Performance Management as an Important Part of Organization Productivi Essay

Performance Management as an Important Part of Organization Productivity - Essay Example Therefore, the system of performance management generally involves evaluating and developing the skills, behaviours, and the performance of individual employees, generally for ensuring that the organization competes favourably in the market through its high performance. Performance management, therefore, can be used as a measuring and management instrument of employees in the organization. This process mostly benefits the big international companies, and those companies, whose workforce is greatly distributed. As a process, performance management comprises different types of activities aimed at achieving the objective of the general process. These include reward and remuneration for employees, coaching and mentoring of employees, team working, measuring, competencies, and competencies, and personal development plans, among others. Today, performance management is characterized by various changes, as the way it is approached today differs with how the process was approached in the past centuries. The changes in performance management today have contributed to its increased efficiency, and keep helping organizations to retain their high-performing employees. Performance management today is a holistic process, which embraces different processes, and th is is efficient in people management in companies (Kreitner 2008). Armstrong & Baron (2005) note that performance management is not a new process in organizations. This process has lasted for the past seventy years, since its inception in the 1940’s. Initially, managers of companies developed performance management during this period, in order to establish whether the different salaries and remuneration for the employees were justified or not. The difference between performance management of those days, and the performance management today is reflected in the complexity of the process.  Ã‚  

Reality TV Shouldn’t be a Reality Essay Example for Free

Reality TV Shouldn’t be a Reality Essay When you turn on a television today, reality TV litters the media. This is what our generation idolizes. But is it appropriate? Is this what we should be watching? When I see adults making immature and stupid decisions, I can only say, â€Å"No†. So I purpose that we ban the brain-melting reality TV material. Most reality TV shows, like â€Å"Jersey Shore†, is just a brain-numbing wreck that most children, teens, and even adults get sucked into. All this is doing is glamorizing bad decisions, stupidity, and bad behavior. Teens and kids want to be like these people, but is this how you want them to be? Of course not! So why allow children and teens watch reality television? Aside from the horrifying incompetence, reality television is a complete waste of time. Children and teens waste hours of watching reality television. Stupid dialogue and inappropriate behavior is no reason to waste hours of their lives! They could be doing more important things than to watch reality TV. By allowing them to watch reality television, parents are giving children the right to follow these â€Å"reality TV stars’† horrible example and waste away their lives. Another reason we should stop reality television is that it could disrupt our community. Instead of going outside and being active, a lot of people prefer to stay inside to watch reality television. Instead of filming documentaries that can inspire and prosper, filming crews work with degenerates that pollute our minds. And instead of living a good, clean, and meaningful life, the reality TV stars spend their life’s acting foolish and immoral. Unfortunately, this is a normal truth of our society, though I believe it shouldn’t be. Reality television shouldn’t be the center of our attention. So as you can see, reality TV should be banned form our society for multiple reasons, including that it glorifies and promotes bad behavior, is a waste of time, and that it could disrupt our community. There has to be a better way to use our time, money, and life’s.

The Simple Life of Silas Marner :: Silas Marner Essays

The Simple Life of Silas Marner    The life that could be lived in a village at 1861, which was so near of the time of the Industrial Revolution, is a simple life. People at that time were simple minded, and care most about their work. They do not understand much of their religion, as it is exemplified in the novel. We could see that when Mrs. Winthrop talks about that she does not understand much of what she hears or read on Sunday services, still she believes since her heart in relief to what it said.    When Henry Austen analyses George Eliot description of the villagers he says:    But at the same time that she continues to mock the loose habits and trivial minds of the villagers, George Eliot also begins to show them in more flattering light. [229]    Based on Henry's analyses, it is clear that Eliot view villagers as simple-minded people. They are as well superstitious thinking he's some kind of a witch. That is why they do not accept Silas, when he first came. Add to it, he was different than them and acted strangely, and that he was an out sider to their rural community. His stolen money makes them sympathize with him, however. Then his foster to Eppie made them not be afraid of him and accept him as a member. Further inclinations to this aspect will be elaborated in the following:    The community remains essentially the same, but the author now provides it with an opportunity to demonstrate its humanity, good will, and potential for genuine sociability, which serve to soften, if not erase, our awareness of its crudeness. [Austen, Henry. 230]    Although this community is simple and full of superstitions, it is still warm hearted and full of love.

Anti-semitism Essay -- essays research papers fc

For more than two thousand years anti-Semitism has plagued the Jews, however, the term has only been around for about thirty years (Strack 594). Due to the hateful accusations and of those who did not understand their religion, Jews, as a scorned people, gradually became more exclusive and intolerant of other religions. Because of Judaism’s strict adherence to their own beliefs and unwillingness to consider any alternatives, Muslims and Christians have scorned and persecuted Jews.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First, the Muslim’s basis for anti-Judaism rests primarily on religious beliefs. Islam teaches that Allah, the Muslim god, requires that a good Muslim pray a ritual prayer five times per day, give a token of their income to charity, and if possible a pilgrimage to Mecca, their Holy City (â€Å"The Rise and Spread of Islam†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). â€Å"Muhammad himself was hostile to the Jews† (Rivkin 25) because he believed Allah to be the one true God and saw the Jewish Doctrine of the Trinity to be polytheistic. The Jews, however, rejected all divine worship except their own. Also, Jews had certain laws and customs concerning food and circumcision which further segregated them from the Muslims. All these differences gave rise to mutual rejection between these two groups. As part of his rejection of the Jews, Muhammad abandoned certain Jewish customs, for example, Saturday as the Muslim holy day and Jerusalem as the Muslim holy city (Davies 329). The conve rsion of a Muslim to any other religion was strictly forbidden and punishable by death. The Jews were given the dhimmi status â€Å"meaning that they were not deserving of slaughter and could retain their religious practices in a limited form† (â€Å"The Spread of Islam to India†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Just as slaves, the Jews did not possess full legal rights (â€Å"The Rise and Spread of Islam†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). These dhimmis were merely tolerated and forced to pay special taxes and wear yellow badges as a means of public identification (Davies 329). Evidence presented by a Jew in court against a Muslim would not be accepted. Dhimmis had to obtain permission before building new places of worship or repairing old ones, and they could never construct worship cites that overshadowed Muslim places of worship. Jews were also prohibited from carrying arms, riding horses or camels, or inheriting from a Muslim (â€Å"The Rise and Spread of Islam†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). In addition, Jews killed ani mals only a... ... labor by the Christians of the tenth century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, Muslims and Christians detested the Jews for being different than them. Anti-Semitism still exists today in many countries. For example, in Syria the government denies Jews the right to vote and restricts their emigration (Levanon 559). As Christians, it is our duty to refrain from slander and false accusations of Jews. Should we only show love to those who share our religious beliefs? Even the pagans love those who love them. (Luke 6:32) Are we not called to be different than the world and show the love of God to all? Bibliography Davies, Alan. â€Å"Anti-Semitism.† The Encyclopedia of Religion. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan, 1995. Levanon, Yosef. â€Å"Anti-Semitism.† The World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Chicago: World Book Inc., 1993. â€Å"The Rise and Spread of Islam, 570-1258.† http://galenet.gale.com Rivkin, Ellis. â€Å"Jews.† Encyclopedia International. Vol. 10. Philippines: Lexicon Publications, 1980. â€Å"The Spread of Islam to India and Southeast Asia, 711-1400.† http://galenet.gale.com Strack, Hermann L. â€Å"Anti-Semitism.† Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, [n.d.]

Curriculum and Material Development

THE TEACHING PROCESS The focus here is on the teaching practices that occur within a program, how these can be characterized, and how quality teaching can be achieved and maintained. a. Teaching Model and Principles This book has emphasized the curriculum as a network of interacting system involving teacher, learners, materials, school, administrator, and curriculum planners, and choices ay one level affect other elements in the system. Thus the choice of a particular curriculum philosophy or ideology implies a particular model of teaching.Roberts (1998, 103) compares two teaching models implicit in many language program: the operative model and the problem problem-solving model: ? Operative is model the teacher is restricted to meeting the requirements of a centralized system, such as the delivery of a textbook as planned, to a set timescale. Such as limited role, limited to that of curriculum transmission, implies training objectives based of mastery of a set of competencies determ ined by the centralized syllabus. ? Problem solver is model a decentralized curriculum gives teachers greater autonomy in making educational decisions.A diversified teacher to able to diagnose problems and adapt materials and design original learning activities. The former can viewed as a teaching model compatible with a mechanistic model of organization design and the latter to the organic model. In language teaching programs, teaching models are often based on particular methods or approaches. For example: †¢ The communicative approach : the focus of teaching is authentic communication; extensive use is made of pair and group activities that involve negotiation of meaning and information sharing.Fluency is a priority. †¢ The cooperative learning model : students work in cooperative learning situations and are encouraged to work together on common task and to coordinate their efforts to complete task. Rewards system in group †¢ The process approach : In writing class es, student take part in activities that develop their understanding of writing as a process. †¢ The whole-language approach : Students are taught to read and write naturally, with a focus on real communication, authentic texts and reading and writing for pleasure.Rather than drawing approach or method, the teaching model in a program in a program may be based on a coherent set of participles that reflect how teaching and learning should be approached. This is the teaching philosophy of the program and serves as the basis for decisions about classroom methodology. Articulating a teaching philosophy in this way can help clarify decision relating to choice of classroom activities, materials, and teacher evaluation.In the case of a teaching model that is based on an existing teaching model such as communicative language teaching, the philosophy and principles of the model are accepted as givens : teachers are expected to be familiar with them and to put the principles into practic e. Teacher teaching in different ways. Even thought two teachers work toward identical goals they may choose different ways of getting there. Teachers bring to teaching their own personal beliefs and principles and these help to account for how they teach.Teachers principles are a product of their experience, their training and their beliefs. Bellows are the example of teacher' principles cited by Breen are: †¢ selectively focus on the form of the language †¢ selectively focus on vocabulary or meaning †¢ enable the learners to use the language †¢ address learners' mental-processing capacities †¢ make the new language familiar and manageable †¢ monitor learner progress and provide feedback †¢ facilitate learner responsibility †¢ manage the lesson and the group b. Maintaining Good Teaching Quality teaching can't simply be assumed to happen.It results from an active, ongoing effort on the part of teachers and administrators to ensure that good te aching practices are being maintained. This involved the establishment of shared commitment to quality teaching and the selection of appropriate measures to bring it about. The following are strategies that address this issue. 1. Monitoring Information needs to be collected regularly on all aspects of the program to find out how teacher are teaching the course, what is working well or proving difficult and what issues teachers need to resolve.Monitoring can take place through formal and informal mechanism such as group meetings, written reports, classroom visit, and student’s evaluations. 2. Observation Regular observation of teachers by other teachers or supervisors can provide positive feedback on teaching as well as help identify areas that might need attention. Observation may, but need not, involve evaluation. Peer observation can also be used to enable teachers to share approaches and teaching strategies. This might include information on how students complete a learnin g activity or the type and frequency or questions the teacher uses.Teacher can also make use of self observation to see what it tells them about their teaching. 3. Identification and resolution of problems Timely identification of problems in a program is essential to ensure that small problems do not develop into bigger ones. Good communication systems can help ensure that problems are brought to the attention of teachers or supervisors for timely resolutions. 4. Shared planning Teachers often work in isolation and do not always have the opportunities to benefit from the collective expertise of their colleagues.One way to avoid this is to build on opportunities for collaborative planning, as when teachers work together in pairs or groups on course planning, material development and lesson planning. During the process of planning, potential problems can often be identified and resolved. 5. Documentation and sharing of good practices A great deal of excellent teaching goes on in scho ols, but much of it is known only to individual teachers or supervisors. Teachers should be encouraged to report on their positive teaching experiences.For example, teacher might write short case accounts of a successful course they taught and share them with other teachers or post them in the Internet. They could write short articles for an in-house newsletter or teacher' magazine. Classes can be video-recorded to provide input to workshops or teaching-training sessions. Meetings or â€Å"mini-conferences† can be arranged in which teachers report on classroom innovations or other activities they wish to share with colleagues. 6. Self-study of the program Self-study involves a study of a program's practices and values as part of the process of self-evaluation and review.It is part of the process of demonstrating a commitment to quality and to long-term goals and professional development. A self-study should be undertaken every three to five years and involves teachers, admini strator, and students in a process of examining all aspect of a schools' operations (Kelly 1988) self-study involves a study of a program's practices and values as part of the process of self-evaluation and review. It is part of the process of demonstrating a commitment to quality and to long-term goals and professional development.A self-study should be undertaken every three to five years and involves teachers, administrator, and students in a process of examining all aspect of a schools' operations (Kelly 1988). c. Evaluating Teaching If a program seeks to provide quality teaching, it is essential that teachers’ performance be regularly reviewed. An appraisal system may have several different purposes: †¢ To reward teachers for good performance †¢ To help identify needs for further training †¢ To reinforce the need for continuous staff development †¢ To help improve teaching †¢ To provide a basis contract renewal and promotion To demonstrate an int erest in teachers’ performance and development The purpose of the appraisal will determine the type of appraisal that is carried out. 1. Developing the appraisal system An appraisal system is likely to have greater credibility if it represents both teachers and administrators views. It should therefore be produced collaboratively and represent all point of view. However, any appraisal system needs to recognize that there is no single correct way conduct of teaching. Teacher have different styles of teaching, and two teachers may conduct their classes very differently yet both be excellent teachers.Therefore, criteria for the complexity of teaching as well as the fact that it is a uniquely individual activity. In language teaching, there are no universally accepted criteria for assessing teacher effectiveness and several different kind of appraisal approaches are used. Criteria are generally established on an institutional basis, drawing on general principles for teacher effec tiveness and factors specific to the type of program in which the teacher work. Murdoch (1997) contains a questionnaire designed to the perceived qualities and competencies of good English teacher, and organized according to three areas. .The focus of appraisal Although appraisal usually involves observation of a teacher teaching one or more classes, the focus of appraisal may include a number of other aspects of a teacher’s work, such as: a. Lesson plans b. Teacher-made classroom materials c. Course outlines and handouts d. Class assignments e. Participation in profession development activities 3. Conducting the appraisal A teaching appraisal may be carried out by a supervisor, a colleague, the teacher himself or herself, or students. Appraisal by a supervisor: supervisor often assume the role of appraiser, though many teacher find that they prefer appraisal to be carried by someone other than a supervisor.The presence of a supervisor in the classroom may inhibit the teacher from performing to his or her best. In addition, if the supervisor is largely an administrator rather than a classroom teacher, he or she may not have a good understanding of the classroom situation, resulting in misperceptions about different aspect of the lesson. In order to provide some consistency to appraisals, checklists are often used. Appraisal by a colleague: peer appraisal is generally less threatening for a teacher than appraisal by a colleague and may result in more constructive feedback. A colleague will often have a better understanding of the difficulties a teacher faces and perhaps be able to suggest useful easy of addressing them. †¢Self-appraisal : teacher themselves are often in a good position to assess their own teacher and self-appraisal is perhaps the threatening form of teacher assessment. Self-appraisal may take a variety of forms : o Lesson reports : The teacher may use structured descriptions of a lesson whit an evaluation of each component. Teaching journal : The teacher keep a regular journal about his or her class, and describe and reflect on different aspects of planning and teaching the course. o Audio/video recording : The teacher may record a number of lesson of his or her class or arrange to have someone else record them, review the recordings, and comment on the strengths or weaknesses of the lesson. o Student appraisal : Student are in a good position to assess the effectiveness of teaching, although the extent to which they are able to do so depends on the type of feedback instrument they are given.Although students often critical, they usually have a good sense of whether a teacher prepares his or her lesson, teacher relevant content, provides lesson that are engaging, relevant and at an appropriate level of difficulty. 4. THE LEARNING PROCESS Learning is not the mirror image of teaching. The extent to which teaching achieves its goals will also dependent on how successfully learners have been considered in the plan ning and delivery process. The following factors may affect how successfully a course is received by learners. .Understanding of the course Understanding of the course very important to ensure the learners understanding to the goals of the course, the reason for the way it is organized and taught, and the approaches to learning they will be encouraged to take. b. View of learning Learners enter a course with their own views of teaching and learning and these may not be identical to those of their teachers. Al Corso and Kalantzis (1985) found that teacher rates the usefulness of ommunicative activities highly, whereas their learners tended to favor more traditional activities such as grammar exercises, copying written material, memorizing, and drill work. Course may assume a variety of different learner roles, such as:†¢ Manager of his or her own learning †¢ Independent learner †¢ Need analyst †¢ Collaborator and team member †¢ Peer tutor c. Learning Style Le arning styles may be an important factor in the success of teaching and may not necessarily reflect those that teachers recommended. In a study of the learning style, Willing found four different learner types such as: Concrete learners These learners preferred learning by games, picture, films and video, taking in pairs, learning through the use of cassettes, and going on excursions †¢ Analytical learners These learners liked studying grammar, studying English books, studying alone, finding their own mistakes, having problems to work on, and learning through reading newspapers †¢ Communicative learnersThis group liked to learn by observing and listening to native speakers, taking to friends in English, watching TV in English, learning English words by hearing them and learning by conversations Authority-oriented learners These students liked the teacher to explain everything, writing everything in a notebook, having their own textbook, learning to read, studying grammar, and learning English words by seeing them d. Motivation Beside of learning style, motivations also important to find out what the learner’s motivations are for taking the course. e. Support Support mechanism provided for learners are another component of course delivery. These include the kinds of feedback learners will get about their learning and opportunities that are provided for faster or slower learners.CONCLUSION In this paper we are discussed about â€Å"providing for effective teaching† which have four factors, which are: ? Institutional factors Institutional factor has correlation about the institution organizational, institutional quality, good internal communication between administrator and the teacher also professional teacher and opportunities for developing teacher's ability. ? Teacher factors Teacher factor discuss about teacher' skill and qualification, the aspect for supporting teacher to do their responsibility. ? Teaching factorsTeaching process is the way to monitoring process teaching-learning based on the model and principle which chosen by its institution, than maintenance when found the error process and also evaluating teaching. ? Learners factors The last factor to achieve quality teaching is learner factor. Learner factor is the way to know what the learner need, how to choose the appropriate learning style, giving motivation and also support to the pupils REFERENCE Jack C. Richards. 2001. Curriculum Development in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press

Child LaBOR essays

Child LaBOR essays Child labor is a serious problem in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries. Labor is defined as physical or mental work especially of the hard or fatiguing kind. (Websters Dictionary) Child labor usually means work that is done by children under the age of 15, which restricts or damages their physical, emotional, intellectual, social, or spiritual growth as children. The International Labor organization estimates that there are 250 million children worldwide, between the ages of 5 and 14, who are now working. Africa and Asia together account for over 90 percent of total child employment (Faraaz Siddiqi) Child labor is especially common in the rural areas of these countries. Usually there are no age requirements for schooling or for work. There are many reasons that these children work; poverty, lack of education, lack of knowledge of ones rights and cultural tradition are all contributing factors. These children are often working in severe and hazardous conditions. These children are deprived and mistreated. They are often beat or severely punished for making even the slightest mistakes. They receive low wages and perform tasks that are usually the work of adults. The International Labour Office reports that children work the longest hours and are the worst paid of all laborers. These children can be found working on farms, in factories or mines, and even fighting in wars. Much of the nations farmland is worked by toddlers, yokes teams of three-, four-, and five-year-olds who pl ough, seed and glean fields from dawn to dusk. (Jonathan Silvers) Three types of bonded labor exist in practice around the world. The first type involves a child inheriting a debt carried by their parents. The enslaved parents find no alternative except to essentially turn over the rights of their child to their masters. Another form of bonded labor occurs with a child being used...

36 Poetry Terms

36 Poetry Terms 36 Poetry Terms 36 Poetry Terms By Simon Kewin Poetry is an area of writing that has a language all of its own, as contributors to the recent poetry competition will be aware. The following are some of the terms specific to the writing of poetry : alliteration A repeated sound, usually applied only to consonants. anapest A metrical foot : two short/unstressed syllables followed by one long/stressed syllable (dee-dee-DUM – e.g. â€Å"energize†). assonance A repeated vowel sound. ballad A narrative poem in short stanzas, especially one that tells a popular story. blank verse Verse that doesn’t rhyme (often iambic pentameter). caesura A pause in the middle of a line, often indicated by punctuation clerihew A witty, biographical poem of four lines (two rhyming couplets). couplet A pair of successive lines of verse, especially when riming together and of the same length. dactyl A metrical foot : one long/stressed syllable followed by two short/unstressed syllables (DUM-dee-dee – e.g. â€Å"poetry†). doggerel A word applied to verse of irregular rhythm, trivial content and inappropriate diction. Much comic verse is deliberately written as doggerel. elegy A poem mourning the dead. elision Deliberate omission of unstressed syllables, typically in order to maintain a rhythm – e.g. â€Å"o’er† for â€Å"over†. enjambment the lack of a pause between two lines of a poem foot The unit of poetic rhythm; a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. free verse Verse that follows no particular form, metre or rhyme scheme. haiku Seventeen syllable poems, generally split into three lines of five, seven and five syllables, often with a theme related to nature. half rhyme A rhyme where two words have similar consonant sounds but different vowel sounds – e.g. â€Å"hell† and â€Å"hill†. Also called a slant rhyme or an imperfect rhyme. heroic couplet A rhyming pair of iambic pentameter lines. hexameter A poem in which the lines have six metrical feet. (And so forth : dimeter = 2 feet, trimeter = 3 feet, tetrameter = 4 feet, heptameter = 7 feet etc.) iamb A metrical foot : a short/unstressed syllable followed by a long/stressed syllable (dee-DUM – e.g. â€Å"today†). internal rhyme A rhyme within the words of a line. metre The rhythm of poetry; the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables ode A dignified, lyric poem expressing praise or some other elevated notion. pastoral Poetry dealing with rural life. pentameter A line that has five metrical feet. quatrain A four line stanza. (And so forth : quintain, sestet, septain etc.) rhyme A repeated sound, usually at line endings. rhyme scheme The pattern of rhyming line-endings in a poem – e.g. â€Å"abab† means each stanza has four lines, with lines one and three rhyming with each other (rhyme â€Å"a†) and also lines two and four rhyming with each other (rhyme â€Å"b†) sonnet A 14 line poem, of which there are various forms (Shakespearean, Spenserian etc.) spondee A metrical foot : two long/stressed syllables (DUM-DUM – e.g. â€Å"heartbreak†). stanza A a group of metrical lines or verses, usually no fewer than four, arranged in a certain pattern. A stanza is often called a â€Å"verse†. strong ending A stressed syllable at the end of a line. tercet A set or group of three lines bound by rhyme. trochee A metrical foot : a long/stressed syllable followed by a short/unstressed syllable (DUM-dee – e.g. â€Å"poem†). weak ending Ending a line on an unstressed syllable. wrenched rhyme A rhyming word whose pronunciation is altered in order to force it into a rhyme scheme This is far from a complete list : an exhaustive glossary would fill many pages. But it does contain some of the main terms used by poets to discuss their work. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)List of Greek Words in the English LanguageWoof or Weft?

Année

Differences Between French Pairs Like An/Annà ©e The French word pairs an/annà ©e, jour/journà ©e, matin/matinà ©e, and soir/soirà ©e can be confusing to students because each pair has a single English translation. The important thing to understand is that the difference between the words in each pair has to do with two different ways of considering time. The short words an, jour, matin, and soir (note that they are all masculine) indicate a simple amount of time or division of time. For the purposes of this lesson, well call these division words. Je suis en France depuis deux jours. Ive been in France for two days.Il est fatiguà © ce soir. Hes tired this evening. In comparison, the longer words annà ©e, journà ©e, matinà ©e, and soirà ©e (all feminine) indicate a duration of time, usually stressing the actual length of time. Ill call these duration words. Nous avons travaillà © pendant toute la matinà ©e. We worked all morning.Elle est la premià ¨re de son annà ©e.* Shes the first in her year/class. *Though annà ©e is feminine since it begins with a vowel you have to say son annà ©e (not sa annà ©e) Division Words vs. Duration Words Here are some general rules about when to use division words vs. when to use duration words, as well as some important exceptions. But if you consider them carefully, youll see that the exceptions follow the basic differences outlined above. Use division words with: 1. Numbers, except when you want to emphasize the duration or when the word is modified by an adjective. Un homme de trente ans.   A 30-year-old man.Il est arrivà © il y a deux jours. He arrived two days ago.Dans trois ans, jaurai terminà © mes à ©tudes. In three years, Ill have finished my studies.Jà ©tais en Afrique pendant trois annà ©es, pas deux. I was in Africa for three years, not two.Ils ont passà © sept merveilleuses journà ©es Paris.   They spent seven marvelous days in Paris. 2. Temporal adverbs demain matin tomorrow morningtà ´t le matin early in the morninghier soir last night Use duration words with: 1.de a descriptive noun lannà ©e de base base yearune journà ©e de travail de huit heures an eight-hour workdayles soirà ©es dà ©tà © summer evenings 2. with nearly* all adjectives, including: attributive adjectives lannà ©e scolaire the school year indefinite adjectives certaines annà ©es certain years interrogative adjectives preceded by a preposition en quelle annà ©e in which year possessive adjectives ma journà ©e my day However, note that an/annà ©e is far more flexible than the other pairs; for last year you can say lan dernier or lannà ©e dernià ¨re, next year can be lan prochain or lannà ©e prochaine, etc. Except for demonstrative adjectives, which are used with division words: cet an - cet an que jai và ©cu en France that year - that year that I lived in France (But when talking about the current year, say cette annà ©e - this year.) ce jour - ce jour oà ¹ nous sommes allà ©s au musà ©e this/that day - that day we went to the museumce matin, ce soir this/that morning, this/that evening The indefinite word tout has a different meaning with division vs. duration words; it is an indefinite adjective with division words and an indefinite pronoun with duration words. tous les matins, tous les jours every morning, every day vs. toute la matinà ©e, toute la journà ©e all morning, all day Note that when referring to the day of the week, you need the division word: Quel jour est-on? Quel jour sommes-nous? What day is it?Vendredi est le jour de la fà ªte. Friday is the day of the party.

SALEM Manufacturing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SALEM Manufacturing - Essay Example Since Salem is expecting a minimum acceptable margin sale price of 1,500,000 dollars and if the expected exchange rate of $1.56 per British pound goes below $1.50 per British pound, this would end up in a loss on Salem’s side which is not desirable and moreover such a hedge can increase the tax burden too. The option of Money marketing hedge would also prove us wrong for the same reason as explained above. By locking the British pound transaction in dollars, the company can also suffer losses as dollar value goes down per British pound. The Options marketing hedge will do no better than the previous strategies when the results are considered. Offsetting the British pounds and waiting for the price to be favorable would be risky in this scenario. So the best option among those we have is to remain Unhedged. This is considered to be the best strategy as in this method Salem’s exposed amount of $1,500,000 is subjected to the movements of the relevant exchange rate. In seve ral cases of this kind, the unhedged strategy has worked better to the hedge strategies yielding safe results. The hedge strategies usually work with special cases that come with biased conditions.

Too much media influence on political campaigns Research Paper

Too much media influence on political campaigns - Research Paper Example Created:   2011-07-11 09:56   Deadline:    2011-07-21 07:58 Time Left:   9 days 14h 22m Style:   MLA   Language Style:    English (U.S.)   Grade:    n/a   Pages:   2   Sources:    3   â€Å"The media have always played a powerful role in politics,† says Hart. â€Å"Even before radio, we had the penny press. There’d be great wars between various newspapers about politics. So even back then, the media were important.† Throughout the history, the relationship between media and politics has been very extremely sensitive. Both the media and politics have been the major culprit for public opinion. Without a doubt, the media has continued to dramatically impact politics through legislation, information, and impacting voter turnout. Unquestionably, the media plays a vital role in politics as it impacts legislation through various ways. The media is notorious for picking out flaws or any sort of corruption that has plagued the society. As socie ty has evolved, the media has played a vital role towards reform. All of the American media is owned and run through wealthy individual.

Strategic Leadership - Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Strategic Leadership - - Case Study Example Routines Creation of the Central Research Laboratory enabled 3M to learn outside its defined domain by looking on opportunities generated by both external demand and internal capacity (Bartlett & Mohammed 3). Substantial organizational slack manifested through the policy encouraging researchers to spend up to 15% of their time pursuing projects of interest to them (Bartlett & Mohammed 4). Identifying and developing innovations arising from projects even when no large market potential was evident (Bartlett & Mohammed 4) Continued organic growth and spurning off of new groups, divisions and products strengthened 3M through increased product variation. Culture Creativity was encouraged via institutionalized individual entrepreneurship (Bartlett & Mohammed 2) Informal recognition given to maverick employees through semi-legend stories that were circulated in the company to encourage individual persistence and commitment to innovation (Bartlett & Mohammed 5). Tolerance for what McKnight referred to as â€Å"well-intentioned failure† and risk taking was encouraged as shown by management supporting those who were involved in failed projects quickly move on to something new (Bartlett & Mohammed 5). 3M has been able to retain its market leadership through technological innovation, market responsiveness and institutionalized entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship by its very nature is characterized by high risk and possibility of failure. Therefore it is necessary to have a management that encourages employees to innovate through incentives, and giving them time to actually pursue these innovative projects. Innovation requires research, which is resource intensive, therefore the company needed to ensure that these resources are available by making huge investments in R&D such as in the development of the Central Research Laboratory. However, we must note that this is a business where the ultimate goal is to maximize on shareholder return. Thus giving each of these innovative divisions a clear set of corporate financial performance targets ensures that they self-monitor themselves, by investing only in those products that show promise of a return. If say, 3M lacked this form of financial targets for each of its divisions we would probably see some divisions becoming less accountable than others. Is 3M an â€Å"innovation factory,† or does it work by a different model? And are those at 3M â€Å"T-shaped†? 3M is an innovation factory because we can identify within it the four intertwined work practices that characterize such a factory namely: capturing good ideas (3M spans multiple markets with multiple business units), keeping ideas alive (3M has a database containing over 25 years of information on hundreds of projects), imagining new uses for old ideas (3M encourages cross-functional interaction among all its divisions) and putting promising concepts to the test (3M encourages development of innovations from projects ev en when no large market potential is evident) (Hargadon & Sutton 324). The staff at 3M is T-shaped. This is so because we can identify several of the approaches highlighted by Hansen and von Oetinger as necessary for an organization to have so that its staff can effectivel be T-shaped. Firstly, we see that 3M constructed a facility at Austin, Texas whose specific purpose was to facilitate cross-functional interaction and encourage teamwork (Bartlett & Mohammed 12) which is line with the formalization of cross-unit

Cars without drivers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cars without drivers - Essay Example The development of autonomous cars began in the 1920’s with the first autonomous car being launched in 1984 BY Carnegie Mellon University. Since then, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other companies have developed prototypes of the vehicle. The technological rush for computerised objects has led to the rapid evolution of the automobile industry. In 2013, autonomous cars were driven in a traffic jam with normal cars and the states of Nevada, California, Michigan and Florida have made legislations allowing the autonomous cars. Other countries such as Germany, France and UK are also taking steps to embrace this technological advancement The main catalyst for the development of autonomous cars is the exponential rise in road accidents that are mainly caused by human carelessness and errors. As a result, the UK government has invested over 8 million pounds to enhance research and development of these driverless cars to cause a revolution in transportation. According to Mitchell (2015), electric shuttles with no steering wheels will be launched in the summer in Greenwich, UK. Also, The Google Company is the world leader in autonomous cars research since 2010 and already tested its autonomous cars and revealed its findings to the public. However, the developers of these cars have been unable to prepare the cars for unforeseeable circumstances such as flooded roads and other rare incidences, making the cars not as safe. The Google developing team stated that they will need to record these situations as they arise and make precautions for them. Google is hopeful that in the next five years, the driverless cars will be much safer than human drivers and will be the new mode transportation for people. Various modifications such as WI-FI connections are expected to be added. The V2V (Vehicle-to-vehicle) WI-FI radios would enable cars to warn each other of any situations that could be dangerous. The chief executive of Peleton Technology, Mr Josh Switkes states

Explain and critically discuss the pros and cons for a firm in Essay

Explain and critically discuss the pros and cons for a firm in adoption an emergent rather that a deliberate, planning approach to strategy development - Essay Example Unexpected marketing benefits may result from an emergent strategy. A company can design emergent strategy to corporate a business opportunity or something else that competitors have not identified. For example, a firm may set deliberate strategies to become the best supplier of a particular primary product or service in the next five years in a particular city. However, along the way, it may discover that a minor product or service is selling more than the targeted one. The business may decide to set up an emergent strategy to increase the sale of the minor product in order to realize more profits. In essence, emergent strategy helps a business to offer what the market demands rather than what the company believes or thinks the customers want. An emergent business strategy also enhances the advancement of technology and thus development of the product being provided in the market. Emergent strategies mostly spark from individuals in a business reacting directly to shifts in the mark etplace factors and forces. Their decisions thus reflect order sizes, consumer tastes, and practices of competitors. When two or more organizations provide the same products that have almost similar features and technologies, clients will be unable to distinguish one from another. Hence, the firm will begin to refine and develop its product to add new features to survive in the marketplace and stand out. The business will attempt to engage emergent strategy to include the new product developments that could propel it to emerge as a technological leader in the marketplace. However, an emergent strategy plan can go off course and result in completely new and unexpected problems if an organization continually uses it to attempt to capture an attractive idea. Organizations constantly put out fires by dealing with unexpected issues that can cause it problems. Although keeping an eye on emergent strategies is helpful in doing so, the businesses

Cars without drivers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cars without drivers - Essay Example The development of autonomous cars began in the 1920’s with the first autonomous car being launched in 1984 BY Carnegie Mellon University. Since then, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other companies have developed prototypes of the vehicle. The technological rush for computerised objects has led to the rapid evolution of the automobile industry. In 2013, autonomous cars were driven in a traffic jam with normal cars and the states of Nevada, California, Michigan and Florida have made legislations allowing the autonomous cars. Other countries such as Germany, France and UK are also taking steps to embrace this technological advancement The main catalyst for the development of autonomous cars is the exponential rise in road accidents that are mainly caused by human carelessness and errors. As a result, the UK government has invested over 8 million pounds to enhance research and development of these driverless cars to cause a revolution in transportation. According to Mitchell (2015), electric shuttles with no steering wheels will be launched in the summer in Greenwich, UK. Also, The Google Company is the world leader in autonomous cars research since 2010 and already tested its autonomous cars and revealed its findings to the public. However, the developers of these cars have been unable to prepare the cars for unforeseeable circumstances such as flooded roads and other rare incidences, making the cars not as safe. The Google developing team stated that they will need to record these situations as they arise and make precautions for them. Google is hopeful that in the next five years, the driverless cars will be much safer than human drivers and will be the new mode transportation for people. Various modifications such as WI-FI connections are expected to be added. The V2V (Vehicle-to-vehicle) WI-FI radios would enable cars to warn each other of any situations that could be dangerous. The chief executive of Peleton Technology, Mr Josh Switkes states

Policy Change Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Policy Change Plan - Essay Example The Nurses practice Acts and the Nursing Homes Reforms Act of 1987 is among the legislations in the nursing system. These legislations, among others, should be supported since their enactment and implementation have ensured better, safer and higher quality services and protection, for outpatients and nursing home residents. Consequent to compliance with the nursing standards and principles set by these legislations, patients’ mental, physical, and psychological well being has improved considerably. Unfortunately, the realization of the objectives of these laws has been hampered by challenges such as criticism, cost, complexities that lead to misunderstanding. Introduction Since historical times, nursing and other medical professions have been interrelated to politics and governments through health departments and agencies. This link is evident in the manner in which government agencies regulate, monitor, and certify nurses and nursing homes. Consequent to this bond, nurses hav e been empowered to express their opinions and concerns to the political class, thus influencing the nursing policies established and implemented by the government and the political class. ... Nurses should also participate in meetings and forums with the political class and government agencies at all levels. Politics and politicians may thus present nurses with the necessary networking for sharing of nursing views (Committee on Nursing Home regulation, 1986). This paper explores some pieces of legislations in the nursing system and determines the driving force behind the legislation, potential impacts, and challenges such as access, quality, or cost. Nurses Practice Acts Nurses Practice Acts (NPAs) are among the legislations currently passing through the nursing system. Nursing Practice Acts are state legislations, which play a critical role in defining, describing, and classifying the nature and scope of nursing practices. As a result of these Acts’ critical role in the protection of public health, welfare, and safety, their enactment and implementation should be supported to fruition. The first amongst these benefits is the shielding of the public from immoral, i ncompetent, unsafe, and unqualified nurses. These statutory laws are in fact found in every state where they monitor and regulate entry and registration into nursing practice and associations. Furthermore, these statutory laws define the extent of nursing practices and establish the right disciplinary actions and procedures for errant nurses. The key driving force behind the enactment and implementation of Nurses Practice Acts is the need to ensure that patients’ health and lives are not endangered by allowing unsafe and incompetent nurses to infiltrate the nursing industry (Reed, 2009). To ensure this objective is realized, every state’s nursing board has been mandated to oversee the implementation of these statutory laws.

Brazil and United States Healthcare Essay Example for Free

Brazil and United States Healthcare Essay Abstract The topic of health care has become the most pressing and ongoing debates for not only the United States but also many other nations around the world. Many countries have implemented a universal health coverage for years with effective results. While the United States steps into a immature national health care program, the government can observe Brazil’s health care system to learn valuable lessons. The type of health care system a country chooses has a major effect on the country’s health care professionals. While comparing the health care professionals of the United States and Brazil, many similarities can be seen; however, the United States can learn many lessons from Brazil. A Comparative Analysis of Health Care Professionals in Brazil to Those in the United States The latest topic in the United States today, is the subject of healthcare reform in the United States. With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) upheld by the Supreme Court in 2012, Americans everywhere have formed an opinion about the new national health care system—most opinions viewing the national system as negative. However, several developed nations similar to the United States have partaken in a national health care system for years. The large nation of Brazil has utilized a national health system since 1923, and has seen both positives and negatives. Many Americans see the supply and demand of health care professionals as a potential threat to the future of the ACA and the United States as a whole—a definite issue that has affected Brazil. In Brazil, health care is viewed as a constitutional right being offered by private and government organizations and is an obligation of the state. Through the Unified Health System (SUS), public health care is universal and provided free of charge to all Brazilian permanent residents. In addition to the United Health System, Brazilians also have private based health insurance coverage which the wealthier population can usually purchase, and Brazilians can be offered health  coverage by their respective employers if available. As of 2003, 174.6 million Brazilian residents receiving benefits from the SUS were documented. Of the 174.6 million, 475,699 healthcare professionals existed within Brazilian health care. In 2012, the total percentage of GDP spent on health expenditure in Brazil was at a four-year high of 9.3%. However, Brazil’s health expenditure is far lower than the United States health expenditure that spent a total of 17.9% in 2012. In Brazil the average life expectancy has been on the rise since 2000. In 2010, average Brazilian life expectancy was reported at 73.5 years with a life expectancy for men at 69.7 and for women at 77.3. The infant mortality rate in Brazil has been decreasing over the years, but is still considered high for a developed nation. Maternal mortality rate in Brazil is also decreasing in years and would be considered average compared to other countries. In an attempt to improve the national health care system in Brazil, the Brazilian government established the â€Å"Mais Medicos† program, or more doctors program, in 2013. The project was aimed to create close to 1,000 jobs for physicians to tend to patients in the 22 states that have fewer doctors than the national average—most of the states lying in the Northern region of the nation. In addition to their salaries, doctors are provided financial aid to cover housing and sustenance per municipalities of the government. The program will employ physicians temporarily while the Brazilian government looks to increase attendance to Brazilian medical schools over a short amount of time by offering substantial amounts of financial aid and increasing expenditures on medical school scholarships. Originally, the program was offered to Brazilian resident doctors only in an attempt to bring doctors from the more populated and urban areas to the rural and less populated areas. When few residential doctors applied, the Brazilian government extended Mais Medicos to Brazilian doctors who received their education overseas and foreign doctors. Prior to applying, it was suggested that applicants should have a general understanding of the Portuguese language in order to be accepted into the program. At the end of the application process, nearly 20,000 doctors had submitted applications with listed preferences of the cities that they wish to work in. Doctors involved in the program are required to work 40 hours a week for three years and may work no longer than 6 years in the program. The physicians accepted into the Mais Medicos program receive 10,000 Brazilian  Reals (an equivalent to $4,501 US dollars) per month to spend on housing and necessities. During 2013, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff imported nearly 11,000 Cuban physicians to serve in the program. Cuban physicians were to serve similar hours, but their salaries would be sent to the Cuban government who would distribute 40%-50% of the earnings to the physicians working in Brazil. This exchange has been an ongoing debate between the medical community of Brazil and its government. The benefits listed above are considered to be beneficial to physicians. The life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and maternal mortality rate are all at a good standing compared to recent generations in Brazil; therefore, the physicians having these characteristics as a resume topic shows that they were a part of a â€Å"change† in Brazil. Although the Mais Medicos program seems to have some flaws and a definite group that disapproves of it, it also is seen by many to do well for the health care system in Brazil and has many supporters. The common problem in Brazil for health care professionals seems to be a lack of distribution of doctors into the more rural areas of the country. On average in Brazil, there are only 2 hospital beds per 1,000 people. In the northern regions of Brazil, where more rural areas are found, the amount of hospitals per resident is lower than the average. Much like in the United States, doctors are very reluctant to the thought of beginning a practice in a small rural town. Reasons being that small rural towns are usual ly less populated and on average bring in less household income. In Brazil, the idea of practicing medicine in these depressed areas is even less glamorous because of the government involvement in health care. In these areas, practices receive less attention including lack of supplies and infrastructure. Physicians located within wealthier and more populous areas have slightly better access to equipment and infrastructure, but the conditions differ only slightly. Doctors are extremely rushed with a constant overflow of patients and consistently working in hot rooms with little air circulation. This is problem does not only exist in the public clinics of general physicians. Specialist physicians have a persistent flood of patients who do not need a specialist’s care, but seek the specialist because there is no general physician available. Another challenge that Brazil’s physicians face is the complete absence of electronic health records (EHRs). Although electronic health records can be difficult and  costly to implement, the benefits of them to a health system that lacks infrastructure can be monumental. EHRs improve quality, convenience, care coordination, practice efficiencies, and cost efficiencies. Implementing electronic health records would improve the quality of Brazil’s physicians work environment. The last challenge Brazil physicians face is the existence of corruption within the system. One example includes Brazil’s wealthier population paying physicians under the table to treat them before others. While some patients are in dire need of an operation or treatment, a wealthier patient has the opportunity to offer the physician an amount of money that will sway the physician to treat their situation before others—even though the others have been waiting an extended amount of time. Unfortunately, these types of situations are not illegal in Brazil; therefore, it happens frequently. In the United States, health care has only recently been provided as â€Å"universal coverage†. It is an ongoing debate to whether health care in America is a right or a privilege. The United States has always offered free health coverage to the elderly and the poor—paid for by taxpayers. In 2010, Medicare and Medicaid covered at least 112,979,783. In addition to Medicare and Medicaid, most of the American population has chosen to receive employer-based health coverage. The number of Americans with employer-based health coverage, however, has been declining since the discussion of the Affordable Care Act. Since the Affordable Care Act has come about, over 8 million people have signed up for coverage with 87% of the newly insured being previously uninsured. In 2012, the World Bank reported that there were 2.5 physicians per 1,000 people. In 2012, the total percentage of GDP spent on health expenditure in the United States was at a 17.9%. This total is far greater than the amount of GDP spent on health expenditure in Brazil. In the United States the average life expectancy has steadily increased over generations. The life expectancy reported in 2012 was 78.7 years. Although it would normally be a slight age difference, it is an incredible gap for life expectancy with Brazil at 73.5. The infant mortality rate in the United States has been steady over recent years at 6 deaths per 1,000 births. Maternal mortality rate is significantly lower in the U.S. than Brazil with Brazil at 69 deaths per 100,000 births and the United States at 28 deaths per 100,000 births. Overall, physicians  working in the United States would have a greater professional advantage over those who practice in Brazil. Not only does the United States report superior statistics for life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and maternal mortality rate, but the United States is generally a wealthier nation than Brazil. Because the United States has been a democracy for over 200 years and because of their general wealth, it is likely that the United States is in a better position to take over a health care system plan like Brazil’s. Much like Brazil, the United States new ACA health care plan has cut the uninsured rate in half and will continue decreasing the number of uninsured over the next several years. In regards to the corruption that Brazil faces on a daily basis with the wealthy paying physicians under the table, the United States cannot completely rule out the possibilities of that happening within the new health care system. However, regulations and laws have been established to prevent such situations. While there are many benefits to becoming a healthcare professional in the United States, there are also some challenges. One of the greatest challenges that physicians in the United States will face under the ACA is the growing number of patients who need to be seen by a doctor. New patients will flood waiting rooms with problems that may be preexisting with no prior treatment. However, doctors may not mind seeing more patients per day, because the amount of insurance reimbursement doctors receive will continue to decline. This is because the Affordable Care Act not only set out to achieve health care for more Americans, but it also set out to decrease overall health care costs. With the discussion of the ACA causing insurance reimbursement shrinkage and higher insurance premiums, it will become more costly to run a private practice. Overall, both the United States and Brazil’s health care system have their advantages and disadvantages. While American physicians are struggling with shrinking reimbursements and a surplus of patients, Brazilian physicians are struggling with a lack of equipment and supplies and are challenged by corruption regularly. While it seems that the United States is leaning towards a similar health care system to Brazil’s United Health System, Americans can correct the mistakes made by Brazil in regards to the treatment and use of its health care professionals. References The Affordable Care Act: A Quick Guide for  Physicians. (n.d.). National Physicians Alliance. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://npalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/NPA-ACA.Quick_.Guide_.for_.Physicians.041311.p Bevins, V. (2014, January 6). Brazils president imports Cuban doctors to ease shortage. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-ff-brazil-doctors-20140106-story.html#page=1 Elias, Paulo Eduardo M., and Amelia Cohn. Health Reform in Brazil: Lessons to Consider. PubMed Central. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 July 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles Flying in doctors. (2013, August 31). The Economist. Retrieved July 8, 2014, from http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21584349-government-imports-foreigners-reach-parts-locals-dont-want-flying-doctors Kane, J. (2012, October 22). Health Costs: How the U.S. Compares With Other Countries. PBS. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/health-costs-how-the-us-compares-with-other-countries/ LoGiurato, B. (2014, May 1). Heres How Many People Actually Gained Insurance Because Of Obamacare. Business Insider. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-many-people-signed-up-for-obamacare-2014- Squires, D. A. (2012, May 1). The mission of The Commonwealth Fund is to promote a high performance health care system. The Fund carries out this mandate by supporting independent research on health care issues and making grants to improve health care practice and policy. Support for . Issues in International Health Policy. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/medi The World Bank. (n.d.). The World Bank. Retrieved July 12, 2014, from http://data.worldbank.org

Change Management In Sony Pictures Management Essay

Change Management In Sony Pictures Management Essay In 2008 Amy Pascal (Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Chairman, Motion Picture Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment) and Michael Lynton (Chairman CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment) engaged The Energy Project as a part of an effort to create a culture in which employees felt energetic and excited about coming to work every day. Beginning with the senior team, our facilitators delivered our curriculum to some 500 managers and leaders. More than 90% said it has helped them bring more energy to work every day. Almost 88% felt that it has made them more focused and productive. We trained more than a dozen Sony internal facilitators to deliver our work, and by April 2010, some version of our curriculum will have been delivered to all 5500 Sony Pictures employees around the world.   In the midst of a severe recession, and a dramatic industry-wide decline in DVD sales, Sony expects to record one of its most profitable years ever in the fiscal year ending March 2009.   TABLE OF CONTENTS INDEX PAGE NO. Introductionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Literature review Change Why change management Discussion of Change Management Theoriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Plan Do Check Act Lewins Freeze Phases Issues to Changeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Implementation of Change Managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Transformation in Sony pictures Overcoming resistance in employeeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Sustaining changeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Conclusionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Referencesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Appendixà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. INTRODUCTION Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) was formerly known as Columbia pictures entertainment, headquartered in Culver City, CALIFORNIA. The company was founded in 1987 and it was renamed Sony pictures entertainment in 1991. It is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPEs global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 140 countries. The companys slogan is Sony like no other. SPE recorded total sales of $7.6 billion for fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. Key people of SONY PICTURES are Howard Stringer (Chairman, President and CEO of  Sony Corporation),Michael Lynton (Chairman CEO, Sony Pictures Ente rtainment),Amy Pascal (Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Chairman, Motion Picture Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment), Jeff Blake (Vice Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment). Sony Pictures Plaza in Culver City, California LITERATURE REVIEW CHANGE: Change is all around us in different types and categories; it can be brought by us or can come in any way to us. Change is the way through which future enters your life. Future is coming fast; we cannot predict but only react when we face it. Steven Kerr Why change management? Changes can come yourself or it can come in ways that give you little choice about its what, when, and how. Fighting against change slows it down or diverts it, but it wont stop it however. If you wish to succeed in this rapidly changing new world you must learn to look on change as a friend one who presents you with an opportunity for growth and improvement. The rate of change in  todays world  is constantly increasing. Everything that exists is getting old, wearing out and should be replaced. Revolutionary technologies, consolidation, well-funded new competition, unpredictable customers, and a quickening in the pace of change hurled unfamiliar conditions at management. Realities of Todays  World   The magnitude of todays environmental, competitive, and global market change is unprecedented. Its a very interesting and exciting world, but its also volatile and chaotic: Volatility  describes the economys rate of change: extremely fast, with explosive upsurges and sudden downturns. Chaos  describes the direction of the economys changes: were not sure exactly where were headed, but we are swinging between the various alternatives at a very high speed. To cope with an unpredictable world you must build an enormous amount of flexibility into your organization. While you cannot predict the future, you can get a handle on  trends, which is a way to take advantage of change and convert risks into  opportunities. DISCUSSION OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT THEORIES Plan Do Check Act   Plan, Do, Check, Act is a cycle of activities designed to drive continuous improvement. Initially implemented in manufacturing, it has broad applicability in business. First developed by Walter Shewhart, it was popularized by Edwards Deming. It originated in the 1920s with the eminent statistics expert Mr. Walter A. Shewhart, who introduced the concept of PLAN, DO and SEE. The late Total Quality Management (TQM) guru and renowned statistician W. Edwards Deming modified the Shewhart cycle as: PLAN, DO, STUDY, and ACT.PDCA  (plan-do-check-act) is a four-step problem-solving process typically used in  business process improvement. It is also called as Shewhart cycle, Deming cycle, PDSA (PLAN DO STUDY ACT),PDCA (PLAN DO CHECK ACT). It reduced error rate during implementation the Plan, Do, Check, Act cycle in manufacturing.This Act is useful for change management. The PDCA cycle should be repeated again and again for continuous improvement. PLAN: Establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the expected output. By making the expected output the focus, it differs from other techniques in that the completeness and accuracy of the  specification is also part of the improvement. PROCEDURE- Recognize an opportunity and plan a change. DO: Implement the new processes. Often on a small scale if possible. PROCEDURE- Executes the plan, taking small steps in controlled circumstances. CHECK: Measure the new processes and compare the results against the expected results to ascertain any differences. PROCEDURE- Review the test, analyze the results and identify what youve learned. ACT: Analyse the differences to determine their cause. Each will be part of either one or more of the P-D-C-A steps. Determine where to apply changes that will include improvement. When a pass through these four steps does not result in the need to improve, refine the scope to which PDCA is applied until there is a plan that involves improvement. PROCEDURE- Take action to standardize or improve the process. Benefits of the PDCA cycle: daily routine management-for the individual and/or the team, problem-solving process, project management, continuous development, vendor development, human resources development, new product development, and process trials Lewins Freeze Phases- In the early 20th century, the psychologist Kurt Lewin developed the model known as Lewins Freeze Phases and which still forms the underlying basis of many change management theories models and strategies for managing change. His model suggests that change involves a move from one static state via a state of activity to another static status quo -and all this via a three-stage process of managing change: unfreezing, changing and re-freezing. Unfreezing: Faced with a dilemma or disconfirmation, the individual or group becomes aware of a need to change. Changing: The situation is diagnosed and new models of behaviour are explored and tested. Refreezing: Application of new behaviour is evaluated, and if reinforcing, adopted in figure 1 summarizes the steps and processes involved in planned change through action research. Action research is depicted as a cyclical process of change. Figure Kurt Lewins change model recognizes that people derive a strong sense of identity to from their environment. It also recognizes that they like the safety, comfort and feeling of control within their environment. ISSUE TO CHANGE Our CEO, Tony Schwartz first met with Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) co-CEOs, Michael Lynton and Amy Pascal, in the summer of 2007. Pascal and Lynton saw the work of the Energy Project as a way to bring to life their vision of making Sony the most desirable studio to work for and of building a culture of high engagement. Initially, Tony worked with Lynton and Pascal and their team of 17 direct reports. The initial focus was on how they managed their own energy individually, and as an intact team. This senior group found our curriculum sufficiently valuable that they asked to brong it to the top 500 executives, all vice president or above.   A 2007 Towers Perrin survey of nearly 90,000 employees worldwide, for instance, found that only 21% felt fully engaged at work and nearly 40% were disenchanted or disengaged. That negativity has a direct impact on the bottom line. Towers Perrin found that companies with low levels of employee engagement had a 33% annual decline in operating income and an 11% annual decline in earnings growth. Those with high engagement, on the other hand, reported a 19% increase in operating income and 28% growth in earnings per share. Nearly a decade ago, the Energy Project, the company I head, began to address work performance and the problem of employee disengagement. We still believe that enduring organizational change is possible only if individuals alter their attitudes and behaviors first.  Weve come to understand that its not possible to generate lasting cultural change without deeply involving an organizations senior leadership. IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT Once people understand how their supply of available energy is influenced by the choices they make, they can learn new strategies that increase the fuel in their tanks and boost their productivity.      They include practices such as shutting down your e-mail for a couple of hours during the day, so you can tackle important or complex tasks without distracting interruptions, or taking a daily 3  PM  walk to get an emotional and mental breather. Two fundamental shifts-   We encouraged Sony to make two fundamental shifts in the way it manages employees. We also created a three -day version of a new way of working that included a renewal day that provided participants with specific techniques to improve the quality, quantity and focus of their energy. This day featured individual consults with a nutritionist, exercise physiologist and massage therapist as well as group circuit training, yoga and meditation. Group coaching was offered during the 3 day sessions and then on twice more two and four weeks after the end of the session. The purpose of the coaching was to support the participants in successfully launching and sustaining the rituals they built once they had returned to the challenges of their daily life. Tony continued to work with Pascal and Lynton a senior team on a quarterly basis throughout 2008 to help them model the behaviors they learned and to drive the work down through their own teams. TRANSFORMATION IN SONY PICTURES Sony pictures went through a transformation in order to embrace energy building and renewing rituals at all levels. Out of the 3000 employees of the 6300 employees of Sony have gone through the energy management program. This summer 1700 more will be covered from Europe, Singapore, and Latin America. OVERCOMING RESISTANCE IN EMPLOYEE The reaction of the program has been overwhelmingly positive. 88% of the participants say, it has made them more focused and productive. Some 90% of them reported that as a result of the work, they began bringing higher levels of energy to work every day. 84% say they feel better and are able to manage their jobs demands and are more engaged at work. Sonys leaders believe that these changes have helped boost the companys performance. E.g. in spite of recession also Sony pictures had its most profitable year ever in 2008 and one of its highest revenue years in 2009. SUSTAINING CHANGE For sustaining change of the Sony Pictures, there are some important points which must keep in mind. These are as under: Employee should be highly engaged. Employee should be friendly. High performance culture. As a leader, you have myriad opportunities to set the right context for your employees to replenish their energy. Its all about providing examples for others and creating a safe environment. DOS AND DONTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF CULTURAL CHANGE Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things. -Peter Drucker STRATEGIES OF A POSITIVE CHANGE So that Sony pictures can progress. Conclusion CHANGE STARTS AT THE TOP AND BEGINS ON DAY 1. REAL CHANGE HAPPENS AT THE BOTTOM. IN ORDER TO CHANGE OTHERS FIRST YOU SHOULD YOURSELF AS LYNTON AND PASCAL DID. E.Q IS ONE OF THE KEY ELEMENTS TOWARDS POSITIVE BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE WHICH ULTIMATELY LEADS TO THE GOAL OF A SUCCESSFUL CHANGE MANAGEMENT. STRONG CULTURAL VALUES ACTS AS A MAGNET IN THE SUCCESS OF A COMPANY WHICH BINDS AN EMPLOYEE IRRESPECTIVE OF THE EXTERNAL FACTORS LIKE RECESSION OR ECONOMY.

Jesus And The Anorexic Suicidal Supermodels :: essays research papers

Jesus and the Anorexic Suicidal Supermodels The family unit is one of the most cherished institutions of American society. Its function is one of philanthropy, to raise America's children in accordance with our accepted norms and various proscriptions and prescriptions. However, rising teenage pregnancy and juvenile crime seem to indicate that the American family is not doing this. Many Americans insist that a family is capable of producing a productive citizen in every instance and believe that only a traditional family can do this. So the conclusion one might draw baring in mind this paradigm is that the traditional one mom and one dad family needs help as a function. Any Pat Robertson-fearing Republican will tell you that Judeo-Christian ethics are the foundation upon which the family is based, therefore to help the family why not foster these religious ideals? (And while we're at it, why not make a contribution to the two billion dollar tax-free Christian Broadcasting Network?) The manifest function here of religion is to provide people with a unifying belief that will scare kids into behaving so they do not go to Hell. The latent function is that it is a slap in the face to every Easterner who has conducted themselves in a productive and positive manner. Many of the Christian right I am sure do not realize how offensive the notion is that Christianity is the only faith to recognize that killing and stealing are bad. What exactly are the "norms" that are so exclusive to Christianity? The Christian world is more afflicted with crime than Singapore ever will be, just take a walk through the super Catholic ghettos of Buenos Aires. I personally believe that the break from moral traditions does not exist. The vast majority of American youth hold murder and violence to be a proscription, and so do their families whether they consist of two moms or two dads or one of each. Certainly poverty has created a problem to compliment the stress placed on those growing up in single parent families, and perhaps here is where faith belongs. If people can just have something to believe in, to lift up their spirits, perhaps the dread of daily life would not seem so terrible for those it depresses, and here I speak not only of inner cities, I speak of the dozens of people I know who have to be on prozac to have the will to wake up in the morning, I speak of the countless multitudes of young women who purposely vomit because they feel they have no control over their lives or because they

Affirmative Action Essay -- Rights Equality Inequality Papers

Affirmative Action Since its implementation in the United States in 1965, affirmative action has been a heated topic of debate. Designed to address the issue of inequality in American society, affirmative action is a number of programs and policies designed to give women and racial minorities more opportunities in education and the job market. As a result, affirmative action has received opposition, mainly from blue collar white males who feel that it compromises their best interests. In this paper, we will attempt to evaluate the impact of affirmative action on all Americans and its effectiveness in addressing the issue of inequality. History: Affirmative action was first mentioned in executive order 10925 on March 6, 1961. On July 2, 1964 the Civil Rights act was signed by President Johnson to guarantee equal rights to all Americans. President Johnson introduced affirmative action on June 4, 1965. He gave a speech defining the concept of affirmative action as a way of countering the discrimination that had continued despite the passing of civil rights laws and constitutional guarantees. On September 24, 1965 executive order 11246 enforced affirmative action for the first time (Brunner). Affirmative action was met with both support and opposition. Conservatives saw it as opening doors of opportunity for minorities while shutting them for whites, calling it reverse racism. Because many conservative Americans prided themselves on hard work and making a fortune out of nothing, they resented what they thought of as blacks getting a free ride. They argued that Jews and Asians also underwent harsh forms of racism and discrimination but are largely successful now without the use of Government aid (Brunner). Supporter... ...center.org/DB/factsheet/historical-trendsII.htm {scholarly primary, print via internet; authoritative} â€Å"Housing and Household Economic Statistics.† U.S. Census Bureau. www.census.gov/hhes/income {scholarly primary, internet only; authoritative} â€Å"Race: Overview.† Public Agenda. 2004. http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/overview.cfm?issue_type=race {scholarly secondary, internet only; authoritative} â€Å"Race: Quick Takes.† Public Agenda. 2004. http://www.publicagenda.org/issues/angles.cfm?issue_type=race {scholarly secondary, internet only; authoritative} Ward, Dr. David. â€Å"Affirmative Action.† 2001. http://enlightenment.supersaturated.com/essays/text/david ward {scholarly primary, print via internet; authoritative} R. Yetman, Norman. â€Å"Race and Ethnicity†. Sociology McGraw-Hill. 1994 316-359 {scholarly primary, print, authoritative)

Reading Philosophies

Reading Philosophies Katy J. Kaldenberg Grand Canyon University: EED-470 Curriculum, Methods and Assessment: Literacy and Language Arts K-3 Monday, March 11, 2013 Reading Philosophies Chart Reading Philosophy| Brief Description| Reading Activities| Reading Assessments| Constructivist Reading Instruction| Constructivists view the student as an active participant in the learning process who constructs a personal meaning from each experience (Ying-Tien & Chin-Chung, 2005). One Constructivist reading activity for teaching a student a new word is that the student is taught to use picture cues to learn to read (Ying-Tien, & Chin-Chung, 2005). For example, if the student cannot read a word, he or she is taught to look at the picture then go back and to the word and guess the meaning. Another activity for constructivist reading instruction would be that the teacher would have students work in small groups to discuss a book that was read to the class. The small groups of students may then als o create their own story. Constructivist reading assessments would include the teacher collecting daily performance samples of work, observing and recording student’s behavior, audio and videotaping students in different situations, and building a portfolio filled with information about each student (Ying-Tien & Chin-Chung, 2005). The evaluation process is for the teacher, parent, and child. Conferences can also be held to discuss progress. | Explicit Reading Instruction| Explicit reading instruction is teacher directed (Goeke, 2009).The teacher uses explanation and demonstration to teach specific reading skills and strategies (Goeke, 2009). The teacher also provides corrective feedback to his or her students as the students attempt to apply the new knowledge (Goeke, 2009). | An example of explicit reading instruction would be that the teacher would state the sound and spelling of a specific letter-sound correspondence and then demonstrate by modeling how to read words that i nclude that feature to the class (Taylor, Peterson, Pearson, & Rodriguez, 2002).The students then would practice but only after the teacher has modeled the process first. A second example of explicit reading instruction would be to teach decoding to students that have deficits in word reading. A third example of explicit reading instruction would be having students use the mnemonic DISSECT (Discover the context, Isolate the prefix, Separate the suffix, Say the stem, Examine the stem, Check with someone, and Try the dictionary) to read unknown words (Adams & Engelmann, 1996). The teacher would teach each strategy step explicitly (Adams & Engelmann, 1996).An important part of explicit reading instruction is that the teacher always describes the strategy, provides the rationale for its use, and states how and when to implement a strategy explicitly to the students and the instruction is always implemented systematically (Adams & Engelmann, 1996). | Explicit reading assessments would in clude having student answer multiple-choice questions about selected text passage; decoding assessments can also be given (Taylor, Peterson, Pearson, & Rodriguez, 2002).One example of a decoding assessment would be that the student is given isolated words one at a time, and the student is asked to say the word aloud. The words selected for a decoding assessment should be words that are within the student’s spoken vocabulary, and should contain a mix of phonetically regular and phonetically irregular words (Goeke, 2009). Another type of assessment is that of standardized tests such as the Diagnostic Assessments of Reading (DAR) and the Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading (FAIR). | Reading Philosophies Summary The educational realm is not free from disputes.Disputes on reading instructional practices have been ongoing for more than half a century. On one side of this debate is composed of those who believe that students learn best when they are able to discover and c onstruct the essential information for themselves. This type of instruction is often called student-centered or constructivist instruction (Confrey, 1990). On the opposite side of this debate are those who believe that students only thrive when full, explicit instruction is given and student should not have to discover essential content (Goeke, 2009).This type of instruction is often referred to as direct or explicit instruction (Goeke, 2009). When speaking about reading instruction, this debate has often been coined as the â€Å"reading wars†. Constructivist Reading Instruction is derived from the theory of constructivism. One could assume that constructivism is derived from Piaget’s own reference to his views as being a â€Å"constructivist† or possible from Bruner’s description of learning discovery as â€Å"constructionist† (Gruber & Voheche, 1977).Some other terms that have been used to reference a constructivist way of learning include genera tive learning, situated learning, authentic learning, and educational semiotic (Wittrock, 1985; Cunningham, 1992). Constructivists believe that all learning should be student centered. They think that knowledge is obtained only during a meaning-making search where the student is involved in the process of constructing their own interpretations of their experiences.Constructivist generally agree that students much construct their own learning, all new learning is dependent on the student’s existing understanding, social interaction plays a critical role in learning, and authentic learning tasks are necessary for learning to be meaningful (Bruning, Schraw, & Ronning, 1995; Pressley, Harris, & Marks, 1992). According to constructivists, in order for a student to construct new meaning he or she needs to make every effort to make sense of all new experiences and then must relate those to experiences to what is already known (Confrey, 1990).Constructivists also claim that a catalys t for acquiring knowledge is dialogue and social interaction facilitates understanding (Brown, 1994). Constructivist teachers aim to provide cooperative learning tasks and peer tutoring for their students. Constructivist teacher often believe that students learn faster when they are actively involved in dialog with their peers about significant problems (Brooks & Brooks, 1993). The constructivist classroom would be filled with students roaming about the classroom obtaining supplies, conferring with peers or the teacher, and working on self-directed projects (Brooks & Brooks, 1993).Constructivist teachers pride themselves in asking big questions, providing time for student to think and explore to find answers (Brooks & Brooks, 1993). In an actual classroom, there are many flaws involved in practicing constructivist instruction. The first major problem is that often only the brightest students make the discovery that is needed (Pace, 2011). Another issue is that many students become f rustrated. This frustration many cause some students to disengage and other students may simply copy whatever their peers are doing regardless in either case the students never actually discover anything (Pace, 2011).A third issue is that some students may believe they have made a discovery but in fact, they have only learned a misconception (Pace, 2011). These misconceptions can then interfere with future learning and problem solving (Pace, 2011). Studies have shown that once a student has believed one of these misconceptions that even after they have been show the correct answer they are still likely to recall the original discovery and not the correction (Pace, 2011). Along with the above four issues studies have shown that constructivist instruction can result in an increase in achievement gap (Pace, 2011).Decades of research has validated that explicit instruction is much more effective for reading instruction when compared to constructivist reading instruction. Kirschner, Swel ler, and Clark (2006) states, â€Å"After a half-century of advocacy associated with instruction using minimal guidance, it appears that there is no body of research supporting the technique. In so far as there is any evidence from controlled studies, it almost uniformly supports direct, strong instructional guidance rather than constructivist-based minimal guidance. Kirschner, Sweller, and Clark (2006) also reports, â€Å"†¦ Not only is unguided instruction normally less effective; there is also evidence that it may have negative results when students acquire misconceptions or incomplete or disorganized knowledge. † Research has shown that when teaching new skills and content to students, providing explicit instructions accompanied with practice and feedback is more effective than requiring students to discover many aspects of what they are to learn (Hall, 2002). Explicit instruction is teacher directed.The teacher provides the students with a full explanation of the n ew skill or concept that the student is required to learn (Hall, 2002). The teacher also uses a variety of accommodations such as lecturing, modeling, videos and other media, and demonstration to provide the students with proper guidance (Hall, 2002). Students need to be explicitly shown what to do and how to do something first and then they need to be given the opportunity to practice doing it while they receive corrective feedback from the teacher (Hall, 2002). Extensive research supports explicit instruction’s success as an evidence-based practice.Adams and Engelmann (1996) found thirty-seven research publications validating the effectiveness of explicit instruction. These research publications all reported that explicit instruction had a significant outcome on reading instruction. Research also found explicit instruction to be as valuable for typical students, as for students with disabilities. The National Follow-Through Project studied multiple models of instruction to determine the most effective instructional models for students who were economically disadvantaged (Rosenshine, 1995; Taylor, Peterson, Pearson, & Rodriguez, 2002).The results concluded that children who received explicit instruction in literacy and mathematics scored above those taught with other approaches. An additional result was increased self-esteem due to success in school (Rosenshine, 1995; Taylor, Peterson, Pearson, & Rodriguez, 2002). The National Follow-Through Project belonged to a group of studies on teacher effectiveness, which determined that explicit instruction effectively taught students what they needed to learn (Rosenshine, 1995; Taylor, Peterson, Pearson, & Rodriguez, 2002).Baumann and Duffy (2001) reported on five years of research that showed that reading skills and strategies are most effectively taught with systematic and explicit instruction. In conclusion, explicit instruction is vital for initial instruction in skill acquisition (Goodman, Goodman, & Hood, 1989). This is especially the case for struggling readers, who often require intense support to acquire reading skills (Goodman, Goodman, & Hood, 1989). Beginning reading instruction should emphasize explicit instruction, particularly for phonics instruction (Goodman, Goodman, & Hood, 1989).Constructivist instruction is important when generalizing skills to other contexts (Goodman, Goodman, & Hood, 1989). It can also be used when children explore children’s literature. Story structure can be taught with constructivist instruction and may be more meaningful to children than teaching it explicitly (Goodman, Goodman, & Hood, 1989). The Whole Language Movement is built upon Constructivist principles (Goodman, Goodman, & Hood, 1989). References Adams, G. and Engelmann, S. (1996).Research on Direct Instruction: 25 years beyond DISTAR. Seattle, WA: Educational Achievement Systems. Brooks, J. G. & Brooks, M. G. (1994). In search of understanding: The case for constructivist classroo ms. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Brown, A. L. (1994). The advancement of learning. Educational Researcher 23: 4-12. Bruning, R. H. , Schraw, G. J. & Ronning, R. R (1995). Cognitive psychology and instruction, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Baumann, J. F. , & Duffy, A.M. (2001). Teacher-research methodology: Themes, variations, and possibilities. The Reading Teacher, 54, 608-615. Confrey, J. (1990). What constructivism implies for teaching. In R. B. Davis, C. A. Maher & N. Noddings (Eds. ), Constructivist views of the teaching and learning of mathematics (Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, Monograph No. 4, pp. 107-122). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Cunningham, D. J. (1992). Beyond educational psychology: Steps toward an educational semiotic.Educational Psychology Review 4: 165-194. Goeke J. L. (2009). Explicit instruction: Strategies for meaningful direct teaching. Boston: Merrill/Pearson . Goodman, K. , Goodman, Y. & Hood, W. (1989). The whole language evaluation book. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Hall, T. (2002). Explicit instruction. Wakefield, MA: National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. Retrieved Wednesday, March 13, 2013 from http://aim. cast. org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/explicit_instruction. Kirschner, P. A. , Sweller, J. , & Clark, R. (2006).Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41, 75–86 Pace, D. (2011). Best practice: The use of explicit instruction and culturally responsive teaching. Insights on Learning Disabilities, 8(2), 5-14. Pressley, M. , Harris, K. R. , & Marks, M. B. (1992). But good strategy instructors are constructivists! Educational Psychology Review 4: 3-31. Rosenshine, B. (1995). Advances in research on instruction. Journal of Educational Research, 88, 262â⠂¬â€œ268.Stanovich, K. E. (1994). Constructivism in reading education. Journal of Special Education, 28(3), 259. Taylor, B. M. , Peterson, D. S. , Pearson, P. D. , & Rodriguez, M. C. (2002). Looking inside classrooms: Reflecting on the â€Å"how† as well as the â€Å"what† in effective reading instruction. The Reading Teacher, 56, 270–279. Wittrock, W. C. (1985). The generative learning model and its implications for science education. Studies in Science Education 12: 59-87. Ying-Tien, W. , & Chin-Chung, T. (2005). Effects of constructivist-oriented instruction on

Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument Essay

The organization I last worked with is an IT/ITES company, which is one of the fastest growing fortune 500 companies. The organization has a balanced out structure however there is a little dominance towards ‘The Market’. As per my experience I can say that the reason for this is that the organization is relatively young and striving to compete with the best in the industry. This requires leaders to be competitive and to an extent demanding. Also the employees are dedicated towards the company’s vision and hence strive to achieve the goals and targets set for them. Culture – Strong. People are focused on innovating and brainstorming towards ideas that the management can implement and improve their processes. The company is people oriented which in turn creates a high commitment level from the employees. The organization has leaders who are efficient and ensure smooth running of the company. The company is sensitive towards the clients and customers and goes an extra mile to deliver better than the expectations. This is the reason for them to be able to retain customers and get new businesses. Another fact that I am aware of is that the organization has not till date fired any employee unless in extreme ethical sensitive issues. An example of people being valued and everyone considered equal is that when I joined the company as a fresher some of my friends who ad joined along with me sent a mail to the CEO regarding a certain issue and got a reply from him with the action that would be taken. Since mostly the organizational structure is balanced out there is not much discrepancy. I would however like the company reduce its dominance in the Market style and according to me that will happen with time. Yes there is a cultural congruence and that is mainly because the company’s culture was same as my expectation.