Mod Reflection Journals 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mod Reflection Journals 5 - Essay Example However, businesses owner is torn between pursuing prosperity for the mutual benefit of the client and the business or the enterprise alone. The conversation revealed the moral justice discussion that should be geared towards the greater good of people. According to Mackey and Sisodia, the noble objective of a business is to pursue prosperity far from the common ideology that businesses and corporations are founded on selfish to generate profit (2). The ethics that surround business operations are not the only components that sustained our conversation. The discussion of morality also reminded me of moral worth of human beings in the businesses world. Mackey and Sisodia discuss old capitalism ideologies that suppressed people by pursuing personal interests that should not feature in the current economy. The moral worth of people rests in the fulfillment of desires and needs of other people. Businesses operations should be conducted on ideologies that do not encourage self-interests at the expense of the larger community. Mum asserted that morality is anchored on the powerful human motivations that should be respected in any social or economic endeavor. The conversation went on to highlight the need to pursue prudence and the greater good of people because that is what morality and ethics

Essay and Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Essay and Research Paper Essay Some young children spend a great amount of their time practicing sports. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this. Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. There is a true saying that everyone knows: playing sports is very good for our health. Playing sport helps us stay in shape, builds up our teamwork skill, and makes us consistent players. But there is a truth that not many people can realize: spending too much time on sports may cause some bad influences. Especially when it comes to young children. They need a balanced schedule so that they can take advantage and avoid some disadvantages of playing sports First, playing sports is necessary for everyone to reserve good health. It is proven by scientists that doing exercises or playing sports regularly helps people stay in a good shape, and helps avoid some health problems such as heart attack or blood pressure. For those reasons, young children should spend time in playing sport everyday. But if they spend too much time on that, they will not have enough time to participate in many other interesting and useful activities, such as going on a picnic with their friends or learning to play musical instruments†¦Even worse, they may not spend enough time on study. Second, playing sports helps young children develop their team-work skill. Usually when playing sport, they will be allocated into teams. By trying to connect with other team members to win to the game, they will learn how to get along with people, how to understand other people’s ideas, and how to coordinate with the others to get the best result, not only in sports, but also in study or in a working environment. But still, if they spend too much time on playing sports, there will be a disadvantage for young children, since they spend too much time hanging on with the others in a team, will not know how to handle problems alone, resulting in performing badly when working independently. Lastly, playing sports helps children learn how to stand up after failing, making them competitive in any tournament. It is definite that everyone will fail at least once when they play sport. The desire of being the winner urges them to try more and more. The more they try, the better.they become, but once they are so involved in the game, they somehow become so aggressive. Some will try anything to win, and some will even play unfairly to be the winner. The stories about the soccer players using drugs or the players fighting in a game are clear evidences to the disadvantage of playing sport when it is not under control.

Attributes That Have Influence Essay -- essays research papers

Attributes That Have Influenced Western Civilization There have been major influences from ancient civilizations that have helped the development of our Western Civilization today. Two major civilizations that have maybe contributed the most to our civilization are ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Some of their contributions to our world today include farming, sailing and navigation, and the use of their calendar. First, and possibly the most important attribute that have come from the ancient civilizations is the art of farming. The ancient Mesopotamians are credited with inventing farming. Farming is in our civilization today is crucial for the survival of all mankind. (Roberts, p.48-50) Due to overpopulation, and the increase of housing and development, there are no natural areas for people to gather, so farming is essential. Without the development of farming people of the United States and people of the world would be starving. Not only did the Mesopotamians develop farming, but they also were able to use engineering to help make farming work. For example, the Mesopotamians developed dikes and cisterns that they used for irrigation. Irrigation is still a significant part in farming today. (Roberts, p.48-50) Another attribute that has influenced the development of Western Civilizations, is that of sailing and navigation. (Roberts, p.65) The people of Egypt taught themselves and others that followed how to build boats and sail. The Egyptians also developed a system of na...

Technology Impact on Family Time

The impact of technology on family time Nowadays technology is a part of our real life because most people have the same need that is the convenience. Although technology can provide and serve many functions and applications that support the human need but it also has an impact to our real life as well. The impact of Technology to our real life is time on family. Three technologies that have impact to family are computer, Mobile Phone, and Tablet. The static of tablet sales in U. S. on year 2011 from NPD Group they said â€Å"U. S. Tablet Sales excluding Apple Exceed 1. Million Units in First Months of 2011†,1 this is in one country, that mean tablet is a new technology which every people attend. Tablet is a device that suitable for individual person because it easy to take and easy for do a business, but if you use it in your family. You will concentrate only your tablet not attends to member in your family. The effect of this situation will decrease time and relationship on family. Therefore, if you are in the family you must use that device to make your family enjoy together or don’t use its.However, most of family still attend to tablet by doesn’t think about impacted on family time and relationship. On the other hand technology still has another device that can makes family time increasingly. Causes of computer applications are positive affected on family time. From past to present, there are many types of computer such as â€Å"Super Computer†, â€Å"Computer PC†, and â€Å"Computer Notebook†. Computer has an evolution of itself as you can see a new generation of computer has smaller size than the old computer. Even though new computer has smaller size, but functions and applications of it’s not small like size.It can do and serve many things by using functions and applications such as do transaction online, Facebook, E-mail, learning, or playing game. Due to this example, the article of Washington State Un iversity, Vancouver examines the perceived effect of computers on family time and relationships. The result said (89% perceived that the computer impacted their family relationships, 45% mostly positive impact; 24% mixed impact and 20% mostly negative impact). 2 From this article, Computer has positive impact more than negative impact.That means applications of computer not effect on family time and relationship. Communication by using mobile phone was cause on family time. The main function of mobile phone is used for communicate between 2 people. Because of mobile phone used for communicate and also support many functions like computer to make communicate easily. Things that new generation mobile phone can do more than old generation mobile phone is communicated by typing and video calling. This function is appropriate very much for communicate, so in part of family.Mobile phone was caused to makes family more talking, even though they can’t see or meet together in the hous e. To sum up, technology was caused on family time very much, because it has an advantage and disadvantage inside itself. it has an evolution all the time in term of components or applications. Therefore every family should learn and select the advantage of each technology such as use computer and tablet for learning more than playing game, or use mobile phone for participate and communicate in family more than chat to friend.If your family can do like the example your family will gain more time and reduce impact on family. ————————————————————————————————————————————– Reference 1 U. S. Tablet Sales excluding Apple Exceed 1. 2 Million Units in First Months of 2011: <http s://www. npd. com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/pressreleases/pr_111122b> 2Jane D. Lanigan, Washington State University, Vancouver <http://familyscienceassociation. org/archived%20journal%20articles/FSR_vol14_2008/2Jane_Lanigan. pdf>

Introduction to Early Childhood Education Essay

This essay will discuss the importance of partnership with parents/whanau, providing responsive relationships and interactions with children and biculturalism on society. Research shows that children who attend an early childhood centre providing care of high quality succeeded more at school, stayed at school longer and kept achieving more in their early adult years. They grew up with a sense of belonging within their community and society and had the skills needed to take control of their own lives (Beaver, Brewster, Jones, Keene, Neaum, & Tallach, 2001). 1. Early childhood centres play an important role in helping families function effectively. They combine their role of supporting families while encouraging children’s development in partnership with parents. Each child, each family is unique. In an early childhood centre each one of the children is unique as well as their family. Research shows us that those parents, through parental involvement early on in a child’s education that they are more likely to maintain this through all their educational years (Beaver et al. , 2001). Effective communication is one of the most important principles when forming partnerships with parents. Parents are the most knowledgeable when it comes to their child and if they feel they can share this with staff of the early childhood centre the child will benefit from this (Beaver et al. , 2001). Throughout our lives we know it is hard to part from people we love and some parents find it hard to leave their child in a centre. We therefore need to be sensitive to this issue and work in partnership with parents and help them to build on what they want for their child. Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer (2001) state that â€Å"Early childhood educators should recognise that every setting is a source of learning for young children, with the home acknowledged as a particularly powerful influence† (p. 11). 2. Children need to experience reciprocal and responsive relationships to develop and learn. Infants are very dependent and require emotional security to develop an attachment with another person other than their parent(s). A quality learning environment is one where teachers respect each child individually, and are positive, warm, supporting and encourage good self confidence, and initiate meaningful interactions with children. It is essential to create an environment where each child feels appreciated and valued. It is through forming these important adult: child relationships that they will feel a sense of their own identity and develop positive self worth. Nurturing relationships are developed when positive interactions occur. The constant talk with infants, encouraging eye contact and being held in a calm and caring way, active listening, positive language and noticing signs/gestures are some ways that infants develop trust and form a bond with us. The Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 state – â€Å"Every child is given positive guidance, using praise and encouragement, and avoiding blame, harsh language, and belittling or degrading responses† (Ministry of Education [MoE] , 1998, p. 22). Early childhood teachers need to ensure care giving routines are unhurried, meaningful and a peaceful experience. Take the time to sing songs, read books, follow their interests and extend them, be interested in what they are doing, keep conversations open, enrich their language, allow them to explore and discover, play with them and alongside them and allow yourself to be another person in their lives that interact and are responsive to them. If an infant is crying and they are responded to in a calm and gentle way, treated in the reliable and respected manner they are entitled to they will build a positive image of themselves. Centre policies should reflect this. 3. It is important for all New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand to be aware of, and sensitive to the bicultural nature of New Zealand society which consists of pakehas and the indigenous people – the Maori – who were here some hundred years before the arrival of Europeans. We need to respect and understand the Treaty of Waitangi which is the formal agreement between the Maori and the British Government which gave the latter the right to establish settlement and a system of British Government subject to certain rights being assured to the Maori. A bicultural perspective promotes the value of both cultures. We as a society need to understand and respect Maori views on child development and the role of the family. In Quality in Action Te Mahi Whai Hua, Implementing the Revised Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices in New Zealand Early Childhood Services it says teachers need â€Å"to understand how whanau values affect behaviour and influence the ability of children and adults to engage in meaningful purposeful relationships† (Ministry of Education [MoE], 1998, p. 18). We must enable Maori children and their families to be active in their community which will allow their children to learn and grow and develop a strong sense of self-worth. Te reo Maori is a living and relevant language and very significant to Maori. We need to assure Maori families that their culture, beliefs and practices are fully valued, appreciated and supported. We can learn a lot from these and implement them into the curriculum. Early childhood services play an integral part in society. They are an extension of home for children and their parents/whanau therefore we need to consider the cultural heritage of Maori and provide learning experiences for the children that reflect their culture. It is a requirement of the Education (Early Childhood Centres) Regulations 1998 that state – â€Å"Encourage children to become and remain confident in their own culture and to develop an understanding of and respect for other cultures of Aotearoa/New Zealand† (MoE, p. 21).

Emerging Business Environment in Nepal Essay Example

Emerging Business Environment in Nepal Essay Example Emerging Business Environment in Nepal Essay Emerging Business Environment in Nepal Essay Emerging Business Environment in Nepal Starting from the basic concept, wave grown up studying that Nepal Is a landlocked country. The key to this very country Is held by India and China since the antecedent times; two countries that have a firm grip on Industrialization and development from its known history. Once upon a time, they were the only ones who held the key to open up a gate of economic benefits. However, upon the beneficial regards of emerging resources, Nepal itself held its key to open up its gate to horizon further than these countries. Thus, business environment In Nepal flourished after then. Summarizing this brief history, Nepal has evolved In lots of ways In term of business. Upon the exclusion of International relations, this country has emerged Its own line of traditional business since the medieval era. During the times where industrialization had not landed upon the countrys lap, it run its own basic industries like, woodwork, pottery, Nepal paper, etc. These items still have not lost their charms. Currently these industries play a crucial role in terms of original traditional business. Besides these, many international convectional businesses have come forth. For Instance, Usury Nepal, Uncle, etc. Economic Liberations: After the formal dethroning of our former King, we all know that Nepal Is now a Democratic country. During the Monarchical era, most of the large scale industries were held by the government itself. Whether it be transportation or communication, all of the systems possession were under the Nepal government. The public transportation was under the government. The basic communicating services were also under the government. Since telephone services came only after the year 1970 B. S, before that letter services were the only means of communicating. Thinking of It now, actually letter writing was a very obligatory process of communicating; it actually made people feel that someone really remembered then. Besides that, government health services were the only ones that provided health checkup services. Even if people were not satisfied with it, they had to endure it. Nonetheless, every power was owned by the monarch government. It was only after the year, that industries that were independent of governmental power flourished Nepal Telecoms, which was the only Tale-communicating Industry (held by government) came under the competition with Mere Mobile (now Uncle). Similarly, private bus services also sprang up, with the introduction to Taxi services. People started owning their own line of public transportation services. INCREASING ROLE OF PRIVATE SECTORS: With the commencement of private sectors, the economy of the country leapt forward. Upon the vital call, people shifted their resource interest towards private sectors more. Government based industry were found to be lacking modernization. Their traditional ways of dealing with the service provision were over powered by the private sectors. Comparatively, people preferred their services rendered by the private sectors. The economic domain altered towards Private sectors; whether it be Airline, Communication Hydrophone,etc. Before, (Royal) Nepal Airlines was the only Airlines that provided airway services; (enter the private airline services) Buddha Air, Cosmic Air, Yeti air, etc. Rabbet peoples matter of Interest with quality services. Up with idea of bonus services, pre paid services, etc. More importantly, the network service provided by Mere Mobile was firmer than Nets that led to increment of Mere Mobile users comparison. PRIVATE INVESTMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT Along with self-profit organizations, other private sectors as well came forward. With the new theme of investment for infrastructure development purpose, many projects name forward. Nevertheless, not many projects made their way to completion due to various complications. An example of success story in terms of private investment in infrastructure development is Nepal Upward Bias Company Limited (NBC) , Napalms first public limited company building a National toll Highway of Asian highway standards. It aims at bringing together and managing investments, skills, expertise and resources of the Nameplates people from within and outside the country. This Project involves a 50 km tunnel on the highway that connects Katmandu and headed with its cost estimation from RSI. 3 billion to RSI. 34 billion. Another infrastructure related private investment sector is Hydrophone. Many hydrophone station have risen up. Namely, some of them are Butyl Power company, Booth Kooks Power company Pit. Limited, etc. Latter one being the first private company to undertake hydrophone project. Emergence of multi-national companies Just like a part of development process, many multi national companies registered their place in Nepal. They emerged in the countrys context with reasonable pricing for the affordability of common citizens. Though a bit of impossibility lingered around he corner of establishment for these companies; all the same, they are now well of with customers increased interest. As a matter of fact, these companies reign over the market in comparison to local products. Some of the Multi National companies in Nepal are Hyatt Regency, Radiations ( Hotel) Aids, Nikkei, Lee Cooper, bossing, Rebook, Converse (Clothing line) Coca Cola, peps, Frost,etc. (Beverage) KEF, Lava, Pizza Hut, etc. (restaurant services) and others With the introduction to technology and scientific progression, work process has been made easier. In todays context, IT development has been highly encouraged. As an international taboo, Nepal has adopted the belief that a work that can be done in 20 days can be finished in 10 days with the help if technology enhancement. Also, development of IT has encouraged environmental security. For instance, instead of printing a letter, why not send it in e-mail kind of encouragement. Its a kind of strategy that brings out the best of internet facility. It helps to reduce the cost of organizational activity; substituting the cost of five printers for an office with Just one with equal amount of productivity. Furthermore, more IT engineers are encouraged for the provision of good platform.

Lexis Definition and Examples

Lexis Definition and Examples Lexis is a term in linguistics referring to the vocabulary of a language. Lexis is a Greek term meaning word or speech. The adjective is lexical. The study of lexis and the lexicon, or collection of words in a language, is called lexicology. The process of adding words and word patterns to the lexicon of a language is called lexicalization. In grammar, the distinction between syntax and morphology is, by tradition, lexically based. In recent decades, however,  this distinction has been disputed by research in  lexicogrammar: lexis and grammar are now generally perceived as interdependent. Examples and Observations The term lexis, from the ancient Greek for word, refers to all the words in a language, the entire vocabulary of a language... In the history of modern linguistics, since approximately the middle of the twentieth century, the treatment of lexis has evolved substantially by acknowledging to a greater degree the important and central role of words and lexicalized phrases in the mental representation of linguistic knowledge and in linguistic processing. (Joe Barcroft, Gretchen Sunderman, and Norvert Schmitt, Lexis  from The Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics, edited by  James Simpson)   Grammar and Lexis Lexis and morphology [are] listed alongside syntax and grammar because these aspects of language are inter-related...The morphemes above- the s on cats and on eats- give grammatical information: the s on cats tells us that the noun is plural, and the s on eats could suggest a plural noun, as in they had some eats. The s on eats could also be a form of the verb used in the third person- he, she, or it eats. In each case, then, the morphology of the word is strongly connected with grammar or the structural rules that govern how words and phrases relate to each other. (Angela Goddard,  Doing English Language: A Guide for Students)   [R]esearch, particularly over the last fifteen years or so, is beginning to demonstrate more and more clearly that the relationship between grammar and lexis is much closer than [we used to think]: in making sentences we may start with the grammar, but the final shape of a sentence is determined by the words which make up the sentence. Let us take a simple example. These are both likely sentences of English: I laughed.She bought it. But the following are not likely sentences of English. She put it away.She put it. The verb put is incomplete unless it is followed by both a direct object, such as it, and also an adverbial of place like here or away: I put it on the shelf.She put it. Taking three different verbs, laugh, buy and put, as starting points results in sentences which are quite different in structure...The lexis and the grammar, the words, and the sentence, proceed hand in hand. (Dave Willis, Rules, Patterns, and Words: Grammar and Lexis in English Language Teaching)

Robert Burns Quotes

Robert Burns Quotes Recognized as one of the greatest Scottish writers of all time, Robert Burns had a great deal to say. He was born in 1759 and is perhaps the most well-known Scots language poet. However much of his poetry was also written in English, which often included the bluntest of his harsh political commentary. His English writing often included Scottish dialects. He was a charismatic pioneer of the Romantics literary movement. His most famous work is Auld Lang Syne which is sung in many countries at the stroke of Midnight on New Years Eve to help usher in the new year. Burns claims to have transcribed the folk song from an old man whod had the song passed on to him.   Political Robert Burns Quote While Europes eye is fixd on mighty things, The fate of empires and the fall of kings; While quacks of State must each produce his plan, And even children lisp the Rights of Man; Amid this mighty fuss just let me mention, The Rights of Woman merit some attention. Inspirational Quotes Dare to be honest and fear no labor. Firmness in enduring and exertion is a character I always wish to possess. I have always despised the whining yelp of complaint and cowardly resolve. His locked, lettered, braw brass collar, Shewed him the gentleman and scholar. Libertys in every blow! Let us do or die. Mans inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn! Nae man can tether time or tide. Nursing her wrath to keep it warm. Prudent, cautious self-control is wisdoms root. Suspense is worse than disappointment. There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing. Nature Quotes The daisys for simplicity and unaffected air. The snowdrop and primrose our woodlands adorn, and violets bathe in the wet o the morn. Companionship Quotes The wide world is all before us - but a world without a friend. To liken them to your auld- warld squad, I must needs say comparisons are odd. Afflictions sons are brothers in distress; A brother to relieve, how exquisite the bliss! Ah, gentle dames! it gars we greet, To think how mony consels sweet, How mony lengthened, sage advices, The husband frae the wife despises. And may you better reck the rede, than ever did th adviser. And there begins a lang digression about the lords o the creation.

Total Quality Management (TQM) Practices and Traditional Management Assignment

Total Quality Management (TQM) Practices and Traditional Management Practices - Assignment Example According to the research findings, the difference between Total quality management (TQM) practices and traditional management practices in relation with management systems is that in TQM, all employees of the organization play their role in improving the efficiency of the organization in order to achieve long-term success through customer satisfaction. Both management and the employees make their efforts to improve the business processes and policies. Whereas if we talk about traditional management practices, we can say that the management staff practicing tradition management is more concerned with business processes and the customer side is often ignored or given less attention. Another negative aspect regarding traditional management practices is that the management is less innovative and does not want to involve employees’ views in decision-making processes. Organizational structure refers to the way through which management of an organization use employees and department s to drive the organization towards the achievement of different goals and objectives. For any organization, such as healthcare organizations, the structure plays an important role in its success because structure clarifies roles and responsibilities of every employee. â€Å"Organizational structure provides the guidelines for the system of reporting that drives an organization†. TQM views organizational structure as one unit whereas traditional management takes it as different units putting their efforts to achieve their respective goals. TQM gives importance to collective efforts to reach organizational goals and objectives whereas traditional managers do not want to take ideas of employees in making any kind of policy and views all departments as different units of the organization. Management’s role is critical to the success of any organization. For example, in a healthcare organization, management assigns tasks to different departments based on the nature of task s and the departments make their efforts to complete those tasks. The role of management using TQM is quite different to the role of the management practicing traditional management style. â€Å"TQM takes into account all quality measures taken at all levels and involving all company employees†.

Punjabis Folk Dance Bhangra Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Punjabis Folk Dance Bhangra - Research Paper Example Punjab folk singers have also developed bhangra in United Kingdom. Major Punjabis’ migrations to the United Kingdom led to the spread of bhangra music, thus making it popular in Britain (Katz 33). However, it was heavily influenced by rock sounds infusion in Britain as well as the need to do away with the repetitive, simple Punjabi folk music. Furthermore, it triggered the development of Asian British youth culture which was distinctive and more self conscious. This culture revolved around experimental sense of gesture, language, desires and bodily signification in situations of tension between racist elements and British culture that had signaled alienation of minority ethnic groups. This situation fostered the need for positive culture and identity affirmation and gave way for Punjabis males in Britain to show their masculinity. Another factor that has helped in the survival of Bhangra is involvement of women in the dance in the second generation in south Asian America where women are increasingly using bhangra to define their cultural identity (Katz 33). As opposed in the past, it was purely a male dance that involved intense and strong movements. 1980s was the golden era for Bhangraheads with melody as the primary emphasis where it was played out on a harmonium, synthesizer, guitar or accordion; the composer received very many fans which exceeded those of the vocalist. The music was also independent of the used instruments (Sharma 77). This made it easy to be played by many communities’ world wide using own instruments. Further more, it gave room for the artists and other performers to use instruments of their own choice and which they were comfortable in. therefore, many people irrespective of their... The research offers a variety of ways of looking at the dance, including a consideration of the culture's history, environment, economics and worldview. Sometimes additional percussions including the tabla were used to accompany the dhol and dholki although it was less frequently used as a solo instrument. The bhangra lyric majorly cover social issues such as love, money, relationships and marriage and is always sung in Punjabi language. The lyrics are mostly tributes to the rich cultural traditions of the Punjabis especially those ones devoted to Punjabi pride, themes and Punjabi heroes. Many of the bhangra tracks are written about Udam Singh and Bhagat Singh. This paper makes a conclusion that Like Bhangra dance, ballroom dance is also popular in the whole world but it is more entertaining. It is also a dance for the elites while Bhangra is a dance for people from all social backgrounds. Similarly, it has many dance styles and techniques and also uses a variety of instruments. Ballet dance is however common in Russia and France, though it is slowly penetrating in other countries. Folk dances are performed at social events just like bhangra but are performed in dance groups. Folk dances are performed differently by different communities from various parts of the world. From the Moroccan Muslims, Indian folk, to Scottish dances, they all have their own charm and beauty. Theses dances have their own different styles that differentiate them from others.

Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resource - Essay Example The suggested leadership approach for the resistance effort is LMX, particularly for paternalistic or team-based organisational cultures. Leaders are recommended to develop buy in through tapping initial quality relations and the use of evidence to support their arguments. These leaders have ethos, but they must boost logos and pathos appeals to became convincing to employees and management alike. Through their communication and networking efforts, they are believed to create a scintillating force that can resist harmful or unproductive organisational changes. If changes can be attained through strong leadership, a similarly engaging leadership can also result to powerful resistance efforts to changes. Managing resistance to organisational changes has been examined in numerous management, organisational behaviour (OB), and psychology journals. Van Dijk and Van Dick (2009: 144) noted from their review of literature that several management science and OB articles in particular see resi stance as an obstacle to organisational development and success. Recommendations are commonly provided to avoid, control and reduce the causes of resistance (Cummings and Worley, 2009: 165; Kwahk and Kim, 2008). Moreover, a number of studies wholly focused on the change agent (Kwahk and Kim, 2008; van Dam, Oreg and Schyns, 2008). When journals examine employee perspectives, they do so with the purpose of understanding the causes of resistance, so that they could be identified for resolution later on (Meyer et al., 2007) as if all forms of resistance are problematic and unproductive per se. Scanty research has been done on why employees oppose particular kinds of changes and how they can go about preventing the implementation of unhelpful/damaging change efforts. This essay fills this information gap through exploring existing literature and applying concepts and studies to the process of effectively resisting organisational changes that are unbeneficial or harmful to employees or ot her stakeholder groups. This essay agrees that some organisational changes should be opposed, especially when goals, processes and outcomes are unclear and when potential for harmful/unbeneficial consequences exist. It reviews some of the causes of resistance to organisational changes and what employees can do to effectively resist these changes. Its main objectives are: 1) to review literature on the common causes of resistance to change and 2) to provide recommendations on how employees can effectively resist change without jeopardising their welfare and employment status. This essay does not aim to manage resistance to changes, but to help students and managers understand the conditions, where resisting changes may be good for the organisation, particularly, when the change goals, processes and outcomes would not be beneficial or would be detrimental to stakeholders. The reviewed literature shows how the management can effectively respond to employee resistance to changes while o ther studies and books examined the varied reasons behind resistance to changes. The framework for resistance is presented below (see Figure 1). Nevertheless, these studies do not identify that some of the possible reasons for resistance are due to lack of clarity and/or benefits and misalignment with personal ethical beliefs

Principles and Practices of Effective Leadership - D1 Essay

Principles and Practices of Effective Leadership - D1 - Essay Example ing this factor, an understanding of the various leadership approaches which leaders could adopt to lead their company is extremely crucial for a successful leadership. Leadership approaches are directions which help leaders follow the required path and therefore successfully achieve the goals established by their organization. It is important for a leader going through a process of leadership development to understand these leadership styles and adopt the various characteristics and roles defined by these approaches in managing their company. Moreover, leadership styles like autocratic leadership, democratic leadership, laissez-faire and transformational leadership, each define a set of characteristics, traits, agendas and the relationship a leader adopting each of these styles have with his/her subordinates. This brings us to authentic leadership, which is highly dependent upon persuasion which is linked to building trust which brings in three elements required for authentic leadership establishment pertaining to the factor of building trust; establishment of a trusting environment, continuous facilitation and training by experts and awareness of the limits to train leaders according to their job requirements since pushing too hard may lead them to be distraught and stop learning, thus negatively impacting the organization in the long run. Lastly, to become an authentic and good leader, one must act proactively, must take up responsibility for his/her actions if consequences faced, show commitment to the work and be friendly with the workforce, take regular feedback from workforce and share your vision with them to make them feel important and highly value their opinions (Bernel,

Walmart Lawsuits influence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Walmart Lawsuits influence - Assignment Example Wal-Mart’s human resource policies are well-aligned with the corporate level strategy. Wal-Mart has often been accused of not managing to provide the employees with affordable healthcare while the efforts of the top management were directed at implementing low cost strategy. Lawsuits over the years have influenced Wal-Mart’s recruitment and retention strategies in such a way that it tends to avoid employees associated with collective bargaining associations or unions. This is partly explained by Wal-Mart’s involvement in a messy legal battle with the collective bargaining associations over the rights of the employees, as the Union disapproved of Wal-Mart’s withdrawal from paying 10 per cent bid to over 700 employees (Milner, 2005). In 2005, Wal-Mart’s store in Arkansas declared closing down of a store in Canada only six months after the success of its employees in gaining the right of getting a union membership (Milner, 2005). This suggests that the history of lawsuits experienced by Wal-Mart have moved the retailer against recruiting or retaining employees whose rights are safeguarded by other agencies, associations, and/or unions. Wal-Mart can prevent and/or reduce compensation law violations by complying with all corporate procedures and policies completely that are related to issues surrounding compensation, and hour; by completely adhering to all local, state, and federal regulations and laws related to compensation that apply, and by reporting all violations of policies and laws related to compensation to management. Evolution and expansion of the employment arrangements and the production and supply chains impart the need of development of a policy menu for Wal-Mart that is vast enough to recognize and address the liability issues on actors all across the supply chain that have play a role in compensation violations. Meanwhile, certain significant approaches can be pursued in order to hold the corporations accountable for

History Discussion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

History Discussion - Research Paper Example The great awakening was started by the Wesley brothers, Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield in England and moved to American colonies during the 1770s (Kidd 23-24). The great awakening ushered in new era in that it allowed people to express their emotions in order to experience and feel great intimacy with God during prayers. The great awakening started at a time when people in America and Europe colonies were questioning the purpose or role of the individual in religion and society. It started at similar time with the enlightenment movement which emphasized on rationality or logic and emphasized the power of individual to realize and understand the world based on scientific laws (Wallis 55). Therefore, people grew to rely more on personal approach to spirituality and salvation rather church doctrine and dogma. In addition, the fighting between political and religious groups in England came to a halt with the onset of the glorious revolution of 1688, an occurrence which led to establishment of the Church of England as the only church of the country in turn; other religions such as Catholicism and Judaism were oppressed and suppressed. Politically, it led to stability because of everybody practiced the same religion. However, on religious front, it created complacency and spiritual hunger or dryness among believers. After some decades of religious complacency in America and England colonies, the spiritual revival or renewal of the great awakening was established (Kidd 61). The great awakening led to significance change in the American society in that it prepared them for war of independence. Many years before the war, revivalism enlightened people that they should be courageous when confronting religious authority and that when churches were still oppressing the believers and not heeding to their expectations, the people would break off and create new churches (Wallis 45). Throughout the period of great awakening, Colonist understood that

Walmart Lawsuits influence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Walmart Lawsuits influence - Assignment Example Wal-Mart’s human resource policies are well-aligned with the corporate level strategy. Wal-Mart has often been accused of not managing to provide the employees with affordable healthcare while the efforts of the top management were directed at implementing low cost strategy. Lawsuits over the years have influenced Wal-Mart’s recruitment and retention strategies in such a way that it tends to avoid employees associated with collective bargaining associations or unions. This is partly explained by Wal-Mart’s involvement in a messy legal battle with the collective bargaining associations over the rights of the employees, as the Union disapproved of Wal-Mart’s withdrawal from paying 10 per cent bid to over 700 employees (Milner, 2005). In 2005, Wal-Mart’s store in Arkansas declared closing down of a store in Canada only six months after the success of its employees in gaining the right of getting a union membership (Milner, 2005). This suggests that the history of lawsuits experienced by Wal-Mart have moved the retailer against recruiting or retaining employees whose rights are safeguarded by other agencies, associations, and/or unions. Wal-Mart can prevent and/or reduce compensation law violations by complying with all corporate procedures and policies completely that are related to issues surrounding compensation, and hour; by completely adhering to all local, state, and federal regulations and laws related to compensation that apply, and by reporting all violations of policies and laws related to compensation to management. Evolution and expansion of the employment arrangements and the production and supply chains impart the need of development of a policy menu for Wal-Mart that is vast enough to recognize and address the liability issues on actors all across the supply chain that have play a role in compensation violations. Meanwhile, certain significant approaches can be pursued in order to hold the corporations accountable for

THE GRAPHIC ART Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

THE GRAPHIC ART - Essay Example Riggle (2012: 255) describes street art as â€Å"artworks whose use of the street is essential to their meanings.† In this, Riggle implies that street art is necessary and applicable only in streets where they display their significance to several passers-by. There are several street arts that are available in various holographs in today’s museums and other photo and pictures sources such as archives. This essay will succinctly verify or back up Riggle’s description of street art using two popular and early drawing artists; England based graffiti artist, Banksy and South African artist, Robin Rhode. The two are renowned street artists whose artworks have been posted on various websites. The essay will mainly handle the role or the necessity of street artworks, as well as their impacts to the immediate society. To begin with, Banksy did several artworks which are mainly considered street art with hidden meanings that are necessary to teach certain lessons to the s ociety. Since he was also a painter, political activist and film director, he came up with attractive street art graffiti and inherent dark humor that was excellently done in distinctive and special inherent stenciling technique. Most of his artistic works have been featured in public areas such as walls, streets and bridges. Historically, his work was born out of artist-musician collaboration popularly referred to as Bristol underground scene. One of his street artworks was a stenciled graffiti that appeared on Thames Water tower. It was located in Holland park roundabout. The image consisted of a child clutching and doing painting work on the tag titled â€Å"Take this society†. Councilor Greg Smith (London and Fulham spokesman) considered the photo vandalistic and made an order for its instant removal from the location. The removal was carried out by the then H&F Council workmen within three consecutive days. The graffiti had a lot of significance to the then European soci ety, in terms of its political situations. Analytically, the artwork was meant to show that Europe was under control by a particular group of its leaders who controlled every life sector in the continent beginning from economy, social lives, as well as the politics. The idea of the boy painting the tag is sarcastic in the making as he advises or informs some people in the society to take control and own the society personally. The child symbolizes the common man in Europe who is unhappy with some of totalitarian practices exhibited by the leaders in the way they govern their subjects. This is typically in line with Banksy’s political activist nature or characteristic. The second street artwork of Banksy is LDN6 which appeared in May 2006. Iit appeared at the back of something that looked like a permanent street stall for selling bags and T-shirts on the Tottenham Court road, next to its junction with the Store Street. The art photo did not stay long at the stall. It was remov ed by the end of June with the permission from the stall owner, Sam Khan, a sixty year old man who had no idea about Banksy and his artwork (Bull, 2011: 311). In fact, the stall owner did not have any idea about the meaning or rather the interpretation of the artwork. The photo was then sold to someone at a reported price of 1000 Euros in cash. The stall owner got annoyed when he saw the same photo being sold at a minimum price of 230,000 Euros and much better prices in New York. From the picture, it can be seen that the painter had written, â€Å"What?† in purple color on a grey wall with other non formulated black drawings and writings. Interpreted, Branky’s main reason for the work is to show what the unclear dark drawings had not clearly revealed

Although “Romeo and Juliet” Was Written by William Shakespeare in About 1600, Its Themes of Fate and Death, Love and Hate Are Enduring Concerns for Us Today. Discuss. Essay Example for Free

Although â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† Was Written by William Shakespeare in About 1600, Its Themes of Fate and Death, Love and Hate Are Enduring Concerns for Us Today. Discuss. Essay 3. Although â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† was written by William Shakespeare in about 1600, its themes of fate and death, love and hate are enduring concerns for us today. Discuss. ~ â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is a tragedy, written by the renowned Shakespeare in the 1600’s, which has remained a popular play for many people today. It tells the story of two star crossed lovers whose fleeting romance is ended by tragedy. The reason that this play is so appealing to audiences’ today lies within the main themes of the play – love and hate, death and fate. Because of the enduring the components of these themes, the lessons and experiences found in the book can be easily relatable to the people of our time. The themes of love, which we will see comes in many forms, are all easily related to situations that many people will face in our times. Hate is also a theme which has continued from Shakespeare’s time to now and largely effects communities today. Death is a theme that everybody can relate to, and the reasons for the deaths in Romeo and Juliet can also be applied to certain people’s death. The theme fate is not so easily applicable to today’s society as the other themes, but there are many exceptions and the concepts behind fate can still apply to us today. But the first theme to be discussed will be that of love. One of the most obvious themes in the play is Love. Within the play, there are a couple of types of love displayed – a fleeting infatuation and a genuine love. The fleeting love can be seen at the opening of the play where Romeo claims to be in love with the maiden Rosaline. His crush on Rosaline leads him to do thoughtless things, which Montague tells us when he says: â€Å"Away from the light steals home my heavy son and in his private chamber pens himself, shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out, and makes himself an artificial night.†(Act 1, scene 1, page 29) Romeo locks himself in his room and weeps over her, but as soon as he sees Juliet, his love for her instantly vanishes. Many people can relate to this today because growing up they are bound to have brief infatuations that, although fleeting, may also make them do some unwise things. And secondly, the genuine love of Romeo and Juliet. For these two, it was love at first sight, but evidently  it was an e verlasting love. In comparison to Romeo and Rosaline’s love, Romeo and Juliet show a much deeper, passionate love. They speak to each other in poetry and are even willing to risk their lives and kill themselves for each other. In the balcony scene, Romeo even says to Juliet: â€Å"I am no pilot yet, wert thou as far as that vast shore washed with the farthest sea, I should adventure for such merchandise† (act 2, scene 2, page 52) This means that he would go to the ends of the earth, no matter how dangerous or difficult it was, just to reach Juliet. One modern example of this love would be from September 3rd 2010. Brian Wood and his pregnant wife Erin were driving to meet family when a car raced head on towards them. Brian immediately spun the wheel to the right, making sure that only he would be hit with full impact from the car. Brian was killed, but Erin walked away with only a few bruises. That is only one of many thousands examples of love that we see today. Love is a concept that can be grasped by people from around the world at any time in history. On the other hand, â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† also provides us with the theme opposite of love – hate. Hate is a strong theme in â€Å" Romeo and Juliet†, ultimately leading to the death of several characters. The opening scene of the play shows us the rivalry between the two rich families, the Montagues and Capulets. The long-lasting feud causing destruction and havoc within the city of Verona. There are many gangs today that share the same behavioural traits of the Capulets and Montagues back then. For example, there were many fights fought in the play over small issues. For example, in Act 1 Scene 1 when Sampson and Gregory see people from the house of Montague approaching, they discuss ways of provoking them to start a fight, saying things such as: â€Å"I will bite my thumb at them, which is a disgrace if they bear it† and â€Å"Draw, if you be men.†(Act 1, scene 1, page 26) The people of the Capulet house go purposely looking for a fight. Whereas the gangs today will fight over matters such as territory, respect and drug turf and will purposely go out looking for fights so they can look more superior to other gangs. Another scene where we see this theme is in the scene when Mercutio dies and Romeo says: â€Å"Away to heaven respective lenity, and fire-eyed fury be my conduct n ow!† (Act 3, scene 1, page 71) Here Romeo wants to avenge Mercutio’s death by killing Tybalt, even though he originally did not want to fight Tybalt because of his marriage to Juliet, Tybalts cousin. This can be compared to gangs, who  will not leave any type of disrespect unanswered in fear of losing their reputation or respect. Sometimes, when the hatred of one another gets out of hand, it can lead to the next theme, death. The death of six characters throughout â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† makes death significant theme, as well as presenting the play as a tragedy. All of the deaths in the play were a result of the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, whether it was suicide or murder. The theme of death is universal theme Shakespeare highlights in his plays that has not changed through the years. Death is an everlasting concept and there will always be application for it in the world, whether it is today or 411 years ago. In order, there were the deaths of Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Romeo, Juliet and finally Lady Montague. The two most prominent deaths were of Romeo and Juliet who, after a failed plan to avoid Juliet’s marriage to Paris, commit suicide. Friar Laurence explains after both are found dead in the tomb, saying: â€Å"But when I came, some minute ere the time of her awakening, here untimely lay the noble Paris and true Romeo dead†¦ And she, too, desperate, would not go with me.† (Act 5, scene 3, page 115). One modern application of this happened in October 2010. In that month, there were over five cases of teenage suicide because of harassment at school due to their sexual orientation. This applies the same concepts of the suicides of Romeo and Juliet when they were not able to be with one another because of opposition. The other deaths are results of murders by the opposing side of the quarrel. There have been so many wars and gang fights in our time, it would be almost impossible to name them all. Much like the grudge between the Montagues and Capulets, many have died as a result of the fighting, when it could have otherwise been solved. The reason behind the grudge between the Montagues and Capulets had been long forgotten, as has the reasoning behind the conflict between gangs. Another factor that can also be blamed for the death of certain characters is fate. Fate is perhaps one of the most important factors in the death of the two protagonists. â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† is a tragic play where the characters have no awareness of their ensuing downfall. In the time the play is set, fate and destiny were huge concepts that were definitely factors that affected the decisions made in their lives. But in today’s society there are less and less people who think that there is anything that is meant to be or supposed to happen, and instead think about ways to get around problems and that  there are many different outcomes for each of our actions. They believe that they have their own free will and their futures are determined by the decisions they make. This theme, although not very directly, is still applicable to us now. There are still people who do believe in fate, just as in the 1600’s. There are many people such as psychics or fortune tellers who make their living out of telling people their destinies. But the majority of society may not think of their lives as being predetermined by some force, many decide to follow their gut feeling in making decisions. Before going to the Capulet’s party and meeting Juliet, Romeo says: â€Å"I fear, too early. For my mind misgives some consequence, yet hanging in the stars†(Act 1, scene 5, page 42) Here Romeo is scared and doesn’t feel as if he should go to the ball because he thinks there is an event destined by the stars that is going to happen that night. Similarly, today there are people who will base their decisions on how they feel and the consequences of that action. Almost every single person at some point in their lives will question themselves, asking things such as: What is my purpose in life? Having a purpose in life is like having a destiny. You may not know what it is, and you may not know how to find out. There are many different opportunities and choices that are met, but as you live your life, every decision that you make up to a certain point leads you to the answer of your question. There are many ideas behind the themes of Romeo and Juliet, all of which have endured down to today. With the universal concepts of the themes of love, hate, death and fate we fi nd that the lives of the Montagues and Capulets were much like the lives that we live today. Of course the situations they were in were different, but the same lessons can be learned and the same themes are applied to daily life. So as Juliet said in the balcony scene: â€Å"What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other word could smell as sweet.† (act 2, scene 2, page 51). Just as a rose would smell just as sweet if called by any other name, the themes of â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† and its lessons are just as impressive when applied to the different situations in different time periods.

Hamlet 10 :: essays research papers

The Real Tragedy Of Hamlet In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the death or murder of a character becomes very freuquent. Although many people die. It is a result of their own wrong-doing. You could almost say they deserved what they got. But there were deaths of people, that were due to the manipulation from the royalty. A good example can be found in the family of Polonius&#8217;. The real tragedy of Hamlet is not that of Hamlet or his family but of Polonius&#8217; family because their deaths were not caused by their own, sinful actions, but rather by their small instigation of Claudius and Hamlet&#8217;s battle. The first character to die in the play is Polonius. Eventhough Polonius often acted in a deceitful manner when dealing with Hamlet, it is only because he was carrying out plans devised, and ordered by the King and/or Queen, in order to discover the nature of Hamlet&#8217;s madness. Being the King&#8217;s right hand, it was his duty to obey the King and Queen&#8217;s wishes, and it was indeed his loyalty that eventually proved to be fatal for him. An example of how Polonius&#8217; innocent involvement with the royal family resulting to his death can be found at the beginning of Act III, scene iv, when Hamlet stabs him while he is hiding behind the Curtained Wall in Gertrude&#8217;s chamber. This is a great example of how Polonius, a man unknowing of the true nature of the situation that he was in, is killed by a member of the royalty during the execution of one (Hamlet) of their schemes. This makes Polonius&#8217; death a tragedy. But he was asking for it, come on. The next member of the Polonius clan to die is his daughter Ophelia. Ophelia&#8217;s death is also tragic, because of her complete innocence in the situation. You can argue that Polonius deserved his fate because of his handling with Hamlet while he was mad. But Ophelia was entirely manipulated, and used by Hamlet and the king for their own selfish reasons, and games. An example of how Ophelia is used by Hamlet is seen in Act II, scene i, when Hamlet uses her to convince his family that he is truely mad. Ophelia explains to her father, how Hamlet has scared her, causing Polonius to draw the conclusion that Hamlet has an "antic disposition"(He is quickly losing his mind).

Panopticon: The Ideal Social Order :: essays research papers

Panopticon: The Ideal Social Order "The Panopticon is a marvelous machine which, whatever use one may wish to put it to, produces homogenous effects of power." Panopticism is a style of controlling the individual and making him conform to the system. That system could refer to the police or the world as a whole. There is never a definite top position, therefore, everyone feels as if they are being monitored by someone else. It is for this reason that this disciplinary mechanism is so effective. The Panopticon serves as a tool for discipline and a laboratory of power. The capabilities of a Panopticon are endless. It is the basis for the government while it could also aid in the criminal activities for the mafia. In the government there is a system of checks and balances where nothing can get accomplished without the authorization of a higher ranked official. Once these ideas are passed they are then imposed on the individuals of society by other organizations . Whether it be the police, the IRA, or a neighborhood watch group. The Panopticon can serve the public in many ways. It can defend a country, reform prisoners, treat the ill, and educate the public. It does this by creating channels of power and distributing them to the individuals. In the Panopticon, no one individual shall be granted too much power so as to place his or her own values upon the masses. The concept behind panopticism is the distribution of power in order to better society as a whole. The historical problems with power have proven, when it is unevenly distributed, those with the power take advantage and impose their values on the public. For instance, Hitler was given too much power and he massacred millions of innocent people. The Panopticon, on the other hand, serves to increase the wealth, welfare, education, and spirituality of society. The Panopticon does punish but it does so in a means of reform. It attempts to restore the individual to a being that can be a productive and positive influence. The system has two main purposes, the distribution of power and the means of establishing discipline. Every aspect of the world has the ideas and principles of panopticism behind them. The world is full of intricate and complicated people. These people group together to create tribes, governments, countries, and or civilizations. What are the rules? How are we, the most complicated form of life that we know of, suppose to act towards one another. The panoptic system has implemented itself upon the world. It has created a system where no one

Pay for Performance

Pay for Performance Park University Overview Incentive pay, also known as â€Å"pay for performance† is generally given for specific performance results rather than simply for time worked. While incentives are not the answer to all personnel challenges, they can do much to increase worker performance. (Billikopf) Performance pay has various names: merit pay, pay for performance, knowledge-and-skill- based pay, or individual or group incentive pay. Delisio) Pay for performance systems have further been proven to have two advantages for organizations: attracting more high-quality employees and motivating employees to exert more effort at their jobs. (Gordon, Kaswin) This paper will show the positive benefits of performance pay as well as some steps to implement the pay for performance program. Productivity Implications Companies that have switched from salaries to individual incentives have increased productivity dramatically—some by as much as 44 percent.Linking pay to p erformance not only motivates but also helps to recruit and retain the most talented employees. New graduates seek to join organizations that make use of performance-related rewards, and they have long-term loyalty to these organizations. The use of performance pay has also grown in popularity, as 67 percent of companies offer some form of performance pay to employees below the executive level. Likewise, the practice of compensating managers below the senior executive level with stock options and other forms of long-term incentives has risen dramatically.This is because performance-sensitive pay aligns the interest of all levels of employees with the interests of shareholders. (Gordon, Kaswin) Implementing a pay for performance system has been shown to resolve organizational problems because it aligns the preferences of firms and employees. In addition, creating a pay for performance system serves as a sorting mechanism to identify and attract the most capable employees. Gordon, Kas win) The economic downturn has accentuated the need to contain compensation costs by holding down fixed-based salary expenses. To maintain competitive pay plans, an increasing number of companies are giving more employees across different job functions the opportunity to earn variable, performance-driven incentives for achieving individual and organizational goals. (Gordon, Kaswin) Pay for Performance Objectives Developing a pay for performance philosophy and strategy is easier when we understand what such an approach is intended to achieve.If effectively constructed, pay for performance compensation plans should help a company fulfill the following objectives: * Recruit and retain the highest quality employees * Communicate and reinforce the values, goals and objectives of the company * Engage employees in the organization's success * Reward contributors for successful achievements (The VisionLink Advisory Group) Line of Sight Ultimately, the combination of rewards strategies that a company institutes should help to raw a correlation in the mind of the employees between interdependent elements: * Vision – where is this company going? * Strategy – how is it going to get there? * Roles and Expectations – what role does each key person have in that strategy and what is expected of him or her in that role? * Rewards – how will each employee be financially rewarded for the achievement of the expectations associated with his or her role    Pay for performance is the mechanism that is used to create this â€Å"line of sight† between related elements of company culture and purpose.In the final analysis, compensation needs to reinforce the behaviors that are desired within the strategy framework of the company in a way that is compelling enough to produce the desired performance. (The VisionLink Advisory Group) In adopting a rewards philosophy for how people will be remunerated for their contributions within an organization, a comp any has to determine what the right balance should be between short and long-term compensation and guaranteed versus performance compensation.Pivotal in that philosophy development is how and to what extent pay will be tied to specific types of performance. This issue will not be treated the same in every organization. However, every business should be able to identify certain performance objectives it wants its workforce to fulfill and the financial outcome that will be achieved if that result is attained. Such a projection can be translated into an increased shareholder value figure. (The VisionLink Advisory Group)Features of Effective Plans Top Management Support Supervisors must understand the incentive pay process in order to support and administer it. Oftentimes, a lack of understanding causes managers to ignore or adapt the process as they see fit. Moreover, if supervisors are not trained on how to measure performance, the process will not be standardized across the company. (Gordon, Kaswin) Having buy-in from key stakeholders is crucial for the success of an incentive pay system.For example, if top management does not support such a program, lower-level managers will place little importance on effectively administering the program. Hence, a lack of top management support often leads to a lack of accountability. (Gordon, Kaswin) Communication Consistent and methodical communication is necessary when implementing an incentive pay plan. It will ensure employees understand what is expected of them while decreasing the likelihood of morale problems that result from misinterpretations of how incentives are awarded. Gordon, Kaswin) Performance Management Oftentimes, a flawed performance management system is the main reason an incentive pay system in not successful. When designing a performance management process that will be linked with pay, it is imperative that both employees and managers know what the individual goals are, how they will be measured, and ho w they will be compensated when achieved. Managers must also be careful to ensure that there is adequate differentiation between high and low performers. If mediocre employees are given an average merit increase, hey will perceive that their performance is adequate. Conversely, if excellent performers only receive a little more in incentive pay than average performers, they will perceive that the company does not value their performance. (Gordon, Kaswin) Appropriate Rewards The amount of incentive a company should offer to an individual depends on current income, amount of effort needed to invest, likelihood of obtaining the reward, acceptance of risk, equity of reward and contribution, and industry standards.A minimum for incentive pay is considered to be 5 to 15 percent of an individual’s base pay. (Gordon, Kaswin) Considerations before Implementing a Plan The best compensation plans take into account several key considerations. Before instituting a pay for performance syst em, companies should define which employees should be eligible for the program. Furthermore, it is important for companies to determine the role of equity in a total rewards framework from the perspectives of the employee and employer, as well as in terms of cost.Steps should be taken to (1) review the current objectives and purpose of the equity plan; (2) identify alternative rewards; (3) develop a communication plan for how the effectiveness of the program will be measured; (4) gather employees’ perspectives via surveys, focus groups, or internal research; (5) gather external market information; (6) determine the costs; (7) develop recommendations for design change; and (8) create the communication plan. The communication strategy for the program should encompass the value employees place on various rewards and how the changes will be perceived by employees.It should then monitor and manage employees’ reactions to the changes in their compensation structure. (Gordon, Kaswin) Objectives of a Broad-Based Incentive Plan When creating an incentive plan, the organization has to determine and clearly define the goals for the program. The objectives should be aligned with the business strategy. These goals should be utilized to shape the incentive plan as well as the expectations and objectives of individual employees. A main reason why incentive plans fail is because they are introduced as an inflexible process.The incentive plan should be first implemented on a small group of employees in order to determine the flaws and rectify them before implementing them across the enterprise. Once the plan is implemented, it should be regularly adapted. (Gordon, Kaswin) If companies want a pay for performance system, the firm should define the desired performance and establish methods of measuring it first. Then, connect goals for individuals, for business units, and for the company. Meanwhile, track everyone’s progress and periodically give back the dat a to raise everyone’s awareness of the program.Sixty-two percent of compensation professionals report that their organizations did not attempt to measure the return on investment of their compensation program. (Gordon, Kaswin) Conclusion Research indicates that broad-based incentive plans can be utilized as a means to encourage both employee performance and productivity. When implementing an incentive plan, several considerations are needed to ensure the plan is successful. However, it is important to note that incentive plans cannot ensure employee productivity by themselves. They must be coupled with effective human resources practices in order to ensure a successful work environment.These include determining the appropriate rewards, instituting comprehensive performance management systems, widespread and effective communication, as well as buy-in from top management to support the compensation plan. Over the past decade and increasingly in the past year, performance pay ha s become the standard as companies reward strong performance and lower overhead costs. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years. (Gordon, Kaswin) Like most things in business, compensation is something that requires evaluation, study, assessment, strategy, modeling and integration.Achieving a pay for performance culture does not happen without paying attention to the behaviors, activities, rewards and motivations that have to be linked and reinforced through a well-engineered and effectively executed process. And if that process does not tie rewards to shareholder financial objectives, employ the proper mix of compensation elements, result in meaningful dollars, embrace performance that employees can impact and are effectively communicated and reinforced, then the results it produces will likely fall short. (The VisionLink Advisory Group) Pay for performance systems need ngoing attention to keep them functioning properly. Organizational goals will change; performance g oals and measures will become obsolete; performance may improve or decline; managers may make errors in evaluating performance or allocating rewards. For all these reasons and more, agencies need to monitor the operation and effectiveness of their pay for performance systems and modify them accordingly. Only by giving the pay systems and related organizational requirements the ongoing attention that they warrant will agencies be able to obtain optimal results from their pay for performance systems. U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board) Works Cited Billikopf, Gregoria. (2001) Incentive Pay (Pay for Performance). The Regents of the University of California, retrieved from http://www. cnr. berkeley. edu/ucce50/ag-labor/7labor/08. htm The VisionLink Advisory Group, The Five Essentials of Pay for Performance, retrieved from http://www. vladvisors. com/images/PDF/VisionLink_Five-Essentials-Pay-For-Performance. pdf Gordon, A. A. , Kaswin, J. L. , Effective Employee Incentive Plans: Feature s and Implementation  Processes, Cornell HR Review, 2010, retrieved from http://cornellhrreview. rg/2010/05/31/effective-employee-incentive-plans-features-and-implementation-processes/ U. S. Merit Systems Protection Board, (2006) Designing an Effective Pay for Performance Compensation System. Retrieved from http://www. mspb. gov/netsearch/viewdocs. aspx? docnumber=224104;version=224323;application=ACROBAT Delisio, E. R. , Pay for Performance: What Are the Issues? , retrieved from http://www. educationworld. com/a_issues/issues/issues374a. shtml

Pipeline Systems Essay

Drawbacks of the Pipeline for Alberta Oil mining is the pillar industry in Alberta and building pipeline system is the most efficient way to transport oil into other areas. However, whether pipeline systems are appropriate technology has been debated for many years. Appropriate technology means the ‘technology that is designed with consideration to the environmental, ethical, cultural, social,political, and economical aspects of the community it is intended for. ’ [1] Many people believe that the Conduit System pipeline is not appropriate technology. The reason is that though it is profitable , it decreases the motivation of developing new environmental-friendly power systems. Also some of the First Nations think it is so ridiculous to sell the precious resources which is given by our ancestors and nature. Moreover it is not a environmentally beneficial system. This paper will support the point of view that the conduit system is actually an inappropriate technology by illustrating examples in such three perspectives. In the first place,the project is certainly â€Å"a tremendous display of the short sighted thinking†[2] because it only thinks about the short-time economic gain without considering the environmental problems. Also the construction of Pipeline system decreases the motivation of developing new environmental-friendly power systems. Once the conduit system pipeline is built up,more and more companies would follow and build more of the pipelines, since it is a profitable and a most easy way to transporting oil. However, once the pipelines are set up, the companies has to run it rapidly, otherwise the construction cost would never be recovered. Under this situation, it limits the sustainable economy development . Thus the construction of pipeline system are strongly discommended. Furthermore, the conduit system pipeline leads to disagreements and conflicts with the Canadian society, especially between the First Nation and the government. Every individual and social group has their own belief and way of life. We do not support this pipeline project. We believed that the project has the potential to harm our environment ,as well as our way of life. We hope that our voice is heard and taken into consideration. †[3] said by the First Nations leaders. It contradicts the economy growth valued by the Conduit company, as well as the government, therefore confits appears. Therefore, it is obvious that the Conduit company pipeline would trigger dispute between First Nations and other social grou ps. Lastly, it is not environmentally beneficial for the human race to build the pipeline system in the long term. Oil spilling is a serious challenge for oil transporting industry, especially for long distance pipeline system. The Enbridge oil spill [4] is a strong example, over 190000 liters oil seeped out. The impact of oil spill is catastrophic. Carbon dioxide will be released to atmosphere increasingly, the green-house-effect will be more serious. At the same time the eco-system will be ruined, the fields can not be grown in 10 years or more. It is a disaster for both human and nature. â€Å"An oil spill from this pipeline will have major media coverage, which would effectively destroy Canada’s reputation. †[5] said the politician. Furthermore the oil of Alberta is non-renewable energy resource, it can not be produced in thousands years. Though the pipeline system is the most efficient way to transport the resources, what we can leave to our next generations if the oil is exhausted. Overall, it is obvious that the conduit system is actually not an appropriate technology for Alberta. According to the examples and analyses above, the pipeline system is a immature technology which creates social conflict,damages the planet and leaves even more environmental issues to the younger generations. [6] Consequently, the applying of the conduit system still needs more consideration. (1)Engineers Without Borders -Case Study Conduit Systems https://eclass. srv. ualberta. ca/mod/resource/view. php? id=551299 (2)http://www. cbc. ca/news/canada/story/2012/07/28/enbridge-wisconsin-spill-pipeline-closed. html (3)Engineers Without Borders -Case Study Conduit Systems https://eclass. srv. ualberta. ca/mod/resource/view. php? id=551299

Investigate differing learning styles of an AVCE second year student group Essay

1. Abstract This report investigates differing learning styles of an AVCE second year student group. Firstly the report provides a critical account of the context of the course; it’s provision and relevant information about the learners and how some aspects of learning theory can be applied within the delivery of the Project Management module. Taking into account the theoretical issues a scheme of work, lesson plans and teaching material was prepared for the project management module, which I am unit leader for next semester. The second part of the report provides a critical review of the scheme of work and lesson plans and justifies the learning strategies used. It explains how individual needs and support issues have been addressed and considered when planning and delivering a lesson. The report concludes with an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the sessions. 2. Table of Contents 1. Abstract 1 2. Table of Contents 2 3. Terms of Reference 3 4. Understanding and Managing the Learning Process 4 4.1 Introduction 4 4.2 Factors influencing the ability and desire to learn 4 4.2.1 The Course Provision and Group Members 4 4.3 Theories of Learning 5 4.4 Relevance of Bloom’s Classification of the cognitive domain within the learning process of AVCE students 7 4.5 Aims, objectives and outcomes of the scheme of work, lesson plans and learning materials in relation to the cognitive learning taxonomy 10 4.6 Teaching and learning strategies deployed in the development of the project management unit 12 4.7 The importance of language, literacy and numeracy 13 4.8 Evaluation of teaching and learning strategies 13 4.9 Evaluation of learning materials used 14 4.10 Evaluation of Student Learning 14 4.11 Strengths and weaknesses of the sessions 15 5. References 16 6. Bibliography 17 Appendix A Scheme Of Work†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..18 Appendix B Lesson Plans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.19 Appendix C Teaching materials†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..21 Appendix D Presentation Slides †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..22 3. Terms of Reference This report is intended to satisfy the requirements of an assignment that has been set as part of an In-Service PGCE in Education. A group of learners will be selected that I am currently teaching and relevant information about these learners will be provided along with some of the factors influencing (positively or negatively) their learning. An account will be given of the main features of one or more theories of learning, which seem to you to be relevant to these learners. As a result a scheme of work and lesson plans will be prepared and delivered. The report will conclude with an evaluation of the scheme of work and lesson plans and how the experience will affect future practice. 4. Understanding and Managing the Learning Process 4.1 Introduction Understanding and managing the learning process is key to enhancing the teaching and learning experience. In order to achieve this goal research was undertaken into relevant learning theories and factors that influenced the ability and desire to learn. The knowledge gained was then applied to the planning and delivery of curriculum to students enrolled on the Advanced Vocational Certificate in Education (AVCE) at Wakefield College studying. The report includes a critical review of the scheme of work, lesson plans and learning materials designed to meet the learning objectives and outcomes of the course. 4.2 Factors influencing the ability and desire to learn Some of the factors that influence the ability and the desire to learn of a group of students on the second year of an AVCE in ICT at Wakefield College have been examined in order that the learning process can be understood and therefore more effectively managed. 4.2.1 The Course Provision and Group Members The Project Management module is one of 12 units that are studied as part of the AVCE for students at Wakefield College. Students on the course are aged between 17 to 19 and most have achieved GCSE results at mainly Grade D and Grade E. The group of consists of 14 students and of these a cross section were selected to discuss their aspirations and motivations. To keep the identities of the following students confidential, students have been addressed A to E respectively: Student A came into the college with poor GCSE results and had to complete the foundation course before undertaking the GNVQ Intermediate in IT. During this time she was diagnosed dyslexic and since has received support for exams and her dyslexia tendencies are taken into account during delivery on the units. She contributes well verbally in group discussions, however she is always reluctant to type or write down information whilst being observed by other students or class tutor. Her motivation to succeed is exceptional which has led to outstanding achievements on her first year of AVCE. She has applied for IT courses at several universities and now awaiting offers. She is employed part time at a local solicitor’s and has been offered sponsorship to continue to study for a degree in computing. Student B is a close friend of Student A and also completed a GNVQ Intermediate in IT with above average grades, he now wishes to eventually obtain a degree in a computer related subject by studying for his HND in Computing at Wakefield and then topping up to the Sunderland University BSC in Computing. His preference is to complete a good proportion of work at home, which he does to a high standard, however this often leads to him distracting other members of the group during class time. This impacts on other students who do not have the commitment to work at home for example student C. Student C again started at Intermediate level and achieved adequate grades, however his levels of concentration are poor, he is easily distracted and he often fails to complete his work. This is a concern as he is planning to progress onto the HND Computing course and will need to prove that he has the motivation and the ability to cope with the workload. He has worked part time in the computing section of Staples and shows a good understanding of hardware issues but struggles with the application side of computing and completing course work. He appears to be more ‘hands on’ student rather than academic. Student D has chosen to do a computer related course to increase his prospects of employment in the computing field. He intends to continue his studies at Wakefield College in order to achieve a BSC in computing. Although not academically brilliant he is a very conscientious and independent worker who tries exceptionally hard to succeed and consequently achieves good grades. He work part time as a window cleaner. Student E is the girlfriend of Student D and initially chose to do a computer related course to increase her prospects of employment and has no intention of progressing to University. The fact that she receives Education Maintenance Award (EMA) is the key motivation for attending the course and she gives the impression that doing this course is better than doing nothing. She lacks enthusiasm for the subject matter and at times the only thing that keeps her on track is the help and support she receives from her boyfriend. 4.3 Theories of Learning Evidence suggests there are many theories of learning often one theory contradicting another, this is substantiated by Reece (2000, p.69) who claims â€Å"that for every piece of research that tells us to do something a particular way, there is another piece that suggests, not necessarily the opposite, but a different way†. This report concentrates on some theories on learning styles and learning taxonomies and how these can be applied to understanding and managing the learning process of a group of AVCE students. 4.3.1 Learning Styles There is strong evidence to suggest that students learn in several different ways and planning to deliver curriculum to the AVCE group must consider the four main learning styles identified by Honey and Mumford (1986): Activists – enjoy the present, like the immediate experience and respond to short-term issues. Reflectors – prefer to think about things and explore all aspects before coming to a conclusion. Theorists – like principles, theories, models and systems. Logic rules! Pragmatists – look for new ideas and are keen to experiment. The choice of learning strategies will therefore determine how much a student is motivated and a key aim must be to offer all learning styles some element within the lesson that enhances there learning experience. 4.3.2 Learning Taxonomies In addition to the recognised learning styles, learning can be separated into three main domains, psychomotor, cognitive and affective domains. Within each of these domains there are specific levels identified by Honey and Mumford, Bloom and Kolb amongst others. Taxonomies usually refer to the classification of life into similar groups, but for the purposes of Bloom, a taxonomy was described by McLeod (p. 1029) as: â€Å"†¦the science or practice of classification.† Cognitive Domain The Cognitive domain looks at the intellectual skills and abilities, considering knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation with knowledge being the easiest level. The cognitive domain suggests that knowledge allows someone to state something. Moving sequentially through each stage to higher levels, allows a student to learn the full range of cognitive skills i.e. to explain, apply, differentiate between, summarise and evaluate. Petty (1998, p.347) states that it is important to â€Å"†¦include the higher-order objectives in your teaching or these skills will not be developed†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Simply gaining knowledge is the first stage of learning and is the building block for the higher cognitive levels, which without such could not be reached. Encouraging the student to comprehend, apply and evaluate, enhances their learning process. For example, a student may know what a mathematical formulae is, understand that it can be used to solve some mathematical problem, but may be unable to apply it and derive an answer. Affective Domain The Affective domain is concerned with attitudes and deal with feelings and emotions. Petty (1998) suggested that this means a student has the social skills, is able to listen to, be aware of, or is able to appreciate something. Psychomotor Domain The Psychomotor domain focuses on a student’s dexterity, and is predominately physical tasks that need practice. It is similar to the cognitive domain in that it progresses from the simple to the complex where physical skills are concerned. Although all three domains could be considered appropriate to the teaching and learning experience of the AVCE group, Bloom’s taxonomy of the cognitive domain has been identified as the most relevant to the AVCE group and the theory has been studied in much greater detail and then applied to the case study. 4.4 Relevance of Bloom’s Classification of the cognitive domain within the learning process of AVCE students Bloom defined the following areas in his classification of the cognitive domain, as knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Knowledge is the ability of a student or person to be able to recall and recognise information. Child (1993) proposed that someone couldn’t operate cognitively without a basic amount of knowledge. The AVCE students have demonstrated that they have a certain level of knowledge by being accepted on to the second year of the course. Some students have more knowledge than others, which is likely due to a greater degree of application on the first year and the motivation to work at home. Some of the students appear to have a slightly wider experience of relevant computing knowledge and are able to recall and recognise information more readily. Student C who is easily distracted and often fails to complete his work does show he has quite extensive knowledge in specific IT areas that are related to his work at Staples where he deals with the computing hardware side. Comprehension is the ability to illustrate, explain or describe the reasons for something. This area of understanding can be fairly basic. All the students have a generally equal level of comprehension in the subject areas, although Student A has more difficulty explaining reasons in written report format or under exam conditions. Application is the ability to take the knowledge and comprehension of something and to utilise this in new situations. Using the mathematical formula example, knowledge is where a student is aware of or knows the formula, comprehension is the understanding that the formula can be used to solve a particular problem and application is having the ability to use the formula to actually solve it. There was evidence of prior learning being applied to a new situation whereby the knowledge gained when produced a user manual for a spreadsheet unit was applied to producing a user manual for the database unit. Also Students explained that the group work undertaken in the multi media unit was a good way of pooling knowledge and comprehension. Consequently, the project management unit I am leading will include a group project to develop a web site. The intention is to team those students who demonstrate good organisational skills with those who show an aptitude for graphical design. Group work has shown that the knowledge, comprehension and application of a group can be higher than the individuals themselves would achieve, as not everyone is a specialist in every field. Analysis is the breaking down of something into its component parts, differentiating between similar items and the ability to compare and contrast. All the students interviewed for this report were able to use the knowledge and comprehension of information they have been given and apply this to new situations. Synthesis is the ability to take the component parts and either rearrange or combine them to form a new or different whole. A particularly relevant example of analysis and synthesis is demonstrated when considering the rescheduling of tasks when a crisis situation arises during the project lifecycle. The project manager can study the critical path of the project and determine where resources can be reallocated or extra resources brought in order to ensure that the project is still delivered on time and to specification. The project plan can then be updated to produce a new schedule, which does not necessarily look like, or work in the same way as, the original. In the Project Management unit they are able to look at the scheduling of other Project plans prior to producing their coursework assignment. Synthesis will then allow them to take individual processes from this analysis and combine them as they investigate a business problem and produce a Project Management solution. For the second semester unit students will be shown how to create a project plan for the websites development, and will gain an understanding of the importance of scheduling and resource allocation. Evaluation requires judgements to be made as to what elements of the project went to plan and what lessons can be learned from the overall project experience. For example, the project manager will evaluate the finished product after implementation. This allows them to see if future projects can be managed more effectively and efficiently. Using the Project Management unit as an example, once the project plan is implemented, an evaluation of the project will allow the students to check if the product they have designed was produced as planned, to specification, within budget and timescale. Word Count 2083 4.5 Aims, objectives and outcomes of the scheme of work, lesson plans and learning materials in relation to the cognitive learning taxonomy The evidence gained during the research and interviews carried out facilitated the production of scheme of work, (Appendix A) lesson plans, (Appendix B) and learning materials (Appendix C) for the Project Management unit. The scheme of work identifies how each session builds on the previous session and each lesson plan shows evidence of how Bloom’s taxonomies has been incorporated into the learning process. The aim and objectives of the unit were to outline how to produce a project plan prior to the student producing their own project plan for the web development. Knowledge – All lecture topics have been developed on the basis that students have no prior knowledge of each stage of project management. The only assumption was the students had completed the tasks in the preceding practical session, however, not having completed the tasks should not interfere with their learning of the lecture topic. The scheme of work has been written in a way that does not penalise a student for not having grasped any particular fragment of the course, being as it is, modular in design. Each lecture consists of a PowerPoint presentation followed by a brief demonstration on the interactive whiteboard. Each week previous learning is checked prior to and often during the lecture to check the learning. building upon the week before with the subject matter progressively gaining in complexity. Comprehension – All the students will be encouraged to ask questions at any point during the presentation/demonstration if they require additional clarification. The intention is to check their comprehension by asking if they can provide examples to justify a point made and then opening up discussion to the whole group. Application – Knowledge and Comprehension will be combined when attempting the task sheets written to accompany each week’s lecture topic. These sheets are not handouts in the usual sense, each one consisting not of information for a student to refer to at a later date, but tasks that will facilitate their learning. The tasks cater for individual interpretation of the problem statements, allowing each student to develop the subject matter with their knowledge and understanding. Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation – Students will be actively encouraged to explore alternative project management software, breaking each one down into specific functions and comparing and contrasting how well they facilitate the task of managing a project and the application limitations. There will be a requirement to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the application. 4.6 Teaching and learning strategies deployed in the development of the project management unit The project management unit was designed in line with the cognitive taxonomy described earlier. Lectures/Group discussions Students are given lectures whereby information is presented from which knowledge and comprehensive can be gained by interaction in group discussion. For Student A and Student B asking questions and providing answers to questions comes naturally as they are both confident members of the group. However Student D is a very quiet member and through a basic lack of confidence always appears reluctant to come forward therefore subtle probing is required to check his learning and ensure that he has fully understood the subject matter. One to one tuition Although Student C is usually willing to interact if directly questioned often, one to one tuition is needed as due to his lack of concentration he often lags behind the rest of the group and needs more thorough recapping of prior sessions. Whilst Student E often shows little interest in group discussions she will ask later in the practical session if she has not understood a certain element. Tasks In order to encourage students to apply knowledge and comprehension to a new situation the scheme of work includes a simple task to plan a birthday celebration and consider all the tasks involved, and the sequence with which they undertook the tasks and who would be responsible for each task. Students were then given the opportunity to apply this knowledge by completing the task sheets. Demonstration In the later weeks once the basic project management principles have been taught then students progress to using the project management software at this point demonstrations are included in the lesson plan to illustrate the use of the features of the project management tool. Students are at this point encouraged to part take in these demonstrations. One of the main problems is that students progress at varying rates throughout the unit and to ensure that this issue is addressed I have built in further complexity to stretch the more able student by for example introducing more complex scheduling and updating techniques within the project plans. This provides an opportunity for the tutor to concentrate on an individual group member without restricting the progress of others, meaning that all students will be able to feel that they have accomplished something of value in each session. However, the scheme of work does progress through a logical pattern. For example, the principles of project management precede the creation of a project plan. The students will then learn topics of progressive complexity before creating a project plan for a commercially acceptable web site. 4.7 The importance of language, literacy and numeracy In today’s environment where employers are increasingly looking graduates that possess good communication and numeracy skills it is important that these elements of teaching and learning are incorporated into lesson plans and schemes of work. Presentation skills are developed within the project management unit as students are required to present their website to their client in a professional manner by the use of a PowerPoint presentation. Report writing skills are developed, as the assignment brief requires students to produce their evidence in report format. Students are encouraged to communicate both verbally in group discussions and by written communication in the form of agendas and minutes of meeting they have held within their group and with their client. Student A who is dyslexic is supported by proof reading her assignment work prior to submission and understanding her anxieties about being watched whilst keying in information. The application of numbers within the project management unit is limited to calculating the estimated duration of a task using the Program Evaluation Review Technique, a formulae that explores the probability, i.e. optimistic duration + pessimistic duration + (3 x most likely duration) divided by 6 Other mathematical skills are using when determining the critical path of a project. 4.8 Evaluation of teaching and learning strategies Detailed study has shown that Bloom’s taxonomy is relevant to all the students I teach. In particular, recent experience teaching the AVCE group has highlighted the need for students to have both knowledge and comprehension, and in order to achieve the higher grades students must also possess the ability to apply, analyse, synthesise and evaluate. As is evident in the study, if the lower levels of learning are not achieved i.e. the knowledge and the comprehension then students will be unable to achieve the higher levels such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Although these higher levels are not often required to pass the AVCE unit there is an expectation that they will need be achieved if they progress to Higher Education (HE). Student A, Student B and Student D are already showing signs of reaching the higher cognitive levels however in the case of Student C and Student E there will be a strong need to build on their knowledge and subject understanding in order to become proficient in analysing, synthesising and, most importantly, evaluating their work to ensure that they succeed at any higher education qualifications they undertake. In conclusion the cognitive domain theory can easily applied to the development of the project management unit in order that students can learn to produce good project plans. 4.9 Evaluation of learning materials used As a result of doing this research, I now ensure that basic knowledge and understanding of subject matter is achieved by recapping both in group discussion and on a one to one basis with individual students. I also plan individual lessons in greater depth and look for new ways to break up the learning process into more manageable chunks, by using tasks sheets and group work and the requesting agendas and minutes are taken. I have explored the use of electronic tools such as Course Genie in order to provide a much interactive way of presenting information. I am now proficient at using the whiteboard and actively encourage students to use it during group discussions. In conclusion I feel that by gaining a good understanding of the individual needs of my student I can adapt lessons to suit. This is substantiated by Stephens and Roderick (1971) who state, â€Å"that a failure to select methods that are appropriate to the real needs and interests of the students will weaken their educational achievement† 4.10 Evaluation of Student Learning Assessment of student’s learning is two fold. Firstly work produced during each practical session, is checked and commented upon. Secondly more formal assessment takes place by marking the three assignments and feeding back on the PowerPoint presentation. As this is the first course for which I have been responsible for the complete management of the learning process, I am as yet unable to critically discuss the effectiveness of the strategies and materials. However, I am confident that the students will learn more effectively from this style of content delivery than they have from the previous project management material that was I asked to deliver last year delivered with the very limited material provided for me by previous unit leader. 4.11 Strengths and weaknesses of the sessions As the scheme of work and lessons are not planned to be delivered until 24 January 2005 the strengths and weaknesses cannot at this moment in time be reflected upion. 1556 5. References Child. D., (1993), Psychology and the Teacher, Casell Education Ltd, London. Curzon. LB., (2000), Teaching in Further Education: An Outline of Principles and Practice, Continum, London. Huddleston. P. & Unwin. L., (1997), Teaching and Learning in Further Education: Diversity and Change, Routledge, London. Petty. G., (1998), Teaching Today, Stanley Thornes, Cheltenham. Reece, Ian & Walker, Stephen (2000) Teaching, Training and Learning a practical guide 4th Edition, BEPL, Sunderland. Stephens. MD. & Roderick. GQ., (1971), Teaching Techniques in Adult Education, David & Charles, Newton Abbot. 6. Bibliography Bennett. N. & Carre. C., (ED’s), (1993), Learning to Teach, Routledge, London. Borg. WR. & Gall. MD., (1983), Educational Research: An Introduction, Longman, New York. Broadfoot. PM., (1996), Education Assessment and Society, Open University Press, Buckinghamshire. Castling. A., (1996), Competence based Teaching and Training, Macmillan, Basingstoke. Chitty. C., (ED), (1991), Post 16 Education Studies in Access and Achievement, Kogan Page, London. Cohen. L. & Manion. L., (1983), A Guide to Teaching Practice, Routledge, London. Cohen. L. & Manion. L., (1989), Research Methods in Education, Routledge, London. Cohen. L. & Manion. L., (1996), A Guide to Teaching Practice – 4th Edition, Routledge, London. Cosin. B. & Hales. M., (1983), Education Policy and Society: Theoretical Perspectives, Routledge, London. Entwistle. N., (ED), 1985, New Directions in Educational Psychology: 1 Learning and Teaching, Falmer Press, London. Freeman. R., (1993), Quality Assurance in Training and Education, Kogan Page, London. Jarvis. P., (1995), Adult and Continuing Education: Theory and Practice, Routledge, London. Minton. D., (1991), Teaching Skills in Further and Adult Education, Macmillan, Basingstoke. Murphy. R. & Torrance. H., (ED’s), (1987), Evaluating Education: Issues and Methods, Open University Press, Buckinghamshire. Reeves. F., (1995), The Modernity of Further Education, Bilston College Publications, Derbyshire. Rogers. J., (1989), Adults Learning, Open University press, Milton Keynes. Stores. E., (1994), Supervision in Teacher Education: A Counselling and Pedagogical Approach, Routledge, London. Tansley. P., (1989), Course Teams: The Way Forward in Further Education, NFER-Nelson, Windsor. Waddington. DJ., (Ed), (1985), Education Industry and Techniques, Pergamon Press, Oxford. Walklin. L., (1982), Instructional techniques and Practice, Stanley Thornes, Cheltenham