Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Teaching and Learning Approaches and Strategies in STEM Education Research Paper

Teaching and Learning Approaches and Strategies in STEM Education - Research Paper Example The author further points out that it separates from other subjects with an objective of increasing the interests of students in one particular field. Over the years, schools in the United States have recorded a minimal number of students enrolled to take courses in STEM education. The educational trend is visible from the lower level education institutions. From high school, the situation becomes worse as students tend to drop their participation in the STEM subjects. In college and universities the number of graduates in science and technical subject has also decreased significantly. From the trend, the state realized there is a gap in the modern educational system. For instance, the job market becomes unbalanced since the number of students with business skills outmatches the numbers of students with science and technical skills. This attributes to issue such as shortage of health care workers. For this reason, the state created a STEM education system that increases the awareness of science and technical awareness among students (Asghar et.al, 2012). However, the educations system could not be of importance if the students’ attitude towards the subject was not altered. Venville, Rennie & Wallace (2004) are of the assumption that the negative perception of the students towards science and technical subjects minimized their participation. For this reason, the STEM education system should develop a way that the students’ perception could be changed. One major requirement was to change the approach used in the curriculum. The curriculum on STEM subjects was not interesting enough to capture the attention of students. Economics and Statistics Administration (2011) points out that the learning approaches used in STEM subjects aim at increasing the interest of students. Tutors were also not provided with the required expertise to explore the fun parts of STEM subjects. Another hindrance to effective learning of

Monday, October 28, 2019

This task requires me to identify trends that may occur in West London Essay Example for Free

This task requires me to identify trends that may occur in West London Essay I will comment on what these trends and what implications they have on William Hill especially on specific job roles and the HR department. A trend shows the general direction of a service of data over a period of time that is why when looking at the population at the type of age available in the area and what sectors face a decrease in employment I noticed that population for LWLSC is projected to increase by 2.1% to 1,395,622 in 2005. This trend will affect William Hill because they have various large and small LBOs in West London, which means that they will have a larger pool of core and peripheral labour to choose from. When looking at the core workers in William Hill these are usually the managers who play a major role in the organisation of branches and William Hill win be inoperative without them and peripheral workers are those who fill the slots and can be easily replaced for instant Cahiers. The Size of LWLSC between 1999-2005 of the population aged 15 and under is likely to increase by 2.4%, 16-18 by 7.7%, 19-24% by 7.1% and 25-59 by 1.9% the LWLSC population aged 60+ is projected to decrease by a small percentage in 2005 by 0.9%. By this William Hill knowing the size of the population means that they can plan ahead knowing how many core and periphery workers they will need and knowing what age range they will have more available of. Also the figures shows that between 1999-2005vthier will be more 16-18 workers in the pool of labour to William Hill which is a positive sign because new ideas can be adopted through them when employed such as Cashiers in order to be competitive in this market. The population for 60+ is projected to decrease by 0.9%. This percentage is different from the figures of the rest of the UK with trends showing a changing population retirement age is proposed to increase form 60years to 70 years. This trend will not affect William Hill because this working age are not there core employees but William Hill cannot discriminate them due to age so when planning for human resource it is a good idea to have them in their mind and probably try to change their social policy in order to fit this age range into the organisation. In the tertiary sector business will have to look at the primary and secondary sector to recruit employees. Both of these sectors are seeing the employment rate falling. Secondary sector such as utilities see employment falling .29% whilst employment in manufacturing in projected to decrease by 0.14%. These sectors are where humans are no longer needed to the job and are being replaced by machines or alternative products and services. This in the short run does not affect William Hill because technology in this industry is not that advanced yet but probably in the near future Cashiers and Managers will be replaced by talking machines, which means unemployment, will rise and less disposable income to purchase bets. On the other hand if unemployment increase then there should be a larger pool of labour to choose from which will mean that there will be high competition when trying to recruit the best Manager and Cashier. Many businesses found that there is shortages of skills amongst adults that are moving from higher education into jobs because results show that 20% of the adult population lacks literacy and numeric skills. Many employees are looking for help with these skills when it comes to working on the tills and communicating to both supplier and customers. So now the employers have turned round to CBI (Confederation of British Industry) who are a collection of employees who meet with the government and discuss about issues, which affect the productivity in the UK businesses in order to stay competitive wit the rest of Europe. From this discussing the government has introduced a new learning scheme called Keyskills that helps student s with basic communication, I.T, numerical and literacy skills. This will affect William Hill positively if more students are trained these skills because they need to employ workers who are experienced communicators and exceptionally good with application of numbers. This not allows William hill to be more competitive due to skilled work force but it allows Britain to be competitive with Europe so workers can be employed form abroad and particularly important in employing Managers because they need to have obtained level 4 Keyskills whereas Cashiers mainly level 3. A time series shows historical data that can be used and analysed to predict futures trends. The first step in analysing a time series is to isolate and define the underlying trend. Such as looking at trends which show that at Christmas these is a decline in spending in William Hill due to that time of season when money has to be spent on alternative luxury goods which means that William Hill dont employ much staff during the course of this season due to a slump in sales and to maximise profits labour cost is cut but more promotion could be done to customers. This does cause the Labour Turnover to increase and absence also because no is being kept busy within the shop and motivation decreases also. Whereas during the summer time big races start to take place and more staff need to be employed to even cover night racing starting from April to cope with extra demand of customers and foreign racing especially in such a boom period. Both of these trends are seasonal trends so William Hill know they bound to happen because that is how customers and it is their job to cater to this need however this is subject to increase or decrease depending on the rate of inflation but during night racing more Cashier and Managers are employed to cope with increase of demand. Extrapolating sales trend is useful due to it allowing analysing past events but the real key to business success is planning for the future. Extrapolation means basing a forecast of the future upon past trends. Market research is used by William Hill to collect data to find out about certain information concerning the Internet for example. Primary research is collection of information that applies to a specific purpose and for personal use that is why William Hill may have to conduct it themselves because it may not exist through various means such as surveying, observing and testing. William Hill use primary research to obtain information about peoples preferences because this would help know how they spend their money espials loyal cutovers who purchase over the net and or even purchase from home. William Hill could question them but these ways dont always work because no matter how loyal customer may be taking time out to answer a few question is rather hard also it may appear to customers we a annoying them and this may lead to purchase from other rivals. Also if a e-mail is end that can be easily disposed of and it does not guarantee that they have even looked at the mail so its not really effective. Whereas secondary research is using existing published data and information. William Hill look at present sales figures to predict how the future sales will be by doing this will mane that they can compare sales figure form last year and predict what needs to be done now in order to meet that future demand. Also from the figures William hill can see how competitive they were in the previous years and see how they have improved or not but what can be improved to be competitive in their market. However if their sales fall then they have to make some swift unemployment such as less core workers who are not as competent and correspond with the person specification. William Hill takes into account different aspects when thinking of employing labour. When William Hill do take on workers they also take into account minimum wage if not they have breached a major statue and will have to give monetary compensation to workers. Also more money is given to workers according to the Postcode of your LBO a bit a like London Weighting but this affect William Hill because more labour cost which are tax deductible and probably less bonuses to motivate workers especially managers for the hard work they put into their job. If dont receive this they may decide to leave and this decreases retention and replacement is not so easy. William Hill has to be aware of alternatives for Labour such as using technology (machine) to do the work. This in the short run be expensive process for business to set up but once done they will do the job quicker than humans which means William Hill will have more efficient and long run investment and will allow William Hill to benefit from economies of scales. But machinery to be maintained is a very long task and if one breaks down it is not easy to repair or substituted for a peripheral machine. Anyway due to the service that William Hill provides it is quite impossible to sack Cashiers and Mangers and replace them with robots because they cannot give customer satisfaction compared to humans such communication and a smile whereas machines connoted fulfil this role properly because they dont correspond to the person specification. Forecasting is prediction of future trends based on past information either from primary or secondary market research, which are vital to a business planning for the future. William Hill like to plan ahead because this allows them to know what will likely happen for instance if sales go down then some peripheral workers would be sacked such as Cashiers and even less Deputy Managers however at the end of the day it is a forecast which is a plan and there is no concrete evidence that will happen so their is no point trying to ration staff to work towards better profit for the future because external factors may have to be accounted for instead of planning a future which business like William Hill dont have the eyes for i.e. consumer spending. This has currently decreased in the last coming months to Christmas and affected greatly many markets as well as post sales decline occurred. I have made a forecast, which I believe reasonable for my branch because I shop is currently on Grade 3, which means we take on average 180,000 bets a year From this I can tell that my William Hill branch at moment is doing very well as they have launched a new computerised games and also Ladbrokes which is 6 doors down has just closed down and therefore William Hill have greater consumers coming to our branch. However I feel this will not last because William Hill aim for the older populated sector and therefore excluding many potential customer who are young and decreasing their market span. Overall I feel that William Hill sales will increase with the right amount of publicity and innovative ideas from the younger generation to entice the same age group and to allow William Hill to gain first to the market advantage of attract new young middle and upper class customers. This decreases competition at first but soon rivals will have obtained William Hills idea but because they where there first then have obtained a loyal segment of the betting market to themselves. Also quality of the service could improve if not then my predictions will likely be wrong because Corals could move in straight away and decrease our sales and profit so inevitably workers will have to laid off or assets sold to enable the business to recoup. William Hill have many opportunities open to them it is wise to invest in a good human resource because they are the hands of the company and make William Hill a success today. Maximising profit could be expanding but in other areas rather than West London because the pool of labour is not as attractive as William Hill want it to be due to very little are skilled to the extent that they should be by the government maybe if William Hill do operate and investment in technology they will come back to West London and employ because they seem very competent and competitive with Information Technology or if needed recruitment for Head Office then William Hill know the best place to come.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Understanding of Intersubjectivity and Life in Theodors Celms Philosophical Works :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

Understanding of Intersubjectivity and Life in Theodors Celm's Philosophical Works ABSTRACT: Theodors Celms (1893-1989), a prominent Latvian philosopher, was one of Husserl's best students. Intersubjectivity was an important theme in the "psychological" reading of phenomenology when Celm turned to the problem of the transcendental "I" and to a living-rather than logically defined-subject. Celms concluded that Husserl's phenomenology could not address the question of intersubjectivity because in the course of its development it merely substituted pluralistic solipsism for monistic solipsism. What is most essential in phenomenology-the process of sense (or meaning) formation-remains hardly noticed in Celms' work. Contemporary phenomenology has developed as a philosophy of new thinking-a phenomenology of life that can be applied in different ways toward solving various problems of intersubjectivity. Professor Theodors Celms (1893-1989) was the most prominent Latvian philosopher. He has published significant philosophical works in Latvian and German. His philosophical heritage is: "Der phà ¢nomenologische Idealismus Husserls", Riga, 1928; "Vom Wesen der Philosophie", Regensburg, 1930; "Lebensumgebung und Lebensprojektion", Leipzig, 1933; "Subjekt und Subjektivierung. Studien à ¼ber das subjektive Sein", Riga, 1943. All these works are republished now in Germany, under the title "Der phà ¤nomenologische Idealismus Husserls and andere Schriften", Verlag Peter Lang, 1993. In 1922-1925 Celms went to Germany and took up courses in philosophy conducted by Rickert and Husserl. Husserl recognized him as one of the best pupils in phenomenology. At the University of Freiburg he obtained the doctoral degree in philosophy. Later he became a research assistant in the "Deutsche Literaturzeitung fà ¼r Kritik der internationalen Wissenschaft". His main philosophical book on Husserl was translated in Spain, Madrid, 1931. This work has not lost significance up to this day. "Garland" in New Your in 1979 recognized it as important but no longer available book. Celms became famous as one of the deepest critics of Husserl's transcendental phenomenology, who tried to find a way out of the phenomenological discrepancies. In the thirties Celms wrote reviews in German on M. Heidegger's and M.Scheler's philosophies and published volumes in Latvian: "Tagadnes problà ¨mas" (The Problems of Today), Riga, 1934, and "Patiesà ¬ba un à ¸Ãƒ ¦itums" (Truth and Appearance), Riga, 1939 as well as separate articles in papers, magazines and encyclopaedias. The themes of Man, subject, life, consciousness, culture, society occupy a most prominent place in T.Celms philosophical articles and lectures in the University of Latvia. At the end of the Second World War Celms emigrated to Germany, then moved to the USA (1949).

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Character Analysis on A Doll’s House Essay

There’s a quote that says, â€Å"Woman was taken out of man; not out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled underfoot; but out of his side to be equal to him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be loved. † Indeed, all a woman wants is to be taken care of and sincerely given love and affection. But for some, this picture is an illusion that shrouds the truth, just like in the case of Nora Helmer in â€Å"A Doll’s House. † A woman of passion, fashion, and with a flair for gorgeous material things, Nora can’t ask for anything more than to be able to keep her family secured despite the serious debt they’re facing and to have the love of her kids and her beloved Torvald. But in the end, she must realize that her world had been a doll house all along and she, the beautiful figurine. Readers, as the story commenced, would be able to see that Nora desires security and comfort. She grew up being her father’s doll-child and continued to still be a doll for the husband she had found. Torvald would often refer to him with pet names like lark, squirrel, doll-baby, little featherbrain yet she never felt belittled. This is because she believed that in order to acquire the protection and love from Torvald, she must please him and should always preserver her husband’s feeling of mastery. But above that, Nora expresses a need for power and mastery which she fulfills in a self-effacing way by identifying with Torvald. She exults in the fact that â€Å"all the employees at the Bank [will] be dependent on Torvald now: â€Å"What fun to think that we—that Torvald—has such power over so many people† (Act I). She bristles when Krogstad speaks disrespectfully of her husband because she participates in Torvald’s glory, and any threat to his status is a threat to her own. (Paris 42) Nora all through out had been very enduring and this is her trait that mostly stands out. A common person would be demeaned by every pet name her father and Torvald ever called her but instead she felt just the same, quite pleased even. As the threat of the immense debt she and her husband face arises, she persevered to save and work hard than let her husband know. She believes protecting her husband is the right thing to do. She even says, â€Å"Torvald has his pride – most men have – he’d be terribly hurt and humiliated if he thought he’d owed anything to me. It’d spoil everything between us, and our lovely happy home would never be the same again. † (Act 1) At the end of the story, Nora finally realized that for most of her life, she had only been a doll, playing and moving according to what her master says. Her realization came from a great shock. For deeply protecting her husband, secretly and enduringly saving to pay off the large debt they obtained from going to Italy, she had hopefully believed that Torvald would sacrifice himself for her. But instead her calls her a hypocrite, a liar, a criminal and told her that she’s prohibited to bring up the children. Bernard J. Paris analyze Nora’s reaction saying: Her dream has been shattered; her image of Torvald, her bargain, her hopes are all exploded illusions†¦ Enraged, she feels now that she does not love Torvald and that he has never loved her. (44) She became aware and decided to leave her doll-house, and even her children, to learn and become a woman and a real wife and mother. (Shengold 215) As we look at how the things have went, we may say that in a way, Nora deserved what have happened to her in the end. She may have been living at a time when women are supposed to be more reserved and submissive but as a person she still have her rights. But instead of using it and standing by her principles from the start, she chose to delight at the comfort and ease that the doll house offers. From this incident, we may say that Ibsen is trying to show us the theme of inner strength and conviction to overcome obstacles. Always in one’s life, there would be struggles and conflict but by staying strong and persevering, one would always see it through. Nora Helmer as a person has dreams she wants to achieve. Even at the start, as she tries to protect her husband, she has already visualized a plan, a part of the future she wants to happen. With this, I relate to her. While I still have a long way to go and more obstacles to overcome, there are things that I dream of and plans which I further want to come to reality. Like Nora too, I desire to live a comfortable life with my family and be able to protect them from any great dangers that may arise. A person can only be so strong when their hearts purely wish to be strong. Life would always give us challenges, some may even seem life-threatening, but if we believe in ourselves and we stand by our principles just as Nora did at the end, then everything would be alright. Henrik Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House,† on the whole, is a wonderful play, very realistic and a story from which anyone and everyone could learn a thing or two. The plot and themes of the story are well thought yet it didn’t need to use very deep words that may confuse the readers. Nora Helmer is a representative figure of women; she is submissive at first, very demure and frail. Yet as the story progresses she begin to understand that even as a woman, she have equal rights as her husband, and even as a woman too, she have her own mind to decide what is good for her and what is bad or to decide whether something told to her is true or plain fallacy. Works Cited Roberts, Edgar V. â€Å"A Doll’s House. † Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2003. Paris, Bernard J. Imagined Human Beings. New York: New York UP, 1997 Shengold, Leonard. Haunted by Parents. Connecticut: Yale UP, 2007

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Potential Of Educational Standards Education Essay

The grounds for the survey were outlined in the prologue. In this subdivision the purposes thereof are explained and a motive for the research is provided. This stage expounds the research methodological analysiss adopted and provides the motive and justification for the pick of research methodological analysis every bit good as a description of the nature and character of action research. The research doctrine is explored and the methods of roll uping informations discussed. I was fortunate to be presented with an chance to develop an educational programme which would ensue in the publicity of four black supervisors to direction places. This led to an exploratory and experimental procedure that addressed the research job: How to plan and present a direction instruction and development programme for people who did non hold the needed educational makings to inscribe for formal direction programmes at a third establishment. This, in bend, translated into the undermentioned research inquiries? Do people without the necessary educational criterions have the possible and the ability to go effectual directors? What cognition, accomplishments and attitudes are necessary to be an effectual director and how are these cognition, accomplishments and attitudes best acquired in a workplace?Research purposeThe purpose was to better my pattern through the design and execution of a non-traditional direction instruction programme. While at the same clip, righting some of the instabilities ensuing from historical political prejudice that had deprived many black people of the chance to carry through their managerial potency and in so making do a meaningful part to four people ‘s lives. It was besides intended to do a part to direction development, concern betterment and socio-economic transmutation.Research aimsIn trying a undertaking of this nature, there were many obstructions and jobs to confront that were both complex and sensitive and I needed a clear apprehension of what I planned to accomplish through carry oning the research survey. These aims would besides hopefully separate this researc h undertaking from â€Å" masqueraded consulting † ( Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen, 2008:204 ) After careful consideration, the undermentioned list of aims were identified for the survey: Investigate premises and patterns that I thought needed to be challenged ; Develop an apprehension of the construct of instruction and in peculiar grownup instruction and how it relates to larning in a workplace ; Explore and experiment with course of study design for a non-traditional emancipatory direction instruction procedure in a workplace ; Implement the procedure and happen possible barriers to implementation in order to better and alter the bing state of affairs ; Bringing approximately positive transmutation ; and Gain professional cognition.Aim of the surveyThe motive to accept the challenge was based on the premise that direction accomplishments and leading behavior can be developed through relevant preparation and expert guided experience and the strong belief that willing and able non-managerial Black employees can and should be developed to travel into direction places. The purpose of the survey was hence to develop and present a feasible and sustainable method of grownup instruction for the development and promotion of four black female supervisors to direction places, by: Locating the programme in values of equality and justness with regard for human self-respect ; Approaching grownup instruction in such a manner that the participants would be involved in their ain acquisition experience ; Identifying the practical deductions of presenting the invention into a specific workplace and implementing the programme ; and Measuring the programme, with peculiar mention to its relevancy to the participants and their alteration in behavior. From the literature reviews discussed subsequently in the survey, there appeared to be a wide consensus that larning and organizational alteration require a scope of development, preparation and acquisition attacks ; that the traditional external class, while moderately effectual as a briefing device for advancing consciousness, is hapless at advancing behavioral and organizational alteration ; that alteration is more likely to be achieved via techniques specifically aimed at peculiar larning marks related to the person ‘s practical undertakings and experience ; and that development, preparation and coaching should, when appropriate, take topographic point as stopping point to the work state of affairs as possible. This meant that for the invention to win the company had to accommodate and aline itself both structurally and culturally to altering fortunes and new attacks, which resulted in the add-on of the undermentioned standards: Involving the whole administration in the procedure, utilizing a systems attack, and turn toing issues of socialization, civilizations, values, attitudes and perceptual experiences.THE SettingThe survey was conducted in a fabrication company in Gauteng, in South Africa. It is the most advanced metropolitan part in the state and the industrial hub. Although it covers less than two per centum of South Africa ‘s entire land mass it contributes more than 50 per centum of Gross Domestic Product and accommodates about one one-fourth of the entire population ( De Beer, 1990 ) . The town in which the mill was situated was populated by preponderantly Afrikaans talking White people and in 1994 was a Conservative Party fastness. Until the early 90s a curfew bell was still sounded at 9pm every eventide to guarantee that the town remained ‘White by dark ‘ . The direction instruction programme was implemented in a fabrication administration. It is a in private owned company that employed about 80 people and had a turnover in surplus of five million Rand per annum in 1994. The fabrication procedure is complicated and labour intensive with most phases of production necessitating a skilled labor force. The chosen trainees were all Black females with formal instruction degrees runing from class 9 to rate 12. Unfortunately even the two ladies with a matriculation certification were unable to derive entry to third establishments as the topics they had completed were non recognised for higher acquisition, for illustration Bible Studies and Agriculture. All of them were loyal employees who had at least 15 old ages of work experience in the company and all were employed in a supervisory capacity. Their elected wise mans and managers were both White males. The Factory / Production Manager had a sheepskin in Production Management and a figure of old ages of production and direction experience. The General Manager had an undergraduate commercialism grade and many old ages of direction experience, but had non been actively involved in the production procedure and was more concerned with the administrative elements of the company. Unlike many research workers who enter new and unusual research environments, I had ready entree to the site and was fortunate plenty to be familiar with the people involved in the research procedure and the workplace scene. This made my entry into the state of affairs comparatively easy as I did non hold to confront the debatable state of affairs of acquiring to cognize the participants or the workplace environment. However, on contemplation this factor created a new set of complexnesss and jobs.RESEARCH APPROACHChoice of methodological analysisI am of the sentiment that given the research involvements, inquiries, purposes and aims of this qualitative survey together with my theoretical position that action research was an appropriate attack. My multiple and frequently complex functions of adviser, facilitator, instructor and scholar, and ‘objective ‘ research worker in the survey were a possible quandary, nevertheless, this was resolved by following an action research methodological analysis. This determination is substantiated by Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen who province that: It is of import to understand that, in action research, there is no large difference between the research worker and the researched group aˆÂ ¦ Often the differences between the research worker and direction adviser diminish and even disappear, as academic research is geared towards accomplishing apprehension of real-life jobs related to concern activities and bring forthing alteration procedures and solutions for the job ( 2008:194 ) Action research differs from conventional or traditional research because as Coghlan and Brannick assert it focuses upon â€Å" research in action, instead than research about action † ( 2005:4 ) . The other distinguishing characteristic of action research is that it does non put the doctorial pupil as research worker in an â€Å" aˆÂ ¦external ‘objective ‘ function but alternatively locates her within the research puting to research whether the rhythms of intercessions chosen really work to alter the debatable state of affairs to which the research job is addressed † ( Greenwood & A ; Levin, 2007 cited in Grogan, Donaldson & A ; Simmons, 2007:6 ) . The experimental nature of the research undertaking besides required an alternate attack to more traditional qualitative research. Eriksson and Kovalainen suggests that â€Å" action research is specifically utile when researching procedure related jobs in organisations, such as acquisition and alteration † ( 2008:199 ) . They further assert that: Action research is thought to be particularly suited when the research inquiry is related to depicting an unfolding series of actions that are taking topographic point over clip in a certain group aˆÂ ¦ Besides, if the research inquiry is related to understanding the procedure of alteration, development or betterment of some existent job, so, in order to larn from it, action research is an appropriate application for research ( 2008:193-194 ) Corey states that the value of traditional research is â€Å" determined by the sum of reliable cognition it adds † , while that of action research â€Å" is determined chiefly by the extent to which findings lead to betterment in the patterns of people engaged in the research † ( 1953:13 ) . This is confirmed by Carr and Kemmis, who assert that â€Å" aˆÂ ¦the testing land for educational research is non its theoretical edification or its ability to conform to standards derived from societal scientific disciplines, but instead its capacity to decide educational jobs and better educational pattern † ( 1986:109 ) .Action ResearchFor some readers the construct of action research will be portion of their pattern, for others it may look a unusual attack to research. As action research does non needfully do a immense difference between research and action, it may give an imprecise and ill-defined feeling of research as a procedure. It can be argued that it is exactly here where action research has its power: when it remains ‘close ‘ to its research objects and is based on mutual activities, when done decently, it can besides authorise its participants, non merely the scientific discipline community ( Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen, 2008:202-203 ) Action Research has been widely used to better pattern in educational scenes ( Carr and Kemmis, 1986:162 ) . It is acknowledged as â€Å" an appropriate research paradigm for educational, professional, managerial and organizational development † ( Zuber-Skerritt, 1996:3 ) and was the merely obvious pick of methodological analysis for this survey. As a methodological analysis action research is based on alternate research paradigms. There is no universally accepted definition of action research in literature and there are a assortment of action research theoretical accounts available. As Nofke asserts there has been â€Å" aˆÂ ¦exceptional growing in the extent of action research patterns † and we should besides be cognizant of the â€Å" aˆÂ ¦proliferation of significances and utilizations of the term action research † ( 1994:9 ) Those of us in South Africa interested in action research recognise that there are contested points of position about what ‘action research ‘ agencies and what patterns constitute it. aˆÂ ¦ It is the acknowledgment of the potency of action research as informed, automatic and transformative action, nevertheless, that holds sway ( Walker, 1988:153 ) . Whitehead and McNiff suggest that most of the action research literature negotiations about bettering pattern, but negotiations less about bettering acquisition as the footing of improved pattern, and even less about how this should be seen as new theory and an of import part to the universe of thoughts. They believe that theory itself needs to be reconceptualised, non as an abstract, apparently esoteric field of survey, but as a practical manner of believing about societal personal businesss and how they can be improved ( 2006:8 ) . The beginnings of action research can be found in the instructions of Marx, Gramsci and Freire who were engaged in altering societal constructions and patterns for the benefit of those who had been oppressed or marginalised by the position quo ( Reason & A ; Bradbury, 2001 ) . Lewin is credited with gestating action research which was so farther developed by Kolb ( 1984 ) , Carr and Kemmis ( 1986 ) and others. Historically Revans ( 1986 ) is its recognized title-holder. Pulling from the work of Jean Piaget, Revans contended that larning â€Å" stems from responsible experience † ( 1982:2 ) , that is, â€Å" all acquisition is the merchandise of action † ( 1982:772 ) . Action research spiral Lewin ‘s action research spiral, is described as follows by Lewin cited in Burgess ( 1985:162 ) : The first measure is to analyze the thought carefully in the visible radiation of the agencies available. Frequently more investigative about the state of affairs is required. If this first period of planning is successful, two points emerge: viz. , ‘an overall program ‘ of how to make the aim and secondly, a determination in respect to the first measure of action. Normally this planning has besides slightly modified the original thought ( Lewin, 1948:205 ) . The following measure is composed of a circle of planning, put to deathing, and reconnaissance or fact happening for the intent of measuring the consequences of the 2nd measure, and fixing the rational footing for be aftering the 3rd measure, and for possibly modifying once more the overall program ( 1948:206 ) . To assist cover with the issues refering the nature of direction development, course of study development and grownup instruction in a structured, yet flexible, mode Lewin ‘s ( 1946 ) action research spiral was used as a theoretical account. Initially, I had non considered utilizing the attack to carry on a research survey but instead to utilize the action research spiral as a theoretical account to help with the design and bringing of an experimental direction instruction programme because of its iterative nature and accent on continual betterment. Lewin ‘s theoretical account specifies a spiral of activities in the undermentioned sequence: Clarifying and naming a job state of affairs for pattern ; Explicating action schemes for deciding the job ; Implementing and measuring the action schemes ; and Further elucidation and diagnosing of the job ( and so into the following spiral of contemplation and action ) . Lewin ‘s coiling recognises the demand for action programs to be flexible. In complex societal state of affairss it is ne'er possible to expect everything that needs to be done and in this theoretical account the deliberate imbrication of action and contemplation allow alterations in programs for action as the participants learn from and reflect on their ain experience. The procedure is summarised in the diagram of an action research coiling below. Upward spiral of bettering practiceFIGURE 1: Action research spiral Beginning: hypertext transfer protocol: //education.qld.gov.au/students/advocacy/equity/gendersch/action.html My apprehension of the action research procedure, based on Lewin ‘s attack, was that action is followed by critical contemplation: – What worked? What did non work? What did we larn? How should we make it otherwise following clip? Once apprehension was achieved, decisions drawn and programs refined or new programs developed so these were once more tested in action. This tied in with the well established larning theory of Kolb and Fry ( 1975:35-36 ) which suggests that persons pass through a rhythm of phases in the learning experience: A period of observation ; A period of contemplation ; A period of conceptual modeling ; and A period of active testing. Therefore the completion of the acquisition procedure will affect several rhythms and may in fact ne'er terminal. Based on the above, I envisaged a procedure where myself and the other participants in the programme developed a program of action ; acted to implement the program ; observed the effects of the action in the context in which it occurred ; reflected on these effects as a footing for farther planning, subsequent action and so on through a sequence of rhythms. This allowed for a flexible course of study that could be modified as the programme progressed and invariably evaluated and altered in footings of its relevancy to the programme ‘s purposes. This initial theoretical account was excessively simple as in world, life does non travel â€Å" along one path at a clip aˆÂ ¦ † ( McNiff, 1988:28 ) and Susman and Evered ‘s ( 1978 ) more complex representational theoretical account reproduced below, better fitted the survey. FIGURE 2: The cyclical procedure of action research Beginning: Susman & A ; Evered, 1978:582-603 in Administrative Science Quarterly This impression concurs with that of Walker ( 1993:107 ) who finds that the attractive force of action research lies exactly in the ne'er stoping spiral of action, contemplation, enquiry and speculating originating from and grounded in practical concerns, where the hunt is non for the right replies but towards â€Å" practical wisdom aˆÂ ¦ in peculiar, complex and human state of affairss † ( Elliott, 1991:52 ) . Lau ( 1998 ) discusses the standards which Checkland ( 1991 ) believes are indispensable for an action research survey to be accepted as a legitimate option to the more traditional methods. These standards served as a guideline to my ain action research: There is a real-world job relevant to the research subjects of involvement to the research worker ; Respective functions of the research worker and participants are defined in the job state of affairs ; Inclusion of an rational model by agencies of which the nature of research lessons can be defined and the method in which the model is embodied ; Researcher engagement in blossoming the state of affairs with a position to assist convey about alterations deemed betterments ; Rethinking of earlier phases by doing sense of the accumulating experience through the declared model and method, and revising alterations ; and Point of issue for the research worker in order to reexamine the experience and to pull out lessons for larning in relation to the research themes and/or definition of new subjects ( 1991:397-403 ) . Action research includes action larning which Zuber-Skerritt defines as: Learning from concrete experience and critical contemplation on that experience, through group treatment, test and mistake, find and larning from one another ( 1993:45 ) .The narrative stating attackHarmonizing to Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen, in action research The research workers have full academic ‘freedom ‘ to utilize any stylistic elements they wish and frequently the descriptive anthropology and narrative signifiers are besides used in composing the action research studies ( 2008:207 ) Based on Elliott ‘s statement that action research workers should utilize a instance survey attack and that research studies should take a narrative signifier based on analytic memos and following a historical format: â€Å" stating the narrative as it has unfolded over clip † ( 1991:88 ) , elements of instance survey scheme were adopted in the experimental research stage and elements from a narrative attack with an ethnographic focal point, were used in the thesis as the manner for documenting the survey ( www.Infed.org/research ) . It is of import to observe that, unlike research workers utilizing other qualitative attacks and methods such as instance survey research or descriptive anthropology who tend to be interested perceivers, in this survey I was an active participant ( Myers, 2008:57 ) . Using elements of a narrative attack to direction and educational research can be described within the context of the post-modern, which gave me the freedom as writer/researcher to be personally present in the text as opposed to being the 3rd individual composing in a inactive voice, the traditionally needed ‘objective ‘ research worker. Dane asserts that â€Å" research is an activity, and an active voice conveys that impression † ( 1990:214 ) , this is substantiated by Van Maanen ( 1988, cited in Sikes & A ; Gale, 2006 ) who suggests that by composing in an active voice ( confessional narrative ) the research worker ‘tells it as it was ‘ instead than following traditional, formulaic and ‘objective ‘ constructions that tell of neat, tidy, elementary research undertakings. The usage of a descriptive narrative of the journey allowed me to capture the socio-cultural scene in which the acquisition occurred and helped â€Å" aˆÂ ¦make expressed some of the inexplicit cognition used to understand and implement the intercession † ( Hoadley, 2002: 2 ) . For most people, storytelling is a natural manner of telling experience, a practical solution to a cardinal job in life, making sensible order out of experience ( Moen, 2006:2 ) . In this thesis I adopted a multi-voiced coverage manner, where the positions and looks of all the participants were incorporated into my narrative. Their voices are actively heard in Phase 7 and 8 where infusions from their written and unwritten informations are reproduced verbatim. On completion of the bill of exchange, this study was given to them to read and formalize and this factor influenced the manner of composing used.RESEARCH DESIGNResearch DoctrineA research worker ‘s scientific beliefs or research doctrine is influenced by the research worker ‘s societal intent or what he/she wants to accomplish in the societal universe and why. Harmonizing to Whitehead and McNiff: A strong relationship exists between what you hope to accomplish in footings of your being as a human being and your ontological, epistemic and methodological premises, which can act upon each other and transform each other ( 2006:24 ) . They besides suggest that: Where research traditions differ is how they perceive the placement of the research worker ( ontological committednesss ) , the relationship between the apprehender and what is known ( epistemic committednesss ) , the procedures of bring forthing cognition ( methodological committednesss ) , and the ends of research in footings of how the cognition will be used ( societal committednesss ) ( 2006:22 ) . Ontology Ontology refers to a theory of being, which influences how we perceive ourselves in relation to our environment ( Whitehead & A ; McNiff 2006:10 ) . Action research aims to lend both to the practical concerns of people in an immediate debatable state of affairs and to the ends of societal scientific discipline by joint coaction within a reciprocally acceptable ethical model ( Rapoport, 1970: 499 ) . This can be seen as debatable in the coverage phase because The boundaries between people begin to fade out, as people see themselves as united in a common enterprise to better their ain fortunes and inquiries can originate about who tells the research narrative, whose voice is heard, and who speaks on behalf of whom ( Whitehead & A ; McNiff 2006:11 ) . A participative and subjective attack to research is hence built-in in action research and as Burr argues, objectiveness is: an impossibleness, since each of us, of necessity, must meet the universe from some position or other ( from where we stand ) and the inquiries we come to inquire about that universe, our theories and hypothesis, must besides of necessity arise from the premises that are embedded in our position † . She continues by stating that â€Å" The undertaking of research workers hence becomes to admit and even to work with their ain intrinsic engagement in the research procedure and the portion this plays in the consequences that are produced. Research workers must see the research procedure as needfully a co-production between themselves and the people they are researching ( 1995:160 cited in Colombo, 2003 ) . Due to my active engagement in the survey, I acknowledge the built-in subjectiveness of this survey every bit good as the impact it has had on both the procedure and the results of this research. As I reviewed my personal diaries and field notes my ain emotional reaction to certain events and people was apparent and sometimes contradictory interior voices emerged, some of these have been included in the text. However, I subscribe to Whitehead ‘s theory of the single ‘I ‘ which is ever seen to be in company with other single ‘I ‘s ‘ , where significances and committednesss flow between lives, and people perceive themselves non as separate entities, though still alone persons, but as sharing the same life infinite as others ( Rayner 2002 ; 2003 ; Whitehead 2005 ) . Epistemology Epistemology ( Whitehead & A ; McNiff 2006:23 ) refers to a theory of cognition, which involves two parts: A theory of cognition ( what is known ) ; and A theory of cognition acquisition ( how it becomes known ) Heron ( 1981 ; 1982 ) suggests that action research implies that cognition includes multiple ways of knowing and that the epistemology of action research should include: Propositional cognizing – based on theories or received wisdom ; Experimental knowledge – gained through the direct brush with people, topographic points or things ; Practical knowledge – gained through the making of things ; and Presentational knowledge – gained by telling our silent experiential cognition into forms. Harmonizing to Carr and Kemmis ( 1986:42 ) instructors ( in my instance a facilitator of an educational procedure ) have professional common-sense cognition. In add-on, they have thoughts about educational theory, a philosophical mentality, and societal and moral theories. Knowledge has the capacity to alter as cognition and thought alterations, hence, on the footing of this reflexiveness or capacity to alter, new signifiers of societal life can be created or reconstructed. Action research is based on the epistemic premise that the intent of action research and discourse is non merely to depict, understand and explicate the universe but besides to alter it ( Reason & A ; Torbett, 2001 ) . Goodson and Walker province that â€Å" the undertaking of research is to do sense of what we know ( 1991:107 ) † and the sense we make is determined by the choice and political relations of our attack. In this survey, a brooding procedure inherent in action research was used for sense-making or doing silent cognition explicit. This sense-making was introduced to the reader through a description of how the undertaking was conceived, what was intended, the rhythms of action throughout the procedure and an analysis of both the intended and unintended results. When reexamining my epistemic stance the remark by Whitehead and McNiff was peculiarly disposed. They province that in action research â€Å" cognition is created, non discovered. This is normally a procedure of test and mistake. Probationary replies, and the procedure itself, are ever unfastened to review † ( 2006:27 ) . Methodological premises Methodologies refer to the manner that research is conducted. I found the undermentioned paragraph from Whitehead and McNiff utile in this respect and the methodological analysis used in this survey has been guided by these premises. Unlike traditional societal scientific discipline, action questions do non take for closing, nor do practicians anticipate to happen certain replies. The procedure itself is the methodological analysis ( Mellor 1998 ) , and is often untidy, haphazard and experimental. Richard Winter ( 1998 ) negotiations about ‘improvisatory self-fulfillment in action research ‘ , where a certain grade of entrepreneurialism is involved ; and Marian Dadds and Susan Hart ( 2001 ) talk about ‘methodological ingeniousness ‘ , where we try multiple advanced ways until we find the 1 that is right for us. We look out for what might be a utile manner forward, and seek it out. One measure leads to another, and one rhythm of action-reflection leads to another. ( aˆÂ ¦ ) Traditional ways of making research offer a completed narrative. Action research workers let their ain narrative evolve. It is every bit much about the narrator as about the narrative ( Whitehead & A ; McNiff 2006:3 0 ) . Ethical considerations Soltis believes that research workers should detect the ‘non-negotiable ‘ values of â€Å" honestness, equity, regard for individuals and beneficence † ( 1989:129 ) . This ties in with one of the purposes of the survey of ‘locating the programme in values of equality and justness with regard for human self-respect ‘ . In pattern this meant being unfastened and honest about the research, its intent and application ; obtaining informed consent from the participants in the procedure and guaranting them of their right to retreat from the procedure at any clip without punishment. It besides meant non harming the company or participants and if possible, go forthing them in a better place. The research procedure and findings were guided by the ethical consideration of protecting participants ‘ individualities and obtaining permission to utilize their personal development diaries and other paperss owned by them, every bit good as obtaining participant proof of this thesis. The purpose of action research is to better and affect. To better meant alteration that was non ever comfy for the participants and throughout the survey I endeavoured to adhere to the ideal that everybody has the right to move, the right to be heard and the right to take.Data CollectionHussey and Hussey province that, â€Å" Whatever the intent of the research, empirical grounds is required. They define empirical grounds as, â€Å" informations based on observation or experience † ( 1997:10 ) . Harmonizing to Eriksson & A ; Kovalainen One of the challenges of action research in comparing with many other ‘research methods ‘ is that information analysis is frequently done collaboratively with the organisation, group of people or community involved. This is to guarantee the intimacy of consequences to the organization/group/community in inquiry. At the same clip, the analysis needs to carry through the ‘academic demands ‘ , therefore frequently including both linguistic communication and tools non known to ‘laypeople ‘ . Therefore, it is of import to add transparence and interlingual rendition of the analysis of the informations to the purpose of intercessions planned and action planning ( 2008:202 ) In this survey, informations based on observation was collected through the usage of elaborate field notes which provided a running history of what happened throughout the procedure and informations based on experience was collected as personal notes in the signifier of a diary which included notes to myself and a record of my contemplations, my feelings and reactions, ego uncertainties and inquiries, choler and defeats, and delectations. Throughout the survey I was punctilious in roll uping and updating the field notes and my diary. Records of meetings and informal interviews and treatments with participants and other stakeholders, every bit good as the emerging directors ‘ personal development diaries entering their phases of development provided extra collaborative beginnings of informations. Each of the informations aggregation methods used in this research undertaking could be considered portion of an overall attack to bettering the quality and cogency of the research informations through an attack known as informations triangulation. This would besides counter the possibility of low dependability.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Nora and Hedda essays

Nora and Hedda essays Nora and Heddas Struggle for Independence In Isbens two plays, A Dolls House and Hedda Gabler, one character of each play breaks the stereotype or mold that is put on them. These two characters are Nora and Hedda. There are likenesses as well as differences between the two, however. In A Dolls House Nora is the protagonist, while, in Hedda Gabler, Isben chooses to make Hedda the antagonist. Both Nora and Hedda are caught in a masculine world, but take a different approach to gaining their independence from their male counterparts. Nora chooses to simply walk away from the problem she faces. This action goes along with most mothers tell their children when they face similar situations. Nora is suppressed by Torvalds words. She tries to help her husband and, according to the author, saves his life. Torvald is unaware of her sacrifice and is ashamed of Noras deceitful behavior. She is finally sick of being called a little skylark and a spendthrift and decides to leave Torvald, which is unheard during that time. The play ends with Nora slamming the door and Torvald mumbling to himself. Audiences react so violently to this ending because it shows a woman taking charge of her life and breaking the mold that stereotypes her. Hedda takes a different approach to changing the circumstances that stereotypes place her in. Being a woman, Hedda is seen as meek and mild by the men in Hedda Gabler. Her dream is to control and eventually ruin a human destiny, which means she must gain the trust of, or seduce, a human being. Her character of choice, and old flame, is Lvborg. Hedda doesnt escape her problems and run for cover like Nora did. Instead, Hedda takes her problems head on in hopes of changing them for her benefit. Her sarcastic tone and evil behavior make a dangerous combination. The reader experiences this mix when Hedda convinces Lvborg to kill himself. Eventua...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Soliders without swards essays

Soliders without swards essays In the world of the white newspapers nothing was occurring in the black mens world, they were not getting married or having events occuring. But in black newspapers all of these things were occring, black people did get married and social events did occur. New York was 15% black in 1826, but of that fifteen percent 15 could vote. When the main strem press would write about blacks , at that time they had no way to respone. They were silent until the Freedmens Journal. This paper was run Mr. Russworm and Mr. Cornish , but unfortunitly this paper only ran for two years. Though after this paper there would be 24 papers after this paper but pre Civil War. Of these papers the North Star was the most influential paper. These papers pulled together the African American community. After the turn of the century there were 500 black newspapers. Most of these 500 only lasted a short time. When reconstruction ended the newspapers had to be very carefull of what they say. At this time Ida B Wells went to the south to investagte lynchings. Her newspaper was attached by a lynch mob and burned. In 1893 the Columbian expo opened in Chicago. The purpose of this fair was to show the united states to the world, but no black expos. They decided to give American blacks one day at the expo , called Coloerd American Day. Fredrick Douglas said no negro problem Robert S. Abbott believed American could become what America promised. He always said stand up for our peace. In 1910 there were 275 black newspapers in print with over 500,000 readers. ...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

How to Say and Write Fractions in Spanish

How to Say and Write Fractions in Spanish Fractions in Spanish can be stated in several ways depending on the formality of the speech and the size of the number. As always, where there is a choice of which form to use, listening to or reading the fractions in everyday use will help you develop a feel for which form is appropriate. Halves and Thirds The special forms la/una mitad and el/un tercio can be used for half and third, respectively. Some examples of usage: Apple redujo a la mitad el precio de su iPhone ms barato. (Apple reduced to half the cost of its cheapest iPhone.)El estudio revela que la mitad del software utilizado en la nacià ³n es pirateado. (The study shows that half the software used in the nation is pirated.)Una mitad y otra mitad hacen uno. (One half plus another half make one.)Eres mucho ms que una mitad de un par. (You are much more than half of a couple.)Predicen la desaparicià ³n de dos tercios de los osos polares antes de 2050. (They predict the disappearance of two-thirds of polar bears before 2050.)Perdià ³ un tercio de su valor en menos de dos aà ±os. (It lost a third of its value in less than two years.)Los internautas espaà ±oles pasan un tercio de su tiempo libre conectados a la red. (Spanish Internet users spend a third of their free time connected to the web.) Fourths Through Tenths For fourths through tenths, you can use the masculine form of the ordinal numbers. These forms are cuarto (fourth, quarter), quinto (fifth), sexto (sixth), sà ©ptimo, sà ©timo (seventh), octavo (eighth), noveno (ninth) and dà ©cimo (tenth). Some examples: Un cuarto de los anfibios y reptiles europeos est en peligro de extincià ³n. (A quarter of European amphibians and reptiles are in danger of extinction.)La aprobacià ³n de la reforma constitucional requerir la obtencià ³n de una mayorà ­a favorable de tres quintos de senadores en una votacià ³n final. (The approval of constitutional reform requires the obtaining of a favorable majority of three-fifths of the senators in a final vote.)Dos sextos es igual a un tercio. (Two-sixths is the same as one-third.)Tres sà ©ptimos ms un sà ©ptimo es igual a cuatro sà ©ptimos. (Three-sevenths plus one-seventh equals four-sevenths.)El kilà ³metro es casi igual a cinco octavos de una milla. (A kilometer is about equal to five-eighths of a mile.)El ingreso total serà ­a de ocho novenos del salario mà ­nimo legal. (The total income would be eight-ninths of the minimum legal wage.)Perdià ³ tres dà ©cimos de su peso. (He lost three-tenths of his weight.) Use of Parte In everyday speech, it is common to express fractions by using the feminine form of the ordinal numbers followed by parte (which means part or portion). La tercera parte de internautas admite usar la misma contraseà ±a para todos sus accesos web. (A third of Internet users admit using the same password for all their accesses to websites.)Ms de la cuarta parte de las fuerzas armadas buscan terroristas. (More than a fourth of the armed forces are looking for terrorists.)Se dice que una sexta parte de la humanidad es analfabeta. (It is said that a sixth of humanity is illiterate.)Ella posee siete octavas partes de la casa. (She owns seven-eighths of the house.)_El litro es la centà ©sima parte de un hectolitro. (A liter is a hundredth of a hectoliter.)La pulgada es la duodà ©cima parte del pie y equivale a 2,54 cm. (The inch is 1/12th of a foot and is equivalent to 2.54 centimeters.) Sometimes the parte is omitted if the context makes it unnecessary Also, with larger numbers (i.e., smaller fractions), it is not uncommon for the ordinal number to be substituted. So, for example, you may hear doscientas cinco parte for 1/205th. The -avo Suffix The suffix of s: Una garrapatea equivale a un ciento veintiochoavos de redonda. (A semihemidemisemiquaver is equivalent to a 1/128th of a whole note.)El interà ©s mensual es equivalente a un doceavo de la tasa de interà ©s anual. (The monthly interest is equivalent to a twelfth of the annual interest rate.)En ningà ºn caso el crà ©dito diario exceder a un treintavo de los cargos. (In no case will the daily interest exceed a thirtieth of the charges.)El grueso de un vidrio corriente es de dos milà ©simos de metro. (The thickness of ordinary glass is two-thousandths of a meter.) Decimals and Percentages As in English, fractions in Spanish are commonly expressed in percentages and decimals. The phrase for percent is por ciento and phrases using percentages are treated as masculine nouns: El 85 por ciento de los nià ±os espaà ±oles se considera feliz. Eighty-five percent of Spanish children are considered happy. In most of the Spanish-speaking world, commas are used where decimal points are used in English. Thus 2.54 in English becomes 2,54 in Spanish. In Mexico, Puerto Rico and much of Central America, however, the convention used in U.S. English is followed: 2.54. In speech, numbers with decimals can be expressed digit by digit as in English. Thus you could say dos coma cinco cuatro or dos punto cinco cuatro depending on where you are. (A punto is a period, a coma a comma.) Key Takeaways Halves and thirds are frequently stated in Spanish using mitad and tercio, respectively.Special words are used for the fourths (cuartos) through the tenths (dà ©cimos).For elevenths, twelfths, and beyond, Spanish uses either the suffix -avo or the word parte following the ordinal numbers.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Balanced Score Card Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Balanced Score Card - Article Example Learning and Growth perspective 12 6.1 Objectives 13 Increase the skills and knowledge of the employees 13 Satisfaction amongst the employees 13 Reduce the attrition rate of the employees 13 6.2 Measures 13 7. Initiative 14 REFERENCES 18 1. Balanced Scorecard The balanced scorecard is a tactical arrangement and management system that is extensively used in industry, government, business and non-profit organization all over the world in order to align the activities of the business to the strategy and vision of the of the organization, enhance the external and internal communication and monitor the performance of the organization against the predetermined strategic goals. This has been created by Professors David Norton and Robert Kaplan as a framework for performance measurement that adds traditional financial metrics with the non-financial performance measures that provides the executives and the managers with a balanced view of the performance of the organization. The balanced scor ecard model is used by the organization to get a clear perspective about what the organization should measure in order to balance the financial perspective in operation with the organization of strategic plans. The balance scorecard changes the strategic plan of the organization from a striking but passive document into an active one for the daily basis. It is a framework that not only provides the executives of the company with performance measures but also helps them in identifying and planning what can be done. It makes the executives capable of framing strategies. The balanced scorecard claims to consider an organization from four perspectives and look for developing metrics, collecting the data and analyzing them. The four perspectives are financial perspective that looks at the return on equity, cash flow, sales and income growth. Second is the customer’s satisfaction perspective that measures on time delivery, product development, defect levels and warranty support. Th ird is the business process perspective that measures the efficiency of the internal business processes that is measured via cycle time, quality, productivity and downtime. Lastly learning and growth perspective that measure organizational and innovation learning measured performance on the dimensions like product development cycle, technological leadership, operational improvement etc. This study focuses on the measuring the performance of marketing unit of McDonalds through balanced scorecard approach. Figure 1: Four perspectives of Balance Score Card (Source: Kaplan & Norton, 1996, p. 76) 2. McDonald’s McDonald’s started their journey in the year 1955 and since then they have been proudly serving some of the world’s most favorite food (McDonald’s, 2013a). They have not just managed history but have created it. Currently McDonald’s is operating as the world’s biggest retailer in foodservices with over 34,000 local restaurants offering food to about 69 million people in around 118 countries per day. The company has employee strength of 1.8 million. About 80% of all the existing restaurants of McDonald’s are run by franchisee (McDonald’s, 2013b). They started â€Å"from drive-thru restaurants to Chicken McNuggets to college credits from Hamburger U and much more.† Ray Kroc dreamt of starting a restaurant chain that will be famous for its food which provides uniform

Love. Negligent Tort Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love. Negligent Tort - Coursework Example There must have been a duty of care owed by the defendant to the plaintiff, the duty of care must have been breached, the breach must have resulted into a loss, and the immediate loss must have been attributable to the actions of the defendant (Miller and Gentz, 2009). Duty of care refers to a person’s obligation to refrain from causing harm to other members of the society and from infringing other people’s rights. The principle of duty of care therefore establishes fundamentals of peaceful coexistence in the society. The measure of degree of duty of care in the law of negligent tort is measured by the standard of a normally rational person. Further, determination of the duty of care relies on the capacity of the defendant. There are however certain exemptions to a person’s duty of care to other parties. Foreseeable risks and contributory negligence for instance reduces a defendant’s liability to exercise a duty of care to another person (Miller and Gentz, 2009). Negligent tort is further defined by failure to exercise a person’s duty of care to others. The breach of duty of care is also defined by normal standards of the defendant and the environment. A professional medical practitioner is for example more liable for breach of duty of care to a patient than an ordinary citizen under the same conditions is. The breach of duty of care must subsequently be supported by a resultant legal damage. The term legal damage means that the injury that is suffered by the plaintiff must be actionable before a legal system. This is because some losses may not be legally recognized (Miller and Gentz, 2009). The final element of a negligent tort is the proximate causation. This element defines the relationship between the damage suffered and the actions of the defendant. Negligent tort can only be instituted if the damage suffered by the plaintiff is attributable to the defendant’s breach of duty of care (Ramlogan, Persadie and

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Introduction to Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Introduction to Business Law - Essay Example This law is called the judge made law. In case of statute law made by the parliament judges interpret in accordance and in connotation with the facts and issues. The quality decisions come from quality of judges and the success of any trade or business if not entirely at least partly depends up on the quality decisions of the judges. Therefore the first part of the statement 'The commercial success of the City of London is, in part, dependent on the quality of the judges in the Commercial Court' is rightly said. It is not in dispute that the judges working all the areas of work in England and Wales are of the highest calibre. They have created a strong and independent judiciary which command respect nationally and internationally. However, an independent Judicial Appointments Commission will take responsibility for the selection of judges in England and Wales cannot be seen as an attempt by Governement to meddle with the justice delivering system. As of now all the judicial appointments are entirely in the hands of the Government. To have a transparent, independant judicial system it is imperative that the system must be independent from governement. If the appointments of the judges are in the hands of governement, it is quite not possible to believe that the judiciary is independent of governement. The existing Commission has not received any criticism and it proved it is efficient and successful. But the commission is assigned with limited functions such as (a) conducting an ongoing audit of judcial appointments, with a right to access every document, access to interviews and shifts and opinion in relation to every appointment. (b) to recommond the Lord Chancellar to improve the process of appointment (c) to consider complaints relating to application appointment procedures in individual cases (d) to receive coments from organisation and individuals on appointment process. With these limited assignments it could achieve limited results. Under the existing system the responsibility of appointing the judiciary is solly resting on Lord Chancellor, and Governement Minister. Commission has not much involvement in appointment procedure except as an observator. This system could not win the confidence of the public. Apart from this, as judicial appointments are made from a pool of qualified and meritorious candidates, this small group of intellectuals is dominent by white, male and a specific narrow social background. Without distrubing the standards for appointment of a judge, it is necessary to open up the system to have people of calibre from myriad social as well as legal backgrounds so as to represent the society as a whole. The commission has to see that the appointment procedures attract more women, more minority members, and lawyers from a wider range of practice. Such a system affords opportunities to all qualified candidates with the appropriate professional skills and expertise. This will instill

Ethics and Social Reqponsibiliities Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics and Social Reqponsibiliities Paper - Essay Example Nike abused workers in various third world countries with sweetshop operations which violated human rights and working standards. In India in 1984 there was a huge gas leak accident cause by Corporation which could have been prevented if the company followed the safety standards of developed nations. This paper analyzes the statement â€Å"Strict governmental regulations are necessary to make companies behave ethically. The essay provides an analysis of the statement to illustrate whether the statement is true of false. Ethics and corporate responsibility are the two concepts used to dissect the statement. Ethics is the rules of conduct that are considered to determine if an action is right or wrong (Webster’s II, 1984). Most corporations especially public firms have established codes of ethics to set guidelines for the behavior of its employees. These written documents many times are not proactively referenced and utilized by the firms. In their host country many companies act and practice legitimate business practices, but once the opportunity surges to break the rules in foreign land it is another story. Ethics are suppose to be universal principles, but competitive forces at times drive company and its management staff into unethical decision due to the pressure to achieve results. A company establish in a foreign country such as the South American nation of Peru can legally abide by the standards set in that nation and if the norms in this nation are softer in different operating aspects the company will take advantage of it and lower their standards in order to reduce cos ts. The regulations about environmental issues set by agencies such as EPA are tough. If in Peru a company does not have to comply with certain air quality standards a company will not purchase the machinery and equipment necessary to comply with the US standard. The premise that strict governmental

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Learning English by Lynn Cameron. Learning Literacy Skills, Grammar Essay

Learning English by Lynn Cameron. Learning Literacy Skills, Grammar and Learning through Stories - Essay Example In the first parts of the chapter, topics such as the theory of how grammar is learned is first presented. As the chapter progresses, this theory is applied through techniques that are effective inside the classroom. At the opening of the chapter, the author negates the ongoing belief that â€Å"grammar has no place in a young learner classroom† (Cameron 96). By exploring the idea of learning grammar through the eyes of the learner, Cameron opens an avenue for the possibility of effectively teaching grammar to very young English language learners. Here, on of the most important point that Cameron emphasized is that â€Å"grammar is closely tied into meaning and use of language, and is inter-connected with vocabulary† (Cameron 96). This makes one realize therefore that it is possible that there is no such thing as â€Å"wrong grammar,† but just a non-standard grammar when applied in the English language. However, this does not mean that grammar is not important, s ince it is crucial especially in â€Å"express[ing] precise meanings in discourse† (Cameron 98). This is where pedagogical grammars come into play. According to Cameron, â€Å"Pedagogical grammars are explicit descriptions of patterns, or rules, in a language, presented in ways that are helpful to teachers and to learners† (100). ... It can also be inferred from this chapter that since different languages may have different rules in grammar, English language learners could benefit from encouraging their curiosity, and being introduced to the â€Å"patterns and contrasts in and between languages [in and between the learner's first language and English]† (Cameron 121). This also means that teaching grammar to young English language learners can be done effectively not through formal teaching, but by introducing it whenever an opportunity shows up. Here is where one of the strongest points of the chapter lies. All within these theories and principles of teaching presented, the author also focuses on presenting classroom data. This allows readers to link the chapter's concepts to application inside the classroom, and to focus on what really happens inside classrooms of young English language learners. It is also good that this style is presented through conversations with different young learners', because not only it shows that it is applicable in almost every foreign learner situation, but also emphasizes that there are still several emergent concepts inside a young English language learner's classroom. Chapter 6: Learning Literacy Skills In this chapter, author Lynn Cameron provides readers important insights on how young learners of English develop literacy skills. Just like the previous chapter, this specific area of learning in a young English learner's classroom requires a teacher who is not only skilled in teaching, but also well-informed when it comes to some issues and concerns on the learning of literacy skills especially of young kids. The chapter provides useful information on the applicable strategies and effective principles for teaching based on the contemporary

What is the Bottom of the Pyramid approach, and why is it consider Essay

What is the Bottom of the Pyramid approach, and why is it consider controversial - Essay Example In this regard, the poor are seen to be resilient and enterprising in terms of managing their budgets with the meagre income they earn. In essence, the BOP concept has gained prominence out of the consideration of the over 4billion poor around the world who are ignored by multinational corporations, for instance. Consequently, BOP views this group to be significant in terms of influencing trade and growth. The proponents of BOP further suggests that market development targeting the BOP group leads to the development of new entrepreneurs, particularly, at the grass root level. While BOP approach appears controversial, it has opened up opportunities for multinationals to exploit and serve the BOP consumers effectively. For example, the establishment of micro-finance organisations in Kenya, for instance, has helped entrepreneurs in the informal sector to grow their businesses from small to medium sized businesses. While BOP approach has opened up market opportunities, it is considered that targeting the poor can result in wasteful spending of the already meagre income they earn. On the other hand, BOP considers spending by the estimated 4billion poor should be left free to decide how to use their earnings since they are value-conscious consumers. As such, they are the only ones who can determine how to maximise their utility. However, a free market ideology such as the poor’s right to maximise their utility tends to harm the disadvantaged in the society. This is because while the poor also can make choices just like the advantaged in the society, some of the decisions are not thought out properly. This approach is also controversial in the sense that, the poor are affected by numerous social issues and cannot be compared with the upper or middle-class population in terms of making informed choices. This is because a larger percentage of the disadvantaged in the society appears vulnerab le due to lack of proper education. They are also

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Learning English by Lynn Cameron. Learning Literacy Skills, Grammar Essay

Learning English by Lynn Cameron. Learning Literacy Skills, Grammar and Learning through Stories - Essay Example In the first parts of the chapter, topics such as the theory of how grammar is learned is first presented. As the chapter progresses, this theory is applied through techniques that are effective inside the classroom. At the opening of the chapter, the author negates the ongoing belief that â€Å"grammar has no place in a young learner classroom† (Cameron 96). By exploring the idea of learning grammar through the eyes of the learner, Cameron opens an avenue for the possibility of effectively teaching grammar to very young English language learners. Here, on of the most important point that Cameron emphasized is that â€Å"grammar is closely tied into meaning and use of language, and is inter-connected with vocabulary† (Cameron 96). This makes one realize therefore that it is possible that there is no such thing as â€Å"wrong grammar,† but just a non-standard grammar when applied in the English language. However, this does not mean that grammar is not important, s ince it is crucial especially in â€Å"express[ing] precise meanings in discourse† (Cameron 98). This is where pedagogical grammars come into play. According to Cameron, â€Å"Pedagogical grammars are explicit descriptions of patterns, or rules, in a language, presented in ways that are helpful to teachers and to learners† (100). ... It can also be inferred from this chapter that since different languages may have different rules in grammar, English language learners could benefit from encouraging their curiosity, and being introduced to the â€Å"patterns and contrasts in and between languages [in and between the learner's first language and English]† (Cameron 121). This also means that teaching grammar to young English language learners can be done effectively not through formal teaching, but by introducing it whenever an opportunity shows up. Here is where one of the strongest points of the chapter lies. All within these theories and principles of teaching presented, the author also focuses on presenting classroom data. This allows readers to link the chapter's concepts to application inside the classroom, and to focus on what really happens inside classrooms of young English language learners. It is also good that this style is presented through conversations with different young learners', because not only it shows that it is applicable in almost every foreign learner situation, but also emphasizes that there are still several emergent concepts inside a young English language learner's classroom. Chapter 6: Learning Literacy Skills In this chapter, author Lynn Cameron provides readers important insights on how young learners of English develop literacy skills. Just like the previous chapter, this specific area of learning in a young English learner's classroom requires a teacher who is not only skilled in teaching, but also well-informed when it comes to some issues and concerns on the learning of literacy skills especially of young kids. The chapter provides useful information on the applicable strategies and effective principles for teaching based on the contemporary

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Deluxe Financial Services Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Deluxe Financial Services - Assignment Example The firm’s slogan, printing paper checks faster and better, and more economically than anyone else, has attracted many customers to the firm. The firm’s policies regarding its proceedings and its customers have made it reach the level where it is (Clancy & Hartley, 2011). Deluxe decided to change its policy from a check printing firm to a sophisticated check retailing company. The firm maintained this approach to transformation, opting to try out new services and new customers (Clancy & Hartley, 2011). The firm presented a breakthrough known as DeluxeSelect. The invention was powered by richly detailed consumer segments profiles, which comprised of information regarding what type of check a consumer wanted. The DeluxeSelect invention also catered for the way consumers needed their checks, how they wanted the firm to communicate with them and the price they were willing to pay (Clancy & Hartley, 2011). This was the ultimate invention in the check business, and this attracted a lot of customers to the firm. The firm, therefore, went ahead to erect policies, which would maintain their customers. Deluxe rule is to put employees and customers first. Everything else, according to the firm, comes second. As expected, this has attracted many clients to the fi rm and maintained them. Deluxe is capable of handling many customers with fewer hurdles, and this has enabled the firm to grow (Clancy & Hartley, 2011). The economy, today, is turning against the people who use it. Peoples’ income, today, cannot cater to everything they need, and this has made them cut some expenses from their budget (Lowry, 2012). However, as this happens, global firms such as Coca-Cola still seem to be making the large profits, which they used to make before the economic crises. In fact, it is like the firm is getting more funds at this crucial time. It is all a matter of how Coca-Cola advertises itself (Lang, 2012).

Monday, October 14, 2019

Panera Bread Essay Example for Free

Panera Bread Essay What are the Panera Bread’s primary sources of competitive advantage? In your judgment, are these sources of advantages sustainable? Why or why not? Panera’s primary sources of competitive advantage are: (1) the distinctive nature of its bakery products, (2) its brand strength, (3) the atmosphere of its restaurants, and (4). its position in the restaurant industry Yes,Panera Bread Co. (NASDAQ: PNRA) operates the signature restaurant chain Panera Bread, selling hand-crafted breads, sandwiches, salads, and drinks. Panera Bread bakery-cafes are often associated with the concept of â€Å"fast casual†, a mixture between fast food and more upscale casual dining. Customers still pay for their food at the counter, like a traditional fast food restaurant, but Panera arranges tables and chairs to be conducive to group meetings. Most Panera Bread restaurants are located in suburban strip malls and regional malls. As of December 29, 2009, Panera had 1,380 bakery-cafes, spanning 38 states, as well as some locations in Canada. Traditionally, companies like Panera have suffered in recessions, which decrease the frequency with which consumers eat out at restaurants. 1] However, Panera’s strategy during the recession has been â€Å"to stay consistent and not to react to the recession†, keeping costs constant and offering new salads and sandwiches. [2] As a result, Panera’s â€Å"fast casual† niche (between casual dining and fast food) contributes to its relative success; this positioning allowed it to avoid discounting wars and maintain its margins by attracting customers with a higher quality product perceived to be a good value for the money. Panera bread has a great meal of Bacon Turkey Bravo with 28G of fat per meal.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Feminism in Christina Rossettis Goblin Market Essay -- Feminism Femin

Feminism in Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market  Ã‚   The Victorian period marked the first traces of progress in the feminist movement, and poet Christina Rossetti embraced the advancement as her own long-established principles slowly became publicly acceptable. Her poem "Goblin Market" comments on the institutions in Victorian society that she and her feminist contemporaries wished to see altered, creating modern female heroines to carry out its messages. The goblins serve as malicious male figures to tempt the innocent heroines, sisters Laura and Lizzie, to corruption. According to the Victorian definition, a gentleman "never takes unfair advantage . . . or insinuates evil which he dare not say out," and possesses, among other qualities, the ability to avoid all suspicion and resentment (Landow 4). The goblins in Rossetti's poem succeed in contradicting every Victorian definition of a gentleman throughout the poem; the only male figures present, they represent the deleterious nature of men on the lives of women. In "Goblin Market," the mens' only beneficial purpose is "impregnation. Once both sisters have gone to the goblins and acquired the juices of their fruits, they have no further need of them" (Mermin 291). The poem begins with the goblins calling the sisters' attention to their delicious, exotic fruits, which represent the proverbial forbidden fruit--one taste leads to destruction. But the goblins depict their fruits as enticing. Rossetti uses rich imagery such as "Currants and gooseberries,/ Bright-fire-like barberries,/ Figs to fill your mouth,/ Citrons from the South,/ Sweet to tongue and sound to eye" (1) to stimulate the reader's senses, just as the goblins' calls provoke Laura and Lizzie. The goblins at... ...n 'Goblin Market.'" Victorian Poetry. Vol. 21, No. 2. Summer 1983. Phillips, W. Glasgow. "Theme in Christina Rossetti's 'Goblin Market'." The Victorian Web. 1992. URL: http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/vn/victorov.html. Plowman, Melanie. "As A Poet Speaking from Within Female Limitations." The VictorianWeb.1990.URL: http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/vn/victorov.html. Rossetti, Christina. "Goblin Market." Goblin Market and Other Poems. Ed. Candace Ward. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. 1-16. Weathers, Winston. "Christina Rossetti: The Sisterhood of Self." Victorian Poetry. Vol. 111, No. 2, 1965. Wohl, Anthony S. "The Supposed Excessive Sexuality of Lower Classes and Tribal Cultures." The Victorian Web. URL: http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/vn/victorov.html.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

powmac Free Macbeth Essays: Death as the Price of Power :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

Death as the Price of Power in Macbeth  Ã‚      Macbeth is a tragedy and a story of the struggle between good and evil. It is about a Thane of Scotland who murders the king in his quest for power. Macbeth commits these crimes partly because of his wife’s ambition and greed, in the end he is destroyed because he feels so guilty and is overtaken by fear and paranoia. The most important part of the play for me was the moment when Macbeth dies. This shows that the play was a complete tragedy and Macbeth's ambitions which were influenced by his wife were a failure. Not one of the main characters benefited by this terrible chain of events. All the pain and unhappiness illustrated in these scenes represent the play as a whole, it is a classic tragedy. This moment was so powerful as it is done off stage but with sound affect this left a lot more to the imagination which has a strong impact. The acting was very believable and made me feel involved. I felt I knew what it’s like to be in such a human tragedy. The king of Scotland played his part well. I thought this because of his body language, in that he stood tall and mighty like an important person, a leader. The servant acted small and insecure. he kept his body in a ball and had his head down low, he never raised his voice but when people did to him he flinched . This illustrated that he was of lower status. When an important action was taken place the actor’s attention focussed on the event taken place and they exaggerated the major actions. For instance when Macbeth saw the images of a bloody knife he looked and reached out at something. Also when someone was talking or making a speech all the other actors looked at the actor who was speaking or showing something. If an actor was the center of attention they would be in the middle of the stage, as when Macbeth saw the ghost of his friend he had murder ed. The table was in the corner while Macbeth was in the center looking at the table this made it very clear of the situation and who you were supposed to be looking at. When lady Macbeth rubbing her hand continuously to get the blood off, this symbolizes her fear and guilt.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Pros and Cons of Inclusive Education Essay

In inclusive education programs all students in a school are subjected to study together and become part of the school community regardless they are disabled or normal (Schwartz, Odom, & Sandall, 2010). They all attend the same school and have the feeling of belonging in the school. Students, teachers and co-ordinate staff have a role to instruct all students regardless to their disability in general education. From educational viewpoint, inclusion involves practices where students with special needs in terms of education spend much of their time with normal student in the learning process. It is believed that inclusive education poses more merits than its negatives effects to educational systems since it provides a better opportunity for all students to participate in all activities in their everyday learning process. Inclusive education has been a platform for the disabled students to create a unique and better relationship with other normal students in school communities. Additionally, inclusive education serves as a fundamental right to all disabled students since they are part of the society and thus they should not be ignored (Schwartz, Odom, & Sandall, 2010). While there are a number of controversies in the subject of inclusive education, a clear understanding is required about inclusive education so as to reap maximally from the benefits it presents. Advantages of Inclusive Education The current research seems to support inclusive education and co-teaching as means of improving both special and general education in the schools (Block, n. d). Mainstreaming which is typical to inclusive education has been observed to improve students’ social skills by fostering interaction between the disabled students with other normal students in the same or neighboring schools (Block, n. d). This has developed communication and interaction skills among the normal and disabled students thus making them to be competent in the society. In particular, the increased interaction among students in inclusive education develops them to relate well with other members of the society. Social dimension is measured in terms of behavior and character of an individual in connection with the capacity to exercise them. Communication forms the basis of character and behavior of individuals. Therefore, inclusive education builds individuals who perfectly fit into the society (Block, n. d). Higher self-esteem among disabled students has also been achieved in the process of mainstreaming typical in inclusive educational system (PBSparents, 2010). Students gain more confidence and self efficiency in inclusive education hence they command a higher self-esteem. Not only do students in inclusive education gain higher states of confidence, they also gain systematic ways to approach common aspects in life. Research conducted in California on disabled students showed that 96 percent of disabled students felt confident when mixed with other students during learning process (PBSparents, 2010). However, 3 percent of these students felt excluded while a lesser percentage of 1 percent felt low even when mixed with other normal students (PBSparents, 2010). This research shows that inclusive education builds high esteem among the disabled students and hence should be encouraged (PBSparents, 2010). Enhanced academic achievements among the disabled students form another great advantage of inclusive education. Through the integration of normal students and the disabled, there is a potential realization of academic achievements among the disabled students who are a minor group in the society (PBSparents, 2010). The relationship between the teachers and students is much coherent in inclusive education and thus creates smooth means for academic achievements among this minor group. Most teachers take keen interest to the disabled students in order to put them in the same level with the rest of other in the class. Students gain both academic knowledge and applied abilities that are critical in their lives. As a result of inclusive education, there have been increasing numbers of disabled graduates in the US and elsewhere in the world (PBSparents, 2010). In inclusive education, there is an enhanced parents’ participation in the provision of education to the students (PBSparents, 2010). This enhanced participation ensures that students are provided with better education hence better academic achievements on the part of students. This is achieved through moral and material support that parents invest in the students which lead to improvement in education quality in inclusive education. The learning objectives are well met in inclusive education as parents commit their efforts in the betterment of education (PBSparents, 2010). As a result, there is an improved relationship in inclusive education compared to exclusive education system where parents rely entirely on teachers and the school management on education responsibilities for their children (PBSparents, 2010). Normal students in inclusive education learn to appreciate other disabled students hence fostering better relationships not only in the school community but also at their homes and the society at large (Ratta, 2009). Inclusive education brings out the meaning of the theoretical knowledge taught in schools into practice. The majority of the learners in other education systems that do not mix normal students with disabled students leave schools with limited knowledge thus making it hard for them to cope up with life (Inclusive Schools Network, 2010). It is believed that when the normal students learn in the same environment with the disabled students, much understanding and tolerance is cultivated . the normal students learn to accept others in their capacity regardless to their health (Ratta, 2009). Positive aspects achieved from inclusive education contribute much to contact theory which asserts that meaningful, frequent and pleasant communication between and among people results to a better and changed attitude towards differences. As result much is felt in the society of different individuals. On the same note, inclusive education prepares the disabled students to plan on their future (PBSparents, 2010). The lessons they achieve in inclusive educational programs while in schools are crucial in preparing them for future career and general tactics of survival. In inclusive institutions of learning, teachers impart knowledge to learners. This knowledge usually consists of theory as well as practical skills. This ways, students become more flexible in life and have some ways to survive. Life is much of what one knows and gets experienced to do (PBSparents, 2010). Therefore, there is always an increasing need for inclusive education that combines both the disabled and non-disabled students. More so, inclusive education helps disabled student to develop a sense of pride in their learning due to accomplishing their duties in the process of learning. For instance, under normal class environment with various students (normal and disabled), given an assignment to do will increase the pride of disabled learners if accomplished in time and accurately (PBSparents, 2010). This is clear indication that learning inclusively improves the ability of the students in general. Demerits of Inclusive Education Not only does inclusive education provide the best to both normal and disabled students but also constitutes of a number of disadvantages (Schwartz, Billingsley & McBride, 2010). One of the most debated disadvantages of inclusive education is financial hardships. In order for the school to provide for special education system and services, much financial resources are needed to properly finance the system. The cost per student under special education is much higher compared to normal student thus giving a challenge to most schools. The more special students a school has, the more expenditure needed to run the school (Schwartz, Billingsley & McBride, 2010). This has caused more problems in inclusive education system. Parents and guardians have often expressed fears that in inclusive education system, teachers do not have the required skills to teach and accommodate the disabled learners (Schwartz, Billingsley & McBride, 2010). However, supportive and training institutions usually train the teachers on both normal and special needs of students so as to address problems in case they arise. But if the teacher ignores the students of this nature it may result to regression of the learner thus the overall productivity is decreased in terms of academics. More so, the learners them selves may cause harm to the fellow students thus making classroom environment uncomfortable for learning process (Schwartz, Billingsley & McBride, 2010). One serious and potential disadvantages of inclusive education is that of the amount of time and the kind of attention drawn by the teachers to students with special needs (Kidstogether. org, 2010). Significant observations have shown that there is an increased attention to students with special needs which may take away the attention of the teachers from the rest of the class. This trend can eventually lead to a decreased concentration on the part of normal students hence less achievement academically (Kidstogether. org, 2010). In another observation, due to frequent disturbances in inclusive education, there may be a fall in academic performance (Schwartz, Billingsley & McBride, 2010). In most cases, it’s believed that learners with disabilities can cause unnecessary locomotion in learning environment making it tireless exercise. Teachers may lack positive and dynamic response to the students due to lack of special skills to handle such learners in classroom environment. This is much contributed by personal view towards the disabled people. Lack of official liaison required by the teacher can also interrupt the usual understanding of the learner in this perspective (Schwartz, Billingsley & McBride, 2010). Improper articulation between the co-teachers also contributes to students in taking, no matter their abnormality. Another major issue is social discrimination among the teachers and students. This will cause serious problems not only in the school environment but also in the community level. Regular education students may so much empowered to do anything to disabled individuals this resulting to inferiority complex among the students. This can be avoided by having a joint socialization in the school which may extend further to the outside communities (Schwartz, Billingsley & McBride, 2010). Studies have shown that students with special needs may require more time to grasp concepts (Kidstogether. org, 2010). Time spent in reviewing concepts may not be enough for students with special needs who learn at a slower pace. Normal students who need to move at a fast pace may end up getting bored and if this weakness is not checked, it will dangerously lead to poor academic performance among normal students in inclusive education. This is because inclusive education system overlooks the needs and requirements of the both normal and disabled students (Schwartz, Billingsley & McBride, 2010). The rise in implementations and modifications usually articulated in regular education systems that practice inclusion has caused disconnection between teaching and the learning process (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010). This has mainly affected special need students in these systems which practice inclusion. When rules are further implemented, it becomes hard for disabled students to adhere to and incase no adjustments are made, this can ultimately affect the standards of learning among the special need students. The results may be dwarfism in education either in terms of skills or knowledge or both (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010). Most researchers have given out different views concerning the idea on inclusive education system where other have observed that the system is so much demanding to school administration and the community at large (National Center for Education Statistics, 2010). Other researchers have observed an increase in school closure in the systems that embrace inclusion. This presents as one of the challenges of inclusive education system which has lately been perceived to be difficult to manage and run making many schools to shut down and students’ school dropouts (Delma, Selina & Dorothy, 2009). A significant amount of resources is dedicated to field work and mainstreaming where normal students benefit more compared to rest of the disabled students. This presents a serious inequality in per student spending where resources are spent for functions that do not benefit the students with special needs (Kitmitto & Bandeira, 2008). However, this point has been argued by a number of observers who note that special needs students also require facilities and equipments not required by normal students. This observation seems to cancel out the point that more funds are spent on normal students. This controversy has resulted to the formation of ripples in a legal system of education (Kitmitto & Bandeira, 2008). More serious problem is when some groups believes that some students are not worth to be put in regular classroom to study thus resulting to streaming in school communities. Conclusion In conclusion, inclusive education system is slowly becoming forgotten in most schools despite its importance among both normal and disabled students. It has many several benefits as opposed to other educational system which do not combine disabled students with the normal ones. It should be identified that the ability of the disabled students to socialize with their fellow students to a large extent build their confidence as the student feel to be part of the school community. Attempts to prevent the students to access inclusive education prevent the students from a number of benefits that would otherwise mold them to become successful leaders. Therefore, parents, teacher and all school stakeholders need to adjust in order to accommodate both disabled and normal students in the same learning environment bearing in mind that they are all part of the community. References: Block, M. E (n. d). Rationale for and benefits of inclusion. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from, http://www. palaestra. com/Inclusion2. html Delma, B. , Selina, M & Dorothy, W (2009). School leavers’ survey report 2007. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from, http://www. esri. ie/publications/search_for_a_publication/search_results/view/inde x. xml? id=2720 Inclusive Schools Network (2010). Characteristics of inclusive schools. Retrieved July 24, 2010 from http://www. inclusiveschools. org/characteristics_inclusive_schools Kidstogether. Org (2010). Benefits of inclusive education. Retrieved July 24, 2010 from http://www. kidstogether. org/inclusion/benefitsofinclusion. htm Kitmitto, S & Bandeira, S (2008). Measuring the status and change of NAEP State f inclusion rates for students with disabilities. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from, http://nces. ed. gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2009453_1. pdf National Center for Education Statistics (2010). Inclusion of special-needs students. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from, http://nces. ed. gov/nationsreportcard/about/inclusion. asp PBSparents (2010). Inclusive communities: the benefits of inclusive education. Retrieved July 24, 2010 from http://www. pbs. org/parents/inclusivecommunities/inclusive_education2. html Ratta, T. M (2009). Benefits of inclusive education. Retrieved July 24, 2010 from http://www. merinews. com/article/benefits-of-inclusive-education/150756. shtml Schwartz, I. S. , Billingsley, F. F & McBride, B. M (2010). Including children with autism in inclusive preschools: strategies that work. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from, http://www. newhorizons. org/spneeds/inclusion/information/schwartz2. htm Schwartz, I. S. , Odom, S. L. , & Sandall, S. R (2010). Including young children with special needs. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from, http://www. newhorizons. org/spneeds/inclusion/information/schwartz3. htm