement. Your thesis statement presents the argument you intend to support with the information you'll include in your essay.

Write the evidence that supports or proves your thesis statement in bullet-point format the original statement.

Review your list of evidence, then mark the strongest points with the letter A, good points with the letter B and your weakest support with the letter C. You can further prioritize the information using numerical modifiers, for example, A1, A2 and A3 for your three strongest points among your A list.

Write a new list that starts with your thesis statement, followed by your remaining A arguments, then B arguments and then finally, C arguments. If you have too much evidence to put in your essay, eliminate information beginning with your lowermost C argument. Eliminate all C arguments before considering the elimination of any B evidence and likewise, eliminate all B evidence before considering your A arguments. This aligns with the purpose of the method, which is to construct your essay around the strongest arguments available to you.

Write an introductory paragraph that acquaints the reader with the topic you're covering and end your introduction with a transition just following your thesis statement. Each paragraph thereafter should present one complete argument each, including it's relevance to the thesis statement and how it supports your premise. Each argument serves as a topic sentence you can use to open your supporting paragraphs. End each supporting paragraph with a transition leading to the next paragraph.

Write a conclusion that summarizes your arguments and then suggests further work applicable to the topic based on gaps in information provided in your essay, informational inconsistencies or other sources of potential growth in related research. Do not present new evidence in your conclusion, but instead, restate the basic evidence you mentioned in your essay, especially A level evidence, and summarize how it supports your premise.

• Texas A&M Student Counseling: ABC Method of Time Management

Melly Parker has been writing since 2007, focusing on health, business, technology and home improvement. She has also worked as a teacher and a bioassay laboratory technician. Parker now serves as a marketing specialist at one of the largest mobile app developers in the world. She holds a Master of Science in English.

Trending Post : 12 Powerful Discussion Strategies to Engage Students

Paragraph Acronyms for Argumentative Writing

Have your students ever looked at you like deer in headlights when you ask them to provide you with a baseline writing sample? Mine have. That’s why I wanted to come up with a catchy way for them to remember the essential elements of each paragraph in an argumentative essay. I don’t want them to feel helpless. They shouldn’t have to struggle to come up with more than one sentence for an introduction or conclusion. One of the scaffolding techniques I’ve found beneficial is creating acronyms for argumentative writing .

What follows are the mnemonic devices I created for each paragraph. I hope that they are memorable enough to stick with my students after they leave my classroom. Eventually, they won’t need this scaffolding. For now, it provides them with the confidence they need to understand how to write a well-developed paragraph.

Most of these acronyms can be used for other genres of writing as well, with the exception of the letter C in the introduction, perhaps.

INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH ACRONYM

Because the introduction is the beginning of the essay, I refer to it as the ABC’s, which are the essential ingredients.

A – attention getter / hook

B – bridge / background

C – claim / thesis statement

If students are not writing an argumentative essay, “C” could stand for “clear thesis” instead of claim. 

BODY PARAGRAPH ACRONYM

Since I use a hamburger or sandwich analogy when talking about body paragraphs, I use the acronym MEAT to describe the middle paragraphs in the essay. Without the meat, the sandwich would not be complete.

M – main point / topic sentence

E – evidence / research

A – analysis / elaboration

T – transition sentence

With this acronym, I explain to students that they will repeat their E + A at least twice in each body paragraph.

CONCESSION PARAGRAPH ACRONYM

Concession paragraphs can be tricky. Essentially, students are acknowledging a strong counterargument but then refuting it. After they identify a view that opposes their own, I ask them, “And so…?” What point are you trying to make by touching on this counterargument?

A – acknowledge opposition / counterargument

N – now turn back with a strong key word

D – defend your point of view with research

SO  – so what is the point?

CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH ACRONYM

Just like we begin the essay with ABC, we end with XYZ – the critical components for a strong conclusion paragraph.

X – re- EX plain the thesis

Y – why should the audience care?

Z – zing them with a lasting thought

And those are the acronyms for argumentative writing I created to help scaffold my students’ understanding. Reluctant writers, young writers, and EL students benefit from having these kinds of mnemonic devices and other brain-based learning supports.

When using them, it’s important to talk about them early and often. As students develop maturity and confidence, we can lead them toward more freedom in structuring both paragraphs and the essay as a whole.

Want to read more? These posts offer more meaningful approaches for teaching argumentative writing:

• How to Write Introduction Paragraphs
• 5 Ways to Use Body Paragraph Examples 
• Scaffolding Conclusion Paragraphs
• Helping Students Select Research Topics

RELATED RESOURCE:

Do you need graphic organizers for these acronyms? This comprehensive  argumentative writing bundle contains graphic organizers as well as activities that address common struggles with writing argumentative research essays. Plus, you’ll find example essays and a terminology-based unit exam to complement the authentic assessment (the essay). Click on the image below to view more details. You can also snag the graphic organizers separately .

I have two sections of “technical writing” (remediation before English I). THIS will be so very helpful for them. It’s easy to remember and effective! Thanks!

I’m so glad to hear that this will help you with your technical writing class, Theresa. I definitely think mnemonic devices are a great scaffolding tool for struggling writers. Thanks so much for stopping by to read and for taking time to comment.

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8.5 Writing Process: Creating an Analytical Report

Learning outcomes.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Identify the elements of the rhetorical situation for your report.
• Find and focus a topic to write about.
• Gather and analyze information from appropriate sources.
• Distinguish among different kinds of evidence.
• Draft a thesis and create an organizational plan.
• Compose a report that develops ideas and integrates evidence from sources.
• Give and act on productive feedback to works in progress.

You might think that writing comes easily to experienced writers—that they draft stories and college papers all at once, sitting down at the computer and having sentences flow from their fingers like water from a faucet. In reality, most writers engage in a recursive process, pushing forward, stepping back, and repeating steps multiple times as their ideas develop and change. In broad strokes, the steps most writers go through are these:

• Planning and Organization . You will have an easier time drafting if you devote time at the beginning to consider the rhetorical situation for your report, understand your assignment, gather ideas and information, draft a thesis statement, and create an organizational plan.
• Drafting . When you have an idea of what you want to say and the order in which you want to say it, you’re ready to draft. As much as possible, keep going until you have a complete first draft of your report, resisting the urge to go back and rewrite. Save that for after you have completed a first draft.
• Review . Now is the time to get feedback from others, whether from your instructor, your classmates, a tutor in the writing center, your roommate, someone in your family, or someone else you trust to read your writing critically and give you honest feedback.
• Revising . With feedback on your draft, you are ready to revise. You may need to return to an earlier step and make large-scale revisions that involve planning, organizing, and rewriting, or you may need to work mostly on ensuring that your sentences are clear and correct.

Considering the Rhetorical Situation

Like other kinds of writing projects, a report starts with assessing the rhetorical situation —the circumstance in which a writer communicates with an audience of readers about a subject. As the writer of a report, you make choices based on the purpose of your writing, the audience who will read it, the genre of the report, and the expectations of the community and culture in which you are working. A graphic organizer like Table 8.1 can help you begin.

Summary of Assignment

Write an analytical report on a topic that interests you and that you want to know more about. The topic can be contemporary or historical, but it must be one that you can analyze and support with evidence from sources.

The following questions can help you think about a topic suitable for analysis:

• Why or how did ________ happen?
• What are the results or effects of ________?
• Is ________ a problem? If so, why?
• What are examples of ________ or reasons for ________?
• How does ________ compare to or contrast with other issues, concerns, or things?

Consult and cite three to five reliable sources. The sources do not have to be scholarly for this assignment, but they must be credible, trustworthy, and unbiased. Possible sources include academic journals, newspapers, magazines, reputable websites, government publications or agency websites, and visual sources such as TED Talks. You may also use the results of an experiment or survey, and you may want to conduct interviews.

Consider whether visuals and media will enhance your report. Can you present data you collect visually? Would a map, photograph, chart, or other graphic provide interesting and relevant support? Would video or audio allow you to present evidence that you would otherwise need to describe in words?

Another Lens. To gain another analytic view on the topic of your report, consider different people affected by it. Say, for example, that you have decided to report on recent high school graduates and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the final months of their senior year. If you are a recent high school graduate, you might naturally gravitate toward writing about yourself and your peers. But you might also consider the adults in the lives of recent high school graduates—for example, teachers, parents, or grandparents—and how they view the same period. Or you might consider the same topic from the perspective of a college admissions department looking at their incoming freshman class.

Quick Launch: Finding and Focusing a Topic

Coming up with a topic for a report can be daunting because you can report on nearly anything. The topic can easily get too broad, trapping you in the realm of generalizations. The trick is to find a topic that interests you and focus on an angle you can analyze in order to say something significant about it. You can use a graphic organizer to generate ideas, or you can use a concept map similar to the one featured in Writing Process: Thinking Critically About a “Text.”

Asking the Journalist’s Questions

One way to generate ideas about a topic is to ask the five W (and one H) questions, also called the journalist’s questions : Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Try answering the following questions to explore a topic:

Who was or is involved in ________?

What happened/is happening with ________? What were/are the results of ________?

When did ________ happen? Is ________ happening now?

Where did ________ happen, or where is ________ happening?

Why did ________ happen, or why is ________ happening now?

How did ________ happen?

For example, imagine that you have decided to write your analytical report on the effect of the COVID-19 shutdown on high-school students by interviewing students on your college campus. Your questions and answers might look something like those in Table 8.2 :

Asking Focused Questions

Another way to find a topic is to ask focused questions about it. For example, you might ask the following questions about the effect of the 2020 pandemic shutdown on recent high school graduates:

• How did the shutdown change students’ feelings about their senior year?
• How did the shutdown affect their decisions about post-graduation plans, such as work or going to college?
• How did the shutdown affect their academic performance in high school or in college?
• How did/do they feel about continuing their education?
• How did the shutdown affect their social relationships?

Any of these questions might be developed into a thesis for an analytical report. Table 8.3 shows more examples of broad topics and focusing questions.

Gathering Information

Because they are based on information and evidence, most analytical reports require you to do at least some research. Depending on your assignment, you may be able to find reliable information online, or you may need to do primary research by conducting an experiment, a survey, or interviews. For example, if you live among students in their late teens and early twenties, consider what they can tell you about their lives that you might be able to analyze. Returning to or graduating from high school, starting college, or returning to college in the midst of a global pandemic has provided them, for better or worse, with educational and social experiences that are shared widely by people their age and very different from the experiences older adults had at the same age.

Some report assignments will require you to do formal research, an activity that involves finding sources and evaluating them for reliability, reading them carefully, taking notes, and citing all words you quote and ideas you borrow. See Research Process: Accessing and Recording Information and Annotated Bibliography: Gathering, Evaluating, and Documenting Sources for detailed instruction on conducting research.

Whether you conduct in-depth research or not, keep track of the ideas that come to you and the information you learn. You can write or dictate notes using an app on your phone or computer, or you can jot notes in a journal if you prefer pen and paper. Then, when you are ready to begin organizing your report, you will have a record of your thoughts and information. Always track the sources of information you gather, whether from printed or digital material or from a person you interviewed, so that you can return to the sources if you need more information. And always credit the sources in your report.

Kinds of Evidence

Depending on your assignment and the topic of your report, certain kinds of evidence may be more effective than others. Other kinds of evidence may even be required. As a general rule, choose evidence that is rooted in verifiable facts and experience. In addition, select the evidence that best supports the topic and your approach to the topic, be sure the evidence meets your instructor’s requirements, and cite any evidence you use that comes from a source. The following list contains different kinds of frequently used evidence and an example of each.

Definition : An explanation of a key word, idea, or concept.

The U.S. Census Bureau refers to a “young adult” as a person between 18 and 34 years old.

Example : An illustration of an idea or concept.

The college experience in the fall of 2020 was starkly different from that of previous years. Students who lived in residence halls were assigned to small pods. On-campus dining services were limited. Classes were small and physically distanced or conducted online. Parties were banned.

Expert opinion : A statement by a professional in the field whose opinion is respected.

According to Louise Aronson, MD, geriatrician and author of Elderhood , people over the age of 65 are the happiest of any age group, reporting “less stress, depression, worry, and anger, and more enjoyment, happiness, and satisfaction” (255).

Fact : Information that can be proven correct or accurate.

According to data collected by the NCAA, the academic success of Division I college athletes between 2015 and 2019 was consistently high (Hosick).

Interview : An in-person, phone, or remote conversation that involves an interviewer posing questions to another person or people.

During our interview, I asked Betty about living without a cell phone during the pandemic. She said that before the pandemic, she hadn’t needed a cell phone in her daily activities, but she soon realized that she, and people like her, were increasingly at a disadvantage.

Quotation : The exact words of an author or a speaker.

In response to whether she thought she needed a cell phone, Betty said, “I got along just fine without a cell phone when I could go everywhere in person. The shift to needing a phone came suddenly, and I don’t have extra money in my budget to get one.”

Statistics : A numerical fact or item of data.

The Pew Research Center reported that approximately 25 percent of Hispanic Americans and 17 percent of Black Americans relied on smartphones for online access, compared with 12 percent of White people.

Survey : A structured interview in which respondents (the people who answer the survey questions) are all asked the same questions, either in person or through print or electronic means, and their answers tabulated and interpreted. Surveys discover attitudes, beliefs, or habits of the general public or segments of the population.

A survey of 3,000 mobile phone users in October 2020 showed that 54 percent of respondents used their phones for messaging, while 40 percent used their phones for calls (Steele).

• Visuals : Graphs, figures, tables, photographs and other images, diagrams, charts, maps, videos, and audio recordings, among others.

Thesis and Organization

Drafting a thesis.

When you have a grasp of your topic, move on to the next phase: drafting a thesis. The thesis is the central idea that you will explore and support in your report; all paragraphs in your report should relate to it. In an essay-style analytical report, you will likely express this main idea in a thesis statement of one or two sentences toward the end of the introduction.

For example, if you found that the academic performance of student athletes was higher than that of non-athletes, you might write the following thesis statement:

student sample text Although a common stereotype is that college athletes barely pass their classes, an analysis of athletes’ academic performance indicates that athletes drop fewer classes, earn higher grades, and are more likely to be on track to graduate in four years when compared with their non-athlete peers. end student sample text

The thesis statement often previews the organization of your writing. For example, in his report on the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Trevor Garcia wrote the following thesis statement, which detailed the central idea of his report:

student sample text An examination of the U.S. response shows that a reduction of experts in key positions and programs, inaction that led to equipment shortages, and inconsistent policies were three major causes of the spread of the virus and the resulting deaths. end student sample text

After you draft a thesis statement, ask these questions, and examine your thesis as you answer them. Revise your draft as needed.

• Is it interesting? A thesis for a report should answer a question that is worth asking and piques curiosity.
• Is it precise and specific? If you are interested in reducing pollution in a nearby lake, explain how to stop the zebra mussel infestation or reduce the frequent algae blooms.
• Is it manageable? Try to split the difference between having too much information and not having enough.

Organizing Your Ideas

As a next step, organize the points you want to make in your report and the evidence to support them. Use an outline, a diagram, or another organizational tool, such as Table 8.4 .

Drafting an Analytical Report

With a tentative thesis, an organization plan, and evidence, you are ready to begin drafting. For this assignment, you will report information, analyze it, and draw conclusions about the cause of something, the effect of something, or the similarities and differences between two different things.

Introduction

Some students write the introduction first; others save it for last. Whenever you choose to write the introduction, use it to draw readers into your report. Make the topic of your report clear, and be concise and sincere. End the introduction with your thesis statement. Depending on your topic and the type of report, you can write an effective introduction in several ways. Opening a report with an overview is a tried-and-true strategy, as shown in the following example on the U.S. response to COVID-19 by Trevor Garcia. Notice how he opens the introduction with statistics and a comparison and follows it with a question that leads to the thesis statement (underlined).

student sample text With more than 83 million cases and 1.8 million deaths at the end of 2020, COVID-19 has turned the world upside down. By the end of 2020, the United States led the world in the number of cases, at more than 20 million infections and nearly 350,000 deaths. In comparison, the second-highest number of cases was in India, which at the end of 2020 had less than half the number of COVID-19 cases despite having a population four times greater than the U.S. (“COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic,” 2021). How did the United States come to have the world’s worst record in this pandemic? underline An examination of the U.S. response shows that a reduction of experts in key positions and programs, inaction that led to equipment shortages, and inconsistent policies were three major causes of the spread of the virus and the resulting deaths end underline . end student sample text

For a less formal report, you might want to open with a question, quotation, or brief story. The following example opens with an anecdote that leads to the thesis statement (underlined).

student sample text Betty stood outside the salon, wondering how to get in. It was June of 2020, and the door was locked. A sign posted on the door provided a phone number for her to call to be let in, but at 81, Betty had lived her life without a cell phone. Betty’s day-to-day life had been hard during the pandemic, but she had planned for this haircut and was looking forward to it; she had a mask on and hand sanitizer in her car. Now she couldn’t get in the door, and she was discouraged. In that moment, Betty realized how much Americans’ dependence on cell phones had grown in the months since the pandemic began. underline Betty and thousands of other senior citizens who could not afford cell phones or did not have the technological skills and support they needed were being left behind in a society that was increasingly reliant on technology end underline . end student sample text

Body Paragraphs: Point, Evidence, Analysis

Use the body paragraphs of your report to present evidence that supports your thesis. A reliable pattern to keep in mind for developing the body paragraphs of a report is point , evidence , and analysis :

• The point is the central idea of the paragraph, usually given in a topic sentence stated in your own words at or toward the beginning of the paragraph. Each topic sentence should relate to the thesis.
• The evidence you provide develops the paragraph and supports the point made in the topic sentence. Include details, examples, quotations, paraphrases, and summaries from sources if you conducted formal research. Synthesize the evidence you include by showing in your sentences the connections between sources.
• The analysis comes at the end of the paragraph. In your own words, draw a conclusion about the evidence you have provided and how it relates to the topic sentence.

The paragraph below illustrates the point, evidence, and analysis pattern. Drawn from a report about concussions among football players, the paragraph opens with a topic sentence about the NCAA and NFL and their responses to studies about concussions. The paragraph is developed with evidence from three sources. It concludes with a statement about helmets and players’ safety.

student sample text The NCAA and NFL have taken steps forward and backward to respond to studies about the danger of concussions among players. Responding to the deaths of athletes, documented brain damage, lawsuits, and public outcry (Buckley et al., 2017), the NCAA instituted protocols to reduce potentially dangerous hits during football games and to diagnose traumatic head injuries more quickly and effectively. Still, it has allowed players to wear more than one style of helmet during a season, raising the risk of injury because of imperfect fit. At the professional level, the NFL developed a helmet-rating system in 2011 in an effort to reduce concussions, but it continued to allow players to wear helmets with a wide range of safety ratings. The NFL’s decision created an opportunity for researchers to look at the relationship between helmet safety ratings and concussions. Cocello et al. (2016) reported that players who wore helmets with a lower safety rating had more concussions than players who wore helmets with a higher safety rating, and they concluded that safer helmets are a key factor in reducing concussions. end student sample text

Developing Paragraph Content

In the body paragraphs of your report, you will likely use examples, draw comparisons, show contrasts, or analyze causes and effects to develop your topic.

Paragraphs developed with Example are common in reports. The paragraph below, adapted from a report by student John Zwick on the mental health of soldiers deployed during wartime, draws examples from three sources.

student sample text Throughout the Vietnam War, military leaders claimed that the mental health of soldiers was stable and that men who suffered from combat fatigue, now known as PTSD, were getting the help they needed. For example, the New York Times (1966) quoted military leaders who claimed that mental fatigue among enlisted men had “virtually ceased to be a problem,” occurring at a rate far below that of World War II. Ayres (1969) reported that Brigadier General Spurgeon Neel, chief American medical officer in Vietnam, explained that soldiers experiencing combat fatigue were admitted to the psychiatric ward, sedated for up to 36 hours, and given a counseling session with a doctor who reassured them that the rest was well deserved and that they were ready to return to their units. Although experts outside the military saw profound damage to soldiers’ psyches when they returned home (Halloran, 1970), the military stayed the course, treating acute cases expediently and showing little concern for the cumulative effect of combat stress on individual soldiers. end student sample text

When you analyze causes and effects , you explain the reasons that certain things happened and/or their results. The report by Trevor Garcia on the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 is an example: his report examines the reasons the United States failed to control the coronavirus. The paragraph below, adapted from another student’s report written for an environmental policy course, explains the effect of white settlers’ views of forest management on New England.

student sample text The early colonists’ European ideas about forest management dramatically changed the New England landscape. White settlers saw the New World as virgin, unused land, even though indigenous people had been drawing on its resources for generations by using fire subtly to improve hunting, employing construction techniques that left ancient trees intact, and farming small, efficient fields that left the surrounding landscape largely unaltered. White settlers’ desire to develop wood-built and wood-burning homesteads surrounded by large farm fields led to forestry practices and techniques that resulted in the removal of old-growth trees. These practices defined the way the forests look today. end student sample text

Compare and contrast paragraphs are useful when you wish to examine similarities and differences. You can use both comparison and contrast in a single paragraph, or you can use one or the other. The paragraph below, adapted from a student report on the rise of populist politicians, compares the rhetorical styles of populist politicians Huey Long and Donald Trump.

student sample text A key similarity among populist politicians is their rejection of carefully crafted sound bites and erudite vocabulary typically associated with candidates for high office. Huey Long and Donald Trump are two examples. When he ran for president, Long captured attention through his wild gesticulations on almost every word, dramatically varying volume, and heavily accented, folksy expressions, such as “The only way to be able to feed the balance of the people is to make that man come back and bring back some of that grub that he ain’t got no business with!” In addition, Long’s down-home persona made him a credible voice to represent the common people against the country’s rich, and his buffoonish style allowed him to express his radical ideas without sounding anti-communist alarm bells. Similarly, Donald Trump chose to speak informally in his campaign appearances, but the persona he projected was that of a fast-talking, domineering salesman. His frequent use of personal anecdotes, rhetorical questions, brief asides, jokes, personal attacks, and false claims made his speeches disjointed, but they gave the feeling of a running conversation between him and his audience. For example, in a 2015 speech, Trump said, “They just built a hotel in Syria. Can you believe this? They built a hotel. When I have to build a hotel, I pay interest. They don’t have to pay interest, because they took the oil that, when we left Iraq, I said we should’ve taken” (“Our Country Needs” 2020). While very different in substance, Long and Trump adopted similar styles that positioned them as the antithesis of typical politicians and their worldviews. end student sample text

The conclusion should draw the threads of your report together and make its significance clear to readers. You may wish to review the introduction, restate the thesis, recommend a course of action, point to the future, or use some combination of these. Whichever way you approach it, the conclusion should not head in a new direction. The following example is the conclusion from a student’s report on the effect of a book about environmental movements in the United States.

student sample text Since its publication in 1949, environmental activists of various movements have found wisdom and inspiration in Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac . These audiences included Leopold’s conservationist contemporaries, environmentalists of the 1960s and 1970s, and the environmental justice activists who rose in the 1980s and continue to make their voices heard today. These audiences have read the work differently: conservationists looked to the author as a leader, environmentalists applied his wisdom to their movement, and environmental justice advocates have pointed out the flaws in Leopold’s thinking. Even so, like those before them, environmental justice activists recognize the book’s value as a testament to taking the long view and eliminating biases that may cloud an objective assessment of humanity’s interdependent relationship with the environment. end student sample text

Citing Sources

You must cite the sources of information and data included in your report. Citations must appear in both the text and a bibliography at the end of the report.

The sample paragraphs in the previous section include examples of in-text citation using APA documentation style. Trevor Garcia’s report on the U.S. response to COVID-19 in 2020 also uses APA documentation style for citations in the text of the report and the list of references at the end. Your instructor may require another documentation style, such as MLA or Chicago.

Peer Review: Getting Feedback from Readers

You will likely engage in peer review with other students in your class by sharing drafts and providing feedback to help spot strengths and weaknesses in your reports. For peer review within a class, your instructor may provide assignment-specific questions or a form for you to complete as you work together.

If you have a writing center on your campus, it is well worth your time to make an online or in-person appointment with a tutor. You’ll receive valuable feedback and improve your ability to review not only your report but your overall writing.

Another way to receive feedback on your report is to ask a friend or family member to read your draft. Provide a list of questions or a form such as the one in Table 8.5 for them to complete as they read.

Revising: Using Reviewers’ Responses to Revise your Work

When you receive comments from readers, including your instructor, read each comment carefully to understand what is being asked. Try not to get defensive, even though this response is completely natural. Remember that readers are like coaches who want you to succeed. They are looking at your writing from outside your own head, and they can identify strengths and weaknesses that you may not have noticed. Keep track of the strengths and weaknesses your readers point out. Pay special attention to those that more than one reader identifies, and use this information to improve your report and later assignments.

As you analyze each response, be open to suggestions for improvement, and be willing to make significant revisions to improve your writing. Perhaps you need to revise your thesis statement to better reflect the content of your draft. Maybe you need to return to your sources to better understand a point you’re trying to make in order to develop a paragraph more fully. Perhaps you need to rethink the organization, move paragraphs around, and add transition sentences.

Below is an early draft of part of Trevor Garcia’s report with comments from a peer reviewer:

student sample text To truly understand what happened, it’s important first to look back to the years leading up to the pandemic. Epidemiologists and public health officials had long known that a global pandemic was possible. In 2016, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) published a 69-page document with the intimidating title Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents . The document’s two sections address responses to “emerging disease threats that start or are circulating in another country but not yet confirmed within U.S. territorial borders” and to “emerging disease threats within our nation’s borders.” On 13 January 2017, the joint Obama-Trump transition teams performed a pandemic preparedness exercise; however, the playbook was never adopted by the incoming administration. end student sample text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: Do the words in quotation marks need to be a direct quotation? It seems like a paraphrase would work here. end annotated text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: I’m getting lost in the details about the playbook. What’s the Obama-Trump transition team? end annotated text

student sample text In February 2018, the administration began to cut funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; cuts to other health agencies continued throughout 2018, with funds diverted to unrelated projects such as housing for detained immigrant children. end student sample text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: This paragraph has only one sentence, and it’s more like an example. It needs a topic sentence and more development. end annotated text

student sample text Three months later, Luciana Borio, director of medical and biodefense preparedness at the NSC, spoke at a symposium marking the centennial of the 1918 influenza pandemic. “The threat of pandemic flu is the number one health security concern,” she said. “Are we ready to respond? I fear the answer is no.” end student sample text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: This paragraph is very short and a lot like the previous paragraph in that it’s a single example. It needs a topic sentence. Maybe you can combine them? end annotated text

annotated text Peer Review Comment: Be sure to cite the quotation. end annotated text

Reading these comments and those of others, Trevor decided to combine the three short paragraphs into one paragraph focusing on the fact that the United States knew a pandemic was possible but was unprepared for it. He developed the paragraph, using the short paragraphs as evidence and connecting the sentences and evidence with transitional words and phrases. Finally, he added in-text citations in APA documentation style to credit his sources. The revised paragraph is below:

student sample text Epidemiologists and public health officials in the United States had long known that a global pandemic was possible. In 2016, the National Security Council (NSC) published Playbook for Early Response to High-Consequence Emerging Infectious Disease Threats and Biological Incidents , a 69-page document on responding to diseases spreading within and outside of the United States. On January 13, 2017, the joint transition teams of outgoing president Barack Obama and then president-elect Donald Trump performed a pandemic preparedness exercise based on the playbook; however, it was never adopted by the incoming administration (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020). A year later, in February 2018, the Trump administration began to cut funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, leaving key positions unfilled. Other individuals who were fired or resigned in 2018 were the homeland security adviser, whose portfolio included global pandemics; the director for medical and biodefense preparedness; and the top official in charge of a pandemic response. None of them were replaced, leaving the White House with no senior person who had experience in public health (Goodman & Schulkin, 2020). Experts voiced concerns, among them Luciana Borio, director of medical and biodefense preparedness at the NSC, who spoke at a symposium marking the centennial of the 1918 influenza pandemic in May 2018: “The threat of pandemic flu is the number one health security concern,” she said. “Are we ready to respond? I fear the answer is no” (Sun, 2018, final para.). end student sample text

A final word on working with reviewers’ comments: as you consider your readers’ suggestions, remember, too, that you remain the author. You are free to disregard suggestions that you think will not improve your writing. If you choose to disregard comments from your instructor, consider submitting a note explaining your reasons with the final draft of your report.

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• Authors: Michelle Bachelor Robinson, Maria Jerskey, featuring Toby Fulwiler
• Publisher/website: OpenStax
• Book title: Writing Guide with Handbook
• Publication date: Dec 21, 2021
• Location: Houston, Texas
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Home — Essay Samples — Government & Politics — Patriotism — An Analysis of “An ABC for Baby Patriots”

An Analysis of "An Abc for Baby Patriots"

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Historical context, introduction, portrayal of patriotism, impact on young readers, educational responsibility.

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ABC Company’s Financial Analysis and Capital Budgeting

Introduction.

Capital budgeting is an integral part of corporate finance. Businesses are in perpetual strife to increase shareholder value by increasing revenue or profits. This endeavor is achieved by venturing into new investments and starting projects. Most of the time, companies will have multiple ideas at the same time on where to invest. However, a decision has to be made about which project is the most attractive in terms of maximizing shareholder value. Enter the time value of money concept; in this concept, an amount of money is more valuable today than tomorrow. For this reason, the future cash flows of the investment must be converted to the present value in a process called the discounted cash flow method (Schmidt, 2016). The tools employed in determining which investment is the most attractive is called capital budgeting techniques.

ABC Corporation is a healthcare company that specializes in the provision of health services such as owning hospitals, urgent care centers, ambulatory surgical centers, and outpatient clinics. In a bid to increase shareholder value, the company has three proposed investment projects and can only choose one. The first proposal is the purchase of new major equipment projected to reduce the cost of sales by 5 percent over an 8-year period. The second project involves expansion into three additional states that are projected to increase revenues and cost of sales by 10 percent over five years. The third project is a marketing/advertising campaign that is estimated to cost 2 million dollars every year over six years. This paper aims to apply capital budgeting techniques and appraise the three projects to determine the best one for ABC to invest in. The capital budgeting tools that will be employed include NPV, profitability index, payback period, and internal rate of return.

Literature Review

Capital budgeting is a process undertaken by businesses to evaluate the potential of their investments. An example of a project is purchasing a new plant; typically, the project that will require capital budgeting is an outside venture that necessitates feasibility study before approval or rejection. Capital budgeting typically requires that a company project the future cash flows of the proposed investment to investigate whether it will generate enough potential return; this process is also called investment appraisal. Businesses must pursue those projects that have the most potential to enhance shareholder value. However, companies have limited resources while also having multiple options of investment opportunities. They, therefore, use capital budgeting techniques to determine the best projects; typically, this will be the one(s) with the best returns.

Discounted Cashflow Analysis

This method looks at the initial cash flow required to fund an investment, cash inflows such as revenue from the project, and future outflows such as maintenance and other costs. The present value of the undertaking is the value obtained after these future cash flows have been discounted to the current time (Ross, 2018). Discounting is necessary because the money is analyzed not just in intrinsic value but also with regard to time; naturally, money will have more value now than the same amount at a future date because of inflation and other factors.

The net present value (NPV) is the resulting value after a DCF analysis. Every project decision has an opportunity cost which is the foregone opportunity after one is selected. The cashflows/revenues of an investment should be enough to cover the initial and ongoing costs and also exceed the opportunity costs(Ross, 2018). The present value is typically discounted using the risk-free rate such as the one provided by the US Treasury. Future cash flows will be discounted with this rate and exceed the initial cost; otherwise, it would not be worthwhile to invest in the project.

Cost of Capital

Companies usually borrow capital to finance their projects; the projects therefore need to generate enough revenues to cover the cost of capital. Publicly traded corporations could use credit options such as bonds or bank credit facilities, or stock options. The cost capital typically is the weighted average of equity and debt. The objective is to compute the hurdle rate, which is the minimum amount the project should earn from its cashflows to meet its capital expenses (Ross, 2018). A rate of return that is below this hurdle rate will not be chosen as it does not create value for the company. In contrast, a rate of return bigger than the hurdle rate creates value for the company and can be chosen. The DCF approach can be used to choose the more profitable project; typically, the investment with the higher NPV would be chosen, although other factors would be considered, too, such as risk.

Internal Rate of Return

The Internal rate of return, abbreviated as IRR, is a financial analysis metric used to estimate the potential of an investment. The IRR is a DCF metric that equates the NPV of all cash flows to zero. IRR is calculated using the same formula as the NPV (Ross, 2018). The IRR is not the dollar value of the investment but a discount rate that equates the NPV to zero. In general terms, a project is more desirable if its IRR is higher. Since IRR is uniform for various kinds of investments, it can be used as a comparison tool on a standardized basis. Assuming all other factors are constant, the IRR of a project is directly proportional to the attractiveness of the project (Ross, 2018). IRR is calculated first by setting the NPV to zero to solve the discount rate. The initial investment being an outflow will be negative. The subsequent cashflows could be negative or positive, depending on the project’s estimates. The process of calculating the IRR is then calculated iteratively via trial and error.

Payback Period

The payback period is an intuitive term used to refer to the time a project takes to recover its investment cost. In other words, it is the time an investment takes to break even. Naturally, since time is a factor in the value of money, the desirability of a project is inversely proportional to the payback period. The payback period is a valuable tool in capital budgeting but is also used in other sectors such as in real estate to obtain the return on resource-efficient investments. Capital budgeting is an indispensable part of corporate finance that involves the valuation of various projects to determine the most desirable ones (Ross, 2018). One way of selecting this outstanding investment is using the payback period. The payback period is calculated by dividing the cost of the investment by the annual cash inflow.

The problem with the payback period computation is that, unlike other capital budgeting methods, it does not account for the time value of money; this is the idea that money loses value with time. Other capital budgeting techniques such as NPV, IRR, and DCF consider the time value of money. One merit of the payback period technique is its simplicity; others use it as an additional tool in the holistic capital budgeting realm. The payback period also does not consider the period after the payback period, which is the project’s profitability period. For these reasons, the payback period is less preferred against the NPV technique.

The Profitability Index

The profitability index is also referred to as the profit investment ratio or value investment ratio. It represents a metric that compares the costs of a project against the benefits of the said project. It is computed by dividing the present value of future cash flows by the project’s initial cost. A higher PI represents a more attractive investment (Ross, 2018). The PI is used to rank various projects since it allows the quantification of the values of the various projects. A value of 1 for PI is the lowest acceptable value as a lower value would indicate that the PV if the investment is lower than the initial investment. The more the PI, the more attractive a project becomes. Noteworthy, the PI metric does not take into account the size of the project. For this reason, projects that have large cash inflows may have lower PI since the profit margins are relatively lower.

Analysis and Discussion

The first project involves the purchase of new equipment that will cost an initial investment of 10 million USD. The investment is expected to reduce the cost of sales by 55 over the next 8 years. The equipment is projected to be sold at the end of the 8 th year at 500000 USD salvage value. Because the equipment is safe in relative terms, it has a required rate of return of 8% and will be depreciated with a 7-year MACRS schedule. There are projected annual sales of 20 million USD for year 1 that are expected to remain constant for the 8-year period. The cost of sales has been 60 percent before this project; the marginal rate of corporate tax is presumed to be 25 percent.

From appendix 1, the investment’s cash flows are $7,107,250, $8,112,250, $8,687,250, $9,312,250, $9,973,250, $10,723,000, $11,473,250, $12,486,500 for year 1-8 respectively. On the other hand, the cumulative cashflows for year 1-8 are ($2,892,750) $5,219,500 , $13,906,750, $23,219,000 , $33,192,250 , $43,915,250 , $55,388,500 , and $67,875,000 respectively. For the years 1-8, the present value factors for the 8 years are 1, 0.93, 0.86, 0.79, 0.74, 0.68, 0.63, 0.58, 0.54 respectively. To obtain the present value cashflows, the cashflows are multiplied by the respective present value factors to obtain the following values for year 1-8 respectively: $6,580,787, $6,954,947, $6,896,219, $6,844,782, $6,787,626, $6,757,309, $6,694,531, and $6,746,067.

Microsoft excel NPV formula is used to compute the net present value for the entire project, which comes to $44,262,269. The excel formulae for IRR is also used to obtain a value of 79.79% (Microsoft excel time, n.d.). The values of the payback period and profitability index were 1.36 and 5.43, respectively. $44,262,269 million is the investment’s present value of future cash flows. Compared to the project’s initial investment of 10 million USD, the project is highly successful. The IRR of the investment is 79.79%; this is termed as the rate at which an undertaking’s present value of all cash flows equal zero. The higher the IRR, the more viable a project is. In this case, the investment has a high NPV meaning it is very desirable. On the other hand, the project’s profitability index is 5.43.

The profitability index of an undertaking is the ratio of the current value of future cash flows against the initial cost. The minimum acceptable PI is 1, and the more, the better; in this case, the project’s PI is 5.43, which is an extremely attractive figure but would still need to be compared with that of the other projects. The payback period for this particular investment is 1.36 years; in contrast, the project’s life is 8 years. Since the project is recovering its value in just 1.36 years, it can be termed as attractive.

ABC Corporation also proposes expansion into three more states in an effort to increase shareholder value. The proposal is projected to increase revenues/sales and cost of sales by 10% annually over five years. The previous year’s annual sales were 20 million USD. The investment’s startup costs are estimated at 7 million USD and a required initial net working capital of $ 1 million, while the working capital is expected to be recouped at the end of the fifth year. The presumed rate of marginal corporate tax is 25 percent. Since the project can be categorized as risky, its required rate of return is 12%.

For the year 1-5, the project had cashflows of $6,950,000, $7,610,000, $8,336,000, $9,134,600, and $11,013,060, respectively. The project’s cumulative cashflows were also projected at ($1,050,000), $6,560,000, $14,896,000, $24,030,600 and $35,043,660 respectively. On the other hand, the net present value factors were 0.89, 0.80, 0.71, 0.64, and 0.57 respectively. Using Microsoft Excel, the present cashflow values were obtained by multiplying the annual cashflows with the present value factor yielding the following present value $6,205,357, $6,066,645, $5,933,400, $5,805,203, and $6,249,106 for the five years respectively. The total value of cash inflows is $30,259,712 while the total value of outflows is $8,000,000; this leaves a net present value of $22,259,712 for the project. Compared with the initial cost of $7 million, the project is desirable.

The IRR for the project is also obtained from excel formulae to yield 91.48%. The internal rate of return has been defined as the discount rate at which the NPV of cash flows equals zero. Typically, the higher the IRR, the more attractive a project is. This project had an extremely attractive IRR at 91.485, which makes it attractive and would only be disqualified if the other comparison projects have better indicators. On the other hand, the project’s profitability index (PI) was 3.78. PI is a ratio of a project’s NPV against the initial investment. A value of 1 is the minimum allowable PI value to accept a proposed project, and the more, the better. Since this project’s PI is comfortably greater than 1, the project is desirable by this metric and will only be disqualified if the other projects post better results.

The project’s payback period was 1.14 years. Payback period is a metric used to check the time it will take for the project to break even. The metric has the advantage of simplicity but does not take into account the time value of money (Schmidt, 2016). In this investment, the life period of the project is five years, but the project is able to break even at only 1.14 years which leaves the bulk of the years as profit years.

In an effort to maximize shareholder value through revenue and profitability, ABC Corporation has proposed a third project that involves investing in a marketing campaign supposed to last six years. The project is expected to consume 2 million dollars every 2 years. It is projected that the project will increase revenues/sales and cost of sales by fifteen percent annually. The previous year’s annual sales were $20 million, while the presumed rate of marginal corporate tax is 25%. The project can also be categorized as moderate risk, and its required rate of return is fixed at 10%.

From appendix 3, the project had the following cashflows present values of cashflows: $6,272,727, $6,557,851, $6,855,935, $7,167,569, $7,493,367 and $7,833,975. The project’s cumulative cashflows are ($1,810,521), $6,124,479, $15,249,729, $25,743,766, $37,811,909, and $51,690,274. The present value factor for the respective years are 0.91, 0.83, 0.75 0.68, 0.62, and 0.56. Multiplying the present value factors with the cashflows yields the present value of cashflows as: ($1,810,521), $6,124,479, $15,249,729, $25,743,766, $37,811,909 and $51,690,274 totaling to $42,181,425. Because the cost is also distributed over the period, the present value of the project’s cost is $8,710,521; this subtracted from the total of total discounted cashflows yields the net present value of $33,470,904.

The Net present value is used to consider the current value of future cash flows of a project. Because of the time value of money, a discounting rate is applied to future cash flows. From the NPV values of the project, the NPV is way above the initial cost of the investment, which indicates that it is a desirable project. This means that the project could only be disqualified if the other projects have better NPV values.

The project also yielded an IRR of 90.36%; the IRR is a capital budgeting criterion computed by equating the present value of future cash flows to zero. The IRR is calculated using a trial and error method, and the bigger the value, the more attractive the project is. An IRR is a discounted cash flow rate where typical percentage values could be in the teens. However, this project had an IRR rate of 90.36% percent, indicating the project is highly attractive in isolation and would only be disqualified when comparing with other projects.

The profitability index for the project was 4.84; the PI index is a ratio of the current value of projected cash flows against the initial project cost. A value of 1 is the minimum allowable value to accept a project; however, the bigger the value, the more attractive the project is. In the case of this marketing campaign investment, the PI is 4.84, which indicates an attractive project that is attractive in isolation. The project’s payback period is 1.23 years; payback period is a capital budgeting tool that is used to determine when the project is going to break even. The earlier a project breaks even, the more attractive it is since it leaves more years to obtain profits. This project has a lifespan of 6 years but has broken even at 1.23 years which indicates an attractive investment that would only be disqualified when comparing it with other projects.

ABC Corporation intends to increase shareholder value by investing in a new project. However, there are three projects to choose from, namely: the purchase of major equipment at an initial cost of $10 million, expansion to new states at $7 million startup cost or invest in a marketing campaign supposed to last six years and to spend 2 million dollars every two years. Financial analysis s supposed to be carried out using capital budgeting tools, namely: NPV, IRR, PI, and payback period.

Project A had a net present value of $44,262,268.65, while project C had an NPV of $22,259,712.14. The third project had an NPV of $33,470,903.72. NPV is a capital budgeting criterion that considers the time value of money by discounting a project’s future cash flows with a discounting rate to establish the present value. In this case, three projects’ present values are being compared; at face value, project A wins the NPV comparison since it has the largest NPV value. This is, however, misleading since the three projects have different lifespans.

The next metric to take into consideration is the internal rate of return (IRR). As discussed during the literature review, the IRR is a discounting rate at which the net current value of a project is zero. From the ABC Corporation case, projects A, B, and C had IRR values of 79.79%, 91.48%, and 90.365, respectively. The discount rates from the three projects are 8%, 12%, and 10%, respectively. In all three projects, the IRR is comfortably above the discount rate for the respective project meaning the three projects can be accepted, but the one with the highest IRR relative to its discounted rate is project C.

Another metric that uses the discounted cash flow method is the profitability index (PI). From the literature review section, PI is a metric used to compare the net present value of cash flows against the initial investment. The three projects A, B, and C had PIs of 5.43, 3.78, and 4.84. From the three, A has the largest PI, but it is also the project with the longest lifespan meaning more cashflows. Therefore, this method is still not conclusive in selecting which project to invest in.

Since the most satisfactory project with the best returns cannot be established from NPV and IRR metrics only, the next parameter to be analyzed is the payback period. Payback period is a capital budgeting period that utilizes non-discounted cash flow. The three projects A, B, and C, had payback periods of 1.36, 1.14, and 1.23 years. Project B seems to have the shortest recovery period, albeit just marginally. The three projects seem to have short payback periods and would all qualify, but B is the winner since it has the shortest payback period, which could also be because it has the shortest lifespan among the three. Still, it is not conclusive that B is the most favorable among the 3.

Recommendation: Equivalent Annuity Cashflow

Because the three projects have different lifespans and all have attractive capital budgeting metrics, it becomes necessary to standardize the technique so that they can be analyzed on an apples-to-apples basis. After computing the equivalent annuity cash flow, the NPVs for the three projects become:

Because the three projects have different lifespans, the NPV figure at face value is misleading. For this reason, it is important to standardize this figure using the equivalent annuity cash flow, which shows that project A still had the best figure. Therefore, it is recommended that the ABC Corporation invests in the purchase of new equipment. The rationale for this recommendation is because from the capital budgeting techniques, specifically the equivalent annuity cash flow, it has the best returns. In non-quantitative qualities, it is considered the least risky.

This paper focused on capital budgeting techniques. ABC Healthcare Corporation is an organization that offers healthcare services such as owning hospitals, urgent care centers, ambulatory surgical centers, and outpatient clinics. The company intends to invest in a new project in order to maximize shareholder value through increased revenue/sales. There are three projects to invest in; the first project involves the purchase of new equipment whose life is eight years, while the second is an expansion endeavor into three states. The third project is a marketing campaign that is supposed to last six years.

Capital budgeting techniques involve comparing which project is the most desirable. The net present value criterion is a discounted cash flow mechanism used to convert future cash flows into a current value. This conversion is done because of the time value of money, where an amount of money is more valuable today than it will be tomorrow. In this regard, it was revealed that all three projects had positive NPVs and were desirable.

The second technique applied is the internal rate of return (IRR). This technique involves computing the discount rate that gives a discount rate of zero. If the IRR of a project exceeds the project’s discount rate, then the project is deemed desirable. In this example, the three projects had IRR rates well above their respective discounting rates, and they were all desirable in isolation.

Since the discounted cash flow techniques all showed that the projects were desirable in isolation, another method has to be employed to standardize the comparison. This is because the projects had different lifespans and different levels of risk. The NPV value is broken down into an annualized equivalent that considers the required rates and the project time periods. After considering the EACs of the three projects, project A emerged as the winner. Therefore, it was recommended that ABC Corporation invests in project A because it provided the best returns from equivalent annuity cash flow and is the least risky in non-quantitative terms.

The first project was selected based on quantitative methods of capital budgeting. However, the project involves purchasing new equipment for the company, which is a desirable venture since new machinery will likely be at the top of its category technology-wise and in functioning. This would positively impact the company’s overall efficiency that would enable workers to work faster, thereby increasing productivity. The investment could also impact employees positively; as an example, employees prefer working for organizations that give them exposure to the latest technology; this could also positively impact talent retention. Moreover, happy employees improve the quality of the work delivered, meaning satisfied clientele.

Microsoft excel time value function tutorial—Lump sums (n.d.). TVMcalcs. Web.

Ross, S. A. (2018). Corporate finance: Core principles & applications (Fifth edition). McGraw-Hill Education.

Schmidt, C. E. (2016). A journey through time: From the present value to the future value and back or: Retirement planning: A comprehensible application of the time value of money concept. American Journal of Business Education , 9 (3), 137–143.

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