Bad news letter Essay

Your order for five Canon LPB-8 A1 Laser Printers arrived today. This lightweight, rapid-speed, letter quality printer is the leading machine in the field.  Our main function is to purchase office equipment in large quantities and then resell it to retailers. In order to do this most efficiently, we ask that all orders be for at least 12 units. If you will call me at 551-5656 and increase your order to a dozen or more, your machines will be shipped within three days. Should you feel that this order is too large, Harrison & Sons, Inc, a retailer in your area, should be able to provide you with excellent service.(Give a solution) Their price will be slightly higher than ours, but they have a fine reputation for sales and service. You can reach them at 227-0404. The first paragraph, the buffer, discusses the quality of the machine, a fact with which both the buyer and the seller can agree. The reasons for the bad news and the bad news itself are presented in sequential order. The third paragraph offers a solution for the problem. The final close offers an alternative. In writing a bad news letter, every effort should be made to reduce the impact. A well-written bad news letter will accomplish three objectives: 1. The reader will realise that the bad news decision is final. 2. The person will understand that the decision was both fair and reasonable. 3. The reader’s attitude towards the writer and the company will remain positive. A bad news letter has four elements: buffer, reasons, decision and close. They are discussed in detail on the next pages. Buffer A buffer is a neutral or non-controversial statement that is used to open a bad news letter. The most effective buffers have four characteristics: 1. they are pleasant; 2. they are relevant to the issue; 3. they are neutral in tone, saying neither yes nor no; 4. they provide a transition to the next part of the letter where the reasons for the decision are discussed. 1. pleasant, offering assistance We like to help our customers as much as we realistically can. 2. relevant and fair We have carefully reviewed your application for an extension of credit with our firm. 3. neutral, finding a point on which the writer and the reader can agree. The objective of a credit line should be to make one’s financial obligations easier to manage. DON’TS ï‚ · Avoid saying no at the beginning of the letter. This will discourage the individual from reading the rest of the message and defeat the effort to present the news in an indirect manner. ï‚ · Do not apologise. An apology weakens the reasons that follow and may lead the reader to conclude that the rejection was unnecessary. ï‚ · Avoid writing an overly long opening paragraph. â€Å"We are in receipt of your letter of January 18† adds nothing to the letter and may give the reader the impression that the writer is stalling for time. ï‚ · Do not use a â€Å"know-it-all† tone. â€Å"Our years of experience have shown us that †¦.† is likely to be negatively received. Reasons To justify the bad news decision and to explain the situation to your reader, you give reasons for the negative decision. Four guidelines are: 1. Do not hide behind company policy. Explain the specific reasons behind the policy rather than mentioning the policy itself. 2. Do not talk down to the reader. 3. Do not be so brief that the reader is unable to follow your explanation. We have reviewed your request for an increase in your credit line and have decided to take no action at this time. 4. Avoid using negative words that are likely to upset the reader. (mistake, error, will not, regrettably, dismayed, cannot, fault, wrong, unable). Decision Make a clear statement of the decision. In many cases the refusal does not have to be explained in detail, because the previous section has already conveyed the decision. If it has not, then this is the time to do so. There are three useful techniques: 1. Give the refusal a minimum amount of space. 2. Put the refusal in the middle of the paragraph. 3. Use the passive voice Active: Since you forgot to send in the refund request until after the assigned period, we are unable to give you the refund. Passive: Since your request for a refund was received after the assigned period, we are unable to grant your request for a refund. Don’t use indirect approach. Get to the point quickly Positive Close End the letter on a positive note. This depends on the situation. For example, in the case of a person who wants an extension of credit, the writer could recommend purchasing the goods for cash. In the case of a customer who has made a mistake and now wants the order refilled for free, the writer could offer a discount on future orders. However the close is written, it should keep the customer’s goodwill. Do not: ï‚ · bring up the refusal again ï‚ · apologise for the decision ï‚ · ask for a continuance of the correspondence. The closing statement: If you have any further questions about our decision, do not hesitate to write. indicates that the matter is not closed. ï‚ · use clichà ©s. If we can be of help in the future, please let us know has no real meaning. The reader has just been refused something; he is unlikely to believe the statement. Summary A bad news message should make clear that the bad news decision is final but is also fair and reasonable. It should be written in such a way that the reader’s attitude towards the writer and the company remains positive. Bad news messages usually follow the indirect approach. They have four elements: buffer, reasons, decision and positive close.

Meeting Essential Care Needs Essay

Mrs Gale is a 70 year old widow and retired unskilled worker. The patient lives alone and relies on her son to provide basic care, medication and meals. Mrs Gale has a history of weight fluctuation owing to lifestyle but is currently at risk of malnutrition due to Parkinson’s disease. Mrs Gale shows signs of early dementia and suffers from poor mobility and pain caused by arthritis. Mrs Gale also has mild depression triggered by loss and has become socially isolated. All names have been changed as per the Nursing and Midwifery Council confidentiality guidelines (2008). Mrs Gale is a 70 year old widow and retired unskilled worker. The patient lives alone and relies on her son to provide basic care, medication and meals. Mrs Gale has a history of weight fluctuation owing to lifestyle but is currently at risk of malnutrition due to Parkinson’s disease. Mrs Gale shows signs of early dementia and suffers from poor mobility and pain caused by arthritis. Mrs Gale also has mild depression triggered by loss and has become socially isolated. All names have been changed as per the Nursing and Midwifery Council confidentiality guidelines (2008). Introducing the nature of essential care needs Daily activities of living such as; eating, breathing, and mobilising were seen by Roper (1976) as a method of identifying the needs of a patient. By understanding what a patient requires in order to function normally, a nurse can address what is missing and produce a care plan accordingly. The Roper, Logan and Tierney’s model of nursing identified the activities that are deemed essential and suggests that it is not important to treat all the activities at once (Roper et al. 2000). Yura & Walsh (1983) believed that it is impossible to separate a person into their needs and therefore you cannot treat one without treating the others. Newton (1991) concluded that in order to conduct a holistic approach, all factors need to be considered. Along with the essential needs there are also the physical, psychological, sociocultural, politico-economic, and environmental factors that will need consideration. Factoring these into patient care produces a person centred approach (Steinbach 2009). This means that a patient will experience care that is individually tailored to them. In order to meet the needs of Mrs Gale, the care will be assessed according to differences in her human needs, her social role, her expectations of care and her lifestyle behaviours. This is because as an older adult, Mrs Gale’s needs are different to those of younger adults and children (Copeman 1999; Yura & Walsh 1983). There will be particular focus on Mrs Gale’s nutritional needs as this is an area of concern due to her Parkinson’s and the risk of malnutrition associated with it. The involuntary shaky movements associated with Parkinson’s disease causes an increase of energy expenditure which can lead to weight loss. Other symptoms and her medication can also decrease food intake. Fortunately medication such as levodopa contains medication that minimises these side effects (Green n. d. ). Mrs Gale’s poor mobility and pain levels will also affect her ability to consume nourishment as well as the ability to prepare, serve and purchase food and drink. Roper et al. (1996 cited Bloomfield & Pegram 2012) stated that when addressing psychological needs it is important to understand that Mrs Gale’s appetite will be affected by her emotional state. Mrs Gale’s cognitive impairment may also lead to her forgetting to eat or consuming too much (Beardsley 2000). The environmental factors to consider for Mrs Gale are the layout of her home, having a suitable eating area, available food storage and how is Mrs Gale able to purchase food (Copeman1999; NICE 2006). Mrs Gale has been identified as being from a working class family; this means she has learnt behaviours which may impact on her health such as not buying suitable foods (Browne 2005). The financial costs of healthy foods, available funding, benefits and local care provisions via the social care system or local government schemes will also need deliberation (Copeman1999; Age UK 2012). Changes due to the aging process also need to be addressed. Calcium reabsorption increases especially in women after the menopause, this decreases bone density. Lean tissue decreases as fat increases with age; there is also a decline in the percentage of body water meaning that body temperature is more difficult to control. Thirst decline and decreased renal function means that older people can become dehydrated (Copeman 1999). The function of the bowel reduces, meaning that the elderly are more susceptible to indigestion and constipation. The risk of constipation is also increased with Parkinson’s disease (Parkinson’s UK 2011). The final consideration is the deterioration of the sensory system. Taste, smell, vison, pain and touch all decline meaning that food may not be as appealing (Copeman 1999). Exploration of the evidence underpinning the delivery of care In order to determine the nutritional care of Mrs Gale the nursing process will be used. Nursing was described as a problem-solving process with 4 stages termed; assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation by Yura & Walsh (1967) (cited Aggleton & Chalmers 2000). This principle is still used in clinical practice today and is considered to be best practice (Bloomfield & Pegram 2012). By carrying out an assessment nurses can identify the causes of problems that require medical involvement. Nettina (2006) described assessment as; the collection of data that will identify actual or potential health problems. This means that a health assessment is carried out to determine what care is currently required or care that will be required in the future. Assessment begins with a complete nursing history and finishes with a nursing diagnosis which is based on facts and evidence (Yura & Walsh 1983). Assessment is carried out by observing the patient as a whole and includes; making notes on the patient’s dress, expression, non-verbal cues, deformities, and absence of parts such as teeth (Yura & Walsh 1983). Data collection is done by using various assessment tools such as; measuring weight and height, calculating body mass index (BMI) and screening tools such as the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) (Copeman1999; Stratton et al. 006). The use of BMI alone has raised questions due to people falling outside of the normal range and still being healthy (McWilliams 2008). Evidence for the use of the MUST was concluded from research that was conducted by Stratton et al (2006). However, the MUST is recommended by NICE and is used regularly to identify those at risk of malnutrition (McWilliams 2008). In order to plan care effe ctively there are three phases that must be considered. The first investigates the main concerns of the practitioner and patient. Subsequently the goals of the practitioner and client are determined. Finally the required nursing interventions are recorded (Carpenito-Moyet 2006). Planning can be used to design strategies to assist the patients, for example diet plans and calorie allowance (Copeman 1999). With Mrs Gale the simplest and inexpensive intervention will be to promote a healthy diet and encourage foods with high-nutrient content (Holmes 2012). During planning, goals are determined that will lead to ultimate health and wellness (Yura & Walsh 1983). These goals are developed by open dialogue between patient and practitioner and are assigned a time scale to be completed by (Carpenito-Moyet 2006). For example Mrs Gale has poor nutritional intake as a diagnosis and a goal could be to improve this. However, if the poor nutrition is due to money, then a time scale of a few weeks would allow time to sort out benefits and buy the correct nutrition. If the poor nutrition was due to behaviour issues, then a longer time period would be assigned in order to assist with help in changing that behaviour (Carpenito-Moyet 2006). The Orem model of nursing (2001) states that the nurse must act for the patient to increase their learning and awareness of their condition. However, in order for care to be implemented effectively a nurse must have intelligence, interpersonal and technical skills (Yura & Walsh 1983). The ability to build relationships with clients and other practitioners is important to form trust and identify where a multi-disciplined approach can be used (Aggleton & Chalmers 2000). Communication plays a huge role in the implementation of care due to continued discussion and questioning with the patient. The nurse must look for verbal and non-verbal cues from the patient and continue to collect data (Aggleton & Chalmers 2000). By doing this the nurse will be able to use their clinical judgement and have an adaptive approach to care (Yura & Walsh 1983). A nurse must also be realistic and recognise their strengths and weaknesses. This will allow recognition of assistance and possible referrals to other practitioners that maybe required (Siviter 2008). This sharing of information and asking for help is part of the NMC’s code of conduct (2008). A nurse must also have the knowledge to recognise normal and abnormal human functioning and the evidenced based interventions that can be used (Brooker & Nicol 2011). The care should also be safe, have the patient’s best interests, involve the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and the patient, and informed consent should be obtained (NMC 2008). Evaluation of achievement is conducted to see if the best action or intervention has been used. Reflection will indicate if current goals should be maintained or if new goals are required for the patient (Siviter 2008). However, the achievement of the goals can be subjective and difficult to measure. To evaluate if the goals have been achieved, listening and observation needs to be conducted and it is important to remember that non-achievement is not failure. It is possible that new more achievable goals are needed or that the current intervention is not effective for the patient (Brooker & Nicol 2011). Short term an appropriate goal will be the achievement of weight maintenance or gain and long term will be the changing of negative health related behaviours (Siviter 2008). This will be educated via referral to a dietician and via information guides such as; the Parkinson’s and Diet leaflet, designed by the Parkinson’s Disease Society (2008). Diet can also be supplemented with high energy and protein drinks such as Fresubin and are prescribed via a dietician or General Practitioner (Holmes 2012). Mrs Gale’s weight can be monitored every 4-6 weeks, if there are changes in her medication or every 3 months if stable (Green n. d. ). Mrs Gale can also be directed to age UK who can provide details of benefits, home and shopping assistance (Age UK 2012). All of Mrs Gale’s nutritional needs have been assessed, planned and evaluated. The implementation of this care will depend on the cooperation by Mrs Gale. Practitioners have to remember that patients have the right to refuse treatment. After all the evidence is presented and all questions and concerns are addressed the patient will have an informed choice (NICE 2007). Personal development plan (University of Southampton 2012) Identified areas for further development Heart: Intrinsic motivation (Developing compassionate care) On refection I believe I need to develop my communication skills, especially when dealing with older people and cognitive impairment. This will make sure my care remains person centred (Steinbach 2009). I must also develop my understanding of how and when to use the available assessment tools so that I can complete the nursing process (Yura & Walsh 1983). I must also improve my questioning techniques so that when I am faced with a client, such as Mrs Gale, I can collect all the relevant information I will need to plan her care (Aggleton & Chalmers 2000). Suggested activities and experiences that will assist in future development In order to facilitate my development I will need to nurse patients with a variety of medical and cognitive conditions; this can be achieved while on placement. This will improve my communication skills and my confidence (NMC 2008). Furthermore I need to observe nurses in a ward or community setting while they implement the most appropriate assessment tool for their patient. This can be done while on placement and by contacting the community care team and arranging to shadow a community nurse. While completing practice experience one, I was able to take part in the planning process. I will need to continue with this so that I am confident in planning essential care. Identified areas for further development Nerve: Self-belief and self-efficacy (Developing themselves and advocating for the service user or carer) To develop my self-belief and to be an advocate for my patient I will need to work on my confidence (NMC 2008). I will need confidence in applying the best nursing practice (Yura & Walsh 1983). I will need confidence in speaking up and making sure my patients receive the correct care and any available funding that they might need. If I am unable to provide this service I must have the ability to refer my patients or to ask questions so that this can be achieved. Suggested activities and experiences that will assist in future development To develop this confidence, I must work alongside mentoring staff and observe dieticians, community nurses and general practitioners. By doing this I will appreciate how other professions care for my patient. Similarly I will gain understanding of which profession I would refer my patient to for future treatment. Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team will improve my confidence and allow for questioning (NMC 2008). Identified areas for further development Brain: Critical and analytical skills (Application of appropriate theory/research to practice) In order for me to apply theory into practise, I must research the care of various conditions and begin to understand the theoretical knowledge behind that care. This process has begun with the research I have conducted on Parkinson’s disease and also on my research into the use of BMI and MUST (Eknoyan 2008; MAG 2003). I will also need to visit other areas of practice to see the nursing process being applied (NMC 2008). Suggested activities and experiences that will assist in future development I must attend any available courses, workshops and meetings that deal with patient care and conditions. While on practice experience two, I would like to attend a nutrition workshop and discover the benefit of supplementary foods and drinks available. I will arrange to work with and observe dieticians within a hospital setting and question them on transferring this knowledge to community settings.

Economics of Health Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economics of Health Care - Assignment Example The statement is false because the incorporation of a subjective utility weight in the calculation of quality-adjusted life years does not affect the question of allocative efficiency. An allocative efficiency deals with the allocation of resources; on the other hand, cost-utility measures the quality of adjusted life years. The use of cost-utility will, therefore, be inappropriate when subjective utility weight is incorporated. According to Hurley (2010, 109), to address the question of allocative efficiency, it requires the use of the cost-benefit analysis. This is because the potential Pareto criterion method is required for the analysis (p.109). The result is negative. This means that the annual costs for carrying out the exercise are very expensive compared to the benefits that the university gets in terms of savings. Basing on the cost-benefit analysis, it is recommended that the university does not carry out the vaccination process. This is because of the high cost of this process. The program does not pass the cost-benefit analysis test because it gives a negative net benefit. Negative net benefit means that the implementation of the exercise would result in losses rather than gain in comparison to the effort used. The theory states that education induces greater taste for health. This means that health and education are causally related in instances where a third factor is missing. Focusing on the graph, it shows that both a better taste for more education and higher levels of learning are caused by the introduction of a third factor such as time. In this case, the lower rate of time leads to a greater investment in both variables resulting in a negatively sloping graph. For this graph, the two are not causal but have a correlation brought in by the introduction of a third factor that affects both variables. Â  

Pyramidal ownership structure Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pyramidal ownership structure - Coursework Example ountries, and tends to exists irrespective of whether new companies are developed by smaller organizations or even groups and is crucial to underpin the entrepreneurial activity The organizational structures which various firms are connected through equity financing are ubiquitous in upcoming markets and in majority of developed countries. They are normally arranges as pyramided, where a family or individuals controls an organization, which later controls another company, which could also control another firm, and the chain continues. Despite their control, it is yet to be clear why such firm arise (Almeida and Wolfenzon, 2005). It is normally argues that such ultimate firm owners create pyramid in separating control right from the rights of cash flow and capture private control benefits at the expense of minor shareholders. Business group describes various types of organization. It is used to describe a set of legally independent companies by single families like family groups in East Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe. The term has also been used for companies with lower stance of core control achieved via interlocking directorates and school ties. Some of the examples of these business group include the Japanese Keiretsu where individual managers have a higher degree of autonomy in their companies but coordinate their tasks through the common main bank and the president council. Another illustration for the loose association is the horizontal financial groups found in Russian which are majorly industry alliances. The paper therefore, concentrates on the family groups. There is a wide economic literature on the business groups of families. The theories have suggested various arguments about the existence of business groups and the reason they use various ownership structures. To achieve that control of the member firms, families hold shared directly in their horizontal structure or alternatively it can control some of the companies through the relations of

The role of the mentor in organising, managing and leading programmes Essay

The role of the mentor in organising, managing and leading programmes of learning in clinical education - Essay Example Facilitating learning is very important, as its very nature is very complex ranging from different aspects of the body of knowledge. Learning from the behavioral perspective is a changed of behavior; and it is associated with changes inside of a person from cognitive perspective (Brockbank and McGill, 2006). Learning is one of the most important things to acquire in this world. It is essential because it is viewed as the result of how humans adapt to their environment (Murre, 1992). In nursing career, educating others is an essential intervention which also depicts the importance of learning (Bastable, 2008). All of these substantially illustrate why it is important to facilitate learning. Mentors therefore should be able to come up with simple or basic ideas in order to facilitate learning and ensure that there is increase in knowledge of their learners as far as mentoring is concerned. In nursing, mentoring is necessary and the role of mentors is simply as facilitators emphasising learning in an effective and practical way. Adult learning can be well facilitated using experiential learning, which means acquiring substantial knowledge can be appropriately achieved out from somebody’s significant experiences. In fact, one of the most familiar adages puts it, â€Å"Experience teaches us best.† This can be further elaborated from Kolb’s theory of experiential learning. ... In fact, one of the most familiar adages puts it, â€Å"Experience teaches us best.† This can be further elaborated from Kolb’s theory of experiential learning. Illustration 1: Kolb’s cycle of experiential learning (Quinn, 2000). In this theory, Kolb’s emphasised four generic adaptive abilities to reach effective learning and these involve concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation (Quinn, 2000). It is therefore the role of mentors to effectively organise activities that will allow full immersion of their students into concrete and fresh experiences. Along the way, mentors have to manage important activities that are crucial in the creation of learning experiences. It is not just enough to organise activities, but leading and management is necessary because everything that the mentors do should be considered a guiding path for students to effectively take in order to facilitate learning at a highest maximum level as possible. Students on the other hand must be able to learn from their experiences by reflecting on them. Furthermore, it is also important for them to come up with significant concepts out from their personal observations on their experiences. Finally they have to apply whatever theories they have learned. All of these are important things that students must do while their mentors are facilitating for their learning (Quinn, 2000). It is in line with these that regarding their ability to facilitate learning, mentors must be able to support learning in practice, they have to demonstrate effective time management and leadership skills, and should be able to organise students’ clinical experience (Quinn, 2000). Another

Harmonized Code Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Harmonized Code - Assignment Example to be a net foreign exchange earner however, they will not in any way be subjected a pre- determined value addition or any form of minimum export performance (CBP). In terms of the domestic tariff area by the special economic zones have to be a net foreign exchange earner. However the units in the Zone will have to be a net foreign exchange earner and will not be subjected to any predetermined value addition or the export performance requirements. The sales in the domestic tariff centre will also be subjected to the payment of full custom duty and the import policy which will be in force. The policy that has been used in this case provides for setting up of the special economic zones in the public, private, the joint sector and the United States government. It is also worth to note that some of the export processing zones will be converted in to special economic zones. In the same way, the government has export processing zones that are located in most of the countries it does business with. So in the case where there are 202 countries in falling under the general tariff of 0.8 there will be 4 sections with 20 chapters depending on the number of tariffs that are required in each section

Activity Based Costing vs.Traditional Approach (Sober Plc) Essay

Activity Based Costing vs.Traditional Approach (Sober Plc) - Essay Example Financial information forms the basis for much of the decision-making for organizations, and the need for more accurate information continues to grow. Ignorance of the manufacturing realities may put an organization at risk of losing its competitive edge, which inevitably results in loss of profitability and crippling losses. Traditional volume based costing techniques present numerous challenges to organizations, especially in the modern manufacturing environments, where the overhead costs continue to rise. In addition, introduction of new technological advancements in the production processes invalidates traditional cost allocation mechanisms and articulates the need for organizations to switch to new and more market aware costing systems. This paper discusses traditional versus activity based costing with regard to a case on a global motorcycle company currently in a managerial stalemate over the most appropriate costing method. Introduction Traditional costing techniques can be h ighly misleading in their estimation costs of particular products, markets, or organization activities. Traditional approach to allocation of overheads is blind to the factors that drive costs, which are known as cost centres in activity based costing (Luehfing, 2005). ... Background to the Case The senior management staff at Sober Limited engages in a heated ideological standoff because of different viewpoints regarding the appropriate accounting policy for the company. The finance manager proposes adoption of a new costing system, which is activity based costing (ABC), and highlights the fact that the method can prove that the production of one of the company’s primary products, Fireball motorcycle, is no longer profitable, and in fact eats into the company’s profits from other segments. The chairman, critical of activity based costing and favourably predisposed towards traditional costing methodology, expresses his confidence in existing costing methodology, which shows that the production of Fireball is still a viable and profitable option. In addition, the chair claims that the use of activity based costing will only result in unnecessary cost overruns for the company. Analysis of labour hours and ABC in the context of Sober Public L imited Company Sober uses traditional volume based absorption costing to allocate overheads. The company allocates overheads according to the number of labour hours, although sweeping technological changes have put serious credibility as to the relevance of the use of labour hours to allocate costs. The company has had to reduce the size of the workforce due to the introduction of new manufacturing technology. New and more fitting cost drivers than labour hours are now available, and they include deliveries to retailers, set-up costs, and purchase orders. The company seriously considering and questioning the appropriateness of traditional cost allocation methods for overheads in the fundamentally altered manufacturing and market environments. The company sells the motorcycles globally, and the

Annual Reports for Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Annual Reports for Organization - Essay Example Even the clarity of the information and the data presentation will be analysed through the annual reports of the concerned companies. The analysis is generally based on the annual reports because by analysing it we can come to the decision that whether the operational and financial activities are in tandem with the policies laid for the same (Weng, 2011, p.9). Difference in the approach each organization presents in its annual performance Steel industry is very popular as far as occurrences of fatal injuries are concerned in factories. Thus Arcelor Mittal has improvised the steps in the prevention of the fatalities and injuries of the workers because this also leads to increase in the LTIFR (lost time injury frequency rate). So health and safety has been the main focus in the present annual report of the company. Since the prevention measure has already been achieved by US Steel they are targeting a zero LTIFR. In the recent annual report the main focus of US Steel Corp. is the inves tments made for coke and coke substitute products which will take care of both their purpose of long-term self sufficiency as well as environmental performance. Thus both the companies’ area of focus is different from the other in the sense that while Arcelor Mittal is more concerned about the preventive measures; US Steel is concentrating towards the achievement of the environmental performance. Clarity of data presentation and information Presentation of data and information is more systematic and is clearer in Arcellor Mittal as compared to US Steel Corp. Different department of the steel industry has been bifurcated in the annual report of Arcelor Mittal and a proper explanation follows the same which can be even understood by the investors who may not have much idea about the steel industry. The data sufficiently supported by charts makes the presentation of Arcellor Mittal much more acceptable in comparison to US Steel Corp. In US Steel Corp the data though presented in tandem with the information is not easily understood by investors not having much knowledge in this field. Thus Arcellor Mittal is clearer than US Steel Corp. with respect to data presentation and information. Goals, Challenges and Plans emphasised by the organisation in their discussion The study of Arcelor Mittal gives a clear understanding regarding its goals which are, to be the safest steel and mining company in the world, to be the most preferred supplier in iron-ore and coal industry with huge customer base and long duration of contracts, strengthening linkage between company and its employees, to lead in the field of manufacturing, processing and marketing of steel and all metallurgic products. The main challenges of Arcellor Mittal is in maintaining reliable records related to safety of the employees, reviewing the cost structure of the company on a regular basis, work more closely with upstream businesses to manage stocks better in order to reduce the cyclical volatility of the company in the share market. Recruitment of right personnel for the correct designation at right time is another challenge faced by the company and lastly lack of transportation infrastructure and environmental concerns may be a debacle for the company. The plans of Arcelor Mittal to be

Week 1 DB Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 1 DB - Essay Example In the research process, all parts of the cycle are co-dependant, and if one step is omitted the research will loose its scientific value. One of the most important tasks for any researcher, therefore, is to think through the value of his intended research before too much preliminary work is done. The research process can be identified as ‘helix’ because every stage of investigation brings new information and questions about the problem. Such information is often necessary to pave the way for designing other research or to make decisions of some sort. It is possible to say that there are many variables â€Å"out there† in the real world that can be investigated. Obviously, one research cannot investigate them all. For this reason, researchers choose certain variables to investigate because they have a suspicion that they are somehow related, and that if they can discover the nature of this relationship, they will be able to make more sense out of the world in whic h they live. This process is endless and spiral. 2.Two concepts that are used in judging the value of an instrument are reliability and validity. Reliability can be defined as the consistency of the information obtained. If researchers used a yardstick to measure a desk three times and obtained different readings each time, they would conclude that the information was unreliable. In contrast to reliability, validity refers to the extent to which an instrument gives researchers the information they want. In this case, inadequate measures and tools would give misleading information and data. Validity is the most important idea to consider when preparing or selecting an instrument for use. More than anything else, a researcher wants the information obtained with an instrument to serve his or her purposes. Validity has been defined to include the appropriateness, meaningfulness, and usefulness of the specific inferences a researcher makes on the basis of the data he or she collects.

Psychology-Decision Making Essay Example for Free

Psychology-Decision Making Essay Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How does it happen that managers take decisions which lead them to failures? What decision-making mechanisms do they inactivate when they take such decisions? This paper is aimed at analyzing these psychological implications. Psychology Decision Making   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Introduction  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is not rare that managers take decisions which lead them to failure. These failures often become the headlines and the top stories of newspapers and magazines. However, has anyone analyzed the psychological implications of such decisions? What psychological theories could explain such managers’ behavior, and what useful recommendations could be drawn from such cases?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Problem identification   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The case of Sears, when owned by Edward S. Lampert, is the most recent example of a large managerial mistake, having led to significant financial and economic losses. On January 29, 2008 Lampert pushed out his chief executive, but what is more important, he took decision to distance himself from the day-to-day management of his enterprise. â€Å"Until now, the heads of several major departments, like marketing and merchandising, reported directly to Mr. Lampert, even though he has no background in retailing or advertising† (Barbaro, 2008). It is crucial to understand, how Lampert came to the idea of day-to-day management of his enterprise, although he did not have enough professional skills for that    Theoretical background   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is stated, that â€Å"we are likely, social constructed individuals. Our experiences, our cultures, our social order, shape our motivations, our desires, and our beliefs about the world we encounter† (Plous, 1993). Our management decisions are shaped are also shaped under the impact of business environment and the objectives we expect to meet in our management activity. We tend to take decisions, which are primary based on our perception of the world around us (Connolly, 2000). One of the major problems in management decision making is in that a person can hardly be objective in taking decisions. The lack of objectivity leads to the situation, when we do not take into account multiple environmental factors, impacting our decisions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Evidently, there cannot be any better explanation to Lampert’s decision, that the self-perception theory. This theory deals with the human perceptions and the ways they incorporate their perceptions into their daily behavior (Plous, 1993). To be clear, Lampert’s expectations and beliefs into his managerial skills and the ability to cope with a large retail enterprise were not justified from the start. In this case, the major question to be answered was â€Å"what am I to do to make this enterprise profitable?† Trying to answer this question, and taking decisions in the discussed framework, Lampert has concluded that the best solution for the situation would be tying himself to the daily company’s activity. Moreover, it was not enough for him to stay ahead; he had to manage, but this decision lacked theoretical and practical foundations. This is how Lampert’s pseudo opinions impacted the overall performance of the company (Plous, 1993). Respondents are influenced by pseudo opinions when they do not know much about the issue or when they know nothing about it (Plous, 1993). In Lampert’s case, attribution heuristics has greatly contributed into the negative decision outcomes: Lampert was obviously justifying his behavior as situationally-produced. As a result, he has underestimated the lack of his managerial skills (Plous, 1993).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Critical thinking is the integral part of the decision making process. â€Å"Most international managers find it extremely challenging to evaluate a written or spoken commentary on a hot topic because both sides of the controversy seem to have good arguments† (Safi Burrell, 2007). Has Lampert’s decision been caused by critical thinking approach? Definitely, it has: for a long period of time, Sears was criticized for lacking a management team with retail experience and for Lampert’s being a micromanager who hampered the business (Barbaro, 2008). As a result, Lampert was driven to the situation in which he had to admit his managerial mistakes due to the two facts: the external criticism, and the objective financial data confirming the $14 million financial losses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recommendations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The case of Edward S. Lampert is a brilliant example of a situation, in which successful manager has overestimated his skills and has not applied any critical thinking approach before the decision was made. As a result, numerous pseudo opinions and the lack of objective information have led to significant gaps in the company’s performance. In order to take a good decision, a manager must â€Å"understand, what result is desirable and the tools available to us for making good decisions† (Safi Burrell, 2007). There are several recommendations for a manager in similar situations. First, it is crucial that the manager avoids pseudo opinions. In this aspect, the wording of the question to answer is very important. In order to create effective decisions, managers must be able to formulate the questions. Properly wording the issue crucially impacts the effectiveness of the chosen answers, and as a result, the managerial activities which lead or do not lead to business success. â€Å"Be honest with yourself about the agendas and motives. Are you really gathering information to help you make a smart choice, or are you just looking for evidence confirming your preconceived notions?† (Safi Burrell, 2007). Not only objectivity and evaluation of one’s skills have led Sears to failure. It is also the inability to properly formulate the goals of such actions: what aims did Lampert have in his actions? Did he want to promote his enterprise profitability or himself as a successful manager? He had to answer those questions before he undertook any real actions which later almost pushed the company into the flow of negative consequences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his decision to quit day-to-day management of Sears, Lampert has finally come to one of the crucial elements in the decision-making process: he was able to recall the key facts and decision-making variables. The list of these variables included financial indices and persistent criticism of Sears’ performance. As a result, Lampert was finally able to take the best decision possible in the problematic situation. However, it is still unclear whether hiring a new CEO was based on any objective grounds or would require thorough re-consideration in the nearest future. One may hope that this re-consideration will not be caused by a new management decision-making failure. References Barbaro, M. (2008). Sears’ chairman will take a step back. The New York Times. Retrieved February 1, 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/business/29sears.html?ref=businessqG4vaywTPkZypAw Connolly, T. (2000). Judgment and decision making: An interdisciplinary reader. Cambridge University Press. Plous, S. (1993). The Psychology of judgment and decision making. McGraw-Hill. Safi, A. Burrell, D.N. (2007). Developing advanced decision-making skills in international leaders and managers. Vikalpa, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 1-8.

The History Of Italian Cuisine History Essay

The History Of Italian Cuisine History Essay The ingredients and dishes vary from region to region. There are significant regional dishes that have become both national and regional. Cheese and wine are also form a major part of the cuisine, serving different purpose both regionally and nationally. Coffee, and more specifically espresso, has become important to the cultural cuisine of Italy. The famous italian dessert Tiramisu is a coffee flavoured dessert. Italian cuisine has evolved extensively over the centuries. This is a very astonoshing fact that the country called Italy today was not officially formed until the 19th century, thus the Italian cuisine can claim its roots going back to 4th century BC. Italian cuisine is a result of various influences throughout the centuries, which include- neighbor regions, conquerors, high-profile chefs, and political upheavals led to the formation of, a concrete cuisine today known as one of the premiere cuisines in the world called the Italian cuisine. The Romans of the early ages did not appreciate high quality ingredients. Thus they employed the best bakers from Greek to produce their breads, imported pecorini from Sicily as the Sicilians were considered as the best cheese makers. They were also known as being excellent rearer of goats for butchering and gardening of artichokes and leeks. In the medieval ages the Muslims invaded Sicily during the 9th century, what is known today as Northern Europe was attacked by Viking raiders. Sicily had already attained a lot of the culinary traditions from the culinary traditions of Rome and Athens, the highly civilized culture combined with the Sicilian cuisine to bring the first real Italian cuisine. The Arabs introduced spinach,almonds and rice. The Romans were considered to be the masters of preservation techniques which were a necessity as refrigeration had not been invented. The two types of preservation were either chemical or physical. Meats and fish would be smoked, dried or kept on ice.Brine and salt were used to preserve items like pickles,herring and to cure pork meat. Root vegetables were also preserved in brine after they had been parboiled. Other items which were used to preserve foods included oil and vinegar for immersing animal proteins in their own congealed, rendered fat. Liquor, honey and sugar were used for the preservation of fruits. The northern regions of Italy started to show a mix of German and Roman culture while the southern portion reflected the influences of Arab culture as the Arabs controlled much of the Mediterranean trade routes, as such much of the Mediterranean cuisine has been as a result of Arab trade. During the 16th century the macaroni was cooked in a capon stock which was flavoured with saffron, showing the Arab influence on the Italian cuisine. The early modern era of Italian Cuisine was affected by the courts of Florence, Rome, Venice and Ferrara which were integral factors which led to the creation of the fine cooking in Italy. Italian cuisine took a great diversification in the modern age, what was known as Italy today was governed by France, Spain and Austria during the 18th century. In the beginning of the 18th century that the culinary books of Italy began to show the real regioanalism of Italian cuisine in order for Italian chefs to better show the pride of their regions instead of the high cuisine of France, Spain and Austria . As the century progressed the cuisine increased in size, popularity and frequency, During 18th century peasants lived on a diet which consisted of heavy foods. Taken more as a step toward the high cuisine of the Italy which was more refined and delicate, this diet gave the peasants their own identity.Many peasants had to survive by eating rotten foods and moldy breads to survive. REGIONAL CUISINES OF ITALY. Each region of Italy has their own proud specialties, not primarily at regional level only, but even at provincial level. These regional differences come from the influence of a bordering country (such as France or Austria), close proximity to the sea or mountains. Italian cuisine is not only highly regional, but is also distinguished by being very seasonal with high priority placed on the use of fresh, season. IMPORTANT FOOD INGREDIENTS Rice is a popular ingredient in often used in soups as well as risotto. Cheese is a popular course with rabiola or gorgonzala being particularly important (the vast plains of central and southern Lombardy allowing for intensive cattle-raising). Butter is a popular ingredient over oil, and cream in generous amounts COURSES IN ITALIAN CUISINE Aperitivo APPERTIF usually enjoyed as an appetizer before a large meal. Popular drinks include Campari, Cinzano and Vermouth are served to stimulate the appetite. Antipasto Literally means before (the) meal, hot or cold appetizers are served before the pasta dish. In italy patsa is considered to be the main dish an antipasto as the name suggest means before the pasta dish. Primo It is the first course, which usually consists of a lot of hot dish like pasta, risotto,gnocchi, polenta and soup. Secondo The second course, consist of the main dish, which usually comprises of fish or meat. Traditionally veal, pork and chicken are the most commonly used meat, at least in the North, though beef has become more popular now. Games are very popular, particularly in Tuscany. Contorno It is a side dish, whixh basically assist the main dish, it may consist of a salad or cooked vegetables. A traditional menu features salad along with the main course. Mashed potatoes, grilled eggplant and tomatoes are also served. Formaggio e frutta These course comprise of cheese and fruits. Dolce It refers to dessert, where delicacies such as cakes and cookies are served. Caffà ¨ It is the second last course where a cup of a hot black coffee or espresso coffee is served. Digestivo Its the last course where digestives are served for smooth digestion of food, the italians serve liquors/liqueurs such as grappa, amarro and limenello. These course if sometimes referred to as ammazzcaffe literally meaning(coffee killer) IMPORTANT ITALAIN FOOD HABITS. The italians are said to be the masters of delicacies and producing dishes with simplicity and great nutritional value and natural taste of the ingredient is maintain at all the times. They are said the founders of cheese, and all their delicacies uses cheese somehow or the other. Italians are said to be very health conscious and believe in natural herbal food, thus we found a great dominance of medicinal herbs such as rosemary, thyme, celery etc used prominently in almost all their dish. Another characteristic feature of these cuisine is the use of olive oil which is very safe for the health and olive is found in abundance over here thus we find extensive use of olive oil in Italian cuisne. Italian cuisine impact on the world. Italian cuisine is the birthplace of various delicacies which are now famous and in great demand all over the world. The famous PIZZA which people all over the ion which comes world enjoy originated first in Italy where people just love to play with dough and master various types of bread preparation. Foccacia the famous Italian bread along with pita bread is in great demand by people all over Another gift to the world cookery by Italy is what we all know as PASTA today, Almost every house in Italy produces its own pasta and has secret recipes for it, each style and ingredients used differ from other, the dishes made from durham wheat is famous and has affected the diet of people all over the world. Rissotto is another preparation which comes to our mind when we talk of Italian cuisine, the famous arborio rice which is high in starch content is a staple diet of Italians and enjoyed by people all over the world. The culinary history of Italy is incomplete until we talk about cheese, Italians are produced over here. Thus Italian cuisine which has originated over the centuries has now constituted to form an integral part of world cuisine with the fact that its food habits and ingredients are accepted by people all over the world be it cheese, wine, pasta or pizza. SPANISH CUISINE. The country of Spain is surrounded by sea contributes nicely to the world and consists of a variety of dishes which differ according to, culture and climate. It is heavily influenced by seafood available from the seas and ocean that surround the country, the extensive history of Spain with many cultural influences has led to a unique cuisine with literally thousands of recipes and flavors. There are two major diets in the Spanish peninsula. One was found in the northwest part of the peninsula, where more animal fats that correspond to the villages in the north are used extensively. The other could be considered the successor of the Mediterranean diet and was found in the Iberian part of the peninsula. Foods found in historical monuments and sites include diverse types of legumes,onions and garlic.The olive which was introduced by the Spanish has become an integral part of Spanish cuisine. The other major components of a Spanish meal are tomatoes, potatoes and peppers all of which were introduced by the Americans after the Spanish colonialization. In the early era of Spanish cuisine , cabbages were well known and appreciated, and considered a panacea for various aliments. Other popular vegetables of that time were thistle such as artichokes and onions. In Spain the hams of Pomeipolis had great taste and a quality and a class that suits the rich aristocrats. The export of pork products served the basis of a strong local economy. In certain areas of spain lentils were consumed, because of the fact that they formed a staple food for the army and because they were easy to preserve and transport. The famous Fava Beans were known from antiquity and were considered sacred by the Spanish. Mushrooms were common and popular in the northern part of the country. Spain being a mediterranean country is very rich in citrus fruits and the Spanish people have mastered the science of grafting. Viticulture which already was practiced by the Romans was modifies and used in a better way by the Spanish, but it were the Greeks who extended the Vine across theMediterranean countries. During the second era the wealthy people used to dine while lying on a couch (a custom acquired from the Greeks) and using their hands, because fork were not used for eating. Tableclothes were introduced in the 1st century. Knives were known, but not particularly needed at table because the dishes were cut up by slaves into bit slice pieces. The Spanish mode of flavoring and cooking in past is quite distinct from what is found in modern times. IMPORTANT AND FAMOUS SPANISH DELICAICIES Arroz ala Cubana Arroz con Leche(rice pudding) Calameres(Fried squid) Cocido(a chickpea and meat stew of sorts) Chorizo(spicy sausage) Chuletillas(grilled chops of milk fed lamb) Gazpacillaho(cold bread and tomato soup) Fabada Asturiana(bean stew) Jamon Serrano(cured ham) Paella(saffron rice) Everyone doesnt agrees with the fact that there is one common definition for Spanish cuisine. Some typically assume that Spanish dishes (paella, serrano ham, etc) are consumed outside of Spain, while the regions which comprising of the Basque Country share dishes which are non-existent. It is quiet obvious that Spanish cuisine is the food eaten in Spain, but there are equally well-defined Basque and Catalan cuisines which offer significant differences with the cuisine of Spain. SPAIN CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD Spanish food is in great demand by people all over the world, their food habits with use of olive oil, citrus fruits has fascinated people all over the world, various varieties of arroz produced over here has affected the diet of people all over the world. The famous Gazpacho soup a cold soup is famous all over the world, spain is considered as the best producers of sausages, hams and salamis, which have affected cuisines all over the world. The famous hot dog which people all over enjoy is a result of the sausages produced in spain, moreover spain gift to the world are wines being a Mediterranean county citrus fruits grow extensively and various varieties of grapes are found producing the best wines, thus Spanish cuisine uses loads of wine and citrus fruits and vegetables.

The Image of Fire in Faulkner’s Short Stories, Barn Burning and Shingles for the Lord :: Barn Burning Shingles

The Image of Fire in Faulkner’s Short Stories, Barn Burning and Shingles for the Lord The image of fire was very prominent in Faulkner’s short stories â€Å"Barn Burning† and â€Å"Shingles for the Lord.† Throughout the two stories, fire emerged as a destructive device. The production of fire directly or indirectly destroyed property and the image of the characters, Snopes and Pap. Fire symbolized the character’s deceitful ways and destruction of his identity in society. The fathers present in the two stories possessed deceitful natures. In the story â€Å"Barn Burning,† Snopes’ ill manner erupted into arson. He appeared as the defiant worker. After destroying the landowner’s expensive rug, he refused to pay the ten bushels of corn and burned the landowner’s barn (18-21). His resort to fire symbolized his derogatory ways. Fire was his most destructive tool to facilitate his revenge. In comparison, in â€Å"Shingles for the Lord,† Pap indirectly produced fire. In his misleading plot, he tried to outsmart a fellow worker by removing shingles off the church roof at night. However, the lantern he used for light created a fire in the church (39). His accidental manufacture of fire was a result of his deception toward his fellow worker. Fire was an ultimate consequence of his behavior. Each character used fire as a destructive weapon and ultimately destroyed himself. In â€Å"Barn Burning,† Snopes’ use of fire in the beginning of the story presented him as an outcast. At a trial for arson, the judge told Snopes, â€Å"I can’t find against you, Snopes, but I can give you advice. Leave this country and don’t come back to it† (5). Snopes’ use of arson destroyed his self-image in front of societal figures. He was banished due to his actions. In â€Å"Shingles for the Lord,† Pap’s destruction of the church by fire destroyed society’s perception of him. The use of fire labeled him as an arsonist, a reduced man, and an untrustworthy individual. The preacher, Whitfield, told Pap, â€Å"If there is any pursuit in which you can engage without carrying flood and fire and destruction and death behind you, do it. But not one hand shall you lay to this new house until you have proved to us that you are to be trusted again with the powers and capacities of a man† (41). Pap’s arson destroyed society’s respect for him and labeled him as an outsider among the people. Faulkner’s use of fire signified the father figure’s deceitful ways and the ultimate deconstruction of each father’s presence in society.

The Influence of Jean Jacques Rousseau Essay -- essays research papers

Eighteenth-century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau influenced many French revolutionaries with his ideas. In the time of the Enlightenment, people believed that humankind could progress and improve through the use of reason and science. One of them was French artist Jacques-Louis David, who was official artist to the French revolution (p158, Blk 3). Just as Rousseau had used his publications to reflect on his ideas, David had used art as a media to reflect the ideas and values of the society in the eighteenth century. In this essay, we will be examining the influence of Rousseau’s views on the relationship between the state and the individual in David’s painting â€Å"The Oath of the Horatii†. Rousseau’s publication, The Social Contract, states that â€Å"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains†. His belief is that everyone is equal and nobody has authority over anyone else. This was the source of the revolutionaries’ ideas (p96 Blk 3). In order to be free while ‘living in society’, Rousseau’s solution is that the individual adopts the general will. This view is also reflected in David’s painting â€Å"The Oath of the Horatii†. David’s Neoclassical style was austere and reflected on reason and the clear moral principles of Rousseau’s ideas. â€Å"The Oath of the Horatii† depicts the presenting of arms from Horatius to his sons. This demonstrates an act of patriotism as one of the brothers and the sister was related by marriage to the enemy Curiatii. He draws on the classical story by the ancient historian Livy, to reflect patriotism and selflessness. The story would have been familiar to the educated contemporaries of David, and this kind of knowledge was important to the Enlightenment (p166, Blk 3). The particular point where the brothers choose between the country and their personal desires deliberately sets people thinking about the message of patriotism. It is a representation of a kind of patriotic heroism or duty in which the best interests of society are put before those of the individual (p177, Blk 3). The brothers in choosing to go into battle, has chosen political duty over fa mily allegiance. This reflects Rousseau’s views that the individual puts aside their particular wills and adopts the general will in the interest of the state. The act of selflessness reflects Rousseau’s views of the general will. According to Rousseau, the general will is that wh... ...look on the women. This reflects Rousseau’s view that women should be passive and weak, while men should be active and strong (p96, Blk 3). David’s use of clear bold lines and the austere background seems to reflect simplicity. There is a minimum of distraction in the painting. David even removed the bases on the columns for greater simplicity (TV12). This reflects frugality in an age where luxury is being frowned upon (p.174, Blk 3). Rousseau also believes that it is wrong when people are driven by their own desires. From examining The Oath of the Horatii, it is clear that an art piece can be shaped by the ideas and values of the society and Rousseau’s views had a significant influence in the painting. Rousseau expressed his views in his publications and David had used art as a vehicle for expressing his views in visual form. No of words : 1199 Biliography Open University. Block 3: History, Classicism and Revolution. Milton Keynes: OU Press 1997 An Introduction to the Humanities. Resource Book 2. Milton Keynes: OU Press, 1997 An Introduction to the Humanities. Illustration Book TV12 – Art: A Question of Style The Open University CD5 – AC2334 Part 2 The Open University

Essay Comparing the Runes and Magic in Beowulf and The Saga of the Volsungs :: comparison compare contrast essays

Runes and Magic in Beowulf and The Saga of the Volsungs      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Old English poem Beowulf and in the Icelandic The Saga of the Volsungs, a saga representing oral traditions dating back to the fourth and fifth centuries, we see the mention of runes, which were used with connotations of magic or charms.    An unknown author wrote the The Saga of the Volsungs in the thirteenth century, basing his story on far older Norse poetry. Iceland was settled by the Vikings about 870-930, who took there the famous lay of Sigurd and the Volsungs. Native Icelandic poets loved the story of Sigurd and the Huns, Goths, Burgundians, with whom he interacted. This prose story is based on traditional Norse verse called Eddic poetry, a form of mythic or heroic lay which developed before 1000 in the oral folk culture of Old Scandinavia. In The Saga of the Volsungs the hero Sigurd is the one who corresponds best with the hero Beowulf in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. George Clark in â€Å"The Hero and the Theme† mentions: â€Å"The form of Beowulf taken as a whole suggests both the ‘Bear’s Son’ folktale type (especially as we find it in Scandinavia) and the ‘combat myth’. . . .† (286). The â€Å"combat myth† is what this saga is. When Sigurd was born, he was t he grandson of King Eylimi; when Beowulf was born, he was the grandson of King Hrethel. The king said of Sigurd that â€Å"none would be his like or equal† (55), and this proved true; Beowulf as a young man was so strong that â€Å"he was the strongest of all living men† (196). The similarities between Sigurd and Beowulf continue through both works.    The Icelandic skald is the equivalent of the Anglo-Saxon scop. He was a storyteller. Icelandic material builds on a long oral tradition just like Anglo-saxon, going back in their stories to the fourth and fifth centuries (Byock 2). Skalds stayed in the royal courts of Scandinavia like their counterparts to the south.    Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon narrative poem whose oral traditions date back to the sixth century. We see the first mention of runes in this poem in connection with the magic sword. When the hero is in deadly combat with Grendel’s mother in the mere, he is at the point of   being killed by the monster when suddenly God shows to him the presence of a special sword nearby on the wall.

Arthur Miller’s play ‘A View From The Bridge’ Essay

An appealing dimension of Arthur Miller’s play ‘A View From The Bridge’ is the author’s successful creation of a world within the play. Discuss how Miller brings to life the world of the late 1940’s Italian-American community in Red Hook New York. Quote liberally from the text to support your discussion. Arthur Miller was born on 17th October 1915 in New York. Both of his parents were Sicilian immigrants looking for work and a better life in North America. With parents successfully involved in clothing manufacture, the family was very comfortable. He was fortunate enough to be able to attend Michigan University in 1934, which enabled him to achieve his lifetime ambition of becoming a successful play-write. After graduation he worked throughout the Second World War in an all-Italian ship-fitting business. This was where he got his experience of the richness of Sicilian life, combined with the Italian-American community in New York. Miller’s first play The Man Who Had All The Luck was a failure, but All My Sons, written in 1947 was a great success as were his two following plays, Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. Following on from these A View from the Bridge was written in 1956, and was first performed at the Comedy Theatre in London. The story of Rodolpho, Catherine, Eddie and Marco gets its roots from the late 1940’s, where the author’s interests lay in the lives and communities of the dockworkers and longshoremen of New York’s Brooklyn Harbour. Miller began talking to a lawyer about a particular case involving two illegal immigrants. His perception was that this was a life of danger and mystery. A few years later, Miller visited Sicily, and during his stay on this island he found his inspiration for the play, and for the world around which it evolves. Referring back to the title of the piece, Arthur Miller has created a real sense of a world within the play. He has done this in three key ways. Firstly the sense of family and community. The reader feels that the tightly packed community, like they are all brothers, but this can so easily be turned around and bonds broken. Following on from that, we read about an Italian-American community, where community laws and Government laws conflict. We perceive that this is a separate community, a divided world, with its own laws, its own beliefs and its own culture. Finally, between the various characters, the language used is diverse. The different accents strongly reflect the Sicilian background which brought back the Italian roots into the American community in New York during the late 1940’s.

Opposition to The New Deal Essay

The New Deal, it’s many Administrations and their policies were making major changes to American Industry and society. As a result of this, some people were quite unhappy and attempted to stall The New Deal. As time went on, FDR’s gained more and more power over the reformation of the American economy and businesses. People feared the amount of power FDR had and started questioning his intent. What really caused people to question Franklin D. Roosevelt was his attempt to â€Å"fix† the Supreme Court. As the nine judges making up the court were mainly old and conservative, FDR believed they were too opinionated and too eager use their authority without considering the consequences. Therefore he decided it wise to request he appoint up to six new, open-minded judges. Some people saw this as FRD attempting to tamper with the constitution in order to give himself more power, and it scared them. It was mainly because of this reason that FDR’s request was turned down, but the judges certainly seemed to have got the point and from then on were a lot more careful. Republicans certainly disliked The New Deal and found it dangerous. Leading Republican, Frank Knox, summed up Republican views on The New Deal by saying â€Å"The New Deal candidate has been leading us toward Moscow†. By this he meant that with Roosevelt’s increasing powers and his guidance and control over industry it seemed that he was slowly but surely verging towards communism. They also disliked Roosevelt’s industrial laws because they took power of the owners and benefited the workers with policies such as trade unions and social security. Some extreme opposition came from a self-educated man with a degree in law after only 8 months – he was a â€Å"shameless politician with no morals† and he fought dirty. In order to get where he was he had fixed ballots by placing his own men at available posts in the state government, he had used blackmail and bribery to get votes. Sometimes opponents were as much as kidnapped on Long’s orders. Huey Long became US senate in 1930 and claimed that if he were to become president he would adopt the policy of confiscating any personal fortunes of over 3 million U.S dollars and giving $5000 to each and every less wealthy family. Long did not at any point explain how he would do this, but the idea of much needed money being given to them for nothing was jumped at by the poorer families, and Long gained a lot of support. Fortunately for FDR, Long’s career ended due to assassination before he was able to challenge him. So with certain aspects of luck, and a well-conducted New Deal, FRD managed to rescue America from its depression without any great hitches. There were careless flaws such as the move Roosevelt made trying to fix the SC without considering the consequences, but in the end all went to plan and opposition was only opposition, and not a threat to the New Deal.

Chapter II Related Literature

The aim of this project is to develop performance evaluation System to achieve quality education and training and maintain high academic standards in all education programs offered in the college. This Teacher's Evaluation Information System for Department Heads of Manuel S. Never University Foundation Candelabra Incorporated is an automated system designed to use as a tool for the department Heads of MISCHIEF to monitor or observe the teachers under their department.This system can conduct unit evaluation as a web based system that can lower the costs, increase timeliness of feedback and make the record keeping and analysis easier. The Teacher's Evaluation system was developed based on RADAR Methodology. The framework of the system is based on Apache Web Server, Adobe Dreamier and Myself Database. Summary The main goal of the researchers is to develop student evaluation for their teachers for the improvement of teaching and consequently also of education results and to provide the s tudents freedom of expressing their opinions and ideas about their concerns to their teachers.And Isis also develop to stimulate teachers to further their own improvement through learning about their strengths and weaknesses. The users consists in three categories the Department Head, Faculty and the Student. This will enable to all users to going. The Department Head will register all the faculty and students under his department and he will also assign all the students and the faculty member that they will evaluate. The Faculty can view the results of his evaluation and also the student comments.The Students will evaluate their teachers and give some comment's regarding to the performance of his teachers. They can also view the profile of all the teachers. The research methodology that the researchers used is the RADAR, or Rapid Application Development where it is complete methodology covering systems development from business requirements to ongoing development. The researcher al so used the Unified Modeling Language (JIMS) based free open source software tools in developing the application. PH programming language, Macromedia Dreamier, Apache and Myself are also used in developing the proposed system.The proposed system had been evaluated by the end-users to measure the functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability and portability of the proposed system. Conclusion The results of the research and development used in the creation of this application have successfully met the goals of this project study. The system s a manifestation of a software developed using PH programming language for creating web pages and the Macromedia Dreamier. Though it seems that social networking seems to very easy and simple web application, this project study had met the specific goals of the research. . The proposed system which has been developed of the researchers will serve as an automated evaluation for the teachers to ensure them to perform at their be st to enhance student learning. And it supports the aspiration of the student to comment out the worst and even good things that they observe with their professors regarding their teaching behavior and ability. . This study made effective use of the TOAD Methodology, the Unified Modeling Language in the design of the system. PH and Macromedia Dreamier as the development tools, and My SQL as the database in creating the application. . Users and the respondent agree that the proposed evaluation system is a way to improve the process of the student evaluation for Teachers. The evaluation of the respondents on the questionnaires provided for the proposed system had made a great impact to the end-users and it revealed that the system will be useful and the evaluation has a good and fair result. Recommendations Upon gathering the results and examinations of the findings of the proposed system, the following are the researcher's recommendations on future studies that will be conducted by f uture researchers: 1.It is recommended to enhance the design of the proposed system. 2. In order for the system to be more effective, future researchers may enhance the functionality of the system in terms of adding some features like evaluation of grades so that the system complies all the needs of the students. 3. Also, it is suggested for the future researchers to undergo further study about the new rends in the field of dynamic web developing. Synopsis After reviewing this study, the researchers have read that this study has the same characteristics that the proposed system will have.The only difference that the previous study and the proposed study will have is that the latter will have a supporting mobile application. The stud's recommendations will be taken to account in developing the proposed system. A Web-Based Student Evaluation for Teachers of Manuel S. Never University Foundation Candelabra Incorporated This study was about a Web-Based Student Candelabra Incorporated. I t has the purpose Of transforming the manual into a more systematic and computerized process.Abstract The project aims to improve the existing student evaluation for teachers to a more practical manner in order to develop the competence of the institution when it comes to evaluation management. This system entitled A Web-Based Student Evaluation for Teachers of Manuel S. Never University Foundation Candelabra Incorporated is constructed for use as a tool to benefit the students, teachers and administrators of the institution. The Web-Based Student Evaluation for Teachers was developed based on RADAR methodology. The framework of the system is based on Apache Web Server, Adobe Dreamier and Myself Database.Summary In general, the main goal of the proposed system is to alter the students manual evaluation into a more systematical and effective manner that is held within the university. Furthermore, the system is associated with the goals of developing the inconvenience of management of the evaluation and providing every concerned individual and effective tool for the accomplishment of their goals rest Ting for a better output. In this system, there are sort of users, namely the facilitator, the students and the faculty. The facilitator has the control of the entire evaluation.He will register accounts for the faculty and students for them to access. He will also take over the assignment of the faculty with its respective subject to the random selected students for the evaluation. As the student accesses his account, he automatically sees the assigned faculty with its respective subject that he will evaluate. He will response with the interactive form of the evaluation and just submit it. The faculty can browse the results from the evaluation for the observation of their teaching performance and influence to the students.Conclusion The study and the construction of the proposed system that is executed by the proponents for the development of the existing system ha ve efficiently met its respective goals and objectives. It is successfully constructed by the use of the tools and techniques Of the modern technology such as the programming language of PH that is used for creating web application and the Integrated Development Environment (DID) of Macromedia Dreamier. The following statements are the considered objectives and goals that have been done productively: 1 .The proposed system that has been built by the represents has provided the facilitator an instrument that will promote the convenience of the management of the evaluation. It also provided the students a tool to conduct the evaluation effectively. Lastly, the faculties have been given the privilege to monitor their performances impact without any hassle. 2. The Object Oriented Analysis and Design (TOAD) methodology and the Unified Modeling Language (ML) have been used effectively for the software development. 3.The evaluation of the users and the respondents on the questionnaires por trays the effectiveness and usefulness of the system's functionalities. The respondents provided a good and a fair evaluation on the proposed system. Recommendations Upon gathering the outcome from the researches and implementation of the proposed system, the following listed recommendations are cited for the studies that will be conducted by future researchers: 1 . It is recommended to develop and seek for more appropriate page design of the proposed system. 2.It is also advisable to include feature such as an automatic random selection of the students to promote the unbiased selection of the facilitator. 3. If possible, for gaining the competency of the system, it is recommended to lid and connect the system with the enrolment system of the University for an Automated Registration of the students and schedule management in the evaluation system. 4. Also, it is highly recommended to conduct further researches to gain more detailed information about the evaluation procedures to deve lop ideas that will contribute to its full effectiveness.Synopsis have a supporting mobile application. The stuffs recommendations will be taken to account in developing the proposed system. A Web-based System for Teaching Evaluation This research is an attempt to develop and implement a Web-based system to elect teaching evaluation data for summarize and formative purposes. The research entitled â€Å"Implementation of a system for on-line evaluation of teaching' is a sub-project under the UGH-funded project â€Å"SEEP implementation†.Abstract This paper talks about a joint university (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, university of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University) effort to develop and implement a Web-based system to collect students' evaluation of teaching on a large scale in local Higher Education Institutes. It is a subproject of the University Grant Committee funded project â€Å"Evaluation of Student Experience Project – imple mentation†. Title of the project is â€Å"Implementation of a system for on-line evaluation of teaching'. A trial run of the system was conducted in March in one of the University.Rest Its of the trial indicated that the majority of the students preferred the Web-based system to the traditional paper-based system for student evaluation of teaching. The response rate was also much higher than anticipated. The paper discussed key issues concerning the use of the Web for collecting teaching evaluation data and directions of future work. Synopsis A Teacher Evaluation System That Works Educators are among the most numerous of public servants, and K-12 education is one Of the most vital Of all public investments.Research shows that individual teachers are the most important school-related factor in student achievement gains, that effectiveness varies greatly between teachers, and that differences in effectiveness are not well predicted by traditional qualifications. Yet teacher per formance in the classroom is seldom evaluated in any rigorous way. Commonly, a teacher is observed at most once a year by a principal who rates the teacher in the highest category unless some egregious fault is noticed.In efforts to improve educational outcomes for students and increase accountability for teachers, the public and policymakers are calling for a better approach to teacher evaluation, including more systematic observation of classrooms, use of multiple measures of teacher effectiveness, and more attention to using evidence of teacher effectiveness in improving student outcomes. Abstract Status quo approaches to teacher evaluation have recently come under increasing criticism.They typically assign most teachers the highest available score, provide minimal feedback for improvement, and have little connection tit student achievement growth and the quality of instruction that leads to higher student growth. A more comprehensive approach has been demonstrated for ten years by TAP†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement. This system includes both classroom observations and student achievement growth measures, provides feedback to teachers for improvement, is aligned to professional development and mentoring support, and provides metrics for performance-based compensation.This paper describes the TAP system, and examines data from a large sample of teachers o assess the distribution of TAP evaluations and their alignment to student achievement growth. We find that TAP evaluations provide differentiated feedback, that classroom observational scores are positively and significantly correlated with student achievement growth, that TAP teachers increase in observed skill levels over time, and that TAP schools show differential retention of effective teachers based on these evaluation scores.Related System/Software Products Online Course Evaluation System Since 2006, the College Curriculum Council has worked to develop a flexible ours e valuation system that will help departments evaluate their courses and teaching more effectively. Following the Sac's recommendation, the College piloted an online course evaluation form in spring 2008. Every semester since then, some version of the online course evaluation form has been made available to departments. Each semester's form was revised according to extensive feedback from faculty, students, and departments.In fall 2010, the online course evaluation system was used by 22 departments. Emcee's Teacher Evaluation System Emcee's Teacher Evaluation System standardizes the evaluation process, revised opportunities for coaching and knowledge building, and helps talented teachers and education leaders realize their potential. By helping to identify areas of needed professional development and by improving the communication between teachers and evaluators, the evaluation process becomes a positive force for change.McRae has also created a corresponding software application in r esponse to district requests for a valid and reliable online version of the process. Professional development for IT, central office staff, and school administrators is required to use the online tool. With this evaluation software, you can: Access evaluation forms from desktop, laptop, or notebook devices Aggregate data and customize reports by grade, subject, building, or district Export data for use in most databases (e. G. Excel, Access) Provide timely and effective feedback Track teacher performance longitudinally See both principal and peer observations in one summary report Teacher Evaluator: Teacher Evaluations For [email  protected] & Any Web Browser Reedier Software's Teacher Evaluator is a stand-alone, web-based application that can be accessed through a dedicated [email  protected] app and any web browser. No matter what SIS you use or if you are a private school, public school, district or diocese, Teacher Evaluator has the tools you need to schedule and complete ev aluations quickly, effectively and unobtrusively.Comply with state mandated requirements. Raise professional standards and expectations. Identify strengths and needs. Streamline classroom walkout's and data entry. Allow teachers to reflect, comment and self-evaluate. Set goals and track progress on growth and improvement plans. View and group evaluations by department, grade level, school and more. Features & Benefits Evaluating staff can be a challenging task for any school. Each school has a unique approach with different requirements. Teacher Evaluator's features make evaluations fast and accurate.Built-Len Form Builder with Pre-Loaded State Rubrics Create your own evaluation forms or copy and edit a pre-existing form with the built-in form builder. Have multiple forms for different departments, grade levels and schools. Teacher Evaluator includes pre-loaded state mandated rubrics. Custom Rating Scales, Goals and Improvement Plans Enter custom rating scales or use state-mandated rating scales to easily spot your top performing and under performing teachers while identifying strengths and needs. Set goals and create improvement plans. Reference goals while reviewing evaluations.Real-Time Dashboards & Reports Data is always at your fingertips with dashboards and reports that track and compare how your teachers are performing individually, by department and by school within a district or diocese. Use the Excel†/ wizard to export data for state reporting and qualification for Race to the Top funds. Evaluation Scheduler To Help Manage Your Day Schedule evaluations and receive reminders on upcoming evaluations. Send your scheduled evaluations to your Google Calendar W, Outlook or [email  protected] Improve Communication Between Evaluator & Teacher Observe a teacher doing something noteworthy?Quickly take a photo, video or create a memo on the spot and have it sent to them via e-mail. Once evaluations are completed, teachers are automatically notified via e-mail and are provided with a direct link to view their evaluation. Teachers can comment on evaluations based on reflection before or after completion and electronically sign evaluations. Furthermore, self evaluations can be conducted by teachers to encourage professional development. Tiered permission levels allow proper access for teachers, department heads and administrators. Chapter II Related Literature The aim of this project is to develop performance evaluation System to achieve quality education and training and maintain high academic standards in all education programs offered in the college. This Teacher's Evaluation Information System for Department Heads of Manuel S. Never University Foundation Candelabra Incorporated is an automated system designed to use as a tool for the department Heads of MISCHIEF to monitor or observe the teachers under their department.This system can conduct unit evaluation as a web based system that can lower the costs, increase timeliness of feedback and make the record keeping and analysis easier. The Teacher's Evaluation system was developed based on RADAR Methodology. The framework of the system is based on Apache Web Server, Adobe Dreamier and Myself Database. Summary The main goal of the researchers is to develop student evaluation for their teachers for the improvement of teaching and consequently also of education results and to provide the s tudents freedom of expressing their opinions and ideas about their concerns to their teachers.And Isis also develop to stimulate teachers to further their own improvement through learning about their strengths and weaknesses. The users consists in three categories the Department Head, Faculty and the Student. This will enable to all users to going. The Department Head will register all the faculty and students under his department and he will also assign all the students and the faculty member that they will evaluate. The Faculty can view the results of his evaluation and also the student comments.The Students will evaluate their teachers and give some comment's regarding to the performance of his teachers. They can also view the profile of all the teachers. The research methodology that the researchers used is the RADAR, or Rapid Application Development where it is complete methodology covering systems development from business requirements to ongoing development. The researcher al so used the Unified Modeling Language (JIMS) based free open source software tools in developing the application. PH programming language, Macromedia Dreamier, Apache and Myself are also used in developing the proposed system.The proposed system had been evaluated by the end-users to measure the functionality, reliability, usability, efficiency, maintainability and portability of the proposed system. Conclusion The results of the research and development used in the creation of this application have successfully met the goals of this project study. The system s a manifestation of a software developed using PH programming language for creating web pages and the Macromedia Dreamier. Though it seems that social networking seems to very easy and simple web application, this project study had met the specific goals of the research. . The proposed system which has been developed of the researchers will serve as an automated evaluation for the teachers to ensure them to perform at their be st to enhance student learning. And it supports the aspiration of the student to comment out the worst and even good things that they observe with their professors regarding their teaching behavior and ability. . This study made effective use of the TOAD Methodology, the Unified Modeling Language in the design of the system. PH and Macromedia Dreamier as the development tools, and My SQL as the database in creating the application. . Users and the respondent agree that the proposed evaluation system is a way to improve the process of the student evaluation for Teachers. The evaluation of the respondents on the questionnaires provided for the proposed system had made a great impact to the end-users and it revealed that the system will be useful and the evaluation has a good and fair result. Recommendations Upon gathering the results and examinations of the findings of the proposed system, the following are the researcher's recommendations on future studies that will be conducted by f uture researchers: 1.It is recommended to enhance the design of the proposed system. 2. In order for the system to be more effective, future researchers may enhance the functionality of the system in terms of adding some features like evaluation of grades so that the system complies all the needs of the students. 3. Also, it is suggested for the future researchers to undergo further study about the new rends in the field of dynamic web developing. Synopsis After reviewing this study, the researchers have read that this study has the same characteristics that the proposed system will have.The only difference that the previous study and the proposed study will have is that the latter will have a supporting mobile application. The stud's recommendations will be taken to account in developing the proposed system. A Web-Based Student Evaluation for Teachers of Manuel S. Never University Foundation Candelabra Incorporated This study was about a Web-Based Student Candelabra Incorporated. I t has the purpose Of transforming the manual into a more systematic and computerized process.Abstract The project aims to improve the existing student evaluation for teachers to a more practical manner in order to develop the competence of the institution when it comes to evaluation management. This system entitled A Web-Based Student Evaluation for Teachers of Manuel S. Never University Foundation Candelabra Incorporated is constructed for use as a tool to benefit the students, teachers and administrators of the institution. The Web-Based Student Evaluation for Teachers was developed based on RADAR methodology. The framework of the system is based on Apache Web Server, Adobe Dreamier and Myself Database.Summary In general, the main goal of the proposed system is to alter the students manual evaluation into a more systematical and effective manner that is held within the university. Furthermore, the system is associated with the goals of developing the inconvenience of management of the evaluation and providing every concerned individual and effective tool for the accomplishment of their goals rest Ting for a better output. In this system, there are sort of users, namely the facilitator, the students and the faculty. The facilitator has the control of the entire evaluation.He will register accounts for the faculty and students for them to access. He will also take over the assignment of the faculty with its respective subject to the random selected students for the evaluation. As the student accesses his account, he automatically sees the assigned faculty with its respective subject that he will evaluate. He will response with the interactive form of the evaluation and just submit it. The faculty can browse the results from the evaluation for the observation of their teaching performance and influence to the students.Conclusion The study and the construction of the proposed system that is executed by the proponents for the development of the existing system ha ve efficiently met its respective goals and objectives. It is successfully constructed by the use of the tools and techniques Of the modern technology such as the programming language of PH that is used for creating web application and the Integrated Development Environment (DID) of Macromedia Dreamier. The following statements are the considered objectives and goals that have been done productively: 1 .The proposed system that has been built by the represents has provided the facilitator an instrument that will promote the convenience of the management of the evaluation. It also provided the students a tool to conduct the evaluation effectively. Lastly, the faculties have been given the privilege to monitor their performances impact without any hassle. 2. The Object Oriented Analysis and Design (TOAD) methodology and the Unified Modeling Language (ML) have been used effectively for the software development. 3.The evaluation of the users and the respondents on the questionnaires por trays the effectiveness and usefulness of the system's functionalities. The respondents provided a good and a fair evaluation on the proposed system. Recommendations Upon gathering the outcome from the researches and implementation of the proposed system, the following listed recommendations are cited for the studies that will be conducted by future researchers: 1 . It is recommended to develop and seek for more appropriate page design of the proposed system. 2.It is also advisable to include feature such as an automatic random selection of the students to promote the unbiased selection of the facilitator. 3. If possible, for gaining the competency of the system, it is recommended to lid and connect the system with the enrolment system of the University for an Automated Registration of the students and schedule management in the evaluation system. 4. Also, it is highly recommended to conduct further researches to gain more detailed information about the evaluation procedures to deve lop ideas that will contribute to its full effectiveness.Synopsis have a supporting mobile application. The stuffs recommendations will be taken to account in developing the proposed system. A Web-based System for Teaching Evaluation This research is an attempt to develop and implement a Web-based system to elect teaching evaluation data for summarize and formative purposes. The research entitled â€Å"Implementation of a system for on-line evaluation of teaching' is a sub-project under the UGH-funded project â€Å"SEEP implementation†.Abstract This paper talks about a joint university (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, university of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University) effort to develop and implement a Web-based system to collect students' evaluation of teaching on a large scale in local Higher Education Institutes. It is a subproject of the University Grant Committee funded project â€Å"Evaluation of Student Experience Project – imple mentation†. Title of the project is â€Å"Implementation of a system for on-line evaluation of teaching'. A trial run of the system was conducted in March in one of the University.Rest Its of the trial indicated that the majority of the students preferred the Web-based system to the traditional paper-based system for student evaluation of teaching. The response rate was also much higher than anticipated. The paper discussed key issues concerning the use of the Web for collecting teaching evaluation data and directions of future work. Synopsis A Teacher Evaluation System That Works Educators are among the most numerous of public servants, and K-12 education is one Of the most vital Of all public investments.Research shows that individual teachers are the most important school-related factor in student achievement gains, that effectiveness varies greatly between teachers, and that differences in effectiveness are not well predicted by traditional qualifications. Yet teacher per formance in the classroom is seldom evaluated in any rigorous way. Commonly, a teacher is observed at most once a year by a principal who rates the teacher in the highest category unless some egregious fault is noticed.In efforts to improve educational outcomes for students and increase accountability for teachers, the public and policymakers are calling for a better approach to teacher evaluation, including more systematic observation of classrooms, use of multiple measures of teacher effectiveness, and more attention to using evidence of teacher effectiveness in improving student outcomes. Abstract Status quo approaches to teacher evaluation have recently come under increasing criticism.They typically assign most teachers the highest available score, provide minimal feedback for improvement, and have little connection tit student achievement growth and the quality of instruction that leads to higher student growth. A more comprehensive approach has been demonstrated for ten years by TAP†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement. This system includes both classroom observations and student achievement growth measures, provides feedback to teachers for improvement, is aligned to professional development and mentoring support, and provides metrics for performance-based compensation.This paper describes the TAP system, and examines data from a large sample of teachers o assess the distribution of TAP evaluations and their alignment to student achievement growth. We find that TAP evaluations provide differentiated feedback, that classroom observational scores are positively and significantly correlated with student achievement growth, that TAP teachers increase in observed skill levels over time, and that TAP schools show differential retention of effective teachers based on these evaluation scores.Related System/Software Products Online Course Evaluation System Since 2006, the College Curriculum Council has worked to develop a flexible ours e valuation system that will help departments evaluate their courses and teaching more effectively. Following the Sac's recommendation, the College piloted an online course evaluation form in spring 2008. Every semester since then, some version of the online course evaluation form has been made available to departments. Each semester's form was revised according to extensive feedback from faculty, students, and departments.In fall 2010, the online course evaluation system was used by 22 departments. Emcee's Teacher Evaluation System Emcee's Teacher Evaluation System standardizes the evaluation process, revised opportunities for coaching and knowledge building, and helps talented teachers and education leaders realize their potential. By helping to identify areas of needed professional development and by improving the communication between teachers and evaluators, the evaluation process becomes a positive force for change.McRae has also created a corresponding software application in r esponse to district requests for a valid and reliable online version of the process. Professional development for IT, central office staff, and school administrators is required to use the online tool. With this evaluation software, you can: Access evaluation forms from desktop, laptop, or notebook devices Aggregate data and customize reports by grade, subject, building, or district Export data for use in most databases (e. G. Excel, Access) Provide timely and effective feedback Track teacher performance longitudinally See both principal and peer observations in one summary report Teacher Evaluator: Teacher Evaluations For [email  protected] & Any Web Browser Reedier Software's Teacher Evaluator is a stand-alone, web-based application that can be accessed through a dedicated [email  protected] app and any web browser. No matter what SIS you use or if you are a private school, public school, district or diocese, Teacher Evaluator has the tools you need to schedule and complete ev aluations quickly, effectively and unobtrusively.Comply with state mandated requirements. Raise professional standards and expectations. Identify strengths and needs. Streamline classroom walkout's and data entry. Allow teachers to reflect, comment and self-evaluate. Set goals and track progress on growth and improvement plans. View and group evaluations by department, grade level, school and more. Features & Benefits Evaluating staff can be a challenging task for any school. Each school has a unique approach with different requirements. Teacher Evaluator's features make evaluations fast and accurate.Built-Len Form Builder with Pre-Loaded State Rubrics Create your own evaluation forms or copy and edit a pre-existing form with the built-in form builder. Have multiple forms for different departments, grade levels and schools. Teacher Evaluator includes pre-loaded state mandated rubrics. Custom Rating Scales, Goals and Improvement Plans Enter custom rating scales or use state-mandated rating scales to easily spot your top performing and under performing teachers while identifying strengths and needs. Set goals and create improvement plans. Reference goals while reviewing evaluations.Real-Time Dashboards & Reports Data is always at your fingertips with dashboards and reports that track and compare how your teachers are performing individually, by department and by school within a district or diocese. Use the Excel†/ wizard to export data for state reporting and qualification for Race to the Top funds. Evaluation Scheduler To Help Manage Your Day Schedule evaluations and receive reminders on upcoming evaluations. Send your scheduled evaluations to your Google Calendar W, Outlook or [email  protected] Improve Communication Between Evaluator & Teacher Observe a teacher doing something noteworthy?Quickly take a photo, video or create a memo on the spot and have it sent to them via e-mail. Once evaluations are completed, teachers are automatically notified via e-mail and are provided with a direct link to view their evaluation. Teachers can comment on evaluations based on reflection before or after completion and electronically sign evaluations. Furthermore, self evaluations can be conducted by teachers to encourage professional development. Tiered permission levels allow proper access for teachers, department heads and administrators.