Microeconomics and the Law of Supply and Demand Essay

During the simulation of Goodlife Inc. I was able to see how the effects of a lower rent verses a higher rent had on the vacancy percentage. In our simulation the town of Atlantis had only one rental agency with apartments available. There were single family homes available too but the need for renting was with apartments. I got to see how the supply and demand worked with this rental property simulation. The town of Atlantis saw a rise in population which led to a higher demand for vacant units. This caused Goodlife to raise its rent to meet the growing demand for its available units. But as the demand for renting the units fell so did the demand. This meant Goodlife had to lower its rental price to meet the lesser demand for renting. This is a good example of microeconomics. When I looked at the simulation for examples of macroeconomics I found it when the government stepped in to put a cap on the rent amount. In the simulation there was a survey that showed individuals were living outside of Atlantis rather than renting a place in the city limits where they work. As many of us do currently in our own lives we usually can’t afford to live in the city or area where the best jobs are. I am a prime example, I commute 50 miles one way to work as it’s where the best salary is. I live in an area where housing and rents are affordable and the overall cost of living is cheaper too. In the simulation, the government put a cap of $1550 for the monthly rent of a two bedroom apartment. This was meant to allow middle class families and individuals the opportunity to live where they work. Because of the rent cap, Goodlife didn’t rent out every apartment available as profits would not be able to keep up with the maintenance cost of having every uni t rented. When we look at what a shift in supply and demand curve we see that clearly when Lintech Inc. moved into Atlantis creating more jobs. As soon as  Lintech did this it increased the population of Atlantis which was the shift in the supply curve. This was a negative impact for Goodlife as there was more population needing apartments and not enough two bedroom apartments available. The demand curve now goes up because of the population growth and need for more apartments. With Lintech moving into the city and the population now increasing the demand it means that the quantity demand is now more than quantity supplied at the original equilibrium. This also caused a temporary shortage in the market of two bedrooms apartments in Atlantis. Rental rates went up due to the higher demand. Also quantity demand decreased and quantity supplied increases which leads to a reduction of apartments or shortage of apartments. To get to the new equilibrium the adjustment needs to get between the new demand curve and the original supply curve. When the new equilibrium is reached the rental rates are now higher than they were before. This also means that the number of apartments that are demanded and the supply of apartments has also increased. I can apply this supply and demand to my workplace job. When I have a customer that wants to ship more packages with us on a new daily bases I have to look at the new demand. Before their demand for shipping more I didn’t need extra couriers and trucks to handle the day’s deliveries. Now with the new demand I have to get my supply of couriers and trucks at the last minute. This causes me to have to spend more money to rent more vans and hire more employees. Overall my cost go up with the demand of more shipping packages, but so does my profit as I am able to use more supplies to handle the new demand. To better understand how the concept of microeconomics helps me understand the factors that affect shifts in supply and demand on the equilibrium price and quantity I have to look at the competitors and their prices. The bidding for the competition and where it comes across the equilibrium is the point at which the new equilibrium is now. But under the view of macroeconomics it is seen when the jobs and population grew. This effected the increase and decrease on the available apartments. Now the equilibrium  for rentals is higher then it was before the move in by Lintech. So is the number of apartments demanded and supplies has increased. In the simulation we saw how with lower prices meant that the demand was higher. But with the demand for apartments came higher prices. But if the price was to increase too much the demand for apartments would decrease. There is also a possibility that it could remain the same over a short period of time, then decrease if prices didn’t change. This simulation showed lots of possibilities that could exists in today’s world, or at least in Atlantis. We see what price could do to supply and demand for apartments and what demand could do to price and supply. When either is moved or switched leads to various outcomes the will lead an economy like Atlantis to either run out of its supply of apartments or have an increase in supply of apartments because the prices are too high. Reference Microeconomics, Ninth Edition, David C. Colander (2013) University of Phoenix

Assignment of Organisation

Explore organisational structure and culture LO2 (3. 2): Examine different approaches to management and leadership and theories of organisation LO3 (3. 3): Examine the relationship between motivational theories LO4 (3. 4): Demonstrate an understanding of working with others, teamwork, groups and group dynamics. P1: (3. 1. 01): Compare and contrast different organisational structures and culture P2: (3. 1. 02): Analyse the relationship between an organisation’s structure and culture and the effects on business performance P3 (3. 1. 03): Analyse the factors which influence individual behaviour at work P4: (3. 2. 1)Analyse how organisational theory underpins principles and practices of organising and of management P5: (3. 2. 02): Compare the different approaches to management and theories of organisation used by two organisations P6: (3. 3. 01): Discuss different leadership styles and the effectiveness of these leadership approaches P7: (3. 3. 02): Explain the different motivatio nal theories and their application within the workplace P8: (3. 3. 03): Assess the relationship between motivation theory and the practice of management P9: (3. 4. 01): describe the nature of groups and group behaviour within organisations P10: (3. 4. 2): Investigate the factors that lead to effective teamwork and the influences that threaten success P11 (3. 4. 03): Evaluate the impact of technology on team functioning within a given organisation

A Worn Path Essays - Eudora Welty, Term Papers

A Worn Path In the story "A Worn Path" the main character's name is Phoenix which alludes to "the mythical bird that consumed itself in fire after five hundred years and rose renewed from its ashes. This death-birth motif gives a meaningful context for details which seem merely descriptive"(Seidl, p. 53). "Welty's main subject is the intricacies of human relationships, particularly as revealed through her characters' interactions in intimate social encounters. Welty's outlook is hopeful, and love is viewed as a redeeming presence in the midst of isolation and indifference" (One Writers Beginnings). Ms. Welty takes an old woman, Phoenix Jackson, on a seemingly impossible journey using general symbolism and Christian symbolism. She begins the journey with general symbols of everyday life. The journey itself is like life, it has its ups and downs. "The woods were deep and still" (Welty, p. 159) and "Down in the hollow was the mourning dove" (Welty, p. 159) makes the reader think of death. Other symbols that make us think of life or youth and death or age are: "Seem like there is chains about my feet" (Welty, p. 159) make it clear that Phoenix is thinking about death or slavery; "Up through the pines" (Welty, p. 159) makes the reader think of youth; "Now down through the oaks" (Welty, p. 159) is another symbol of death; "She had to creep and crawl, spreading her knees and stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb the steps" (Welty, p. 160)is another sign of youth; Phoenix's hair and eyes also make us think of youth and death since the reader knows S. Carney 2 Phoenix is old because of the repeated use of "old," and "Granny," and "Grandma" but her hair is not gray but "still black" (Welty, p. 159); Phoenix also saw a buzzard in the field, making Phoenix think of death; "I walking in their sleep" (Welty, p. 160) is a phrase used by Phoenix as she walked "past cabins silver from weather, with the doors and windows boarded shut"(Welty, p. 160) that makes the reader think Phoenix has outlived just about everyone she has known in her life. Other symbols of death are where "the live-oaks met" ... "it was dark as a cave"(Welty, p. 161); The "black dog" (Welty, p. 161) who knocked Phoenix in the ditch; the scarecrow is a reference to death in the story because Phoenix performs a little dance of death with it; and finally how Phoenix slowly bends forward, her chin almost even with her knees as she picked the nickel up off the ground. Some of the Christmas symbols certainly portray Christian symbolism. As Phoenix crosses a log that "was laid across the creek" the reader thinks of crossing the river Jordan; Phoenix "carried a thin, small cane made from an umbrella" (Welty, p. 158) makes the reader think of a candy cane; "a tree in a pearly cloud of mistletoe" (Welty, p. 159) is also another sign of Christmas; the "red and green electric lights" (Welty, p. 162); the bells ringing also remind Phoenix that it is Christmas time in the city; the lady that "came along in the crowd, carrying an armful of red-, green-, and silver-wrapped presents" (Welty, p. 163) who tied Phoenix's shoe and the attendant who gives her a nickel make the reader think of Christmas as a time for giving; as the reader S. Carney 3 thinks of Phoenix's grandson we also think of Jesus; and finally as Phoenix is going to the store to buy her "child a little windmill" makes us think of the star. "A Worn Path" suggests that "the end of the road is death and renewal of life" (Seidl, p. 54). By looking through the eyes of Phoenix the reader learns that life is a path filled with mental deaths and rebirths. Everyone is frequently close to giving up against everyday struggles; yet through equivalently frequent aids, you persist on spiritually revived. If you have a good enough cause you do not give up. S. Carney 4 Welty, Eudora, One Writers Beginnings, Internet, 1994 Seidl, Frances. Eudora Welty's Phoenix. Vol. 6 of Notes on Mississippi Writers, University of Southern Mississippi, 1974. Welty, Eudora. "A Worn Path." Literature for Composition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet,

Assignment 1 HRPO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment 1 HRPO - Essay Example evolved throughout the years, from the emergence of industrialism to the era of scientific management movement and currently, the era of behavioral management movement. During the emergence of industrialism in the 19th century, inventions made it possible to invest in machinery that were better than having people do the same work manually. Management during this time was mainly concerned with increased output and workers were exploited. The era of scientific management movement followed, managers placed more emphasis on achieving maximum productivity scientifically. However, problems still came in since workers were still viewed as factors of production. The era of Behavioral management movement followed. Hawthorne studies revealed that rather than being formal structures, organizations are social networks, people also behave differently when they are aware of being observed and the nature of supervision affects the quality and quantity of work. According to Likert, a participative democratic system of management is the most effective. This is because workers have complete trust in their superiors making organizations very effective. The scientific method is significant in analyzing behavioral problems. Behavioral scientists make numerous contributions in human relations by conducting scientific and behavioral research. Human relations concerns continue to face challenges. Today, these challenges include managing knowledge workers, managing diversity and violence in the workplace, addressing concerns around ethics and social responsibility and adapting to international

Organizations & Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizations & Leadership - Assignment Example Additionally, a strategic leader assembles valuable information concerning market trends, competitors, and other information. Alternatively, a strategic manager deals with the management of resources that will help in the implementation phase. This implies that strategic managers work on the proposed plans of the strategic leaders towards the mission and vision of the company. Another specific task of the strategic leaders is the communication of action plans to unit manager for dispersal. This is because efficient communication channels reduce risks and confusion when one leader conveys the company information. Considering this, strategic leaders normally issue information that pertains to the strategies to be adopted, but not issues affecting workers or operations. It is, however, essential to have both leaders within an organization to assist in the overall duty of managing and organizing resources. Their coordination is important for the tasks undertaken by various departments and groups of working units. They help in the decision-making because they are involved in the managerial position within the organization. This gives employees a better perspective of the organization and on how it will improve their understanding of the operations. The distribution of resources becomes efficient when the two leaders work within an organization in order to reduce wastage. This implies that the strategic leader should be able to measure the progress of the workers in regards to the attainment of the objectives. It is also apparent that organizations that employ both leaders tend to minimize errors that may emerge from the workload and organization of tasks.

Confidentiality of Health Information Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Confidentiality of Health Information - Essay Example When should the computerized medical database be online to the computer terminal The medical database should be online to computers when authorized computer programs for the data are used. Anyone outside the facility should not have online access to database of medical records. When the computer service bureau destroys or erases records, should the erasure be verified by the bureau to the physician There should be no mixing of a physician's computerized patient records with those of other computer service bureau clients. In addition, procedures should be developed to protect against inadvertent mixing of individual reports or segments thereof. Should individuals and organizations with access to the databases be identified to the patient Dissemination of confidential data is limited to only individuals or organizations with a real use for the data. Only necessary data should be released. Patient identity should be removed where appropriate. The release of confidential information from the database should be only for the specific purpose for which it is to be used and limited to a specified time frame.

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Human resource management - Essay Example 2011, 1). Empirical research has supported the theory by proving that the most impressive performance result when an organization sets clear and specific goals. Effective goals should also be measurable, accurate, and time-bound (Kessler, I. 2012, 66). Clear goals ensure that employees attain a conspicuous sense of direction in their duties. Goals motivate employees to perform at stipulated levels (Perkins,S. and White, G. 2011, 109). It is essential for both the organization and the employees to have distinct strategies about performance targets. This is because employees should work with goals that directly affect their departments. In this view, an organization pays an employee according to how one meets given goals. An employee that satisfactorily meets set goals possess a higher bargaining power in demanding for more pay. In turn, an organization faces the task of synchronizing incentives with the nature of number of goals that an employee is supposed to meet (Heery, E. 1996, 55 ). On the other hand, the expectancy theory holds that an individual acts in a certain way because one chooses a given behavior out of a set of behaviors (Marsden, D. 2004, 17). Such a behavior results into the desired performance. This theory evaluates performance as an outcome of an employee’s ability and motivation to choose one type of behavior over the other (Pendleton, A. 2001, 88). Three factors play a crucial role in shaping this form of motivational behavior. To begin with, an employee makes a psychological link between effort and behaviors (Thompson, M. 2009, 131). In addition, the concept of instrumentality links behavior and outcome. Outcome, in this sense, is perceived as pay. Lastly, valence relates to how a person attaches value to an expected incentive (Marchington, M., & Wilkinson, A. 2008, 124). In the share and ownership scheme theory, the

Nursing paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing paper - Essay Example Unfortunately, such fundamental practices are often forgotten by the management and in turn affect the morale of the nurses. For example, in my first job as a nurse I witness and experienced low morale among the nursing staff. I had just joined a nursing home and was working in a busy medical oncology floor. Being my first job, I was happy, confident, motivated and enthusiastic to learn. However, the other staff members were not feeling the same because shortly before I arrived there were many changes made to the unit that they were not pleased with. They had lost some nurses in the transition and the situation had not improved yet. The problem continued after my arrival and more nurses especially experienced ones left leaving the new recruits. This led to short-staffing and overworking which in turn reduced even the morale of the new nurses. Many nurses became frustrated, tired and demoralized. The staff complained of the condition to the management but there complaints were not hea rd or at least nothing was done about them. The condition deteriorated and more nurses quit their jobs citing low morale as the cause of their leaving. The condition in the nursing home was highly blamed on the management. The management did not consult the nurses when they were making the changes in the unit.

Business environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Business environment - Assignment Example The region has long been established as the leading European zone for attracting private investment. In fact, at present it is UK's most successful region for attracting foreign direct investment, and is among the top five in Europe. The West Midlands is the address of nearly 2,000 overseas companies from 34 different nations, employing roughly 9% of the region's workforce - nearly a quarter of a million people. Birmingham itself can boast of almost 300 overseas companies, which employ over 36,000 people. International and famous companies based in the West Midlands include Peugeot, Ford, BMW, Fujitsu, Oracle, Gap, Denso, IBM, NEC and Johnson Controls. A little over the last ten years, the West Midlands experienced real economic growth with GDP increasing by around 29%, an additional 240,000 people in employment, a fall in unemployment rates from 12.1% to below 8% (2000), economic activity rate at par with the rest of the country, an employment rate of around 74% (1998-1999 to 2003), higher than the national rate at the start of the three year period (1998-99) and a higher percentage of employees in high technology sectors than the national average in 2000 (Mitra, 2001). Despite noticeable indicators of development and progress, the West Midlands maintains its status of an under-achieving region. It has under-performed in almost all major areas judging by the economic indicators, if overall performance in the UK is used as a standard. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per head in 1999 was 6% below the national average in spite of an increase of nearly 2% from 1998. On the Index of Local Deprivation, the West Midlands has two districts in the top 10 and 6 in the top 50 most deprived areas. In 1997, likewise, the West Midlands had the second lowest manufacturing productivity levels. Gross Value Added per GDP per head has stayed around 6% below the national average throughout the 1990s. Since 1990, unemployment rates have remained above the national average. Finally, the number of VAT- registered businesses has fallen faster than the national average. Compared to EU regions similar to the West Midlands (using the GVA metric), the latter is at par with most other regions and slightly below Bourgogne (France). SMEs in the West Midlands Economy With statistical trends elsewhere, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute the largest share of all enterprises in the West Midlands. The region is composed of small firms, which would imply that small business activity is characteristic of the region's business and economic scenario. The sectoral spread of the firms portray the profile of the region with its mix of traditional industrial ands agricultural activities, combined with business and financial services. Reflecting overall national patterns, and indeed that of the West Midlands region, no one sub-region has more than two sectors with greater than 20% of the business sites in those sectors. Potential Sources of Support Across the region, Advantage West Midlands is setting up a variety of strategies and business support programmes aimed at motivating and promoting wealth creation and the diversification of the region's economy. Working in alliance with other organisations, the objective is to provide the business support required

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness Essay - 11

Strategic Management and Strategic Competitiveness - Essay Example The paper intends to analyse the impact of globalisation and technological changes on Apple Inc. Industrial organization model and resource-based model will be used to determine how Apple Inc. can earn beyond its average returns. In addition, the paper will also assess the vision and mission statement of the company that has influenced its overall success. Moreover, each category of stakeholders will be evaluated in order to analyse its impact on the overall success achieved by Apple. Globalisation has been ever-persisting in the contemporary business scenario which has influenced the business operations of various companies. In this regard, it is considered that globalisation has impacted the products and services produced by Apple Inc. wherein it has been developing products that are quite competitive in the globalised market. Apple has adopted forceful price cutting which has reduced its gross profit margin on each product. Apple has been frequently launching new products in the market with undersized product life cycle along with developing industrial standards. Consequently, it has been revealed that globalisation has helped the company to improve its product characteristics along with making it to adopt new technologies that have resulted in product advancements and price sensitivity in its products (Apple Inc., 2013). Technological changes on the other hand have impacted the overall business operations of Apple due to which it has been developing innovative products in the market. Apple has developed a set of unique designs for its products through effective use of advanced technologies. This uniqueness has been witnessed in terms of software applications, operating systems and other services related to the products. It is worth mentioning that the competitive advantage of Apple Inc. in the global market has been highly impacted as competitors using these

Taking Middle School Kids Back to the Adventurous World of Literature Essay Example for Free

Taking Middle School Kids Back to the Adventurous World of Literature Essay The problem is that middle school students in Texas do not practice leisure reading creating a deficit in their reading skills as measured by the National Center for Education Statistics. Texas students showed an upsetting lack of improvement in reading on the Nation’s Report Card. In 2011, the average score of eighth-grade students in Texas was 261. This was lower than the average score of 264 for public school students in the nation (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). The purpose of this review of literature was to examine reading interventions to promote positive attitudes towards leisure reading. The need is to improve reading skills as reflected reading scores on the Nation’s Report Card. Students who do not take time to read tend to have poor reading skills and sadly many students in middle school choose not to read. The transition from elementary to middle school makes an impact to the student’s interests and pastimes. Middle school students read less due to time spent with peers, participation in sports activities and other after-school activities, and to a growing lack of interest in textual materials (Johnson, Mckenzie, Miranda Williams-Rossi, 2011). Once the students stop practicing leisure reading, they start struggling with reading. Studies confirm a decline in reading scores on standardized tests, a decline in attitudes towards reading and a growing number of students who have good reading abilities, but choose not to read (Rodriguez Lira, 1998). When students stop practicing leisure reading they stop exercising their vocabulary affecting their reading comprehension. â€Å"The goal of comprehending text is not easily attainable for many adolescents, who demonstrate consistent and persistent difficulties with reading for understanding. † (Vaughn, Klingner, Swanson, Boardman, Roberts, Mohammed, Stillman Spisak, 2011). According to rate and accuracy scores, middle school students have shown a tendency in declining grades. One of the reasons might be because decoding to reading comprehension drops in adolescence and older students have more highly developed strategies that reduce their confidence on word identification skills (Reed, 2010). Middle school students in Texas struggle with their reading skills because most of them do not practice leisure reading. Both qualitative and quantitative studies demonstrate a connection between success in school and the amount of leisure reading students do (Allington McGill-Franzen, 2003; Krashen, 1993, as cited in Hughes- TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 2 Hassell Pradnya Rodge, 2007). The purpose of this literature review is to recognize the problem of students who choose not to read and find a possible solution to motivate them in devoting leisure reading time. There are a numerous of experimental, quantitative, qualitative, descriptive, correlational, and causal-comparative research studies done in the State of Texas and outside of Texas that have identified this problem and gathered data, important information, and suggested interventions to create possible solutions. According to Knulst Kraaykamp (1998), leisure reading is the reading students choose to do for pleasure; is the reading done for a hubby or fun, it is a non-school recreational activity. Students in elementary schools do practice leisure reading, but once students get to middle school this practice declines. For some reason many students who are good readers simply choose not to read (Beers, 1998). Students Do Not Comprehend What They Read One of the reasons students choose not to read it is due to the lack of reading comprehension making them lose interest in literature. In the article â€Å"Understanding the Cause of Intermediate and Middle School Comprehension Problems†, the authors were able to conduct a qualitative study by conducting a causal-comparative research. They determined the reasons of middle school students who struggle with reading is due to the lack of comprehension in specific vocabulary knowledge, background knowledge, or an understanding of subjects’ metaphors. They stressed students do not necessarily understand the meaning of words they are able to pronounce (Palumbo Loiacono, 2009). After analyzing their findings they describe data where it shows students in kinder garden were more exposed to narrative reading than to comprehension skills. They indicate that once the students get to middle school, it is now the teacher’s task to teach reading skills, comprehension strategies, vocabulary, and the multifaceted problems of subject matter text by using a variety of activities, supports, and scaffolds (Palumbo Loiacono, 2009). As a possible solution, they suggest using a strategy that has being used in the past since 1980 called Instructional Cloze (a story summary where every fifth word is deleted to be filled in the blank so students can be engaged in subject matter knowledge) to improve subject matter comprehension (Palumbo Loiacono, 2009). TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 3 Many students don’t understand what they read, but comprehension is not the only reason they choose not to read for pleasure. Skills Alone Do Not Produce Readers On the other hand, Beers, the author of the article â€Å"Choosing Not to Read: Understanding Why Some Middle Schoolers Just Say No†, conducted a qualitative research and found out that skills alone do not produce readers. Reading experts recognize that some students leave school with the ability to read, but without the desire (Beers, 1998). Competency tests force many teachers to think they should focus more on reading skills than on reading pleasure (Maracek ,1978, as cited in Beers, 1998). According to Beers, reading can become a desired activity or an undesirable one. One of the great disasters of present-day education is not so much that many students leave school unable to read and to write, but that others graduate disliking reading even with the abilities they might have. Some of the reasons that indicates as to why students dislike reading is too much television, too little parental modeling, and too much emphasis on a skills approach to reading (Beers, 1998). In order to identify the different kind of readers in middle school, Beers gathered data by conducting interviews to reluctant reading students with openended questions on attitudes towards reading. After this, she provided descriptive data that displays characteristics of uncommitted, unmotivated and unskilled readers. With this data, she was able to see patterns of responses and understood students choose not to read for great number of reasons. Those patterns helped her to categorize types of aliteracy (Beers, 1998). In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, aliteracy is stated as the quality or state of being able to read but uninterested in doing so (hacker, 2012). Beers was able to observed devoted and inactive readers want to choose their own books, have teachers read aloud a few pages, meet the author, buy books at a book fair, keep a reading journal, go to the library, participate in panel debates, small group discussions or share books with friends. While uncommitted and unmotivated readers do want to choose their own books from a narrowed choice, have teacher read aloud entire book, compare movie to book, read illustrated books, do art activities based on books, read nonfiction material such as comic, sports, drawing, cars, fashion, make-up magazines (Beers, 1998). Beers TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 4 did not give treatments to students in order to determine which reasons causes the distaste in reading, instead she conducted a survey to students about their feelings towards reading to gather qualitative data. Parents Modeling Leisure Reading According to the survey Beers conducted, parental modeling takes a big role in encouraging adolescents to literature practice. Devoted and inactive readers talked about their childhood where they remember seeing their parents reading to them at all times of the days and also remember their parents reading books in front of them, everywhere they were. On the other hand, many of the unmotivated students said their parents don’t read and they explain their parents used to read to them when they were kids but only before going to bed, it was an activity meant to keep them quiet and make them go to sleep. So they would see reading as a boring activity (Beers, 1998). This statement was also observed by researchers Hamston and Love, who conducted a quantitative and qualitative study at a private school. Their article is titled: â€Å"Voicing Resistance: Adolescent Boys and the Cultural Practice of Leisure Reading†. In this research the authors decided to focus on boys, leisure reading, and family reading dispositions due to the concerns raised in the literature regarding boys and literacy (Hamston Love, 2005). The study was conducted in a three year period at a private boy’s school. There were two stages in this research. In the first stage, Hamston and Love focused on 91 boys identified as good and committed leisure time readers. In the second stage, the researchers focused on 75 boys identified as mostly able readers who choose not to read. In both stages of the research, quantitative and qualitative data was gathered from each student through questionnaires about their reading practices, their parents, and the ways their parents share reading with their sons (Hamston Love, 2005). After observing and analyzing the questionnaires, researchers gathered quantitative and qualitative data where they were able to identify a similar culture for committed readers in the study; their parents guided them and facilitated them with leisure time reading. While reluctant readers show several acts of resistance and they lack enthusiasm to engage in the reading practices due to communication and relationships between these boys and their parents (Hamston Love, 2005). The TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 5  research shows reluctant readers resist to reading novels since they are not highly motivated, they consider these privileged text. However, they are engaging in reading and interacting with multi-media, electronic and complex visual texts that relate to their lives as adolescents, but they still lack the passion in engagement to textual practice. (Hamston Love, 2005). The Leisure Reading Habits In a quantitative and descriptive research done at an urban middle school, Hughes-Hassell and Rodge (2007) found an interesting fact about the leisure reading habits. In this particular school, a study was conducted to collect data by administering a 5-page, 20-item questionnaire. It was focused on factors related to reading by choice. For example, whether or not adolescents read in their leisure time; if so, what, when and why do they read? The questionnaire contained multiple-choice and open-ended questions (Hughes-Hassell, Rodge, 2007). Seventy-two percent of the students indicated that they engaged in reading as a leisure activity, a finding that is consistent with other studies of adolescent reading. Twenty-two percent said they read â€Å"constantly†, and 50% indicated they â€Å"read when they get a chance. † Six percent of the adolescents indicated that they do not read; the other 22% said they read only for school (Hughes-Hassell, Rodge, 2007, p. 23-24). These descriptive data exposes good percentage of students who are engaged in leisure reading. However it also raises a question: Why do these adolescents’ reading scores at this particular school remain low when they reported that they engage in leisure reading? (Hughes-Hassell, Rodge, 2007). It has been proven that â€Å"students who read in their spare time become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have more content knowledge that those who do not† (Cunningham Stanovich, 1991; Krashen, 1993, as cited in Hughes-Hassell, Rodge, 2007). But why is the survey showing otherwise? Hughes-Hassell and Rodge suggest a possible explanation that it involves the type of reading they are doing. In their survey it displays that â€Å"books† are not the preferred leisure reading material for both male and female students. In the data gathered it shows 72% read magazines about sports, video games, and music. Forty four TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 6 percent of the students liked reading comic books, 37% choose internet reading material and only 30% of the students read books for pleasure (Hughes-Hassell, Rodge, 2007). Reading magazines, comic books and internet material is considered light reading and according to Hafner, Palmer and Tullos (1986), light reading does not automatically result in an ability to read advanced material, it only provides motivation for more reading (Hughes-Hassell, Rodge, 2007). After the research was conducted and observations were made, the authors provided these are following suggestions for teachers and librarians. 1. Teachers and librarian should provide the types of materials students prefer, including magazines, comic books, and the Internet. 2. Students’ culture and heritage need to be respected by providing multicultural resources that are relevant to students’ lives, as well as resources in their first language. 3. It is important to talk to students to find out what they are passionate about. of them don’t have time to read after school. 5. Adequate fund must be provided for school and classroom libraries in low-income urban communities. 6. Summer reading must be encouraged because it is critical to summer learning. for â€Å"parents play a significant role in developing and sustaining the leisure reading habits of children and adolescents† (Kim, 2004; Strommen Mates, 2004, as cited in Hughes-Hassell, Rodge, 2007). 8. Teachers and librarians have to be passionate about the love of reading and display the books currently reading by the teacher or librarian. (Hughes-Hassell, Rodge, 2007). 4. Students must be provided with time during the school day to read, because some 7. It is imperative to partner with parents to promote and encourage leisure reading Struggling Readers and Silent Reading In the experimental research: â€Å"Silent Reading Manifestations of Adolescent Struggling Readers† conducted by the researchers Gilliam, Dykis, Gerla, and Wright, vital facts were found about the importance of adolescents practicing silent reading. TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 7. Many struggling adolescents’ readers have not fully developed the skill to read silently, discouraging them from finding a passion for reading (Gilliam, Dykis, Gerla Wright, 2011). According to Miller (1972), efficient silent reading implies a strong correlation between a rapid reading rate and a high level of comprehension (Gilliam, Dykis, Gerla Wright, 2011). Reading silently is developmental; students start first grade by reading out loud, but at the end of the school year 50% of these students read silently with correct understanding. Students who could not read silently either vocalized or moved their lips as they read to themselves, slowing down their reading rate (Gilliam, Dykis, Gerla Wright, 2011). The purpose of this case study was to discover the connection between speech and reading to oneself among struggling readers in secondary schools. Ninety-five struggling readers in the middle and high school students were chosen as the target population in which they received a treatment for an individual administration of a norm-referenced measure of reading along with direct observations (Gilliam, Dykis, Gerla Wright, 2011). During the test administrations, examiners observed the students in order to determine whether they read silently or whether they moved their lips, mumbled, or whispered as they read, or whether they read aloud. The exam had reading comprehension passages to observe the recorded student’s reading comprehension (Gilliam, Dykis, Gerla Wright, 2011). After making observations, the researchers found that less than half of the secondary struggling readers read silently when reading to themselves. In other words, the majority of struggling readers do not practice silent reading which is a fundamental aspect of comprehension and rate of comprehension. The authors propose silent reading to be taught to struggling readers, the study demonstrated that it will improve their reading rate and comprehension; this might also encourage them to practice leisure reading. (Gilliam, Dykis, Gerla Wright, 2011). Reading Interventions in the Middle Grades In the qualitative article titled: â€Å"Reading Intervention in the Middle Grades†, Allington offers five principles to help middle school struggling readers to succeed. After comparing and contrasting different interventions used in the past without success, TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 8 his first principle suggests all students need high-quality instruction all day long. He proposes teachers to find appropriate lesson materials, because students need books they can actually read (Allington, 2011). It has been confirmed students cannot learn much from books they cannot read accurately, fluently, and with understanding (Allington, 2007). The second principle is to expand the volume of reading that struggling readers do every day, but do it with a book that they can both read and enjoy. With reading practice matters, struggling readers need to dramatically expand their reading activity (Allington, 2011). It may take years of remediation in which the struggling reader will get better than the achieving peers (Torgeson, 2005). If expanding reading activity among struggling readers is the goal, then the third principle is to provide students with books they can read and books they are interested in reading (Allington, 2011). In the fourth principle, Allington advices not to use decoding instruction for middle school struggling readers because this instruction is rarely useful for older struggling readers. Even when decoding lessons bring struggling older readers’ word recognition up to grade level, there is usually no improvement in their reading comprehension (Torgeson Hudson, 2006). In the fifth and last principle, Allington points out that it is teachers who present the problem that needs to be solved, more than the students do. In other words, it becomes clearer that many of the struggling readers’ problems are caused by teachers, especially when they don’t take action in providing appropriate instruction. In order to help struggling readers, teacher must provide reading material that is to the student’s interest, books they can read and understand to expand their reading time along with reading comprehension (Allington, 2011). Substantial supportive facts with Allington’s fourth principle are found in the article, â€Å"Efficacy of a Reading Intervention for Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities†. Wanzek, Vaughn, Roberts and Fletcher (2011) conducted a one year experimental study which included sixth to eighth grade students with learning disabilities from seven middle schools. In this study, researchers conducted a reading intervention by providing 50 minutes of phonemic decoding instruction to middle school students compared with similar students who did not receive the intervention. No significant differences were found for phonemic decoding fluency and passage comprehension (Wanzek, Vaughn, Roberts, Fletcher, 2011). Since no major effect TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE. 9 was encountered in this experimental study, Allington’s suggestion is correct, teachers should focus more on training struggling readers with reading comprehension by providing time and students’ centered interest reading materials which at the same time it promotes leisure reading (Allington, 2011). Efficacy of Collaborative Strategic Reading Collaborative strategic reading (CSR) is one of the effective solutions found in reading comprehension for struggling readers. Collaborative strategic reading is defined as follows: Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) is a set of four strategies. CSR integrates word identification, reciprocal reading, and cooperative learning. CSR teaches students how to monitor their comprehension and also how to use procedures for clarifying understanding when difficulties arise. Students also learn main idea and questioning practices that assist them on text while reading and guiding group responses to text after reading (Vaughn, Klingner, Swanson, Boardman, Roberts, Mohammed Stillman-Spisak, 2011, p. 940). The authors Mohammed, Swanson, Roberts, Vaughn, Klingner, Boardman, SREEA (2010) conducted experimental studies to test the CSR effectiveness for struggling readers. In their article, â€Å"The Effects of Collaborative Strategic Reading Instruction on the Reading Comprehension of Middle School Students: Year 1†, they explained the experimental study conducted to diverse students who were identified as struggling readers. After their study analysis and the positive impact made on the intervened students, they concluded CSR is an effective practice that should be used as a reading intervention (Mohammed, Swanson, Roberts, Vaughn, Klingner, Boardman, SREEA, 2010). A year later, another experimental study was conducted by the authors: Vaughn, Klingner, Swanson, Boardman, Roberts, Mohammed and Stillman-Spisak (2011), to examine the effects of collaborative strategic reading and metacognitive strategic learning on the reading comprehension of students. The title of the article is â€Å"Efficacy of Collaborative Strategic Reading with Middle School Students†. In this study, students were selected from three school districts from seventh and eighth grade. After they were TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 10 randomly assigned to class, there were 27 comparison classes and 34 treatment classes. Students in the treatment classes received the intervention and students in the comparison classes received typical instruction (Vaughn, Klingner, Swanson, Boardman, Roberts, Mohammed Stillman-Spisak, 2011). Students in the treatment classes outperformed students in the comparison classes on a standardized reading comprehension exam. After the study findings, authors reassure CSR is an achievable and effective practice that can be integrated into reading and language arts instruction to make a positive impact (Vaughn, Klingner, Swanson, Boardman, Roberts, Mohammed Stillman-Spisak, 2011). Even though these two experimental studies about CSR effectiveness were completed in the same states, Texas and Colorado, the researchers had different designs and questions with diversity students. In the first study: â€Å"The Effects of Collaborative Strategic Reading Instruction on the Reading Comprehension of Middle School Students: Year 1†, the authors targeted identified struggling students and used CSR as a reading intervention to experiment reading comprehension (Mohammed, Swanson, Roberts, Vaughn, Klingner, Boardman, SREEA, 2010). In the second study: â€Å"Efficacy of Collaborative Strategic Reading With Middle School Students†, the researchers focused on the effectiveness of CSR with adolescent readers when applied by well trained and supported CSR teachers (Vaughn, Klingner, Swanson, Boardman, Roberts, Mohammed Stillman-Spisak, 2011). Reading Time Provided for self-selected books In order to promote leisure reading, one of the many suggestions made by researchers is to provide reading material that will target the adolescents’ interest and give them time during school to read. To test these recommendations and see students’ attitudes towards reading, Rodriguez and Lira (1998) conducted an experimental study at a middle school in South Texas. The study consisted of providing 30-minute periods five times a week for eight months to 41 eighth grade students. The students’ assignment was to read from self-selected books (books which did not have more than five unknown words on any given page), keep a reading log, take home their books and participate in the reading club (Rodriguez Lira, 1998). This experimental design was combined with TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 11 a descriptive and a group pretest-posttest to determine if there was a significant difference with students’ scores before and after the experiment. Rodriguez and Lira (1998) also made observations on students who participated in this study observing for positive attitudes towards reading. The results point out that most of the students enjoyed the required reading and felt they had improved with their reading skills, specifically their vocabulary and fluency. Even though the study did not reveal significant improvements in reading achievement for the 41 students, however, the study showed greater gains in reading achievement for students with low to average reading abilities than it did with students with better reading abilities (Rodriguez Lira, 1998). In other words, struggling readers improved their reading abilities, and this fact proves a statement mentioned earlier; it may take years of remediation in which the struggling reader will get better than the achieving peers (Torgeson, 2005). Successful Engagement with Text Using the E-reader Making technology part of a motivational reading tool can encourage reluctant students to engage in literature. Johnson, Mckenzie, Miranda Williams-Rossi (2011) conducted an experimental study in a middle school where 199 students were given 1525 minutes to read high interest chapter books and stories on the Amazon Kindle ® reader. This was done to study the attitudes and response to reading using e-books by reluctant students. After making qualitative observations, the authors found reluctant readers demonstrated motivation in reading, engagement and expressed high levels of satisfaction with the e-readers. Researchers were very satisfied with the reluctant attitudes towards reading after this study, that they recommend e-readers to be used in reading improvement classes as another choice for reading material (Johnson, Mckenzie, Miranda Williams-Rossi, 2011). Conclusion The problem is that middle school students in Texas do not practice leisure reading creating a deficit in their reading skills as measured by the National Center for TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 12 Education Statistics. Texas students showed an upsetting lack of improvement in reading on the Nation’s Report Card. In 2011, the average score of eighth-grade students in Texas was 261. This was lower than the average score of 264 for public school students in the nation (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). The purpose of this review of literature was to examine reading interventions to promote positive attitudes towards leisure reading. The need is to improve reading skills as reflected reading scores on the Nation’s Report Card. It has been demonstrated that students who practice leisure reading perform better in many subject areas (Hughes-Hassell Pradnya Rodge, 2007). Leisure reading is the key to help students improve the standardized test scores. After examining experimental and nonexperimental studies conducted in and out of the state of Texas, it is alarming to know students in the middle schools choose not to read for numerous reasons. In schools, students are not being motivated to read for pleasure, instead teachers focus more on reading skills to pass standardized tests so teenagers are being forced to read lacking the passion to literature (Beers, 1998). Many reading materials offered to students are out of their interest and most of the time these books are filled with unknown vocabulary words causing the student to struggle by not comprehending the reading (Palumbo Loiacono, 2009). There have been several reading interventions done to help students with vocabulary decoding and reading skills, but researches show the most important of all is reading comprehension; and this can only be obtained when teenagers self-select the reading material (Rodriguez and Lira, 1998). Researches show silent reading is a great way for students to better comprehend text and it helps read at a faster rate, but most of them have not developed this skill (Gilliam, Dykis, Gerla Wright, 2011). When students enter middle school, their reading habits start declining because they start getting involved in after school activities or just hang out with friends. Time must be provided during school hours for them to dedicate leisure time (Allington, 2011). Parents take a big role in influencing their kids in leisure reading by practicing reading themselves and motivating their kids to practice reading at home (Hamston Love, 2005). A research study shows teenagers are fascinated with technology and using electronic devices such as e-readers has made a positive impact on reluctant readers with their attitudes towards reading (Miranda Williams-Rossi, 2011). Both qualitative and TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 13 quantitative studies demonstrate a connection between success in school and the amount of leisure reading students do (Allington McGill-Franzen, 2003; Krashen, 1993, as cited in Hughes-Hassell Pradnya Rodge, 2007). TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 14 References Cited Allington, R. L. (2007). Effective teachers, effective instruction. In K. Beers, R, E. Probst, Reif (Eds. ), Adolescent literacy: Turning promise into practice (pp. 273288). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Allington, R. L. (2011). Reading intervention in the middle grades. Voices From The Middle, 19(2), 10-16. Beers, K. (1998) Choosing not to read: Understanding why some middle schoolers just say no. Into Focus: Understanding and Creating Middle School Readers, 1-27. Gilliam, B. K. , Dykes, F. , Gerla, J. K. , Wright, G. L. (2011). Silent reading manifestations of adolescent struggling Readers. Reading Improvement, 48(3), 118-127. Hacker. (2012). In Merriam-Webster. com. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/hacker Hafner, L. , Palmer, B. , Tullos, S. (1986). The differential reading interests of good and poor readers in the ninth grade. Reading Improvement, 23, 39-42. Hughes-Hassell, S. Rodge, P. (2007). The leisure reading habits of urban adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Adult Literacy, 51(1), 22-33. TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 15 Hamston, J. Love, K. (2005). Voicing resistance: Adolescent boys and the cultural practice of leisure reading. Discourses: studies in the cultural politics of education, 26(2), 183-202. Johnson, K. A., Mckenzie, N. , Miranda, T. , Williams-Rossi, D. (2011). Reluctant readers in middle school: successful engagement with text using the e-reader. International Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 1(6), 81-91. Knulst, W. Kraaykamp, G. (1998) â€Å"Trends in leisure reading: forty years of research on reading in the Netherlands. † Poetics, 26:1 (September), 21-41. Mohammed, S. S. , Swanson, E. , Roberts, G. , Vaughn, S. , Klingner, J. K. , Boardman, A. , Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. (2010). The effects of collaborative strategic reading instruction on the reading comprehension of middle school students: Year 1. Society For Research On Educational Effectiveness. National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). The nations report card reading 2011 state snapshot report. Texas. Grade 8, Public Schools. National Center For Education Statistics, ERIC. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. TAKING KIDS BACK TO THE WORLD OF LITERATURE 16 Palumbo, A. Loiacono, V. (2009). Understanding the causes of intermediate and middle school comprehension problems. International Journal of Special Education, 24(1), 75-81. Reed, D. (2010). The contribution of retell to the identification of struggling adolescent readers. Request LLC, 1-226. Rodriguez, C., Lira, J. R. (1998). A study of eighth grade students from a south Texas middle school who participated in 30-minute required reading periods of selfselected books. Torgeson, J. K. , Hudson, R. F (2006). Reading fluency: Critical issues for struggling readers. In S. J. Samuels A. E. Farstrup (Eds. ), What research has to say about fluency instruction (pp. 130-158). Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Torgeson, J. K. (2005). Recent discoveries on remedial interventions for children with dyslexia. In M. Snowling C. Hulme (Eds. ), The Science of reading: A handbook (pp. 521-537). Malden, MA: Blackwe

Obesity in the UK Essay Example for Free

Obesity in the UK Essay Obesity levels in the Untied Kingdom have reached an all time high with one in every four adults suffering from obesity. Childhood obesity has also drastically increased with 25 percent of boys and 33 percent of girls aged between two and 19 years being overweight or obese. There is little sign of this upward trend in obesity stopping, and it will have a significant impact on the state of the country. It will negatively affect the UKs economy and more importantly negatively affect the health of the UKs 63 million people. With obesity becoming this prevalent in our society is it not time we address this issue? I think it is, and one of the best ways in my opinion is to introduce a tax on fizzy drinks and fast food. This may sounds rather drastic when first heard but consider the  £5.1billion spent every year by the NHS to treat those with obesity related medical conditions. Now consider the 2535 branches of Burger King, McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut located all around Scotland and England, consider the number of products those branches sell and the amount of money that could be raised through taxes upon those products. That money could be spent on our NHS which is being crippled under the weight of budget cuts and the cost obesity is having certainly isnt helping the load. These taxes could also deter many from the promise of quick, cheap food from these outlets and could send them in the direction of healthier options. The recommendations in favour of taxing these food are quite reasonable, such as recommendation of taxes of twenty percent on sugary drinks for at least a year being put forth. Other initiatives are already in place to help tackle the UKs weight problem such as the Change 4 Life initiative run by the NHS which offers free nutritional advice to those who want it. The problem is though, that as much good as these schemes are doing they aren’t working well enough. The obesity levels in this country are still rising and we need more action to stop it. We need to have more healthy eating schemes in place around the country in places such as schools, at the work place and even at hospitals. People need to understand the risks of junk food and the major health effects it can have causing obesity, and with obesity comes a vast array of other negative  health effects which include heart disease, certain cancers, high blood pressure, joint problems, psychological difficulties and diabetes. There have been other recommendations on ways to tackle obesity with ideas like banning the advertising of foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt before 9pm, this can help with the problems of childhood obesity as children would be less likely to have seen these advertisements meaning they were less likely to be influenced by them. Another change that could drastically tip the scales towards healthier eating is giving local councils the power to limit the number of fast food outlets near schools and leisure centres limiting the availability of these types of food to young children. There are also plans for the government to spend  £300 million on weight management programmes, that may sound like a large amount but it is far less than the cost obesity is having on the pockets of the NHS. Taxation on tobacco products has already been proven to help reduce the number of smoking related deaths and the amount of money collected in taxes from tobacco products in 2012 ( £12.1bn) far outweighs the cost smoking related illnesses have on the NHS annually ( £5bn) so surely the idea of taxing fatty and sugary foods is not too drastic. Especially when there are around 35,000 obesity related deaths each year. Other ways to tackle obesity have to do with activities rather than food. Along with the increase in junk food intake by people in the UK there has also been a large lack of exercise or sporting activity. Most people nowadays have jobs that involve sitting at a desk for long periods of the day, this combined with the fact that most people commute to work by car or bus rather than walking equals to a lot of sitting down during the day. After work most people just want to relax and so often sit down on the sofa with a cup of tea and watch television rather than do something active. This problem is hard to tackle but if initiatives at the work place are introduced which include things like sporting clubs offered free by the workplace or other incentives to walk to work rather than drive this can serious help with the daily inactivity. The workplace can also help by removing vending machines that give out junk food and replace them with one  that give out a healthy snack. Finally one more thing the government can do to help with this problem is to subsidise the cost of healthy foods in shops. This will be useful as one of the main reasons people eat unhealthy food is because it is often cheaper than most healthier products. If the healthier products are cheaper than other choices then people are more likely to eat healthily. Or instead of subsidising the food the government could give out food vouchers to those struggling for money to give them discounts on the healthier products in shops. This combined with taxation on the fattier foods can completely change the perception of healthy food in this country and we can begin on the road to eradicating the problem of obesity in the UK. By Rajan Gill 11E

Impact Of Assessment For Learning

Impact Of Assessment For Learning This paper considers the impact of Assessment for Learning on childrens progress in a particular strand of the Primary Maths Curriculum. It does so firstly through a review of the relevant literature, and then employs some empirical examples to illustrate how the cycle had helped to secure learning points in a particular context. The specific strand under consideration is the solving of multi-step problems, and problems involving fractions, decimals and percentages; choose and use appropriate calculation strategies at each stage, including calculator use. (DCFS 2009). Literature Review Changes in the professional framework for the teaching and assessment of Primary maths have been reflected in a constantly expanding literature. This is now so expansive, that it can only really be reviewed here through some representative examples. There are two principal sub-genres which feature here: specifically, these are official publications, and range of commercially produced texts which may be characterised as critical, professional, or vocational self-help literature. It is also the case that some generic texts on the subject of Primary Assessment for Learning may be pertinent here, although they do not relate specifically to mathematics. The official literature emphasises the holistic nature of assessment by asserting that assessment of childrens achievements and progress should be based on the expected learning outcomes identified through the learning objectives. In mathematics, assessing childrens progress in a core strand of learning should be informed by the objectives in the strand. (DCFS 2009). The fruition of this process may be visualized in the motivation and empowerment of the learners themselves, supported by Constructive feedback that identifies how childrens work and responses have led to success this, it advises, should provide a shared understanding of the achievements on which to build to make further progress. It helps children to see how the next steps take account of this success and are attainable. (DCFS 2009). There is a sense in which this acknowledges that Assessment for Learning has an importance, over and above what is revealed in outcome-based results, i.e. those from standardised tests. In other words, the latter no longer implies that it can stand as proxy for other kinds of learning. (Campbell et al. 2004: p.119) The commercially published literature is constantly being updated by texts which engage with official policy and curriculum changes, interpreting them for practitioners and parents. However, the majority of these, although they make some reference to assessment, do not do so in the terms now prescribed by the DCFS, i.e., day-to-day and periodic assessment. This is possibly because these models have only been operating in the official discourse for a relatively short period. Overall, this genre may itself be split into sub-groups, the most significant of which are the reflective or critical genre, and the vocational or self-help group. One of the most prolific authorities within this group is Sharon Clarke, whose Targeting Assessment in the Primary Classroom: Strategies for Planning, Assessment, Pupil Feedback and Target Setting (1998), Unlocking Formative Assessment: Practical Strategies for Enhancing Pupils Learning in the Primary Classroom, (2001), and Active Learning Through Forma tive Assessment (2008) straddle successive developments in the teaching and assessment of Primary mathematics. Also helpful in these areas is Hansens Primary Mathematics: Extending Knowledge in Practice (Achieving QTS Extending Knowledge in Practice) (2008), and David Clarkes Constructive Assessment in Mathematics: Practical Steps for Classroom Teachers (Key Resources in Professional Development), (1999). As Shirley Clarke indicates, the sharing of a learning intention is more complex than simply repeating what is in the teachers plan. In order for the learning intention to be shared effectively, it needs to be clear and unambiguous, so that the teacher can explain it in a way which makes sense. (2001: p.20) This may be taken as supportive of the official position: it endorses the idea that planning should draw not only on the learning outcome, but also on the prior knowledge of the students in question. If they are expected to objectively assess their own progress, they must understand the frame of reference, and be able to envisage the learning outcome, even if they havent yet attained it. This idea is also implicit in the ideas of David Clarke: as he points out, earlier approaches to assessment focussed on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦measuring the extent to which students possess a set of tools andà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the extent to which they can apply them. However, he further indicates that à ¢Ã¢â €š ¬Ã‚ ¦to be mathematically equipped, a student must also understand the nature of mathematical tools and be able to select the correct tool for a given problem-solving situation. (1999: p.11) This perspective is also endorsed in the reflections of Hansen, who argues that, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is possible to help children to learn mathematical content through effectively integrating problem-solving, reasoning and communication into mathematics lessons. (Hansen 2008: p.5) Texts such as Gardners edited collection, , Assessment and Learning, (2006), Gipps and Murphys A Fair Test? Assessment, Achievement and Equity, (1994), and Tabers Classroom-based research and evidence-based practice, (2007), go some way to bridging the gap between the official and the educational literature, specifically by looking at how policy and curriculum matters are linked by research and ideology. These are, however, not specifically devoted to Primary mathematics, and neither are they wholly accepting of the orthodoxies which pervade the official literature. Gipps and Murphy make the point that evaluating assessment is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦not just a question of looking at the equity in the context of assessment but also within the curriculum, as the two are intimately related. (1994: p.3) As Taber points out, practitioners are at the end of a very long and often remote supply chain when it comes to weighing the evidence on what is best practice. As they put it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦teac hers are told what research has found out during their initial training, and are updatedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦through courses and staff development days, but largely through centralised official guidance. (2007: p.4) This is reinforced by commentators such as Rist, who argues that, We are well past the time when it is possible to argue that good research will, because it is good, influence the policy process. (2002: p.1002). These are academic but not unimportant points in terms of the overall discussion, even if they are not particularly prominent in the day to day responsibilities of the class teacher. The point is that, as reflective practitioners, we might all benefit from some awareness of what shapes the frameworks which inform our approach to teaching and learning. With regard to the current Assessment for Learning conventions, the ideas in Assessment for Learning, Beyond the black box (Assessment Reform Group, 1999), are acknowledged by the QCA to have been constructive of the whole approach. (QCA 2003: p.1). As the latter state, The study posed three questions: is there evidence that improving formative assessment raises standards?; is there evidence that there is room for improvement in the practice of assessment?; and is there evidence about how to improve formative assessment? This research evidence pointed to an unqualified yes as the answer to each of these questions. (QCA 2003: p.1). These are important points, as the teaching, learning and assessment frameworks which define contemporary practice are profoundly adaptive of them. Discussion/Example from Experience. A strand of the Primary curriculum where day to day and periodic assessment was found to be particularly important in the overall Assessment for Learning approach, was securing number facts, relationships and calculating. The examples used here are from Year 6 block E, especially Ma2, Written and calculator methods, and Ma2, solving numerical problems from Unit One, and focused on dealing with errors and misconceptions. One context where assessment was found to be particularly relevant was in dealing with upper school (i.e. Years 4, 5 and 6) learning of multiplication and division. The assessment process had to be multi-faceted, taking in all of the associated knowledge and skills, the errors and misconceptions which arose, and the modelling of questions to identify the origin of such problems. This may be illustrated by focusing on one example, taken from Year 6 Key Objective 2, Multiplying and dividing by powers of ten and the associative law, where commonly, the unprepared or conf used learner à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Misuses half understood rules about multiplying and dividing by powers of ten and the associative lawà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (2009). The important thing about multiplication and division through successive addition or subtraction respectively, is that, once mastered, they can demonstrate to learners that the application of basic skills will enable them to break down seemingly complex problems into a manageable format. Multiplying or dividing a three digit number by a two digit number depends on the use of a number of skills: knowledge of number facts, i.e. times tables, place value, to quickly assess the viability of an answer, and organisational skills, i.e. being able to apply the correct steps in the appropriate order. It may also be useful to augment these with calculator use, in order to verify answers. The important point here is that day to day and periodic assessment and reflective feedback from the learners themselves was indispensable in the planning, pitching and delivery of this input. The interdependence of each step in these calculations meant that the failure to execute one step, often resulted in the failure to complete the overall objective. For example, if times tables and multiplication by 10 and 100 were not securely in place, the learner would get bogged down in the arithmetic. Conversely, the securing of one of the incremental skills involved in these calculations was a positive factor in the learners overall approach: i.e., if they knew their times tables facts, place value, or multiplication by 10 and 100 were in place, it gave them a starting point from which to analyse errors or problems. For some learners, this had the generic effect of making them realise that their long-term work in achieving these positions of strength had a positive outcome, rather than b eing an abstract, stand-alone process. This in turn made them more interested in acquiring other general mathematics skills. Looking beyond specific mathematics skills, this may also have the propensity to develop the students own capacities for self-realisation and self-motivation. As the QCA points out, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In many classrooms, pupils do not perceive the structure of the learning aims that give meaning to their work. Therefore they are unable to assess their own progress. (QCA 2003: p.3) Achievement in a multi-step process such as long multiplication or division might therefore enable them to map out where they are within the overall standards. However, it was only through a combination of day to day and periodic assessment that the practitioner could be confident of planning effectively with regard to these tasks. There was no point in assembling sessions which relied on a range of skills when they were not secure, either in individual learners, or sufficiently across the cohort as a whole. In mixed ability groups, this approach was obviously the key the necessary differentiation. The logical corollary to this is that discursive feedback from the learners themselves was also important in defining the next stage of planning, i.e. what worked, what didnt, who tried which method, were there any preferences etc. The appeal of this activity also lays in its fine balance of mental and pencil and paper methods, and the way in which estimation is the necessary accompaniment to concrete calculation. Overall, these experiences may be deemed supportive of the proposals of commentators such as Clarke and Hansen, (see above) in that th ey emphasize the need for the continuous reinforcement of planning with assessment. Summary, Analysis and Reflection: Implications for Future Teaching. In summary, the conclusion of this paper is that both the literature and practical experience discussed here are mutually supportive of the need for complimentary assessment and planning. Outcome orientated results can illustrate individual and whole school performance in certain contexts, but practitioners need to be aware of assessment in a holistic way, as a daily part of their approach to teaching and learning. As the QCA expresses it, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Teachers are experiencing an increased sense that pupils are working with them rather than for them. For example, pupils are asking for more questions or examples to practice applying their understanding of a topic or to repeat homework or tests if they have not met the standard and the objectives that they and the teacher have set. (QCA 2009: p.48). Whilst this dynamic sounds very positive, practitioners have new and different responsibilities within it. In terms of assessment, these can be itemised in the following waysà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã ‚ ¦ Day to day: within this level of assessment, specific learning objectives should explicitly communicated, and augmented with both peer and self assessment as appropriate. Periodic: ideally, this should assemble a broader overview of progress across the subject for both learner and teacher. It is also an opportunity to interweave the national standards in a sensitive way with classroom practice. The practitioner can use the insights gained from this process to inform both long and medium term planning. Overall, it should be recognised that the ideal situation, i.e. of self-motivated, self-actuating learners, involved in their own self-assessment, is unlikely just to happen. Considered superficially, it might seem that the practitioners role in assessment has lessened, whilst the remainder has been taken up by the learners themselves. The reality is rather different: pupils will only become adequate and effective assessors of their own progress if they are provided with the appropriate support and guidance. In a sense, this facilitating role is a much more challenging and subtle one than that implied in a more top-down, didactic model. Also, there are obvious problems in considering the learner as a passive or generalised aspect of this approach: it is much more likely that there is a staggered and variegated uptake of the model, as different learners are engaged at their own pace and level. This in turn indicates that, as with all aspects of the curriculum, the social and emotional aspects of learning should be taken into consideration.

Global Impact of Software Patents Essay -- Copyright World Copyrighted

Global Impact of Software Patents Introduction: As companies and individuals expand beyond the domestic domain and venture into a global market, the issues of patents and copyrights become increasingly complex. The basis for a patent is to protect an implementation of some original idea in order to give the holder of the patent rights over their achievement. A copyright serves a similar purpose in providing the copyright holder with power of their own work. Many countries offer means to protect patented and copyrighted materials from being duplicated illegally. However, intellectual property rights such as computer software create a particularly difficult situation because of how easy software is to distribute and reproduce. Though a patent or copyright may exist and be protected in one country, other countries may not choose to acknowledge or extend its protective power. Therefore, to achieve universal protection, one must secure patents and copyrights in every country that issues them. Unfortunately, even this may not be enough protection. Many countries do not provide any protection from patent or copyright violations. Because of this, there is tremendous effort to have patents and copyrights enforced globally. Though internationally protected patents and copyrights provide the holder with the rights they deserve, they also have considerable consequences. Undeveloped countries are at a severe disadvantage when it comes to both obtaining patents and securing rights to use them. Efforts to have software patents and copyrights enforced internationally have damaging affects on developing countries because of the high prices associated with obtaining them and the power that developed countries have to enf... ...d World (Stanford: SUP, 1992) 50. 3 The Internationalisation of Software and Computer Services (Paris: OECD, 1989) 84. 4 Silverman, Lydecker, and Lee, 53. 5 The Internationalisation of Software and Computer Services (Paris: OECD, 1989) 88. 6 David B. Yoffie, Competing in the Age of Digital Convergence (Boston: HBS, 1997) 307. 7 Yoffie, 305. Bibliography: David B. Yoffie, Competing in the Age of Digital Convergence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1997. Evan I. Schwartz, "Patents Go Global," 2003, Technology Review, 6 May 2003, <http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/schwartz0503.asp?p=0> Milton Silverman, Mia Lydecker, and Philip R. Lee, Bad Medicine: The Prescription Drug Industry in the Third World (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1992. The Internationalisation of Software and Computer Services. Paris: OECD, 1989.

Symbolism In Ethan Frome Essay -- essays research papers

Symbolism can give additional meaning to a variety of texts. From music to movies to novels, symbolism creates an even deeper meaning than found in a surface reading. The symbolism found within Ethan Frome adds to the inherent meaning of the text to give it an even deeper meaning. Edith Wharton uses the pickle dish, the Oak tree, and the cat as symbols to achieve deeper meaning. The pickle dish is of great significance in the novel. It is used to represent Zeena's virginity. Mattie seamed to know a great deal more about the pickle dish than Ethan did. She had to remind him "It was a wedding present don't you remember? It came all the way from Philadelphia, from Zeena's aunt that married a minister"(70). Ethan never bothered to pay much attention to the pickle dish. When Zeena ...

The Skeletal System Essay -- essays research papers

Chapter 7 I.Bone Structure A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bone Classification 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 Classes – Long, Short, flat and irregular 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Example of a long bone- forearm and thigh bones. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Short Bones are shaped like cubes 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ex. Of short bones are in wrists and ankle bones 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Flat bones are platelike structures 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ex of Flat bones are platelike structures 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Irregular bones vary in size 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Irregular bones vary in size 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Examples of irregular bones are those of the vertebra and some facial bones 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Round bones are also called sesamoid bones i.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They are small and modular and embedded in tendons ii.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Example is the patella (kneecap) B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parts of a long bone 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An expanded end of a long bone is an epiphysis 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An epiphysis articulates with another bone 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Articular Cartilage is located on the epiphysis 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The shaft of a long bone is called a diaphysis 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Periosteum functions t form and repair bone tissue 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Periosteum is a tough, vascular, fibrous membrane covering the diaphysis of a bone 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Processes provide sites for attachment of tendons or ligaments 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The wall of the diaphysis is composed of compact bone 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Compact bone has no gaps 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ephiphysis is composed of spongy bone 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Spongy bone consists of bony plates called trabeculae 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A bone is composed of spongy and compact bone 13.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A canal called the medullary cavity runs through the diaphysis 14.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The endosteum lines this cavity and spaces of the spongy bone 15.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Endosteum contains bone forming cells 16.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tissue that fills the spaces of the bone is called marrow 17.  Ã‚  &nb... ...ome osteocytes 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Periosteum comes from cells of the primitive conncective tissue that persist outside of the developing bone. 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Compact bone is formed by osteoblasts on the inside of periosteum 13.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intramembranous ossification is the process if replacing connective tissue to form an intramembranous bone. D.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Endochondral Bones 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most of the bones are these types of bone 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They develop as masses of hyaline cartilage 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eventually the cartilage decompses forming periosteum from connective tissue that encircles that developing structure 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Blood vessels and undifferentiated connective tissue cells invade the disintegrating tissue 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some of these cells become osteoblasts 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ostoeblasts form the spongy bone in the spaces previously housed by cartilage 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Endochondral ossification is the process of forming an endochondral bone by the replacement of hyaline cartilage.

Jesus Christ Superstar Original Show Research

Smash Hit Musicals of the Past Century: Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ Superstar was a hit long before it became a musical. The musical was a rock opera concept recording produced as an album before it was staged on Broadway. It is based loosely on the Gospels’ story on the last week of Jesus Christ’s life showing the struggles between Judas and Jesus. The story follows Judas who is not please with Jesus’ rise in popularity because Judas believes Jesus is just a man, not a God and that Jesus being a threat to the Roman Empire will bring trouble to Jesus, his followers and to Judas.Judas eventually ends up giving away the location of Jesus on a specific day helping the Roman soldiers find him and go forth to crucify him. The original production of the Broadway show was back in 1971. It was composed by the ever famous Andrew Lloyd Webber and the lyricist was Tim Rice. The show was directed by Tim O’Horgan and choreographed by Tom Stovall. The producer w as Robert Stigwood. The original city for the performance was New York City at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The original set designer is Robin Wagner and the original costume designer is Randy Barcelo.The four main characters were Mary Magdalene played by Yvonne Elliman, Jesus Christ played by Jeff Fenholt, Judas played by Ben Vereen and King Herod/Merchant/Leper played by Paul Ainsley. The four most well known songs from this musical include â€Å"Superstar†, â€Å"Simon Zealot Poor Jerusalem†, â€Å"Gethsemane† and â€Å"Everything’s Alright†. The show first opened on October 12th, 1971 and closed on July 1, 1973 with a total of 711 performances within that time. The length of the show was approximately an hour and fifty five minutes.The setting of the musical is Jerusalem, house of herod, garden of Gethsemane and many other places during the time Christ was thought to have lived and was preaching the message of God. There were mixed reponses from critics but the loudest were those that though the show went against religious morals and ideas. â€Å"We’ve had some people that feel like it’s in some way sacrilegious because it’s not a traditional robes-and-sandals telling,† was a quote from an executive producer. South Africa went as far as banning the entire show from performing in their country when it first debuted on Broadway.Despite some negative responses, the show went on to be nominated for numerous awards such as the Tony award, the Drama Desk award and the Theatre world award. It won the awards for Most Promising Composer for the Drama Desk award and won the Theatre world award. For the Tony awards it was nominated for best performance by a featured actior in a musical, best original score, best scenic design, best costume design and best lighting design. The film was overall received very well by the public.Perhaps the most interesting thing about the show was the way it was portrayed, th e hippie movement and the Jesus movement being put together in one show. Numerous sections of the musical have Judas in groovy outfits with dancing hippie show girls backing him up in choreography and vocals. The original vocalists and actors for the show are seen as the best so far for Broadway versions. The musical also had a hit movie produced with stunning cinematography, wonderful choreography just as seen in the musical and riveting vocal qualities for each song.The film adaption was released in 1973 and was the eighth highest grossing film of that year. It was shot in Israel and other Middle Eastern locations. Ted Neely (playing Jesus) and Carl Anderson (playing Judas) both were nominated for Golden Globe Awards for their acting in the movie. It is obvious why they were nominated when one watches the film and sees their perfect ability to play their fragile characters in a way that show their musical talent, their power and yet the slight comedy behind each scene.They were tr uly able to show the rising â€Å"celebrity† status of Jesus in a way that somehow still manages to fit in historical information about the betrayal of Judas to Jesus. One may have been worried that the movie might be a slight bit boring in some parts but when I watched it I was not bored at all, in fact I found myself quite captivated by the choreography and the songs. Neely and Anderson kept me very focussed as well because I found their acting quite extraordinary. It is not hard to find yourself singing along to â€Å"Superstar† or â€Å"Poor Jerusalem† or being awestruck by the dance moves done by the mobs.A third film adaption is expected to be released in 2014 set to be directed by Marc Webb. In conclusion, it is quite obvious what made this show such a hit. The elements of small comedy, dance and the storyline made this a musical that was impossible to miss. Whether you loved it or hated it, you had to go see it and tell others about it. The show was able to tell a historical event and turn it into multiple dance and song numbers and even made it fun to watch which the key thing was.It was not the type of musical that would get you on your feet dancing but singing along and being captivated by the characters and their human elements. The relationship between the characters was a big part that played into the success of this show. Not to mention the costume design, that played a huge role as well in setting the stage and idea for the show. It was not a typical show of what Jerusalem looked like but rather a more â€Å"hippie, fun natured† version of it which is what made the audience enjoy it so much.It was not telling biblical stories, it was just a show which made the audience feel like they did not have to have any religious ties or issues with it (even though some chose to anyways) and they could just go and watch it. Perhaps it was the idea that no matter what anyone thought of Jesus, an underlying concept this musical sh owed was Jesus’ celebrity-like identity and what being a celebrity can do to the celebrity themselves and to their lovers and followers (betrayal, confusion, glory, death) and that just might be the real reason why nobody could seem to get this musical out of their mind.

Is Science Curse

Today, the whilekind is living to a lower place the shadow of sudden death. It appears that we have act to the end of our journey. Now we stand on the brink of complete and final destruction. The reality has become a riskinessous place. It whitethorn explode to pieces at any moment. adult male has been living on this earth for thousands of years. It has been big(p) him everything he needed. Then, why it has become so dangerous. The only thing responsible for this is light and its inventions. Science has brought more fear and danger than hope and informality.In the beginning, it appeargond to be the greatest shoplifter and helper of man. It promised to overcome disease and death. The hint bomb wiped out Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It has broken up the established institutins. What has to accomplished? It has not finish poverty. He loved his neighbours and respected his elders. It promised to throw a trend this earth a paradise, and man an eonian god. Science has developed suc h fearful weapons of war that in the next knowledge base war not a hotshot man will escape death. It has make this earth a hell and man an insance devel. Of curse, in that location were wars and famines sometimes.Science has, no doubt, made it affirmable to produce things in great quantities. The rifle two World Wars killed millions of people and destroy many cities. The disadvantages 1. Can be slow manipulated by irresponsible persons. 2. Well be likewise dependant on it. When engineering science fails, we r helpless (in ane way or an different). 3. Sometimes, it affects our health and lifestyles(well be complacent and lazy. The chemicals r hazardous). 4. It destroys our simple and healthy life(I miss the conventional style of living). 5. Invasion of our privacy. 6. Science weed pollute waters.Scientists die in labs because of accidents. * to a fault many species to keep track of. * Animals disturb from habitats. * Plant species taken from environment. * R be species threatened. collectable to nuclear development there is a danger of occurence of secon world war 2. callable to nuclear radiation there are many diseases throught the world 3. it leads to globular melting On the minus side there is weaponry which is the inseparable issue of the revolutionary technologies. Hence the main problem is the beseeming use of this knowledge. Nevertheless, weapon engineering propels and provides a huge advance.Also, the industry despite highly developed machinery pollutes the globe. On the other r apiece while many people be in horrible conditions and famine governments buy the farm a contend of money on developing weapon industry. Is it the right way? Maybe the modern technology should every stop or prevent mixer disproportions. Lastly, do new-sprung(prenominal) technologies make us happier? It is not an easy question and each person should consider it. If at one hand, science and technology has brought a lot of wonders for us then on the other hand, there are disadvantages of science and technology as well.Firstly, it has change magnitude the anxiety in our lives. Secondly, when technology goes in the wrong detention then it can negatively jar the society such as the change magnitude rate of cyber crime, hacking, stealing of personal breeding and pornography websites. Thirdly, technology has also increased the alternatives and opportunities for the terrorists. Moreover, technology has suppressed our physical efforts and we are getting more luxurious and comfort living. The economies which lag behind in incorporating new technologies are considered poor economies and their progress in the world is hindered.

Lean Management

persist IN PRODUCTION AND gain The word term LEAN was pitch unneurotic to describe and personalize Toyotas line of reasoning action mechanism during the 1980s by a research aggroup headed by iodine Jim Womack, Ph. D. , at MITs supranational Motor vehicle programme. consort to them, the concept of LEAN was fathered by Taiichi Oh noof Toyota. Ohno come aparted a contrasting tone-beginning to the mass happen uponment methods of US car firms through necessity.Later, in 1996, Jim Womacks team up espo apply the five contestation principles and besides disceptation tools that they trustd were the secret for Toyotas success. According to Oxford dictionaries, argument means good and with no wastage. The meat idea of turn tail is to minimize wastage and at the uniform eon maximize node jimmy. Customer mensurate is of utmost importance to a hunt down musical arrangement and the physical composition go out focus on its observe playes to continue increasing the abide by. Ultimately, the stopping point is to provide the consummate(a) value creation sour that has no wastage.To action this value creation and zero wastage goal, ladder thought changes the focus of a charge from optimizing separate technologies, assets and erect departments to optimize the flow of products and attend tos through intact value streams that flow horizontally across technologies, assets and department customers. By reducing or eliminating uncivilised along the entire stream of value, we give be adapted to come up with processes that would need little effort, slight space, reduced capitals and reduced time in localize to compel products and utilitys at prices far-off less than normal and with fewer defects.Organizations impart be up to(p) to be responsive towards changing customer ineluctably and wants with a lot of variety, higher quality, reduced follow and with less throughput times. Information care pass on also be much simpler and much more accurate. magnetic inclination management is a concept which arse be applied in apiece(prenominal) stemma and e genuinely process. It should non be comp ard with a cost drop-off program or tactic because it is a office of thinking and acting that applies to the whole organization.Nowadays, it is common that businesses across all industries and services, including the health care and even governments just about the world are applying the concept of endure as the way they think and operate their business. approximately(prenominal) of these organizations does not use the word lean out of survival of the fittest and tend to label their practices as their own system, such(prenominal) as the Toyota return System or the Danaher railway line System. It is done to instill a point that lean is not a simple programme or a short term ost reduction solutions, just the way the comp both operates. the term Transformation or lean Transformation are usually used to character ize a phoner that is moving from an nonagenarian way to a lean thinking way. this change requires a complete break on how a company usually conducts their business, thus, requiring long term survey and perseverance through the changing time. It is also enkindle to note that the concept of lean in return and service has the touch of one of the strikinger management thinkers, W.Edwards Deming who had enceinte influence in Japanese manufacturing. He cerebrated that the present manufacturing scenario is a prison of interacting people and accentuate the importance of re-inventing the management processes in outrank to achieve higher efficiency and value. In implementing lean in product or services, I exit be following the concept espoused by Womacks team that stressed on trinity important business issues that will be commensurate to guide the transformation process of an entire organization into a lean organization.In crop to achieve lean objectives in an organization, i t is important offset printing of all to note that the organization and the people scarpering the transformation need to subscribe to a lean vision. In order to develop this lean vision, we stack concentrate on three fundamental business issues which are Purpose, Process and People. By thinking deeply into these three aspects, a lean implementer can try to answer critical questions on the vision of the organization. If we are able to answer the attain questions that I attain associated with distributively of the aspects, I believe that we can develop a vision for lean executing in our organization.The questions would be- 1. affair what are the customer problems will the organization try to harbor in in order to achieve their own conclude of prospering? 2. Process how will the organization appraise for each one major value stream devised to make sure each whole graduation in the value stream is valuable, capable, available, adequate and flexible? 3. People how will th e organization vouch that either important process in the value stream has whatsoeverone obligated for continually evaluating it in terms of business purpose and also lean process?How will everyone multiform in the value stream be assiduous actively in the process of operating it powerful and continually improving it? As for the next step that I would take, it would be on the possible carrying into action of the core lean principle into my organization. This, I believe would involve the core of lean which is fundamentally xerox reduction. Usually, in an organization including production and service lie organizations, we can find seven basic types of waste, which I am listing below. ? Producing goods and services beyond the straightaway need of the customers. Unnecessary movement of products due to pathetic layout preparedness. ? Wasted motions when fashioning. ? Time idling and wastage. ? Implementing processes that are undistinguished to finish a product. ? Poor inven tory management. ? Many defects in the finished product or output. Usually, waste will be present in any activity that does not add any value to the finished product or services. By laborious to eliminate waste, the existent velocity will be increase drastically. This means products will reach the customers guide in a very quick manner.This is an usefulness because it delivers high strategic advantages beyond the obvious cost savings. Bad quality will be eliminated and happen times are shortened effectively. Eliminating waste can be considered as a strategic goal in service oriented and manufacturing oriented organizations. As I keep mentioned before, elimination of waste will ensure increase in strategic advantages such as increased income and increased customer satisfaction. In adapting lean processes and services, we may be confronted by about constrains and challenges. The adaptability of lean depends on the nature of our business.We have to call that there is a vast dif ference in between the service and production industries, and it lies in the line of descent that creates the variation that causes waste to happen. Logically, manufacturing operations are far more controllable compared to service constancy, because of its laboratory worry settings compared to the service industry. Uncertainty usually does result from material and labor inputs, but we can still forewarn those uncertainties and take steps to control it to a great extent. For lesson, Toyota, pioneer in lean management is production/manufacturing base organization, and the employees, product esign and the production tools are usually under the control of the operations to a great extent, rendering it easier for implementers to anticipate incredulity and implement the efficient lean management. In contrast, service organizations operate in a vast sea of uncertainty and risks and when uncertainty is present, it is much harder to anticipate and control variability that will be pres ent together with it, For example, a befuddle management company. We know that each project that the company will receive or implement will be different in nature.The volatility of the service industry, in particular a project management company, requires that lean management principles is implemented on a case by case method, i. e. different murder and methods for different projects. This nature of the service industry is contributed by a few causes. Lets look at these causes one by one- ? Uncertainty in childbed times. It is the nature of service products that the deed of each and every service delivery has some funnyness. Taking the example of the project management company, each project taken may not be similar to each other, thus making it difficult to judge the chore time needed.This variability in the service industry premises to a negative exponential distribution of childbed times. This simply means to say that most of the tasks execution will fall within a askew range, and some execution will take a longer time. Considering airplane boarding as some other example, there is uncertainty present in the feel that it will take different amount of time among different groups of customers to board the plane. ? Uncertainty in solicit. part there are slipway to forecast demand in service industry, we cant usurp that it is 100% perfect. Usually, manufacturers buffer this forecast uncertainty with some finished goods inventory, but this is not the case in the service industry for example, we can forecast that reservations for a hotel will increase during peak seasons but it depends on many other fluctuating factors. Sometimes it is very hard to predict the demand of individual customer. As an example, a wedding planner essentially does planning job for customers wedding, but this lanning differs based on customer preferences, budget and also other factors. This uncertainty renders each wedding and the process that the organization goes through t o put together the wedding, a unique one. ? Customers production enjoyments. As we can see from both the uncertainties above, we can summarise that it has much to do with customers. This is because typically, customers have some role to play in the production of a service, we barge in variability based on how well we fulfil our roles.Customers almost always have to provide some information to the service agents to initiate service, and we usually have some tangible tasks to perform. So, as I have already stated it before, this condition create unique situations that needs personal implementations of lean in order to make sure wastage is reduced and value is delivered to each individual customers. Lean implementation involves finding solutions that will be able to offset the challenges and difficulties that we may example in our organization to achieve a successful outcome that will support a private-enterprise(a) operations strategy.Professors Kent Bowen and Steven Spear (HB S DBA 99), drew on a frame fetch of 4 principles of the Toyota mathematical product System that they believed will reduce the constrains, difficulties and challenges to a minimum in order to enjoy leaner productions and service. The frame dissemble contains 4 slow implement able rules- Rule no. 1 all work should be highly particularized as to content, sequence, timing and outcome. Rule no. 2 every customer-supplier connections moldinessiness be direct, and there moldiness be an unambiguous yes or no ways to send request and receive responses.Rule no. 3 the pathway for every products and services must be simple and direct. Rule no. 4 any improvements must be made in accordance with the specific method, under the guidance of a teacher, at the lowest possible level in the organization. Basically, my plan for a successful implementation of lean depends on the 4 rules given above, but I am going to give it some malefactor with adding some additional techniques that I feel would enc ourage faster and easier ways to overcome challenges faced by organizations implementing lean.I am going to add a three step initiative taken by Wipro, an Indian software developer, which can boost the implementation of lean, which are- Abolish Hierarchies. Devise a bottom-up organization that allows many people to have a field-wide view of the process to spot problems and identify efficiencies. invariable Improvement. Using kaizen initiative. Encouraging organizational level experience sharing through effective and efficient work improvement. Lean Tools. Use of tools specific to the process based on lean principles which can be use to pinpoint wasted time and effort.A junto of both these initiatives, I believe can lead to a lean flow which will be the tool that I would utilize to mitigate the challenges that can be faced during lean implementation. Drawing up a process flow chart that represents each step that a product/service would go through is essential. It is advisable to represent these sequential processes diagrammatically in a flow chart. This is the first step towards an error and waste free production. For each and every products or processes that are present in the process flow charts, another level of details is required.This involves the task-level work with associated , with associated work-content times, with associated work-content times, quality verifications and worker qualifications. We can also upgrade a product/process matrix with products on the vertical axis and processes on the horizontal axis. At every intersection of product and process, this matrix, or spreadsheet should be recording the total reasonable validated work times that has been devised. We must also be able to calculate Takt. Takt is a German word which basically mean tick off, pace or rhythm.Businesses, especially service oriented business must march to the beat of the customers and we must keep up with our customers pace.. Takt, can be calculated as, work time per day split up by customer requirements per day. This calculation represents how often each process must be performed, and at what faculty level, to take care of your customers needs and demands and be able to meet it as before long as possible. In order to have sustainable lean benefits, the implementation of lean must bridge circuit the gap from project to project and also business practices.Quality documents procedures, policies and measures must reflect and drive Lean as a way of life. This will ensure success in reducing waste. Planning and procurance drives daily lean execution. Lean manufacturing is more responsive, with shorter lead time and greater mix and volume flexibility. We must be able to change our planning to take full advantage of lean. Bibliography Womack. J. P, Lean Enterprise convey Inc. 2009, What Is Lean (Online) Available at http//www. lean. rg/WhatsLean/ (Accessed 20th October 2009) Ahlstrom, P (2004) Lean service operations translating lean product ion principles to service operations International Journal of go Technology and Management, Vol 5, nos 5-6 pp545-564 Spear and Bowen 1999 Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System Harvard Business Review Sept-Oct Womack, J. P. and D. T. Jones 1996 Lean sentiment advanced York, Simon & Schuster. Taylor FW 1998 The Principles of Scientific Management Dover Publications New York. First published in 1911Ohno, T 1988 Toyota Production System Productivity Press Portland, Oregon. Translated from Japanese original, first published 1978 David McPhetrige, 2009, An industry consultant provides guidance on implementing a basic Lean plan. MPO magazine. (Online) Available at http//www. mpo-mag. com/articles/2009/09/meeting-the-challenges-of-lean-flow (Accessed on 21st October 2009) Hanna. J, 2007, Bringing Lean Principles to dish Industry. Harvard Business School (Online) Available at http//hbswk. hbs. edu/ gunpoint/5741. html (Accessed on 21st October 2009)