Kolb Learning Styles Essay

David Kolb’s theory of learning styles is one of the best known and widely applied and it suggest that learning is a cyclic process which involves an individual proceeding through each of the following four stages and will eventually prefer and rely upon one style more than the others. The four styles are: Divergers, Convergers, Accommodators and Assimilators. Research has shown that these four styles have different names along with the ones mentioned above, they are: Divergers is also called Reflective observation Convergers is also called Active experimentation Accommodators is also called Concrete experience Assimilators is also called Abstract conceptualization   Let us take a look and see how the knowledge of each one can be applied to the role of being students working individually and as a group. Divergers/Reflective observation – Divergers like to think before they talk and they research and analyze a situation before giving their own personal opinion. They like to investigate and are able to view situations from many angles which allows them to recognize problems. A lot of times a Diverger would rather sit back, listen and watch, be imaginative and open to xperience, being very thoughtful of everyone’s ideas. Convergers/Active experimentation – Convergers think about things, use theories to solve problems and then try out their ideas to see if they work in practice. They like to ask ‘how’ about a situation, understanding how things work in practice. They like facts and will seek to make things efficient by making small and careful changes and look at alternative ways of doing something. They prefer to work by themselves, thinking carefully and acting independently. They learn through interaction and computer-based learning is more effective with them than other methods. Accommodators/Concrete experience – Accommodators prefer to be involved in new experiences, have a hands-on approach and learn through trial and error. They like a practical experimental approach, are able to adapt to circumstances and like to set objectives and schedules. Assimilators/Abstract conceptualization – Assimilators want to be more logical, they really see no need to give their own personal views, they would rather think it through and do research. They will also learn through conversation that takes a logical and thoughtful approach. They prefer lectures for learning, with demonstrations where possible, will respect the knowledge of experts. In addition they often have a strong control need and prefer the clean and simple predictability of internal models to external messiness. This style is used in schools most of the time along with corporations. After researching these four different styles I was able to compare them to four different individual experiences. One of my friends likes the assimilator approach for her school work, she likes to know the facts before she does anything. She is also going to share the knowledge she has gained from this assignment with her cousin who falls into the category of a Converger and tends to fail with her experiments. Another one of my friends believes that she is a Diverger, she would rather listen, gather data and analyze a situation and give feedback. She is very thoughtful of everyone’s ideas and puts their feelings and thoughts into consideration. I also onsider myself a combination of the Accommodator and Converger, I learn best by the hands-on experience and looking at different ways of doing things. In conclusion, I feel that it is very beneficial for a person to know their style of learning for the following reasons: if you know this about yourself you are able to pinpoint your weaknesses so that you may work on them to help better your studying habits, you can apply your specific style to the task at hand whether it would be finding a book or article to read, a video to watch, a tape to listen to or solve it by trial and error. You may also notice how others work differently and understand that individual more so that it will be a better work and study environment. Not only does this help when studying individually, it is a great benefit when participating in a group or team because when working in a group or team you have a combination of styles so the participants will have a different opinion of the topic depending on how they view the topic. Along with different views of a topic, if you know your learning style you could share that with them and they may be able to make adjustments to accomodate you style of learning, especially if you are having problems grasping the topic, idea or concept. The importance of learning style stems from the notion that teaching, if it is to be effective, should be tailored to the preferred learning style of the learner(s). If teaching is not aligned to the learning preferences of learners, it is unlikely that the teaching will be effective, or at least not as effective as it could be.

Organizational Commitment and Communication

The American Red Cross is an organization that helps prevent human suffering during events that leads the human society while in emergency crisis. The American Red Cross has the ability to mobilize the power of volunteers as well as the generosity of donors. The reader will be given a brief description on how different leadership styles affects the group communication within the American Red Cross. The reader will also be given an analysis of the different sources of power found in the organization and how will these affect the organization communication. It is imperative that the reader also understands how the American Red Cross identifies the motivational theories that will be most effective in different cultures. Finally, a description of the commitment of the workforce to the organization and their relationship to the organizations communication will be provided. Leadership Styles and Effects At the American Red Cross there are several leadership styles that are being used. â€Å"Leader's establish direction by developing a vision of the future; then they align people by communicating this vision and inspiring them to overcome hurdles† (Robbins & Judge, 2011. Some of the main leadership styles that affects the American Red Cross are the transactional, charismatic, and transformational. The transformational leadership is the most common style for The American Red Cross. â€Å"Transformational leaders inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests for the good of the organization and are capable of having a profoun d and extraordinary effect on their followers† (Robbins & Judge, 2011. ) Transformational leaders tend to have more passion in everything that they do. The first step as a leader is to have a mission and a vision. Transformational leaders motivate the performance of the followers as well as understanding their strengths and weaknesses so that the leader may align the followers with tasks that will boost their performance. It is important to be a role model to the followers as this action will inspire them and make them more interested while challenging them to take a greater ownership for their work. A charismatic leader will ensure to pay attention to every person making that person feel important. At this time they are scanning the individuals to pick up their moods and their concerns. At this time the charismatic leader will be able to improve their actions and words to suit the situation. Finally, the transactional leadership plays the role in The American Red Cross as the supervisor of the organization. Every organization has to have a chain of command as well as motivation through rewards and punishments. The transactional leader is the leader that holds the followers to rules, procedures, and standards. Sources of Power There are different types of power within The American Red Cross organization. Power is seen as the ability to implementing control over an individual or a group. While everyone has power, each individual possess and utilize power in a way that it will benefit their organization’s needs. Coercive power is the power that is able to punish those who do not follow orders as requested by the leader. On the other hand using coercive power may also be used to influence the decision of that is being made by taking something away as a punishment if he or she does not follow a request that has been made. The American Red Cross uses the coercive power to ensure that their followers follow their rules and guidelines that they have in place. Expert power is the power that shows the person’s knowledge or specialized skills. Individuals will gain more power by showing a greater knowledge of the task that will be performed. The expertise power is a power that should be taken care of to make sure that the leader maintains its credibility. Also it is important to avoid any threatening of the self-esteem of subordinates to ensure any dislikes from team members against the leader creating unhappy team members. Legitimate power is the power that the leader will have when the employees believe that any orders coming from the leader is because of the leader’s position within the organization and they should be followed as requested. This power is developed through time. Communication in Relation to Motivational Theory At the American Red Cross, there are two types of motivational theories which are applied to the organization. The motivational theories are the expectancy theory and the cognitive evaluation theory. The expectancy is the proposal to a person to behave in a certain way by persuading them to select a specific behavior over others to ensure the expected results. On the other hand cognitive evaluation theory is a theory that is designed to clarify the effects of consequences. These are ways that are used to persuade individuals through awards to control desirable behavior. Workforce Commitment The American Red Cross and commitment goes hand in hand. As commitment to the individuals that they help is one of the most powerful ways that they can use to motivate the volunteer helpers to accomplish their tasks and reach the designated goal. It is imperative to at least give a pat on the back to let the individuals know that they are doing a good job and motivating them to continue to work. Being positive and providing the employees or volunteers with positive feedback can help the organization go along ways? As the mission statement of the American Red Cross states, â€Å"The American Red Cross empowers ordinary people to perform extraordinary acts of service. † (American National Red Cross, 2013) The American Red Cross has been a successful organization that will use the power of volunteers to help those that are in need. The transactional, charismatic, and transformational leadership’s styles have an effect on the group communication of the American Red Cross. The leadership styles and the sources of power work hand in hand to ensure that the organization is meeting all of their goals as well as ensuring that the volunteers are on tasks and in a good working environment. The motivational theories are just a way to ensure that the volunteers and employees are committed to the workforce. The American Red Cross is a well-established organization and as long as they follow all of the above this organization will continue to be very successful in anything that they set their minds to do.

A Very Indian Poem in English Essay

Nissim Ezekiel is one of those Indian poets writing in English who creates an authentic flavor of India, by his use of Indian English – Pidgin English on Bazar English, as it is often called. In this poem, the Indian flavor has been created by stressing the various mistakes which Indians commit in their use of English, by bringing in the hopes and aspirations of free India, and also the attitudes of her two hostile neighbors, China and Pakistan. Poetic Inspiration for the Poem: It all started as a comment by a friend who said that you write in English no doubt and you write English well but you don’t seem to even know or realise that thousands of Indians speak what can only be called Indian English, So from that time in all his train journeys from Mithibai College back home, he started to take some interest in the way English was being spoken on the train. Every time he heard an obvious Indian English phrase like, â€Å"I’m not knowing only.† he would take it down. When he had about a thousand of these, he thought of creating this present poem. The Indian Living Conditions: Ezekiel presents that the new generation is going after ‘fashion and foreign things.’ He presents the typical Indian make – up. The Indian living conditions are sought to be portrayed. The India of yester years is no longer to be seen here, as modernization and industrialization have speeded up the process of change. The regrettable thing in the modern world is the act of violence and anti – social tendencies proving to be a menace. Still the positive aspects like regeneration, remuneration and contraception could be thought of as a way out of the present muddle. One can certainly hope for the better and propagate the best that is thought as unique. Ancient Indian Wisdom: In the second stanza, the readers get a peep into things – Indians as Gandhi’s heir, he would opt for peace and non – violence. He is puzzled why others are not following Gandhi’s advice – while in this estimate, the ancient Indian wisdom is correct, contrastively the modern generation takes it to whatever is western and fashionable – like other Indians, he too has to improve his English language. The student interest and petty agitations make him feel sickening line Antony’s appeal to the Roman mob, he will call upon the fellow citizens to think of the past masters. Thus in the third stanza, he pronounces, In order to get away from that which is disgusting, he wants to have a cup of wine which is very good for digestion. It can be taken as equivalent to the western wine if only a little salt is added to make it a lovely drink. The poet confesses that he is the total abstainer from drinks while it is taken by addicts to gunch themselves, he for his part would turn to simple drinks like lassi. Thus, the poet tries to receive the old Gandhian days. The World Situation Today: In the fourth stanza, the poet is able to think aloud and offer his comments on the world situation today. The present conditions all over the world speak of a bad trend that give an edge to the production of dangerous weapons and try to be superior to others. The countries of the world often tie with each other in keeping themselves ahead of others in this mad competitive world. This retrace often leads to conflicts resulting in loss of precious human lives. If only one considers the other as the brother; the trend could be changed. Unity in Diversity: India is a land where the principle of ‘unity in Diversity’ is practiced. Here many communities live together even though there are some problems. This ideal situation in which one Co-exists with the other is described as Ram Rajya by the poet. He gives the hand of friendliness to the visitor and expects him to come again. The poet is optimistic when he says that he enjoys every moment of good company. So, he ends the poem by saying that he does not feel the necessity of celebrating ceremonies. Common Mistakes ‘highlighted’ in the Poem: Substrate influence on grammar is quite common. It is often frowned upon as â€Å"wrong†, but eventually becomes a regular part of the new language variant. â€Å"The Patriot† contains a number of Indian English examples: the reduplication of verbs in â€Å"fighting fighting†, the lack of indefinite and definite articles in â€Å"threw stone at Indirabehn† and â€Å"all people of world†, the use of one instead of the indefinite article a in â€Å"one glass lassi†, the excessive use of the definite article the in â€Å"not that I am ever tasting the wine†, the excessive use of the continuous tense (the -ing form) in â€Å"I am standing for peace and non-violence†, the omission of an obligatory object pronoun in â€Å"modern generation is neglecting† (instead of â€Å"neglecting this†) etc. Again, this is a satirical poem rather than a genuine example of Indian English, but the phenomena exemplified are genuine enoug h. Conclusion: Nissim Ezekiel occupies a unique position among Indo-Anglian poets of post-Independence era. Nissim opposed the idealism and romanticism of the earlier group of Indian writers in English, and tried to look at any typical Indian situation with an Indian attitude, with a novel and dynamic Indian insight. He cleverly manipulated Indian English to bring out the Indian worldview. Thus Ezekiel uses ‘Indian English,’ or ‘Babu Angrezi’ in his poetry to depict the characteristics of Indian attitude. He used irony as a weapon to depict the characteristic features of Indian attitude.

Marketing report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing report - Essay Example is to serve the telecommunication needs of the customers, it is imperative that a wired headset and a microphone is provided to the customers in the packet with the phone, but a wireless Bluetooth device should also be made available at an affordable price because people prefer to go wireless while they are travelling and so on. Since the Smartphone Shocker also has the JOLT technology built in with it, it should also develop a travel charger, even though the JOLT technology has its own charging up device, people would want to keep their cell phones charged all the time and since while travelling phones are idle, the travel charger would make sure that people are able to charge their phones and keep their batteries powered up so that they never have to miss a call or message due to a dead battery. Another accessory which is very important for cell phone users these days is the data cable which enables them to directly link their personal computers to their phones, though phones can also be connected through Bluetooth technology but a data cable is much more secure than the Bluetooth and enables customers to perform many more functions than the Bluetooth technology does, hence a data cable should also be included with the cell phone in the package. The data cable can also be used to charge the phone through the personal computer, so where sockets are not easily available, customers can just plug their phone into their laptops and charge the phone. Since the Smartphone Shocker has a media player and it can also serve as a music player for its customers, a dock station could also be developed for the consumers, this would enable the customers to connect their phone to the dock station and the dock station would have speakers on which customers can listen to their favorite music while their phone is being charged. To customers it is all about convenience and the availability of options, the more convenient a device is or the more options that they have through

The IVF technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The IVF technology - Essay Example The company’s objective is as transparent as possible to the public since they depend on the community an enormous extent. The unique product of the IVF industry is coupled, at least in Australia, with a unique sense of entitlement. Consequently, Australia is the only country in the world providing unrestricted public funding for IVF through its national health scheme. There is no limit to the number of cycles that women can have and no legal age limit. (Sweden and Britain provide three on the national health and they have to be before age 39. In New Zealand women get two free cycles in a lifetime and in Canada until recently you didn't get any on the national health)The Australian (2012). According to Human Embryo Research Panel, much of the IVF research has been directed by clinicians who lack experience in basic research and development biology. In addition, the commercialization of reproductive technologies has resulted in the establishment of profitable enterprises, including sperm banks, IVF centers, and fertility clinics. The issues pertaining to embryo manipulation involve social values and moral judgements, but as the business interests of IVF are to ensure that viable eggs can be effectively implanted into a woman’s uterus at acceptable cost, commercialization of embryos increases the prospect that there will be no uniformity in the way ethical values and judgements will be interpreted and implemented Krimsky and Hubbard (1995). Professor Paul Komesaroff, director of the Monash Centre for Ethics in Medicine and Society, says the issue of embryo donation is a vexed one. "There are different opinions about when the embryo acquires special religious, spiritual or ethical significance," he says. "Some people say its at the moment of fertilization, others say its at the moment of conception, others say at the 16-cell stage, some say its much later."(Labi, 2012). In the case of Sydney IVF â€Å"The membership of the ethics committee signiï ¬ cantly exceeds the constitutional requirements set by the Australian Government's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in its National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans† Sydney IVF Stem Cells (2011).

Microeconomic of my own life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Microeconomic of my own life - Essay Example Having learnt various principles and theories in microeconomics, the objective of this paper is to relate my life experiences to some of these microeconomic aspects. Microeconomics has made me appreciate choice as a comparison of alternatives. The forgone opportunities for the next benefit alternatives would be referred to as opportunity cost as noted by Boyes and Melvin (23). Opportunity costs refer to the highly valued alternatives which have to be forgone when making a choice. Thus, in my case, the freedom to watch movies, eat the food of my choice and play with my pet would be considered as the opportunity cost as I had to forgo this for the sake of enrolling in a boarding school. The next benefit alternative would thus be joining a boarding school which was meant to make me excel academically. Despite the academic benefit that I was to realize by being in a boarding school, I found other benefits that I would not have found had I remained in my previous learning institution. My father worked in a pen manufacturing firm and hence gave me the best ball-pens to use for my writing. I made many friends in school because of these pens as many students would borrow my pens. At first, I was generous enough to give them out. Within a short period of time, students would demand to know where the pens were sourced from. Actually, the pens were available in the stores but at a high cost and thus stocked less. Remember, Boyes and Melvin (23) observe that costly goods do not elicit the urge to buy from consumers. A majority of pen users would prefer the less costly pen varieties as long as these pens served the intended purpose, quality aside. Since my father supplied these pens to me free of charge and in unlimited quantities, I started selling them to those students who demanded for it at a slightly lower cost than they fetched in the retail stores. The attractive qualities of the pens including swift gliding while writing and availability in diverse colors made the p ens popular. Word went round the school on the attributes of the pen which made the demand increase. Students drawn from various classes would look for me to supply them with these pens. Realizing the increased demand for the pens, I raised the selling price for each pen. This trend follows the microeconomic law of supply which according to Boyes and Melvin (52) dictates an increase in supply with increase in the prices of specific goods or services and a decrease in supply with a fall in price. Assuming the role of a supplier, as the students were willing to spend more to have the pens, I kept increasing the cost. Since I could not wholly satisfy the demand for these pens, I could not determine the effect of price increase on demand which according to the law of demand dictates that with such price increases, there tends to be a decrease in demand. But the trend did not last for long as I had to be careful neither to sell the pens at the cost in the stores nor to sell them at a cos t deemed exorbitant to the students. It reached a point where I could clearly see the impact of price increment on the demand for the pens from the students. As if abiding by the law of demand, the students gradually reduced their demand until I had a number of students whose demand for the pens I could satisfy at the indicated cost. In essence, this was the equilibrium according to

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, and Recovery Assignment

Identifying Potential Risk, Response, and Recovery - Assignment Example They are subject to a multiple number of insecurities that could prove to be very disastrous for the business to which the system belongs should it succumb to a threat. Businesses that rely on information systems have an obligation to maintain and keep it secure. As the Information Security Engineer for a videogame development company, it is compulsory that I adopt a vigilant approach to uphold my company’s information security (Godbole, 2009). Attacks, threats and vulnerabilities to the organization Hacking The organization is vulnerable to hacking. Hacking is a criminal act whereby unauthorized people with massive computer knowledge decide to illegally access the personal information on another’s information system, mostly to use for malicious acts that will harm the system’s owner. As identified, the organization’s system is not secure enough to protect itself from hackers. Should this threat not be handled the organization is at a risk of losing its mo st valuable information to anyone who does not have the business’ best interests at heart. Such information in the wrong hands could lead to the downfall of the organization without fail. Obsolescence The organization’s information system is outdated. This is a threat that needs to be addressed. In a business as competitive as the videogames one cannot afford to have information systems that are out-of-date. ... This means that the systems fail to work somehow due to various reasons. I have made an observation that once the systems crash all the information that was contained in it is lost and the organization has to commence from scratch. It does not have to happen this way at all. This is a problem that must be dealt with so as to save time. If all activities in an organization will be stopped just because one system crashed then the business will lag behind (Godbole, 2009). Poor maintenance by staff The organization’s staff are not using the information systems a required. This could be out of ignorance or simply negligence. I recently observed one staff member pour water on a computer’s keyboard. This is an outrageous show of poor maintenance. The systems need to be taken care of on the outside in order to protect the information they carry inside. Lack of maintenance could lead to a double tragedy, that is, irreparable damage to the computer systems and in turn loss of the data they hold. Theft There has been theft of information systems in the recent past o the organization. This is an attack that cannot be allowed to stand as it should be hazardous to the life of the firm. The organization should find out the source behind these threats and tackle it with immediate effect (Godbole, 2009). Strategies and controls to deal with the risks 1) Hacking Hacking can be dealt with using the strategy of risk avoidance. This means ensuring that it doesn’t occur at all. For this strategy to be enforced the organization needs to apply new methods of securing the information systems further. For instance, by creating stronger passwords for files. This will make it harder for a hacker to access whatever is

Monetary and fiscal policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Monetary and fiscal policy - Essay Example Increase in Government Spending-This policy helps in providing a lot of relief to the whole of the economy as this aspect helps in lowering the prices of the products or services resulting in stimulating the economy by a greater degree. It also ensures all round availability of goods to the consumers (Labonte & Nagel, 2007). 1. b.   What Monetary Policy Tools Can the Federal Reserve Use to Stimulate the Economy and Increase Economic growth. Please Identify At Least Two Specific Tools If the real GDP Gross Domestic Product is lower than the potential GDP, then there lay certain monetary policy tools that the Federal Reserve can use to stimulate the economy as well as to raise economic growth. These tools are discussed hereunder. Operations in the Open-Market-The Federal Reserve can effectively utilize this tool as it will improve the overall banking system in the United States (US). It will also help the Federal Reserve to maintain high level of reserves that will ultimately deliver significant benefits to the economy of the nation at large. Setting of Discount Rates-This particular monetary policy tool can help in facilitating effective stimulation of the economy along with raising financial growth by a certain degree. In this regard, discount rates are basically the interest rates that are charged while acquiring short-term loans from different financial institutions (Labonte & Nagel, 2007). 2. ... ariffs-This aspect can prove to be quiet effective as it tends to deliver effective as well as full flow of different economic activities in the nation. It also helps in conducting free trade and activities related to investment that directly benefits a nation’s profitability by a greater degree. Liberalization of imports-If the Fed desires to lessen inflation in terms of money supply, then the main focus is needed to be laid in the aspect of liberation of imports. This can be justified with reference to the fact that lowered rate of imports will tend to increase the level of conducting various economic activities but it would cut down the effects of inflation in a simultaneous manner. Reduction in Exports-If the level of exports is reduced, then inflation can be controlled by a certain degree. This is owing to the reason that this particular aspect will help in cutting down numerous costs that are associated with the exporting of finished products as well as raw materials to other nations. Formation of new and improved economic policies-The Fed can also adopt as well as implement this particular measure in curbing the unfavorable impacts of inflation and also helping an economy in mitigating the problems associated with high rate of economic fluctuations. In this similar concern, the new as well as the improved economic policies might include controlling wage rates and formulating effective tax reforms among others (Labonte & Nagel, 2007). 3. Both Monetary Policy And Fiscal Policy Encounter The Problems Of Lags. Discuss the Kinds of Lags They Encounter and the Degree of Difficulties They Present To Policymakers It is worth mentioning that monetary and fiscal policies help in developing an economy of a particular nation by a significant level. But, on the other hand,

Short Article discussion about Sex, Gender and Society Essay

Short Article discussion about Sex, Gender and Society - Essay Example Society establishes many norms, it would seem, as it pertains to gender and sexuality and, in some instances, it would seem that the average person does not consider where these values and norms actually came from. In American society, as described by the article, men often see women’s physical attributes as being objects for manipulation. This is clearly a social construction as described by the article. It is not astonishing, actually, considering that psychology and the domain of sociology reinforces the social belonging is one of the most fundamental and universal needs for improving one’s self-esteem and ensuring healthy social development. Perhaps in today’s society, with such strong norms and expectations about what is acceptable for men versus women, that going along with these social norms and complying with their dominant expectations actually underpins the desire to be accepted at the social level. For instance, when men socialize, they often make either derogatory comments about women’s anatomy or express, as a group, how beautiful and sexy they find these attributes. To not go along with this banter could mean social humiliation or ostracizing. It would seem, based on the reading, that fitting in might underpin conceptions of gender today and only when social belonging becomes less prevalent as a human need will gender roles and expectations evolve as well. Social norms in a society are clearly potent and powerful concepts. It is interesting to consider how stereotypes and biases also fit into what constructs norms and whether they are widely accepted or individual in society. In the domain of social sciences, there is a plethora of literature about cultural differences and how individuals in domestic versus foreign societies see gender roles, group roles, and cultural values in general. For instance, in China, losing face in front of others is a very strong emotional component of behavior and when reputation is lost, people feel

Final-4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Final-4 - Essay Example In relation to this particular historical event, John O’Sullivan was the foremost critique to coin the term â€Å"Manifest Destiny†. The terms signified that American society was ordained to expand continuously embracing the territories all around the continent. It was in this context that in order to justify the annexation of Texas, democrats began using the term in political debates. Considering these historic principles pertaining in the traditional democratic political system of America during the 1800s, it can be argued that the annexation had been quite significant in obtaining the aim of â€Å"Manifest Destiny† based on the then social segregation and malpractices which certainly weakened the civil society of Texas and all the Southwestern territories of the continent. This gave an opportunity to the United States to acquire other bordering territories including California. Furthermore, this rewarded the opportunity to forcefully include Mexico within the American territory, as through the annexation, the United States could also get involved with the ongoing border dispute between Texas and Mexico, which was considered to be a conservative state and thereby restricted itself to be freely annexed by a foreign territory2. Mount Holy Lake, No Date. â€Å"John L. OSullivan on Manifest Destiny, 1839†. â€Å"Excerpted from "The Great Nation of Futurity," The United States Democratic Review, Volume 6, Issue 23, pp. 426-430. The complete article can be found in The Making of America Series at Cornell University†.

The report about new business plan-KFC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The report about new business plan-KFC - Essay Example However clinching fact would be the expected enthusiastic response from target population of locals, students and visitors of Aberystwyth town. Typically, an established brand name's franchise business would be less risky than other new ventures because the business idea has been tested and the KFC products enjoy global acceptance and saleability. Studies have reported that franchises are safer than other capital deployments in businesses with a failure rate of less than 5 percent rate compared to 90 percent failure rate for some independently initiated restaurants. Banks are also more liberal in extending finance to a franchising business, given above facts, and can finance up to 70 percent of the initial capital costs. Taking up a small business model franchisee of KFC appears to be a challenging, profitable and safe business opportunity. In the following paragraphs a business plan is taken up to commence this business systematically. We believe we have a good head start in Aberystwyth Market as there are just three competitors in fast foods and we will be specializing in chicken products which enjoy global acceptance and popularity. ... 1.3 Founder of the creation of Kentucky Fried Chicken & History /KFC Brief BackgroundKFC operates in 74 countries and territories throughout the world under the name "Kentucky Fried Chicken" and/or "KFC." It was founded in Corbin, Kentucky by Colonel Harland D. Sanders, an early developer of the quick service food business and a pioneer of the restaurant franchise concept. For the Colonel, perfection was the only acceptable level of performance for a KFC restaurant. This perfection was extended to both "finger lickin' good" food and warm, friendly hospitality. These same standards continue today with our goal of excellence for every eating experience in KFC restaurants. In the beginning of KFC, there was nothing-save a chicken recipe and a promise. "The recipe was, of course, Harland Sanders' special blend of eleven herbs and spices cooked in his own secret way. There was no striped red building, no cardboard bucket with the illustrated icon known as "the Colonel." There was no fiber glass replica of the diminutive and rotund man standing in the corner in a string tie"(Howell,2000). Sanders' signed up his first franchisee in 1952. KFC changed management several times and was under John Y. Brown and Jack Massey, Heublein and R. J. Reynolds. By the time KFC was acquired by PepsiCo in 1986, it had grown to approximately 6,600 units in 55 countries and territories. Now it is under Tricon.It is important to observe that despite frequent management turnover the KFC continued to have very detailed and effective franchisee agreement which allowed substantial leverages to franchisee units to improve the group working by their innovative methods. This unit would like to attempt the same by taking special initiatives in use of technology and dcor as

Presidential Electoral System Essay Example for Free

Presidential Electoral System Essay The Presidential Electoral System of the United States is one that is unique among the electoral systems of nations all over the world as it breaks down into separate elections of each federal state – 51 – which is then integrated to determine the winning candidate.   Members of the Electoral College are tasked to select their preference for the chief executive position, which is then committed as the vote of the state.   The members of the Electoral College are in theory tasked to reflect the sentiments of the state residents. (Paulson, 2000) The presidential candidate that would obtain the majority vote would be declared as the winning candidate; the absence of the majority vote would lead to intervention from the House of Representatives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This system is in fact very different from the popularity vote system, as there is a possibility that there would be a difference between the electoral vote gained and the popularity vote.   Several times in history this occurrence has transpired, which then puts the presidential electoral system in question. (Burrill, 1975)   This becomes quite a controversy as the Electoral College would not reflect popular sentiment, which is sometimes argued to be paradoxical, as it runs conflict with the democratic principle of communal decision-making.   The justification for the present electoral system is to give credence to small states that may be overwhelmed by votes from the larger states. (Paulson, 2000) It is noted to bring about equitable distribution of opportunity to select for all states regardless of population size.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several criticisms as to the conduct of the United States presidential electoral system.   For one, it is a winner-take-all system that is disadvantageous for third party candidates.   Because it is only the two dominant parties of the Republicans and Democrats that can elicit electoral victories through the Electoral College system, then Third Party candidates has less opportunity to win. (Paulson, 2000)   Another criticism, as was mentioned, it is at times does not reflect the true popular sentiment of the voters.   It has been several times in history that there is a result disparity between the Electoral College victor and the recipient of the most number of popular votes. This therefore leads to the problem that â€Å"not every vote may count†, for there is this possibility of winning the electoral vote of the state without consideration for the margin of victory.   This has been the case in the 2000 Presidential elections wherein Bush won the most number of electoral votes because of small states, while Gore, while receiving more popular votes because of the bigger states, received less electoral votes.  Ã‚   There is also a large impact on how campaigning are then being conducted, as candidates would prefer to focus on states that would be consequential to moving the results of the electoral voting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several proposals to amend such type of electoral system. First is the adoption of the one-person-one-vote, and adopt a simple pluralist or majoritarian system.   In this way, the total number of popular votes, and not the number of electoral votes, would then determine the election winner.   Another is to proportionally distribute the electoral votes, and not the winner-take-all system. For instance, if a candidate, in a state with 30 electoral votes gets 70% of the vote, then s/he would be entitled to 21 electoral votes.   In that way, there is more consideration for the margin of preferences of the state citizens. In fact, this proportional representation system or even the direct election system can prove to be more appealing to the public than the electoral voting process, which tends to not place value on individual preferences.   The electoral system must be amended to reflect the democratic choices of the citizens. References Burrill, Richard. (1975). Controversy Over the Presidential Electoral System. United   Ã‚  Ã‚   States: R and E Research Associates. Diamond, Larry, and Marc Plattner, Eds. (2006). Electoral Systems and Democracy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   United States: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Paulson, Arthur. (2000). Realignment and Party Revival: Understanding American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Electoral Politics at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century. United States:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Praeger Publishers.

Recruitment and selection process of the fast food industry

Recruitment and selection process of the fast food industry This dissertation will discuss the recruitment and selection process of the fast food industry in London and case study about particular company. The practise of HRM in recruitment and selection process will also be discussed in this dissertation. In this chapter the background and motivation of this study is discussed along with the aims and objective. Moreover the research questions and the structure of this dissertation are discussed in this chapter. 1.2. Background and motivation In the past two decades the manner in which organization recruit people for their business has changed into a different level. The practise of human resource management in recruiting people has made a significant changed in the food industry across Greater London. Peoples food habit and ass well as recreational activities has also changed. And for changing those activities fast food played a very vital role in society. The competition among the competitors become intense as this is a very profit oriented business. As the competition gets intense and moves into higher value added work, strategic recruitment and selection is vital for organizations success. The trend of fast food can be tracked from the very early stage of the civilization and in UK from the beginning of the twentieth first century first food is growing as a lucrative business. Fast food gain popularity as peoples life gets busy and subsequently more and more things added in their life. The chain fast food shop start arriving in UK from the late 60s and KFC was the first to introduce followed by Pizza Hut and Mc Donalds. The practise of HRM into the fast food industry was present from the beginning but in many cases in was written or not classified as a necessary step. But in recent years the fast food chains bring themselves under very strict rules and policies. Trained staff always brings more profit to the business. And also for the past decades the kind of people interested in getting those job has changed significantly. Mostly students are seen in these jobs as it gives them the flexibility of working according to their college time table and also they can support their study while their working part time. The main principal for any job is the right person for the right job. Organizations always give importance for its manpower as they are their representative and profit maker of the organization. The operative manpower is equally important as managers working for the enterprise. All business organisations need different people to operate different activities inside their organization and it is equally important to select and recruit suitable candidate for that job. The practise of Human Resource Management in an organization is not possible if suitable candidate is not recruited in the organization. 1.3. HRM practise in the Travel Food industry in London In late 1990s, the HRM was significantly recognised as an integral component of business success by academic researchers and business practitioners (Kalleberg and Moody, 1994; Paul and Anantharaman, 2003; Hislop, 2005). Different arguments and concepts were presented by these researchers particularly how HR practices could affect organisation performance; how economic and social context shapes HR strategies and practices of organisations; the new organisational forms and relationships; and the importance of knowledge management and learning in the workplace. Every organization understands the need of HRM practise in selection and recruitment process. By doing so they prepared particular recruitment and selection plan according to the need of their own organization. Mc Donalds and SSP Ltd collaborated with different university to train up their manager according to their need. Most of the big franchises are tied up with different universities to train their staff in hospitality and Human Resource Management. And if we consider the practise of HRM most food franchise company nowadays has made their own prospectus and procedures about recruiting people. Selection and recruitment are two very interrelated process where one process ends another process starts. They are very important procedure of the organization and different from each other. 3.1 Bright Features SSP is promoting itself as food and travel expert, so giving the best possible service to customer is at the heart of SSP strategy. As a result it is important for the company to maintain cutomer satisfaction. So to maintained customer satisfaction employee job satisfaction is vital as dissatisfied worker may not provide good service to the customers. One who is happy at work place is more likely to influence other in a positive manner to make other happy. Therefore, to increase the satisfaction of customer it is important that employees at different level working for SSP are satisfied. Both at management level as well as ground level were actual customer service is being delivered. Company have a good mix of employees of different backgrounds which makes it even more capable to provide international quality service to its customers. Further, organisation also carry out research for understanding customer need during travelling, as it operates worldwide in 32 country to meet the dema nds of travelling customers. On the basis of customer demands of each location and information gathered through research, company have always tried to provide customers a good mix of food verity that meets their appetite. 1.4. HRM practise in SSP UK Ltd (Camden Food) The concept that people are the organisations key source of sustained competitive advantage continues to be an overriding theme in the research literature and a lever for Human Recourse practitioners Grattan, (2000); Pfeffer, (1994); Barney, (1995). It is not surprising, therefore, that the link between HRM practices and employee and organisational performance has attracted considerable attention over the past decade both in the US Huselid, (1995); Pfeffer, (1998) and the UK Guest, (1997); Wood and deMenzes, (1998). 1.4. Aims and objective The aim of this research is to help industry expert and employee to understand the importance of HRM in recruitment and selection process and the give an overall idea how effective HRM practise can change the recruitment process. The purpose of this study is to give a clear understanding what are the HRM practises used by the employer to select and recruit employee at present. Also suggest employer how the selection and recruitment process can be made more effective. The primary research question are listed as below 1. What procedures are used in recruiting and selecting employee in the industry and how the practise of HRM is ensured in that process? The dissertation will try to find out different process of selecting and recruitment process undertaken by different player in the industry. The reason why these methods are preferred? 2. How selection and recruitment process can be more effective and how it can contribute performance of the employee. 1.5. Limitation of the study Limitation in any study is not an unusual matter. Every research encountered by limitation. The study is undertaken in a small sample group from the hospitality industry and fast food industry. There are many organizations in the industry and many more way of selecting and recruiting people. This is a major limitation of the study as the finding only concentrates a particular organization. A larger sample size would give the chance to go through more data and also the application of both personal and HR functions. It can also be possible to investigate variety of examples of organizational practise if the sample size is larger. It would be better to investigate more than two organizations recruitment and selection process, but due to time constraint this could not be achieved. The researcher selected two group of people one pass through the selection process and get recruited and the other group who is looking for job or attempted but failed to pass the recruitment process. Some data were confidential enough not to pass to the researcher. As the topic of the dissertation covers a very wide area, researcher tried to cover as many areas as possible. 1.6. Contribution of the study The analysis of the study reveals the aims and objective of the research. Among the contributions are the literature for the researchers in future in relation to the HRM practice for the other industry. Analyzing the function of modern human resource management is another contribution in the perspective of academic study. Secondly, HR manager of travel food industry and more specifically SSP UK Ltd can evaluate their existing recruitment and training program. The study will help understand the standard recruitment and selection procedure and thus compare it with their own recruitment and selection procedure. 1.7. Research structure This study will follow a certain structure. The structure followed is given below Chapter 1: The introduction part will discuss the purpose of the study and also the aim and objective of the study. It will also briefly discuss the motivation and background of the study. A short description about the industry and also the history of the industry. Chapter 2: The literature review part will discuss the HRM practise in recruitment and selection process. It will also discuss the related theory about selection and recruitment process. The part will consist the definition of recruitment and selection and the process of respective ones. This part will relate the theoretical analysis and also states the finding of different scholar in this field. Chapter 3: In chapter three general research methodologies are described. It also discuss the method that this research use to complete the study. The data collection method and the difference between secondary data and primary data are also discussed. The limitations of the data collections are discussed at the end of the research. Chapter 4: Findings of the study and data are discussed in this chapter. Data are gathered from different sources for the study each source has been described with the method used. Chapter 5: At the end of the dissertation a thorough indication and conclusion of the current research have been drawn. Other important part of this chapter is to describe the contribution and benefit of this dissertation. Based on the research results some recommendations have been given followed by limitations of the current study, and future research. 2. Literature review 3250 2.1. Introduction The relevant literature review of this study is discussed in this chapter. The previous chapter has been discussed about introduction of the study which discussed the motivation and background, the aims and objective of the study and also the structure of the study. The chapter starts with a brief discussion about HRM and the role of HRM in recruitment and selection. The relevant theory about recruitment and selection are discussed followed by their process. The factors influencing the recruitment and selection process are also discussed. The historical work of previous researcher are also discussed and used as a guideline for further research. 2.2. The role of HRM The key characteristic of the HRM approach is the involvement of the personal function at a strategic level. The increased globalisation of busyness world and a very competitive market has triggered the emergence pf human resource management. Personnel management is the part of an organization which is concerned with people at work and their relationship with the enterprise. Personnel management aims to achieve both efficiency and justice. It seeks to provide fair terms and conditions of employment, and satisfying work for those employed (Cole, 2002). The modern human resource management has emerged from traditional personal management. Human resource management is defined as a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valuable assets the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives (Armstrong 2006). It is the people who always represent the organization in front of the public, so the management of people inside the organization is very important. And it is the trained and skilled staffs that generate the profit and give the organization a better position in the market. Organizations now days even compete about their staff that who has the better staff. They even hire independent organization to judge the service between different companies and based on that report they improve their service and organization. The synergy is achieved when the approaches are practiced all together. When practices are implemented together and synergistically then it is called bundles. The concept of bundling has defined strict definition but finds its roots in the concept of internal fit developed in the strategic human resource management literature (Bowen and Ostroff, 2004). The organization can deliver better service if all part of their business is providing a quality service and thus the organization as a whole performs better. If an organization implement couple of high performance work practise in their workplace that will not make a big difference as they are still lacking in many other part of organization skills. Suppose the organization implement team work as their high performance achievement but the total team performance will depend not only on one colleague but the performance of all colleagues. Different team members can have different issue with organization which might affect their performance so that also make a difference on the collective performance of the team work. Employment motivation is also a very important fact in case of team work. In 1998, British Workforce Relation survey (WERS) conduct a survey among the employer in Britain and found that there are some number of key human resourse management practise among British organisations that includes careful recruitment and selection, performance appraisal, training and team working. The survey also found some evidence of the integration of human resource management practise and survey(Cully et al.1999). There are two different side of the survey which is visible through data, the practice of human resource management in British organization is widespread but the level of strategic integration of these practises is quit low. Cully et al found is his research that only 15 percent of the role of training in 265 workplaces had a majority of the human resource management in place. Studies of high performance work systems have also shown a similar pattern; relatively common adoption of individual practices but little evidence of widespread integration (Appelbaum et al., 2000). 2.3. Recruitment There are few definitions available of recruitment. Recruitment involves actions and activities taken by an organization in order to identify and attract individuals to the organization who have capabilities to help the organization realize its strategic objective. Breaugh gave the following definition of recruitment Employee recruitment involves those organisational activities that 1) influence the number and /or the types of applicants who apply for a position and /or 2)affect whether a job offer is accepted. Edwin Flipo states that recruitment is the process of searching for prospective candidate and stimulating them to apply for the job.(Edwin Flipo, 2001) Recruitment includes the set of activities undertaken by the organisation for the primary purpose of identifying a desirable group of applicant, attracting them into its employee ranks, and retaining them at least for short time. (Taylor Collins, 2000). Recruitment involves actions and activities taken by an organisation in order to identify and attract individuals to the organisation who can help the organisations achieve their target and goal. Recruitment has emerged as arguably the most critical human resource management functions for organisational survival and success. Many organisations have increased their budget for recruitment. 2.3.1. Principal of recruitment process There are number of important characteristic in recruitment definitions. Firstly the process involves specific actions and activities that are undertaken to achieve particular outcome. Secondly in indicates that the purpose of those activities are to generate a pool of candidate to enhance their interest towards the organisations and eventually to accept a job offer in the organisation. The third important characteristic is that it the number of people attracted towards the process might have the capabilities to be hired but it depends on the selection process where the overqualified and under qualified people will be excluded from the process. Fourthly the recruitment is the process where any post hire process are not discussed because recruitment is the process to influence candidate to apply for the advertise jobs and accept the job offer. 2.3.2. Purpose and importance of recruitment There are some purpose and importance of recruitment which required to be clearly defined in any research. The importance can described as follows 1. Determine the present and the future requirements of the organisation on conjunction with its personnel -planning and job analysis activities. 2. To keep the cost minimum and also attracting maximum candidate. 3. As selection process depends on recruitment process it is the job of the recruitment process to increase the success rate of selection process by reducing the under qualified or overqualified job applicant. 4. It is also the recruitment process where the it is given priority that the recruited candidate stays inside the organisation for maximum number of year. 5. Organisations legal and social obligation about the ratio of recruited people whether ethnic, local or gender in its workforce is also served through recruitment. 6. Recruitment is the first step where the potential job applicants are identified. 7. By practising the daily job the effectiveness of different recruiting techniques and sources of all types of job applicants are explored. 2.3.3. Recruitment process In recruitment process identifying and attracting qualified candidate is the most important aspect. There are five interrelated steps about recruitment process. They are- Planning Strategic development Searching Screening Evaluation and control 2.3.1. Planning Planning is the first stage of the recruitment process. It involves about the vacancy and the duty surrounded by that role. Planning also gave an clear idea about number of candidate and the type of candidate applying for the job. An important part of the planning is to attract more people than the organisation needed so that they can choose the right candidate and also attracting the type of candidate similar to the advertisement. 2.3.2. Strategic development After deciding how many people are required and what qualification required the management concentrate in the strategic development. Different companies have different view about strategic development. The first thing is to decide in strategic development is to decide whether to recruit someone with past experience or whether to recruit someone with fresh knowledge and invest towards the future training of that employee. After deciding the eligibility of the employee the organisations look different medium to advertise the job and which labour market they want to target. All these activities are inside the strategic development of recruitment. 2.3.3. Searching The searching process begins after the planning and strategic development. If the first two processes run well then in searching process the organisation should receive many application because at this stage the medium is activated as the HR manager gives green signal about vacancy inside the organisation. All the application must be screened and after careful screening the candidates who passed should called for interview and the candidates did not pass should sent letter explaining the reason of failure. Another important criteria about searching process is to pass the proper massage through the proper channel. And it is the duty of searching option that maximum attention gets from the candidate by avoiding the undesirables. 2.3.4. Screening The selection process begins after a carefully scrutinizing the candidate at the recruitment process. However good the attraction process it is probable that there will be more candidates than positions to be filled and often the case there that there will candidates than can be realistically taken on to the next stage of more time consuming selection processes such as interviewing and testing. The reason for screening inside the recruitment process is that selection process starts only after candidates are short listed for the next stage. 2.3.4. Sources of recruitment There are two types how recruitment are processed in an organisation. They are internal recruitment and external recruitment. 2.3.4.1. Internal recruitment The advantages of internal recruitment are that: financial costs associated with recruiting can be saved by internal recruiting. It will also save training costs and time as the employee will have insight knowledge of the organization (Wanous, 1992). There are some tools organisation uses for internal recruitment. Promotions and transfers Promotions and transfers are very important role for internal recruitment. Promotions have very positive role inside the organisations as they encourage colleague, built moral attributes among employee. Through this process organisations can build employee by their need and as those employees are serving for a long time for the company they feel for their organisation. Employee referrals When an employee is working for an organisation for a long time they know the need of the organisation and sometime they refer employees according the need of the organisation. This way organisation can sometime get high skilled employee but in a very minimum cost. Another positive side about employee reference is through this employer are fulfilling their social obligation and establishing goodwill. Former employees Another source of internal recruitment is former employee. Former employees sometimes return to the organisation for better career growth and also sometime after in another job they can compare which is better this way they can differentiate which employee is better. 2.3.4.2. External recruitment External recruitment makes is possible interview a wide a range of candidate and chose from that selection. Sometimes employer need to pump some fresh blood inside their organisation to get some new business ideas and also to put some energy inside the organisation. But sometimes company end up with huge cost for hiring external employees but they are not as qualified as their curriculum vita says. Advertisement The most popular method of job recruitment is the advertisement through different medium. Employers describe the job responsibilities and requirement of the job followed by how to apply and by which date they have to apply. The most popular medium of advertisement are the newspaper, company website and different jobsite which post job from different company. Most people apply through this medium and sometimes company also promote themselves through these advertisements. Professional and trade association Professional association for trade and technical bodied are very active in the field of recruitment and selection. They provide employer with people according to their need and those professionals are trained with international standard. Like for accountant and technical jobs are always preferred by the professional bodies. Now days there are some websites like linked in which network among different professional people. Walk in store Another popular method among the employee or ob seeker for different store and food shops are known as walk in store. Company advertise in front of the stores or there is a particular place where companies hired. In Europe and other western countries where the chain stores are established they managed to recruit people from their own recruitment centre. In this process mostly entry level and unskilled employees are hired. Employer sometime announces open day recruitment for hiring people. Through open day recruitment organisation External Forces Supply Demand Unemployment Rate Labour Market Political Legal Image Recruitment Internal Forces Recruitment Policy HR Planning Size of the Firm Growth Expansion 2.4. Selection Selection is the process where employer chooses from a pool of candidate who is best suitable for the organisation. From the beginning of the selection process till the end selecting the right candidate is the only objective and to do that there are different test that employer choose to differentiate among the candidate. Selection is a process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify those with a greater likelihood of a success in a job. (Stone, 1999) Selection is a very constructive process through which right candidates comes out. 2.4.1. Preliminary interview The first step of the selection process is the preliminary interview process which comprises the subject to scrutiny the candidate based on their application and also eliminates the unqualified candidate. For HR managers scrutiny is the process to eliminate candidate based on the information provided on their application. Preliminary interview is the next available step for selection. Preliminary interview helps get that information which is not in the available in the application form. It can be held formally or informally, over the telephone or in a coffee shop. It helps HR manager to get an idea how many applicants can make it through the next stage and eventually will go forward. The interview processes are different in different countries. In UK they are more structured type. In UK they said that the more information you get about a person the reliable the person and the more valid and reliable your judgment is. Tixier in a survey in EU (but excluding France) Sweden, Switzerland and Austria found that structured interview were favoured in the UK, Scandinavia, Germany and Austria. This contrasted with Italy, Portugal, Luxembourg and Switzerland where unstructured were preferred (Tixer, 1996) 2.4.2. Selection test The essential criterion in choosing supplementary method is that they should provide information that is directly related to performance on the job. This should be the guiding principal both in choosing off-the-shelf tests and in designing exercises tailor-made for a particular workplace. In their review of what they call personal testing, Murphy and Davidshofer (2001) stress that better results are obtained the more closely a test, such as work sample test, resembles things that are actually done in the job concerned. A related issue that candidate can easily see the point of a test that requires them to do something they know will be done on the job. Psychological testing The term psychological tests are also known as psychometric test. They are developed to judge people based on their different capability. They are professionally developed and checked for reliability and validity. They are administered and scored in a standardized manner. The results found from these tests can be compared to norms for relevant population. The standardised administration of tests means all applicants answer the same questions in the same condition and objective scoring means that the scores are not open to individual interpretation as is the case with interview responses. Intelligence test Intelligence test is the most widely practised test in the selection process. The ranges of skills cover are verbal, arithmetical and diagrammatical reasoning. Selection team use intelligence test as one of the first tool to judge a candidate. Ability test Ability test are more specific test designed for individual to show their ability towards a particular test. How well a person can perform in a job can also be tested through this. There are two type of ability test one is attainment test and the other is aptitude test. Attainment test assess skills and knowledge that have been acquired through experience and learning, and aptitude test measure individuals potential to develop ability. Work sample test or school exams are examples of attainment test and the use of these would not require the special training. Where as aptitude test measure whether a applicant have the ability to learn something if training is provided. Most of the time aptitude test run when the candidate has no previous experience. It gives the indication that how successfully an individual can engage in a specialized activities. There is different type of aptitude test for all sector of the organization. Test of interest The relationship between interests and motivation and successful performance is not a straightforward one. For this reason these test are not used for selection (Smith and Robertson1993). But interest test can be used in career guidance and counselling. It gives an idea about the likings and disliking of the employee and give a hint sometimes why employee want to change their career. Personality questionnaire Personality questionnaire has been used in preference to personality test. When measuring the personality test there is no right or wrong answer rather than they are indication of habitual performance meaning that they reflect stable traits that are likely to be revealed in typical behaviour. Personality test is very important in case of job application. A person can do well in the entire test but may fall short as they have lack of motivation. It shows the maturity, interpersonal skill and behaviour in terms of difficult situation. 2.4.3. Work sample test When recruiter asks a candidate to perform a task that is related to the work or a element which is part of the job is known as work sample test. A recruiter may ask the employee to perform a lecture or to teach a subject to a group of people as a part of work sample test if the interview is about university lecturer. 2.4.4. Assessment centres An assessment centre is a method rather than a place, although some employer, particularly large organization might have premises dedicated to assessment, especially if they use them for both selection and development purposes. (Woodruffe, 2000) In a assessment centre a number of people are assessed at the same time by a number of assessor judging their numerical skill, interpersonal skill and how they coup with their colleague. This gives the chance to the employer to compare collection of range of information and observation and evaluation the candidate. The task included in an assessment centre test is work simulation where candidate were given a real life task usually performed in job. A based on their performance it is easier for a recruiter to distinguish the potential candidate. Group exercise is another tool used in ass

Advantages of integrating arts into the curriculum

Advantages of integrating arts into the curriculum The purpose of this paper is to investigate the advantages of integrating arts into the curriculum. Looking closely at students with communication disorders, the immeasurable possibilities to aid them with verbal communication aids are never-ending. It is important for educators to acknowledge the success that has been demonstrated when students involve themselves in their learning as well as in their ability to communicate. Arts integration is an educational approach that creates a level of personal connection, as well as an appreciation for different learning styles. An emphasis on the process of discovery with the arts allows for unexpected outcomes. Teachers help students to develop more complex thinking skills, and add depth in the classroom through a creative analysis of the work created. The work is looked at for its meaning rather than its visual appeal. Using the arts can assist students in verbal understanding, focusing and concentration. Ranging from speech disorders to de velopmental disorders, the idea of art as therapy is never looked at as an alternative within the school system. I will be using the utilization of art integration in the school system as a way to analyze the success of students with speech therapy issues. With the increase in the number of students that need help with speech issues, the variety of methods that teachers are able to use should also expand. By using various strategies teachers demonstrate how the arts ignite creativity and enhance learning. Arts integration as a form of speech therapy in the Elementary Schools has a positive impact on the oral language and overall comprehension in elementary age children. The art as a method for assisting verbal communication in learning-disabled students combines articulation and language skills. Incorporating professional speech pathology strategies, the use of the arts looks at things that might assist the children in not only speaking but also progressing in creating their own communication. The events created are built on a foundation of methods, enhanced by current research, and techniques that have been successful in many experiences. (Estrella, 2005) Can we think beyond the developmental stages in art that we have taken for granted for so long and that have implicitly limited the possibilities of experiences and materials that we have offered children? (Mason 2006) It is important that all educators acknowledge the success that has been demonstrated when students involve themselves in their learning. Arts integration is an educational approach that creates a level of personal connection, as well as an appreciation for different learning styles, for both professor and student. Before finding the answer to questions regarding art in relation to communication it is necessary to understand the background, history, and importance of what Art Therapy is. Although similarly different, Art Integration and Art Therapy are similar notions but different practices. With a general concentration on combining art into the curriculum, Art Integration is a general education tool. While art therapy focuses solely on the use of art in relation to verbal exercises. Art Therapy by definition is a form of psychotherapy; in psychotherapy there is an exploration of feelings and concerns in nonverbal and verbal exercises that use simple visual art materials. Art therap y focuses on the creative processes possible for a person instead of what they are able to produce. Perplexing and difficult feelings are able to be expressed through using Art Therapy because it is presented in a non-threatening manner. It is used to encourage insight, self-awareness, and independence of the patient. Teachers help students to develop more complex thinking skills, and add depth in the classroom through a creative analysis. Those who utilize Art Therapy often feel they are able to communicate and gain understanding within various communicational aspects through it. Art Therapy is said to help in a creative process that a person goes through in which they can find inner guidance and find self-healing at a conscious level.(Ulman, 1975) Art Therapy can be expressed through storytelling, poetry, music, dance, visual arts, painting, sculpture, and any other type of creativity activity.(Ulman, 1975) Many Art Therapists believe that there is growing a stronger connection be tween art and healing and believe that Art Therapy is significant to a persons health. In an article entitled Expressive Therapy: An Integrated Arts Approach expressive  therapist Estrella, discusses expressive  arts  therapy, integrative  arts  therapy, and therapy as an all-purpose treatment for children with communicative as well as learning disabilities. Her idea of interrelatedness of the arts takes an integrated approach to the use of the arts as a tool for psychotherapy. Also referred to as expressive arts therapy, integrative arts therapy, multimodal expressive therapy, or intermodal expressive therapy, according to the author this represents a discipline rooted in philosophical, cultural/historical, and clinical models that each support the unique contributions that an interdisciplinary approach to the arts affords. (Estrella 2005) Using the arts can assist students in understanding, focusing and concentrating. Arts integration in the Elementary Schools has a positive impact on the language, oral as well as overall comprehension in elementary age children. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the advantages of integrating and effectively using the arts in the curriculum as a therapy tool, for students with language as well as communication disorders. Furthermore, this paper will evaluate the arts as an integration tool to encourage mainstreaming of LD (Learning Disabled) students into the classroom. By using these various strategies teachers demonstrate how the arts ignite creativity and enhance learning. There is a growing recognition of the arts as intrinsically interdisciplinary.(Estrella, 2005) Recent research tends to stress the negative impact of knowledge on drawing, the extent to which what children know about an object prevents them from drawing what they see. (Giles 2004) The arts too many educators are viewed as leisure activity, non-academic, and irrelevant to the employment world. An integrative approach to teaching, for example, connects visualization with reading comprehension, contextualizes math, or brings an experiential context to the science or social studies classroom.(Estrella 2005) Funding for art education in many schools both public and private has significantly reduced or completely been cut. Government officials at state or city levels feel the need for art education is not as significant as the need for more academic based programs like mathematics, history, science and social studies. Studies proposed to make a cut of 35.6 million dollars in art education (FY 2006 Ed Budget Summary, 2005). Officials see art education as something that is impeding on their students academic careers, rather than helping them. Using the arts can assist students in understanding and applying skills to standardized exams. Focus and concentration can be d eveloped through an appreciation and appliance of different learning styles, such as linguistic, visual or kinesthetic thinking.(Estrella 2005) Through the integration of insight into cognition (thinking) and expression (acting) students perform at a higher level. Although art therapy has been used in some fashion beginning in the first half of the twentieth century, its range of helpful effects is still only partially explored today. (Appel 2006) Therapists constantly invent new ways to use the arts to assist people with a variety of disabilities and psychological problems. However, it was not until about one hundred years ago that doctors began to record descriptions of spontaneous artwork done by their patients. (Appel 2006) The emotional development of children, fostered through encouragement of spontaneous creative expression and self-motivated learning, should take precedence over the traditional intellectual approach to the teaching of standardized curriculum(Appel 2006). Not only does it encompass less threatening, non-verbal techniques with patients that have profound difficulty verbalizing their feelings and though ts; it can be used to open and expand verbal communication, as well.(Geist 2008) Art therapy, is meant to function as a way of supporting ego functioning by enhancing a sense of identity and self-esteem and in the process, fostering maturation in the patient.(Ulman 2005) In other words, Art therapy complements or supports psychotherapy but does not replace it. An entity of its own, psychotherapy, although an effective therapy method, would be used with art therapy rather than by itself. From the earliest days of psychoanalysis, the making of art was viewed according to the analysts theoretical stance.  By examining the patients conscious mind art therapy is still engaged in this fashion as an attachment to logical treatment. This concept has also had a considerable impact on the broader field. (Strand 2006) There are many fields of study that focus on children and their needs whether it may be mental, social or physical, one of these fields of study is child psychology. Child psychology is a form of study that allows understanding the developmental stages of children and what should be expected of them during their different stages. But art therapy permits us to understand children at a different level, a more intimate level, allowing us to view more in-depth the mind of a child. By understanding the developmental and behavioral stages of children, therapists can better identify what is hindering the child from proper and age appropriate communication. The theory that encompasses ideas to increase aid for students with developmental disorders touched upon by theorist Lev Vygotsky, who states that culture gives the child the cognitive tools needed for development.  Vygotskys zone of proximal development is one of his best-known concepts. The overall role of the speech-language patholog ist is the integration of fluency-shaping and stuttering modification approaches. The author goes in detail about how well children represent events seeming in their world in relation to speech. The authors concept in relation to Vygotsky and his theory of Scaffolding which argues that students can, with help from adults or children who are more advanced, master concepts and ideas that they cannot understand on their own, connects directly through a process of using what the students already know, to develop the things they need help with. Those who argue against funding arts education need to take a closer look at what art education does for a child. With the constant need for extracurricular activities resources in the schools are limited, with too much emphasis on instruction time; students lose the opportunity to express themselves as individuals. As displayed in the graph above, a 2003 study of a Minneapolis Elementary school system showed the overall amount of students that had integration in schooling had an impactful increase in the amount on their reading score. The pink line representing the English Language Learners showed a valuable increase in the total reading scores increased in relation to the amount of integration incorporated. Likewise, the amount of students qualifying for free lunch had a measurable increase due to an increase of arts integration. Researchers have found that enriched arts education bridges gaps created by socioeconomic and language barriers because art is a shared language and skill that all children understand. Likewise, research has shown through the graph that Low-SES students involved in music programs outscored low-SES no-music students on the referenced mathematics assessment. Low-SES students who were more involved in drama activities had greater reading proficiency and a more positive self-concept, and the gaps widened over time, as compared to low-SES students with little or no involvement. With the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, some states and districts have dramatically cut back their arts programs as well as decreased funding for arts education; the number of art, music, and drama teachers; and the time chosen in schools for art related activities. But in many instances there is a lack of knowledge about art and its therapeutic forms, among caregivers as well as among those who could benefit from it. As Ulman points out, the term Art Therapy is used to refer to a variety of practices with many different aims, noting that there are numerous different kinds of qualifications. What all art therapy has in common, however, is that engaging in an art practice is used in some attempt to assist integration or reintegration of personalities.(Ulman 2005) Similarly, an interview from the mother of a now, 11 year old son states that when he was 5- 8 years old he participated in art/play therapy and states that, It (art therapy) has helped him to accept himself the way he is.   He had difficulty feeling like he was different from other children and the play/art therapy has helped him understand to accept the differences as positive aspects of his life. (N. Gidney, personal communication, February 14, 2010) In a 2010 article about funding in schools, Holly Lambert, a teacher at Morgan School in uptown Charlotte, is reaching out to the ASC (Arts Science Council) for up to $60,000 through a web site that raises money and matches donations to go towards the arts education across the United States (DonorsChoose.org). Lambert and many of her colleagues are submitting requests for musical instruments, art supplies and other materials on a special page:  donorschoose.org/asc. The ASC will match up to $30,000. The need for resources is ever growing and will continue to increase as funding decreases. (Brown, 2010)    Teachers often find themselves in a field without formal recognized certification; working within schools art teachers or classroom teachers, often have to teach in their own art field, because a standard art inclusion curriculum isnt provided. Meanwhile, boards of education, principals, and state legislatures are pressing for reading, mathematics, science, and social studies achievement, placing the arts in schools at risk. In this graph it displays a fifth grade classroom, focusing on males. This shows, likewise to the other graph, a significant increase in the reading scores in relation to the amount of integration. The more integration allowed, the better the students scores ended up, especially in males. Students performing below the standard or nearly meeting the standard, require educational opportunities that partner their learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal) with their areas of weakness (verbal linguistic, logical/mathematical). (Wadeson 1980) Q: Do the arts transform the environment for learning? Language for the students should strive at all times to develop an atmosphere that encourages verbal communication. In this, interviewer N. Gidney states that her sons communication skills have increased through play therapy.   Through the play therapy we have learned new ways to communicate with each other. I have learned a lot about the way he communicates and it has helped my son to feel more comfortable talking to me about subjects he may not have if it was not for the therapy. (N. Gidney, personal communication, February 14, 2010) Likewise, there must be times of quiet during the school day for individualized instruction, but in integrating art into the curriculum it encourages and helps develop independent working skills. In providing enriching language activities more can be made of group activities. The idea of social exchange is evident when looking at the things that encourage students to speak to each other rather than think independently. The development of language skills is important for successful interpersonal communication. Geist argues in an article entitled Integrating Music Therapy Services and Speech-Language Therapy Services for Children with Severe Communication Impairments: A Co-Treatment Model, how preschool children with speech-language disorders demonstrated social communication skills in basic group music activities with their non-disabled peers. This text connects directly to BF Skinners behaviorism theory stating that learning is a function of change in overt behavior. Changes in behav ior are the result of an individuals response to events (stimuli) that occur in the environment. The effectiveness of arts activities relating to the overall goals of a special needs students as well as the overall goals of the academic curriculum. Perceptual training through the arts is emphasized, and teachers guides to problems related to slow learners as well. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Although researchers involved with child art have long insisted that art is far more tightly interwoven in the fabric of human learning than contemporary Western culture tends to admit, the complex socio cultural and historical reasons for the peripheral position of art in North American schools and preschools remain to be fully explicated, widely understood, and revised in action. (Geist 2008) By using and integrating art into lessons, techniques to broaden language experiences using activities that are divergent from the traditional instructional processes, bombard the child with experiences and specific uses of language, exposing them to a variety of modes of expression, encouraging listening skills, thinking skills, and opportunities for talking. Often times the language distorted child feels self-conscious in speaking before others. The child is often misunderstood, resulting in a reluctance to attempt further verbal communication, resulting in looking for ways of dealing with this hesitancy to talk. With the integration of various art forms, these students with communication disorders or an inability to verbalize become responsible for expressing themselves to other children through a range of media. Drawings are believed to reflect the subjects mental representations and conceptual knowledge about the objects they draw. Drawings become more accurate and detailed as childrens mental models of the world become more extensive and differentiated. (Gardner 2006) Certain forms of arts instruction enhance and complement basic reading instruction aimed at helping children break the phonetic code that unlocks written language by associating letters, words and phrases with sounds, sentences and meanings. Since we do not read reading but rather texts of various kinds in search of meaning, it is important that forms of arts instruction promote both basic reading skills and the achievement motivation that engages young learners in the reading experience. Children develop the ability to write, read, speak, listen, and think by having real experiences with motor activities, reading, speaking, writing, listening, and thinking, and by getting support from experienced learners. Integrating the arts means that the elements of creativity are developed and taught with a set of common experiences. (Gardner 2006) There are many advantages to integrating the arts in relation to speech therapy. Children learn all aspects of language by using language in purposeful situations as well as in situations they enjoy. By integrating the arts into therapy methods, we put children in situations that match the way in which they naturally learn and use language. By integrating the arts for children with communication delays, children develop better critical thinking abilities. A treatment for many kids with speech and or language disorders refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, where a language disorder refers to a difficulty understanding or putting words together to communicate ideas. As defined, a speech or communication disorder is characterized by the following: Articulation disorders include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words incorrectly to the point that other people cant understand whats being said. Fluency disorders include problems such as  stuttering, the condition in which the flow of speech is interrupted by abnormal stoppages, repetitions (st-st-stuttering), or prolonging sounds and syllables (ssssstuttering). Resonance or voice disorders include problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice that distract listeners from whats being said. These types of disorders may also cause pain or discomfort for the child when speaking. Dysphasia/oral feeding disorders, including difficulties with eating and swallowing. (Sutton 24) Because language disorders can be either passionate or significant, therapy should focus on children who have difficulties understanding language as well as those who difficulty putting words together, limited vocabulary, or inability to use language in a socially appropriate way. Including art, books, objects as well as constant events, these aid in the stimulation of language development. Repetition as well as exercises to build speech and language skills help with articulation or sound production. With the variety of reasons why children need speech therapy, the arts in collaboration relates to cognitive (intellectual thinking) or other developmental delays and motor problems. Certain music instruction, including inclusive instruction that includes spatial training, develops spatial reasoning and spatial-temporal reasoning skills, which are fundamental to understanding and using mathematical ideas and concepts. Learning in individual art forms as well as in multi-arts experiences engages and strengthens fundamental capacities as spatial reasoning, including organizing and sequences, conditional reasoning, theory and consequences, problem solving, and creative thinking. Those officials that are not fighting the budget cuts made towards music education are becoming a part of the reason that current youth will suffer a loss in education. The attitude that math and science are the most valuable subjects to learn is carried over in the budget debate. It has made the whole idea of publicly funded fine arts projects seem wasteful and frivolous. Students who were achieving at academic expectation scored high on all rhythmic tasks, while many of those who scored lower on the rhythmic test achieved below academic expectation. If music education keeps being disregarded, America will suffer by losing a unique opportunity to educate children and keep them in school. Creative thinking skills are improved, by using the side of their brains that dont get used in math and science. Geist argues that music therapy can be integrated with speech therapy and service as an effective method for children with communication delays. This argument is that with the integration of communication arts through music effective speech-language services are set. Through mutual models with procedures, experiences, and communication outcomes demonstrate how preschool children with speech-language disorders demonstrated social communication skills in basic group music activities with their non-disabled peers. However, many professionals are working carefully to improve procedures to address the varied and sometimes complex communication and educational needs of children with disabilities (Geist 2008). Sublimation is a topic that is notorious in art therapy, where some art therapists support the concept and others dismiss it. According to Ulman, author of Art Therapy, only on the basis of sublimation can the function of art and full potential of art therapy be adequately understood (8). While some art therapists believe that the therapeutic value of art therapy can only be achieved through sublimation, many others have witnessed the positive effects art therapy can have in individuals who do not achieve sublimation. This text relates directly to my topic in that through the theorist Freud and his Artistic Sublimation theory. Which states Sublimation is the transformation of unwanted impulses into something less harmful. This can simply be a distracting release or may be a constructive and valuable piece of work, in relation to art. Sublimation channels this energy away from destructive acts and into something that is socially acceptable and/or creatively effective. Typically, an Art Therapy assessment involves the therapists giving the client a series of five or six art tasks, using a variety of media. These tasks relate to the students perception of self, his or her family, and school, or other aspects of their environment. These drawings and the students behavior while approaching this task are then evaluated along with developmental, family, and academic history. It is important to note that childrens progress in drawing differs significantly across the cultural spectrum. A person who uses art as an assessment tool needs to be familiar with the art children are exposed to and the culture they are from, before making an evaluation. Ulman describes sublimation as instinctual behavior is replaced by a social act in such a manner that this change is experienced as a victory over the ego (balance between reality, primitive drives, morals) (p. 8). According to Ulman, Artistic sublimation consists in the creation of visual images for the purpose of communicating to a group very complex material which would not be available for communication in any other formà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Every work of art contains a core of conflicting drives which give it life and determine form and content to a large degree Fine arts educations were not seen as important or even minimally essential, music should be used to help students overcome racial and cultural stereotyping, bias, and insensitivity. Studies have shown the number of years of instrumental music instruction and academic achievement in math, science and language arts are significantly connected. This practice emphasizes the adaptive components that can be put into music integration. Focusing but not limiting to autistic students, Geist claims that when paired with music, speech contributes to feelings that need to be expressed. What students are able to learn, as well as retain through the arts is demonstrated in a variety of mediums. Young children who engage in dramatic enactments of stories and text improve their reading comprehension, story understanding and ability to read new materials they have not seen before. The effects are even more significant for children from economically disadvantaged circumstances and those with reading difficulties in the early and middle grades. In looking at dance integration researchers suggest it encourages pro-social behaviors as well as self-control. The ability to express oneself through dance shows a significant decrease in the frequency of negative behaviors. These techniques were introduced using movement, childrenrsquos stories and discussion. Using dance in the classroom, results have shown that teachers noticed a significant decrease in violent behavior in their students. Including fights, failing to pacify, being frustrated as well as not being able to control their emotions. The children reported significant decreases of these behaviors both seen and experienced: someone is doing something wrong, and someone throwing something. Significant changes in the students perceptions and feelings about experiencing or seeing aggression were noted in their not feeling happy. The use of dance in the classroom allows students to handle themselves and responding to certain situations. Research in dance showed an increase of ldquofeeling happy,rdquo and a decrease in ldquofeeling scared.rdquo (Wadeson 1980) Cognitive psychologists continue to undertake studies related to childrens art experiences, operating within an established consensus regarding the nature of age related changes in childrens drawings observes persistent interest among his colleagues in childrens passage from intellectual to visual realism. (Purnell 2004) Art therapy is a therapy technique that did not position its existence until the 1940s (Sutton 12).  Originally techniques used in art therapy were used in other form of therapy such psychoanalysis or the method of understanding mental life. In which a person would illustrate spontaneously and use free-association.     Art therapy gives children both verbal and nonverbal outlets.  Ã‚  In art therapy the whole creative of art is recognized: form, content, and individual meaning. Art therapy helps in reconciling emotional conflicts as well as promoting self-awareness and personal growth. (Mishook 2006) The process of creating art is rather simple, while the field of art therapy is complex.  Creating art in a therapeutic setting the child goes through a process.  Ã‚  Focusing on a feeling or an event; creating an image that represents the feeling or even; and discussing the significance of the created image (Kramer 1971).  Ã‚  In the creation of an image the client is given a choice of various mediums whether it is drawing, painting, modeling, or construction.  Ã‚   A more structured technique in art therapy is that of the Human Figure Drawing Test by Elizabeth Koppitz.  Ã‚  This technique is used to measure a childs emotional and mental development.  Various depictions of figures have meanings.  Ã‚  According to Koppitz, if child were to draw small figures these would be interpreted as meaning being timid, while large figures would represent aggression. Likewise some of these drawings reveal the relationships between the members of the childs family. According to (Gullant 2008) the Best Practice for Arts Integrated 21st century Learning include the idea that the products created reflect students responsibility for identifying problems and issues, conducting research, examining values, and making reflective decisions within an arts infused curriculum. This also includes active involvement in developmentally appropriate activities results in high-quality works that are a fusion of arts and non-arts disciplines. Gardner refers to the ages between 5 and 7 as the golden age of drawing, and the research teams have devoted considerable attention to the apparent demise of artistry in the middle to late childhood and its unreliable resurgence in adolescence. (Geist 2004) Developmental aspects of childrens drawings    In 1947 Victor Lowenfeld published the book Creative and Mental Growth that was used to connect intellectual growth, psychosocial stages of development, and six stages of development in childrens drawings. Kellogg Foundation (1970) also supported the conclusion that children progress in drawing through different stages, fall into predictable age groups. The Scribble Stage, which appears at about eighteen months to two years of age is said to not just be aimless motion created at random by the child, but demonstrates an awareness of pattern and growing hand-eye coordination. (Silk Thomas, 1990; Lowenfeld Brittain, 1987) Soon after children start scribbling, they will start to name what it was they drew after they have finished drawing it. Around two years of age, children will sometimes label their drawing before they have started working on it, but if the drawing looks like something else to them, they may just change the label. Their scribbles progressively become more recognizable and separate shapes appear on the same page. At around three and a half years, children begin incorporating details like fingers on hands. (Silk Thomas, 1990; Lowenfeld Brittain, 1987) The following stages from ages four to nine consist of two drawing stages, The Pre-Schematic Stage and the Schematic Stage. Both identified by Lowenfeld, the Pre- Schematic stage is when children can draw a human figure with a circle and two dangling lines for legs, sometimes as Lowenfeld states include a