People face trade-offs
Started: Aug 30, 2021 Submitted: Aug 30, 2021
People Face Trade-offs Raciel Vera
Essay
One of the hardest things to do in life is to make decisions, and we face them every day. As soon as we get up from bed every morning, we decide
whether to check our phone first or go to the table and eat our breakfast. But one thing before that, I should complete the first four courses. Three
are required courses and an elective course.
As an economics student, my three last essential courses involved are Mathematical Economics, Public Economics, and International Economics,
though my listed electives are Development Economics, Monetary Economics, and Industrial Organization. I am a candidate and expected to
graduate after the last semester, and I hope to be employed and manage a bank after I graduate. (Max Power, 2017) Through no choice, I need to
take up the three required courses and add only one elective course to graduate on time. I have selected to take up Monetary Economics for I see it
as a beneficial course that will support me do my job soon. The two sacrificed courses were also beneficial but on other features.
The first principle is the trade-off or the opportunity cost.
In this case, I have chosen between receiving the three basic courses and one elective to graduate or get the three electives that I find very
beneficial but not be able to graduate yet as mandated. But as a scholar, I have followed the rulings of the school, so I might graduate and work in a
bank soon. It includes the trade-off that I have to give up something (3 electives) to get something I want (to graduate and work soon). What I gave
up on is named the opportunity cost.
Second principle: Trade could make everybody better off
By the kind of trade-off I have made, I will graduate on time and get a diploma soon, so I will get the job I need soon. I become better off with my
decision. I gain from it.
MY Tutor Feedback
Focus
Revision Goal 1: Establish and maintain a controlling idea or bottom line throughout the document in order to achieve the purpose established in your writing
prompt.
Holistic Focus Content Organization Language Mechanics
2.2 2.2 2 1.8 1.7 2
®
Firefox https://we.vantage.com/we/ui/writing/report
1 of 4 8/30/2021, 12:58 PM
1. Re-read your document. Find a sentence that you could use as the controlling idea or bottom line of your document. You may also write a new sentence if
you wish.
Example: Eric's document is a bit scattered, but once he reads it again, he finds the sentence he wants to use as a controlling idea: "Telecommuting benefits
both employees and the community."
2. Once you have your controlling idea, highlight all the areas in your document that are on track with your controlling idea or bottom line.
Example: Eric finds some sentences that are on track with his controlling idea, including these:
"Telecommuting allows employees to more efficiently manage their busy schedules."
"Traffic congestion is reduced when employees telecommute."
3. Integrate key words from your controlling idea into your supporting details. In addition, use transitional expressions to connect your thoughts.
Example: Eric still has to make sure that the ideas in his document are connected, so he uses key words from his controlling idea as well as transitional
expressions to connect his thoughts: "One benefit of telecommuting is that it allows employees to manage their busy schedules more efficiently. Another
benefit is that traffic congestion in a community is reduced."
Revision Goal 2: Understand and connect with the intended audience.
1. Re-read your document. Highlight sentences that demonstrate a lack of adaptation to the audience.
Example: Sarah reads her document and finds a couple of sentences that she realizes would make smokers angry and non-cooperative, definitely not the
purpose of the document: "Since smoking is bad for you and others, the management of XYZ company is no longer going to stand by and let employees who
smoke ruin their health and our bottom line."
2. Pay attention to the audience's knowledge, needs, beliefs, and/or feelings.
Example: Sarah has to do a lot of work to revise the above sentence. Notice how the sentences below show sympathy and respect for all involved while still
maintaining management's authority: "The management team at XYZ company acknowledges how difficult it is to quit smoking, despite the health benefits of
doing so. As we evaluate the smoking policy and health care coverage in regard to smoking cessation programs, we will consider the rights and
responsibilities of all employees--those who smoke, those who are trying to quit, and those who do not smoke."
Content
Revision Goal 1: Offer support for developing a concept or idea.
1. Re-read your document. Highlight one or two specific concepts or ideas that can be more sufficiently developed.
Example: Brian finds a sentence in his document that could be further developed: "A diverse audience requires a presenter to consider more closely how to
deliver the message of the presentation."
2. Add details such as reasons, explanations, facts, or arguments that can support your ideas.
Example: Brian realizes that the diversity of the audience is an area that could use further development. He chooses to focus on the diversity of technological
knowledge in the audience, particularly the difference between expert and novice understanding.
3. Now incorporate those supporting ideas into your document.
Example: Brian adds some minor descriptive elements to help incorporate his supporting details into his document: "Closely observing the audience's
diversity will help presenters in demonstrating 'cloud computing' to certified network specialists differently than they would to fifth graders."
Revision Goal 2: Show the use and understanding of business concepts and terms.
1. Re-read through your document and highlight at least two areas where you can include relevant business concepts or terms.
Example: One of the areas that Riva finds is this sentence: "Discussions about how much money our country owes focus on what the government owes and
often ignore what ordinary people and companies owe."
2. Create a list of three business concepts or business terms that could be included in your document in these areas.
Example: Riva creates a list of business terms that fit this subject:
"Public debt."
"Private debt."
"Economy."
3. Now incorporate these business concepts or terms into your document.
Firefox https://we.vantage.com/we/ui/writing/report
2 of 4 8/30/2021, 12:58 PM
Example: Riva incorporates the terms into her sentence: "Discussions about our national economy often focus on public debt but ignore private debt."
Organization
Revision Goal 1: Establish and maintain a controlling idea or bottom line throughout the document.
1. Re-read your document. Highlight sentences that could serve as the controlling idea or bottom line. You may also write a new sentence if you wish.
Example: Elsie's document is disorganized, but once she reads it again, she finds the sentence she wants to use as a controlling idea: "Adopting the free and
open source operating system (FOSS) will hinder the ability of our teen youth group to function."
2. Now that you have the controlling idea or bottom line of your document, brainstorm support for it. This support will become the bottom line or controlling
idea of the paragraphs in your document.
Example: Elsie can think of three ways that adopting the FOSS can hinder the ability a teen youth group to function. The first is that time spent learning FOSS
could be better used doing other things. The mainstream operating system is already familiar to everyone, so there is no training needed for it. In addition, the
mainstream operating system (MOS) has a 24-hour support staff, as opposed to the volunteers that offer "support" for the FOSS. Finally, using the MOS in an
office environment will give teens a valuable job skill, as opposed to the FOSS, which is used by only a small fraction of companies.
3. For each paragraph, brainstorm at least three supporting details.
Example: Elsie decides to start with the comparative value of the MOS and the FOSS to teens about to enter the job market. She brainstorms the following
supporting details:
"Employers all over the world use MOS as a matter of course."
"Few employers use FOSS."
"Employers value job candidates who can use the MOS expertly."
"Only a few value those that can program the FOSS."
"Most of our clients (and employees) are not capable of programming the FOSS but are capable of using the MOS."
4. Integrate key words from your controlling idea into your supporting details. In addition, use transitional expressions to connect your thoughts.
Example: Elsie now has to take the ideas she brainstormed and turn them into a paragraph that will fit into her document. This is what she writes: "Adopting
the free and open source software (FOSS) will hinder one of our group's goals, which is to help troubled teens find employment. Most companies are looking
for experienced users of the MOS, not the FOSS. In addition, those companies looking for experience with FOSS want job candidates who can program the
FOSS, not just use it. Unfortunately, we do not have the expertise or time to teach our clients or our staff or volunteers to program the FOSS. To adopt it would
greatly distract us from our goal of finding our clients jobs."
Language
Revision Goal 1: Accentuate the positive and de-emphasize the negative in your document.
1. Read your document. Highlight all words and phrases that sound negative such as do not, no, stop, and not, as well as words that convey a negative,
unpleasant, or disagreeable tone such as unfortunately, cannot, unable to, problem, difficult, error, loss, failure, or regret.
Example: Emily focuses on these sentences, which have two negative words sure to upset clients: "We do not guarantee success since we are unable to
predict the judgment of the courts."
2. Revise your document to accentuate the positive and de-emphasize the negative.
Example: Emily revises her sentences to focus on what can be done. Revising the sentence helps her to make the tone of her document positive: "At the law
firm of Dewey and Howe, we represent our clients through all outcomes to the best of our ability."
Revision Goal 2: Use active voice.
1. Read your document and highlight all sentences that use passive voice.
Example: Carrie reads her document and finds several sentences in the passive voice, including this one: "The report was developed and presented by the
committee."
2. Revise those sentences so that they are in the active voice.
Example: Carrie moves the committee, who wrote the report, to the front of the sentence: "The committee developed and presented the report."
Revision Goal 3: "Omit needless words." -- Strunk and White
1. Re-read your document. Highlight all wordy sentences.
Firefox https://we.vantage.com/we/ui/writing/report
3 of 4 8/30/2021, 12:58 PM
Example: Vincent reads his document, and one of the sentences he highlights is this: "Cheryl's personal opinion was loudly stated."
2. Revise all highlighted sentences.
Example: Vincent revises his sentence like this: "Cheryl loudly stated her opinion." Vincent's revision eliminates "personal" since opinions are personal and, in
addition, rephrases the sentence so that it is active, not passive.
Revision Goal 4: Correct fragment errors.
1. Re-read your document. Highlight all sentence fragments.
Example: Karen highlights these passages in her document:
"The client wants his office decorated elegantly. With antique books, high-end paintings, and quality furniture."
"A promise not to seek further damages from my client."
2. Revise fragments by combining fragments with other sentences or providing a subject and a verb for the sentence fragment.
Example: Karen revised those passages like this:
"The client wants his office decorated elegantly, with antique books, high-end paintings, and quality furniture." These two clauses belonged together since
separately, the second one was a fragment.
"The settlement must include a promise not to seek further damages from my client." Karen added a subject and a verb to this idea to turn it into a complete
sentence.
Revision Goal 5: Correct run-on errors.
1. Re-read your document. Highlight all run-on errors.
Example: Matt highlights this passage in his document: "A restaurant owner must have sufficient cash reserves to survive economic downturns and other
emergencies, without that reserve, the first unexpected event may force the owner to close the restaurant."
2. Revise run-ons by identifying sentences and placing periods at the end of them.
Example: Matt realizes that untangling this run-on will take some work, so he re-reads it slowly, looking for the end of each sentence. This is how he revises
that passage: "A restaurant owner must have sufficient cash reserves to survive economic downturns and other emergencies. Without that reserve, the first
unexpected event may force the owner to close the restaurant."
Mechanics
Revision Goal 1: Follow these steps to improve your use of mechanics and conventions.
Use the MY Editor feedback to improve your understanding of mechanics and conventions.
1. Pay attention to the specific feedback that MY Editor gives you as you compose and edit your document. Begin by revising any spelling or punctuation
errors you have committed. Then run MY Editor again to reexamine any remaining grammar errors that remain.
2. Write down the terms used in the feedback.
3. Study the terms that came up most often.
4. When you master your understanding of a particular term, move on to a new one.
Network to improve your understanding of mechanics and conventions.
1. Start or join a small, serious study group on the topic of mechanics and conventions.
2. Ask your instructor to recommend other resources to help you master mechanics and conventions.
When you rewrite your document, pay attention to your sentences to avoid errors in mechanics and conventions.
1. Place a period at the end of each of your complete thoughts/sentences.
2. Place the subjects of your sentences as close as you can to the beginning of your sentences.
When you rewrite your document, focus on correcting the errors that came up the most often in the original document.
Firefox https://we.vantage.com/we/ui/writing/report
4 of 4 8/30/2021, 12:58 PM