Literature and writing

Nature, as seen and depicted by Walt Whitman in â€Å"Leaves of Grass† is vast and sweeping in its grandeur, like a giant movie screen, where he unloads scenes upon scenes of grand vistas in living color.  Ã‚   If it were a theatrical performance, he would create lavish scenes of epic proportions : majestic skies, billowing waves, golden fields of grain extending to the horizon.   They would be the exact opposite of the languid seascapes captured on canvas in Virginia Woolf’s â€Å"To the Lighthouse†.   Describing the sea, Whitman writes: Behold, the sea itself, And on its limitless, heaving breast, the ships; See, where their white sails, bellying in the wind, speckle The green and blue, See, dusky and undulating, the long pennants of smoke (33.30-37). To Whitman, nature perpetually calls attention unto itself, but man ordinarily ignores it or is not sensitive enough to perceive its charms.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thus, the poet continually exhorts the onlooker to behold the beauty unfolding before his eyes. For him, a leaf of grass is â€Å"no less than the journey work of the stars† and that â€Å"the running blackberry would adorn the parlors of heaven†(31.1-8). As in theatre, the poet conjures images to create moods as would suit his purpose.  Ã‚   Whitman’s poems overflow with robustness and energy as he writes about the pioneers of a new nation leaving the sanctuary of their homes to tame the great frontiers.   In the process he is overwhelmed by the magnificent beauty of the outdoors as well as the great cities and industries built by man’s labor. If his medium were a film screen, Whitman would come up with glorious takes of canyons and sunsets and deserts in Cinemascope, of buffalo herds grazing the plains, interspersed with the creaking wheels of industry.  Ã‚   When Whitman hears America singing, the songs he hears are those of vigorous workmen as they go about their daily tasks. For him, America is one vast theatre with the American common man as hero.   For him, life consists of â€Å"Victory, union, faith, identity, time,/ The indissoluble compacts, riches, mystery,/ eternal progress, the kosmos, and the modern reports†.   (Book II. 2.4) These are abstract terms, vague and incomprehensible, but the reader follows the thread of his thoughts when the poet writes about â€Å"sturdy blacksmiths swinging their sledges†, â€Å"cheerful axemen, wielding all day their axes†, and of â€Å"how the ash writhes under the muscular arms† of oarsmen on the lakes   (33.39-43).     For Walt, commonplace things in nature become the stuff of legend. Nature is likewise a common theme in a ballet performance.   Because no lines are spoken, the audience rely on the setting, the music, and the language of the bodies in motion.  Ã‚   That there is no dialogue seems to enhance rather than detract from the performance, for the dancers themselves with their seemingly effortless   leaps, twists and turns, their graceful flowing motions tell the story; no words are necessary. Sometime ago I had the opportunity to watch a ballet performance at the Metropolitan Opera House.   The experience was fascinating.   It impressed on me the beauty of the human body in motion, so long immortalized in poem and marble, but more usually ignored. The classic ballet Apollo, where the sun-god is offered the gifts of poetry, dance and music, began with the stage decked in black with haunting music in the background to create a somber mood.  Ã‚   The ballerinas, clad in contrasting white, were seen distinctly on stage as they retold one of mythology’s enduring tales. Jeu de Cartes was a modern ballet that featured poker hands, each being shuffled until the last card became a royal flush.  Ã‚   Modern and very lively,   Jeu de Cartes was very entertaining. Petrouchka, a classic Russian ballet, made use of lavish costumes and contrivances and four changes of scene.   Set in a Russian village, it made use of puppets and costumed characters. Watching a ballet performance makes one appreciate the tremendous work and resources needed to stage it.  Ã‚   It also makes one realize how beautiful the human body is, how graceful its gestures, its subtle flowing and gliding motions, as it tries to mimic life or capture its essence, in the same way that an artist tries to transfer the colors of sunset into canvas, or a poet his ruminations about life into rhyme. The poet, like the ballet dancer, tells a story by the subtle use of words, of symbols, of everyday things that ring a bell in the reader’s mind, or strike a chord in his heart.   Ã‚  Ã‚  The cast of a ballet and its creators also reach out to an audience by the use of movement synchronized with music in the midst of an appropriate setting to define mood.   In both arts, appreciation and enjoyment are the just rewards. WORKS CITED Whitman, Walt.   Leaves of Grass.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Fast Food and Childhood Obesity Essay

In the past decade there has been a rise of obesity in children. I believe along with many credible sources that a lot of the reoccurring obesity problems we face with children have to do with fast food. You could almost say that fast food is kind of like a drug for kids. It is always fun to go out to eat as well as take in food that is high in calories and saturated fat. Although fast food may be a large factor in childhood obesity, it is also safe to say that it’s not the only factor. Are we placing too much blame on the fast food industry for making our kids obese, or is it our fault as parents and caregivers? Fast Food Then and Now Compared to how fast food chains functioned when they first opened and how they operate now you will see a huge difference; not only in their food selection but also in the portion sizes. For example, when McDonald’s first opened in 1955 their cheeseburger was only 1. 6 ounces and now you can get a cheeseburger for almost 8 ounces (Monte, 2008). The sizes are almost a 400 calorie increase—400 calories could be more than one whole meal for a child. Every year portion sizes are essentially getting larger and larger. A small now would have been a medium just five years ago (White, n. d. ). Not only have the portion sizes gotten larger but so has the menu. Fast food chains now have been offering smoothies, sundaes, pie slices, and even cinnamon rolls. They offer more menu options that offer more calories and saturated fats. Along with these they have also gotten better with offering some healthy options too like apples and low fat milk, but who goes to a fast food restaurant to get apples and milk? There are 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations and out of that only 12 combinations meet the nutrition criteria for preschooler’s and 15 for all other children (Oren & Dodson, 2010). The only kind of company who would essentially poison children like that is ones who are trying to make a fast buck and that is the goal for all of these fast food companies. They don’t realize or they do and just don’t care that they are poisoning our youth and even adults. Advertisements For the past ten years or so fast food chains have been advertising to children. Kids spend more time watching TV than any other activity they do besides sleeping (Nestle, 2006). Fast food chains have taken advantage of this by placing most of their ads on programs like Nickelodeon, Disney, and even PBS. They know that if they spend millions on advertising on children networks that they will get their return on investing in them. Children see more than 32% more fast food ads on TV now than in 2003 (Oren & Dodson, 2010). In 2009, McDonald’s spent the most out of all the fast food companies on advertising to children. They spent almost 900 million dollars targeting ages 6-11. Subways was in a very far out second spending a little over 400 million dollars targeting 12-17 year olds (Harris, Schwartz & Brownell, 2010). Studies have also shown that Hispanics and African American children see more than 50% more fast food ads than white children (Oren & Dodson, 2010). With this there are more fast food chains in African American and Hispanic dominated neighborhoods. Family Statistics You can probably assume that every family in the U. S. goes to fast food restaurants on occasion but some go more than others. Studies have shown that families with lesser income are more exposed to fast food than other families who have a higher income (Block & Scribner, 2004). With the economy the way it is, much more people are making much less and this is causing more and more families to visit fast food places rather than eating at home. You can go to a fast food joint and spend ten dollars for the whole family to eat rather than spending hundreds of dollars at a grocery store. In an article I just read, less than one third of Americans are eating their meals from scratch; meaning actually cooking and serving them to their families (Voigts, 2005). This was published seven years ago—just think of where we are now! I conducted an interview with my sister, Morgan Dutton, who is an extreme fitness guru, health nut, and she also has children. I asked her what she thought about this obesity epidemic in our youth and she said, â€Å"I cannot believe all of the staggering statistics regarding kids and fast food. I am not sure why parents wouldn’t want their kids eating the healthiest food option rather than the fastest. Kids are starting to get diabetes earlier and it reduces their life span by years. Fast food is essentially killing our kids, it may be slowly but it is happening (personal communication, October 15th, 2012). † Drawing the Line So whose fault is it that our children’s generation is getting more and more obese? Should we blame it on fast food—when can we blame ourselves? As a parent I want my child to live the longest healthiest life they can live and when I take them to places like McDonald’s and Burger King I am basically poisoning their body. It may be fast food that is making them obese but isn’t it our fault for taking them there in the first place? Exposing them to that kind of food especially early on in their life is only going to make it harder for them when they get older and can make their own decisions. Conclusion Rather than placing blame for the obesity problem with our children maybe we should be taking action. You could blame fast food chains for making your kid obese or you could even blame yourself because you took them there. Parent’s need to start making better decisions on what they are putting in their kids bodies because they may outlive their own child. There are so many chemicals and toxins in fast food that people are not aware of. Fast food may be cheap and it may be fast but in the long scheme of things, it is killing our kids.

Google Inc Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Google Inc Business Strategy - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  the analysis of strategic framework of an organization can be done by using the framework of the Generic model proposed by Michael Porter. The model states that a firm can pursue four strategies that include overall cost leadership, focus, differentiation and differentiation focus strategies. Depending on the business and the market environment a firm can either chose one strategy or a combination of these strategies.   Overall cost leadership strategy involves a strategic framework in which a business organization lowers its cost of operations and uses the cost benefits to sell products at lower prices than their competitors. Business organizations using a differentiation strategy provide a unique product or service offering that is unmatched by the competitors in the industry segment.   In the present study the choice of Porter’s generic strategies has been selected because of the fact that Google has a large number of business units and the framework of the generic model proposed by Porter would help in a better understanding of the business strategies of Google. Porter’s generic strategies would not only help analyse the past and present strategies but would also give an idea about the future course of strategic endeavours that would be pursued by the organization.  Google is one organization that is synonymous with internet as it is the largest search engine company.  ... l cost leadership strategy involves a strategic framework in which a business organization lowers its cost of operations and uses the cost benefits to sell products at lower prices than their competitors. Business organizations using a differentiation strategy provide a unique product or service offering that is unmatched by the competitors in the industry segment. Firms using such a strategy normally charge a premium for their uniqueness in the product or service offering and generate their core competence based on their innovations. Focus strategy involves targeting a very core and niche consumer segment and providing services that tend to cater to the very specific needs of the customers (Botten, 2007, p.263). Bowman’s strategic clock (refer annexure 2) also includes the above dimensions of Porter’s strategic model in addition to the inclusion of competitive rivalry within the industry (Drews, 2010, p.8). In the present study the choice of Porter’s generic str ategies has been selected because of the fact that Google has a large number of business units and the framework of the generic model proposed by Porter would help in a better understanding of the business strategies of Google. Porter’s generic strategies would not only help analyse the past and present strategies but would also give an idea about the future course of strategic endeavours that would be pursued by the organization. Analysis and Evaluation of Google Strategy Google is one organization that is synonymous with internet as it is the largest search engine company. In addition to search engine that constitutes the bulk of its business, the company also has many other business units that includes video streaming, online social networking etc. The main source of revenue for the company comes

Conflict Resolution in an Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Conflict Resolution in an Organization - Essay Example From this study it is clear that the main problem is that this group has somehow run out of control and other employees feel they are a nuisance. They severally were caught making fun of other employees, which has resulted in resigning of some employees. The former sales manager was a great friend of Cory and thus he did nothing even when employees complained to him about Cory’s group behavior. Cory is also a relative to one of the company’s directors and boasts that it is only his uncle who can approve his sacking. Being new in the company, Rogers sought the production manager’s opinion on the issue who told him it was wiser for him to leave the group alone since he was risking his job. However, Rogers feels that if not dealt with, this problem might cripple other workers performance. Last week he summoned Cory to his office with the aim of trying to advise him on the problems his group was causing the sales department. Cory responded rudely that members of his group were the most productive and Rogers was new in the company and knew nothing on the group. On telling the human resource manager, Rogers got another surprise when manager told him that he had no right to decide on how the company employees should behave. This paper outlines that an example of a badly resolved conflict involved Mary and Cory’s group. Mary, a former medical representative of the company lost her job when she demanded for an apology from the group. This was after Cory and his group made a call to one of Mary’s clients which the client was uncomfortable with and demanded an explanation from Mary. When Mary found out about it, she demanded an explanation from Cory. Cory denied the claims even though the call traced back to him. From that day on, Cory’s group members started making fun of anything that Mary did.  

For your argument essay, you must produce an essay that argues for one

For your argument , you must produce an that argues for one side of a contentious issue on children's literature - Essay Example At such a young age when children are the most impressionable, it is best that they are well-guarded about concepts that could be dangerous or jarring to them, but they should not be promoted to censorship, be prepared for real life and other concepts that they will be introduced to when they are older, and be allowed to decide on their own tastes in regard to books and films. Censorship is the act of preventing people from reading, watching, or listening to material that others deem to be inappropriate. Censorship is an ongoing problem in our world, with most of it being seen in schools or being encouraged by parents. Though parents do have a right to say what material their child should or should not be subjected to, they should make it known that their objection is due to how inappropriate the material is for their child, but not in a general sense. Parents should not promote censorship to their children but impress upon them the importance of sticking to subject matter that is suitable for their age. If children grow up in a censored world, they will be denied the opportunity to grow and experience the other stories that books and films have, which could potentially lead to ignorance, since many of these books and films deal with important historical events and tragedies. Furthermore, a child that is exposed to so much censorship at such a young age w ill be given a false idea of what is right and what is wrong, or inappropriate. The innocence of age needs to be defended, not the material itself. As previously mentioned, children should be protected from material that is inappropriate to their age, like sex and violence. Romance or strong family values or issues, on the other hand, should not be kept from them, but embraced. These are vital to any child growing up in this day and age; they are important to understand as they are real life concepts. More over, they need to have some subjection to ideas or concepts that

Strategy, Analysis, Recommendation and Implementation of the Company Essay

Strategy, Analysis, Recommendation and Implementation of the Company Gap Inc - Essay Example Competitors such as Ambercrombie and Fitch are already moving towards this direction. However, given the Company's expertise, it is not yet late to launch the Banana Republic, Old Navy and Forth and Towne brands; and to capture a substantial share in these potential markets. The last five years have been commendable for GAP Incorporated due to the revived customer interest in its product lines. A lot of innovations were introduced in the previous year which reaped rewards for the Company, which includes the following: 2. Hands-on management of executives, from the centralized procurement of supplies, to ocular visits to the factories; these would ensure that products are manufactured in accordance with the company's penchant for quality, reliability and compliance to set international production standards; 3. The compensation package plus rewards system afforded to deserving executives achieved wonders for the company. In return, extra effort has been rendered, countless hours have been spent so that products could be delivered on time; 4. Massive shop expansion was a very aggressive stance of the company that helped prop-up sales. But some shops are not strategically located, if not poorly thought of, so that upper management decided to close these shops eventually. This hurt the image of Gap Incorporated and also transmitted wrong signals to competitors. Downsizing these shops would have been a better option since these shops are being used also by internet shoppers to pick up orders purchased online. Also, a rewards system for employees was not installed at the company's manufacturing plant. This is necessary in order to boost production and maintain quality standards in the product. Workers are after all the backbone of a company. 5. Increased online purchases really spiced up sales. Recommendation To increase Gap's profitability and create an extended market for its specialty apparel products, the company should expand in other countries. It is important to note that more than half of the world's population is concentrated in Asia which makes countries in this region a large potential market for Gap's various product lines. Furthermore, what is recommended is to adapt the sound and solid strategy employed by Gap Incorporated in the US; but only after some fine tuning stated as follows: 1. All efforts should be geared towards penetrating the Asian market with modifications employed to fit market preferences, i.e. Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam who are fairly conservative people will most probably require simple and conservative clothing as well. The fashion capital of Asia is Hong Kong. Neighboring countries, such as the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, to name a few do most of their shopping in this former British Colony. So, what is "in" in Hong Kong, will influence the choice of apparel throughout Asia. 2. Hire topnotch Asian designers to collaborate with Gap Incorporated's designers in the US for the development and introduction of new designs or product lines in these new markets.

Change of Mode of Payment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Change of Mode of Payment - Essay Example All employees must get a voided check or routing number to HR by 24th of September 2014.Paperwork must strictly be completed by fax or in person. Emailing employee bank information will not be allowed at all. Kindly note that this communication must be adhered to by all employees with immediate effect. Thank you for your time, adherence and understanding. When a business makes a credit sale, payment is normally due within a pre-decided period of time, normally 30, 60 or 90 days. Usually, the seller would have to wait for a month or more to receive cash against the sale. But a business may have an immediate requirement for funds. In such a situation, a factor could buy the invoice and pay the seller immediately. In the normal course, the amount paid would be about 80% of the invoice value. Subsequently, on the due date, the factor would collect the entire amount from the buyer. At this point in time, the factor would pay the remaining 20% of the invoice value to the seller after deducting its charges.

Power Of the Mass Media During the 1960s Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Power Of the Mass Media During the 1960s - Essay Example This movement took place from around 1955 until 1968. During this time racism had been a huge part of American history. Racism and the life of African Americans were changing. The Civil Rights Movement helped move along this change and help to create a better life for African Americans. The media was a very powerful player in voicing the rights of African Americans which contributed to the Civil Rights Movement. Churches, African American owned businesses and television shows teamed together to show as many as possible about the movement. Many would voice over the media and attempt to end racism and encourage the end of slavery. The mass media dramatically played a role in changing the perception of the public and how they felt toward African Americans. Just like the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam is a large part of American history and has been historically discussed in the mass media. Vietnam happened roughly from 1955 to 1975. During this time many Americans were needed to join the Army and fight in Vietnam. Some were pro to joining while others were against war. This part of history and how the media portrayed Vietnam is perfect for describing how the media changes the public’s perception and influences decisions. During the Vietnam War many were influenced to join. The media portrayed the war in so many different ways. The media made many young men believe everything would be taken care of if they were to enlist. The media dramatically influenced the public’s decisions to join. Not all mass media influence was to join the war. Many other forms of media encouraged young men to skip the war and fight for freedom and peace. This was a big way for media to encourage peace and many avoided the draft and were influenced by anti-war media. When pictures began to come up showing the negative effects of war the media thrived on the photos and they helped the media to change the perception of war through the use of

Genetically Modified Organisms and Concerns of Safety Research Paper

Genetically Modified Organisms and Concerns of Safety - Research Paper Example Humans have long sought to push the boundaries and experiment well outside the zones of comfort and recommendation. Such pushing of the envelope has given us the age of jet travel, space exploration, advanced science, and many other inventions and realities that we would not otherwise have. Yet, the fact remains that pushing the envelope and seeking to engage in something that is unknown is a process which only certain individuals within society have been comfortable at performing. Due to such an understanding, it becomes obvious that expecting all of society to engage in an activity that might be entirely outside of their comfort zone is neither ethical nor advantageous. This is very much the situation with regard to the use of GMOs in food supplies around the globe. With the rapid advance of science, scientists and researchers have been able to genetically modify a host of different plants and organisms as a means of tweaking the way in which they produce. This level of scientific manipulation has been able to provide the world with heartier and more productive crops; however, the fact of the matter is that the true levels of drawbacks that are exhibited within these genetically modified organisms are not fully understood. Due to the level of incomplete knowledge that exists with regard to GMOs within the food, many nations around the world have banned them entirely. However, the United States and several other developed nations have not. As a means of analyzing the potential drawbacks and negatives that GMO might exhibit within a nation’s health and food supply, this particular analysis will focus upon several of these determinants and seek to provide relevant and up-to-date information.

American Society and Politics Nowadays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Society and Politics Nowadays - Essay Example Those supporting stricter policies assert that illegal immigrants perpetuate poverty because they undermine benefits and wages stipulated for unskilled labor. When the laws are lenient, liberals and business owners in construction, food processing and hotel industries conspire to ignore the process of enforcing immigration law. In politics, an influx of immigrants is a crucial boost to the forces that facilitated their entry into the country. As an example, in the 2012 elections, there were over 12 million Latinos that cast votes (Kerwin, Chishti & Bergeron 69). According to statistics, that figure represents 10 percent of the body of voters in the US and is capable of changing the political landscape. Census forecasts indicate that the Latino electorate alonSe is estimated to reach 29 million voters in 2016, which sets in motion the scramble for both the Democratic and Republican parties to court them and other smaller immigrant groups (Kerwin, Chishti & Bergeron 74). However, when the immigration is not controlled, some unintended consequences may include higher crime rates, drug trafficking and the threat of terrorism. Therefore, this still leaves the debate for either stricter or lenient immigration policies.

Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science Essay Example for Free

Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science Essay Preface Executive Summary Preventing Reading Failure: A Top Priority for Education Where We Are: Taking Stock of Teacher Preparation in Reading The Difficulty of Teaching Reading Has Been Underestimated / 11 Why Have Teachers Been Left Unprepared? / 11 The Knowledge Base for Teaching Reading Is Hidden, Extensive, and Complex / 11 Meaningful Professional Standards Are Absent / 12 Good Information Is Hard To Get / 14 Classroom Instructional Programs Are Uninformative / 14 Can We Do Better? /14 Toward a Curriculum for Teacher Preparation and Inservice Professional Development Knowledge of the Psychology of Reading and Reading Development / 16 Basic Facts About Reading / 16 The Characteristics of Poor and Novice Readers / 18 How Reading and Spelling Develop / 18 Language: The Foundation for Reading Instruction / 20 Practical Skills of Instruction in a Comprehensive Reading Program / 21 Opportunities for Supervised Experience / 21 Use of Validated Instructional Practices / 21 Assessment of Classroom Reading and Writing Skills / 24 Where We Need To Go: Changing Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in  Reading In Sum End Notes References Appendix A—Knowledge and Skills for Teaching Reading: A Core Curriculum for Teacher Candidates 5 7 9 11 16 25 28 29 30 33 TEACHING READING IS ROCKET SCIENCE / 3 Teaching reading is a job for an expert. Preface R eading is the fundamental skill upon which all formal education depends. Research now shows that a child who doesn’t learn the reading basics early is unlikely to learn them at all. Any child who doesn’t learn to read early and well will not easily master other skills and knowledge, and is unlikely to ever flourish in school or in life. Low reading achievement, more than any other factor, is the root cause of chronically low-performing schools, which harm students and contribute to the loss of public confidence in our school system. When many children don’t learn to read, the public schools cannot and will not be regarded as successful—and efforts to dismantle them will proceed. Thanks to new scientific research—plus a long-awaited scientific and political consensus around this research—the knowledge exists to teach all but a handful of severely disabled children to read well. This report discusses the current state of teacher preparation in reading in relation to that research. It reviews and describes the knowledge base and essential skills that teacher candidates and practicing teachers must master if they are to be successful in teaching all children to read well. Finally, the report makes recommendations for improving the system of teacher education and professional development. In medicine, if research found new ways to save lives, health care professionals would adopt these methods as quickly as possible, and would change practices, procedures, and systems. Educational research has found new ways to save young minds by helping them to become proficient readers; it is up to us to promote these new methods throughout the education system. Young lives depend on it. And so does the survival of public education. The urgent task before us is for university faculty and the teaching community to work together to develop programs that can help assure that all teachers of reading have access to this knowledge. TEACHING READING IS ROCKET SCIENCE / 5 To understand printed language well enough to teach it explicitly requires disciplined study of its systems and forms, both spoken and written. Executive Summary T he most fundamental responsibility of schools is teaching students to read. Indeed, the future success of all students hinges upon their ability to become proficient readers. Recent scientific studies have allowed us to understand more than ever before how literacy develops, why some children have difficulty, and what constitutes best instructional practice. Scientists now estimate that fully 95 percent of all children can be taught to read. Yet, in spite of all our knowledge, statistics reveal an alarming prevalence of struggling and poor readers that is not limited to any one segment of society: s About 20 percent of elementary students nationwide have significant problems learning to read. At least 20 percent of elementary students do not read fluently enough to enjoy or engage in independent reading. The rate of reading failure for AfricanAmerican, Hispanic, limited-English speakers and poor children ranges from 60 percent to 70 percent. One-third of poor readers nationwide are from college-educated families. Twenty-five percent of adults in this country lack the basic literacy skills required in a typical job. s s ameliorated by literacy instruction that includes a range of research-based components and practices. But, as the statistics testify, this type of instruction clearly has not made its way into every classroom. Indeed, a chasm exists between classroom instructional practices and the research knowledge-base on literacy development. Part of the responsibility for this divide lies with teacher preparation programs, many of which, for a variety of reasons, have failed to adequately prepare their teacher candidates to teach reading. Fortunately, this situation is being corrected, thanks in large part to recent basic research on reading that has allowed the community of reading scientists and educators to agree on what needs to be done. This new information about language, reading, and writing is just beginning to shape teacher preparation and instructional programs. This knowledge must also form the basis of high-quality professional development for practicing teachers. s s What Does the Research Say About Effective Reading Instruction? Well-designed, controlled comparisons of instructional approaches have consistently supported these components and practices in reading instruction: s Research indicates that, although some children will learn to read in spite of incidental teaching, others never learn unless they are taught in an organized, systematic, efficient way by a knowledgeable teacher using a  well-designed instructional approach. And, while many students from high-risk environments come to school less prepared for literacy than their more advantaged peers, their risk of reading difficulties could still be prevented and Direct teaching of decoding, comprehension, and literature appreciation; Phoneme awareness instruction; Systematic and explicit instruction in the code system of written English; Daily exposure to a variety of texts, as well as incentives for children to read  s s s TEACHING READING IS ROCKET SCIENCE / 7 independently and with others; s Vocabulary instruction that includes a variety of complementary methods designed to explore the relationships among words and the relationships among word structure, origin, and meaning; Comprehension strategies that include prediction of outcomes, summarizing, clarification, questioning, and visualization; and Frequent writing of prose to enable a deeper understanding of what is read. Changing Teacher Preparation and Professional Development in Reading If higher standards and substantive courses of preparation are adopted now, the two million new teachers projected over the next decade may be equipped to minimize reading failure in all but a small percentage of students. To achieve that goal, a range of initiatives needs to be considered: s s s s Research should guide the profession. Core requirements and standards for new teachers should be established. Teacher education programs should be aligned with standards for students and licensing requirements for teachers. Professional development institutes should be created for professors of education and master teachers. Developers of textbooks and instructional materials should be encouraged to improve their products. High-quality professional development must be available for teachers. An investment in teaching should be made to attract and retain high-caliber teacher candidates. Toward a Curriculum for Teacher Preparation and Inservice Professional Development Because classroom instruction, more than any other factor, is crucial in preventing reading problems, it is a primary focus for effecting change. A comprehensive redesign of teacher preparation in reading instruction, founded on a core curriculum that defines the knowledge and skills necessary for effective practice, is vital to improved classroom instruction. Such a research-based core curriculum would provide much more extensive, demanding, and content-driven training to inform classroom practice. Specifically, a core curriculum for teacher preparation must include components for: s s s s s s Understanding reading psychology and development; Understanding the structure of the English language; Applying best practices in all aspects of reading instruction; and Using validated, reliable, efficient assessments to inform classroom teaching. s s s This core curriculum can also serve as the basis for inservice professional development for the vast number of current teachers who have not been exposed to the research-based knowledge. The fact that teachers need better training to carry out deliberate instruction in reading, spelling, and writing should prompt action rather than criticism. It should highlight the existing gap between what teachers need and what they have been given. It should underscore the obligation of teacher preparation programs to provide candidates with a rigorous, research-based curriculum and opportunities to practice a range of predefined skills and knowledge, as well as the need for licensing authorities to assess that knowledge. The knowledge and skills inherent in effective reading programs must be part of every teacher’s reading instruction repertoire. Good, research-based teacher preparation programs, coupled with high-quality professional development for classroom teachers, can assure that this is so. 8 / AFT TEACHERS Preventing Reading Failure: A Top Priority for Education I n today’s literate world, academic success, secure employment, and personal autonomy depend on reading and writing proficiency. All children who are capable of reading must be taught how to read; such is the fundamental responsibility of schooling. Although educators have long understood the importance of literacy, a series of recent studies goes a long way in elucidating the chain of cause and effect that supports the development of literacy. Convergent findings of high-quality research have clarified how children learn to read and what must be done to ensure that they do. Beyond doubt, reading early links one benefit to another. Enjoyment of reading, exposure to the language in books, and attainment of knowledge about the world all accrue in greater measure to those who have learned how to read before the end of first grade. Difficulty with the first steps of reading, in contrast, eventually undermines vocabulary growth, knowledge of the world, mastery of language, and skill in writing. Once behind in reading, few children catch up unless they receive intensive, individual, and expert instruction, a scarce (and expensive) commodity in most schools. 1 Far too many children have trouble reading and writing. About 20 percent of elementary students nationwide have significant problems learning to read; at least another 20 percent do not read fluently enough to enjoy or engage in independent reading. Thus it should not be surprising that, according to the United States Office of Technology, 25 percent of the adult population lacks the basic literacy skills required in a typical job. 2 Among those who do not make it in life—school dropouts, incarcerated individuals, unemployed and underemployed adults—are high percentages of people who cannot read. 3 Such realities have prompted the National Institutes of Health to regard reading development and reading difficulty as a major public health concern. For poor, minority children who attend low-performing urban schools, the incidence of reading failure is astronomical and completely unacceptable. AfricanAmerican, Hispanic, limited-English speaking students, and those from impoverished homes fall behind and stay behind in far greater proportion than their white, middle-class counterparts. The rate of reading failure in these groups is 60 percent to 70 percent according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. 4 This figure alone explains much about the poor academic achievement of minority students and why they are under-represented in professions that depend on higher education. Environment, however, does not explain all. Many children from more advantaged, literacy-rich environments have trouble learning to read, and many children from high-risk environments do indeed learn to read. 5 California recently initiated a series of laws to reform reading education after 49 percent of students of college-educated parents scored â€Å"below basic† on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. One-third of poor readers nationwide are from college-educated families who presumably encourage literacy in the home. The tragedy here is that most reading failure is unnecessary. We now know that classroom teaching itself, when it includes a range of research-based components and practices, can prevent and ameliorate reading difficulty. Although home factors do influence how well and how soon stu- TEACHING READING IS ROCKET SCIENCE / 9 Learning to read is not natural or easy for most children. Reading is an acquired skill. dents read, informed classroom instruction that targets specific language and reading skills beginning in kindergarten enhances success for all but a few students with moderate or severe learning disabilities. Scientists now estimate that 95 percent of all children can be taught to read at a level constrained only by their reasoning and listening comprehension abilities. 6 It is clear that students in high-risk populations need not fail at the rate they do. 7 When placed into schools with effective principals and well-prepared and wellsupported teachers, African-American, Hispanic, or students who are economically disadvantaged can learn to read as well as their more advantaged peers. 8 Further, students who lack the prerequisite awareness of sounds, symbols, and word meanings can overcome their initial disadvantage if teachers incorporate critical skills into lessons directly, systematically, and actively. 9 Thus, while parents, tutors, and the community can contribute to reading success, classroom instruction must be viewed as the critical factor in preventing reading problems and must be the primary focus for change. Ensuring effective classroom instructional practice is well within the purview of educational policymakers. 10 / AFT TEACHERS Where We Are: Taking Stock of Teacher Preparation in Reading The Difficulty of Teaching Reading Has Been Underestimated Teaching reading is a job for an expert. Contrary to the popular theory that learning to read is natural and easy, learning to read is a complex linguistic achievement. For many children, it requires effort and incremental skill development. Moreover, teaching reading requires considerable knowledge and skill, acquired over several years through focused study and supervised practice. Consider what the classroom demands of the teacher. Children’s interest in reading must be stimulated through regular exposure to interesting books and through discussions in which students respond to many kinds of texts. For best results, the teacher must instruct most students directly, systematically, and explicitly to decipher words in print, all the while keeping in mind the ultimate purpose of reading, which is to learn, enjoy, and understand. To accommodate children’s variability, the teacher must assess children and tailor lessons to individuals. She must interpret errors, give corrective feedback, select examples to illustrate concepts, explain new ideas in several ways, and connect linguistic symbols with â€Å"real† reading and writing. No one can develop such expertise by taking one or two college courses, or attending a few one-shot inservice workshops. Although reading is the cornerstone of academic success, a single course in reading methods is often all that is offered most prospective teachers. Even if well taught, a single course is only the beginning. Without deeper knowledge, the specific techniques of lesson delivery cannot be acquired, let alone knowledge of language, reading psychology, children’s literature, or the management of a reading program based on assessment. The demands of competent reading instruction, and the training experiences necessary to learn it, have been seriously underestimated by universities and by those who have approved licensing programs. The consequences for teachers and students alike have been disastrous. Why Have Teachers Been Left Unprepared? Why are the stringent demands of teaching reading and writing unrecognized in the design of preparation programs? In reading, at least, misunderstanding and lack of knowledge may play as big a role as institutional politics and budgetary constraints. What drives the mind of the reader is neither self-evident nor easy to grasp, and, consequently, many years of scientific inquiry have been necessary to expose the mechanisms of reading acquisition. Only recently has basic research allowed the community of reading scientists and educators to agree on what needs to be done. This new information about language, reading, and writing is just beginning to shape teacher preparation and instructional programs. This knowledge must also form the basis of inservice professional development for practicing teachers. The Knowledge Base for Teaching Reading Is Hidden, Extensive, and Complex Reading education is a field more vulnerable than many to faddish practices that TEACHING READING IS ROCKET SCIENCE / 11  later prove to be untenable. Such is the risk whenever a human trait that becomes the subject of education is poorly understood. To appreciate why reading is one of psychology’s more mysterious phenomena, we must consider the nature of the linguistic communication that reading requires. Skilled reading happens too fast and is too automatic to detect its underlying processes through simple introspection. We read, but we cannot watch how our minds make sense out of print. The linkage of sounds and symbols occurs rapidly and unconsciously. The linguistic units that compose words, the single speech sounds (phonemes), syllables, and meaningful parts (morphemes), are automatically matched with writing symbols so that attention is available for comprehension. 10 Because our attention is on meaning, we are not aware of the code translation process by which meaning is conveyed. Until we are faced with a class of children who are learning how to read symbols that represent speech sounds and word parts, we may never have analyzed language at the level required for explaining and teaching it. Similarly, we may not know how a paragraph is organized or how a story is put together until we teach writing to students who do not know how to organize their thoughts. Thus, to understand printed language well enough to teach it explicitly requires disciplined study of its systems and forms, both spoken and written. When adults are evaluated on knowledge of language, even those who are educated exhibit rudimentary or cursory familiarity with concepts about our writing system that are insufficient for teaching children. Surveys measuring experienced teachers’ ability to identify speech sounds, spelling patterns, and word structures reveal confusions that are typical of most adults. 11 For example, the concept that a letter combination can represent one unique speech sound (ch, wh, sh, th, ng)—is unclear to a surprising number of elementary teachers. Many identify these units by rote but are unable to differentiate conceptually between these spelling units (digraphs) and two letters that stand for two distinct sounds (consonant blends such as cl, st, pr) or silent letter spellings that retain the sound of one consonant (kn-, wr-, -mb). Few adults can explain common spelling patterns that correspond to pronunciation and word meaning, such as why we double the consonant letters in words like misspell, dinner, and accommodate. A deeper, explicit level of knowledge may not be necessary to read the words, but it is necessary to explain pronunciation and spelling, where the words came from, and how spelling is related to meaning. 12 Some children learn language concepts and their application very easily in spite of incidental teaching, but others never learn unless they are taught in an organized, systematic, efficient way by a knowledgeable teacher using a well-designed instructional approach. Children of average ability might learn enough about reading to get by, but may not develop the appreciation for language structure that supports learning words from context, organization of the mental dictionary, comparing words, or precise use of language. 13 Yet teachers are seldom asked to study the language they teach or how its form carries its message. In addition, teachers are not born knowing the relationships among the basic skills of reading and reading comprehension. They may see that children read poorly in the middle and upper grades, but may not understand that proficiency in basic reading skill must be taught before students will progress. Without instruction and practice, teachers are unlikely to develop the questioning techniques and discussion strategies that promote thoughtful reading by groups of children. 14 Meaningful Professional Standards Are Absent Other complex and demanding professions insist on much more stringent training and preparation than that required of teachers. Pilots, engineers, optometrists, and art therapists, for example, must learn concepts, facts, and skills to a prescribed level, must conduct their practice under supervision, and must pass rigorous entry 12 / AFT TEACHERS examinations that are standardized across the profession. Continuing education to stay abreast of proven best practices is mandated. The public interest is protected by professional governing boards that monitor the knowledge base and oversee the competence of these licensed professionals. We, the consumers of these professional services, should be able to trust that any person holding a license has demonstrated competence and is accountable to his or her professional board of governance. No such rules or standards assure that teachers who instruct children in reading have mastered the relevant knowledge base and acquired the necessary skills. Even within large universities that prepare hundreds of teachers every year, there may be no curricular specifications or standards. What a teacher candidate learns depends on the professor he or she selects. What the professor teaches is determined solely by what the professor may know or believe. Courses in reading, which are typically limited to three credit TEACHING READING IS ROCKET SCIENCE / 13 hours, are often taught by adjunct faculty who are accountable to no one. 15 Thus, preparation for teaching reading often is more grounded in ideology than evidence. 16 While the academic freedom that professors often invoke has a place in teacher education, its claim is not as absolute as it may be in the humanities. 17 Professional preparation programs have a responsibility to teach a defined body of knowledge, skills, and abilities that are based on the best research in the field. This is no less important in reading18 than it is in medicine or the law. Good Information Is Hard To Get Few of today’s popular textbooks for teacher preparation in reading contain information about the known relationships between linguistic awareness, word recognition ability, and reading comprehension. Few discuss in any useful detail how the English writing system represents speech. Basic concepts such as the differences between speech sounds and spellings, the fact that every syllable in English is organized around a vowel sound, and the existence of meaningful units (morphemes) in the Latin layer of English (about 60 percent of running text) are rarely explained. Few texts contain accurate information about the role of phonology in reading development, and few explain with depth, accuracy, or clarity why many children have trouble learning to read or what to do about it. Teachers are often given inaccurate and misleading information based on unsupported ideas. For example, in the recent past, one of the most common misconceptions has been that knowledge of the phonic system can be finessed with awareness of sentence structure and meaning. 19 Textbooks for teachers must attain a much higher standard of accuracy, currency, depth, clarity, and relevance if teachers are to be wellprepared to teach reading. 20 learn about spoken and written language concepts and to generate strategies for teaching students to read. Major classroom textbooks in language arts omit systematic teaching about speech sounds, the spelling system, or how to read words by sounding them out. 21 The most popular programs being used today are appropriately strong on literature, illustrations, cross-disciplinary thematic units, and motivational strategies for children, but very weak or simply wrong when it comes to the structure of English and how children actually learn to read the words on the page. 22 A recent review of major classroom reading programs shows that they continue to lack the content necessary to teach basic reading systematically and explicitly. 23 Can We Do Better? Comprehensive redesign of teacher preparation and inservice professional development is possible, but it must begin with a definition of the  knowledge and skills necessary for effective practice and demonstration of how these are best learned. Fortunately, leaders in the field— including the National Research Council panel on the Prevention of Reading Difficulties in Young Children and the member organizations of the Learning First Alliance—have reached consensus regarding the agenda for change. 24 They agree that new teachers require much more extensive, demanding, and contentdriven training if discoveries from the reading sciences are to inform classroom practice. Specifically, teachers must understand the basic psychological processes in reading, how children develop reading skill, how good readers differ from poor readers, how the English language is structured in spoken and written form, and the validated principles of effective reading instruction. The ability to design and deliver lessons to academically diverse learners, to select validated instructional methods and materials, and use assessments to tailor instruction are all central to effective teaching. Classroom Instructional Programs Are Uninformative Inadequately prepared novice teachers often find themselves dependent on the information given in teachers’ manuals to 14 / AFT TEACHERS Only recently has basic research allowed the community of reading scientists and educators to agree on what needs to be done. Toward a Curriculum for Teacher Preparation and Inservice Professional Development core curriculum for teacher preparation and inservice professional development can be divided roughly into the following four areas: s A. Understanding knowledge of reading psychology and development; Understanding knowledge of language structure which is the content of instruction; Applying best practices in all aspects of reading instruction; and Using validated, reliable, efficient assessments to inform classroom teaching. s s s This core will, of course, be supplemented and honed in time, but its goal is to bring continuity, consistency, and comprehensiveness to preservice teacher education and to focus the content of continuing education and graduate programs. (For specific details on the curriculum content in these four areas see Appendix A. ) Knowledge of the Psychology of Reading and Reading Development Basic Facts About Reading If the findings of research psychologists, educators, and linguists were better known, the risk of unfounded and even harmful teaching practices would be reduced. Learning to read is not natural or easy for most children. Reading is an acquired skill, unlike spoken language, which is learned with almost any kind of contextual exposure. If learning to read were as natural as acquiring spoken lan-guage, many more societies would have written languages; human beings would have invented writing systems many thousands of years before we did; and everyone would learn reading as easily as ducks learn to swim. The prolonged, gradual, and predictable progression of skill in print translation attests to the difference between processing spoken and written language. Although surrounding children with books will enhance reading development, a â€Å"literature-rich environment† is not sufficient for learning to read. Neither will exposure to print ordinarily be sufficient for learning to spell, unless organized practice is provided. Thus, teachers must be reflective and knowledgeable about the content they are teaching, that is, the symbol system itself and its relationship to meaning. Research has shown that good readers do not skim and sample the text when they scan a line in a book. 25 They process the letters of each word in detail, although they do so very rapidly and unconsciously. Those who comprehend well accomplish letter-wise text scanning with relative ease and fluency. When word identification is fast and accurate, a reader has ample mental energy to think over the meaning of the text. Knowledge of sound-symbol mapping is crucial in developing word recognition: the ability to sound out and recognize words accounts for about 80 percent of the variance in first-grade reading comprehension and continues to be a major (albeit diminishing) factor in text comprehension as students progress through the grades. 26 The ability to sound out words is, in fact, a major underpinning that allows rapid recognition of words â€Å"by sight. † 16 / AFT TEACHERS Language knowledge and language proficiency differentiate good and poor readers. Before children can easily sound out or decode words, they must have at least an implicit awareness of the speech sounds that are represented by symbolic units (letters and their combinations). Children who learn to read well are sensitive to linguistic structure; recognize redundant patterns; and connect letter patterns with sounds, syllables, and meaningful word parts quickly, accurately, and unconsciously. 27 Effective teaching of reading entails these concepts, presented in an order in which children can learn them. The Characteristics of Poor and Novice Readers. Experts agree that reading and writing call primarily on deep linguistic processing, not on more peripheral auditory or visual perceptual skills. Language knowledge and language proficiency differentiate good and poor readers. As they begin to learn, poor readers are not less intelligent or less motivated; they are, however, less skilled with language, especially at the level of elemental linguistic units smaller than whole words. For this reason, they benefit from instruction that develops awareness of sounds, syllables, meaningful word parts, relationships among word meanings, and the  structures of written text. The language skills that most reliably distinguish good and poor readers are specific to the phonological or speechsound processing system. Those skills include awareness of linguistic units that lie within a word (consonants, vowels, syllables, grammatical endings, meaningful parts, and the spelling units that represent them) and fluency in recognition and recall of letters and spelling patterns that make up words. Thus, skilled reading presents a paradox: Those who can most easily make sense of text are also those who can most easily read nonsense. For example, children who comprehend well when they read also do better at tasks such as reading words taken out of context, sounding out novel words, and spelling nonsense words. 28 Intelligence and verbal reasoning ability do not predict reading success in the beginning stages as well as these specific linguistic skills. Although the purpose of reading is to comprehend text, teachers should also appreciate the relationships among reading components in order to teach all components well—in connection to one another and with the emphasis needed at each stage of development.

Society and Culture Essay Example for Free

Society and Culture Essay It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting there just like all of you listening to the same sort of speeches from the year 12’s last year, thinking, what are these people talking about? PIP’s? Major works? Hello! I just started year 11; I don’t need to be thinking about this now, its ages away. Let me tell you this, standing here with only about 5 months to go until my PIP, my major work for society and culture is due, that ages away creeps up on you very quickly. You’re probably thinking, â€Å"5 months, what is this girl going on about, 5 months is almost half a year! Are you serious! That’s more than enough time to do an assignment. You could easily do it a week before it’s due. What is she stressing about?† If you learn only one thing from my speech make sure it’s this- That 5 months in â€Å"PIP† time is not ages away. With 5 months to go you should have already chosen your topic, have formulated your focus question and be starting to implement the methodologies you have chosen, or at least be starting to think about the methodologies you want to use. You should definitely not think that you could start writing your PIP with only a week to go. As you probably already know PIP stands for Personal Interest Project. So it would make sense to choose a topic that you’re personally interested in. You’ve got to think that ideally, you’re going to be researching the same topic for a little under a year so it’s got to be something that’s going to maintain your interest as well as relating to Society and Culture in some way. The topic I chose for my PIP is Mental Illness, and my Focus question is â€Å"Is the mental illness Bipolar, attributable to the influences of nature or nurture?† Specifically I’m focusing my research on 4 adults and seeing if I can come to some conclusion about what Bipolar disorder is attributed to generally. Many different things inspired me to choose this topic, but probably the most major influence was the fact that my mum had Bipolar disorder, my Nan has bipolar and so does my Great Grandma. Bipolar used to be something that really scared me; partly because of the stigma society generally places on mental illness, and also because of the fact that there is such a strong genetic history of bipolar in females in my family, so there is an increased chance that I may get Bipolar at some point in my life. I decided to focus on this topic, as I knew it would be something that would maintain my interest for the duration of the project, and I also thought that it would be a very good experience for me, as instead of being afraid of mental illness it would empower me with information. I believe it will also help me to determine if I am at such a great risk of developing a Bipolar due to the genetic â€Å"nature† factors, or if developing Bipolar is more attributable to â€Å"nurture† factors, in relation to the way someone has grown up and what environments they have been subject to. Another attribution for my choice of topic was that I felt I had excellent links and access to information relating to this topic, within my micro world. My Aunt works for Pioneer Clubhouse, a rehabilitation centre for people with mental illness, and one of our family friends used to work in the public sector and has friends with Bipolar, that advise the health minister on issues relating to mental illness. Because of these links it is much easier to obtain information and implement my methodologies. I assume by this stage of year 11 you all know what a methodology is, but in simple terms, methodologies are ways of finding out information. Creating a successful PIP and choosing an appropriate methodology or methodologies go hand in hand. Methodologies play a major role in your PIP but it is really important that you understand, in relation to your PIP in general, you need to allow for flexibility. Sometimes the methodologies or the topic you choose wont work out, and you may need to choose new ones or modify your original choice. The PIP is supposed to be a major learning experience, designed to move you closer towards social and cultural literacy, so naturally there will be learning from mistakes and changes made along the way. It’s important that you’re aware of this. I have decided to use interview as the primary methodology for my PIP. Specifically I intend to undertake an extensive interview process with the 4 individuals I am focusing my research on. I also wish to interview several people that interact regularly with the selected four. I feel that using interviews, as my primary research methodolog y will prove to be highly successful for my PIP. As finding out weather Bipolar is attributable to nature or nurture involves more than just getting a one-word or short answer, which is usually what would be normally obtained from Quantitative research methodologies, such as questionnaires or statistical analysis. It is highly suggested that you include secondary research within your PIP to support the primary research you’ve collected. This finding and interpreting of secondary research is also classified as a methodology, it’s called Content Analysis, and this is also one of the methodologies that I will be using. I have already looked at many books, websites and pamphlets and obtained some very useful information from them. I also intend to watch some videos on Bipolar and I aim to collect some more information from websites and books. I’ve decided to use this methodology not only because it is highly suggested that you use it, but also because I believe that it is really important to get other people’s opinions that have researched the same topic, in order to support and explain to a greater extent the research that you have gathered. Another methodology I intend to use is Participant Observation. I will do this by spending the day at Pioneer Clubhouse, the rehabilitation centre for people with mental illness that I was talking about before. Through doing this I hope to observe my participants interacting in certain daily situations, and I hope to be able to comment on whether there are any differences to reactions of those not suffering with Bipolar disorder, which could give insight into the ‘nurture’ influence of the disorder. Use of this method will also allow a different perspective to interview, as I will be able to see behaviours first hand, which I think will be very valuable to my research. The type of methodologies you will choose will highly relate to the type of research you are doing. My research is definitely far more Qualitative than Quantitative due to the fact that I am focusing my research on people’s experiences. In simple terms Qualitative research relies upon open-ended questions, and types of methodologies that usually require interpretation of people’s personal opinions. Quantitative research is more straightforward research that can easily be compared to other data, as it does not require interpretation of people’s personal opinions. It involves interpretation of statistics and numbers and clear opinions of usually a large number of people. It is estimated that 10% of Australians have Bipolar, which is a very high percentage when you think that over 20 million people live here. That’s about 2 million people who have either had or have Bipolar Disorder. Yet it is generally seen by most within our society as such a taboo subject. This is part of the reason why I didn’t choose Quantitative methodologies such as questionnaires, surveys, or statistical analysis, because I felt that many people wouldn’t give true, unbiased opinions. So far the research I have conducted has proved quite successful. I am continually conducting content analysis and have been since late last year. I have collected quite a lot of information and visited many libraries’ including the Macquarie University library, the State library of Queensland and the University of New South Wales Library. I know it’s starting to sound like you have to turn into a major nerd once you hit year 12 Society and Culture, but it’s really not like that. You start doing all these nerdaliscious things because you’re interested in the topic you’re researching. It’s your PERSONAL Interest Project, an assignment on something that you want to do, so you actually want to put an effort in and want to do well. I have also given a speech at Pioneer Clubhouse’s weekly staff and members meeting, introducing my PIP and myself, and proposing their involvement. I also spoke at the meeting about the possibility of conducting interviews with several of them. I received a very positive response from them all and also obtained several members consent to interview them. I intend to conduct these interviews in the upcoming school holidays along with my participant observation. I have also written a rough draft of questions I intend to ask during the interviews, and I aim to have a final copy of questions finished by the start of the holidays. My topic is an extremely sensitive one and it is vitally important that I treat the participants of my research with the upmost respect and not just as research tools. My aim is to discuss my finalized interview questions with a mental health professional in order to ensure that I am asking appropriate questions and conducting ethical research, which is a very important part of social research. Furthermore I have also begun writing a letter to the Health Minister, consulting him about his opinions on my topic. I have also written several emails to various organizations supporting people with Mental Illness, consulting them about my topic and requesting any information they would be able to forward. This has proved extremely helpful, as I have received some fantastic information from these organizations. It is extremely important to try and remain as unbiased as possible whilst conducting your research, in order to produce a reliable and proper report at the end of your research. Although it is definitely good to formulate an opinion about your topic and express how passionate you are about it, it is also essential that you try not to impose this opinion on those you are collecting information from. I expect to find that the causes of Bipolar will be attributable to both nature and nurture influences, and I feel that my research will support this hypothesis. My reasoning behind expecting to come to this conclusion stems from the fact that if someone has a predisposition to a certain disease or disorder therefore nature factors. It does not necessarily mean that they will acquire that disease or disorder; unless they subject themselves to particular environments hence nurture factors. Take heart disease for example. A person may have a predisposition to heart disease but if they eat healthily and exercise then they have a chance of not acquiring the condition. They do however; have a higher risk of acquiring the disease than someone who doesn’t have a predisposition to heart disease. I believe the same principle applies to Bipolar Disorder, and hypothesise that my findings will support this way of thinking. The PIP gives you a lot of freedom to choose a topic on something that your interested in, but there is one vital piece of criteria that you need to factor in when choosing your topic, and that is that it needs to relate to Society and Culture through the concepts. My topic relates to Society and Culture through several concepts, including, the concept of Time – as both nature and nurture factors are highly influenced by time. It also refers to the concept of Socialization. This refers to the ways you learn to become an accepted member of society via agents such as peers, family, community groups and the media. These things relate greatly to the nurture side of the argument, hence relate to my topic. My topic also relates to the following concepts for the same reasons – Media, Values, Tradition, Influence, and Institutions. Other concepts my topic relates to include: Environment – as the person’s environment and the experiences they are subject to highly relate to the nurture component of my PIP. Family is also another concept that relates to my PIP for the same reasons. Gender is also a concept that relates to my PIP in respect to the nature part of my focus question. So right now your probably all thinking â€Å"blah blah, what is this stupid girl doing, why am I sitting here listening to these stupid speeches, wasting my time, again, I’m only in year 11, is this really necessary?† Well the aim of my speech today wasn’t to bore you. My aim today was to inspire you guys, get you all to start thinking about your PIP’s, because it’s really not that far away. Year 11 goes so fast and before you know it your half way through year 12 giving this same speech, thinking â€Å"I really should get a move on with my PIP.† The PIP is a major part of your work in year 12; it’s worth 30% of your external mark for Society and Culture, which means that your HSC exam is only worth 70% so you need to put a lot of effort into your PIP. The last but probably most important piece of information I will give you today, is that you need to successfully manage your time whilst researching your PIP, because it really does slip away so quickly. My advice to you is, in term 4, your first term of year 12, when you first receive information on the PIP, make up a realistic timeline of how you want to conduct your research and complete your PIP. Set a date for when you want to have your topic chosen by, a date for when you’re first going to think about your methodologies, and a date for when you intend to implement them. It’s also a good idea to factor in some time every week that you solely devote to your PIP. You really need to use your time wisely, because you think â€Å"oh yeah, no worries I have a whole year to do this, I’m not going to start now† but then time slips away so fast and you wish you had that extra time back. By no means am I going to lie to you, the PIP is a lot of hard work. But it definitely gives a sense of satisfaction when you’re actually out there researching something independently; using all the skills you’ve learnt. It makes you feel as though school is actually useful and the things your learning can actually be implemented into real life situations. You get to research and report on something that you’re personally interested in, something that actually matters to you, which absolutely makes it worthwhile putting in all the effort and time the PIP demands. Although it’s a lot of work, it’s definitely something to look forward to. It’s school work, but surprisingly its fun. So start thinking now because it’s just around the corner!

Frame Of Organizational Structure Work Specialization Commerce Essay

Frame Of Organizational Structure Work Specialization Commerce Essay We are joining an organization as management trainee, we are asked by the boss to make a report and present our findings about the organizational structure, culture and leadership approaches in the management. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In this assignment for the task of P1 we discussed the culture and structure of different departments of organisation under study. It also discussed about the prevailing structure and culture of an organisation. Then for the task of P2, it is explained that how structure and culture have positive or negative impact on the performance of an organisation along with the examples from real life. In the next task those factors are discussed which influence the buyer behaviour. It is focused on relevance understanding of each other, personality traits and types. For the task of M1, the prevailing structure and culture of organisation is discussed with the view that we can see the concepts in real life. As it is understood that no organisation is perfect, there must be any issue or problem therefore for the task of D1 problems are identified regarding structure and culture and give recommendations about management learned in class. TASK FOR P1: ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE: Every organization should have Organization structure because it tells about every level of hierarchy that who is responsible to whom and also shows the position of a person. Organization structure consists of vital pillars which show that what an organization is composed of. FRAME OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:- WORK SPECIALIZATION: Work specialization is main factor of organization structure. In an organization there are several jobs along their workers. As every worker performs individually their tasks so they do performing that activity again and again and get trained and work specialized in their field. This factor is gives advantage and disadvantage both e.g. In a Honda Company there are many portions. Every worker becomes specialist on their portion by doing one job. He could be more accurate and efficient as he will be used to it and he can do it in less time. In less input that worker will give more output and the disadvantage is that if the work specialized person is absent so the production will stop. By doing the same job he might be bore so the moral will be down. DEPARTMENTALIZATION: Though departmentalization jobs are divided into the specialize work and they perform the tasks as groups. Following are the forms of departmentalization: Customer Departmentalization Geographical Departmentalization Functional Departmentalization Product Departmentalization Process Departmentalization CHAIN OF COMMAND: Chain of command is the responsibility and proper line of authority in the organization. Classical theory explains hierarchy or structure that who reports to whom, and clarifies the position. It tells about the duties and responsibilities of given tasks in organization. SPAN OF CONTROL: It explains the actual position of the manager in the organization that how managers are controlling their sub co-ordinates. We have two types of span of control. Tall and narrow Flat and wide. TALL AND NARROW: In this factor manager can handle five to eight sub co-ordinates. It is much easier to handle minimum people because good communication and understanding will be there. Supervision will be stronger its means that the distance between CEO and lower managers is very less. Manager will be answerable to CEO. CEO does not have to handle all workers or employees. FLAT AND WIDE: This is totally opposite to the tall and narrow. In this there are many sub co-ordinates under the manager. So its too much difficult to handle many people. Motivation to everyone is much difficult and normally human can handle few people. So as a result there will be no attraction or interest in work and moral will be down. There will be no communication between the manager and employees because its not easy to ask about the daily work result and this is not in favour of organization. CENTRALIZATION AND DECENTRALIZATION: It tells about the organization structure that who is the decision maker in the organization. Who has the power and the authority to make a decision for the firm. In the centralization decision making is concentrated by the single person and the decision making is done higher hierarchy and without interaction from the lower level. In the decentralization decision making is distributed in the hierarchy throughout the organization. It is beneficial and decisions are taken more quickly and more confidently. Every employee is the decision maker and he will feel himself an important part of an organization. MATRIX STRUCTURE: Matrix structure is the combination of the product customer, functional departmentalization. An organization which has a matrix structure it has the team work. Every department is responsible for their section. This team work is up to the project time. If the project time is over then they divert to another project. Here the project manager is responsible after the completion of the project and budget. ADVANTAGES: Supports inter-disciplinary, co-operation and multi-function working Combines the benefits of specialization of the product/project structure Develops tolerance of flexibility DISADVANTEGES: Here in this sector there is a big disadvantage of the loyalty between the managers and the project manager over the location of funding, budget and recourses Costs of added management positions and meetings Slower decision making Possible competition between dual managers ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE: Organization culture is the set of values, rules, beliefs, attitudes and regulations these factors can help members of the organization to know how we will work. To whom we will report? What are we doing? Why this is important? CULTURE: Culture is like a backbone for the organization because it is the internal environment and it plays a important role in success of the firm. TYPES OF CULTURE: POWER CULTURE: Power culture is centralized. This culture may found in the small kinds of businesses. Control is the basic element. The decision maker is alone. There is no consultant. The organization may react quickly to the danger. WELFARE/PERSON CULTURE: Basically this kind of culture is welfare. This culture is for the sake of society. This kind of culture can be in the group or individual aim but mostly group. TASK CULTURE: It is basically a team work based approach to complete a particular task or project. This culture is more common that business where the organization will establish a project team to complete the project in the particular time. Employees feels motivated because they are in power to make decisions within their team or give ideas, they will also feel good and valued because they may have been selected within that team and given the responsibility to do any task and this factor will motivate the employees. ROLE CULTURE: Role culture is common in most organizations nowadays. In a role culture, organizations are split into various functions and each individual within the function is assigned a particular role or task. The role culture has the benefit of specialization. Employees focus on their particular role as assigned to them by their job description and this should increase productivity for the company. This culture is quite logical to organize in a large organization. STRUCTURE OF ORGANIZATION UNDER STUDY: The organization we have selected in ALLIED BANK LIMITED. The main branch present at Hayatabad Phase 5. ALLIED BANK has a tall structure. There is a president who looks after the whole structure or activities there and he is only one who is answerable or accountable to regional manager. After president there is branch manager. After branch manager there are other different posts and authorities given to people working there. Like the regional does not ask the cashier anything, the cashier is answerable to branch manager and branch manager to president and then regional manager. Branch we have selected it has wide range of authorities because on the ground floor they have settled the entire banking network and the rest of the building they do their own official work. It is a centralized system because the decision making authority lies with only one person. The president give order to manager and then manager convey orders to the employees working there. No one can make decision or do anything in bank work without asking the boss. They do what is said or decided by the higher hierarchy. CULTURE OF ALLIED BANK LIMITED: As we mentioned above that culture is the back bone of any organization. It tells that what are the organization rules and beliefs. ALLIED bank almost covers all types of cultures. Allied bank have given authorities on different levels according to which they have the right to make decision in some places. Thats why they have power culture. As a welfare culture Allied bank is not into any social work or something but the employees working they can have a lot of benefits. Clerks or lower level staff working there can have many good options. They can buy anything with the help of bank and they will pay on instalments. Other options they can use includes medical and basic needs. TASK FOR P2: ANALYZING THE RELATION BETWEEN CULTURE AND STRUCTURE: Culture and structure is working like a backbone in the organization. It creates a new concepts and strategies which can affect or change any level of planning. When it applies on hierarchy of organization then implications of organizational culture and structure will be implemented to the government companies etc. Organizational structure and culture can affect progress of organization in both positive and negative way. In the positive way it differentiates the organization from other organization which doesnt have a culture and structure. It explains the limitation of the firm. It provides a sense of understanding among the employees to know each other for the success and achievement of organizational goals. It can provide or bring stability and social system in the organization. In any organization having culture and structure will be having working environment and also provides appropriate standards of working environment. Every organization has different policies, rules and regulations that how to communicate with the employee or co-workers. The organization also shows about the responsibilities that who will report to whom. Culture and structure has also some drawbacks on the business progress. If the organization culture is too much complex then in the organization decision making will be very slow and also there will be centralized decision making in which the lower level employees will not be entertained. TASK FOR M1: PREVAILING STRUCTURE AND CULTURE IN ORGANIZATION: TALL AND FLAT STRUCTURE: The organization we have selected is ALLIED bank limited. The structure they are prevailing is tall and narrow structure because there is a regional manager on the top of whole system. After that branch manager and then the authorities are sub divided which means that it is clear that who is answerable to whom. Tall structure in an organization means that organization will have large number of levels of management hierarchy. As authorities are sub divided at lower hierarchy therefore it also has flat structure at lower level of management. In the system of ALLIED bank they cover different aspects of organizational structure which are as follow: People who are assigned to their posts have are specialized in their work. They know what to do and what is their job. They are not given any other duty apart from their specialized skill. There are also different departments in this organization. Banking department, ATM department and different places for official work also. It also fulfills the concept of departmentalization. As mentioned above they know who is accountable to whom, this covers the idea of chain of command. CENTRALIZATION AND DECENTRALIZATION: In centralization the decision making authority lies only at higher level. Therefore ALLIED bank limited is also a centralized system because all the decisions are made at higher level. The authority is not delegated throughout all levels of organization. Everyone is answerable to their respective boss. They do not have any right to make any decision without asking their boss. So ALLIED bank limited is a centralized organization where all the decisions are made at higher level or hierarchy. CULTURE: ALLIED bank limited covers different aspects of culture too. As we know that culture is the image of any organization. It represents the environment of that organization. ALLIED bank has power culture because everyone has given the authority on the basis of their specialization. They have the complete right to use their power on different and respective levels. People working in ALLIED bank also have role culture because all of them perform their own job. They also fulfill the task culture idea because the task assigned to an individual or groups is also fulfilled or by completing different projects. TASK FOR P3: ANALYZE FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE INDIVSUAL BEHAVIOUR AT WORK: There are many terms and influences which can change the individual behavior but the most important one is personality and perception. PERSONALITY: Personality will be defined as the distinctive traits and the characteristic of a person and the relation to the others and the response from the other people around. It includes five factors of personality known as OCEAN which influences behavior at work. OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE: High openness to experience has broad interest and having a wide imagination. In other hand low openness are conservative and conventional. CONSCIENTIOUSNESS: Individual with a high level are original and effective. Their focus is just on their job and if this level is low in someone then that person will be very slow, careless and undutiful. EXTRAVERSION: In high level its shows energetic or if it is in low level may be described as quite, shyness and unsocial. AGREEABLENESS: Its good to have high agreeableness because it brings kindness friendly and a team worker. NEUROTICISM: It tells about the effectiveness and emotional control in a body. If neuroticism is high in a body then it shows nervousness, sensitivity and instability and where it is low levels shows confidence, emotional stability and activeness. TASK FOR D1: IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS PROBLEMS: The structure and culture we have explained will have the following problems if it is in any organization. First of all there will be lake of delegation. Everyone have to do their respective job by which they might get bore and demand for any change which might an organization fail to provide. There is also a chance that may be an individual have a new idea but he cannot convey it to the higher authority because it is a tall structure, this also can degrade the employees. Last and the most important problem that might occur is the communication problem. If any decision is made, it will take time to filter down to the lower hierarchy which is wastage of time. Similarly, if there is any problem in office or an individual have any issue so it will also take longer to inform the high level authority. This is the main drawback about tall structure. The communication problem can affect any organization very severely. By having tall structure, the organization have to increase administration which will result in costs. RECOMMENDATIONS: Recommendations about the mentioned problems are as follow: There should be some way of communication for low level employees to communicate with boss. If they have any new idea to share or any issue to be solved so they can easily communicate with higher hierarchy. When I asked the employee working in ALLIED bank about his communication with boss, he was not satisfied. He said that once he wanted to go for leave, he got the leave but after about 3 days because of lake of communication with boss. He gave application which should be signed by the branch manager. It is not difficult thing to do but dont know why it took so long. So there should be some communication in the whole structure. If an organization increases its administration, it will be very expensive. So they should try to work efficiently as much as possible. We have seen clerks in ALLIED bank which were sitting free for long time. They should not hire even clerks if there is no need.

Your Chemical World :: Essays Papers

Your Chemical World In today’s world we rely on many different facets to achieve what we normally don’t even give a second thought. As I am sitting here typing this paper I am simultaneously using the culmination of numerous chemical breakthroughs. The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a group of over 150,000 chemists, both academic and industrial. â€Å"Your Chemical World,† a book that the ACS has published, is a biography of sorts, where in the uses and need for a chemical world are shown in an easy-to-understand way. Although chemistry would seem to be just a recently invented and used scientific field, chemistry has been an integral part of our lives for a long time. Our early ancestors, unable to even write, figured out that certain substances could be used for painting, hence the archaic cave paintings found in Southern Europe. Today we use chemistry to build our houses, to drive to work everyday, even toasting your toast in the morning. Because chemistry is our link to the hidden world of the earth’s terrestrial fruits like Silicon or Iron our hands will be forever bound to chemistry. The book starts off with our beginning and the unlikely usage of chemistry in pre-historic times. Our ancestors were more then likely concerned primarily with staying alive. Certain things are needed to do that, like food, shelter, energy, and drink. Once those needs were meet our Neanderthal brethren made some archaicaly beautiful cave paintings. In doing so they applied chemistry in a whole new way, to benefit their lives. In time chemistry became an integral part of society, today we have used it to stretch our lives out by more then forty percent of what it would have been in the start of the century by the use of medicine. Later on in recordable history chemistry was implemented through rusty trial and error methods which allowed many things to be created such as Bronze in 3600 BC or glass in 2500 BC. But it wasn’t until the age of Greek philosophers that the question of these materials components, or made them exist. After many theories by many different people a man nam ed Leucippus came up with the idea that all things were made up of indivisible, small particles. Although we now know that that was the correct theory the age of alchemy started and didn’t slow down until after medieval times. The next remarkable step was taken by Robert Boyle a British chemist who defined and coined the term â€Å"elements† as â€Å"pure substance, which resists all ordinary attempts at decomposition.

Guilt and Regret in Gwendolyn Brooks Poem The Mother :: Poetry Analysis

The Mother" Gwendolyn Brooks' poem "The mother" tells us about a mother who had many abortions. The speaker is addressing her children in explain to them why child could not have them. The internal conflict reveals that she regret killing her children or "small pups with a little or with no hair." The speaker tells what she will never do with her children that she killed. She will "never neglect", "beat", "silence", "buy with sweet", " scuffle off ghosts that come", "controlling your luscious sigh/ return for a snack", never hear them "giggled", "planned", and "cried." She also wishes she could see their "marriage", "aches", "stilted", play "games", and "deaths." She regrets even not giving them a "name" and "breaths." The mother knows that her decision will not let her forget by using the phrase "Abortions will not let you forget." The external conflict lets us know that she did not acted alone in her decision making. She mentions "believe that even in my deliberateness I was not deliberate" and "whine that the crime was other than mine." The speaker is saying that her decision to have an abortion was not final yet but someone forced her into having it anyway. The external conflict is that she cannot forget the pain on the day of having the abortions. She mentions the "contracted" and "eased" that she felt having abortions.

My Passion for Visual Arts and Web Design Essay -- Computer, Internet,

The term visual arts can have different meanings. To some it is a passion, to others it is just a job. To me it is just a new and growing hobby that I would love to turn into a passion and a job. Just recently I have been reunited with my love for art and design. When I was in 5th grade, I was put into an advanced drawing class against my will and I have grown to enjoy it and then became very good at drawing. Eventually I was exposed to the internet and web design. I found it very hard and quit. Recently my best friend started to become attatched with art and web design, which sparked the memory from when I used to enjoy art also. I decided that I should revive that passion for art that I had and use it to become a web designer. Web Design is almost like an art. It is the design of various information and services over the Internet. Luckily for businesses and customers, the information and services provided are done through the World Wide Web. As earlier mentioned, Web design is a form of art, meaning that art and organization are needed to form Web pages to fit particular business needs. Web sites have now progressed into a form of advertisements for most companies. This is where your Web design and art skills come into play. Also your knowledge of how the human eye travels across the page is very helpful meaning that you know what attracts people and makes them stop and look at your advertisement. This is why I want to pursue in visual arts to continue building upon my foundations and turn me into a professional designer. My goal is to become a web designer with a large variety of art knowledge to make my work on a professional level as well as shaping my art skills. In the graphic design field, my main goal is to learn how... ...rs that get the attention of teens can annoy older people and vise-versa. Colors might just be one of the most overlooked aspects of Graphic Design. This experience helped me make my decision because it enhanced my thirst for knowledge. Now knowing that I posses all the traits required to be a good graphic designer I want to pursue graphic design even more. After I realized that I want to take my art design computer talents into the real world to help bussinesses and my clients and in the end make money doing for what I enjoy. Im still interested in pursuing Graphic Design because its something I want to do and knowing more about it now, I want to be a graphic designer even more because companies also employ a lot of designers. There are still many things that I’m not prefect at and would love to enhance my abilities to be the best graphic designer I possibly can.

Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resources Essay

The Human Resources Profession Map was created by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) together with Human Resources (HR) practitioners. The aim was to highlight and explain what HR personnel need to know, do and how to deliver the highest standards of knowledge, skills and behaviour required for growth and success within an organisation. The HR Map is a very important tool to help personnel identify areas that need to be developed within their career. The HR Professional Map is created for any type of organisation (small or large) and is based around areas of professional competencies to help those just starting their careers as well as seasoned professionals. The Map is structured around ten professional areas, eight behaviours and four bands of professional competence. It holds two professional core areas, which are ‘insights, strategy and solutions’ and ‘leading HR’. These areas are essential for any worker who needs to develop skills to the best possible level. Firstly, s/he needs to understand the company’s values and have a thorough knowledge of what the company does. The basics need to be covered before the employee can proceed within the other training and development parts of the profession map. After learning about insights, strategies and solutions, the HR practitioners should be aware of any arising problems that could effect their work place. The knowledge that comes from the gained behavioural skills should be good enough for HR practitioners to be able to come up with solutions and adapt it to new situations, helping an employee gain confidence and become a better leader. Another eight professional areas that professionals need to know are; service delivery and information; organisation design; organisation development;  resourcing and talent planning; learning and talent development; performance and reward; employee engagement and employee relations. The eight behaviours show what kind of attributes HR practitioners should implement, which are; being curious; a decisive thinker; skilled influencer; personally credible; collaborative; driven to deliver; having the courage to challenge and being a role model. All of those areas and behaviours are covered by four bands of competence. Band one would be for beginners who start their career and have a basic understanding of the HR role and band four would be for senior professionals who have the most experience within a company. The key area for me to focus on within my company would be employee engagement at band one of professional competency. For the last six years I have been working at the cinema where I have learnt everything about the company’s values and goals, through starting as a staff-member to becoming a duty-manager. Employee engagement is a very important level of commitment to any company; an engaged employee should always have pride in what s/he does and work hard to achieve success. In order to have motivated and positive staff who deliver outstanding results, I need to know how to communicate, listen, train/coach my team members, setting aspirational targets through meetings, appraisals and one-to-one sessions. I am sent for various training sessions which provides me with the ability to provide the best support and training for my personnel. After observing and listening to my staff I have noticed that people learn in various ways and I need to adopt different methods in training s essions to get the best out of them and to make them feel valued and motivated. ACTIVITY 2 Understanding Customer Needs. It happens very often in my professional role that certain customers come to me asking for some data, advice or requiring assistance. Not so long ago I had three customers simultaneously come to me with individual problems. They were: Staff Member Emma, who wanted to find out how many hours of holiday she earned so far and when would be the best time to book her holidays. Operational Assistant Ben, who wanted me to add the new starters which would  be starting from the beginning of next week to the system and send a ‘new starter form’ to the Head Office HR Manager. General Manager Paul, who asked me to check our monthly payroll which just got sent through and needed to be replied to by the end of the working day. It is essential that I always try to prioritise my tasks according to the customer needs and the impact it would have on the company. At the beginning I told Emma that I was unable to focus on her query at that specific moment, but would make sure that tomorro w I would have more time to talk through her holiday requests. My priority was checking the monthly payroll. The task was set by my General Manager and I had only till the end of the day to check it. I need to have enough time to thoroughly check the payroll as if there are any mistakes I need to create a report with all the faults found and send it to the HR manager to investigate. Adding new staff to the system was my second priority. The staff’s data did not go live until the week after and therefore was lacking any real pressure in terms of time, and the system we use is simple and straight-forward. Nevertheless, it took priority over Emma in case there were mistakes that would later delay this important and timely process. As stated, Emma was my last priority because her query was not as pressing as the previous two. However, I still made her feel important and valued by informing her that I would have everything ready for the meeting the next day. Effective Communication Effective communication is important in every work place. It is essential for employees to build the appropriate level of trust and understanding, to help create strong working relationships and therefore solve any arising problems with more ease. The three most common ways to communicate in my company are: Face to face. The most efficient and common within my role, it is used when I want to delegate jobs to staff members, within team meetings etc. This type of communication cannot be ignored and is particularly successful in motivating staff to do their jobs effectively. Although sometimes face-to-face can be difficult and cause problems; when dealing with a difficult situation it is sometimes hard to stay calm or always see eye-to-eye. Emotions can become visible which may cloud communication and further exasperate an event. E-mails. These are used on a regular basis. Most contact with external customers is through e-mail and so we need to make sure they are always answered swiftly. They are easy, effectively free and a very fast form of communication. For my internal customers I use an e-mail service for sending out rotas and other staff requests, therefore it is important to check it daily. Unfortunately, sometimes e-mails may be misread and people could feel offended by its content due to miscommunication. Also, some messages may be misplaced and sent to a customer’s ‘spam’ folder and therefore treated as unsent and ignored, causing negative experiences. Feedback Forms. A very popular method that is used for one-to-one meetings, probation reviews and appraisals. These forms provide to customers a clear and concise outline of their positive/negative behaviour, and acknowledge, with their line manager, what kind of changes need to be made, creating a clear plan that could help with their development. Feedback can also help staff feel appreciated and increase their self-esteem. A disadvantage of feedback forms may be the subjective nature of feedback (as anyone within the management team can choose to provide a form without first going through any procedures or checks) leaving open the possibility of personal opinions clashing with a customer’s work ethic. Effective Service Delivery To be able to meet all customer needs the company should have an effective service delivery. Good working relationships and team work should be key to creating a good service delivery for our customers. Everyday I have to deliver satisfactory service on time. Whether it is with our external customers by replying to their e-mails or phone calls on a daily basis or for my internal customers when writing rotas and meeting deadlines set by Management or Head Office. It is essential for a HR practitioner to be able to deliver a service within a timely manner because that will help build trust with customers. Delivering a service on budget is essential in my work place as I have to deal with it on a daily basis. I am mostly responsible for payroll and, within my company, payroll is the biggest controlling cost. Every week we have to schedule staff according to expected business levels. On top of this, everyday we have to control our forecast and act accordingly to set hours, which may incl ude sending staff home when it is quiet or  calling more people in when it is busy. Dealing with difficult customers and handling complaints is not easy, especially external ones. Whenever I have to deal with one I am always focused, listen to the person’s complaint, apologise for the problem and try to explain why certain situation have happened. I’m always trying to put myself in their position and empathise with them. Sometimes just explaining things may resolve the problem because a customer may not understand something, be confused or simply be agitated and in need of assistance. I asses the situation and decide how best to resolve it (whether with a mere apology or free guest passes etc). If the customer is still not happy with the outcome and would like the complaint to go further, I pass the situation onto head office to be dealt with more formally. When handling and resolving complains it is important to stay calm, communicate and be aware how serious the complaint is. Sometimes is okay to to resolve it in an informal one-to-one meeting but if it’s something serious like Gross Misconduct, then the complaint must be dealt with form ally which could result in dismissal. Looking at the Associate Membership criteria I would need to develop ‘practical and technical HR knowledge’ and ‘collating, analysing and interpreting data’. These two areas stand out the most from the associated membership criteria because I know I could develop these skills better throughout my personal development plan and become a more skilled HR practitioner. Learning more about practical and technical HR knowledge will expand my awareness and make me a more rounded, proficient professional. And learning how to properly collate, analyse and interpret data is something I have yet to really learn and so will give me a crucial grounding for further development. In order to be able to grow within developing practical and technical HR knowledge I would have to gain a lot of experience by shadowing my HR manager and fellow colleagues. In my organisation it is very important to know as much as possible about the human resources department because we do not hav e many people on site with HR skills. After learning about HR development I could focus on one or two key areas, such as disciplinary procedures or maternity leave, which would add key areas of knowledge to my  current HR capabilities. I believe that developing yourself practically and technically is essential for an individual who wants to become a good HR practitioner within his/her company as this is a core grounding to any career in HR. Collating, analysing and interpreting data is connected to developing practical and technical knowledge within my HR area. By getting support from my line managers I can be trained in creating weekly analyses of all payroll reports such as sickness submissions, lateness tracker and breaks. That skill would teach me how to work on our workforce payroll and I would get to know the rules and disciplinary procedures. With that in mind, I would be able to implement visible data and make staff responsible for their absences. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a â€Å"combination of approaches, ideas and techniques that will help you manage your own learning and growth†, focusing â€Å"firmly on results – the benefits that professional development can bring you in the real world† (CIPD website). It can be defined as a life-long learning project that describes the actions of an individual professional who is continuously planning, managing, reviewing and developing his/her skills within their professional or private life. The main aspect of CPD is the Personal Development Plan (PDP) which is structured to help and support individuals to be able to plan and organise their objectives or values in their personal or career development. It identifies what skills and knowledge you need to develop to progress further. I believe that CPD is important to me and my organisation because it gives me and my employer a chance to grow and progress within my career. It sets clear objectives and provides an opportunity to widen any knowledge and skills which are important to succeed within the organisation. By planning my PDP I am able to understand my strengths and weaknesses and learn how to improve them day by day. It keeps me interested therefore I feel motivated and positive. The company can also benefit from having the structure of CPD in place as it helps the company move forward by having motivated and happy personnel, as well as better working relationships due to managers spending more time with staff through one-to-one meetings and appraisals. The two options that I chose from my personal development plan are having practical and technical HR knowledge and completion of my CIPD course. Personally, advantages of having practical and technical HR knowledge would be the ability to implement my new skills on site and be able to use more of my own initiative on day to day basis. By shadowing my HR manager and having support from my head office team I would be able to learn about all procedures very quickly. In having those skills I would know how to run the HR department and by doing so I would be very well prepared for HR audits. The only disadvantage for this area would be time organisation, in making sure I can travel to London (and therefore needing cover) and that my HR manager has time to coach me, although this would only be for a set amount of time. The reason why I chose to study an online CIPD course is because I wanted to get my qualification while I was still working a full-time job. It provides great flexibility and no daily travel saves a lot of time and money. I find studying online is less stressful than face-to-face college as it allows me to work within my on surroundings and at a pace I am comfortable with. All lessons are available via a website and the tutors are always quick in responding to e-mails. A disadvantage to studying online is the lack of visible pressure from tutors to push me to work between my regular weekly shifts at work, although this at least helps improve my self-motivational skills.