Environmental Factors Essay

(A) Selection of an Organization –   Ã‚  M/S GE Tractors M/s GE Tractors produces tractors, and dairy machines. Tractors are allotted to the Michigan unit in view of its location in the natural market zone for tractors. To supplement GE tractor production, a second tractor assembly line for 45 HP and 59 HP tractors has been in operation since 1985 at Michigan to meet the requirements of tractors in that area. It diversified its product range to provide cushion for the cyclical variations in the market and position itself globally. Besides supplying its products all over USA it has made its position globally. It is exporting tractors and related dairy machines to Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, most of the European countries, Africa and Asian continent.   A specific goal of 7,000 tractors worth $50 million in the coming 1-3 years is targeted so that there is a sustained growth in volume say 5% per annum. (B)High-level domestic and global environmental factors that may impact the organization marketing decision Business planning is basically concerned with the structuring of the relationship between a business and its environment. The environment in which business operates has a greater influence on their successes or failures. There is a strong linkage between the changing environment, the strategic response of the business to such changes and the performance. It is important to understand the forces of environment the way they influence this linkage. The environment which is dynamic and changing holds both opportunities and threats for the organizations. The organizations while attempting at strategic realignments, try to capture these opportunities and avoid the emerging threats. At the same time the changes in the environment affect the attractiveness or risk levels of various investments of the organizations or the investors. The environment in which the business operates broadly consist of the  Ã‚   Political, Ethical, Social, Cultural aspects, Technological and the Ecological related issues like pollution, sustainability etc. The Technological temper and its progress has been the key driver behind the major changes witnessed in the environment making it increasingly complex. These factors often overlap and the developments in one area may influence developments in other. Careful analysis of the above factors helps in identifying major trends for different industries.   Changes in these external forces affect the changes in consumer demand for both industrial and consumer products and services. These external forces affect the above company i.e. M/s GE Tractors regarding the types of products produced, the nature of positioning them and market segmentation strategies, the types of services offered and choice of business. Therefore, it becomes important for the organizations to identify and evaluate environmental opportunities and threats so as to develop a clear mission, designing strategies to achieve long-term objectives and develop policies to achieve short-term goals. (C) Technology impacts the organizations marketing decisions Technological factors represent major opportunities and threats which must be taken into account while formulating strategies. Technological breakthroughs can dramatically influence the organization’s products, services markets, suppliers, distributors, competitors, customers, manufacturing processes, marketing practices and competitive position. M/s GE Tractors is investing heavily in R& D projects to bring out new models   hence Technological advancements can open up new markets, change the relative position of an industry and render existing products and services obsolete. Technological changes can reduce or eliminate cost barriers between businesses, create shorter production runs, create shortages in technical skills and result in changing values and expectations of customers and employees. changing The impact of information technology (IT) which combines fruits of both telecommunications and computers has been revolutionary in every field. Not only has it opened up new vistas of business but also has changed the way the businesses are done. IT has specifically brought in another dimension Speed which organizations recognize as the additional source of competitive advantage beyond low cost and differentiation. Manufacturers, bankers and retailers have used IT to carry out their traditional tasks at lower costs and deliver higher value added products and services. (D)Importance of social responsibility and ethics as related to organizations marketing Social: Demographic characteristics such as population, age distribution, literacy levels, inter-state migration, rural-urban mobility, income distribution etc. are the key indicators for understanding the demographic impact on environment.   The growing number of senior citizens and their livelihood needs have been highlighted and the government is being forced to pay more attention in the form of social security benefits etc. Social attitudes, values, customs, beliefs, rituals and practices also influence business practices in a major way. Social values and beliefs are important as they affect the buying behavior. The spread of consumerism, the rise of the middle class with high disposable income, the flashy lifestyles of people working in software, telecom, media and multinational companies seem to have changed the socio-cultural scenario and these needs to be understood deeply. Values in society also determine the work culture, approach towards stakeholders and the various responsibilities the organization thinks of owing to its stockholders and the society. Ethics: Considering Literacy and the composition of literates in the country creates opportunities for particular type of industries and type of jobs. For example on one hand , the presence of multimillionaires in middle east countries encouraged many software giants to set up shops and on the other , the availability of cheap labor ,those countries have become a destination of labor intensive projects. Large labor mobility across different occupations and regions has cut down wage differentials and this has an impact for business to take the proper course. Understanding of the environment in which an organization operates is the foremost pre-requisite towards strategy formulation. The six broad dimensions which the framework provides of the environment are capable of giving a comprehensive overview of how things may be unfolding. The objective of the analysis should not only restrict to the present and past but the real focus should be on projecting the trends into future in order to get the real feel of the environment. This shall enable the firm to proactively strategize for future considering the environment it is going to face and the issues which will be of importance.

Ethic Essay Essay

Assume that Mark pledge to look after his sister’s son while she goes to the grocery store to buy some food. Instead, he goes to a computer shop to play poker in the internet. Supposedly, Mark should find another person to baby-sit the son of his sister. This is the moral responsibility of Mark for his obligations to the child and his mother. Secondly, Mark’s sister has also a moral responsibility in circumstances when it would be right to ethically commend or hold responsible Mark for his actions. If Mark failed to find a baby-sitter, he is morally responsible for the failure of his sister to buy some food in the grocery store. Mark’s actions are reflected to moral agents. Agents are reflects to situations and intensions of actions (Q1 & Q2). I found my self altruistic to other people. If I have something (i. e. some money, food, clothes, etc. ), I intend to give it to other people. I didn’t count those things but I just want to help other people even at small things. Altruism in ethical concept in psychology is the purposeful pursuit of welfare of other people and/or public interest. In layman’s term, the concept of altruism is the unselfishness of one person for the welfare of other people (other than his/her family). I find it odd since I’m attracted towards helping other people like beggars and street people and charities rather than giving help my family’s lives (Q3 & Q4). The top three values I have are being altruistic, kind, and serious. I think these values came from my family and the culture we have. I also think that being altruistic and kind are some of the professional ethics in psychology that are most compatible with my personal values. The notion of psychological egoism I believed is the notion where people are inspired by self-interest and concerns to others for the reason that this kindness will be returned back to them and will benefit them. (ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT, 2002). Conversely, this is only a viewpoint of how things are but not what is expected to happen or ought to be (Q5 & Q6). References ETHICAL PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGISTS AND CODE OF CONDUCT. (2002) American Psychological Association.

Scholastic’s Marketing Strategy

Evolving a successful marketing strategy depends on an effective situation analysis, which involves identifying the customer needs, changes in the operating environment, new opportunities, and the capability of the company to meet these changes. Scholastic corporation is one of the leading publishers catering to the children's segment. With decades of experience in children's publishing and links with most schools libraries across the nation the company has a great outreach to the student segment compared to other competing publishers. However, some changes in the external factors have clearly affected the company's business in a negative way. First and foremost of them is the government's cutting short of school budget allocation, which implied that libraries could no longer afford to spend funds for buying new books. This was a drastic blow for Scholastic as the company depended on its extensive tie-ups with school libraries for its regular business. Next, is the surge of the competitors such as Simon and Schuster and Houghton Mifflin who are capitalizing on Scholastic's inept handling of the changing market situation. These competitors, by their more effective marketing strategies have already started to increase their share in the market, which was previously largely dominated by Scholastic. Scholastic has failed to forge relationships with teachers and management in reaching out to the students. This lack of appreciation of the value of proper human relations is another big hurdle in its business interests, especially when the market seems to be lagging. To be successful under these changing circumstances Scholastic has to revamp their marketing strategy. Focus should be placed on increasing the literacy interests of the younger generation. Under the strange circumstances that the government is crying about improving the literacy skills of students while at the same time cutting the funding for the schools, Scholastic could put to good use its extensive connections with schools by actively participating and organizing book fairs and book clubs. An important fact is that book fairs promote book sales and stimulates reading in children, which in turn implies more books sales. Scholastic should sponsor more book clubs, which would help kindle the reading habits of the school going children. Thus by co-ordinating and working actively with school management Scholastic could promote the reading interests among children which seems to be threatened by the funding cuts by the government. Given that more than 100,000 school book fairs are organized every year around the country, it is plainly obvious that Scholastic should actively participate with the schools in organizing and conducting these book fairs and book club's. These programs, though, may involve expenditure on the part of the company, constitute a good strategy which promises a lot in the long-term. Thus, by organizing these book fairs and book clubs with minimum or even as a non-profit initiative, Scholastic corporation could actively contribute to promoting literacy interests of children upon which rests the success of its future business.

Organizational and Management Processes Within Health Systems Coursework - 2

Organizational and Management Processes Within Health Systems - Coursework Example No one department is important than the other, and that provides a good understanding of the issues taking place within the organization. Ideally, the leaders understand that the organization must run as expected, providing new wave of understanding that ascertains the impact such organizational methods possess in boosting productivity (Billis 2010: 48). Chronological patterns follow certain sequences in addressing issues within the organization. This calls for the listing of the main issues within the management and follow the best order that will provide the most successful trend in reaching out to the clients (Karre 2011: 9). The goal is to reach out to the audience and provide a good understanding of the main points that will at all times provide the needed order, and set patterns to achieve the desired goals. Since the building blocks of an organization depend on people, strategies, structures, environment, and technology, chronological patterns allow managers to formulate the best combination and follow through with it (Douma & Schreuder 2013: 21). Spatial patterns create the impression of having a roadmap or blueprint that allows people to continue meeting these demands. Ideally, the growth of the company will only arise if the management can create a structure that defines the best means of attaining its goals based on such discussions. The blueprint will be the best way of making sure that the goals are still in sight and not lost in the daily strives to meet personal goals (Billis 2010: 59). Cause-effect patterns, on the other hand, works on meeting specific goals within the most proficient timing. The goal is to generate as much through the understanding of the problems within the system and working on their remedies. It also allows managers to set up ideal avenues that project new growth attributes. The impact is supposed to boost the company’s survival and increase its problem-solving methods (Karre 2011: 15). Organizations realize that the

Home automation lightning systems for a handicapped house Essay

Home automation lightning systems for a handicapped house - Essay Example Most importantly, smart homes offer the handicapped the opportunity to enjoy their independence, which boosts their determination and confidence. Automated homes offer the handicapped a variety of types of emergency services including automated timers, alerts, lighting systems, security features and fall prevention. House automation ensures that the disabled can feel secure while in their houses and also control their home’s lighting system from anywhere with the help of an internet connection. A home automation lighting system is a centralized control of lighting system, which provides comfort and convenience and hence increasing the quality of life for the handicapped persons. Recently, home automation lighting has gained popularity due to higher affordability and simplicity of tablet and smart phone connectivity. Also, the increased use of the internet to perform a variety of automation tasks has popularized home automation lighting system. A home automation lighting system incorporates electrical gadgets in a house with each other. Devices can be linked to an internet connected computer or phone network to make it possible for a user to remotely control the system through the internet. Through linking of the home environment with information technology, appliances and systems are capable of articulate in an integrated model, which results in energy efficiency, convenience as well as safety benefits.2 In modern constructions in most homes from the industrialized nations, wiring for electrical purposes is common, which is done by developing of specialized appliances with the aim of automating majority of the household tasks. A case in point is whereby an automatic lighting system was developed to increase the efficiency of lighting appliances in a house. As the number of controllable appliances in the homes increase, communication and integration become an advantageous and valuable feature. In an automated lighting system, a heating system can, for exa mple, send an alert message when lighting is required. This means that the room for the handicapped will become â€Å"intelligent† and signals will be conveyed to the controller when lighting for a particular purpose is needed. If the handicapped person is not at home and the lighting systems requires to be put on or off, the system can be controlled online from a remote location.3 In a more advanced installations, the room can detect the presence of a certain person in the house and send signals to the lighting system, as appropriate, while at the same time taking into account factors such as the time of the day, the day of the week and so on. An ideal example of a case where the remote controller can come in handy is whereby the home automation is triggered whenever a smoke sensor discovers a smoke or fire, hence alerting the occupants of the house of possible emergencies. If the house is outfitted with home theater, an automation system can power cut all video and audio as pects to shun commotion, or produce a loud pronouncement. Yet still, the system could alert the home occupants through email supported by their smart phones or send make a distress call to the fire department. An

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 70

Leadership - Essay Example I have also observed that good leaders are role models who are willing to create more leaders (Chand, 2008). They pass their leadership skills and experience to specific individuals. Leaders must accommodate innovation and be flexible to diverse opinions from other leaders and their followers. They manifest relevance by being flexible and accommodative. Indeed, good leaders seek to make a difference and engage in consultations aimed at making the best decisions. As such, leaders must be followers of experienced leaders. I observed that leaders establish strong associations and collaborations with others to enhance their skills and competence. This enables them to derive authority and respect from their followers. Most importantly, I observed that good leaders are objective and focus on growth in their organization (Chand, 2008). As such, they engage in activities like seminars and conferences that foster personal and leadership development. Nevertheless, it is evident that certain traits like corruption and misuse of power hinder good leadership. As such, it is challenging to find a good leader.Bottom of

Aspects of Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aspects of Strategic Management - Essay Example Therefore, a business venture is exposed to a number of factors that act as the judiciary in determining the direction that the business takes. In order to bring together all work processes and to develop a more etched direction that the business could take, by evolving plans and implementing them with foresight, strategies ate laid down and executed. The overall processes, inclusive of policies and programmes, ideas and plans, and the like together constitute Strategic Management. Strategic Management is extremely crucial for business ventures, since it helps prevent wayward movement and direction that the company takes, owing to internal and external factors. Firstly, strategic management helps companies come up with mission statements and policies. It helps company gain direction and momentum, while helping negate the impact of external and internal environments that have a huge impact on the business. Secondly, strategic management helps in management of resources. When a company has a set of resources, it cannot go overboard and get into insolvency, nor should it ideally under-utilise the available resources.

Sport and recreation facilities in the UK Essay

Sport and recreation facilities in the UK - Essay Example The Council of Europe has defined sport as ‘all forms of physical activity, which through casual or organized participation aim at improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming relationships, or obtaining results in competitions at all levels’.The state itself accrues bigger sums each year, aimed at the development of such facilities; however, these facilities themselves are in greater demand at present, and among the reasons for such growing their popularity may be close interaction between the state and the society – while the state promotes the role of sport in the life of people, people themselves, understanding the increasing levels of fatal cases of heart and other diseases, join sports and try to lead active way of life. One of the directions of the Labor party’s policies was in promoting sports not only as the means of making the state respected in the world for its sport achievements, but mainly to make special stress that sport makes à ¢â‚¬Ëœsignificant difference to the life of individuals, communities and nation as a whole’ a number of the organizations, which deal with sports from the viewpoint of attracting individuals, grows annually, but one of the most prominent ones is Sport England; this organization has created a Strategic Alliance Team, which works in close cooperation with the government, promoting a number of initiatives, among which are ‘Physical activity and health’, ‘Community cohesion and sport’,   etc.... One of the directions of the Labor party's policies was in promoting sports not only as the means of making the state respected in the world for its sport achievements, but mainly to make special stress that sport makes 'significant difference to the life of individuals, communities and nation as a whole'. (Chandler, 2002) The amount of the organizations, which deal with sports from the viewpoint of attracting individuals, grows annually, but one of the most prominent ones is Sport England; this organization has created a Strategic Alliance Team, which works in close cooperation with the government, promoting a number of initiatives, among which are 'Physical activity and health', 'Community cohesion and sport', 'Neighbourhood renewal unit', etc. (Holt, 2002) For example, the organization actively cooperates with the British Heart Foundation, and as it is known, sports and heart diseases are closely connected, especially with such diseases now becoming the principal reasons of fatali ty among across all age groups. The organization actively promotes sport through public health messages, which also becomes one more reason for the more active development and higher popularity of the sport and recreational facilities in the UK. Bristol University is undertaking a comprehensive review on behalf of the Department of Health, which would underpin these messages The report willl focus on the scientific support for accumulated physical activity, ie 10 minutes chunks to build up to the government's 30 minutes five-times-a-week recommendation.This work will feed into that of the Activity Coordination Team (ACT), a cross-governmental group that works with a wide range of partners to develop a strategy to meet the Game Plan target of 70% of the population becoming

Criminology & Criminal Justice BSc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Criminology & Criminal Justice BSc - Essay Example The ultimate result of this frustration will lead to withdrawal of co-operation by the victim (Department of Justice 2009, p. 4). Therefore, the co-operation is necessary for the effectiveness of criminal justice system to ensure that it will lead to punishing the offender. Ensuring the credentials of the victim as genuine, does not necessarily mean, will usurp the rights of defendants as enshrined in the fundamental rights. In 1994 rights of victims were neglected badly. This is not the first time in the history of UK when the Liberty has called for greater objectives. According to Zedner (2007), a study reveals no conflict between the rights of defendants and the rights of victims (p. 265). Fair and just trials are the essence of criminal justice system. In order to ensure fair prosecution and to avoid miscarriage of justice, it is incumbent upon the law enforcers to protect the rights of defendants. Review of the European Convention on Human Rights indicates limited protection for victims. It is the duty of the police to provide protection to individuals in general and youngsters in specific from breaching of personal integrity. Failure to protect the victim, the authorities concerned will be held responsible as per law (Zedner 2007, p. 274). It would be in the fitness of things if victims should have more rights than those reflected in the Convention. The charter of victim first come to surface in the year 1990 and revised in the year 1996 clearly defined the fundamental rights of every victim of crime (Shapland 2000, p. 82). By all means, it can be considered a revolutionary step in the legal history of the United Kingdom. The existing Charter fulfils the expectation of a victim. According to Shapland (2000), in case of dissatisfaction, it permits the victim to lodge his or her complaint to an appropriate authority (p 83). Of course, the Charter of Victim is a well thought out document to address the issues and the difficulties faced by the

Fine Arts Lesson 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Fine Arts Lesson 2 - Essay Example This is because meaning to symbols has to be given otherwise the other person would not be able to understand the context of the message. In the above pictogram, the reader would have the context of the English language in mind so he would not have to depend on any key. Pictograms in today’s world are used as symbols and icons. They are employed in sign language, as icons in our computers and also as road signs. The use of pictogram in such areas goes away with the need for words that would occupy more space and would require more time to read. In case of road signs such as U-turn and Danger signs, the viewer reads these signs quickly and thus response is fast. Part 2: Art as a Window into Culture The Seated Gudea is a sculpture of Mesopotamian King Gudea of Lagash, belonging to the Neo-Sumerian period. The sculpture was commissioned by the King himself but the sculptor is unknown. In this sculpture, the king is depicted as a pious person who remains seated with hands clasped in a prayer-like position. Inscriptions are seen on the robe of the King, telling the story of the King who built the temple. The Akkadian relief sculpture of King Naram-Sin of Akkad depicts the victory of King Naram-Sin over the Lullubi. This relief sculpture was probably intended to become a monument. Both the sculptures are praise to their Kings. In the ancient times, the Kings used art to express their greatness. However, the subject of both the paintings is different in a manner of their emotions. King Gudea is shown as a humble person whose contribution to his people is the building of the temple. Gudea is depicted in this sculpture as a humble and peaceful person. In the case of King Naram-Sin of Akkad, the King is the opposite of humble as he basks in the light of his victory over the Lullubi. The King here is proud of his accomplishments and believes in his own might. This shows how the cultures differed as Gudea had strong religious beliefs while King Naram-Sin was sure of his own capabilities. 3. Reflection Assignment: The Evolution of Pyramid Design Pyramids were built in Ancient Egypt primarily for the purpose of serving as tombs for the Pharaohs, their queens and their entire ruling family. However, these Pyramids represent the architectural geniuses of the people who built these structures. Pyramids are great collectors of energy. Another seemingly interesting fact about the shape of the pyramids is the method of decomposition that occurs to the bodies inside the tomb. Rather than stinking or smelling, these pyramid structures lead to the mummification of the body. The Pyramids of Giza are the most functional and elaborate of the Pyramid Design. The Pyramids of Khufu and Cheops in Giza are built based on the Earth’s basic geophysical data linked with the Pyramid’s dimensions. Also being the largest pyramid, The Pyramid of Khufu also acts as radar. Thus these Pyramids not just serve the purpose of being tombs but in the greater cont ext are architectural relics. 4. Writing Assignment: Lasting Monuments One monument that I believe would be a lasting monument in this age would be the Sydney Opera House located in Sydney, Australia. There are two reasons behind this choice. The first is apparently the architectural beauty of the building. The building has become an icon for Sydney in the same way that people remember India by its Taj Mahal,

Grim First-Quarter Results for Newspapers Essay Example for Free

Grim First-Quarter Results for Newspapers Essay This particular article talks about the continuing decline in newspaper subscriptions and purchases by the general public.   Many people believe that the newspapers and all print magazines are well on their way to being extinction.   Many critics believe the reason for this is because the news can easily and efficiently be found and read on the internet.   The world wide web offers a great source of news but beyond that it allows for people to have a discussion about news topics.    This leads to a more well rounded approach to every issue that becomes news worthy.   No longer is the public blindly fed whatever the newspapers want them to read. The public can aggressively seek out information, both sides of the story, on the internet.   Obviously, as an online news reader you have to be good at research and just as good at telling the truth from fiction.   However, I think the decline of the newspaper has very little to do with the internet and blogging. In todays world, newspaper are so focused on selling adds and inserts that they fail to offer the public any interesting information.   Who wants to wade through all the advertisements only to find the information you want squished between what is on sale at the grocery store and whats one sale at JcPenneys.   When you pay for a newspaper you are paying for the news not be manipulated by marketing companies telling you what you should be, buy, and strive for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Online I can search for exactly the news story I want.   I have direct access to all the information and I dont have to dispose of all those paper inserts trying to sell me shoes.   Newspapers have failed to keep up with the demands on a now much more well informed public.   Instead of having better articles written by better authors to increase circulation (thus increasing profit) they have chosen to fill up every extra piece of space with marketing junk that most news reader could care less about.   Newspapers will die out but only because they believe money was more important than truth. lGrim First-Quarter Results for Newspapers lAd Revenue From Web Operations Become More Important to Publishers By Nat Ives Published: April 14, 2006 NEW YORK (AdAge.com) Newspapers made a bit of a grim display this week when they reported their first-quarter earnings, revealing profit declines at The New York Times Co., Tribune Co., McClatchy Co. and powerhouse Gannett Co., but displayed at every turn the rising importance of the Web to their businesses. The New York Times Co. reported perhaps the brightest results yesterday, even though first-quarter profit fell 68.5% to $35 million from $111 million a year earlier. That apparent free fall, however, mostly reflected the extra income in last years first quarter when the company sold its headquarters in Times Square. About.com boosts Times Co. The Web played a big role in the companys overall respectable results. Ad revenue rose 3.9% in the first quarter to $554.6 million, up from $533.8 million in the year previous quarter. The Times Co. ad increases were largely delivered by About.com; without that property, ad revenue would have increased just 0.7%. Earnings per share were 4 cents, a penny higher than the analysts consensus expectation compiled by Thomson Financial. Our results in the first quarter reflect higher advertising and circulation revenues at The New York Times Media Group and the Regional Media Group, in part due to the introduction of innovative new products, said Janet L. Robinson, president-CEO. But The Boston Globes unit, The New England Media Group, was again hit hard by consolidation among advertisers and a tough competitive environment, she said. Tribune looks to Web assets Another heavy-hitter, The Tribune Co., reported yesterday that its first-quarter earnings also fell to the tune of 28%, with flat ad revenue. The Tribune owns newspapers including The Los Angeles Times and The Chicago Tribune. Tribune expects online ad revenues to contribute about $350 million in 2006; it counts a stake a CareerBuilder.com among its Web assets. McClatchy Co., which agreed last month to buy Philadelphia Inquirer parent Knight Ridder, reported a 14.2% decline in first-quarter net income. Ad revenue at McClatchy, which houses newspapers including the Sacramento Bee, grew 1.4% to $237.1 million. The powerhouse that is Gannett turned in perhaps the most surprising report on April 12, announcing that net income sank 11.5% in the first quarter. Its newspapers ad revenue grew 5.7% to nearly $1.3 billion, but that factors in acquisitions without which first-quarter ad revenue would actually have fallen 1.8%. At its flagship USA Today, ad revenues declined 4.2%.

Graphic Organizers in the Classroom Essay Example for Free

Graphic Organizers in the Classroom Essay A graphic organizer is a visual tool the helps students grasp the relationship between facts, terms and other ideas within a specific learning task (Hall Strangman, 2002). Graphic organizers are called by a variety of different names including knowledge maps, concept maps, story maps, cognitive organizers, advance organizers and concept diagrams (Hall Strangman, 2002). However, graphic organizers have a valuable place within classrooms because they have the potential to improve learning outcomes for all students (Hall Strangman, 2002). Graphic organizers are so useful for both students and teachers because they can take many forms and be used in a variety of different ways to meet the needs of each individual student. Graphic organizers can be used in a variety of different educational situations and can be modified to meet the learning objectives of specific lessons (Bellanca, 2007). Teachers can use a graphic organizer to make sense of classroom discussions among students. Students can use graphic organizers to gather information from a single lesson in order to find meaning. Students can also rely on graphic organizers to keep track of an ongoing lesson or theme that lasts throughout the entire school year (Bellanca, 2007). An analysis of graphic organizers is offered as they relate to overall learning achievement in the classroom. Graphic organizers have the potential to improve the learning outcomes of all students because they blend the linguistic mode of learning with the non linguistic mode of learning so that words and phrases work with symbols to form meaningful relationships (Marzano, Pickering Pollock, 2001). The use of graphic organizers is intended to meet six different learning objectives that regularly appear in classroom curriculum: descriptive patterns, time-sequence patterns, process/cause effect patterns, episode patterns, generalization/principle patterns and concept patterns (Marzano, et al, 2001). Descriptive patterns are used to represent facts about people, places, things and events (Marzano, et al, 2001). For example, if students were learning about the Underground Railroad, they could create a graphic organizer centered on the Underground Railroad by branching different facts about this historical event off, including important people, places, things and events associated with the Underground Railroad. Similarly, time-sequence patterns are used to form representations of the chronological sequence of events (Marzano, et al, 2001). This type of graphic organizer could take the form of a student created time line. The remaining four types of graphic organizers deal with more complex processes but are equally as useful for teachers and students. Process/cause effect patterns organize information in such a way that allows it to lead to a specific outcome (Marzano, et al, 2001). Using the Underground Railroad example, this graphic organizer could list all of the different events that led to the creation of the Underground Railroad. Episode patterns are similar in that they organize information about specific events including setting, people, duration, sequence of events and cause and effect (Marzano, et al, 2001). This type of graphic organizer allows students to form a clear and cohesive picture of what they are studying so that all of the necessary information is included in one place. Generalization/Principle patterns allow students to focus on one topic so they are able to collect a variety of different examples that support that topic (Marzano, et al, 2001). This type of graphic organizer is particularly useful in math because it allows students to show a multitude of examples that prove specific math concepts. Finally, concept patterns organize information around a word or phrase that represent people, places, things or events as entire categories (Marzano, et al, 2001). This type of organizer allows students to show many examples about one particular subject. The types of graphic organizers described above are highly useful in the classroom because students in modern society are very visual human beings (Sousa, 2007). Modern students are surrounded by visual technology including computers, television, video games, cellular telephones, movies and DVD players (Sousa, 2007). Graphic organizers build on the reliance that students have on visual technology by capturing their attention in order to provide them with authentic opportunities to improve their understanding, meaning and retention of specific subjects (Sousa, 2007). Teachers who incorporate the use of graphic organizers into the classroom are able to reach all students because they appeal to the highly visual children that make up society today. Further, the use of visual techniques such as graphic organizers have the potential to increase learning outcomes while also ensuring future recall. The national No Child Left Behind Act has increased educational focus onto assessment (Struble, 2007). Graphic organizers have a very valuable place in classrooms both as ongoing and formative assessment measures (Struble, 2007). Graphic organizers are powerful tools for analyzing and assessing the ongoing understanding and performance of students throughout the school year and across a wide range of subject material (Struble, 2007). The use of graphic organizers as part of an ongoing assessment measure allows teachers to modify instruction as necessary while also ensuring that all students are learning what they need to know (Struble, 2007). Further, the use of graphic organizers has been shown to increase overall meaning but also to increase future retention (Nesbit Adescope, 2006). Over the past several years, fifty-five studies have been conducted associated with the use of graphic organizers by 5818 student participants. Results from these studies using post tests measuring recall and transfer after the use of graphic organizers prove that they increase knowledge retention (Nesbit Adescope, 2006). Ultimately, graphic organizers have the potential to capture the interest of students so they are able to form a meaningful relationship between linguistic and non linguistic skills in order to increase the potential for future recall of curriculum material. Bellanca, James A. (2007). A guide to graphic organizers: helping students organize and process content for deeper learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Hall, Tracey Strangman, Nicole. (2002). Graphic organizers. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved on April 16, 2009 from http://www. cast. org/publications/ncac/ncac_go. html. Marzano, Robert J. ; Pickering, Debra J. Pollock, Jane E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: research based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision Curriculum Development. Nesbit, John C. Adescope, Olusola O. (2006). Learning with concept and knowledge maps: a meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 76 (3): 413 – 448. Sousa, David A. (2007). How the brain learns mathematics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Struble, Janet. (2007). Using graphic organizers as a formative assessment. Science Scope, January 1.

Changes to the Role of the Management Accountant

Changes to the Role of the Management Accountant Using appropriate academic literature, critically evaluate the argument that the role of the management accountant has changed in recent years from traditional accounting functions to that of a strategic planner and a business partner. Introduction When it comes to the change of management accounting or management accountant, several researchers and scholars have stated the similar view that people cannot describe the management accountants as the bean counter, the scorekeeper or the corporate cop in the contemporary age, their new role are performed as a strategic planner and a business partner within the organization. (Anastas, 1997; Bromwich, 1990; Burns et al., 1999; Byrne and Pierce, 2007; Johnson, Kaplan , 1987; Roslender and Hart, 2002) This essay is aiming to find out how the bean counter, the scorekeeper and the corporate cop become to the internal consultant, the strategic planner as a business partner. Before the main body of this essay, the writer makes a hypothesis that there is an inference procedure that causing the change of the management accountants role. It is widely appreciated that the business environment has greatly changed in the recent years. Thus that the traditional management accounting is not suitab le for the contemporary business, a new management accounting system was generated. Following that there are many new management accounting techniques are required, it directly change the task of management accountants. Finally all these process have caused the change of the role of the management accountant. In the following parts of this essay, the writer will analyze all the parts of this process respectively refer to the other scholars research findings, this is for examine and certify the hypothesis in the last paragraph. The changing business environment It is not deniable that the business environment has already dramatically changed during the last decades, which is toward a more competitive orientation. It includes many external and internal factors. In the general economic area, the globalization is integrating the world into a global market. It could lead it to an increasing competition. Companies have to pay more and more attention on the customer and market orientation. The development of technology is another factor both in the information system and the methods of production with the widespread use of enterprise resource planning systems (ERP). The change of organizational management structure could affect the business as an internal factor.(Burns et al., 1999) The development of digitisation could also change the business environment, for example e-mail has already replaced the traditional postage and fax to a great extent, which is benefit from the wide spread of the internet. It could reduce the cost and enhance the compa nies efficiency. The new technology could also be applied to the monitoring performance area. For instance, factories could profit from the use of beepers and mobile phones to monitor workers performance, while restaurants could benefit from the use of beepers in their operating system.(Zimmerman, 2009) There are also many other elements could cause the market condition changing, such as the commencement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) could decrease companies cost among Mexico, Canada and the United States. American and Canadian companies may set their factories in Mexico for the lower labour cost. The same situations have also emerged in China, Vietnam and some other developing countries.(Zimmerman, 2009) The new business environment also bring a huge revolution in the other fields, for example the demand of more quality control, customer-focused, the intellectual capital, automation, increasing overheads, decreasing direct labour cost and more emphasis on envir onmental and external issues. The drawbacks of traditional management accounting The traditional management accounting was driven by the external financial requirements but not the internal or actual need. For instance, it fails to compare the cost with the competitors, which is a fatal factor in the business competition. Tends to be too technical Many accountants focus on their contribution only in the financial numbers, but ignore the other useful information which the users may require. (Pierce and ODea, 2003) Most companies still use single overhead allocation base Time Limitation Pierce and ODea (2003) found that most managers complained that the traditional information system cannot provide timeliness information to the users. For example, some managers reflected that even though the financial information could cover almost all they needed, but they cannot use it timely cause the information lag. It could extremely influence their decision making process. Mainly focus on the internal performance of the organization but ignoring the other activities, such as external and social issues. Paying too much attention on the manufacturing but neglecting the high cost post-conversion activities. The change of management accounting A UK research project claimed that management accounting had not changed over six decades in Britain. (Burns et al., 1999) Despite there are some substantial improvement in the technological and environmental areas.(Johnson, Kaplan , 1987) Several studies revealed that the traditional management accounting system and techniques were still valuable and some new management accounting techniques were not widely used as expectation, such as activity-based costing (ABC) and strategic management accounting. (Burns et al., 1999) However, the advancement of information technology could enhance the management accounting into a higher level, which means that managers could have a direct and real time access to the information instead of waiting for the accountants sort it out.(Burns et al., 1999) It could make managers conducting the accountants task by themselves, for instance budgeting, analyze and calculation. (Burns et al., 1999) This change has brought a more significant effect on forecasting rather than budgeting.(Hope and Fraser, 1997) This means that managers could forecast by themselves, while budgeting was accountants traditional work. The commercial orientated gave the British managers a further view on the potential factors which could making profit in a long term.(Burns et al., 1999) It could be considered in the management strategy and interpreting by the non-financial terms.(Burns and Scapens, 1997) It implied that financial information could only provide limited picture, not the whole. Thus there are two possible solutions. The first one is that some new techniques could be used by management accountants to provide a comprehensive view, such as ABC system. Alternatively, the financial information could be kept in a simple way but could be interpreted in the wider background.(Burns et al., 1999) Based on the previous analysis, the form of management accounting has been changed, but there is no huge difference on the management accounting techniques. Strategic Management Accounting The strategic management accounting has already introduced in the accounting literature more than ten years. (Berverley R, 1996)It is defined as The provision and analysis of financial information on the firms product markets and competitors cost and cost structures and the monitoring of the enterprises strategies and those of its competitors in these markets over a number of periods (Bromwich, 1990) The Charted Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) also defined it as A form of management accounting which emphasis is placed on information which relates to factors external to the firm, as well as non-financial information and internally generated information. The majority of literature in the United Kingdom stress that the strategic management accounting extends the traditional management accounting from internal factors to the external competitors information.(Berverley R, 1996)Comparing with the traditional management accounting, it has more external, forward-looking and longer -term orientated and the strategically driven.(Roslender and Hart, 2002) There are three main characteristics of the strategic management accounting were summarized, which are the collection of competitor information, exploitation of cost reduction opportunities and the matching of accounting emphasis with strategic position.(Berverley R, 1996) Some scholars describe the strategic management accounting as a specific form of approach to the provision of accounting information to management'(Roslender and Hart, 2002) The new requirements to management accountants As the previous analysis, the traditional management accounting techniques is still essential skills that management accountants should grasp. However, in the contemporary age, there are several new tasks that management accountants should perform. Before 1980s, the majority of the managers expected the management accountants roles performed as a service staff who can provide the satisfying such managers information.(Hopper, 1980) The requirements to management accountants are not only about becoming an expert in the financial matters, but also having a broad view in business and good teamwork capability with their collegues.(Burns et al., 1999) Pierce and Bernard (2003) have concluded that the management accountants should have the knowledge and skills in three domains. Firstly, they have to be the master of the essential technical knowledge which could make them have the ability to modify information. Secondly, they also need to learn the other business knowledge, such as IT, marketing. Lastly, a well developed interpersonal relationship skills is necessary by the reason that the accountants have increasing number of cooperation with other staff within the organization. Anastas (1997) has also stated that management accountan ts have to handle the new information technology software, achieving an average understanding of the business and fluently express their idea both in writing and speaking in order to interact with their colleagues. Anastas (1997) stressed that to achieve the success in the role of internal consultants; management accountants must improve their interpersonal skills and the knowledge of productivity and administration. The strategic management accounting provides management accountants an opportunity to get a position in the decision making team.(Roslender and Hart, 2002) The strategic management accounting requires management accountants having techniques, such as competitor position analysis, target costing and life cycle costing.(Roslender and Hart, 2002) The role of the management accountant in organisations Management accountants role in an organization has been considerably changed in recent years.(Anastas, 1997; Burns et al., 1999; Byrne and Pierce, 2007; Johnson, Kaplan , 1987; Pierce and ODea, 2003; Zimmerman, 2009) Several literature have stated the same views. In the past, when people were thinking of management accountant, they always associated it with some words, such as the scorekeepers, the bean counters and the corporate cops.(Byrne and Pierce, 2007; Zimmerman, 2009) This is because management accountants were not the decision-makers or decision participants; they always played the role as assistants or financial information providers to the real or actual managers in the decision making process. But in 1999, the situation has changed. Increasing managerial accountants began to help their companies to analyze the business as an interior consultant. With the development of the technology, they do not need to use the majority of their working time for preparing the financial r eports. They therefore have more and more time to explain or translate the accounting information to the people who need to use these within the organization as a member of the decision making team. Siegel (1999) remarked that the role of management accountants has evolved from serving internal customers into being a business partner. Some accountants even changed their title from corporate controllers to business analysts (Burns et al., 1999) A key role of the management accountant is that interpreting the financial information to a more readily comprehensible perception to the internal and external users.(Burns et al., 1999) As it was depicted Information technology is pushing management accountants and financial managers up the ladder as they become advisors or internal consultants to other manager in the company who have access to software manage cost and budgets.(Anastas, 1997) Pierce and ODea (2003) have interviewed many managers with an opened question that sharing their views of the future role of the management accountants. Their responses were highly consistent that management accountants role will be the business partner. Management accountants should interact with management within several aspects, including the raise of their physical location, the requirement of their team work capability and the understanding of business. There will be fewer management accountants but they will be at the higher level of management in the organization as a member of the cross-functional team share their view in the decision making process.(Anastas, 1997) The evolution of the information technology liberated management accountants from the bean counter, corporate cop to a higher level role internal consultant or strategist who make the recommendation to guide the decision making process (Anastas, 1997) CONCLUSION The analysis in the main body reflects the consistency with the hypothesis in the introduction section, but not completely same. To start with, the business environment is changing as the assumption. The business environment is changed to a more competitive, customer-oriented due to the globalization, digitisation and some other changed business conditions. In addition the writer analyzes the disadvantages of the traditional management accounting, which is not applicable for the present system and fulfil the requirements in the new business environment. Following that the analysis of the change of the management accounting shows that although there is a new business environment, but the basic management accounting techniques is still required, it is still necessary. But due to the development of the business, the requirements of the management accountants are not only demand the accountants have the traditional and basic management accounting techniques, but also some new task of the understanding of knowledge in the other business area and a good interpersonal skills for the increasing teamwork opportunities. Hence, the role of the management accountants has been changed from the financial information provider (the basic role) to the internal consultant in the organizations as a business partner. The strategic management accounting system could provide management accountants a higher level to perform their new role to satisfy the new requirements. As Burns (1999) founded that although the role of the management accountants is changed, but they still have to use the traditional management accounting system, some people called it antique.

Never The Twain Shall Meet Book Report :: essays research papers

Throughout the ITP program and the lower level ASL classes the name Gallaudet is driven into our heads. We know of the University named after him and how he was the man to bring education to the Deaf in America. What was not before mentioned is that there were two Gallaudets. The first thing I learned from this book is the importance of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and his son Edward Miner Gallaudet. I fact I had believed for some time now that E.M. Gallaudet was this extraordinary man that everyone loved and the named a university after him. It is unfortunate that this was not made clearer in the past. Now all I see is a man who took the only path that he knew how to take. E.M. Gallaudet had very little choice but to instruct in the way that he did. It is true that it was ultimately his choice but I believe that nurture is much more powerful than nature. E.M.’s mother was taught sign and communicated in sign to her husband and child. Naturally E.M. would think this is the best method of instruction. To think other wisely would be to say that his mother was inadequate. In turn this would mean that his upbringing was inadequate which would lead to the conclusion that he himself was an inadequate person. For his own salvation and peace of mind E.M. was given his path at birth. For him to have strayed from this would have ended up being a long and lonely road cutting all ties with the past. So E.M. like any normal man of that time chose to follow the path that was set out for him. T.H. Gallaudet was himself a teacher and I am sure passed on many of these traits to his son if not genetically then in his upbringing. It was no surprise to me after finding out that T.H. was himself a teacher that E.M. would be a teacher. This was further specializing in that T.H. was a teacher of the Deaf, which was to be the life long profession for E.M. In the beginning E.M. wanted to be a business man and make lots of money. This is probably attributed to the life he must have had with his father living the lifestyle of a minister. His dreams were of course cut short when his father died.

Delegation :: essays research papers

Delegation Authority is legitimized power. Power is the ability to influence others effectively. Delegation is the distribution of authority. Delegation frees the manager to use his or her time on higher priority issues and activities. Although it frees a manager up, it does not free him or her up from the accountability for the actions and decisions of the people below him. That is why the manager must have qualified people underneath him so the actions or decisions that are actually made are along the guidelines that are established for the company or organization. The objective of delegation is to get the job done by someone else. In order to have someone else do the job for you, you must ensure that the person whom you are giving power to understands what you want, have the authority to achieve it, and that they know how to do it. These skills are essential when you are about to hand out orders. These all depend upon communicating clearly the nature of the task, the extent of their discretion, and the sources of relevant information and knowledge. I know at FedEx Ground, I can hop on our intranet and get help on a wide variety of things, such dispatching and changing schedules. For a manager, one thing he or she can delegate that should cause no problems are matters that keep repeating themselves. For example, I am in charge of dropping off the nightly deposits for FedEx C.O.D.’s at the end of the night. This is not hard, but why should the terminal manager do it. Another thing a manager can delegate is the part of a job that makes the one delegating way over specialized. This helps getting other people more involved with the operation, and it also helps people learn things that they do not know how to do yet. This also works the other way. If the one delegating has not done something in a long time, he can pass it off to someone that has worked in that department or who knows what they are doing pretty well. As I mentioned before, I work at FedEx Ground. We have a terminal manager in the building that the managers from the different departments report to. The terminal manager then reports to the upper management in the regional offices, and it goes all the way up the ladder finally to the headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Of Mice And Men - Curleys Wife Essay -- English Literature Essays

Of Mice And Men - Curley's Wife â€Å"I never seen no piece of jail-bait worse than her† (George) what is the reader supposed to think about Curley’s wife? In the Steinbeck novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, he introduces us to the character of Curley’s wife. She could be interpreted as a mis-fitting character in the novel, as no one relaters to her. This essay will go on to examine the character of Curley’s wife and how characters perceive her and how this influences the readers interpretation of her. The social setting of the novel is also important, as it could later explain characters attitudes towards other people. It is set in the U.S. in the 1930s; this is the time of the Great Depression. This was a result of the First World War. It affected the rich and poor alike, factory workers and farmers, bankers and stockbrokers. In short, it affected everyone; no one was left untouched. But of all the people hurt, farmers were the worst off. John Steinbeck chose to write about farmers hoping that Americans would recognize their troubles and correct the situation. The great depression is known to be the worst economic disaster in the U.S history. For this reason the depression caused many people to change their ideas about the government and economy. Curley’s wife is probably the most loathed on the ranch. The way she looks and acts leads other characters in the novel to see her as a â€Å"tart†. George makes his opinions clear just after he first met her â€Å"Jesus, what a tramp†, and â€Å"So that’s what Curley picks for a wife†. She just wants some one to talk to. Males on the ranch don’t like her because they think she will get them into trouble. They make judgments without getting to know her first. They judge a book by its cover. Curley, her husband doesn’t trust her with the other ranch hands. She was just out of place on the ranch, and because of that, must have been a really lonely person with lonely feelings. Curley’s wife is given a reputation of causing trouble between other characters from different characters in the novel. There is no evidence of her living up to all of the reputation in the novel. Candy says â€Å"Well she got the eye† which could have many meanings and then he backs that up with â€Å"I seen her give Slim the eye† and finally he says â€Å"Well I think Curley’s married†¦a tart.† This explains his views on Curley’s wife. And when she dies he calls her a ... ...mass of emotions between the men, the conflict of killing Lennie. And Curley finally showed some caring emotion â€Å"I know who done it.† â€Å"That big son-of-a-bitch done it† Is when he begins to show the love for his wife. Curley talks about going to kill Lennie, which shows that his wife may have been a big part of his life a nothing is going to replace her. Curley’s wife is a difficult character to understand. Steinbeck hasn’t named her; this could be for a number of reasons. He may have wanted her to be seen as lonely therefore not naming her shows no one gets close enough to her to call her by her first name. He may have done it to show the other characters only see her as the wife of Curley rather than an individual. He may also have done it to show the male attitudes towards females. Curley’s wife also helps to provoke mixed emotions in the reader. We often feel sorry for her such as when she talks of her loneliness, but on other occasions the reader can find her cold hearted. This is seen when she is racist towards the other characters. Most of Steinbeck’s characters are stereotypical, or have some form of a stereotypical view towards them and Curley’s wife is no exception.

El Cairum/Cairo †the most populated city in Africa Essay

El Cairum or known today as Cairo ranks the most populated city in Africa with the population of 7.8 million and ranked first in the economy in the Middle East. Cairo demonstrates innumerous amount of culture, art, food, newly found sports, and an enrich history throughout its city. It’s known for its tourism, multi-culture, and astonishing city’s sights. Which I found all to be authentically true. If you were to live in Cairo, then first you might notice a significant difference in the climate. First of all, if you’re use to a temperature climate with an average humidity then you’ll surely find a dramatic change in Cairo’s climate. Cairo’s climate is a desert climate therefore it has extremely dry seasons, very little amount of rain, and high temperature. However, since the city is along the Nile River, it has high humidity, harsh flooding during heavy rainfall, and frequent windstorms. So if you’re not a person who handles heat very well it might not be the place to go to. Also, it has a rich geography which multiple locations. Cairo is located in Northern Egypt and along the Nile River as stated before but it’s also south of the Mediterranean Sea and west of the Gulf of Suez. At first, Cairo was developing its cities eastern but since they ran out of space to continue western thus having develop an underground water sewage system to feed the western part of the city. Most skyscrapers are located in the greenish area boarding the Nile River giving it a unique skyline. Anyhow, since Cairo is a city and is among Africa’s largest city and Egypt’s capital its infrastructure is enormous. It has a well-structure education system with multiple universities including Al Azhar University, Cairo University, American University in Cairo, and Higher Technological Institute. Their healths structure it by far the most advance level of medical care in the country. Also having degrees in medical care in some of the cities’ universities. Transportation in Cairo is also a well built system. With having multiple of transports such as the road network, rail system, subway system, and maritime services. However it can get overcrowded during rush hour. Moreover, Cairo delivers Egypt’s 90% of overall culture making it the main attraction for tourism. It’s also famous for places like the Cairo Opera House, Khedivial Opera House, Cairo International Film Festival, and the Cairo Geniza. All associated to be over centuries of years old. Thus, making Cairo have a large economy with tourism. So it isn’t hard to find a job in Cairo if you’re ever willing to stay. But if you just dropping by, I suggest you go to the Cairo Tower for the most spectacular view of Cairo or you can drop by one of their tons of mosques or visit the Egyptian Museums. It sure is better than an ordinary test book too. Only thing you might want to look out for in Egypt is the pollution since it’s currently the main issue in Cairo other than that, it’s a great place to visit.

The Most Important Event in Us History

Most Significant Event in U. S. History: The Louisiana Purchase The United States is not the most perfect country, but it is one of the most successful countries of the modern world. Our country’s vast history contains an immense amount of significant and momentous events that have molded our country into the place we know today. As a country, we have had our fair share of triumph, crisis, and everything in between. But overall, the most important event in the history of the United States is the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson’s purchasing of 828,000 square miles of land in Central America causing the country to double in size.The purchase of this enormous amount of land advanced us politically as we began to make decisions to start expanding and improving our country, our economy improved due to the gain of the Mississippi River and New Orleans trade port, and it diversified America by introducing new races to us, including the Spanish and French. The President at the time of the Louisiana Purchase, Thomas Jefferson, had a great desire for his country’s western expansion. One of Louisiana’s most populous cities at the time, New Orleans, was a popular trading port that sat on the Mississippi River.Jefferson knew American settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains relied on river transport for trading, so he decided to try to gain its control. When Jefferson discovered that he ended up getting ten times the amount of land he asked for a pretty decent price, he was shocked. The land that America now owned doubled the size of the country. Even though the U. S. was not financially in a position to be spending as much as $15 million dollars, Jefferson could not simply pass up this bargain at nearly 3 cents an acre. This large expansion of our country gave us more land to begin to farm and create settlements on.Even though this move was inexpensive, many Federalists claimed it was unconstitutional. Nowhere did the Constitution stat e that the federal government was allowed to purchase new land. Jefferson knew that this was unconstitutional and felt guilty for even going through with the offer, since it went against his strong beliefs for upholding the constitutional rights. But most Americans supported him and his decision, so he decided to stick with it. Jefferson’s risky act of following his dream of western expansion gave inspiration for future presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D.Roosevelt to take strong executive action even when the constitutional laws were absent. Jefferson’s act of near defiance to take the land our people needed is very important to our country and what it is today. The purchase of this large amount of land made America seem threatening to most other countries, since European colonies were no longer present in North America. The Louisiana Purchase was one of the first major actions that began to unify the country, strengthen, and expand it at the same ti me.When New Orleans was still under French rule, American trade was put in jeopardy when Napoleon threatened to block U. S. access to the New Orleans trade port of the Mississippi River. Due to the location of the Appalachian Mountain range, American settlements relied on river transport to trade their goods. So Jefferson made sure he claimed the territory of Louisiana for his country. Once American had access to the Mississippi River and the New Orleans Trade port in time trade was able to flourish. Also, the land purchase included thirteen new states that became a part of our country, which also improved our economy.When Jefferson decided to send out his secretary, Meriwether Lewis and army officer William Clark to explore his newly purchased land, with the help of a Shoshoni woman Sacajawea, it was another plus for our country’s economy. America gained an expansive amount of scientific observations, and many maps and ideas of the land and its climate and regions. We could now create new states, and create new types of farming and agricultural opportunities, now possible with the vast amounts of land just gained. The Louisiana Purchase helped broaden ways for our economy to grow and expand its horizons with advances in trade, and agriculture.The Louisiana Purchase benefited our country in many ways, and one of the most acknowledged advancements we see and know today is the racial diversity we received when the U. S. acquired Louisiana. Even before Louisiana was under French control, it was preciously under Spanish reign. The mix of these races, French, Spanish, and also the African American slaves brought to America gave and still gives New Orleans its assorted culture it has to this day. Before the Louisiana Purchase, the majority of the citizens living in America were either white, or slaves brought over from Africa.The gain of Louisiana gave America the racial diversity it needed to begin to grow culturally as a country. Today New Orleans is one of the most culture rich cities in our country. It has customs all its own. When Louisiana became a state in 1812, it took its French legal traditions with it. Even now, Louisiana has many laws that are quite different than the English common law. The Louisiana Purchase helped diversify our country and was one of the first states that added different culture and races to our country. The U. S. s a country that has been through and abundance of historical events. But by far, the most significant event in our American history is the Louisiana Purchase. It has expanded and improved our country and inspired our country’s future leaders, it introduced new trade and agricultural possibilities, and it gave our country the racial diversity it needed to enrich our country’s culture. The Louisiana Purchase was the breakthrough our country needed to put an end to controlling colonies and to start taking over continents.

School Policy – Behaviour

â€Å"Research evidence suggests that pupils' behaviour can be influenced by all the major features and processes of a school. These include the quality of its leadership, classroom management, behaviour policy, curriculum, pastoral care, buildings and physical environment, organisation and timetable and relationships with parents. † (Elton Report, DES, 1989) The secondary education issue I have chosen to focus on for this presentation is Whole School Behaviour Policies and how such policies can influence the teaching and learning experiences in school through the use of sanctions and rewards.I chose this area to focus on because, as a student teacher on a teaching placement, behaviour in schools is one of my biggest concerns and also because, according to the Elton Report and other literature I have read, it appears that this is a major area of concern throughout secondary schools in the UK. The Elton Report, a national enquiry into discipline in schools, was established by t he Secretary of State for Education and Science in March 1989 in response to concern about the problems facing the teaching profession.Their task was to â€Å"recommend action to the government, local authorities, voluntary bodies, governors, headteachers, teachers and parents aimed at improving behaviour in schools for effective teaching and learning to take place†. (Elton Report, DES, 1989) The Elton Report has formed the basis of much of the current legislation on school behavioural policies and offers guidance for schools in drawing up their own behaviour policies.The main findings and recommendations of the Elton Report can be summarised in the following points (Teachernet, 2008): †¢School’s should adopt a ‘whole-school’ approach to their behaviour policies and the teachers’ approach should be one of consistency and fairness †¢Schools should have a clear vision for managing behaviour through establishing clear rules and boundaries, wi th emphasis on the positive. †¢All must adhere to policy principles, and teachers should model behaviour and interactions in a positive and supportive way. Boundaries should be made clear and sanctions should be in place, but the emphasis is on praise and rewarding good behaviour. †¢All staff should recognise that the quality of teaching and learning has a significant impact on pupils’ behaviour â€Å"A school's central purpose is that children should learn. Good behaviour makes effective teaching and learning possible. Bad behaviour disrupts these processes. † (Elton Report, DES, 1989) In September 2003, the government’s Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) launched the Behaviour and Attendance strand of the Key Stage 3 Strategy.This programme aims to provide advice, support and training for all secondary schools in England to promote positive behaviour and tackle issues of low-level disruption. It recommends that senior leadership tea ms in schools will carry out audits of behaviour and attendance and, from these, will establish priorities for the whole school. They will then plan actions to further improve their policy and practice and will draw up training plans for their staff. (Behaviour4learning, 2008) At my year one placement school I witnessed these recommendations put into practise in the classroom through the implementation of the school’s Behaviour Policy.The placement school is a mixed comprehensive school in the London borough of Tower Hamlets. The head teacher’s perception of the school’s catchment area is that it is a predominantly working class area of London with high levels of poverty and unemployment. According to the school’s latest Ofsted inspection report the number of pupils who are registered SEN (Special Educational Needs) is above the national average. Although not all special needs are connected to behaviour, it is largely acknowledged that if a child finds le arning very difficult it is possible that incidents of poor behaviour can occur. Cowley, 2006) The school has a behaviour policy in place and, by adhering to it, aims to promote a â€Å"positive learning and teaching community for staff and pupils. † (Swanlea School Behaviour Policy) The main aims, as summarised in the policy, are: †¢To ensure that behaviour is a whole school responsibility †¢To ensure that rewards and sanctions procedures are applied fairly and consistently †¢To foster compassion and tolerance, celebrate diversity and develop a sense of citizenship and care for the whole community and environment †¢To enable all pupils, irrespective of race, class, gender and ability, to achieve their personal best. Swanlea School Behaviour Policy) The policy also sets out the rights of staff and students, which are summarised as: †¢Every student has the right to learn at his or her optimum rate, without being hindered by others †¢Every student has the right to live each day in school without fear. Bullying, threatening behaviour, racial or sexual harassment and damage to property will not be tolerated. †¢All staff have the right to go about their work without being hampered (Swanlea School Behaviour Policy)This reflects a clear alignment with research by Cowley (2006) who states that: â€Å"Different types of school have very different and specific behavioural problems, and ideally the whole-school behaviour policy should be linked closely to the particular difficulties your school faces. † (Cowley, 2006, p172) The school’s behaviour policy is clearly in place to create a positive environment for pupils but it is also there for the benefit of teachers and staff to create a positive working environment and enable the teacher to effectively teach without disturbance. It’s important to keep in mind that the reason we need to manage behaviour at all is so that we can actually get on with teaching. â €  (Cowley, 2006, p96) The policy was established by the head teacher, deputies and heads of department together with the behaviour support team. It is managed by the deputy head teacher and is reviewed each term, through consultations with heads of department and the behaviour support team, at designated ‘Behavioural Policy Review’ meetings.These meeting allow for changes to be made if the policy appears to be ineffective and, for example, if incidents of bad behaviour have increased. In order to check the effectiveness of the policy, the deputy head teacher analyses data, in the form of exclusion rates, details of incidents of bullying and racist abuse and the use of sanctions and rewards. All of the school’s staff, including teachers and support staff, are responsible for ensuring that the behaviour policy and procedures are followed and applied.This ‘guidance framework’ has made it easier for staff to respond to incidents of bad and good behav iour consistently and fairly and for all students to be made aware of the policy. As recommended in research by Rogers (2006): â€Å"When schools have a common framework for classroom behaviour agreements, each successive year group becomes increasingly conscious of ‘the way we do things here’. â€Å"This enables some sense of common understandings and expectations about appropriate and fair behaviour and also some reasonable consistency in behaviour management by adults across the school. (Rogers, 2006, p46) The behaviour policy states that all staff are expected to model the high standards of behaviour and punctuality expected of pupils. Form tutors are also expected to support and encourage individual pupils through praise, positive reinforcement and contact with parents. The policy also advises that form teachers are directly involved with low level behaviour issues, such as addressing school uniform issues. The school believes that maintaining a level of consiste ncy across all staff and department, with regards to the behaviour policy, ensures that all pupils are aware of its contents.This is in line with Rogers’ (1995) and Cowley’s (2006) findings, who say that a whole-school behaviour policy is effective when it:- †¢Is created in conjunction with all the staff †¢undergoes a continuous process of change †¢is consistently applied All pupils at the school carry a travelling diary to lessons in which homework and behavioural issues such as lateness are monitored and recorded. The ‘travelling diary’ contains a summary of the school’s behaviour policy and expectations – further ensuring that the students are aware of the policy contents.Assemblies on the theme of respect and behaviour are also delivered to the pupils on a regular basis. â€Å"The behaviour policy is well constructed and understood by most students and applied evenly by all staff. † (Ofsted, 2007) The school has in p lace a system of sanctions and rewards to deal with negative and positive behaviour respectively. Depending on the severity of the negative behaviour in the school, the sanctions range from a verbal ‘telling off’ to the child being placed in the school’s isolation unit. Sanctions are there to offer corrective measures to indicate to the perpetrator that the displayed behaviour is not acceptable and provide and opportunity for the individual to redeem him/her self. † (Swanlea School Behaviour Policy) The behaviour policy states that the school aims to support a positive learning environment for students through the use of rewards for good behaviour. This ranges from praise from the teacher to formal awards and prizes at the school’s annual awards ceremony and during assemblies. This in reflected by Cowley (2006) who says: Using rewards is one of the most effective ways of getting better behaviour†¦. This will help you maintain a positive focus an d atmosphere in your classroom. † (Cowley, 2006, p81) However, it is challenged by Kyriacou (1998) who argues that it is ‘effective teaching’ not rewards that create better behaviour. â€Å"The most important point to bear in mind in considering discipline is that creating the necessary order is more to do with the skills involved in effective teaching in general than it is to do with how you deal with pupil misbehaviour itself. (Kyriacou, 1998, p79) To sum up, from classroom observations at my placement school I frequently observed incidents of students’ bad behaviour and how these incidents were dealt with in the design and technology department. It was apparent that the design and technology department, like the rest of the school, is closely following the guidance in the behaviour policy and is very efficient at dealing with bad behaviour. This appears to have a positive impact on the school in that it creates a safe environment for the pupils.However, on a daily basis I observed poorly behaved children being given break time detentions and several children receiving the ‘ultimate sanction’ of the isolation unit. While this appears to be effective in that it creates an ordered classroom environment for teaching and learning to take place, I frequently observed the well behaved pupils going un-noticed in the school’s efforts to stamp out bad behaviour. .â€Å"We can get trapped into giving lots of rewards to our tricky students, to keep them onside and get them to co-operate.But don’t overlook those children who work hard all the time – they deserve to receive recognition for their efforts as well. † (Cowley, 2006, p83) This suggests that their behaviour policy is not working as effectively as it could and that a solution could be to have, embedded in the behaviour policy, a system of rewarding good behaviour and recognising hard working children, as well as responding to the studentsâ€⠄¢ bad behaviour. References †¢Cowley, S. 2006), Getting the Buggers to Behave, Continuum International Publishing Group, London †¢HMSO (1989) The Elton Report: Enquiry into Discipline in Schools, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London †¢Kyriacou, C (1998), Essential Teaching Skills, Nelson Thornes Ltd, Cheltenham †¢Laslett, R and Smith, C (1984) Effective Classroom Management, Croom Helm Ltd, Kent †¢Rogers, B (2006) Classroom Behaviour: A Practical Guide for Effective Teaching, Behaviour Management and Colleague Support, Paul Chapman Publishing, London †¢Rogers, B (1995) Behaviour Management: A Whole-School Approach, Scholastic Australia, Gosford †¢Swanlea School Behaviour Policy, London Web references †¢Behaviour4Learning. Accessed 20. 11. 08 www. behaviour4learning. ac. uk †¢Department for Children, Schools and Families. Accessed 20. 11. 08; www. standards. dfes. gov. uk †¢Office for Standards in Education. Accessed 20. 11. 08 ww w. ofsted. gov. uk †¢Teachernet. Accessed 20. 11. 08 www. teachernet. gov. uk

Specialization in Undergraduates

Brady Brajavich Specialization: does it belong in higher education? Some say yes, because it creates much more intelligent individuals in their respective fields. Others say no, because without the liberal arts, individuals will lack the necessary skills to succeed in today’s work environment. Both sides have well supported arguments, and often when one begins to think they’ve made a decision on which they agree with, they are swayed the other way. After reading, â€Å"Should Undergraduates Specialize? † by Patrick Allit, and, â€Å"Liberal Arts: A Practical View. by Mark Jackson, I have formed my opinion and what I feel like is a suitable answer to the question above. I believe that students should have a choice. If they feel like they’re ready to dive into what they know they want to do, let them. But if the student feels like they aren’t one hundred percent sure, they should be able to take a wide variety of courses that allow them to eventually choose a major to specialize. Patrick Allitt is the author of the essay, â€Å"Should Undergraduates Specialize? † In this essay he compares and contrasts his own experiences in college with those of his college-bound daughter.By comparing the two, he provides evidence to his belief that having the option to specialize as an undergraduate will benefit students. This is shown in his conclusion, â€Å"Students with the right frame of mind thrive on studying diverse subjects until they’re ready, sometimes at age twenty or older, to make a stronger commitment. But let’s get rid of the idea that liberal arts is for everyone. America’s commitment to equality and to universal education is noble and invigorating. But it shouldn’t mean that one size fits all† (Allitt 7).Here Patrick is summarizing his essay, and essentially says that liberal arts may benefit some students, but there is a certain percentage that would prefer to get busy with their ma jor and specialize. Mark Jackson, a graduate from the University of Cincinnati, thinks that all students should take some liberal arts courses to supplement their professional education, but not because they are forced too, but because they want to. Jackson wrote his essay on why he thinks students, â€Å"†¦question the reasoning behind a liberal arts education† (Jackson 233).Jackson stands behind the belief that educating students on why a liberal arts education is important is just as vital as actually teaching them the liberal arts. He says that, â€Å"If educators really want to increase the number of liberal arts courses that each student takes, they must first increase the popularity of such studies† (235). In other words, no student wants to take a class that they don’t see a point for taking. He backs his statements up by using personal experiences. Jackson explains how he had an argument with his high school counselor because he didn’t want to take a third year of Spanish. I was an A student in Spanish II, but I hated every minute of the class†¦ I told him that I took two years of a foreign language so that I would be accepted to college, but that I did not want to take a third year† (234). In response to his argument, his counselor would reply that he needed to be a â€Å"well-rounded student†, which is exactly why Jackson is so adamant in his reasoning. In relation to that response, Jackson wraps up the essay by saying, â€Å"It is difficult to persuade some college students that becoming a better person is an important goal of higher education.Many students want a college education so that they can make more money and have more power† (235). To finish, he reiterates his point; if students don’t see a point in the taking the course, they won’t want to sign up for it. In the two preceding essays, the two authors give their arguments on where they think specialization belongs in t he education system. Allitt states that having a choice on whether or not to specialize as an undergraduate, and not deal with the liberal arts can be a benefit to students.Jackson believes that students should want to take liberal arts courses, and that if educators want students to do so, they have to do a better job of explaining why they are important and making the courses more attractive. A point of common ground for the two authors, based on the previous statements, is that specialization is important. Without it students will be at a disadvantage. There isn’t an exact point of disagreement between Allit and Jackson. They both outline the pros and cons throughout their essays. That being said, there are differences.Allit is more in favor of specialization, â€Å"The early specialization†¦enabled us to learn one discipline really well, to become far more deeply engaged with it than was possible for our American counterparts† (Allitt 6), but at the same time, understands why a liberal education can be beneficial, â€Å"Its (specialization) great and equal drawback was that it forced some students to choose too soon, before they were ready† (6). Jackson thinks that students should want to take liberal courses to complement their vocational studies. Towards the end of his essay, Jackson ays that, â€Å"Students who want to make the most of their college years should pursue a major course of study while choosing electives or a few minor courses of study from the liberal arts† (Jackson 235). I believe that students should have an option to specialize. Being able to dive right in as an undergrad can be hugely beneficial, and allow a student to separate themself from the rest of the competition. The liberal arts can do the same thing. Specializing brings depth of knowledge and a different, higher level of understanding, while the liberal arts allow students to increase the width of their knowledge. The irony of the emphasis bein g placed on careers is that nothing is more valuable for anyone who has had a professional or vocational education than to be able to deal with abstractions or complexities, or to feel comfortable with subtleties of thought or language, or to think sequentially† (Cousins 31). Jackson used this quote in his essay and I absolutely love it. If I had to back up my opinion with any one statement, this would be it. Vocational education is useless without being able to think abstractly and think on the go, while being able to think abstractly and on the go is useless without a vocational education.Personally, I’d take Jackson’s advice: go right into professional studies, but take classes I felt would make me a more attractive hire. I say that because the reason why I’m in college is so I can get a good-paying job to support myself and one day a family. In order for me to do that, I’m going to have to do all I can to distinguish myself from the group. The u niversity has the intention to do that, but it’s damn near impossible for them to know what is best for each individual student. All of my academic career, I’ve been told that I was being prepared for college, and I was, but now I want to put those tools into practice.Being told what classes to take, and what classes will make me a better student isn’t letting me use what I’ve learned, and is suppressing my ability to make my own decisions. In essence, we’re big kids now. We should have to and want to make the big kid decision on whether or not taking a GEO 106 class will benefit us. Guidance is always welcome, and without the help and suggestions from our advisors we’d be lost, especially as freshman, but that doesn’t mean I should have to take a class that won’t help me achieve my life goals. But some students don’t have the know-how or motivation to take necessary liberal classes, so the university has to force studen ts to take them. † My roommate made this point to me while we were talking about my essay, and I imagine there are many others that feel the same way. My response is this, if a student has yet to take responsibility of his or her own academic career, are they really deserving of a degree? If they can’t make their own decisions on something as simple as which supplementary classes to take, how are they going to function once they hit the real world?Or rather when the real world hits them? Another fantastic argument brought to my attention was: how are students that choose to not specialize right off the bat going to keep up with the ones that do? At this point in every student’s life, we need to stop thinking of us as a whole. We are individuals, and just because Rafiki doesn’t know what to do with his life doesn’t mean the rest of us should suffer. I firmly believe that college marks the beginning of adulthood and the toned-down real world, which me ans that we all as students need to take more responsibility for our own lives.Specialization: does it belong in higher education? I say yes†¦ as long as it is balanced with proper liberal courses. Specialization can give a student essential skills and an intense education that can help them get the edge on someone else competing for the same job, and the liberal arts only increases one’s attractiveness. For all those naysayers out there, I just ask you respect what I have to say, to take my views into consideration, and, as the noble Andre 3000 once said, â€Å"Lend me some suga. I am your neighbor. †

Areva Est Un Groupe French Essay

Areva Est Un Groupe French Essay Areva est un groupe franà §ais qui figure parmi les leaders mondiaux de l’à ©nergie nuclà ©aire. Il rà ©sulte de la fusion, en septembre 2001, de CEA Industrie, Framatome et Cogema. Cotà © sur le marchà © de l’Euronext Paris, Areva est composà © de quatre principaux domaines d’actività ©s qui sont: le pà ´le amont (extraction et enrichissement d’uranium), le pà ´le aval (recyclage des combustibles nuclà ©aires), le pà ´le rà ©acteur et services (construction de rà ©acteur nuclà ©aire et services au combustible) et jusqu’à   rà ©cemment, le pà ´le T&D (transmission et distribution d’à ©lectricità ©) sur lequel porte notre à ©tude. En analysant les relations entre la stratà ©gie globale du groupe et la dà ©cision de cà ©der le pà ´le T&D, puis en à ©tudiant le contexte (performance de l’entreprise†¦) nous aurons alors une meilleure comprà ©hension de la dà ©cision prise. Areva dispose de compà ©tences e t d’un savoir faire de trà ¨s haut niveau dans son secteur, rà ©sultat de plus de 60 ans d’histoire de l’à ©lectronuclà ©aire franà §ais. Le groupe a pour ambition d’à ªtre à   la fois le fournisseur mondial d’infrastructures nuclà ©aires mais à ©galement du combustible nà ©cessaire à   l’exploitation de ces infrastructures, ainsi que des services attachà ©s à   ce combustible. Anne Lauvergeon, Prà ©sidente du groupe, compare d’ailleurs volontiers parfois sa stratà ©gie avec celle de Nespresso, sous-entendant que les bà ©nà ©fices viennent en grande partie de l’actività © combustible. La structure intà ©grà ©e des actività ©s d’Areva, de la mine au retraitement en passant par la construction de rà ©acteurs est un avantage indà ©niable par rapport à   ses concurrents. Implantà © dans plus de cent pays, les actività ©s à   l’international d’Areva ont une place importante dans la str atà ©gie de croissance du groupe, en s’appuyant principalement sur la renaissance du nuclà ©aire qui a lieu actuellement, et, jusqu’à   la cession, sur les actività ©s de T&D. L’analyse du capital d’Areva permet de mieux mesurer les enjeux: L’Etat franà §ais dà ©tient environ 86% des fonds propres. Cette structure de capital peut apparaà ®tre comme contraignante pour le dà ©veloppement du groupe, l’Etat n’à ©tant pas autorisà ©, par exemple, et ce en raison de la là ©gislation europà ©enne, à   financer les investissements et l’accroissement en capital. La sortie â€Å"inattendue† de Siemens du capital, les retards sur le chantier de construction du rà ©acteur Finlandais, la nà ©cessità © de dà ©velopper le groupe et de conquà ©rir de nouveaux marchà ©s, amà ¨nent, d’aprà ¨s les experts, à   des besoins estimà ©s à   environ 12 milliards d’Euros d’ici 2015. Ces besoins sont un e des raisons qui ont incità © l’à ©tat à   cà ©der le pà ´le T&D à   Alstom pour 4 milliards d’Euros et à   rà ©flà ©chir à   une ouverture et augmentation du capital. Certains analystes ont affichà © un doute quant à   la pertinence de cette cession, l’actività © T&D reprà ©sentant environ 45% du rà ©sultat d’Areva et s’appuyant sur un rà ©seau international dense. La Prà ©sidente, elle-mà ªme, ne souhaitait pas cette session. L’Etat, quant à   lui, actionnaire principal, a avancà © la nà ©cessità © de fonds propres et de recentrage des actività ©s autour du nuclà ©aire.