BTEC Unit

Complete all columns In the table below. Functions/skills of management Functions/skills of leadership Differences between management and leadership Planning Identifying workloads, responsibilities, collective goals. Delegating tasks and responsibility and ensuring employees work together to meet personal and workforce goals. Planning Staffing requirements and Rota's Recruitment, selection & placement. Training & development. Performance appraisal. Supervision Leadership Communication Ensuring employees are performing their roles too high standard.Taking capillary action if and when required Ensuring legal obligations are met Setting objectives for the team and the individual Planning SMART objectives and making sure the team are aware of them and motivated to meet them. Communicating and ensuring open channels of communication. Team Building supporting team members to achieve the goal as a collective Evaluating performance and using training to support team members to build on weakn esses. Motivating members of the team through smaller goals, praise, and reinforcement. Organizing and ensuring that strengths and weaknesses of the team re accounted for.Showing commitment and enthusiasm and working within the team to support its members to reach their objective. Being a leader is a skill of a good manager however you can be a manager without being a leader. Some managers can identify workloads, delegate and supervise but they do not inspire, motivate and lead effectively. In some cases the lack of leadership can be negated by a strong and motivated team however in other cases It can cause a team to fracture and not succeed to meet their objective. Outcome 2, AC 1- written question Describe the methods of allocating work to others?Why is planning and agreement of these important? In order to allocate work to teams and individuals, you need to decide with your team how to distribute tasks and responsibilities. You need to make sure this allocation makes best use of their strengths, and provides opportunities for employees to learn and develop in their roles. You need to make it clear what is expected of team members and check their commitment to their work. By planning this with team members both as a group and individually you will promote ownership of roles and increase each members dedication to meeting their individual and group objectives.Team members can request training to develop their knowledge and aspire towards more responsibility and greater tasks. Outcome 2, AC 2 – table Complete all columns within the table below. Types of conflict Ways of managing conflict Outcomes to managing conflict in this way 1 . Interdependence Conflicts. For example key worker / case holder, both employees rely on the other to complete their tasks so they can effectively complete theirs. If one person in this relationship does not do their work the other cannot complete theirs. 2. Differences in Style.Employees may have different priorities or idea s around what s important when completing a task. They may be goal or person orientated. Neither may be wrong however lack of understanding of working styles can cause conflict. 3. Differences in Background/Gender. Conflicts can arise between people because of differences in educational backgrounds, personal experiences, ethnic heritage, gender and political preferences. 4. Differences in Leadership. Employees who change from one leader to another can become confused and irritated by the different leadership styles.They may be use to a directive leader and find it difficult to manage a more nurturing approach Having a quiet word Investigating the problem informally Using internal procedures – for example, company procedures for dealing with grievances Improving the way you communicate and consult with employees Team Meetings This can sometimes resolve a conflict without the need for escalation This may be a supervisor or manager investigating the cause of conflict and taking action without the need for official procedures.This is a more formal route and will involve the manager and any HER or union representatives. A formal outcome will be reached up to and including dismissal. The company's overall goals. Allows staff to air their grievances in a positive and constructive manner. Why is it important that you recognize causes of conflict within a team? Motivation drops: fewer people volunteer to take on new tasks and there is little employee input at staff meetings or handovers. Behavior changes: people start to make derogatory remarks towards each other and a culture of gossip, and back stabbing is created.Productivity falls: there are likely to be more queries and complaints if people are not cooperating with each other. Sickness absence increases: unhappiness may lead to depression, or avoidable sickness. Unit 1 Outcome 2, AC 3 – written question Analyses the link between leadership skills and motivation? Motivation is goal-oriented behavior, and leaders influence behavior to and therefore whether or not employees achieve goals. To promote and uphold motivation on the part of employees, leaders carefully manage individual and organizational performance to reach goals that are clearly achievable.Motivation requires employees to believe that they can accomplish the task. Individuals are less likely to work toward a goal if it has little or no probability of success. Effective leaders communicate with employees to assess levels of maturity, kill and self-esteem. They promote the training, support and coaching necessary to build confidence and develop mission-essential skills. Ineffective leaders have the opposite effect; they belittle employees and their work and don't train or nurture employees so the likely hood of them buying into and ultimately achieving the goal is significantly reduced.Outcome 3, AC 1 – written question Delegation is a way of getting a Job done by someone else. This does not mean allowing anybo dy to do your Job as you don't want to but identifying the appropriate person to complete a task effectively, allowing you to strategically manage. To ensure delegation is effective the following criteria must be met: Staff know what is wanted of them They have the authority to achieve it they know how to do it. They can make decisions and complete the task whilst meeting the aims of the company.Unit 1 Outcome 3, AC 2 – written question Describe ways of coordinating delegated work? After delegating work it is important to stay in control and coordinate the work whilst refraining from stifling staff and dictating what they do. Ask for regular feedback, weather daily weekly or monthly and be prepared to teach and guide staff as well as old them accountable for their actions and work. Good communication skills are imperative as when coordinating delegated work this may mean coordinating the work of multiple staff members across several teams.Arrange and chair meetings between al l parties and ensure that communication if fluid between individuals as well as with management. If any of your staff falls short of your expectations, by being irresponsible or not completing a task, replace that person. On the other hand, if any of them does a good Job, praise, motivate, and increase the self confidence of that person. Outcome 3, AC 3 – written question Analyses possible psychological barriers to delegation? Feeling of superiority: Managers may feel that they should be seen to have the more ‘important' or ‘managerial' tasks as this will Justify their position.Fear of exposure: Senior staff may feel that if they delegate their workload and it is easily achieved by staff members then they will be seen as unimportant or at risk of employees trying to take their Job as it is achievable. Feeling of indispensability: If their Job can be done by someone else they may become dispensable and less needed or important to the companies objectives. Unit 1 Ou tcome 4, AC 1 – written question Describe the value of setting agreed work objectives with team members?Setting objectives in consultation with the supervisor allows staff the opportunity to express the way the Job gets done, raise concerns or ideas about what is to be accomplished. ‘Sharing the load' increases the staff member's commitment and motivation to achieve the agreed objectives. Ensures that the staff member understand what the allocate their time and resources effectively. Provides a clear understanding of how the work will be measured and evaluated, enabling the staff member to assess their win performance, and make any improvements where required.Outcome 4, AC 2 – table Ways of providing support to meet work objectives with team members Benefits to each type of support Induction Training Supervision Appraisal If every new starter completes a clear and comprehensive training programmer then they will be supported to fully understand the company's aims and how their role meets these aims. They will know what is expected of them and how to fulfill each task. Training develops knowledge and also provides refreshers to employees throughout their career. It reminds them not only of what to do but how to do it.Supervision takes place regularly and gives supervisor and supervise the opportunity to reflect on the supervises work practices, identify any areas which the supervise needs additional support or training. Allows the employee to reflect and develop a personal development plan which will outline objectives for the following year. It also enables the employer to make the Outcome 5, AC 1 – written question Outline ways of developing a quality culture in the workplace? Lead by example: Employees take the lead from their manager. By showing a positive practical and problem solving approach it is likely that employees will follow this example.Training: This supports employees to understand the company's objectives, how their r ole meets these objectives and supports them to have the knowledge and ability to meet their own criteria. Involve staff: The more staff are involved and consulted the more ownership they will take of a project. This goes on to increase their drive dedication and commitment to meeting the goals of the company. Try different approaches: If something isn't working don't be afraid to change it. This promotes problem solving and creativity. Outcome 5, AC 2 – written question Describe possible barriers to promoting quality in the workplace?People not knowing hat is expected: If people do not receive proper training and induction processes they may not fully understand their role, the companies aim and therefore how to provide it. Managers focusing on a quick fix: Being under pressure to fix problems may lead to a ‘band aid' approach rather than long term solutions. This may provide immediate results but will not lead to quality and consistency. Not knowing who's responsible: Without clear accountability and responsibility projects may not be managed and staff may not fully commit for fear of being held accountable for something they are not sure if they are responsible for.

Valuation Project Report

Valuation project report Valuation of the Incentive Stock Options for Procter & Gamble Co. Name: Haining Jiang Company background: In this valuation project, I will analyze a company which is mature and I am interested in. The name of the company is Procter & Gamble Co. the Procter & Gamble Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of a range of branded consumer packaged goods. The company operates in five segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric Care and Home Care, and Baby Care and Family Care.In the year of 1837, William Procter and James Gamble settled in the Queen City of the West, Cincinnati, and established themselves in business. As a result, a new company was born: Procter & Gamble. Procter & Gamble became into a listed company at a stock price and dividend which are $ 1. 7 and $ 0. 01 per month respectively in 19 Jan. 1970. For many years, P & G keep following their purpose and social responsibility at every and every corner in the world: â€Å"We will provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come.As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders and the communities in which we live and work to prosper. † Until now, P & G has become the largest consumer packaged goods company in the world at $ 67. 17 of the share price and $ 0. 562 of dividend per month. Main contents: 1. Discounted dividend valuation The most basic model is the Gordon Growth Model, which prices the stock by the dividend and future growth of dividends. The formula would be like this: V0=D0 (1+g)(r-g)=D1r-gWhere D0 is today’s dividend, which would be $ 2. 21 in our case. r is the cost of capital, r will be calculated like: Assume : The market premium = 6%* The risk-free rate = 3%* Given number in the case: ? = 0. 27 So, r = 0. 03 + 0. 27 x 0. 06 = 4. 62% The best way to estimate g is: The term g can be viewed as the return on owner’s equity times the earnings retention rate b. b = (1 – dividend payout ratio) = 1 – 58% = 42% return on equity = 14. 05% So, Sustainable growth rate = gs = 42% x 14. 05% = 5. 901% r< g, so we may meet a big problem when using the V0 formula above.But, as far as we all know, it is not possible that the firm can grow faster than r forever. The high return will attract other investors into the market to compete and the firm’s rate will eventually fall. And, I determine the long-run growth rate of dividends, gL = 3%*. g < r. Even if this data is not real in the true P&G case, I think it’s will be fine to continue our model. V0=D0 (1+g)(r-g)= $ 2. 21x(1+0. 03)(0. 0462-0. 03)=$ 140. 51 1) Two-stage dividend growth When the P & G is growing faster than r, one can use a multistage model, where the growth stages are broken into two parts.The first is the supernormal growth phase call gs , which is the rate that is higher than r. So we can assume: at the first period ( r < g ): gS = 5. 901% (as we calculated above) n = 3*; At the second period ( r > g ): r = 4. 62% (as we calculated above) gL = 3% (as we calculated above) D0 = $ 2. 21 (real data from P&G) ; As we all know the formula is: V0 = t=1n[ Dt1+rt+ Vn(1+r)n] Vn= D01+ gsn(1+ gL)(r- gL) So, V3= 2. 21Ãâ€"1+ 0. 0593(1+ 0. 03)(0. 0462- 0. 03) = $ 166. 88 V0 = 2. 21x(1+0. 059)1(1+0. 0462)1+ 2. 21x(1+0. 059)2(1+0. 0462)2+ 2. 21x(1+0. 059)3(1+0. 0462)3+ 166. 88(1+0. 0462)3 = $ 152. 27 2) Three-stage dividend growth We assume the P & G company experienced a life-cycle with a three stages that are: an early, development stage with high growth, a maturing phase with moderate growth, and a declining phase with little, no, or negative growth. The current dividend of $ 2. 21 per share will not change. Dividends are expected to grow at a rate of 10%* for 2 years. Following that, the dividends are expected t o grow at a rate of 8%* for 2 years. After the total 4 years, the dividends are expected to grow at a rate of 4%* per year, forever. The rate of return unchanged: 4. 2% (as calculated in 1. 1). We can break the calculation in to six steps: (1) Calculate the dividends for years 1 through 5: year| Dividend growth rate| Dividend| 1| 10%| 2. 431| 2| 10%| 2. 674| 3| 8%| 2. 888| 4| 8%| 3. 119| 5| 5%| 3. 275| (2) Calculate the present value of each of these dividends for years 1 through 5: Year| Dividend| Present value| 1| 2. 431| 2. 3236| 2| 2. 674| 2. 4430| 3| 2. 888| 2. 5220| 4| 3. 119| 2. 6035| 5| 3. 275| 2. 6130| (3) Calculate the present value of the dividends beyond year 4: P4= $ 3. 275(0. 0462-0. 04) = $ 528. 23 (4) Calculate the present value of the price at year 4:PVP4 = $ 528. 23(1+0. 0462)4 = $ 440. 92 (5) Calculate the sum of the present value of the dividends: PVdividends in year 1-4= t=110Dt(1+0. 0462)t = $ 12. 51 (6) Calculate the price today as the sum of the present value of dividends in years 1-4 and the price at the end of year 4: P0=$ 440. 92+$ 12. 51 = $ 453. 43 3) The uses of the dividend valuation models (1) The price-earnings ratio also known as the price-to-earnings ratio or PE ratio, is the ratio of the price per share to the earnings per share of a stock. Let us observe these data from P&G firstly: ?| 2012| 2011| 2010| stock price| $66. 6| $64. 50| $60. 44| current earings per share| $3. 82| $4. 12| $4. 32| P/E ratio| 17. 37173| 15. 65534| 13. 99074| dividend payout ratio| 58%| 50%| 42%| If we take the DVM and divide both sides by earnings per share, we arrive at an equation for the price earnings ratio in terms of dividend payout, required rate of return, and growth: P0E0= Dividend payout ratio x (1+g)r-g We can conclude the information below according to the above formula: Increase in dividend payout rate will cause increase in P/E ratio, this point is also obviously in the table above, the data comes from the real P&G case.Increase in r will cause decrease in P/E ratio Increase in growth rate will cause increase in P/E ratio. (2) we can also use the DVM to relate the price-book value ratio to factors such as the dividend payout ratio and the ROE. We assume the B0 indicate the current book value per share and ROE0 indicate the current return on book equity. As we all know: ROE0 = E0B0 , and P0=D0 (1+g)(r-g)=D1r-g ; So, we can get the formula easily below: P0=B0x ROE0 x D0E0x (1+g)(r-g) So we could get the conclusion through analyzing the above formula: increase in B0 will increase in P0; ncrease in ROE0 will increase in P0; increase in D0E0 will increase in P0; increase in g will increase in P0; increase in r will increase in P0; I believe there are plenty of other conclusions we can get from those formulas, I just mention some of them in my valuation report here. But in other words, we can fully use the DVM to find all the related fundamental factors to have further understanding through DVM. 4) What if there no d ividends? I think it’s acceptable and expectable if the P&G isn’t paying dividends now, but chooses to reinvest its money.It is a sign that the dividends in the future will be even larger. Of course, I won’t stick around with the company long enough to receive any of those dividends. But because of the growth of the company, I will realize that the eventual dividends will be even larger with the increasingly share price. After that, I can sell me shares to someone else to get my profit from it. Summary: â€Å"Valuation is the process of determining what something is worth at a point in time. When we value investments, we want to estimate the future cash flows from these investments and then discount these to the present.This process is based on the reasoning that no one will pay more today for an investment than what they could expect to get from that investment on a time and risk adjusted basis. †1 I think the paragraph I cited above not only give us the best conclusion of by valuation project report, but also tell us a definitely reason we study finance. Please Note: If the number followed a * behind it, it means this number is assumed and the others without * are all real data from P&G company finance report. 1: cited from the â€Å"Dividend Valuation Models†, by Pamela Peterson Drake, Ph. D. , CFA.

Women Combat Roles

WI agree with the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s allowance of women to be in combat position. I find it a little sexist that women were denied the chance to not have combat roles. In the article, â€Å"Pentagon Removes Ban on Women in Combat† by Ernesto Londono of The Washington Post, it says, â€Å"Panetta announced a lifting of the ban on female service members in combat roles, a watershed policy change that was informed by women’s valor in Iraq and Afghanistan and that removes the remaining barrier to a fully inclusive military. † I think that women are just as capable as men.Even if their bodies aren’t built as strong and men, they have determination and can do so many things, even better than some men. The army currently excludes women from about 25 percent of active-duty roles. The article says that, â€Å"The decision comes after a decade of counterinsurgency missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, where women demonstrated heroism on battlefields with no front lines. † To me this is proving the point that women are just as capable with men. Women are just as much as heroes as men are and just as inspiring, if not more.The Army and the marines are going to present their plans to open most jobs to women by May 15. I really think that this is an excellent idea. As the article says, it’s â€Å"monumental. † I absolutely agree. â€Å"Every time equality is recognized and meritocracy is enforced, it helps everyone, and it will help professionalize the force. † I agree that the force will be more professional with women in combat roles and not just men. Of course this announcement has created a lot of critics and lots of skeptics.The article says, â€Å"Critics of opening combat positions to women have argued for years that integration during deployments could create a distracting, sexually charged atmosphere in the force that women are unable to perform some of the more physically demanding jobs. † I say that is sexist. Women are emotionally and physically strong. They may not be able to bench press the amount that men can but they can do a whole lot and the combat roles would be very lucky to have them. If they want to dedicate their time/life to the military then let them.In the article it says, â€Å"Lifting the ban will go a long way toward changing the culture of a male dominated institution in which women have long complained about discrimination and a high incidence of sexual assault. † I think throughout history, women’s rights have been a serious issue. If they let women fight on combat roles, it would do wonders that would go down in history. Another thing the article says is, â€Å"’I’ve served with women at all levels, and based on my experience, women have done a phenomenal job,’ said the officer. Women are phenomenal, I agree. They can do amazing things, just as much as men. It’s important that the military doesn’t low er their standards of what’s acceptable and not and they address this in the article when they say, â€Å"It is critical that we maintain the same high standards that have made the American military the most feared and admired fighting force in the world. † I think that women can reach these high standards and perform them just as well. I agree with the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s position to allow women in have a role in combat positions.

How Did Deng Xiaoping Justify the Introduction of Capitalism Into a Essay

How Did Deng Xiaoping Justify the Introduction of Capitalism Into a Socialist State - Essay Example In this case, he advocated for the introduction of market reforms though the future of these plans had already sparked a lot of negative signs prior to its introduction. From a closer scrutiny of the Xiaoping’s approach to the entire situation, it can be argued that he was not well motivated to steer the entire program to its completion. However, it is important to note that the leader was much more concerned with making the process work despite the negatives. Deng Xiaoping justified the introduction of capitalism into a socialist state by virtue that the peasants had spent a great deal of their time saving the amounts of produce produced to themselves as opposed to selling them to the free market. In the opinion of Deng Xiaoping, the entire would be better off if they handled both the profits and losses from their businesses. If collective responsibility would be adopted in the society, Deng Xiaoping believed that the entire country would be more productive for the reason tha t all persons would be careful not to incur any form of losses, as compared to shared profits and losses. The same case would apply for the industrial sector; in that if the factories incurred losses, they would find their own way of dealing with the blunders made. In this view point, Xiaoping’s need to come up with policies of capitalism in this socialist state was to awaken the aura of responsibility among its citizens. On another point of view, Xiaoping aimed at creating a conducive environment for the investors to come into the country. Though a lot of profits went to hands of a few persons, Xiaoping was contented with the fact that the country was undergoing a form of awakening from the fact that profits and losses were not collectively shared, but all investors whether the rich and the poor had to make all initiatives to deal with the current tough economic drawback. In turn, the society resulted into a mass of hardworking persons, all with the aim of pulling their own efforts together for their success. It can debatably be indicated that the validation of the overture of capitalism into a socialist China regime can be accredited to the fact that Xiaoping was looking for a lifelong resolution to the depression that was being experienced in the country. Xiaoping was certainly setting a ground for capitalism roots, through the move faced a lot of critics. In my standpoint, I am of the outlook that this aspect has a lot to contribute to the transition of the country from free enterprise to socialism. The prospects of privatization, in his opinion would create a new aura in the citizens who would be keen in all endeavors they make in terms of economic developments and investors. It cannot be ignored that the leader was not bound to stop at anything, an explanation of the fact that he named his policy, socialist market economy, which clearly was inclusive of capitalist policies despite the title. In your opinion, to what extent had these pro-market app roaches affected CCP's capacity to control the Chinese society? In an attempt to deal with all these changes that were taking place in the country, CCP's capacity to

Do you believe that life exists elsewhere in the universe Why or why Essay

Do you believe that life exists elsewhere in the universe Why or why not Please use science to support your claims - Essay Example facing of UFO’s and many discoveries of water and bones on different planets has confirmed that water is the source of life in the extraterrestrial world same as it is in plane earth. In 2011, Richard Hoover, a famous astrobiologist US space centre Alabama , claimed that filaments, meteoroids and other substances are giving the glimpse of microscopic fossils of extraterrestrial life that resemble cyanobacteria which is known as a phylum of photosynthetic bacteria (Science News). The extraterrestrial world tries to communicate with us using different UFO based vehicles, radio signals which are caught by scientists and travelers but there is a massive study going on about the means of communication the people of human beings should use in order to communicate with what we call â€Å"aliens†. Language is the main hindrance and the science can carry out the way in which we can use the decoding of the alien language and then the humans can send the synchronizing messages to interact with the living beings outside the

Cultural Immersion Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Immersion Experience - Essay Example The researcher states that the set up for Hejazi market was quite diversified and grand. Since it was a common ground for all the races and Muslim culture promotes equality considering all men equal in the eyes of God hence it was made sure that no disparity of any sort occurs. The event was a showcase of the Arab traditions, therefore, the arrangement was done in a manner that represented the Arab culture extravagance and grace. Furthermore, since the Arab culture and Islam has strict rules regarding women exploitation hence the event was segregated where there was no sort of physical contact between the male and the females. The event formally started with recitation of the Holy Qur'an. Praise was given to the sovereign and almighty. Later the event formally started with speeches by the organizers and the ones in power (chief guests). Later all those races which came to this market were introduced. After that all individuals who wanted to share their experience regarding the event or how various cultures and races have added to their well-being. These people shared their thoughts with the audience. This event allowed individuals to share what they have learned from dwelling with different races thus giving then a good opportunity to socialize. This event is a very important component in developing unity, harmony, and sustainability within the region. This event was very grand and had various races that were present to share their experiences. Mostly there were Arabs belonging to various tribes and settings. Also, there were Arabs who specially came from the rural areas in order to attend this grand convention. There was a lot of cultural diversity seen when it came to linguistics, clothing, food. Hence it was a very enriching experience as one got to know people from other races better. Initially, it was a bit difficult for the author to socialize with the groups. As they knew that the researcher is studying abroad some people have issues with that as they th ought that the author has adopted western culture. For others, it was a source of pride to have an Arab studying abroad. Once the researcher introduced himself to the people all welcomed him warm-heartedly. They asked the author about the western culture and whether it was difficult for him to socialize and mix with the natives. They also talked about their race and how things have transformed with time. One thing that the author observed was the temptation to acquire knowledge and learn present in all individuals there. Hence the overall response was quite positive. Initially, it was quite difficult for the author to be out of his comfort zone. Prior to attending the event, the researcher was doubtful about how he would be received there. But to his surprise, the response was very positive and heartwarming.

Look at the Assignment Criteria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Look at the Assignment Criteria - Essay Example The philosophies and principles that form the basis of Islamic banking have been detailed in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. Islamic banking is seen as the revival of Islam. This is also taken as an expression of the Muslims to live on the principles of Islam. In Malaysia, there is a separate legislation governing the Islamic banks and these co-exist with the traditional banks. The Islamic Banking Act of 1983 vested the powers in the BNM to ensure that the Islamic banks worked under regulation. Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB) was the first Islamic bank to be established in 1983 and they adhere to the principles as stated in the sharia. (PKUKM, n.d.). By 1992 BIMB spread out all over the country. Very soon it developed a network of 80 branches with 1200 people working in them. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad (BMMB), the second Islamic bank, came into existence following the merger of Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad (BBMB) with Bank of Commerce (Malaysia) Berhad (BOCB ). The Islamic banking system can be viable if it fulfills there vital requirements. The number of players in the banking system should be large; they should offer a wide range of financial and banking instruments. Besides, there should be an active Islamic money market (PKUKM, n.d.). In addition, the Islamic banking system should have the characteristics of Islam and work under those principles. BNM played the lead role in disseminating Islamic banking at the national level so that it could reach all Malaysians. The commercial banks too were encouraged to promote Islamic banking products and services from their existing infra structure and branches. This increased the number of institutions that offered Islamic banking products and services within the shortest time and minimum costs. Under the scheme known as "Skim Perbankan Tanpa Faedah" BNM further enhanced the promotion of Islamic banking. The Islamic banks or the

Thesis statement and Reaction Response Paper Essay

Thesis statement and Reaction Response Paper - Essay Example In many ways Doyle’s friendship with nationalists and individuals interested in the self-determination of people groups caused him to be viewed by individuals within the United Kingdom’s power structure as something of an outsider or, even worse, as something of an enemy. However, regardless of his tacit support for Irish Independent and other issues of a more domestic nature, Doyle also spent a large majority of his life campaigning against the immorality and injustice that colonialism represented. Within his piece entitled â€Å"The Crime of the Congo† Doyle illustrates the way in which the colonial powers of Britain, as well as many other European powers, were negatively impacting upon the happiness, well-being, and self-determination of an otherwise industrious and proud people fully half a world away. As a function of detailing how exceptionally horrific colonialism was, specifically within the Congo, Doyle focuses upon issues relating to long hours, slavery, a focus on profit and production with a disregard for humanity, and the innate levels of cruelty, and other issues that most Europeans might not be familiar with. Accordingly, with respect to the long hours, Doyle related to the fact that even though slavery was outlawed within Europe, it was still readily practice within many of the colonies. For instance, the individuals that were responsible for primary production and transporting the goods from one place to another oftentimes woke up at 6 o’clock in the morning and worked until 8 in the evening (Doyle, 2011). Whereas this was uncommon to say the least within England, the nature of the work and the manner by which these individuals were treated was tantamount to nothing more than slavery. If profits are high, they push for even further profitability and even more production; something that the individuals that are virtually enslaved in this process cannot

Forest Fire Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Forest Fire - Article Example ts from fire danger rating systems can be used for prevention planning, preparedness planning, detection planning, initial attack dispatching, fire behavior evaluation just to mention a few. It is hence noted that the use of fire management systems has several advantages. Canada has identified that historically, there have been four developmental stages in the country’s fire management programs (Taylor & Alexander, p3). What this means is that fire danger systems must be dynamic enough to evolve in support of decision making that is continuously getting complex. The systems, according to experts, in order to be effective must be based on factors that are accurately measurable and that are consistent irrespective of place and time. Two types of error may result from the application of fire danger systems; low and high fire danger levels. The low danger level error is grave and may easily result in the management system underestimating a fire’s potential (Taylor & Alexander, p4). The CFFDRS (Canadian Forest Fire danger Rating System) has continued to evolve ever since its introduction. The Fire Weather Index (FWI) system that is currently used in the country was developed in the 70s and then involved the manual observation of fires from fire weather stations. The system’s values were then determined by consulting look-up tables since electronic communication and computer systems were widely unavailable. In the 80s and 90s, remote automatic weather stations were developed. This went hand in hand with developments in communications technology. In a review published by the Canadian government in 1987, it was noted that the CFFDRS had saved a whooping 750 million Canadian dollars to the country with a cost-to- benefit ratio of about 1:3 (Taylor & Alexander, p6). Underlying every modern fire management system is the fire danger rating scheme. It is through such systems that scientific knowledge of the potential of fires can be synthesized and integrated with

LUPUS Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

LUPUS - Term Paper Example lupus is â€Å"a chronic inflammatory disease† that appears when the immune system of a person attacks different tissues and organs (Mayo Clinic, n.p). The inflammation that is considered to be the result of lupus affects different body systems (Mayo Clinic, n.p). It is possible to name joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs (Mayo Clinic, n.p). Lupus is remained to be an autoimmune disease as it is connected with the irregular functioning of the immune system. The matter is that healthy immune system protects the organism of a person from foreign germs by making antibodies (Ginzler and Tayar, n.p.). In a case of lupus the immune system works differently and â€Å"instead of producing protective antibodies, an autoimmune disease begins and makes "autoantibodies," which attack the patients own tissues† (Ginzler and Tayar, n.p.). A huge number of damages for the organism of a person are appeared in such a way. As a result an inflammation in different body systems appear. It is relevant to admit that sometimes lupus can be difficult to diagnose as this disease has a number of general features that can be interpreted as some other disease. However, there are some specific features that are peculiar for this illness. It is possible to include fatigue, skin rashes, hair loss, joint aches and pains, dry eyes, depression and kidney problems to the general symptoms of lupus (Hughes, 9). In addition, â€Å"the inflammation of tissues covering internal organs† in considered to be one more general feature of this disease (Hughes, 9). Considering all these symptoms it is possible to find out some specialties that are peculiar for lupus. Skin is regarded as one of the commonest organs affected by lupus (Hughes, 13). People who suffer from this disease have an extremely sensitive skin and therefore they suffer from different rushes, mosquito bites and sun (Hughes, 13). Butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose is considered to be peculiar for this

NO TOPIC Discussion Questions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NO TOPIC Discussion Questions - Research Paper Example He also lost the salary that he could have earned ($120,000) had he chose to stayed in his previous work. Since he was in Africa for two years, he lost $240,000 ($120,000 x 2 years) plus $150,000 savings. In addition he also lost the opportunity to receive additional salary through annual increase and the interest earned by his $150,000 had he invested it somewhere else. Assuming that his annual increase is 5% and the interest income of his $150,000 savings is 10%, his total opportunity cost for his failed venture in Africa are the following Marginal Cost is the additional cost that will be incurred in adding one more unit of an item which in this case is one more ECO/561 class. In the same vein, Marginal Revenue is the additional revenue that will be generated by adding one more ECO/561 class. The  increase  or  decrease  in the  total cost  of a  production run  for  making  one  additional  unit  of an  item. It is computed in situations where the  breakeven point  has been reached: the  fixed costs  have already been  absorbed  by the already produced  items  and only the  direct  (variable)  costs  have to be accounted for. Q#3- Scenario - Assume you are a new analyst hired by UOP. The Admissions Director (AD) wants to determine the optimum number of students for each ECO561 class. You are provided with the following data   Opportunity costs are those values foregone by choosing another course of action. In my case, my opportunity cost is the salary foregone when I decided to take the course. Along the way, I have to make time to attend class and do my homework which I could have spent working and make money. Opportunity costs are always considered in evaluating strategic opportunities. By quantifying the opportunity cost, or the costs that will be given up by choosing specific alternative, we are able to quantify the costs associated in choosing a specific strategy. This way, we can determine which course of

Claptons recording Essay Example for Free

Claptons recording Essay A distinct genre of music originated between 1890 and 1910 drawing from elements of African American music, and emerging ragtime and jazz and this genre came to be known as the blues. The main instruments of blues music are the guitar, piano, harmonica, along with violin, mandolin, string bass, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, and the drum set. From the late 1950s, following the incorporation of electric bass and keyboards into blues ensembles and the ascendancy of electric lead guitar and soul blues singing, blues experienced a slowdown in its evolutionary development within the American black community. This halt also coincided with the growth of white interest and involvement in the blues. And soon a few white solo performers, such as John Hammond, Jr. , began to emerge as blues specialists (Moore, 2002). This provided great impetus in the growth of blues popularity among American whites and internationally. Most of these performers continued to work within established contemporary blues parameters or explored and re-created historical sounds, creating new songs, sometimes developing new themes to reflect a more modern lifestyle, and maintaining a high level of instrumental virtuosity (Moore, 2002). While rock and blues have historically always been closely linked, blues-rock as a distinct genre did not arise until the late 1960s. The genre was originally British, with artists like Alexis Korner and John Mayall forming bands. John Mayall started a band called The Bluesbreakers in 1963, and he was able to recruit a young British guitarist named Eric Clapton in 1965. Eric Clapton is a British guitarist, singer, and songwriter, specially noted for his virtuoso guitar playing and whose style is based on American blues as played by T-Bone Walker, B. B. King, Muddy Waters, and particularly Robert Johnson. Clapton was influential in the development of rock music in the 1960s, playing with the Yardbirds (1963–65), John Mayalls Bluesbreakers (1965–66), Cream (1966–68), Blind Faith (1969), and Derek and the Dominos (1970–71). His first solo recording, Eric Clapton, featuring the hit After Midnight, was released in 1970. In seclusion from 1971 while battling heroin addiction, he resurfaced in 1974 with 461 Oceanside Boulevard, which included a version of Bob Marleys I Shot the Sheriff. (Where’s Eric, 2006). Eric Claptons influences and upbringing played a huge role in his evolution as a blues musician. As a teenager, he was drawn to such blues masters as Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson. Jamming in pubs and clubs, Eric soon joined the Yardbirds, a commercially performing group marked for great success. Eric Clapton left the band in 1965 and seeking a purer avenue to the blues, he briefly joined John Mayall The Bluesbreakers. Eric stayed for just one album and decided to break away mainly because the work rate imposed by Mayall left little time for fun. Moreover, Eric got bored of simply copying his blues heroes in John Mayalls band and felt it was time to turn his artistry into creativity. He also recognized a kindred spirit in Jack Bruce. In 1968 that Clapton formed Cream with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. This group showcased his talent at potent, extended guitar improvisations and produced vastly different original music including the hits White Room, Strange Brew and Sunshine of Your Love (Roberty, 1995) Eric Clapton, over the years has recorded many blues songs. But he always made it a point to provide benefit and credit to the original artists of blues music. Claptons recording of Skip James â€Å"Im So Glad†, was recorded when Clapton was a member of the power trio Cream. The credit obtained through this song was a huge help for original blues artist James; royalties from the recording paid Jamess medical expenses at a time when he was virtually destitute (Weissman, 2004). Cream folded two years later when Clapton left to form Blind Faith with Steve Winwood, Rick Grech and Ginger Baker. This group too did not last over a year and soon Clapton, in search of further freedom and expression recorded his debut solo album in 1970, joining forces with the American team of Delaney and Bonnie. It was then that he began to actively develop his vocal skills simultaneously working on the state of rock guitar, as part of Delaney and Bonnie Friends. He also worked with Derek and the Dominos, where, in the company of Duane Allman, he fashioned such enduring classics as Layla (Roberty, 1995). The early and mid-seventies was a time of great struggle for Eric Clapton as he battled with drug addiction. He had huge solo hits such as 461 Ocean Boulevard and also traveled a lot during this period. Albums in the mid-to-late 70s, such as ‘Theres One in Every Crowd’, E. C. Was Here and No Reason To Cry, were all Top 20 chart hits. It was an era defined by such Clapton-classics as Wonderful Tonight, I Shot the Sheriff,† Lay down Sally and the 1978 release â€Å"Slowhand†. Clapton began an amazing run of gold and platinum successes that continue to this day. Claptons place in music history had long since been assured but it is important to note that his popularity was largely due to his strong adherence to total musical integrity, which brought him, time and again, back to the basics of the blues. Recently Eric Clapton on the success of his blues album â€Å"The Cradle† has said: The bones of this thing are coming from inside me and my need to pay back all these people that I heard from Day One†. In this latest album, he has paid tribute to blues gurus such as Robert Johnson, Lowell Fulsom, Elmore James, Willie Dixon and the inimitable Muddy Waters. Thus, whether playing electric or acoustic, Eric Clapton remains the quintessential blues guitarist. Bibliography: Wheres Eric! (2006), A Brief Biography of Eric Clapton. Issue 39. http://www. ericclaptonfaq. com/biography-ecs-life-career/clapton-biography-mother-father-grandparents-wife-children-son-daughter-addiction-. html Moore, Allan (2002). The Cambridge Companion to Blues and Gospel Music. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, England. 2002. Weissman, Dick (2004). Blues: The Basics. Routledge Publishers. New York. 2004 Eric Clapton: Blues You Cant Loose. http://www. iem. ac. ru/clapton/ Roberty, Marc (1995). The complete guide to the music of Eric Clapton. Omnibus Press. 1995.

Effect of Interventions on Mental Health of Offshore Workers

Effect of Interventions on Mental Health of Offshore Workers 5.3 Study 2 – Qualitative Insights Research Question: what is the effect of Intervention policies, from the perspective of the offshore industry, on the mental health of offshore workers? Based on the views of the offshore representatives who participated in this study, this research identified five themes which aim to explain the effect of intervention policies on the mental health of offshore workers. 5.3.1 Theme One: Mental Health Awareness Upon reflection of the quotes associated with theme one, it can be seen that P1 is able to expand on how mental health problems can arise, not only from personal experiences but from the workplace itself. According to Mind (2011), employer awareness of mental health at work in the UK is poor, with most senior representatives vastly underestimating the scale of the problem and how it can affect companies worldwide. Awareness of mental health conditions amongst management and their employees, through education, training and communication can reduce negative attitudes and stigma attached to the adjustments being put in place (Department of Health 2012). Educating people on mental health conditions is seen to be an effective method to fight stigma. A study conducted by Pinfold et al (2005) used mental health awareness programmes in schools in UK and Canada to combat stigmatism and to educate young people on misinformation surrounding mental health conditions. The study provided evidence to suggest that short educational workshops can produce positive change in young people’s views of mental illness. Whilst, this cannot be applied directly to the Oil and Gas industry, it highlights the benefits of ‘awareness raising’ sessions. However, on the contrary OECD (2012) suggests that increased perceptions of mental health problems i.e. increasing rates of disability benefit, has changed the view of the work capacity of people with mental disorders. This implies that better awareness has led to further exclusion from the workforce. These findings are similar to those discussed in the literature review; whereby Stuart (2006) suggests prejudicial attitudes from employers remain a barrier for those suffering from mental health. 5.3.2 Theme Two: Macho Culture Organisational culture has been defined as the specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization† (Hill and Jones 2001 p?). According to Wright (1994) (cited in Lindoe et al 2014 p. 65) the oil industry in western society has always been dominated by a macho culture, meaning that macho type values, beliefs have governed the way in which offshore workers think and behave. This supports the secondary findings, as Ely Meyerson (2008) identified ‘Macho culture’ to be significant barrier when getting males to admit to their mistakes which may have caused or had the potential to cause an accident. However, the present study highlights that this macho culture and masculinity ideals from an organisational perspective are a significant barrier to their psychological help seeking. Deal and Kennedy (1982) identified four distinct culture types, determined by a combination of two parameters: feedback (praise, rewards) and risk (uncertainty). One of the cultures identified is the Tough Guy Macho Culture. They believe that this culture involves an organisation of risk takers that receive quick feedback on whether their actions were right or wrong. Culture is learned and reinforced (refer to learning theory) – the Oil and Gas industry has existed for decades, for this culture to remain prevalent in contemporary society speaks volumes. It is important for the industry to ignite a cultural change, because this macho culture no longer fits the ever changing environment. Cummings Worley (2005) have conducted research which suggests the following guidelines are effective for introducing cultural change. This first is to formulate a clear strategic vision, display Top-management commitment, model culture change at the highest level, modify the organisation to support organisational change, select and socialize newcomers and terminate deviants and finally to develop ethical and legal sensitivity. 5.3.3 Theme Three: Environmental Downfalls The participants acknowledge that mental health problems amongst offshore personnel can be linked to the environment, which as discussed in the literature review is isolating and environmentally challenging (Gardner 2003). Several sources of stress and anxiety identified in relation to the isolated location of several North Sea Installations are; sleeping patterns, shared living, lack of privacy, financial insecurity etc. However, Cooper and Sutherland (1987) stated that the key contributor to lower mental well- being was the stress associated with being away from one’s spouse or partner, a factor which was identified within the transcript. http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/othpdf/500-599/oth523.pdf 5.3.4 Theme Four: Reliance Reluctance It is clear from the findings in Chapter 4, that both participants are in agreement that in order for interventions and support mechanisms to be put in place the employee needs to disclose their mental health condition. However, it was highlighted by Stuart (2006) that prejudicial attitudes from employers remain a barrier for those suffering from mental health, hence the reason why employees are reluctant to disclose their psychiatric history. According to Haslam et al’s (2005) study, the reason for employee reluctance is because they feel they may be judged by their employer because the stigma attached to mental illness. Moreover, lack of promotional to show they are encouraging people to seek help? This was supported in the qualitative researcher findings by P1? However, there appears to be a dissension between P1 and P2 in regards to their organisational reluctance to promote the existing interventions methods to the workforce. 5.3.5 Theme Five: Promotional Shortcomings The results of the present study suggests that the aim of health promotion in the Oil and Gas industry should be focused on: (1) communicate the intervention methods that currently exist i.e. EAP (2) promote cultural change and encourage a culture whereby offshore workers did not feel ashamed to disclose their mental health condition (3) change the beliefs employees have about their employers regards for their well-being. Communicating mental health intervention methods shows the workforce that as an organisation they are not afraid to broach the subject, this in turn will encourage employees to come forward and seek the help available to them. Eisenberger et al (1986) stated that employees develop beliefs about the extent to which their organisation cares about their well-being. These beliefs help create an employees’ assessment of whether their employer will reward greater effort and help them to complete their jobs and cope with stressful situations. Taking a social exchange perspective, such beliefs will be reciprocated through employee behaviours and deference. Evidence suggests that beliefs about an organisation’s concern for employee well-being have a positive impact on an individual’s workforce performance, which, in turn, influences organizational performance (Podsakoff et al., 2000). 5.4 Limitations There were a number of notable methodological limitations in this research and it is important that these are highlighted before going on to make any conclusions or future recommendations. Firstly, the lack of time and money accessible for the study hindered the amount of research that could be carried out. For example, the researcher would have liked to have used other participants such as OIM’s or Counsellors to collect more detailed data. Furthermore, another possible improvement that could have been implemented is that rather than giving a questionnaire to participants, personal interviews would have elicited greater information regarding their knowledge and attitudes towards mental health and their organisations current intervention methods. However, the researcher would not have been able to capture as many responses if this qualitative method was used. Chapter 6 – Conclusion and Recommendations 6.1 Recommendations 6.1.1 Recommendations for the Oil and Gas Industry From the study it is clear that stigma continues to influence the ways in which offshore personnel deal with their mental health condition. The results convey that levels of depression, anxiety and stress are experienced amongst offshore workers, with high levels of stress being associated with the negative opinions of the current intervention methods in place. Therefore, to maximise support and to ensure the duty of care is being directly adhered to, Oil and Gas companies worldwide should promote and educate offshore workers, onshore staff, and management about mental well-being. To do this, Management or those in a supervisory role should be provided with an opportunity to attend a two day Mental Health Training courses which are available across the UK, some of which are free and some cost up to  £100. This course covers a range of areas surrounding mental health, but most importantly it helps teach individuals to spot the signs and how to approach and intervene if necessary. Furthermore, prevention and early interventions should be the key focus when improving mental health within the workplace. There are three different types of prevention including; Primary prevention (prevent the onset of the disorder), Secondary prevention (Detect early signs and intervene early) and finally, Tertiary prevention (Early effective treatment to prevent disability) (Martel 2009). Martel (2009) suggests that the above prevention strategies are essential when preventing work-related mental health problems. However, in order to undertake any preventative program, it is essential that management are committed to change factors within their control and to implement action plans continuously. 6.1.2 Future Research Recommendations The data set obtained in the present study provides opportunities for future research, which could throw further light on how mental health is experienced in the offshore environment and how the oil and gas industry as a whole reacts to these psychological mishaps. Combining the present data with medical history records of offshore personnel and formally reported mental health conditions to employers would be valuable to see whether or not appropriate actions were taken. Furthermore, the present study did not attempt to identify the specific aspects of the offshore environment which may account for high levels of depression, anxiety and stress. If future research was to be conducted it may beneficial to investigate the key causes of psychological distress in an offshore working environment, so that employers are able to tackle the issues at the forefront with appropriate interventions.

The Impact Of The Olympics And Paralympics Tourism Essay

The Impact Of The Olympics And Paralympics Tourism Essay The aim of this essay is to identify the impact of the Olympics and Paralympics on tourism in London, illustrating environmental, economical and social effects. Firstly, the essay will assert how the Olympics affected the environment, even though in 2005 London engaged to stage the  ¿Ã‚ ½greenest games ¿Ã‚ ½ in history. Moreover, the influence of the games upon the economy will be underlined, defining both, positive and negative aspects regarding the host of the Olympics. Furthermore, the social effects of the 2012 Olympic Games will be examined, emphasizing the evolution of not only East London area and the main tourist attractions during the summer of 2012, but of the entire city. This essay will argue that the Olympics and Paralympics had both positive and negative aspects, having an important influence upon London and causing changes in economy, society and environment. London ¿Ã‚ ½s 2012 Olympics and Paralympics had a strong impact against the environment. The environment protection played one of the decisive parts of London ¿Ã‚ ½s bid for the games, London planning since July 2005 to stage  ¿Ã‚ ½the greenest games in history ¿Ã‚ ½. The main concept of the games was  ¿Ã‚ ½One Planet Olympics ¿Ã‚ ½, London concentrating on minimising the carbon emissions, on biodiversity, waste and advertising the protection of the environment against pollution. First of all, for the low carbon emissions, London planned to reduce the venues construction, using the existing legacy as the official website of the Olympics stated Furthermore, the new venues built, the Olympic Stadium, the Velodrome and the Aquatics Centre were energy-efficient, created to be sustainable as far as possible. In addition to reduce the carbon emissions  ¿Ã‚ ½footprint ¿Ã‚ ½, London promoted public transport, offering one day travel pass to everyone who bought a ticket for the games and also tried to instigate people to go to the Olympics cycling or walking with the aid of the  ¿Ã‚ ½Active Travel programme ¿Ã‚ ½ as it was written in The Independent newspaper: The environment impact was significant, even though all the measures were taken to host completely sustainable games. Thereby, the initial target of the planning committee of London Olympics was to use only renewable energy to minimise the carbon emissions. Even if the original purpose was to stage the most sustainable games, they were not entirely sustainable, though the 2012 Olympics had certainly a considerable less impact against the environment than any other Olympic Games in the history. The wind tunnels were also an important plan of the committee, helping to supply approximately 20% of the energy demanded for the games, but eventually this measure was not taken. The results of the target were harsh criticised by Darren Johnson, one of the members of London Assembly Green Party who stated in the BBC news: Even if in great measure the Olympics affected London ¿Ã‚ ½s environment, they had positive effects too, causing important changes in the environment. The most significant positive change that happened was the waterways dredging. They invested in a multi-million pound programme for dredging the waterways around the Olympic Park, which helped to develop the wildlife, but also improved the water quality. The dredging programme helped to remove tonnes of garbage, as the study  ¿Ã‚ ½From Brown to Green  ¿Ã‚ ½ of the Olympic Delivery Authority concluded Moreover, another well known project, which helped to improve the environment was  ¿Ã‚ ½Green Clean-up ¿Ã‚ ½, which cleaned a huge area around the Olympic Park. Hundreds of thousands of soil were purified by  ¿Ã‚ ½The soil Hospital ¿Ã‚ ½ cleaning it from contaminants and transforming it into material which could be re-used. Economy has likewise suffered many changes, 2012 Olympics and Paralympics having a huge impact upon London ¿Ã‚ ½s economy. One of the most important impact that the games had on London economy was creating new jobs. It was announced by the government that per total, approximately 30.000 new jobs will be created from 2009 to 2012. An essential change that helped boosting the economy was building the new shopping Center, Westfield Stratford City next to Olympic Park. By opening a new shopping centre in such a poor area like Stratford provided thousands of new jobs, but also transformed one of the poorest areas into a main attraction zone for tourists as Mr. Johnson declared for BBC news: Even if there were plenty of positive changes upon London ¿Ã‚ ½s 2012 economy, negative aspects were visible too. Furthermore, another impact of the games was the regeneration of Stratford area and the surroundings. The London Development Agency ¿Ã‚ ½s target besides regenerating was to develop this zone for 30 years after the Olympics. Moreover, thousands of new affordable houses were built around the Olympic Park as it is stated in a report made by British Library Although there were plenty of positive changes upon London ¿Ã‚ ½s 2012 economy, negative aspects were visible too. One of the negative impacts is that the economy grew only by 1% when everyone expected it to grow much more than it did. The hospitality industry presumed this summer will be the most prosperous because of the mega event, but in fact, it was proved to be an unpleasant surprise and most of the hotels were empty as one hotelier declared for Daily Mail newspaper: Also, The British Museum has reported a considerable decrease in the number of visitors, in comparison with the past years, London being described as a  ¿Ã‚ ½ghost town ¿Ã‚ ½ this time of the year. Besides hospitality industry, which has not gained as much as it was expected to, also the taxi business suffered a great loss because the demand for cabs decreased by about 20-40% as the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers, Steve McNamara Association declared in The Independent newspaper. London ¿Ã‚ ½s 2012 Olympics and Paralympics had likewise a huge impact upon London ¿Ã‚ ½s social life. The decision of hosting the 2012 Olympics had mostly positive effects upon London. First of all, hosting the games stimulated people to discover more of London ¿Ã‚ ½s national treasures such as museums, monuments and inform tourists about the unique places that London has to offer. Moreover, another social change that took place was encouraging people to take part in more cultural programmes and activities and inform the international audience about the culture of Great Britain as it was stated in Meta-Evaluation of the Impacts and Legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games report. Also, another positive aspect of staging the Olympics is referring to social actions and volunteering. Analyses showed an increase in the volunteering and community activities, people being encouraged to participate in volunteering programmes co-operating to help developing the society, focusing on the preparations for the most waited event, London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. Another positive change upon London ¿Ã‚ ½s social life would be that Olympics will enhance and support sports activities and will invest in facilities to encourage people take part in sports activities for a healthier life. One of the negative impacts against London ¿Ã‚ ½s social life was the fact that the city became very crowded because tourists from all over the world came to London this summer to attend the mega event. Furthermore, another negative aspect was that the quantity of litter increased taking into consideration that the number of tourists increased that much and nevertheless, hosting the games increased also the quantity of pollution. Another negative aspect would be the fact that many buildings such as schools and campuses were demolished to build instead of them the venues for the Olympic Games and people were forced to move from the Olympic Park area. In conclusion, 2012 Olympics and Paralympics had a significant impact on London ¿Ã‚ ½s tourism. Since 2005, London ¿Ã‚ ½s tourism experienced three phases. Firstly, after July 2005 when United Kingdom won the bid to host the Olympics in 2012, tourism in London increased, visitor coming to see the hosting city of the 2012 Olympic Games. Secondly, the most important phase, during the Olympics, when millions of tourists came to London to attend the most waited event for the United Kingdom, which boosted the industry of tourism in London. Besides amplifying the tourism industry, the Olympics had also a substantial effect upon the economy, the society and the environment. The statistics reported that after the Olympics the economy grew by 1% percent, but also the social and environmental impacts were notable because hosting the games led to regenerate and develop one of the poorest areas of London and transformed it into a main attraction zone for visitors. The last phase of the Olymp ics impact upon London ¿Ã‚ ½s tourism represents the period after hosting the games. Although the benefits of hosting the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics were not as significant as everyone thought, they had a huge impact upon London ¿Ã‚ ½s tourism, remaining known as  ¿Ã‚ ½the greenest games ¿Ã‚ ½ in history.

Mind Match :: essays research papers

Mind Match Host (Kevin): Welcome back to "Mind Match." After Round 1 Jerry's in the lead, he's got Timmy, Suzie, Ramon, Vanessa, and Carlo and Susan is right behind with Amy, Shelly, Tom, and Danny. So Jerry, you're a computer programmer from Boston. How do you like Beantown? Jerry (Tom): Um, when I came on the show, I was under the impression that you could win prizes or money. Not orphaned children. Host: Oops, looks like someone didn't read the fine print. Susan, you're a computer programmer also. Susan (Kerri): Um, I have a very small apartment. I don't know what I would do with four foster children. Host: Well, figure it out because you're their legal guardian and it's time for Round 2, where the orphan points double. Okay, the first question is: "Mick Jagger is the lead singer of the Rolling ....." (ding!) Jerry? Jerry: Bears? The Rolling Bears? Host: Oh, I'm sorry, Jerry, that's incorrect. The correct answer is stones, the Rolling Stones. So Susan you win that round and here are Matt and Timmy. Susan: I didn't say anything. I mean, I didn't answer. You must've- Host: A smart move. A wrong answer could have cost you the lead. (Bell) Hey, that bell means it's time for our Double Dare question! Jerry, how many of your orphans are you willing to wager? Jerry: All- all of them. Host: Hey, it looks like Jerry is looking to double his orphans. Susan, how many will you bet? Susan: Well, uh, all of them. Host: Well, now, it looks like it's make-it-or-break-it time for our contestants! Okay, Jerry's behind so he gets the first question. And the question is, "Name a form of transportation?" (ding!) Host: Jerry? Jerry: Blue? (buzzer) Host: Oh, Jerry I am so sorry. Blue is not a form of transportation. And that will cost you your orphans. Oh, so close Jerry. So close. Susan, now's your chance to win it all. Name a form of transportation! (ding!) Host: Susan? Susan: Wooden? Host: Hmm? Can we accept "wooden"? You can make a car out of wood, boats are wood--(ding!) Boats are wood! Yes! Susan you've doubled your orphans!

The Earth’s Nuclear Core Essay -- Easrth Geology Geological Essays

The Earth’s Nuclear Core The Earth’s core is like a massive nuclear reactor, burning uranium into lighter elements, and producing much of the geological phenomenon observed on the Earth. This fission reactor is responsible for producing most of the Earth’s heat and energy, as well as, the phenomenon of geomagnetism. There is substantial reason to believe that the center of the Earth is a massive nuclear reactor derived from empirical data observed in the earth, and logical evidence to prove that the theory is true. The theory started when geologists in the fifties began whether natural occurring nuclear fission was possible. Eventually, empirical evidence presented itself. In 1972 at the Oklo uranium mine in western Africa, a natural nuclear fission reactor was discovered deep within the earth. The discovery provided an answer to the possibility of naturally occurring nuclear fission in the earth. Based on this discovery and other logical observations, the geophysicist, J. Marvin Herndon, proposed his theory in 1972, of massive planetary nuclear reactors. Recently Herndon proposed his newest theory. The theory is that the Earth has an estimated, five mile diameter, nuclear fission reactor in it’s core. This theory contradicts many traditional theories of geophysics, but is not with out ample evidence and reason to testify to it’s likely hood. Herndon, explains the conditions that must be present for a natural fission process to occur. The process of fission is the simply put, the breaking apart of heavy atoms to create lighter more stable atoms. Most elements try to become more stable through the processes of fusion or fission. These elements will generally form into a noble gas, those elements in ... ...m is that nobody has been able to disprove this theory. The founder of the theory, J. M. Herndon says, â€Å"I wish someone would respond, tell me that the science is wrong, but I just get nothing.† This says a great deal about the validity of these arguments. Anyone who would disagree would simply be ignoring the plethora of evidence stacked against other arguments. With so much evidence, and an apparent lack of serious opposition, it is difficult for any reasonable person to disagree with the idea of nuclear fission at the core of the Earth. This theory explains many phenomenon as well as answers old questions about the Earth. It should be understood that this theory is feasible and logical. So much evidence is certainly too convincing to ignore, and ignoring such an amount of evidence would be entirely foolish, for a scientist, institution, or any other person.

Mid Term Essay

I affirm that the attached work is entirely my own, except where the words or ideas of other writers are specifically acknowledged according to accepted citation conventions. This assignment has not been submitted for any other course at Robert Kennedy College or any other institution. I have revised, edited and proofread this paper. I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and fully disclosed in this paper (examination). I have also cited any sources (footnotes or endnotes) from which I used data, ideas, theories, or words, whether quoted directly or paraphrased. I further acknowledge that this paper has been prepared by me specifically for this course. MIDTERM ASSESSMENT Q1. 70 Points Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations – discuss the benefits of self evaluation/self assessment as it relates to leaders today. Q2. 30 Points: Prejudice can be hurtful and destructive – discuss how you can personally reduce prejudice in your workplace – please provide an example. Understanding Human Behavior is critical to organizations – discuss the benefits of self evaluation/self assessment as it relates to leaders today. As the world is becoming more dependent on electronic gadgets, its becomes more difficult to have a face to face discussion or contacts with the people we work with. These have made it more important to understand the behavior of the people we work with and more critical to any manager that wants to be successful in his organization. For a leader to fully understand Human behavior, that person need to first do what is called self assessment. † being self aware allows one to recognize and improve their strength and weakness in order to maximize their leadership[ potential† Discovering your Authentic Leadership, Harvard Business Review February 2007 page 3 Human behaviors are must predictable if one have taken time to sturdy another person. In organizational Behavior 15th edition by Stephen and Timothy page 11 â€Å"Behavior is generally predictable and the systematic study of behavior is a means to making reasonable accurate predictions† Self evaluation is a major factor towards becoming a good leader, because this evolves looking at oneself so that all aspect that is important are identified and evaluated. As a leader you need to know your capacity and ability. The oxford dictionary defines self assessment as an evaluation of oneself or actions, altitudes or performance. As the definition implies there are several ways that a leader can evaluate his or her performance. In Harvard Business review of 2007 with the title discovering your Authentic leadership page 5 eight key questions are asked, and this I believe if well understood can benefit a leader today. And help to develop a better self evaluation mechanism. The people and experience in your early life have a great impact on an individual, As a leader knowing where your coming from is very important and this makes you to compare note to with were you want to be in the future. Self evaluation will help you know if progress is being made and were more efforts are required. As a modern leader you need to be systematic in your assessment, without over overrating your skills, this can be done through your pears subordinates by way of asking questions that brings out the honest answers from them. Arrogance should not have a part in these for your survival depends on their honest response. Every leader most have values, HBR in discovering you Authentic leadership page 4 says â€Å"The value that forms the basis for Authentic leadership are derived from your beliefs and convictions, but you will not know what your true values are until they are tested under pressure† must time people say† Nothing will ever make me change my mind â€Å"only to shift ground when much pressure are mounted on us, In other wars pressure is what refines our true vales, and when self evaluation is applied the value that you have or come out with unshaken is your true value. A leader is also motivated to act by one action or the other, self assessment will help you to know your motivation, does it come from the inside or the outside? Knowing the answers will help you to discover yourself. Most people waste there life leaving a programmed life, and not having satisfaction, only when they do things out of motivation will they truly be happy. You’re Family, friends, workmates and neighbors all reflect the kind of a leader one is so in the process of self assessments one needs to evaluate all to be sure whether the right set of people are what he has around him. Success is a team work; we are all interdependent on each other. Another area of leadership self awareness is on consistence, Do I double speck? A leader should be known as one who is constant in all situations that confronts him, and make sure everyone within the organization is carried along on most activities. A leader should assess his personality to see if he owns up to his mistake, leaders are human, they make mistakes and should accept correction. Leaders need to make out time for themselves and family. Having done a proper self assessment as a leader am ever more determined to develop a system and process were talented people are attracted and aligned to be future leaders. â€Å"No individual achievement can equal the pleasure of leading a group of people to achieve a worthy goal. When you cross the finish line together, all pain and suffering you may have experienced quickly vanishes† HBR discovering you authentic leadership page 8. In conclusion every leader must do some kind of self assessment periodically for improvement; this in true reflects in the person the quality of a good leader. Q2. Prejudice can be hurtful and destructive – discuss how you can personally reduce prejudice in your workplace – please provide an example. â€Å"All human being are born free and equal in dignity and right, they are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood†. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human right. Despite this well articulated statement, Prejudice is still a universal problem, we all are prejudiced in one way or the other, but for us to be good leaders we all need to work hard in other to reduce prejudice in our work place. As a step towards reducing prejudice one has to acknowledge that it really exists. It is only when we accept it existence can we start to discuss way to end or reduce prejudice. â€Å"Prejudgment becomes prejudice only if they are not reversible when exposed to new knowledge† says the book the Nature of prejudice. And only the type of contacts that lead people together is likely to result in changed attitudes. According to the report UNISCO against Racism â€Å"education could be a precious tool in the struggle against new form of racism, discrimination and exclusion† having this fine idea before us should make us more aware of our responsibilities. The book Understanding Prejudice and discrimination says. â€Å"Perhaps they must important conclusions to emerge from prejudice research are 1. No one capable of human thoughts and speech is immune from harboring prejudice. It often takes deliberate effort and awareness to reduce prejudice and 3. With sufficient motivation it can be done† As a business owner I have I have synchronized the research work into my working environments. And this have reduced Prejudice in our organization, My country Nigeria is a multi ethnic and culturally diversified nation with more than three hundred ethnic groups. Must time working with people of different ethnic groups can be challenging if once does not do away with his pre conceived thoughts about another tribe. As an IGBO specking person I have come not to think that any other tribe is inferior to mine. So during recruitment we do not discriminate or apply mono-ethnic sentiments, rather we appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of our individuality. So everybody who performs well is given the opportunity to work with us. I have also made sure that each project team is not mono-ethnic; so that they can all learn from their diversity and this have really reduce the level of prejudice in our work place. I have notice a staff who was once very prejudiced about an individual from another ethnic group being good friends after they worked together on a project for a period of time, when I asked about his the new closeness and friendship with the person he was once prejudiced about he simple replied â€Å"ignorance can kill†. This was because by working with the individual as project team member he came to realize that the person has a very good principle and very hardworking too against what he previously thought.

Workshop Critique

Designing a more effective workshop is a daunting challenge to today’s fast moving world that exhibits dynamism in various aspects. As a result it poses a daunting challenge to the workshop organizers and planers especially when there are sensitive issues regarding to conflicts, interracial misunderstanding and poor communication among the participants. In this regard, designing and implementing workshop for the young persons who face challenging issues when they have been asked to work in a group such as Communication, language barriers, culture differences and conflicts, on which the participants wanted to improve on becomes a challenge. As a consequence, design for such a workshop it is deemed necessary to critically balance the goals of the participants and the learning and facilitating resources against the philosophy and objectives of designers (Barbazette, 2001). This aspect of workshop planning and implementation is a key principle to a successful workshop implementation that guarantees positive outcomes of the workshop which some planners usually neglect. In circumstances that balancing principle is neglected the planers usually dominate their design with their views and views of the participants obtained from surveys such as TNA for this case. Although in most cases in the process of workshop designing both planners and participant’s philosophical ands theoretical goals may be coherent in the sense that both aims at improving their educational process, the reality of the school environment can cause inappropriate planning and miscommunication in regard to workshop design. However, planers creativity, innovativeness and awareness can help arrive at a tangible workshop that participants can implement the skills, attitudes, behaviors and knowledge to their daily practices in their respective schools and groups. Therefore in designing an effective workshop the key domains that were considered are logistics, recourses and content. Rationale for Workshop Design The rationale for workshop design was informed greatly by logistics involved, content and the learning and teaching resources. The design was highly influenced by the TNA conducted which revealed that the students or participants had difficulties working in groups in terms of communication, language, barriers, conflicts and cultural differences. In this regard, the workshop was stimulated in away that it became a leaner centered. The logistics involved in the workshop design to a greater extend contributed to the success of the workshop. By summing up the aim of the logistics involved in the workshop design, the workshop was supposed to impact day-to-day group work tasks of the participants (Barbazette, 2001). The focus of the workshop was centered on the understanding the principles and process of effective group formation and functioning with respect to diversity. In order to ensure that the workshop materials are applied by workshop participants to their normal schooling life, the workshop plan utilized the following strategies: first, Individualization technique that used appropriate teaching technological resources to present individualized learning materials to the participants like reference to special links on the internet because we recognize that every participant has quite a bit to learn. Second, Time was sufficiently allocated that facilitated absorption of principles and by most participants. Third, the school support â€Å"buy in† was also central to the plan as the school had to buy in the value of the workshop by permitting workshop to be conducted and students to participate. And the fourth aspect, was the selection of learning materials â€Å"Take to class materials† that are relevant to content and participants. However, despite the logistics involved in planning for the workshop effective learning during workshop proceeding is determined by quality and concern of faculty, peer group, and effective content and pedagogy. These factors are addressed by content, instructional approach and resources used in the following section. The content instructional approach was largely drawn from Kolb learning cycle (see figure 1) that utilized participant’s experiential knowledge as learning resource. Kolb learning cycle model (Kolb, 1984) emphasizes the use of learners experience to build new content. This approach is very important in learning and teaching undertakings especially to students in the sense that facilitator induces reflective aspect to learners in order for it to become a process and routine to develop learners. Kolb learning cycle comprise of four phases: Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualization and Active Experimentation, which must be adhered to in order to attain meaningful learning. By adhering to these four stages, the participants were able to reflect on their experience to formulate concepts which can be applied to their future situations relating to group work. The new participant’s behavior is tested out by exposing him or her to new situation or previous situations and comparing the effectiveness of learning outcome. For instance, in this case speed ball was reintroduced to participants after learning and revealed that group competency has been gained evident by reduction in task performance time for 17seconds to 1 second. Briefly the four phases of Kolb’s cycle are significant in enhancing learning and skills long term skills that the workshop participants can apply to real life situation. For instance, Concrete experience phase involves ‘doing’ aspect that drive for process and content of workshop through materials. The use of interactive games in workshop like speedball, this enhances experience on the past of participants. Reflective observation is the participant’s qualities and judgments of events and discussion of the learning process with peers (Cranton, 1995; Trotman, 2000; Gordon, 2002). As a result, participants were able to reflect on their training at the workshop and at the same time normal school learning situation this enable the students to have confidence with their colleagues and mitigate painful learning experiences. To enhance a meaningful reflection of the participants keep their journals or a log. Importantly, reflection aspect is vital mechanism to promote learning and professional development. Abstract conceptualization helps learners to plan better future activities added to their reflection of their personal experience by being informed by educated theories. In this context, Educational theories were major drawn from luck man’s model of learn development, forming, worming, storming and performing. While at the same time the Taylor’s set of 16 guiding principles of effective groups was utilized see [table 1] (Taylor, 1996). Through educational information added to the students own reflection, enables the participants to integrate theories and the analysis of the past actions to draw conclusion about their group work practices. Active experimentation is the final and actualization phase according to Kolb cycle of learning in the sense that it enables the work shop participants to use conclusion drawn about present actions from Abstract conceptualization phase as a basis to plan changes to their group work performance, the Active experimentation phase is vital because it generates concrete experience to the participants thereby forming knowledge base to inform, educate others and develop effective group interactive skills. Moreover, the attained concrete experience serve as a platform on which the participants of the work shop can review and reflect to form conclusion about the effectives of the outcomes. The content emphasis was drawn from Turkman’s Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing and ending model (see figure 1). These four distinct stages were emphasized on because the students complaint on their difficulties they do experience during working in groups greatly lie in the misunderstanding of the critical process of effective group formation and functioning. The content planned was aimed at covering and teaching the participants how to form, storm, norm, perform and adjourn the group once it is through with the task assigned. The group forming stage the emphasis was on the group leader role was stressed since there is little agreement from the team other than leader guidance and direction. Moreover, the many questions relating to objectives, purpose and individual concerns should be answered by the leader, while the members can engage in system testing to understand it better. Therefore, the forming phase entirely is dependant on the leader’s directives. The second phase of storming, the members may experience difficulties in decision making and struggle for positions. As a result, these struggles cause increase of purpose clarity but plenty of uncertainties may also persist. Therefore, the workshop participants were informed to be tolerant with different views of members disregarding their ethnic, gender or race, and try as much as possible to reach an agreeable compromise in line with their goals to avoid emotions distract their progress (Farbstein, 2003). The workshop participants were informed that if they successful undergo the first two phases, then the third stage of norming will come in automatically with ease in decision making and agreement amongst the members. Moreover, the group shall have strong unity, commitment and respect for the leader. Thereafter, the team moves to performance stage where the team shall be more strategically aware of why it is doing what it is doing due to shared vision without strict supervision or leader direction. As a result, the team shall have ambitions to over achieve their goals, easy conflict and disagreement solving and the group shall work with less instructions and directives, while the leader’s role shall only be streamlined to delegate and oversee the performance. Then lastly, the group can adjourn as the last stage when the task has been accomplished successfully. The participants were informed the joy and fulfillment of adjourning stage rests on group dissolution when everyone move to do other things or assignments feeling good about what's been achieved. Therefore, group member ought to strive to have a happy ending by facilitating a successful group formation and functioning in their school learning activities. In addition to Turkman’s model of group formation and performing, Taylor’s 16 principles of effective group performance were included in the content since they guide and help group running normally. These included: Testing inferences and assumptions, Sharing all relevant information, Focusing on interests as opposed to positions, Agreeing on what important words mean, Being specific when referring to anything like using examples like Peterson and not you, Disagreeing openly with any member of the group, Make statements and then invite questions and comments and Explaining the reasons behind questions, actions and statements. Additionally, jointly designing ways to test disagreements and solutions, Discussing undiscussable issues, Keeping discussions focused, there should be no taking of cheap shots as they may distract the group, All members are expected to be participating in all phases of the group processes, Exchange relevant information with non-group members, Make decisions by consensus, Doing self-critiques. These principles are vital and useful to group as they offer guidelines to successful group functioning and performance. Workshop resources were carefully selected since the learning resources can be turned into a factor with a positive impact (Farbstein, 2003; Kieren, 2005; Smith, 1998). The challenge towards meeting sufficient workshop resources was funding or financial limitation to avail the necessary resources to the participants such as handouts on principles of effective group performance and the Turkman’s model of group forming, storming, norming and performing. Despite financial limitation, there was use of relevant text books, reference to important websites for information regarding effective group functioning and use of charts was widely used. In addition to that, the participants were requested to write a position paper in rejection or support of the pedagogical innovations used in the workshop. Workshop outcomes The workshop outcome from my observation, it was very good and the team was able to communicate with each other, they have followed exactly the Tuchman’s model of team development, forming, storming, and norming, performing, and then ending. Moreover, I observed that the conflict on the norming stage was not obvious because the number of the team members were few; therefore they were able to overcome their conflict so easily. Additionally, during the activity, I noticed that some students showed leadership skills and some were just followers and listeners. The major theory that can be used to explain this show of behavior is goal setting and reinforcement theories. This is in the sense that the participants were able to set their personal goals that motivated and spurred their behavior and need to achieve. While on the other hand, the facilitators were able to reinforce positively the participants especially by use of extrinsic motivators. As a result, the survey results obtained from students showed that they all liked a lot the workshop (Kirkpatrick, 1994). Recommendations for improvements The workshop was successful but needed more aspects and issues to be looked at or incorporated. For instance, during facilitation there is need to integrate workshop design with more academic theory and application in sense that they are interwoven to have it deliver skills and knowledge at its best. The making of this linkage can help to continue the momentum from the participants’ experience. However, there is need to revolve around more personal theory around participants responses to the experience and less of academic theories. Furthermore, there is need to allocate sufficient time to maximize the outcomes of the activity by considering its implications and impacts of day-to-day participants academic undertaking. And finally, learning and teaching resources ought to have more attention paid to and proper resources mobilization to even include handouts to help participants with application outside the workshop. Lastly, the TNA need to be clearer and all inclusive to include wide views of stakeholders. Conclusion In conclusion, the paper has looked at the workshop design and implementation with insight to its outcomes. The success of the workshop demonstrate the fact that technical competency at any organization is not enough, but rather the interpersonal skills that facilitates individuals development of effective work relationships. In order to attain that, there was collaborative approach to design and implement the workshop to meet the needs from various participants’ perspectives. As a result, the workshop was able to successfully transfer of learning to behavior because: first, participants improved their communication skills demonstrated by reduction in speedball exercise time from 17 seconds to 1 second. This also indicates that Participants had attained an increase in self-awareness in relation to body language, tone of voice and active listening. Moreover, the participants showed that they were less aggressive and more assertive in relation to their approach while interacting with their peers. Secondly, the participants gained insight into behavior of self and others. Therefore, the participant developed a sense to appreciate others’ cultural, racial and ethnic differences and was able to adapt necessary communication styles aimed at improving their interpersonal relations.

Ebt Classroom Management Essay

This is a free additional chapter for ‘Evidence Based Teaching’ by Geoff Petty (2006) Nelson Thornes. It can be downloaded from www. geoffpetty. com. The book as a whole combines and summarises research on which teaching methods and strategies work best, and explains these strategies with examples. See the notes at the end of this chapter for more detail. Can I get my students to behave better? The evidence is emphatic, yes you can! And we know how. There are of course very many strategies designed to improve classroom management and discipline, but which ones work? Robert Marzano (2003) summarised the findings of over 100 reports on classroom management, including 134 rigorous experiments designed to find out which classroom management techniques work best. These experiments were carried out with real teachers in real classrooms. This chapter draws heavily on this ‘meta-study’ of Marzano’s, and compares strategies to find out which is best. Such studies of studies are the best source of evidence on what works as they include and integrate all reliable evidence. For a full account see ‘Classroom Management that Works’ Robert Marzano et al (2003) for the detail, it is well worth reading. These experiments tell us what teachers have made work, rather than reporting hunches and wishful thinking. No special training is required to use these strategies. If you are a reasonably experienced teacher, just experiment with the following methods, and you should get positive results quite quickly. You will need to give them a fair try for a few lessons before you and your students get the hang of them. The investment will be well worth it as their improved behaviour and motivation will begin to show. Less experienced teachers may need more time to make the strategies work. Marzano’s meta-study describes four basic approaches that have been found to improve behaviour in classrooms. Their effectiveness is compared in the table below. Comparing the effectiveness of aspects of classroom management| Average effect-size| Number of students or pupils| Number of studies| Decrease in number of disruptions(Average for the studies)| Summary of experimental data from Marzano (2003)| | | | | Rules and proceduresStrategies to clearly and simply express rules and other expectations of student behaviour. Also to justify these persuasively from the teacher’s and students’ point of view. For greatest effect the rules are negotiated with students| 0. 76| 626| 10| 28%| Teacher-student relationshipsStrategies to improve the rapport, and mutual respect between teacher and student| 0. 87| 1110| 4| 31%| Disciplinary interventionsThe effective use of ‘sticks and carrots’ to enforce the rules described above| 0. 91| 3322| 68| 32%| Mental setStrategies to develop your awareness of what is going on in your classroom and why. A conscious control over your thoughts and feelings when you respond to a disruption. | 1. 3| 502| 5| 40%| Marzano grouped high quality research studies on classroom management into the four categories above, and then calculated an average effect size for each. â€Å"Effect size† is explained in chapter 4, they are a measure of how effective a strategy is. If you don’t know about effect sizes look instead at the last column in the tables: ‘percentage reduction in the number of disruptions’. For example, in experiments on strategies that involve teachers in devising rules and procedures the number of disruptions in the classroom was reduced by 28% on average. This is in comparison with not devising explicit rules and procedures. In experiments, only one strategy can be used at a time. (If two were used, we would not know which caused any positive effects. ) However, you can obviously use strategies in all these categories at once. This will have a greater effect than using strategies in one category alone. However, it is not statistically valid to add the effect sizes or the percentages in the table to find their combined effect. If you find this a bit bewildering, just remember that the strategies that teachers made work best are those with a large percentage in the last column in the tables. However you are unique! You might not get the same results as an average teacher. So the best results will probably come from concentrating on the category that you or your students have most difficulty with, or that you have considered least in your teaching. The final test is what works in your classroom, try the methods for a few weeks and see what happens! I will now look at the strategies that have been found to work best in each of Marzano’s four categories. I will only outline these, and if you want more detail please read the following chapters in my ‘Teaching Today’, which have more strategies and more detail. I am relieved to say these chapters are very much in line with the Marzano findings. Alternatively follow up one of the Chapters in ‘Teaching Today’ that might be helpful: 7 The teacher – learner relationship and equal opportunities page 77 8 Classroom management page 96 9 Discipline and problem solvingpage 108 references at the end of the chapter. Some teachers think a well-planned, interesting lesson will by itself prevent disruption. Or that if the teacher is entirely benign and respectful of students, conflict will simply melt away. This isn’t the case. We often start our teaching careers with these assumptions, but enlightenment usually doesn’t take long. All teachers experience problems with behaviour, it’s just that some are better at preventing it, and dealing with it. But how? The strategies that teachers have made work best in experiments are explained below, with the theory outlined. However, if you are only interested in the strategies themselves look for the strategy icon in the margin: Improving your use of rules and procedures You might be forgiven for believing that how students should behave in classrooms is blindingly obvious, and explanation is entirely unnecessary. However, experiments show that classrooms become much more orderly when rules are stated, or better still negotiated, discussed and fully justified. It seems the little blighters need persuading of the obvious! So: 1. Create rules: Decide for yourself what rules and procedures will maximise learning, and would create a good atmosphere in your class. Alternatively adapt the rules in the box on page 4. Express these rules positively rather than as a list of â€Å"don’ts†. There should be a maximum of about 8 rules at secondary level, some say less at the elementary level. 2. Justify rules. Work out to your own satisfaction a persuasive case for each of these rules, however obvious this is. I’m afraid ‘because I say so’ is not a persuasive justification! Very early on, perhaps in your first meeting with the class, explain that you want an effective, fair and happy classroom, and a set of rules and procedures to achieve this. There are two main ways to do this, set out in 3 and 4 below. 3. Discuss rules with the class. Discuss why we have laws, rules and procedures in football, families, and in society. Ask for examples. (Avoid the off-side rule even if you understand it! ) What would happen if we didn’t have rules? Explain that the purpose of class rules is not to pump your megalomania, but to improve learning, and to ensure people enjoy the class. 4. Negotiate to get commitment. Suggest your set of rules as a start, asking for deletions, additions and suggestions. Be prepared to justify and compromise. (Alternatively ask the class to devise their own set of rules as described in 5 below. ) * Consider asking students to work in small groups to make sticky note responses to your rules. Then display and discuss these as a class. * Consider asking each group to design a poster to illustrate one of the rules, and display these on the notice board. These can then be used as a reminder in subsequent lessons. * Students could literally ‘sign up’ to the rules as political leaders sign treaties. Refer to the rules as ‘our rules’ not as ‘mine’. 5. Get the class to devise their own rules. Especially with older or more responsible groups you could ask them to come up with their own class rules. It may help to start this process off if you give them issues such as ‘how can we make sure everyone gets the help they need? ’. Or you could ask them what has worked in other classrooms. * Students can work in groups to devise rules on different aspects of class management, e.g. bringing materials; talking; attendance and punctuality, etc * The class can then discuss and then vote on suggestions * Then you go away and finalise the set of rules. You have every right to the last say of course. If you reject a popular suggestion explain why. Here is a typical set of rules at secondary or college level. It is of course best to devise your own: 1. Treat others as you want to be treated yourself. Be positive and helpful. Try to help two other people every day. 2. Treat other people’s property at least as well as you would treat your own. 3. Hands up if you want to say something when the teacher, or another student is talking. 4. Don’t distract others from their work. Only talk to neighbours, and only about work. 5. If you are stuck ask neighbours for help first, then ask Mr Petty. 6. No unpleasantness, snatching or hitting. If you can’t resolve a disagreement yourself, or with your group, consult Mr Petty 7. Leave the room better than you found it. The aim here is to get students to ‘buy into’ the rules and to see them as their own, and as worth keeping and enforcing. Other uses of rules * Remind students of any relevant rules before a potentially disruptive activity. This is more positive than only responding to disruption and has been found to reduce disruption by about 25%. You could even gather students around the poster that illustrates the rule(s) and ask them for the justification for it. * If a rule is broken remind the student that, â€Å"we agreed†¦.. † and remind them that they are part of a team so must keep to team rules. Be a ‘team player’ could be a heading on the list of rules * Get students to self assess their own behaviour against the rules with a self-assessment form. Then use this to set themselves targets for improvement. See the example below Self-assessmentIs†¦((student name here))†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. a team player? | I kept to this rule:| | always| often| some-times| never| Treat others as you want to be treated yourself| | | | | Hands up if you want to say something when the teacher is talking| | | | | Don’t distract others from their work| | | | | Etc.. | | | | | | | | | | Improvement since my last self assessment:What I need to work on most is: | If you use self-assessment consider the following: * Asking students to remind themselves of their self-assessed targets at the beginning of a class (see the last row in the self assessment form above). Tell them you will ask them to self-assess any improvement at the end of the same class. * Allow students to reward themselves with a sticky blob against their name on your notice board if they have improved, say, twice running in these self-assessments. Yes I know this sounds toe-curlingly naff, but the less mature students often love this. Strategies to improve teacher-student relationships If you have read chapter 25 you will recognise the value driven management and leadership approach that was so successful in managing staff. The strategies below have reduced disruptions in classrooms by 31% on average. Good teacher-student relations ensure that students have a more positive attitude to the teacher and to learning, and make them more likely to accept rules and any disciplining. They turn the classroom into a cooperative team, and reduce antagonism. So even if you detest the little clutch of demons, its worth developing good relations with them, and if you do, you might find that you don’t detest them quite as much! What is the nature of good teacher-student relations? Marzano (2003) quotes internationally renowned research by Theo Wubbels, whose findings remind me of the old staffroom adage ‘be strict but fair’. Wubbels has found that the most effective teachers are both dominant (strong leaders) and cooperative (helpful, friendly and fair), but they are neither to extreme. This is shown diagrammatically below. The Ideal teacher-student relationship Dominant * Strong sense of purpose in pursuing clear goals for learning and for class management. * Leadership. Tends to guide and control * Prepared to discipline unapologetically Too dominant * Too controlling * Lack of concern for students * Teacher student relations damaged Ideal teacher- student relationship Opposition. * Treats students as the enemy * Expresses anger and irritation * Need to ‘win’ if there is a disagreement between teacher and students Cooperative * Great concern for the needs and opinions of students. * Helpful, friendly * Avoids strife and seeks consensus Too cooperative * Too understanding and accepting of apologies * Waits for students to be ready * Too desirous to be accepted by students Submission * Lack of clarity of purpose * Keeps a low profile * Tendency to submit to the will of the class * Entirely unassertive, rather glum and apologetic The diagram tries to show that the most effective teachers have found an optimal balance between cooperation and dominance. They are not so dominant that they fail to cooperate, nor so cooperative that they fail to lead. The precise approach will of course depend on the nature of the class; some need more dominance or more cooperation than others. Research has also shown that students prefer the dominant-cooperative mix about twice as much as the purely cooperative style, or indeed any other style. Wubbels has found that teachers new to the profession tend to start too cooperatively and with insufficient dominance. However after 6 to 10 years they often become too dominant. To improve student-teacher relations experiment with some or all of the following strategies which other teachers have made work well. Are you better at dominance or cooperation? Ideally you should strengthen your weakest style, even if you also work on your strongest. Many students are coping with stress, difficult home circumstances and worry about abuse, depression, eating disorders and so on. If your students experience such social and psychological strains you will need to attend to these as well trying the strategies that follow. This goes beyond the scope of this chapter. The ‘FATE’ approach in ‘Teaching Today’ may help, as will Marzano (2003). Strategies to increase your dominance (leadership) Don’t be put off by the word ‘dominance’. It means to become an effective leader, to pursue, vigorously and enthusiastically, a clear path towards both important learning goals, and good behaviour in the classroom. It does not mean to strut about in jackboots barking orders. We are doing this for the students, so we need not be shy about taking charge and accepting responsibility. 1. Ground Rules If you negotiate ground rules with students, and consequences for not keeping them as described on page , then you have already shown this attribute to some considerable extent. 2. Orientation Clarify the purpose and the key points in each topic before it is taught, including a persuasive reason for studying it. If you have read chapter 16 you will remember that these methods had very high effect sizes. (An effect size of 0. 5 for a strategy means that if it is done well students learn the topic about a grade better. An effect size of 1. 0 gives a two-grade improvement. By ‘grade’ I mean an improvement equivalent to a GCSE or ‘A’ level grade, but just for that topic of course. ) Strategy| Effect size from Marzano| Goal setting before introducing a new topic. E. g. ‘your goal is to use the information in this topic to solve this problem in the case study†¦. ’| 0. 97| Goals which the students are involved in designing| 1. 21| Advance organisers (summary in advance of what is about to be learned along with a persuasive case for studying it)| 0. 48 for easy topics0. 78 for more demanding topics| Highly specific behavioural objectives â€Å"At the end of this lesson you should be able to†¦Ã¢â‚¬ | 0. 12| Another way of setting goals is to discuss with students the assessment criteria for the task they will do, as long as they really understand these. 3. Authoritative body language Appear absolutely confident and in control, especially when you are not. When interacting with students, especially if dealing with misbehaviour, your dominance is conveyed by ‘body language’. This includes proximity, confident posture, and tone of voice (not shrill or angry, but authoritative. ) In Teaching Today I describe the ‘PEP’ approach, which stands for: * Proximity: dominance is increased by walking closer to the student. Walk around the classroom, if you notice students about to misbehave stand by their desk. When you talk to students stand a little ‘too close for comfort’ but don’t invade ‘personal space’. This is not an easy judgement. * Eye contact: Holding eye contact expresses dominance, especially if you hold it for some time. What you say will be taken more seriously if you hold eye contact first for a few seconds, then say it maintaining the eye contact, then maintain eye-contact for a few seconds more. * Posing questions. Rather than telling a student off for not working, ask questions such as ‘Why have you not started? ’ Do this with proximity and eye contact. This has much more effect than getting angry or raising your voice, and will make you appear much more in control. The combined effect of close proximity and sustained eye contact can be very powerful indeed, so don’t over do it. Strategies to increase Cooperation Being cooperative sounds easy, until you notice it means being cooperative with the worst behaved students in your class. This can try a saint. As so often in educational problems, we have a vicious cycle to deal with here, but with determination we can turn it into a virtuous cycle: Vicious cycle The student misbehaves more or works less well You are less positive, friendly and fair towards the student You dislike the student more and/or†¦ The student dislikes you and your classes more In your direct control Breaking this cycle is hard, but it can be done. If you succeed it ensures the student behaves better, learns better, but it also makes your life much easier. You will need to have negotiated clear rules with your students as described earlier, then you can start to break this cycle. This requires a great deal of emotional generosity and/or patience and restraint. If you cannot muster the generosity, try acting! Probably the only part of the cycle you can break is: ‘You are less positive, friendly and fair towards the student’ here are some strategies that break the cycle here: 1. Catch them doing something right. Keep an eye on them, and when you notice they are doing something right, even by accident, comment on this positively in private. ‘Well done, you’ve made a start’. Many students who misbehave are attention seekers, and if they earn attention for behaving well, they are less likely to steal attention by misbehaving. You can even bribe such students: â€Å"That’s an interesting start, when you’ve finished the question let me know and I will have a look at it† A promise of attention like this will often motivate students, but do keep your promise. See Madsen et al (1968) 2. Put the student into ‘intensive care’. There is a violent method to do this, which in your darkest moments often appeals! Here is a legal way. As well as ‘catching them doing something right’: Smile, use their name positively, ask for their opinion in class discussion, try to find something positive to say about their response. Make a point of looking at their work, and comment favourably about any genuine effort or achievement. Talk to them about it. ‘That’s an interesting point, what made you think of that? ’. Keep high expectations however: ‘I know you can do this’. Be patient and helpful. If you react like this it shows you are not ‘rattled’ by their misbehaviour. Warning! The above advice can be overdone. Don’t try too hard with ‘intensive care’ especially, as you will be disliked if you appear desperate to be liked. The trick is to make your behaviour seem very natural, and the way you teach everyone. So you must give this same attention to at least some well-behaved students nearby too. More general advice about increasing cooperation includes other ways of showing that you value students as individuals: 3. Learn and use their names 4. Communicate informally with students, Don’t just talk about learning issues. When they are coming into, or going out of the classroom ask their opinion: â€Å"Do you think your haircut would suit me? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. â€Å"What do you think of the new library? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Ask about hobbies, attitudes and opinions, 5. Use eye contact and proximity to spread your influence about the whole room. 6. Negotiate difficulties with the class. â€Å"I am having problems with students not giving in work, what’s the problem? What can we do about this? † The strategies on page 17 and 18 also help with cooperation. Improving disciplinary interventions The strategies that follow reduced disruptions in classrooms by 31% on average. There has been a heated debate for some decades over whether teachers should use mild punishments, or should only give students praise and recognition for appropriate behaviour. You may not be surprised to find that Marzano’s meta-study, having statistically compared these approaches, shows that you are best doing both. However, while nearly all teachers will use mild punishments, few give enough recognition for good behaviour. If you only use punishments, such as telling students off in response to inappropriate behaviour, then you can create a negative, nagging image for yourself. Also, attention-seekers will begin to misbehave in order to get your attention, as it is the most effective way. Effect sizes are from Marzano (2003)| Average effect-size| Number of studies| Decrease in number of disruptions| Disciplinary Interventions| | | | RemindersReminding students of relevant rules just before they start an activity. E. g. reminding them of the ground-rules for working in groups before starting a group-work activity | 0. 64| 70| 24%| ‘Sticks’ Mild punishments| 0. 78| 40| 28%| ‘Carrots’ Strategies that reward students for appropriate behaviour including recognition, praise, symbols etc. | 0. 86| 101| 31%| ‘Carrots’ plus ‘sticks’Using both mild punishments, and strategies that reward students for appropriate behaviour with recognition symbols etc. | 0. 97| 12| 33%| Reminders. Many teachers are reactive, waiting for disruption and then responding to it, yet reminding students of the ground-rules for a forthcoming activity is a very positive and quite effective strategy. If you have agreed class rules, and students have designed posters to illustrate them, gather students round the posters to discuss the rules, and ask questions about why we have them. This need not take long, yet has reduced the number of disruptions in experiments by almost a quarter on average. Carrots: strategies to reinforce appropriate behaviour. This works better than just telling students off, and most of us don’t do it enough. Try these strategies: 1. Tokens or symbols Here is an example. A teacher asks each student to start off the lesson with five behaviour ‘points’. Or they might only do this with two or three problematical students. The students write five ‘1’s on a piece of paper on their desk. During the class the teacher places an extra ‘1’ if the student is working well, and crosses one off when they are not. Students often don’t need an explanation for the removal of a point if the class rules are clear. Simply praising good behaviour also works remarkably well, Madsen et al (1968). At the end of the class the student records how many behaviour points they have on a proforma. This might ask them to set targets for improvement. They might also be able to exchange these points for privileges such as sitting where they want, or giving out materials etc. It is important to explain the system you use and why: ‘to help you become better and more mature learners’. It should not be seen as a bribe even when privileges are given. These are often laughed off by teachers, but they really work and are greatly underused Tokens and symbols can include: * A ‘thumbs up’ sign, wink, smile, praise etc to a student working well. It works especially well with problematical students * ‘Official Pat On The Back’, this can be public or private. It is fun to ‘say this with capital letters’ and administer it with mock ceremony, but not sarcastically * Recognition in class notices, bulletins or notice-boards * Round of applause†¦ or even standing ovation! * Encouraging words * ‘Open microphone’. The student is asked to speak to the class to explain how they succeeded, or, if you are brave, to make any point they like. * Smiley faces, points, or stickers on a privately held record card, that you can ask to see and use as the basis for discussion on behaviour improvement. * Smiley faces, points or stickers on a publicly displayed class list * Badges: e. g. â€Å"I’m an improver† â€Å"The gal done good† * Displaying work * Letters home saying that behaviour is good or has improved. Most students regard this as very significant and it doesn’t cost that much. You could also use e-mail, text message, or phone message, but letters are permanent and you don’t even need to put a stamp on as students will be keen to take them home. They can be used to earn: * Privileges such as sitting where you choose, helping to give out materials, leading groups, being allowed to present to the class, etc * â€Å"Class pressure points† which the class can ‘spend’ to persuade you not to set homework one particular week, or to allow more time to prepare for a test etc. * The opportunity to choose the work they do or the way they work. E.g. be able to write up their work on a classroom computer. * Letters, e-mails or text messages home, after say three weekly improvements * College or school certificates for mature behaviour. These can be given in half-termly ‘award ceremonies’ presented by the head of department * Being chosen to present to another class, or at parent’s evening or open evening * A class trip or visit earned if the class all improve in behaviour * Home privileges such as being allowed to keep your TV or computer games in your bedroom, to rent a video or buy a computer game. This clearly requires parental involvement. See the case study in the box below. 2. Self-assessment Students can use the self-assessment process described on page 5 to award themselves points or stickers etc. 3. Contingent rewards: These makes use of peer pressure to improve behaviour: a. Class carrots if the whole class behaves or improves. E. g. If the whole class reduces calling out instead of putting their hands up, then the whole class earn pressure points (described in the above box), or are allowed to go and see the Art Department’s final show of work. Success needs to be defined carefully, for example no more than three people calling out in each class for at least one week. b. Class carrots if a specific individual or group of students behaves well or improves. This needs to be treated with caution. E. g. â€Å"We are all going to help to keep Philip in his seat. If you are next to him remind him if he moves. If he does move, don’t talk to him. If Philip doesn’t get out of his place inappropriately for a week, the whole class gets five Team Player Points and Philip gets ten. † ‘Sticks’: strategies that involve mild punishment. This works best in conjunction with the ‘carrots’ above. Marzano’s metastudy stresses that the effect of this strategy comes from consistency rather than severity. Case studies with the use of rewards and punishments. TES 16th June 2006 www. tes. co. uk/search/story/? story_id=2250510 Duncan Harper, Head of a Special school says many children are miss-labelled as ‘autistic’ or having ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’ (ADHD). He believes their poor attention span etc is due to being too tired to work after spending four to five hours a night watching TV or playing computer games. 20% of his 58 children are diagnosed autistic, and 50% ADHD. But Harper thinks non are autistic, and only 2 have ADHD! He develops excellent relationships with the parents, who are contacted by phone every two weeks. He arranges with them to remove TVs and computer games from bedrooms if the student’s behaviour/tiredness does not improve. Harper himself made seven such removals that year. A recent inspection graded the school as outstanding in all categories. Evidence is growing that poor sleep is affecting students’ behaviour, thinking and learning. Try Googling ‘sleep student attainment’. Consistency and assertiveness The punishment itself seems less important than your consistency in expecting a rule to be obeyed, and your assertiveness when talking to students or punishing them when you have to. Assertiveness is not the same as hostility. It is linked with ‘dominance’ mentioned earlier and means that when you deal with class management you are firm, unemotional, matter of fact, unapologetic, confident and business like. It often includes a reminder to the student that you are implementing agreed class rules, not personal dictats. Being hostile angry or very strict is less effective, and may suggest to students that you are losing control. Be assertive Imagine you are dealing with a student who has been persistently talking. You have warned her that if she talks inappropriately again, you will move her. Despite this, she continues to talk. You could get angry, sarcastic and over-strict at this point. But it is more effective to be assertive: 1. Proximity and eye contact. Walk up to the student (proximity), with a firm upright posture, and fix them with eye contact . There should be little emotion in your voice or face. Just a business like confidence. 2. Ask for what you want in a decisive manner, act as if you mean it, and expect to be obeyed. The pitch of your voice should not be shrill, only slightly raised. â€Å"I want you to move next to John now. † â€Å"But Pete started it† 3. Listen, but use the broken record. Listen to such legitimate objections. It sometimes helps to repeat the objection to show you have listened as below. However do not accept denials, blaming or other arguing unless a genuinely strong case is made. It is the student’s duty to keep the class rules despite difficulties. Repeat what you want. â€Å"Even if Pete did start it, you should not have talked again. Please move now. † â€Å"But that’s not fair† (This process of listening, perhaps acknowledging what was said, but then repeating what you want continues as long as necessary. This is sometimes called the ‘broken record’. ) You remain firm unruffled and business like. â€Å"We all agreed our class rules are fair. Please move. † 4. Defer discussion but require obedience. If the student persists tell them that they are wasting valuable class time, and must continue this conversation after the class. In the meantime they must move. Repeat this once if necessary very firmly. 5. Withdraw. If they still don’t move remind them that defiance is a very serious There is a list of responses to inappropriate behaviour in Teaching Today 3rd edition, pages 117-8 offence and that they must see you after the class. Walk away to signal the dialogue is now over. The student might now move. If not, seek guidance from tutors and class managers; defiance is a health and safety issue as they might not even stop doing something dangerous when you tell them to. 6. Use Discipline Plans. If a student does not respond to assertive behaviour like this and problems persist, consult tutors and managers. Sit down with the student in a private one to one situation, and draw up a ‘Discipline Plan’ Allen. T (1996) * State the relevant class rules and explain why they help everybody learn and help create a happy classroom * Ask the student why they have a problem keeping the rule(s) and what would help them keep it better. Stress that the rule must be kept despite the stated difficulties. Ask them to become a team player.