Value Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Value Chain Management - Essay Example This can go a long way in providing sustainability and giving them economic independence. All this has basically been accomplished by outsourcing. Developed economies with their high quality of life and wage rates, are facing problems of producing profitably locally. This is also because many tax laws and limited raw materials make it impossible to remain competitive locally. With advent of faster communication system it becomes easy to control organizations from thousands of miles away. This also helps in establishing close links with the managers working in remote ventures. Another development which has made this trend towards globalization possible is WTO. The World Trade Organization encourages free trade among countries. Previously it was not possible to import unlimited amount of good from foreign countries. With the advent of WTO it has become possible to actually outsource because WTO has abolished the quota system. Therefore corporations try to outsource as much as possible from countries where there are high levels of human resources, raw materials and energy. This automatically helps developing nations to prosper because when corporations outsource they become part of a ‘value chain’. The addition made by them to this value chain gives them their share of the profit thus bringing them income prosperity. This phenomenon has given birth to a new form of economic entities called emerging markets. The current emerging markets include Brazil, India, China, Russia, Mexico etc. This globalization also has a dark side. It is also widely believed that globalization has increased income disparities at the global level. The smaller economic corporations operating from underdeveloped countries which lacked resources to go global have found it almost impossible to survive. Their small local markets have been attacked by global corporations. The corporations achieve significant cost advantages due to

Come in-Ahhh Merciii Essay Example for Free

Come in-Ahhh Merciii Essay Scene V, Blanche: Come in-Ahhh Merciii Discuss this extract in relation to the rest of the text paying attention to structure, form and use of language. The ending section of scene five of Tennessee Williamss play A Streetcar Named Desire has provoked much confusion and debate as to the writers motives in regards to the portrayal of Blanche. One school of thought on the matter is that, in spite of the fact that Williams largely based the character of Blanche upon himself his primary aim in the play is to punish her for her failure to show empathy towards her homosexual husband Allan. Williams was of course a homosexual himself, living in a largely homophobic world where gayness was not a talked about subject. He often brought the issue up in his other works such as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof where the characters Brick and Skipper and both portrayed as possible homosexuals. Blanches lack of empathy and compassion are highlighted once again in this extract when she totally fails to take into account the feelings of a second young man, and instead uses him to live out her fantasies of desire for her late husband. During the exchange between Blanche and the young man she is portrayed as seductive and dominant I want to kiss you making it clear that she is the one initiating the situation, this is a dramatic contrast to her normal persona around other men such as Mitch and Stanley where she makes herself out to be both innocent and pure. This extract is one of the places where her illusion starts to slip and her past actions are hinted at to the audience. Blanches reaction to you young mans mention of cherry soda you make my mouth water has a strong sexually reference, a cherry being a metaphor for virginity, which probably only Blanche is aware of. This shows that she is simply playing games with the young man using him for her own enjoyment. In the next scene Blanche treats Mitch in a very similar way, after discovering that he does not speak French she says Voulez-vous couches avec mo ice soir? meaning would you like to sleep with me this evening? which is the call of a French prostitute. The lack of consideration that Blanche shows towards both men and the way she appears to be using them both (The young man for a thrill and Mitch for security) hints not only towards the fact that in the past she has sought remedies for her loneliness with strangers but also supports the metaphor presented later in the play of Blanche being a tarantula trapping her victims in a web of illusions Yes a big spider! Thats where I brought my victims. Another example of how Williams is using this scene to condemn Blanches can be found by looking at the actions of the young man. During the scene he speaks nervously and makes frequent glances towards the door portraying his wish to escape form Blanches and making it obvious that he is uncomfortable with the situation. Well Id better be-. When describing the young man Blanche repeatedly uses the word young and also calls him lamb, this not only enforces his youth to the audience but also the fact that Blanche is aware of how much younger than her he is. The final and perhaps most damming piece of evidence towards Blanche is her reaction towards Mitch at the end of the scene, where, having just kissed a young boy she greets the man she is hoping to marry with open arms, reverting back to her old illusion of purity. This shows her as uncaring and manipulative towards both parties, in the she takes on the roll of two completely different people to get what she wants. It also presents a hint that Blanche is lying about her sexual history. Blanches actions in this extract could also be seen as an example of deliberate cruelty, in so far as she is willing to take advantage of a confused and reluctant young man just for her own pleasure. Blanche has of cores been guilty of deliberate cruelty in her past when she spoke of her revulsion towards Allan I know. I saw. You disgust me. leading to his suicide. Deliberate cruelty is something that Blanche states that she despises and has Never been guilty off making her seam rather hypocritical. Some might argue in fact that Williams is in fact using this extract to elicit the audiences pity towards Blanche as opposed to their condemnation. Throughout the play reference has been frequently made to Blanches declining mental state, such as when Stanley takes the letters written by Allan away from her and she becomes hysterical. Williams gently reminds the audience of this in numerous ways throughout the extract. For a start, in reference to the lighter Blanche uses the word Temperamental, which is a very unusual description and probably intended to reflect upon her mental state. During the later part of the scene the convocation is accompanied by the Blue Piano, a recurring sign of Blanches guilt, misery and mental declination. It features at many points in the play, usually during periods of anguish for Blanche such as when she is reminiscing about the loss of Bell Reve to Stella. Blanches crumbling mental state is not helped by her alcoholism, another one of Williamss personality traits that feature throughout his plays, such as with Brick in Cat on a hot tin Roof. Although Blanche isnt actually drinking in this extract the audience knows that she has drunk earlier in the scene a shot never does a coke any harm and are shown how drink can make people do things be the actions of the drunken Negro woman just before the young man arrives. The negro woman cackling hysterically, swaying drunkenly comes around the corner. Williams may also have been trying to make the audience sympathise with Blanches paranoia about her appearance and desperation to feel young again. Earlier is the scene the audience sees Blanche looking in the mirror she is later to smash, showing emphasising her fragility about her looks. She also talked to Stella about her fading appearance I Im fading now. The audience has also been privy to Blanches hatred of light I cant stand a naked light bulb and her need to hear positive remarks about her appearance I was fishing for a compliment Stanley. Another factor that must be considered is that previously in the scene Stanley has begun to tear down the illusions Blanche weaves to protect herself be hinting that he knows about her past actions (Again hinting that Blanche is lying about her past) Shaw is under the impression that he met you in Loral leaving her exposed and in a state of hysteric shock shown by her frequent pauses in sentences and trembling her hand shakes so it almost slips form the glass. Perhaps the most likely explanation for this why this scene seems to show Blanche is two contradictory lights however is that Williams is deliberately leaving it ambiguous, allowing the audience to decide upon their own feelings towards Blanche, and that the true purpose of this scene is to prefigure the revelations about Blanches past, particularly her relationship with the 17 year old boy that lost her her job.

The Republic Of Colombia Essay -- essays research papers

The Republic of Colombia is the fourth largest country in South America. It is located at the north-western tip of the continent. Its neighbors are Brazil and Venezuela to the east, Panama to the north-west, and Ecuador and Peru to the south. Colombia is the only South American country that's coast is on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. There are eight islands under Colombian rule, and they are San Andres, Providencia, San Bernado, Islas del Rosario, Isla Fuerte, Gorgona, Gorgonilla, and Malpelo. Colombia's terrain is about 45% mountainous. The major mountain chain is the Andes, which is the longest and second highest mountain chain in the world. The are three mountain ranges in Colombia that form the Andes. These are known as Cordilleras, which means range. The Cordillera Occidental is 680 miles long and is about 6,500 ft. high. This range is on the western area that stretches from the equator to the Caribbean Sea. The Cordillera Oriental is the longest range, at 750 miles long, and 8,530 ft. high and it cuts from northern Colombia to southern Colombia. The Cordillera Central is located in the center of the country and is 689 miles long and 10,827 ft. high making it the highest cordillera. The highest mountain point in Colombia is the Sierra Nevada at 19,055 ft. high. There are lots of volcanoes in Colombia. The Cumbal is 17,500 ft. high, the Chiles is 16,900 ft. high, the Purace is 17,060 ft. high, and the Pan de Azucar is 16,840 ft. high. The eastern region of Colombia is a grassy lowland. 1/6 of Colombia is uninhabited glacier land, and 1/5 is high plateau. Colombia has many rivers. The most important river is the Magdalena which is 965 miles long and flows north to the Caribbean Sea. Others are the Meta, the Amazon, the Guaviare, and the Putamayo. There aren't many lakes in Colombia. The largest lake in Colombia is Lake Cocha and is not very important. If it wasn't for the Andes mountain location, Colombia would have an extremely high climate since it is near the equator. However, Colombia's climate is strictly related to the altitude of the land and varies greatly from section to section. The hot region of Colombia has an average temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and are from sea level to three thousand feet. This area is along the Pacific coast and in the eastern jungle region. Regions ... ...uela and Colombia were united to form the Greater Colombian Confederation. Simon Bolivar was President. In 1830, the Confederation ended because Venezuela wanted independence. Today, Colombia is a parliamentary republic with presidential elections held every four years. The congress holds sessions every year between July and December and consists of two houses the Chamber of Deputies, which has 131 elected members, and the Senate with 63 members. The President appoints cabinet members and cheifs of administrations. Colombia is divided into 23 departments, and the president appoints a governer to head each department. The current president is Cesar Gaviria Trujillo. Colombia's population today is approximately 34,296,000. 95% of these people are Roman Catholic. The capital, Bogota has an estimated 4,921,00 people, and the second largest city, Cali, has 1,624,00 people. After Mexico and Brazil, Colombia is the third most populolus country in Latin America.3 About one half of the population today is mestizo, a mixture of Indian and European descent.4 Europeans are about one fifth of the population, and and there are some blacks, and about 400 Indian tribes. The Republic Of Colombia Essay -- essays research papers The Republic of Colombia is the fourth largest country in South America. It is located at the north-western tip of the continent. Its neighbors are Brazil and Venezuela to the east, Panama to the north-west, and Ecuador and Peru to the south. Colombia is the only South American country that's coast is on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. There are eight islands under Colombian rule, and they are San Andres, Providencia, San Bernado, Islas del Rosario, Isla Fuerte, Gorgona, Gorgonilla, and Malpelo. Colombia's terrain is about 45% mountainous. The major mountain chain is the Andes, which is the longest and second highest mountain chain in the world. The are three mountain ranges in Colombia that form the Andes. These are known as Cordilleras, which means range. The Cordillera Occidental is 680 miles long and is about 6,500 ft. high. This range is on the western area that stretches from the equator to the Caribbean Sea. The Cordillera Oriental is the longest range, at 750 miles long, and 8,530 ft. high and it cuts from northern Colombia to southern Colombia. The Cordillera Central is located in the center of the country and is 689 miles long and 10,827 ft. high making it the highest cordillera. The highest mountain point in Colombia is the Sierra Nevada at 19,055 ft. high. There are lots of volcanoes in Colombia. The Cumbal is 17,500 ft. high, the Chiles is 16,900 ft. high, the Purace is 17,060 ft. high, and the Pan de Azucar is 16,840 ft. high. The eastern region of Colombia is a grassy lowland. 1/6 of Colombia is uninhabited glacier land, and 1/5 is high plateau. Colombia has many rivers. The most important river is the Magdalena which is 965 miles long and flows north to the Caribbean Sea. Others are the Meta, the Amazon, the Guaviare, and the Putamayo. There aren't many lakes in Colombia. The largest lake in Colombia is Lake Cocha and is not very important. If it wasn't for the Andes mountain location, Colombia would have an extremely high climate since it is near the equator. However, Colombia's climate is strictly related to the altitude of the land and varies greatly from section to section. The hot region of Colombia has an average temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and are from sea level to three thousand feet. This area is along the Pacific coast and in the eastern jungle region. Regions ... ...uela and Colombia were united to form the Greater Colombian Confederation. Simon Bolivar was President. In 1830, the Confederation ended because Venezuela wanted independence. Today, Colombia is a parliamentary republic with presidential elections held every four years. The congress holds sessions every year between July and December and consists of two houses the Chamber of Deputies, which has 131 elected members, and the Senate with 63 members. The President appoints cabinet members and cheifs of administrations. Colombia is divided into 23 departments, and the president appoints a governer to head each department. The current president is Cesar Gaviria Trujillo. Colombia's population today is approximately 34,296,000. 95% of these people are Roman Catholic. The capital, Bogota has an estimated 4,921,00 people, and the second largest city, Cali, has 1,624,00 people. After Mexico and Brazil, Colombia is the third most populolus country in Latin America.3 About one half of the population today is mestizo, a mixture of Indian and European descent.4 Europeans are about one fifth of the population, and and there are some blacks, and about 400 Indian tribes.

Marketing Relationship in the Organisation Essay

Relationship marketing is a form of marketing developed from direct response marketing campaigns conducted in the 1970s and 1980s which emphasizes customer retention and satisfaction, rather than a dominant focus on point-of-sale transactions. Relationship marketing differs from other forms of marketing in that it recognizes the long term value to the firm of keeping customers, as opposed to direct marketing or â€Å"Intrusion† marketing, which focuses upon acquisition of new clients by targeting majority demographics based upon prospective client lists. Development of Relationship Marketing Relationship marketing refers to a long-term and mutually beneficial arrangement wherein both the buyer and seller focus on value enhancement with the goal of providing a more satisfying exchange. This approach attempts to transcend the simple purchase-exchange process with customer to make more meaningful and richer contact by providing a more holistic, personalized purchase, and use the consumption experience to create stronger ties. According to Liam Alvey, relationship marketing can be applied when there are competitive product alternatives for customers to choose from; and when there is an ongoing and periodic desire for the product or service. Fornell and Birger Wernerfelt used the term â€Å"defensive marketing† to describe attempts to reduce customer turnover and increase customer loyalty. This customer-retention approach was contrasted with â€Å"offensive marketing† which involved obtaining new customers and increasing customers’ purchase frequency. Defensive marketing focused on reducing or managing the dissatisfaction of your customers, while offensive marketing focused on â€Å"liberating† dissatisfied customers from your competition and generating new customers. There are two components to defensive marketing: increasing customer satisfaction and increasing switching barriers. Modern consumer marketing originated in the 1950s and 1960s as companies found it more profitable to sell relatively low-value products to masses of customers. Over the decades, attempts have been made to broaden the scope of marketing, relationship marketing being one of these attempts. Arguably, customer value has been greatly enriched by these contributions. The practice of relationship marketing has been facilitated by several generations of customer relationship management software that allow tracking and analyzing of each customer’s preferences, activities, tastes, likes, dislikes, and complaints. For example, an automobile manufacturer maintaining a database of when and how repeat customers buy their products, the options they choose, the way they finance the purchase etc., is in a powerful position to develop one-to-one marketing offers and product benefits. In web applications, the consumer shopping profile is built as the person shops on the website. This information is then used to compute what can be his or her likely preferences in other categories. These predicted offerings can then be shown to the customer through cross-sell, email recommendation and other channels. Relationship marketing has also migrated back into direct mail, allowing marketers to take advantage of the technological capabilities of digital, toner-based printing presses to produce unique, personalized pieces for each recipient. Marketers can personalize documents by any information contained in their databases, including name, address, demographics, purchase history, and dozens (or even hundreds) of other variables. The result is a printed piece that (ideally) reflects the individual needs and preferences of each recipient, increasing the relevance of the piece and increasing the response rate. Scope Relationship marketing has also been strongly influenced by reengineering. According to (process) reengineering theory, organizations should be structured according to complete tasks and processes rather than functions. That is, cross-functional teams should be responsible for a whole process, from beginning to end, rather than having the work go from one functional department to another. Traditional marketing is said to use the functional (or ‘silo’) department approach. The legacy of this can still be seen in the traditional four P’s of the marketing mix. Pricing, product management, promotion, and placement. According to Gordon (1999), the marketing mix approach is too limited to provide a usable framework for assessing and developing customer relationships in many industries and should be replaced by the relationship marketing alternative model where the focus is on customers, relationships and interaction over time, rather than markets and products. In contrast, relationship marketing is cross-functional marketing. It is organized around processes that involve all aspects of the organization. In fact, some commentators prefer to call relationship marketing â€Å"relationship management† in recognition of the fact that it involves much more than that which is normally included in marketing. Martin Christopher, Adrian Payne, and David Ballantyne at the Cranfield School of Management claim that relationship marketing has the potential to forge a new synthesis between quality management, customer service management, and marketing. They see marketing and customer service as inseparable. Relationship marketing involves the application of the marketing philosophy to all parts of the organization. Every employee is said to be a â€Å"part-time marketer†. The way Regis McKenna (1991) puts it: â€Å"Marketing is not a function; it is a way of doing business . . . marketing has to be all pervasive, part of everyone’s job description, from the receptionist to the board of directors. Approaches Satisfaction Relationship marketing relies upon the communication and acquisition of consumer requirements solely from existing customers in a mutually beneficial exchange usually involving permission for contact by the customer through an â€Å"opt-in† system. With particular relevance to customer satisfaction the relative price and quality of goods and services produced or sold through a company alongside customer service generally determine the amount of sales relative to that of competing companies. Although groups targeted through relationship marketing may be large, accuracy of communication and overall relevancy to the customer remains higher than that of direct marketing, but has less potential for generating new leads than direct marketing and is limited to Viral marketing for the acquisition of further customers. Retention A key principle of relationship marketing is the retention of customers through varying means and practices to ensure repeated trade from preexisting customers by satisfying requirements above those of competing companies through a mutually beneficial relationship. This technique is now used as a means of counterbalancing new customers and opportunities with current and existing customers as a means of maximizing profit and counteracting the â€Å"leaky bucket theory of business† in which new customers gained in older direct marketing oriented businesses were at the expense of or coincided with the loss of older customers. This process of â€Å"churning† is less economically viable than retaining all or the majority of customers using both direct and relationship management as lead generation via new customers requires more investment. Many companies in competing markets will redirect or allocate large amounts of resources or attention towards customer retention as in markets with increasing competition it may cost 5 times more to attract new customers than it would to retain current customers, as direct or â€Å"offensive† marketing requires much more extensive resources to cause defection from competitors. However, it is suggested that because of the extensive classic marketing theories center on means of attracting customers and creating transactions rather than maintaining them, the majority usage of direct marketing used in the past is now gradually being used more alongside relationship marketing as its importance becomes more recognizable. It is claimed by Reichheld and Sasser that a 5% improvement in customer retention can cause an increase in profitability of between 25 and 85 percent (in terms of net present value) depending on the industry. However Carrol, and Reichheld dispute these calculations, claiming they result from faulty cross-sectional analysis. According to Buchanan and Gilles, the increased profitability associated with customer retention efforts occurs because of several factors that occur once a relationship has been established with a customer. †¢ The cost of acquisition occurs only at the beginning of a relationship, so the longer the relationship, the lower the amortized cost. †¢ Account maintenance costs decline as a percentage of total costs (or as a percentage of revenue). †¢ Long-term customers tend to be less inclined to switch, and also tend to be less price sensitive. This can result in stable unit sales volume and increases in dollar-sales volume. †¢ Long-term customers may initiate free word of mouth promotions and referrals. †¢ Long-term customers are more likely to purchase ancillary products and high margin supplemental products. †¢ Customers that stay with you tend to be satisfied with the relationship and are less likely to switch to competitors, making it difficult for competitors to enter the market or gain market share. †¢ Regular customers tend to be less expensive to service because they are familiar with the process, require less â€Å"education†, and are consistent in their order placement. †¢ Increased customer retention and loyalty makes the employees’ jobs easier and more satisfying. In turn, happy employees feed back into better customer satisfaction in a virtuous circle. Relationship marketers speak of the â€Å"relationship ladder of customer loyalty†. It groups types of customers according to their level of loyalty. The ladder’s first rung consists of â€Å"prospects†, that is, people that have not purchased yet but are likely to in the future. This is followed by the successive rungs of â€Å"customer†, â€Å"client†, â€Å"supporter†, â€Å"advocate†, and â€Å"partner†. The relationship marketer’s objective is to â€Å"help† customers get as high up the ladder as possible. This usually involves providing more personalized service and providing service quality that exceeds expectations at each step. Customer retention efforts involve considerations such as the following: 1. Customer valuation – Gordon (1999) describes how to value customers and categorize them according to their financial and strategic value so that companies can decide where to invest for deeper relationships and which relationships need to be served differently or even terminated. 2. Customer retention measurement – Dawkins and Reichheld (1990) calculated a company’s â€Å"customer retention rate†. This is simply the percentage of customers at the beginning of the year that are still customers by the end of the year. In accordance with this statistic, an increase in retention rate from 80% to 90% is associated with a doubling of the average life of a customer relationship from 5 to 10 years. This ratio can be used to make comparisons between products, between market segments, and over time. 3. Determine reasons for defection – Look for the root causes, not mere symptoms. This involves probing for details when talking to former customers. Other techniques include the analysis of customers’ complaints and competitive benchmarking (see competitor analysis). 4. Develop and implement a corrective plan – This could involve actions to improve employee practices, using benchmarking to determine best corrective practices, visible endorsement of top management, adjustments to the company’s reward and recognition systems, and the use of â€Å"recovery teams† to eliminate the causes of defections. A technique to calculate the value to a firm of a sustained customer relationship has been developed. This calculation is typically called customer lifetime value. Retention strategies also build barriers to customer switching. This can be done by product bundling (combining several products or services into one â€Å"package† and offering them at a single price), cross selling (selling related products to current customers), cross promotions (giving discounts or other promotional incentives to purchasers of related products), loyalty programs (giving incentives for frequent purchases), increasing switching costs (adding termination costs, such as mortgage termination fees), and integrating computer systems of multiple organizations (primarily in industrial marketing). Many relationship marketers use a team-based approach. The rationale is that the more points of contact between the organization and customer, the stronger will be the bond, and the more secure the relationship. Application Relationship marketing and traditional (or transactional) marketing are not mutually exclusive and there is no need for a conflict between them. A relationship oriented marketer still has choices at the level of practice, according to the situation variables. Most firms blend the two approaches to match their portfolio of products and services. Virtually all products have a service component to them and this service component has been getting larger in recent decades. (See service economy and experience economy.) Internal marketing Relationship marketing also stresses what it calls internal marketing. This refers to using a marketing orientation within the organization itself. It is claimed that many of the relationship marketing attributes like collaboration, loyalty and trust determine what â€Å"internal customers† say and do. According to this theory, every employee, team, or department in the company is simultaneously a supplier and a customer of services and products. An employee obtains a service at a point in the value chain and then provides a service to another employee further along the value chain. If internal marketing is effective, every employee will both provide and receive exceptional service from and to other employees. It also helps employees understand the significance of their roles and how their roles relate to others’. If implemented well, it can also encourage every employee to see the process in terms of the customer’s perception of value added, and the organization’s strategic mission. Further it is claimed that an effective internal marketing program is a prerequisite for effective external marketing efforts. (George, W. 1990) The six markets model Adrian Payne (1991) from Cranfield University goes further. He identifies six markets which he claims are central to relationship marketing. They are: internal markets, supplier markets, recruitment markets, referral markets, influence markets, and customer markets. Referral marketing is developing and implementing a marketing plan to stimulate referrals. Although it may take months before you see the effect of referral marketing, this is often the most effective part of an overall marketing plan and the best use of resources. Marketing to suppliers is aimed at ensuring a long-term conflict-free relationship in which all parties understand each others’ needs and exceed each others’ expectations. Such a strategy can reduce costs and improve quality. Influence markets involve a wide range of sub-markets including: government regulators, standards bodies, lobbyists, stockholders, bankers, venture capitalists, financial analysts, stockbrokers, consumer associations, environmental associations, and labor associations. These activities are typically carried out by the public relations department, but relationship marketers feel that marketing to all six markets is the responsibility of everyone in the organization. Each market may require its own explicit strategies and a separate marketing mixes for each.

Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence Essay

The book ‘Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence’ that is written by Doris Pilkington is about three aboriginal half-cast girls that run away from The Moore River Native Settlement. At the settlement aboriginal half-cast children are kept and tried to be changed into white people so they can be respected in the community. The book is set in Western Australia in the early 1900’s. ‘This free-Spirited girl knew that she and her sisters must escape from this place,’ is true, she shows her persistence, determination and is toughness. A half-cast child was an aboriginal with an aboriginal mother but a white father. The persistence Molly shows during the book is incredible for a fourteen year old to have to acts as the mother to the other two girls Gracie and Daisy. The girls were taken from there family’s at a camp in Jigalong. They were then taken to Moore river were there was a camp for half-cast children like themselves to be trained into servants and to be turned white. Molly knowing what will happen to them if they stayed at the camp. â€Å"Pack up your things we’re leaving now â€Å"said Molly when she was trying to rush them out the door so they could leave in a hurry so they could get a big head start on the government officials. Molly shows lots of persistence during the book which could show why they were able to evade capture and return home to Jigalong. The determination of the young Molly was repeated as she did the same trip again but this time with her newborn baby. Molly was always trying to look for the bright side on the way home. ‘My legs hurt’ said Daisy when they were walking in the bush so Molly decided to carry her sister and Gracie at different times even though her legs were hurting to. The determination of Molly was evident in how she was able to get the girls on the move, as most of the time they were running away. The saying you’re as tough as nails could easily be describing Molly. The book shows that Molly has lots of characteristics but determination is one of the important ones. The toughness of a fourteen year old girl could be said to be non-existent as todays girls have a luxury life, where any toughness is not needed. Molly on the other hard is as tough as a rock and journey she accomplished with two smaller children who could be very hard to deal with, to make the story better she was sent back to the camp after she had an operation and escaped back to her family after using the same route she took nine years early. Molly shows her toughness though the book in helping these two girls get home with her but she had the strength to do it again with her very young newborn baby, but she had to make a tough sacrifice in her decision to come home as she had to leave her oldest daughter Doris there at the camp, this â€Å"was one of the hardest decision of my life† said Molly while being interviewed for the movie. The toughness of Molly is evident throughout the book showing one of the qualities that not everyone has. The book ‘Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence’ is written by Doris Pilkington is about three aboriginal half-cast girls running away from The Moore River Native Settlement where aboriginal half-caste children kept. The book highlights the journey the girls took back to their home in Jigalong in Western Australia. The main character was Molly who was the oldest out of all three girls. . ‘This free-Spirited girl knew that she and her sisters must escape from this place,’ is true, she shows her Persistence, determination and is toughness. This book shows a true and inspiring story of children that wanted to go home.

The White Balloon Essays - Films, The White Balloon, Goldfish

The White Balloon Essays - Films, The White Balloon, Goldfish The White Balloon T h e W h i t e B a l l o o n Moiz Bhinderwala I. Give a short summary of the film in which you tell: - where and when the story takes place - who the main characters are protagonists and antagonists - how their lives are affected by the culture they are in The story is set in a modern Tehran just two hours before the start of the traditional Persian New Year -the first day of spring, March 21st, is New Year's Day in Iran. The whole story revolves around Raziah, a determined seven-year-old girl who wants nothing more than a certain beautiful goldfish to decorate her family's house for the New Year- (the first day of spring, March 21st, is New Year's Day in Iran) Though it's tough to convey the excitement of such a simple plot in words, her quest for the fish is surprisingly moving. This is partly because the adorable Raziah, who shouts all her lines, is so utterly appealing; and partly because the market of Tehran, where she ventures out to buy the fish with her mother's money (under strict instructions to bring back change). seems like no place for a little girl to be wandering by herself (underlines the fact about restriction on women in this culture) A sense of threat accompanies Raziah on her journey. First, some snake charmers - a bunch of men that she has been warned not to look at, by her parents - manage to separate the seven-year-old from her note. With the help of her sturdy vocal chords she manages to get the money back, only to lose it again. There's a subtle feeling that Raziah might be paddled by her parents if she doesn't get her money back - her brother, who convinced their mother to give his sister the money in the first place, shows up at one point with a black eye. The adults who surround the two children can't seem to understand how dire it is that they get their money back, but the kids themselves are quite certain of the gravity of their task. With earnest concentration, they try a variety of techniques to retrieve the bank note that has fallen through a grating into a cellar. Her search to recover the cash becomes intertwined with the lives of vendors, merchants, an indignant tailor, a friendly soldier on leave far from home, an Afghan refugee selling balloons and Raziah's own brother. The film takes place in real time, heightening the sense of living inside a child's world. Though the adults can't understand how important it is for Raziah to get her goldfish or to retrieve her money, it becomes very clear to us that these are matters of immense importance. The White Balloon conveys that deep, even timeless, childhood feeling of being thwarted at something you really want, of how something like a bowl of goldfish can be a life-or-death matter! The movie also brings out the various aspects of the Iranian Moslem culture in which the plot is set. The very fact that Raziahs parents warn her of places that girls are not supposed to go indicates that in this culture there are restrictions on girls with regards to entertainment. The scene where Raziah engages into talk with the friendly soldier, she is shown re-arranging her dress time and again, this also points out the strict dress code that women in this culture are supposed to stick to. II. As an anthropologist you are trying to understand this culture based on what you have seen in this film. - What differences are there between your culture and the culture presented in the film? I come from India, which shares an Asian culture with Iran. Moreover since my religion is Islam which is the same as the one of all the characters in the movie, it is difficult to me to narrow down the differences between my culture and the culture portrayed in the movie. However, the one differences that I noticed between the two cultures, in the movie was the dress code. Women in Iran are supposed to follow a strict dress code in which they wear longer dresses so as to cover their hands

An IEP - Definitions and Important Information

An IEP - Definitions and Important Information The Individual Education Program/Plan (IEP) Simply put, an IEP is a written plan that will describe the program(s) and special services the student requires to be successful. It is a plan that ensures that proper programming is in place to help the student with special needs to be successful at school. It is a working document that will be modified usually each term based on the ongoing needs of the student. The IEP is developed collaboratively by school staff and parents as well as medical staff if appropriate. An IEP will focus on social, academic and independence needs (daily living) depending on the area of need. It may have one or all three components addressed. School teams and parents usually decide who needs an IEP. Usually testing/assessment is done to support the need for an IEP, unless medical conditions are involved. An IEP must be in place for any student who has been identified as having special needs by an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) which is made up of school team members. In some jurisdictions, there are IEPs in place for students who are not working at grade level or have special needs but have not yet gone through the IPRC process. IEPs will vary depending on the educational jurisdiction. However, IEPs will describe specifically the special education program and/or the services necessary for a student with special needs. The IEP will identify the curricular areas that will need to be modified or it will state whether the child requires an alternative curriculum which is often the case for students with severe autism, severe developmental needs or cerebral palsy etc. It will also identify the accommod ations and or any special educational services the child may need to reach their full potential. It will contain measurable goals for the student. Some examples of services or support in the IEP could include: Curriculum a grade or two behindLess of the Curriculum (a modification.) Assistive Technology such as text to speech or speech to textA specialized laptop with specific software applications or switches to support the special needsBrailleFM SystemsPrint EnlargersSitting, standing, walking devices/equipmentAugmentative communicationStrategies, accommodations and any resources neededTeacher Aid Assistance Again, the plan is individualized and rarely will any 2 plans be the same. An IEP is NOT a set of lessons plans or daily plans. The IEP differs from regular classroom instruction and assessment in varying amounts. Some IEPs will state that a specialized placement is required while others will just state the accommodations and modifications that will occur in the regular classroom. IEPs will usually contain: an overview of the Student’s strengths and areas of need;the current level of the student’s functioning or achievement;annual goals written very specifically for the student;an overview of the program and services that the student will receive;an overview of the methods to determine progress and to monitor progress;assessment dataname, age, exceptionality or medical conditionstransitional plans (for older students) Parents are always involved in the development of the IEP, they play a key role and will sign the IEP. Most jurisdictions will require that the IEP be completed within 30 school days after the pupil has been placed in the program, however, its important to check into special education services in your own jurisdiction to be certain of the specific details. The IEP is a working document and when change is needed, the IEP will be revised. The principal is ultimately responsible to ensure that the IEP is being implemented. Parents are encouraged to work with teachers to ensure their childs needs are being met both at home and at school.

How to Use Wikipedia in Writing Your Academic Paper

How to Use Wikipedia in Writing Your Academic Paper Wikipedia is arguably world’s largest knowledge repository, with millions of entries on every thinkable subject. It is arranged in a quasi-scholarly manner and at first glance raises no doubt about the credibility and quality of the information. Many students take the information presented there at its face value and often get penalized by their teaching institutions. The matter is that Wikipedia is called a ‘free encyclopedia’ meaning that anyone in the world can sit down at his or her own computer and contribute to the general body of information there. Here is what Wikipedia says about contributing articles to it: â€Å"Just about anyone can edit almost any article at any given time, even without logging in†. Consequently, the biggest problem with using this source is information credibility. The credibility of information is one of the cornerstones of academic writing – every claim that is being made in an article needs to be backed up with an evidence. Such evidence, in turn, should rely on the research data obtained in the course of an academic inquiry that has to be realized according to fixed rules. Now, getting back to the ‘free encyclopedia’ there have been numerous cases when students got misguided by using information that was freely available online. As a result, teaching institutions have blacklisted this resource from credible sources of information, tagging it as ‘inappropriate for scholarly writing’. If your school hasn’t made an explicit ban on this source of information, most likely there is an unspoken agreement to avoid it, so double check on it before commencing your writing. The fact that Wiki has been banned from academia appears to be bad, yet everything is not as bad as it may seem. You may also like these articles: Research Paper Term Paper Help Writing a Book Report Cover Letter Writing Service Curriculum Vitae Writing Custom Essay Writing Dissertation Writing Service Know How to Use It: Look for Primary Sources Just like about a ‘regular’ encyclopedia, Wiki attempts to back up its claims with references for greater credibility. The vast majority of articles there contain a special â€Å"References† section that is quite similar to the â€Å"References† page of any scholarly entry. However, unlike a recognized scholarly source of information, the â€Å"References† section of the ‘free encyclopedia’ contains references to various sources of information, including both scholarly books (articles, research etc) and less reputable sources like blogs, websites, forums etc. While doing preliminary research for your assignment, you should be able to easily collect some primary data by just looking at the â€Å"References† section of Wiki. It will most likely give you a good list of primary sources to work with. Primary sources – are those sources of information that contain results of the actual research, and usually contain all attributes of a scholarly piece of writing, including abstract, literature review, methods, results, discussion etc. This is the kind of information you should be looking at – open the references and look at their abstracts to determine whether they meet your needs.   Once you find what you need, you should take a look at the â€Å"References† section of the article you are interested in and try to look them up online. It will be the second iteration of the reference analysis in your paper that will give you the information you will need for writing your paper. It often happens the references are made in text format as opposed to the convenient hypertext format. In that case, go ahead and copy such information as the name of the author, date and name of the publication and try to search it online. Chances are – in 8 cases out of 10 you will find the article you need. How to Cite Wikipedia If you are writing a scholarly paper, you are not allowed to cite Wikipedia – full stop. The trick to citing this information is citing the actual primary source of information, but not the Wikipedia entry itself. For example, if you are writing about Diabetes Mellitus and need to mention the role of Statin as the trigger of Diabetes, go ahead and select the reference that stands next to the word â€Å"Statins† – you will see it has a reference to a piece of research by Sattar, Price et al. (2010). By doing so you are backing all your claims with references to reliable sources of information. The â€Å"free online encyclopedia† is a reliable source of secondary information and should be avoided in your academic writing. It can be of tremendous help when you are doing some preliminary research and are looking for research results and scholarly investigations that scholars did earlier. By simply looking at the references section of the Wiki article, you will be able to get a good number of reliable ‘first hand’ information with consistent results and credible authors. Citing Wikipedia directly is not allowed, however citing primary sources is a nice workaround that will cause no objections.

Exemplifying Lawrence Kohlberg's notion of post-conventional moral Essay

Exemplifying Lawrence Kohlberg's notion of post-conventional moral reasoning, describe the major ethical (philosophical decision-making, not behavioral) problem in the Jehovahs Witness case - Essay Example In the present scenario however, the patient wants her life saved but without blood transfusion that is probably a requisite in her medical condition. Lawrence Kohlberg’s post conventional aspect of theory lays major emphasis on the person’s individual paradigm of ethics. So according to it the patient should not be given blood transfusion even if there is an 80% death probability otherwise. However the stage six of his post conventional theory involves making decision by imagining yourself in that someone’s position and doing what is right or what is deemed prudent for the patient in this case but mutual agreement is a condition in such a scenario. Since the patient is unwilling for a blood transfusion so it is important on behalf of the surgeons to respect her strongly orthodox perspective that she in unwilling to give up even in such a life threatening situation. In the present scenario the doctor will be imposed to watch the patient die but would not be able to do anything against her will. The patient will have to decide for herself the right course of treatment. A sensible desire when materialized is free from all restrain and powerful within its circle of influence. This freedom is attributed to it by the lawfulness of its essence. (Kant, 1909). In the present scenario the perpetrator will have breached not just the limit for ethical violation but also committed an assault both of the women body and her sense of protection. Information and communication technology has knitted the world together so closely that it is now called a global village. Everything is just a click away. People from far ranging islands and across seven seas are better connected than ever in history. As far as globalisation from the paradigm of medical studies is viewed, it has remarkably strengthened the process and aided in its pollination (Doel, 2003). It is the vector which carries vital information across borders and waters. Ehical professionalism is pollinated and

Article Critiques on Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article Critiques on Finance - Essay Example For example, although, â€Å" 70% of Swedes and 61% of Americans aged 55 to 64 work, a mere 32% of Austrians and Belgians in the range do [so].† In analyzing certain trends, the OECD report has divided its members into four groups having similar characteristics. These groups are â€Å"English speaking’, ‘Northern Europe’, ‘Continental and southern Europe’ and ‘Central Europe’. The first two of these groups have been successful in maintaining high employment rates. This, as per the report is attributed to the fact that countries in these two groups have, â€Å"weaker job protection; less generous unemployment benefits and thinner tax wedges than the average†. The message here is clear, namely, that the best way to reduce unemployment is to get more people out to work by the simple expedient of loosening labour markets. Workers must have an incentive to work to make ends meet, which might not be enough motivation if unemployment benefits are too attractive, or conversely, if the take-home pay is not worth the difference in effort. Encouraging people to work until they are much older is one way of reducing the pension burden, but this is offset by the fact that, â€Å" wages are often based on seniority not productivity†. Hence a correct balance has to be drawn, especially since wastage through retirement is one of the methods of job creation. This article examines Europe’s attempts at a monetary union and whether in fact countries that have adopted the Euro have really benefited in terms if increased trade. When Britain stayed out of the merger, it was projected that should Britain join it would result in a possible increase in trade by as much as 50%, and living standards by up o 9%. However, studies carried out by Richard Baldwin do not support these estimates. Baldwin has worked out that the increase in trade on the Euro adopting countries is only between 5% to 15%, with the average being 9%. The three EU countries that did not join

Choose Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Choose - Annotated Bibliography Example African Americans have always suffered according to the book Gates, Henry L. Life Upon These Shores: Looking at African American History, 1513-2008. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. Print. It illustrates some of the troubles they encountered as slaves and soldiers in the 1800s. these issues are also seen in The Revolution as majority of the colored soldiers are not allowed to hold special weapons as they are not qualified and they are black. They are not given the opportunity to escape from the war as their fellow soldiers kill them. Both the movie and the book explain this. The Revolution also indicates that slaves were sometimes confused on the people they supported. This is further explained by the book Smith, Gene A. The Slaves Gamble: Choosing Sides in the War of 1812. , 2013. Print. They were sometimes offered freedom by their enemies or even enticed by money and property. The movie indicates that some of the slaves took the offer only to realize that it was all lies. They found themselves being treated as slaves or even sold as prisoners of war to their previous owners. Smith also indicates that some of the African American who fought in the war of 1812 did not receive compensation or rewards for their participation in the war. Wilson, Joseph T, and Dudley T. Cornish. The Black Phalanx: African American Soldiers in the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994. Print, shows that the participation of the African Americans in the war changed a lot of things. For instance, both the movie and the book indicate that the whites started to view them differently. They started to treat them as their fellow human beings and not slaves. There are others who were viewed as brothers to the soldiers. This is seen in the movie as one of the soldiers share a meal with one of the slaves.

The Old Folks Home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Old Folks Home - Essay Example The author of â€Å"The Old Folks Home† begins his narrative with the statement that approaching always brings up the same feelings in the author: duty, of course, and excitement because he hasn’t seen his grandma in so long†¦ but there is always a touch of apprehension, of dread. The fact is, there is not a whole lot that we have in common together, not a lot of common ground to talk about.   This means that we will check up on each other – because we do care, we truly do, but after that first inspection, the tales of the past week or two or four, a silence laps. The visit turns into watching jeopardy or a Cubs game, comfortable, yet not all that fulfilling.   The author tells that he cannot leave after the first checkup though – what would the point be for such a short visit?   Wouldn’t that be admitting defeat?   Wouldn’t that be telling each other that there is not actually that much for us to talk about anymore? He keeps on telling himself, and his grandma keeps on telling him, that she appreciates them, that the author is doing a good thing.   But he also worries that his discomfort is shared – that she knows no matter how much they love each other, that there is nothing that love can do to help bridge the 60-year gap that separates their birth.   He tells himself this is fine, that his presence is all that is required, that he is doing good.   He wishes he could believe himself.   He wishes he could do more.

Tort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tort - Essay Example summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale; and where an offence under this Section committed by a corporation has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or facilitated by any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the corporation, he, as well as the corporation shall be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly". Therefore, Betty is obligated by law to obtain insurance for liability to employees. Employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees while they are at work. Employees may be injured at work, or they may become ill as a result of their work while in employment and might face claims for compensation in this regard. The Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 ensures that employers have at least a minimum level of insurance cover against any such claims. Public Liability Insurance is designed to cover businesses from the threat that they will be sued from a member of the public. The basic concept of public liability is, it will cover one’s business in the event that it causes injury or death to a third party, it will also cover the business in the event that it damages a third parties property. Public liability insurance is not compulsory in the UK and therefore, Betty does not require it, though it might be recommended to protect Betty from future liability from third parties. Liability for land and premises differs depending on the question whether the injured person is a lawful visitor or a trespasser. While the former case is governed by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, the latter is governed by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1984. Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, an occupier must be prepared for children to be less careful than adults1 and where damage is caused to a visitor by a danger of which he had been warned by the occupier, the warning is not to be

Language Arts lesson plan analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Language Arts lesson plan analysis - Essay Example Furthermore, by allowing the students to predict what will happen, especially the ending of the story, students will be using inquiry based learning. They will be responding to questions, as well as asking themselves questions in the process of making a story. Thus, the various learning styles and strategies learned should help students gain a better grasp of what the beginning, middle, and end of something, such as a story, means. This will hopefully help them better understand analysis and storytelling in the future. As far as content specific strategies are concerned, this is a very interesting lesson plan. It does have quite a bit of promise. Students at the elementary age love storytelling, and thus incorporating a lesson plan into storytelling is a very good way to bring them into the actual lesson, and to catch and hold their attention. Asking them questions and getting them to focus on the illustrations will also help to keep their interest, since children typically love looking at the pictures in books. However, a stronger assessment could be presented in this lesson.

Tort Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tort - Essay Example summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale; and where an offence under this Section committed by a corporation has been committed with the consent or connivance of, or facilitated by any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or other officer of the corporation, he, as well as the corporation shall be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly". Therefore, Betty is obligated by law to obtain insurance for liability to employees. Employers are responsible for the health and safety of their employees while they are at work. Employees may be injured at work, or they may become ill as a result of their work while in employment and might face claims for compensation in this regard. The Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 ensures that employers have at least a minimum level of insurance cover against any such claims. Public Liability Insurance is designed to cover businesses from the threat that they will be sued from a member of the public. The basic concept of public liability is, it will cover one’s business in the event that it causes injury or death to a third party, it will also cover the business in the event that it damages a third parties property. Public liability insurance is not compulsory in the UK and therefore, Betty does not require it, though it might be recommended to protect Betty from future liability from third parties. Liability for land and premises differs depending on the question whether the injured person is a lawful visitor or a trespasser. While the former case is governed by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, the latter is governed by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1984. Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, an occupier must be prepared for children to be less careful than adults1 and where damage is caused to a visitor by a danger of which he had been warned by the occupier, the warning is not to be

Compositing Visual Effects process from Pre-production to Post Thesis

Compositing Visual Effects process from Pre-production to Post production - Thesis Example Digital methods have been integrated in motion picture production to create special effects. Special effects credits usually involve physical effects that have been created through artificial, mechanical as well as pyrotechnic methods. Special effects can be used to create explosions, snow, fire and other effects that may be required during filming (Casinghino, 2010). Digital compositing is a technique used in the film industry to combine parts of separate images to create a single image. Many techniques continue to develop in the film industry that are used to create special visual techniques especially in feature films. Matte shots, chroma key which entails blue screen and green screen technique as well as front and rear projection are some of the technological advancements in the film industry. Data analysis was carried out through self-observation as this allowed the perceiving visual information in Avatar, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and Underworld: Evolution in g reat detail. Self-observation was the preferred choice as it allowed room for rewinding and forwarding of the films for keener observation without any inconveniences. Information in the three feature films greatly contributed to the perception of movement, general categorization as well as layout of scenes. Data analysis through self observation provided an understanding of the large changes that occurred in most visual scenes. Self observation enabled in creation of taxonomy of special effects in feature films and related them to different techniques applied during pre- production filming as well as post-production. 4.2 Avatar Different techniques have been applied in creation of Avatar as specific fields of expertise have been applied on special tasks to develop special visual effects. Various advanced techniques have been applied into the movie, for instance, compositing, camera match- move, matte painting as well as multi- pass rendering. Avatar has a combination of 3D technolog y and stop motion and this ensured the movie contained massive shots of visual effects. Each single frame in the movie was developed in a stereoscopic- 3D technology which shows that two cameras were used in shooting live action scenes or creation of right and left views in creating computer generated imagery. Nuke and Ocula have been used in filming the movie to composite and make corrections that aroused in the live action stereo shoots. Ocular plug-ins for Nuke was a very valuable toolset for Avatar as it was used to combine the digital image sequences and the geometrical models to develop stunning visual effects. These toolsets can lead to the formation of various visual effects that range from the invisible to the overwhelming. Compositing entails application of various processing operations to image sequences like images generated by a computer as well live action shots to create a convincing and captivating end result in a movie. Use of toolsets in creation of the movie allow ed for wide and complex inter-connections of a variety of images and geometrical operators. The toolsets allowed the images in avatar to have the Red Green Blue components as well as other useful components such as scene depth, highlights on computer generated imagery objects and motion estimation. Toolsets used in creation of avatar added to the flexibility of the effects as they made it possible for the movie to accommodate complex processes, for

Ebt Classroom Management Essay Example for Free

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.