Blacks Leisure Group Plc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Blacks Leisure Group Plc - Case Study Example Black’s leisure Group Plc is one of the leading retail outdoor and board wear group in United Kingdom. The company carries all its operations under two categories: The Outdoor Group and the Boardwear Division. The Outdoor Group comprises Millets and Blacks, the largest outdoor retailers in the UK, and Freespirit and Mambo, the leading retail chains in the newly emerging UK boardwear market. The Boardwear Division comprises the wholesale and retail arms of the O'Neill brand, one of the world's leading names in boardwear. The Group has the exclusive distribution rights to the brand for the UK. In brief, the company operates more than 450 stores under seven companies- owned and managed retail chains. 1. A macro-environmental and competitive audit The UK Boardwear market has been growing strongly in recent years and is estimated to be worth around  £400m at retail prices. Blacks Leisure is market leader in this fast growing market segment through its O’Neill and Free Spir it businesses. The main competitors for Blacks Leisure Group is Debenhams, JJB Sports, Snow & Rock and Halfords. With an increase in the number of consumers of the broad wear market, the competition has been growing tremendously. A large number of new entrants are seen entering this market in the past few years. However, Blacks Leisure still continues to dominate the market with its large range of products and a large number of outlets. PEST Analysis: PEST analysis is concerned with the environmental influences on a business. The acronym stands for the Political, Economic, Social and Technological issues that could affect the strategic development of a business. Identifying PEST influences is a useful way of summarizing the external environment in which a business operates. Although the PEST analyses rely on past events and experience, it can be used as a forecast of the future (Wilson and Gilligan, 1998). Political factors The political environment is good. The government is stable and reliable, even if Britain fails to achieve total agreement with some EU policies from time to time. At present no EU directives are known which will have a direct effect on the UK sports or outdoor wear retail industry in the near future. Due to the EU membership a trend can be seen towards stricter environmental protection legislation. This may have a direct or indirect effect on Blacks Leisure Plc or its suppliers. Economic factors Looking at the economic environment, it is somewhat tricky since on one hand there is the strong sterling compared to the Euro. Euroland encourages imports and endeavors to hold domestic prices at an attractive level. But on the other hand it is difficult for UK to be competitive outside its boundaries because of the high pound sterling exchange rate against the Euro. As Blacks Leisure Group sells about 92% in the UK marketplace, this may currently only have a limited effect, but could be more important in the future when thinking globally. Social factors In the present world scenario it is being observed that the people retire earlier these days, and are working for shorter hours as well. Average working hours per week have decreased over the last 20 years. As a result people have more spare time. This means they have time to compare prices in the High Street and the quality of goods and services from retailers. As a result they are spending more time comparing different sellers. Another issue these days is the "Green environmental issues". A large number of people are getting concern over the environment and thus are getting in the depth of the production cycle of products. Blacks Leisure is taking different steps to assure people that they operate as an eco-friendly environment. Technological factors Another issue is the speed of technological transfers which also has an impact on the industry - it is not comparable with the fast growing internet business - but nevertheless it

Kindergarten Language Lesson Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kindergarten Language Lesson Plan - Term Paper Example ideology puts focus on the needs of the times and what are needed to become a productive member of society and thereby design the educational curricula according to the assessed need of the time. It emphasizes skills and competencies that have to be learned in order to survive in the real world. Refer to your copy of the Goal Three Standards. List three(3) appropriate standards and describe the activities provided for students in this lesson that demonstrate the Goal 3 Standards. How do these relate to the assignment? In introducing the lesson to the pupils, the audience has to consider as children who loves to play and have short attention span. Such, the lesson has to be presented as fun and engaging for the lesson to be effective. 1. Encourage children to talk what is their favorite game and then ask them to describe them. Most likely boys will talk about sports while girls will talk about their friends. The importance in this activity is to engage the pupils to express themselves. 2. Second, ask them why they like such games. This will provide the teacher an opportunity to assess the language skill level of pupils and can apply necessary changes in the lesson plan when appropriate. Kindergarten is the stage where children are beginning to read or has just learned how to read. This skill must be enhanced to enable the pupils to acquire other knowledge through the skill of reading. 1. Colorful representation of the alphabets should be used where consonants and vowels are segregated. Most likely, children already know what they are but it would be necessary for them to recite them just to familiarize them. 3. When the pupil has already a grasp that the combination of consonants and vowels actually forms a word, they will be engaged in a game of word creation where they will be given letter blocks to construct words by pairing the letters. 1. To encourage children to work independently and still interested with the subject matter, present them

Importance Of Search Engine Marketing Marketing Essay

Importance Of Search Engine Marketing Marketing Essay The Internet has induced a significant change in the way the public make and acquire information, which leads to shift their pattern in terms of search and purchase (Ghose Yang 2009). Search engines give consumers means to connect with related information which is available in the Internet environment (Rangaswamy et al. 2009). From the perspective of firms, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) enables them to put advertising on search engines to target consumers (Boughton 2005). In the tourism industry, many companies may have difficulty being visible on search engine return pages (SERPs) due to massive results about a particular keyword which consumers are searching for. In this paper, it will be dealt with two options of SEM which a small tourism business marketer can consider to expand their business: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click (also called as Paid Placement). Furthermore, advantages and disadvantages of two options will be analyses in terms of several aspects, and a single method will be chosen by reflecting upon the purpose of a small tourism company. Furthermore, some recommendation that the selected option can have in order to overcome its limitation will be mentioned. Importance of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organisational) (2009) declared at the Search Engine Strategies Conference that expenditure on SEM will continuously increase in 2009 in spite of repercussion of the global financial crisis, and also expected that total spending on SEM will reach $26.1 billion in 2013. The reason for large investment of companies on SEM is that as contrasted with the slow increment in the number of viewership of TV, approximately 10-20% growth in online search volume is achieved every year (Hoffman Novak 2000). Hotchkiss et al. (2004) announce that the searching population relies extremely on search engine for online searches, which reminds online dealers of the importance of developing marketing strategies that enhances their firms visibility in the search results presented to potential customers. Furthermore, Weideman and Chambers (2005) reported that it is significant for marketers to have their websites placed on the first SERPs, or not less than on the first three pages of search results. According to iProspect (2006), 62% of search engine users click on results within first SERPs, and 90% of online searcher incline to click on results within the first three pages of SERPs. Accordingly, it is obviously seen that effective SEM development is a greatly important issue for all companies to place their website link on at least the first three result pages in order to expose itself to their prospect customers in the Internet environment. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click Broadly, SEM is defined as a form of Internet marketing whereby firms and organizations attempt to obtain high visibility on SERPs via paid or non-paid methods (Moran Hunt 2005). There are two major forms of SEM: (1) Search engine optimisation (SEO), and (2) Paid search marketing or Pay Per Click (Chaffey et al. 2009). SEO is used to reach the highest ranking in terms of a company or its product in the natural or organic listings regarding a particular combination of keywords which searchers type (Chaffey et al. 2009). The performance of SEO can be improved by reforming firms websites codes such as the title tag, meta-tags, heading tags and so forth (Chaffey et al. 2009). Pay Per Click means that firms pay search engine such as Google and Yahoo to be placed in the sponsored section (in case of Google, called sponsored link) of search result pages about keywords consumers enter (Hansell 2001). According to SEMPO (2007), approximately 87% of the amount spent on Pay Per Click and SEO captured only about 11% in 2007. The reason of this distinctive investment between two options is that Pay Per Click is regarded as the best method of enhancing visibility in the search result page (Sen 2005). The reason why companies focus on improving their visibility on SERPs is that high visibility will lead to more access to a firms website, which could result in more profits for the firm (Sen 2005). However, the expenditure of firms on SEO is predicted to increase as implementing SEO is generally cheaper than Pay Per Click (Hallerman 2008). Furthermore, iProspect study represented (2004) that Google users clicked on an organic listing (72.3%) over two times more than on a sponsored link (27.7%). In this regard, investing on only implementing Pay Per Click seems somewhat not a efficient strategy. In order to maximise the performance of SEM which firms implement, it will be best to use both of types. However, most marketers may have a limited budget to spend on SEM implementing. Accordingly, they have to choose the best option in consideration of their firms current position, reputation, and financial status. The value of search to tourism business Search engines have become a vital tool for online travel planners. They frequently initiate making their trip plan by utilizing search engines to search for and select useful information (Pan Fesenmaier 2006). If travel information seekers hold a friendly website in their bookmark or have decided a particular website to visit, they might go sprightly to the website. However, if online travel planners do not have sufficient information for travel websites, they generally select a search engine, type keywords, and perform the search. Afterwards, they are exposed to the results of their keywords entered (Hwang et al. 2006). Furthermore, Travel Industry Association reports (2005) that the first place which consumers visit to make a travel plan is increasingly search engine websites. As a tremendous online travel planners use search engine to find travel websites, tourism companies have to recognise the importance of effective SEM development. This is because visibility of a website on the Internet is related with the number of visitors. For example, travel companies make every effort to ensure that tourism-related information become visible so that potential visitors can access it (Werthner Klein 1999). Moreover, Kim and Fesenmaier (2008) announce that consumers first impression on, as well as consequently the general estimation of, a destination marketing organizations website can influenced considerably by the use of search engine. Accordingly, it is more likely that search engines affects positive attitudes toward tourism business. Therefore, tourism marketers have to consider the way in which their websites are searched by search engines more easily and more frequently to maximize its advantaged involved. Challenges of Search Engine in tourism business Although search engine has positive effects on tourism business, they have faced challenges. Research has shown that numerous tourism firms websites are increasingly invisible to prospective searchers (Xiang Pan 2009). According to Wober (2006), many tourism businesses were pushed back on the search results for travel related keywords consumers entered. This will lead consumers to spend considerable amount of time on relevant information finding they intend. Besides, this also makes consumers to have difficulty accessing directly a particular tourism business via search engine (Xiang Pan 2009). It might be easily presumed that it is more difficult for small and medium-size tourism firms to be visible on the screen of users than big firms due to their low reputation. Xiang et al. found (2008) that search results in Google are dominated by a small number of big tourism enterprises, which results in the visibility decrease of innumerable small and medium-sized tourism enterprises. Accordingly, tourism marketers, especially those who are engaged in small and medium-sized tourism enterprises, have to make effective SEM strategies to make their websites to become more visible than their competitors. Assumption of a small tourism company In this paper, it will be assumed that a small tourism company launched its business six months ago. It has low brand value, and most consumers do not know its existence in the tourism industry. Furthermore, it has tight budgets, thereby having a trouble in hiring salespeople. Analysis of strength and weakness of SEO and Pay Per Click In this part, two kinds of options regarding SEM, SEO and Pay Per Click will be addressed as an option. In 2007, SEMPO (2007) conducted a survey of purpose of SEM use to advertisers. According to respondents, three main purposes of using SEM is (1) to sell products, services or content directly online (approximately 58%), (2) to raise brand awareness of their products or services (about 63%), and (3) to drive traffic to their websites (nearly 43%). From the results of this survey, several criteria in terms of a choice between SEO and Pay can be selected. Furthermore, SEMPO (2007) conducted another survey for same interviewees, which could be a somewhat persuasive evidence to select criteria. It questioned them about metrics considered to measure the success of SEM. About 76% of marketers paid attention to both increased traffic volume and conversion rate. In addition, approximately 70% of marketers tracked click-thru rate and 67% of them measured return on investment as a metric for success of SME. Marketers need to consider online searchers preference and relevance of results about query. From the response to the survey, four criteria in terms of a choice between SEO and Pay Per Click can be led; (1) conversion rate, (2) click rate and visibility, (3) ROI (Return on Investment), (4) preference and traffic (5) relevance. Conversion rate Conversion rate means the percentage of clicks on Pay Per Click or SEO link that generate a sale for firms websites (Neethling 2007). If conversion rate is 20%, two out of ten clicks do not create any profit for those websites. Ghose and Yang (2008) found that the conversion rate of Pay Per Click is approximately two times more than that of SEO, respectively 5.4% and 2.76%. In this regard, if a firm implement Pay Per Click, it can make a profit twice more than SEO. Click rate and visibility As mentioned in 3. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay Per Click, SEO has higher click rate than Pay Per Click while SEOs visibility is lower than Pay Per Click. ROI (Return on Investment) ROI will be an important measure for accountants of all companies because it indicates the effectiveness of an investment. iProspect (2005) conducted a survey with 636 qualified search marketers and 224 qualified search agencies in terms of ROI of SEO and Pay Per Click. In this survey, respondents revealed that SEO (35%) generates approximately three times higher than paid search (11%). The more interesting figure is that even more search marketers (42%) who utilise both SEO and paid search felt that SEO produces a higher ROI than Pay Per Click. Preference Several research present that many online search users have a preference for results from SEO over Pay Per Click. According to a survey conducted by Hotchkiss et al. with 425 respondents, who extremely selected links providing trusted and unbiased information source information (2004), over 77% of participants selected organic links rather than the sponsored link. Furthermore, Hotchkiss (2004) found that even 20% of users who have inefficient experience in online search have confusion about the definition of sponsored link on the search result page. In addition, this research also represented that if sponsored listings were located on the right side of the result page on screen, then many online searchers did not pay attention to or did not perceive the sponsored listings partially. Moreover, in a survey conducted by Jansen and Resnick (2006), 56 participants revealed a bias against sponsored link. In this test, 82% of participants viewed the organic listings first as contrasted with 6% for sponsored link. Additionally, over 73% of the searchers viewed sponsored links just once during the six search times. Accordingly, it can be also anticipated that SEO can acquire more traffic than PPC. Relevance Online searchers found that organic search results are more relevant than sponsored link results in terms of their keywords. According to iProspect (2004), across the four main search engines, Google, Yahoo, Msn, and AOL, 60.5% of respondents found that organic results were more relevant about same query. In particular, about 72% of Google users felt that organic results were more suitable for their keywords. Option choice Although both SEO and Pay Per Click have its distinctive advantages, it will be insisted that SEO is a better option for a small tourism company. In consideration of selecting SEO, sever criteria such as Return on Investment, preference, click rate, traffic rate, and result relevance are considered. First of all, Return on Investment is the most important criterion to select for a small tourism business since it has inefficient budget to implement. Although conversion rate of Pay Per Click is higher than SEO, the firm needs to make a profit as much as possible with limited budget. On the basis of ROI from Table 1, if it utilises SEO rather than Pay Per click for its SEM, it can obtain more effective financial outcome. Next, the preference of search engine users is also critical criterion. Although visibility of Pay Per Click is higher than SEO, if searchers ignore sponsored link, it does not give any effect on a small tourism company. This preference of SEO can lead to higher click rate and traffic rate, which will assist the firm to increase its brand awareness and reputation. For a small tourism business, enhancing brand awareness will be also extremely important as much as earning profits for its long-term outcome. Lastly, a small tourism company needs to always appear on SERPs for query in terms of its company. Since the firm launched recently, if online users search for its company, it is highly likelihood that massive results could show up including totally different results. Accordingly, in order for the users to find its company easily, SEO is a better method than Pay Per Click. Recommendation Though it is insisted that SEO is a better method for a small business tourism company, obviously, its low visibility is a challenge. Furthermore, the performance of SEO depends on search engine algorithm. Accordingly, the position of search result about a small business company could be different, and even it could not appear on SERPs. In order for the firm to be more exposed on SERPs, it needs to use social networking service (SNS) such as Facebook and Twitter. The firm can add its link to SNS, which will lead to higher position on SERPs. This is because external link from other sites has an impact on ranking. Furthermore, it will also increase the firms brand awareness. Conclusion It will be expected that much more companies utilise search engine marketing since consumers increasingly depends on the Internet to search for product or service information. Although there are several sorts of search engine marketing methods, firms with small budgets may have difficult to employ all methods. Accordingly, they need to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of its method, and also consider their financial condition and purpose. Though search engine optimisation and Pay Per Click will have an positive impact on most firms, it will be suggested that a small tourism company utilizes search engine optimisation due to its higher Return on Investment, preference, click rate, traffic rate, and result relevance. However, search engine optimisation also has challenge. Accordingly, firms need to use social networking service to maximize the effect of search engine optimisation. Furthermore, they have to make high quality contents within their website in order to attract onli ne searchers.

Resolving Personal Conflicts Through Assertive Communication Essay

Introduction â€Å"Conflict is a problematic situation that occurs between interdependent people who seek different goals or means to those goals (Cahn & Abigail, 2014).† Perceived differences can affect the relationship adversely if not addressed and is one of the characteristics of conflict. A sense of urgency about the need to resolve the differences are is another characteristics of conflict. While conflict occurs in many places – the workplace, between friends, parents and children, etc., one of the most difficult areas for conflict to occur is in a romantic relationship. Not resolving the conflict can cause resentment and a dampening of the feelings towards one another, and the urgency to resolve the differences is palpable. I have shared the last five years of my life with a friend and former boyfriend, Rob, living in a 40 foot boat. Living in these cramped quarters with someone that you love and get along famously with would be difficult, but living with someone that causes daily conflicts is next to impossible. Rob has been married twice and had been divorced for 13 years when I met him. His general attitude towards relationships is that if you do not like what he does, â€Å"you know where the door is.† I was told this several times during my first year with him. But I thought the good outweighed the bad. I was a full time boater myself, traveling in an older boat before I met Rob and I loved the lifestyle. Traveling with someone else and sharing the expenses made it possible for you to go many more places than you could traveling alone. Dating a man that had some truly good qualities – love and compassion for animals, good sense of humor, enjoying the boating lifestyle as well , love of family - and living in a ... ...at, my situation Rob was resolved by my taking assertive communication steps and requesting that he seek counseling to help deal with his misperceptions about women. I now know about Relational Transgressions, Forgiveness and Reconciliation. But those can only occur between two people willing to work things out. He refused and I moved out. And life is much, much better outside of an atmosphere of constant conflict. Works Cited Cahn, D. D., & Abigail, R. A. (2014).Managing conflict through communication(5th ed.). Boston: Pearson. O’Connor, A. (2009). Lee Marvin’s partner gave the world ‘palimony’. The Age/World. Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au Tavris, C., & Aaronson, E. (2007). Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts. New York: Harcourt.

Dream and Reality in Chinese Literature Essay

Myths and legends had always been a part of early Chinese literature. With the integration of Buddhism and spirituality into the culture, more fables on fantasy, dream and reality, and even spirits and ghosts, were produced as evident in writings from the six dynasties that ensued. The two tales discussed in this paper were written during the Tang Dynasty and they belong to this category, more specifically, as narratives on dream and reality. How does this form of writing effectively present itself to capture the curiosity and attention of its readers? Was it an appropriate style used during its own era and is it still an effective method of story-telling in today’s modern age? And finally, if Buddhism or religion did play a part in influencing or affecting the writing themes of that particular age, where and how does spirituality come into view in the stories discussed in this paper? There are three relevant elements to consider in the dream and reality tale: (1) a vision of grandeur, (2) the illusion of time, and (3) the time-measuring device. This paper shall discuss these significant elements and how they were applied in these stories. Undeniably, the advent and eventual flourishing of arts and literature in the Chinese culture many ages ago has contributed to the over-all development and advancement of human civilization as we now know it. Main Body The Spendthrift and the Alchemist, written by Li Fuyan, is a story of a degenerate man, Du Zichun, who squanders his fortune repeatedly until he is overcome with misery and indignation because his shameful plight. With nothing to eat, he laments his fate accordingly but is continually given increasingly large amounts of money by a mysterious man. However, with money in his hands, his lavish lifestyle makes him forget his good resolutions in exchange for pleasures which always render him penniless. After he is given a huge amount of money for the third time, he thought in gratitude: ‘I have led a dissolute life and run through all my property, and none of my relatives has ever helped me. Now here is this old man who has given me money three times – how can I repay him? ’ So he said to the old man, ‘With this sum I can settle my worldly affairs, make provision for my poor relatives and fulfill all my obligations. I am deeply grateful to you. After my affairs are settled, I shall do whatever you tell me’. ‘That is what I wish,’ was the old man’s reply. (138) This man turns out to be a priest who tries to perform a ritual to immortalize Du Zichun, and it was apparent that his repeated offers of money was to educate Du on how to master and overcome desire for worldly pleasures, all of which were in preparation for the ritual he was intending to perform. The Governor of the Southern Tributary State, written by Li Gongzuo, is a tale about a man, Chunyu Fen, who believes that he has been given high statutory recognition in society, only to discover in the end that all the wealth and power he had unwittingly amassed was just a fantasy and a delusion, as illustrated in the tale’s concluding quatrain: His reputation reaches to the skies, His influence can make a kingdom fall, And yet this pomp and power, after all, Are but an ant-heap in the wise man’s eyes. (69) It is clear that the central theme of these two stories focuses on the futility of man’s worldly accumulation of wealth, recognition and authority. The frustrations and disappointments of Chunyu in his old life fuelled his desire to be a powerful and renowned ruler in his new-found territory. Likewise, Du’s repeated shameful failures in his self-indulgent life propelled him to try and do better. A Vision of Grandeur In this, the main character dreams that he undergoes a long series of experiences in which he ultimately attains a great amount of success after a certain amount of time. He may also undergo a succession of sufferings, or trials and tribulations until it eventually leads to his awakening. In the Governor of the Southern Tributary State, authority, influence and splendor are the essence of a dream by the central character, Chunyu, a frustrated military man and academic. One day, as he lay drunk, he was accompanied by two purple-clad messengers to the Kingdom of Ashendon where he married the king’s daughter and became governor of the Southern Tributary State. As he arrived at the province, all the citizens welcomed him at the gate with much fanfare. The officials of the province, the monks and priests, elders, musicians, attendants and guards had all come out in welcome. The streets were thronged, while drums and bells could be heard for miles around. Chunyu saw a goodly array of turrets and pavilions as he entered the great city gate, above which was inscribed in letters of gold: ‘The Southern Tributary State’. In front there were red windows and a large gate with a fine view into the distance. (64) He ruled well as a governor for twenty years and as a result, the people admired and honored him, erecting monuments and building temples in his name. Not only was he highly-successful in politics, at home he was happily-married and blessed with five sons and two daughters. Life was at its best until tragedy upon tragedy started to invade his life. First his army was defeated by a neighboring kingdom, followed by the untimely death of his wife, until finally he was falsely accused by an enemy in the palace, leading to the king’s hostility toward him. His glory days were over for he had lost all the material wealth and power he thought he had in previous years. Destitute, he fell into a deep moral depression until one day he was sent back to the former life he knew. Again he was escorted by the same purple-clad messengers who first took him to Ashendon. In a dilapidated carriage, they arrived at his former home. Upon seeing his other self still sleeping in the eastern part of the hall, he was terrified and woke up from his dream. He gave an account of his vivid dream to his two companions and they searched the hollow under the ash tree where he was taken. There they found a big hole large enough to hold a couch. Inside were gathered swarms of ants and heaps of earth forming towers and city walls. One ant hill had a small reddish tower where two huge ants lived. They were surrounded by scores of other big ants who prevented other ants from approaching. This was apparently the Ashendon that Chunyu narrated to his friends and the two huge ants were the king and queen. There was another smaller ant hill to its south and it had smaller towers, this was the Southern Tributary State. Chunyu tried to protect this hollow under the ash tree but that night there was a vicious storm and when he came back to the place the following morning, all the ants were gone. In the Spendthrift and the Alchemist, after Du Zichun was repeatedly given large sums of money over a period of years, he was brought to a huge mansion and was given three marble pills and a goblet of wine and instructed to sit on a tiger skin by the west wall, facing east. Before the priest disappeared, he was informed that all sorts of horrible illusions would come before him and that he should not utter a word no matter what he sees. And so it happened that his life was threatened by men and monsters, his body tortured, and his pleading wife murdered in front of him. He was killed and his soul was thrown in hell where the king of hell further tortured his soul. Then he was reborn as a woman, married and even bore a son. During all these experiences he was successful in not uttering a single word, as he was instructed by the priest. But when his little son was killed in front of him, his love for the child made him forget his promise and he uttered an exclamation of horror. At this he suddenly awoke with the mansion starting to burn. When the fire was quelled, the enraged priest told him that had he passed the test, Du Zichun would have become an immortal like him. Mastering joy, anger, sorrow, fear, hate and desire, he failed to overcome love. The Illusion of Time In this element, when the central character falls asleep, his dream seems to occupy a long period of time, but when he awakens, he finds that his sleep has lasted for only a short duration. In The Governor of the Southern Tributary State, Chunyu’s two friends laid him down in the eastern chamber because of his drunkenness, after which they fed the horses and washed their feet. When Chunyu suddenly awoke from his unusual dream, his friends had finished giving fodder to the horses and were still washing their feet but sunset had not yet arrived. He saw his servants sweeping the courtyard. His two guests were still washing their feet by the couch, the slanting sun had not yet set behind the west wall and his unfinished wine was still by the east window – but he had lived through a whole generation in his dream! Deeply moved, he could not help sighing. And when he called his two friends and told them, they were equally amazed. They went out to look for the hollow under the ash tree, and Chunyu, pointing to it, said, ‘This is where I went in the dream. ’ (67) The same happens in The Spendthrift and the Alchemist. When Du Zichun awakens, he finds that he has only been asleep from sunset till dawn, when in fact he has lived for decades in his dream. While the exclamation was still at Du’s lips, he found himself back on the seat in the hall, with the priest before him. It was dawn. Purple flames from the cauldron were shooting up through the roof to the sky, and fire was rising from all sides to burn the house to ashes. ‘Look at what you have done! You have spoilt my work, you silly fellow! ’ exclaimed the priest. Seizing him by the hair, he threw Du into a jar of water. Then the fire was extinguished. (143) The illusion of time presents an additional appeal to the stories, initially because everyone has experienced and questioned this type of illusion since it normally occurs in dreaming and waking cycles, thus making it more readable and interesting. It may also bring into the fore another question: is time itself an illusion? Or, in the paranormal plane of thought which is in harmony with the theme of the two stories: would time, as we know it, elapse in the same rate or pace as that in a paranormal plane or level of existence? Hence, contemplating on this concept: is there even a slim possibility that Chunyu Fen really did experience these events? Did he think himself to be a man living among the ants or an ant living among humans? Which is reality and which is a dream? These are but a few of the questions which may further fascinate and arouse the curiosity of the reader to analyze and seek for answers which elude man’s capacity to comprehend the unexplained and demand enlightenment in simple terms that he can understand. The Time-Measuring Device The stories use material objects to measure the amount of time that actually passes in the dream. For example, the dream may take the space of time it requires to wash horses, cook a meal, or wake up from drunkenness. In the case of The Governor of the Southern Tributary State, the device used to measure the actual amount of time that passed from the moment Chunyu slept to his eventual awakening was the feeding of the horses and washing of the feet. It was also mentioned that the slanting sun had not yet set in the west and his unfinished wine was still by the east window when he awoke. For The Spendthrift and the Alchemist, the device used was the nine-foot high cauldron in the central hall brewing with drugs before Du slept during sunset. When Du awoke in the dawn, purple flames were already shooting up from it through the roof to the sky. The time-measuring devices employed in these tales indispensably complement the illusion of time and provide a necessary medium by which to ascertain the actual duration of the sleeping and waking cycle. Conclusion In The Spendthrift and the Alchemist, we are given a clear visualization of the fickleness and irresoluteness of man in confronting worldly pleasures and immorality. Illusions of joy and artificial bliss are presented as mere distractions or obstacles to a life of moral ideology and righteousness. The story of The Governor of the Southern Tributary State is an account of a mystical phenomenon but it was written primarily to rebuke the over-ambitious who aspire for materialism and power, even at the expense of morality, as stated by the author in the following: In the eighth month of the eleventh year of the Zhen Yuan period (AD 795), while on a journey from Suzhou to Luoyang I had stopped at Huaipu and met Chunyu by chance. I questioned him and looked at the ant-hills, going into his story very thoroughly. Believing it to be quite genuine, I have written this tale for those who may be interested. Although it deals with supernatural and unorthodox things, it may have a moral for the ambitious. Let future readers not think this narrative a mere series of coincidences, and let them beware of taking pride in worldly fame and position! (69) Contemplating both stories, we find the true substance and significance of detaching ourselves from worldly pleasures and desires, and heeding the call of spirituality. In one of the tales, Du Zichun would have achieved immortality had he been successful in mastering himself and overcoming worldly concerns, even love itself, clearly a pervasive doctrine preached in all religions worldwide where man would have everlasting life in paradise if he is willing to set everything else aside, prioritizing God above all, and following the holy teachings of his Church. The dream and reality tales discussed in this paper were effectively presented using an appropriate style of narrative during its time because: (1) it captures the interest and attention of its readers, not only because it touches on the paranormal, mystical or superstitious nature of the Chinese civilization during that era, but also because (2) it delves on the primal nature or tendency of man in desiring excessive material gain and power, a fact that has, time and again, revealed itself in the annals of human history and is still unquestionably in high supply in this modern day and age. Works Cited Li, Fuyan. â€Å"The Spendthrift and the Alchemist† (â€Å"Du Zichun†). Tang Dynasty Stories. Trans. Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang. Beijing: Chinese Literature P, 1986. 136-43. Li, Gongzuo. â€Å"Governor of the Southern Tributary State† (â€Å"Nanke taishou zhuan†). Tang Dynasty Stories. Trans. Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang. Beijing: Chinese Literature P, 1986. 56-69.

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n k m Module Study Guide Global Business Practice West London International Business School West London International Business School Global Business Practice Module Study Guide |Module Code |MS70069E | |Level |7 | |Credits |20 | AY2012-2013 Version No 01  © UWL 2012 Global Business Practice Module Study Guide Contents |Page No. | |Module Leader and Teaching Team Details | | | | | |Facts and figures | | | | |Section A Overview and Content | | |1 Welcome and Introduction to the Module |5 | |2 Administrative and Technical Support | | |3 Timetable/Venue/Rooms | | |4 Student Support and Guidance |6 | |5 Content of the Module |8 | |6 Aims of the Module | | |7 Learning Outcomes | | |8 Learning Resources |10 | | | | |Section B Assessment and Feedback | | |9 Assessment: General Information |11 | |10 Details of Assessment | | |11 Summative Assessment Grid |14 | |12 Statement on Plagiarism | | |13 Evaluation of the Module | | |14 Personal Development Plan (PDP) | | |15 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | | | | | |Section C Module Programme | | |16 Guide to Learning Sessions |15 | | | | Module Leader and Teaching Team Details Module Leader |Roger Cook | |Field and School |Strategy, Marketing & Supply Chain Management, | | |West London International Business School. | |Email |roger. [email  protected] ac. uk | |Phone |0208-231-2470 | |Location |Paragon – Annex | Module Tutor |Alex Dalzell | |Field and School |Strategy, Marketing & Supply Chain Management, | | |West London International Business School. | |Email |alex. [email  protected] ac. uk | |Phone |0208-231-2130 | |Location |Paragon – Annex | Module Tutor |Jessie Ren | |Field and School |Strategy, Marketing & Supply Chain Management, | | |West London International Business School. | |Email |[email  protected] ac. uk | |Phone | | |Location | | Facts and Figures Module Code |MS70069E | |Level |7 | |Credits |20 | | | | |Total Guided Learning Hours |200 | |Consisting of: | | |Teaching Contact Hours |42 | |Guided Independent Study Hours |158 | | | | | | | |Assessment: | | |Percentage of final marks assessed by: | | | | | |Coursework |100% | | | | Section A Overview and Content Welcome and Introduction to the ModuleWelcome to this Level 7 module: Global Business Practice. This is a core compulsory module for all the Business and Management Masters programmes within the West London International Business School. The module examines the shifts occurring globally in production patterns, economic activity, and industry evolution. The changing contours of the global economic map reflect new trends in production, trade and FDI and increasing complexity in the global economy. Much of this change is technologically driven which particularly impacts on financial services and flows of capital. This drives the need for businesses to innovate in production, supply, distribution and marketing processes.Corporate architectures are also shifting and the module examin es emerging transnational corporations, looking at why and how TNC’s develop and their relationship to the nation states in which they operate. The state’s role as competitor, collaborator, regulator and container is examined, together with the dynamics of the bargaining processes between the Nation State and the TNC. The module also develops an understanding of Governance issues and CSR for TNCs, and how issues of people, profit and planet interrelate. 2Administrative and Technical Support The administrators for the module are Jackie Forbes-Steers and Susan Broomfield. (TC375) 3. Timetable/Venue/Rooms Rooms as per Masters programme timetable. 4. Student Support and Guidance West London Online (Blackboard)All the key information you require to complete this module will be made available through West London Online (Blackboard). Please check the module site regularly for additional resources or information made available while the module is running. Updates or changes wi ll be communicated to you via Blackboard announcements and/or email – so please also ensure that you check your student email account regularly. Help and support There are Help Pages at http://uwl. ac. uk/westlondononline – these provide guidance for all students in making use of the University's online learning platforms. All technical issues with Blackboard, Turnitin and PebblePad should be reported to the IT Service Desk. You can do so by: †¢ Talking to staff in any IT Suite or Library Calling 0300 111 4895 (internal phone extension 4895) †¢ Emailing [email  protected] ac. uk Learning Support Learning Support is free and available to all UWL students. Your first point of contact for any enquiry about support available for writing, maths, structuring essays, revision techniques, or any other support you require with academic skills is learning. [email  protected] ac. uk . You will also find online self-help and self-tests on academic writing, plagiarism , grammar and punctuation and time management. This is available at Study Support Online. Look for the link to Study Support Online when you log on to West London Online (Blackboard) http://online. uwl. ac. uk .The University also offers you the opportunity to test and improve your own academic skills at leisure, in your own time. This test is free and available for the duration of the course. It can be found on the Study Support Online community inside West London Online (Blackboard). Look for the link to Study Support Online when you log on at http://online. uwl. ac. uk One-Stop-Shop Students can benefit from a variety of support services during their studies. The One-Stop-Shop offers professional services which are free, impartial and confidential. They offer information, advice and guidance to students in a variety of ways e. g. face to face, telephone, email, Skype.They aim to answer all your questions, or direct you to someone who you can talk to. They are located on Ground Fl oor, C Block, St. Mary’s Road, Ealing with a satellite service to Paragon and Reading, including drop-in sessions (these are advertised on each site). Opening hours:Monday to Thursday9. 00 to 5. 00pm Friday10. 00 to 5. 00pm For further information on each area go to: http://www. uwl. ac. uk/students/Support_for_students. jsp Email: [email  protected] ac. uk Telephone: 020 8231 2573 / 2991 / 2739 The University Library The University Library provides a wide range of services, resources, advice and help to support teaching, learning and research across the institution.There are two physical libraries: †¢ The main campus Library in St Mary’s Road, which comprises of four floors †¢ The Health Library on the second floor of Paragon House †¢ There is also a virtual library at the Berkshire Hub providing access to all our e-resources and which is fully supported with professional Library and IT help and advice. All students are automatically members of the Li brary. The Unique card is also the Library card, and borrowing rights are automatically set according to course and status. Self-service machines are available at all Libraries, allowing for independent borrowing when service desks are not staffed.The Academic Support Librarians provide help and support throughout the learner journey, running training sessions on a regular basis on topics such as Reworks and referencing, or database search strategies, and offering one-to-one advice on finding detailed resources for assignments by appointment. Further information including opening hours and contact details is available at: http://library. uwl. ac. uk/use/sites/opening_hours. html 5. Content of the Module 1. Global shift: Introduction to scope of the module Nature and scope of globalisation: Economic shifts, production patterns, and TNC activity. The role of information technology in economic transformation and product and process innovation. Geographies of technological innovation. 2 .Complexity in the global economy Features, actors and characteristics. Unravelling complexity Global shift: Changing contours of global economic map: production, trade and FDI. 3. Transnational corporations Why and how TNC’s develop. Internal and external networks. Structural types. Global and multinational business models. 4. Role of the state State’s role as competitor, collaborator, regulator and container. Bargaining processes between the State and TNC’s. 5. Governance and CSR for TNC’s States, Institutions, and issues of Corporate Governance. TNC’s and CSR. Ethics in International Business 6. International Trade Theory Benefits of Trade Patterns of Trade.Instruments of trade Policy 7. Foreign Direct Investment Trends, directions, shifting ideologies 8. Regional Economic Integration The case for / against its development. Implications for international companies. 9. Global monetary system Functions of foreign exchange market. Functions of Glob al Capital Markets 10. Global logistics and international trade Logistics and international trade. Procurement and outsourcing. 11. Global food industry Food supply and production processes. Corporate strategies in the food industry. 12. Production and Supply Chain Strategies Lean production. Supply chain strategies Agile supply chains / mass customisation. 13.Global fashion industry Clothing supply and production processes. Corporate strategies in the clothing industry. 14. Global car industry Car supply and production processes. Corporate strategies in the car industry. 6. Aims of the Module 1. Highlight a range of pertinent issues appropriate to the understanding and analysis of global business developments and shifting economic activity and power. 2. Examine the role of supply chain management within the global economy as a whole. 3. Examine the role of TNC’s supply chain management within the growth of the global economy. 4. Highlight the importance of sustainability wit hin global business models. 5.To explore issues relating to global institutional governance and corporate social responsibility and business ethics in the global economy. 7. Learning Outcomes 1. Critically evaluate key issues appropriate to the role and power of TNC’s. 2. Identify the main factors related to effective global supply chain management. 3. Conceptualise the role of sustainable business models in the global economy. 4. Debate the importance of CSR and ethics in international business. 5. Research the likely winners and losers in a shifting global business environment. 6. Critically evaluate key issues appropriate to global economic shifts. 8. Learning Resources Library Services (including e-resources)UWL’s Library Services offer the best possible learning environment, with one of the largest, electronic collections of resources in the higher education sector. We have invested heavily in updating our traditional library and computing facilities. They provide workstations offering full internet access. There is also an extensive collection of electronic databases covering virtually all subjects. The libraries hold a substantial stock of specialist books and journals, housed in a combination of open and private study areas. There is also a wireless network available for personal laptops within each library. Support staff at each library can help you get the most from the resources, and subject-specialist librarians can help with more detailed research queries.Self-issue machines for book loans in/out of service hours are available in Ealing and Brentford. UWL is a member of the Society of College, National and UK Libraries (SCONUL), and M25 Libraries consortia. These organizations allow access to other HE institutions’ libraries and specialist libraries within London and throughout the UK. Student learning resources Essential Reading: †¢ Dicken,P (2009) Global Shift, London: Sage †¢ Hill,C. (2012) International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace Maidenhead: McGraw Hill Other recommended texts (Relevant chapters will be used in the module for specific topics): †¢ Crane and Matten (2010) Business Ethics, Oxford De Wit and Meyer (2010) Strategy, an international perspective, C-Engage †¢ Mangan et al, (2011), Global Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Wiley Other useful texts (these provide useful additional reading and plenty of examples): †¢ Christopher, Martin (2011), Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Prentice Hall †¢ Hargroves, K. C & M. H. Smith (2006), The Natural Advantage of Nations London: Earthscan. †¢ Malin, C (2010), Corporate Governance, Oxford: OUP †¢ Tricker, (2012) Corporate Governance, Oxford: OUP †¢ Sandel, M. J (2009), Justice, London: Allen Layne. †¢ Singer, P (2002), One World, Melbourne: Text. †¢ Starkey, R & R. Welford (2005), Business and Sustainable Development, Earthscan.Blackboard: The UWL e-learning platform contain s all the module material including the module study guide, lecture slides, tutorial commentary and links to useful websites. Section B Assessment and Feedback 9. Assessment: General Information Assessment for the module consists of coursework weighted at 50% and a final assignment weighted at 50%. The pass mark for the module is 50%; in addition a minimum of 50% must be obtained in both pieces of assessment. 10. Details of Assessment Assessment 1 Briefing: 1. The purpose of the essay is to ascertain how companies may best be structured and organised to conduct international business activities 2.Your work should evidence a clear understanding of the respective nature and roles of TNC’s and Nation states and the tensions that exist in their respective powers, influence and operations. 3. You should display evidence of current debates and also consider the changing contours of global business practice in coming years. 4. You should also make reference to the role and influence of global institutions ( such as WTO and the World Bank ) and C. S. O’s. 5. Your work should evidence an understanding of Institutional Governance and C. S. R. 6. You will be marked on your argument and on the quality of supporting evidence and examples, not on your opinion which may be freely expressed, but should be justified in your discussion. Assessment 2 Briefing: 1.Your work should evidence a clear understanding of international trade and supply chain management in your chosen transnational company. You will need to consider: a. The procurement of raw materials / materials / components / sub-assemblies / services. b. An overview of the production/ service processes used by the transnational company should make reference to lean production/ service techniques. c. You will also need to describe the distribution of finished products to the market. 2. Your report should be supported by appendices giving a supply chain diagram(s) and a table giving key economic / financial data relating to the status of your chosen transnational companies international trade. 3.You will be marked on your understanding and analysis of the economic and supply chain strategies employed by your trans-national company and also by the use of models and concepts to illustrate economic and supply management issues. ASSESSMENT GRID |Organisation / Coherence and Clarity of | | | | | |Expression |25 |0 – 8 |9 – 17 |18 – 25 | |Introduction. | |Poorly organised as well as |Reasonable structure with some|Very good structure with a clear| |Clear and logical structure. |broadly illogical structure |consistent and logical |and logical structure as well as| |Presentation. | |with unjustifiable |conclusions. Presentation of |reasonably deduced conclusions. | |Relevant issues discussed. | |conclusions. |a reasonable standard. |Excellent presentation. | |Soundly based conclusions. | | |Comments clear enough though |Fluent commentary with excellent| |References and qu ality of academic | |Poor spelling and grammar as |there remains room for |spelling and use of grammar. | |literature. | |well as vague comments with |improvement | | |Clear, articulate and fluent expression. |little or no insight into the | | | |Accurate spelling and grammar. | |real issues. | | | | | | | | | |Content |25 |0 – 8 |9 – 17 |18 – 25 | |The contents must be relevant | |Incorrect application of |Reasonable application of |Very good application of | |Application of theory to practice. | |concepts and principles. |theoretical concepts. |concepts and principles. | | | | | | | | | | | | |Level of Analysis and Synthesis |25 |0 – 8 |9 – 17 |18 – 25 | |Clear, critical, incisive analysis and | |Largely a descriptive exercise|Some evidence of critical |Clear evidence of critical and | |comment well integrated and evaluated as | |with little or no meaningful |analysis with some evidence of|incisive analysis well | |appropriate. | |analy sis. |evaluative and synthesised |integrated into the work as well| | | | |work. |as relevant evaluation and | | | | | |synthesis. | | | | | | |Application of Methodology |25 |0 – 8 |9 – 17 |18 – 25 | |Choice of models and concepts to | |Largely inappropriate choice |Reasonable choice of models |Excellent selection of models | |illustrate economic and supply management| |of models and concepts. |and concepts for the most part|and concepts, clearly and | |issues. | | |though not always convincing |convincingly applied and | | | | |in application. |explained. | 11. Summative Assessment Grid |Type of assessment |Module learning |Word |Due date (week |Threshold |Pass |Weighting | | |outcomes |count or equivalent |no. | |Mark | | |Individual management |2,3,5,6 |2,000 |15 |35% |50% |50% | |report: TNC economic & | | | | | | | |supply chain management | | | | | | | 12. Statement on Plagiarism Plagiarism is defined as the presentation by a student of work for asses sment which is not his/her own, in the sense that all or part of the work has been copied from that of another person (whether published or not) without attribution, or the presentation of another's work as if it were his/her own.Any student who knowingly permits another student to plagiarise his/her own work will also be regarded as having breached the General Regulations. Self-plagiarism can also occur if a student does not reference their own, previous, work. See also: Student Handbook Section 3. University Regulations and Student Code of Conduct For further advice on plagiarism go to the UWL website: http://www. uwl. ac. uk/students/current_students/Advice_to_students_on_plagiarism. jsp As detailed in Section 4 above, the Learning Support Team are available to help with any issues you may have with academic writing and referencing. 13. Evaluation of the Module The module will be evaluated on line by students. 14. Personal Development Plan (PDP) Not relevant to postgraduate stude nts 15.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) This is a new module, any queries to be answered in seminars Section C Module Programme 16. Guide to Learning Sessions |Theme Number |1 | |Theme |Introduction | |Key concepts / issues |Overview of global business development: economics, | | |production patterns, CSR and TNCs. | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Both assignments | |Essential Reading |Dicken – Chapters 1, 4 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 1 | | |De Wit & Meyer – Chapter 10 | |Independent Study |Read in Hill: Starbucks( p. 36,7) | | |Healthcare (p. 2) | |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |2 | |Theme |Global Shift | |Key concepts / issues |Changing contours of global economic map: Features, actors | | |and complexity | |Delivery metho d |Lecture/Tutorial. | |Formative assessment opportunities Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Both assignments | |Essential Reading |Dicken – Chapter 2,3 | |Background Reading |De Wit & Meyer – Chapter 1 | |Independent Study |Read in Hill:Indonesia (p:64) | |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |3 | |Theme |Transnational corporations | |Key concepts / issues |Why and how TNC’s develop. Internal and external networks. | | |Structural types. Global and multinational business models. | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Both assessments | |Essential Reading |Dicken – Chapter 5 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 14 | | |De Wit & Meyer – Chapter 10 | |Independent Study |Read in Hill:Microsoft (p. 484,Tata:615) | |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | Theme Number |4 | |Theme |Role of the state | |Key concepts / issues |State’s role as competitor, collaborator, regulator and | | |container. | | |Bargaining processes between the State and TNC’s. | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Both assessments | |Essential Reading |Dicken – Chapter 6 | |Background Reading |Dicken – Chapter 7 | |Independent Study |Read in Hill:Japan (p. 5) | |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |5 | |Theme |Governance and CSR for TNC’s | |Key concepts / issues |States and issues of Institutional Governance. TNC’s and | | |CSR. Ethics in International Busi ness | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to summative assessment |Final assessment. | |Essential Reading |Dicken – Chapters 15,16,17 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 5 | |Independent Study |Read in Hill:Etch a Sketch (p. 72) | |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |6 | |Topic |International Trade Theory | |Key concepts / issues |Benefits, Trends, directions, political economy and | | |instruments of policy | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Both assessments | |Essential Reading |Hill – Chapter 6 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 7 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |7 | |Theme |Foreign Direct Investment | |Key concepts / issues |Trends, types ,and theories | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Both assessments | |Essential Reading |Hill – Chapter 8 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 15 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |8 | |Theme |Regional Economic Integration | |Key concepts / issues |Case for and against further integrations – implications | | |for TNC’s | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Both assessments | |Essential Readi ng |Hill – Chapter 9 | |Background Reading |Dicken – Chapter 14 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |9 | |Theme |Global Monetary system | |Key concepts / issues |Functions of foreign exchange market | | |Functions of Global Capital Markets | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Both assessments | |Essential Reading |Hill – Chapter 10 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 12 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. | |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | Theme Number |10 | |Theme |Global logistics | | |and international trade | |Key concepts / issues |Logistics and international trade. | | |Procurement and outsourcing. | | Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Final assessment | |Essential Reading |Mangan – Chapters 1, 2, 3 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapters 16, 17 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |11 | |Topic |Global food industry | |Key concepts / issues |Food production processes. Corporate strategies – food | | |industries | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Final assessment | |Essential Reading |Dicken – Chapter 9 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 15, 17 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |12 | |Theme |Production and Supply | | |Chain Strategies | |Key concepts / issues |Lean production. Agile supply chains and mass | | |customisation. |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. | |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Final assessment. | |Essential Reading |Mangan – Chapter 4 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 17 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |13 | |Theme |Global fashion industry | |Key concepts / issues |Clothing supply and production processes. Corporate | | |strategies in the clothing industry | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessm ent |Final assessment. | |Essential Reading |Dicken – Chapter 10 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 5, 17 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | |Theme Number |14 | |Theme |Global car industry | |Key concepts / issues |Car supply and production processes. | | |Corporate strategies in the car industry | |Delivery method |Lecture/Tutorial. |Formative assessment opportunities |Tutorials questions offer opportunities for formative | | |self-assessment | |Links to assessment |Final assessment | |Essential Reading |Dicken – Chapter 11 | |Background Reading |Hill – Chapter 17 | |Independent Study |Practice tutorial questions. | |Links to Blackboard |Lecture slides and commentary to tutorials will be | | |available on Bb. | ———————– Assessment task: †¢ Essay: ‘The Nation State is d ead, long live the TNC’. Critically assess the changing relationships between TNC’s and nation states. Weighting: 50% Date/time/method of submission: Week 9 Word count or equivalent: 2,000 wordsAssessment criteria & marking grid: see below. Timing of feedback: Week 12. Students will be given written feedback. There will also be verbal collective feedback for the whole group. Assessment task: †¢ An individual Management Report: Analysing how international trade and supply chain strategies are implemented, supported, delivered and developed in a chosen trans-national company agreed with your tutor. Weighting: 50% Date/time/method of submission: Week 15 Word count or equivalent: 2,000 words Assessment criteria & marking grid: see below. Timing of feedback: After Module Assessment Board. There will be an opportunity for students to prepare for the re-sit assignment.

Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth -19 years Essays

Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth -19 years Essays Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth -19 years Essay Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth -19 years Essay Essay Topic: 12 Angry Men The Birth Mark Explain the sequence and rate of each aspect of development from birth -19 1. 1 years Childrens development for each age can be divided into fiver different aspects: Physical; Communication and Language; Intellectual and Cognitive; Social, Emotional and Behavioural and, from the age of 3 years Moral Development. Birth 3 weeks Full term babies are born at around 40 weeks; if they are born more than 3 weeks before the due date they are classed as premature and will then be expected to take a little longer to meet the early development milestones. Newborn babies need to bond with their primary carers from birth. Babies will spend more time sleeping than they will awake. Physical Development: At birth babies depend on reflexes such as rooting, grasping and suckling to enable them to feed or grasp. Physical development at this stage is usually very rapid. Communication and Language Development: They will cry to communicate hunger, tiredness and distress Intellectual/Cognitive Development: They can recognise their mothers or primary carers voice Social, Emotional and Behavioural Development: They begin to bond with their primary carers, they need close physical contact with them to feel secure. They are totally dependent on others. 1 Month frequently and may be settling into a feeding and sleeping routine. They might begin to communicate with sounds as well as crying and may be beginning to smile. When sitting the head falls forwards (head lag) and the back curves. Reflexes persist but the startle reflex is seen less frequently. They will gaze attentively at faces especially when fed and talked to. Although still communicating needs by crying will begin to use other sounds and to coo and gurgle in response. They may be soothed by familiar voices or music and are beginning to use their senses for exploration They begin to smile, respond to sounds and to be engaged by peoples faces. 3 Months Babies will usually by now be far more alert and some may have settled into a routine that includes sleeping through the night. Physical Development: By 3 months they can usually turn from side to back, lift their head in the prone position arms and legs can wave and kick and hold objects such as a rattle for short periods of time. They can usually recognise and link familiar sounds, respond to conversation with sounds and return smiles By using their senses babys are becoming aware that they are a separate person. They also begin to notice objects in their vicinity. understand that the person will come back. They react positively when a carer is caring kind and soothing but may stop trying to interact if the carer does not react to him or her. 6 Months Rapid development will have continued. Babies are physically stronger and very alert. They can now express enjoyment and excitement though noises and facial expressions. They can also reach out for objects they are interested in At 6 months they can usually turn from front to back, sit unsupported with the head controlled while sitting; bear weight when held in the standing position, and will use palmar grasp to pick up objects which they can then pass from hand to hand.. Sounds are used intentionally to attract a carers attention. They can babble and enjoy the sounds they make as well as music and rhymes They are very alert and interested in bright, shiny objects which they will put in their mouths to explore They are able to express a wider range of feelings more clearly and vocally, they can laugh with delight but cry at the sight of a stranger. They can clearly tell people apart and express a preference for those they are familiar with. They reach out to be eld and may stop crying when talked to, They like to look at themselves in the mirror. Months Babies are much more mobile at this stage and can explore their environment. Their increased strength means they can sit for longer. They begin to understand some familiar words and that carers who leave the room will return (object permanence) be crawling, pull themselves to standing and take steps with support and uses an inferior pincer grasp to pick up objects. They can use a wider range of sounds and recognise familiar words such as no and their own name. T hey enjoy conversations and respond with longer strings or abbling sounds and can vary the volume of those sounds intentionally. They enjoy exploring their environment and begin to look for fallen objects (object permanence) They enjoy playing games such as peek-a-boff, they will offer objects but not let go. They can begin to feed themselves, with support 12 Months Babies have much increased mobility and are beginning to walk. Fine motor skills such as the pincer grasp are developing. Babbling will gradually turn into their first recognisable words. By age one; they have much more control over their bodies. They may be crawling or tarting to walk. They can usually throw objects, clap hands together use a sophisticated pincer grasp and begin to feed themselves. They will have a greater understanding of the basic messages communicated by others and can respond to basic instructions. Babbling increasingly sounds like speech and leads to the first single words being spoken They look for objects that fall out of sight, understanding that they still exists. Their memory develops and the memory of events past will lead to the anticipation of Their sense of self identity increases and self-esteem and self-confidence develop. They wave goodbye when prompted initially then eventually will do it spontaneously. They are happy to play alone or with other children for increasing amounts of time. 5 Months Language is really developing and children understand and use an increasing number of single words. At 15 months they can usually walk independently, crawl up and down (feet first) stairs, turn the pages of a book, make a tower of 2 blocks and hold a beaker when drinking. rto crawl, shuffle, pulling or pushing on things to stand etc. They will have a gr eater understanding of the concept of labels such as you me mine yours. Vocabulary of single words is increasing They will put away and look for familiar objects in the right place. They will play with toys correctly e. g. put a doll in a cot and are becoming more interested in the activities of other children. They are becoming more curious and want to explore more as long as carers are close by. They may show signs of separation anxiety e. g. become upset when left at nursery. They may show off to entertain carers. They may become possessive of toys or carers and can become Jealous if attention is given to other children. They can be very changeable emotionally and alternate between wanting to be ndependent and wanting carers around. They may have tantrums. They can be distracted from inappropriate behaviour 18 Months Children are becoming increasingly independent and become easily frustrated if become defiant and resistant to adults. They are not yet able to control their emotions and can become overwhelmed by their emotions. By 18 months they are usually walking confidently, walking up and down stairs with assistance, propelling themselves on ride-on toys, rolling and throwing balls, using a delicate pincer grasp, making large scribbles with crayons and can use door handles. They will understand a lot of what is said and are using more words themselves including peoples names They will use trial and error in exploration. They have a better understanding of what it means to be an individual. They are very curious and eager to explore. They can become quickly frustrated if unable to do what they want. They like to follow carers and Join in with their activities. They play alongside their peers for longer (parallel play)and may imitate them. They can be emotionally volatile but start to show sympathy for others. Years Childrens individuality is emerging. They are using short sentences. They are still struggling with their overwhelming emotions but are beginning to understand that actions have consequences. By the age of 2 children will usually be running confidently, climbing, walking up and down stairs alone, kicking balls, building towers with more blocks, Joining and separating interlocking toys and mark making on paper will progress to scribbles and the n recognisable shapes. They will often name objects and use short sentences although some words may be used incorrectly e. g. l goed out They can complete simple Jigsaw puzzles and can understand that actions have consequences. They are beginning to understand their own emotions and can identify happy and sad faces. They are still experiencing a wide range of very changeable emotions which is expressed in their behaviour; they can become angry with other children and lash out, pushing or biting them. They are becoming more aware and responsive to other peoples emotions. They respond to carers lovingly and may initiate loving gestures such as cuddles. 3 Years As children are able to express themselves more verbally tantrums will decrease. Many children will be starting pre-school and they are becoming more interested in he activities of others and playing with their peers as they are more able to understand taking turns and sharing. At 3 years children begin to gain more independence. Their mobility and climbing skills will be advancing as they run, Jump, catch, walk up and down stairs. Dexterity increases with small objects like puzzles, threading beads. Dressing and undressing will be assisted but more cooperative. They will have more pencil control and will begin to copy letters and shapes, and draw people. Ball games will develop more structure as they begin to kick with aim. They will begin to learn to hop on one foot, hen the other and also to skip. They enjoy stories and rhymes. Their vocabulary develops and they will use plurals, pronouns, adjectives, possessives and tenses. can name colours and sort items into simple sets. They can count 3 or 4 objects and may be able to count to ten by rote. They begin to recognise their own written name. They play imaginatively and creatively. They can tell carers how they are feeling and empathise with the feelings of others. They can use the toilet and wash their hands. They can dress and undress. They enjoy imaginary and creative play. They enjoy the company of peers and make friends. They want adult approval and will be affected by the mood of carers. They are usually less rebellious and less likely to physically express anger. Moral Development: They are increasingly able to understand the consequences of behaviour and also to understand the concept of saying sorry. 4 years Many children will start school during this year. By now they are usually fluent talkers, confident movers and adept socially. Their concentration span will be increasing and many children will be familiar with planned learning activities. They can change direction while running, walk in a straight line, hop safely and onfidently climb and slide on apparatus. They can bounce and catch balls and take aim. They can build a tower of 10 blocks. They are learning to fasten most buttons and zips, to use scissors to cut basic shapes, draw people with basic heads, bodies and limbs and write names and letters. They can usually speak fluently and can be understood by people who do not know the child. As language is understood more deeply so the enjoyment of stories and rhymes increases. They can usually complete puzzles of up to 12 pieces. As memory increases children will remember more stories and songs. Concentration span increases. Fantasy and making skills. Objects and items can be sorted into more complex group and their understanding of number concepts increases. They may be aware of gender roles, if exposed to them. Friendship with peers is increasingly valued, and they enjoy playing with other children. Their control over their emotions increases and they can wait to have their needs met by their carers. As the childs imagination increases they may become more fearful of abstract/ imaginary concepts such as the dark or monsters. They are learning to negotiate and get along with others through experimenting with behaviour. Distraction works less often but the child increasingly understands reasoning and they respond well to praise for behaviour, encouragement and responsibility. They experience being blamed and blaming; have a good understanding of familiar basic rules and if they are exposed to swearing are likely to use these words in their own language. Years Children will now be in formal education many will enjoy the stimulation and challenges but some may find it a negative experience especially if they do not enjoy reading and writing. Friends are very important to them. Physical development slows down but coordination increases. Their balance is usually good, they can control a ball well and ride a bike with stabilisers. As their sense of rhythm increases they enjoy dance and movement activities. Writing becomes more legible, they can usually write short, familiar words. They are learning to read and their vocabulary is increasing, generally most children will know over 2000 words. as they learn to read their enjoyment of books increases. Their thinking skills and memory increase as vocabulary grows. Learning style preferences may become apparent. For some children the school transition may be unsettling. They enjoy group play nd co-operative activities and they increasingly understand the rules of social conduct and rules of games although they may have difficulty accepting losing. They have an increasing sense of their own personality and gender. They are keen to fit- in with others and look for approval from adults and peers and time out methods of behaviour management may be effective . They are far more independent and can mostly look after their own physical care needs. They may seek attention showing off in front of adults and peers. They will feel shame/guilt when an adult disapproves of their behaviour. They are keen to win and to be right. -7 years Children are strongly influenced by what they learn at school and can increasingly compare this with what they learn at home. Development slows down now but confidence and learning usually increase. They can usually hop on either leg, ride a bicycle without stabilisers, catch a ball in 1 hand and may be able to tie shoelaces. Language is more refined and they enjoy Jokes and word play. Imagination skills are developed; they may play complex, dramatic fantasy games. Some children will be reading and writing basic text. They are able to predict and plan ahead. Their numeracy skills develop they can usually understand simple

Six Frat Boys essays

Six Frat Boys essays The premise of this film is that there are six college aged students who represent six different stereotypes. There is a frat-boy type who attends every party on campus, a feminist activist who is offended by everything, computer-science major who spends his time making websites, a sweet, but somewhat flighty girl who is constantly being hit on, an armature rapper who makes up lyrics for everything he wants to say, and a wiccan girl who is constantly trying out new spells and incantations. These six students seem to have nothing in common with each other, but there is one central character that ties them all together. He is a slightly goofy student that makes extra cash by selling the answers to tests to students. Each of these students calls upon him and when he visits them they tell him their reasoning for needing his services instead of studying. As the plot unfolds and bits and pieces of the story are told, it turns out that each character is intertwined some way in the plot. Wh en each person is telling their version of the story, the other characters come off as being an exaggerated version of the stereotype they represent, to show how we sometimes classify people without getting to know them. The six people had all attended a party the previous weekend, without really knowing who each other were. The feminist character was attending the party to be able to write about the way women were treated at such events and when shes there she discovers the ditsy and decides to write about her and how misguided she is, but then ends up envying the attention she gets from all the males. The frat boy as a joke from his frat brothers follows the feminist around to try to mess with her, but ends up discovering she is not the man hating person everyone thought she was. The computer nerd was brought to the party by the rapper who wants him to make a website for his rap group and the computer guy ends up staying for the party and the two re...

Audit Assurance and Compliance for Accountability- myassignmenthelp

The main information is seen to be based on the various types of eh compliance which is seen to be based on the financial report of DIPL. This has been further seen to be based on the development pertaining to the audit plan with the various types of the guidelines generated in the audit process. In particular this has been seen to be helpful for the assessor in the consideration of the various types of the consideration made in the audit cost as per the assists in the aversion in the aversion for misunderstanding of the clientele data. The various aspects of the analytical data has been further seen to be associated to the dissemination of the information based on the financial declarations of the company. The important aspect of the process has been further based on the specific approach of the financial declarations, financial analysts and accountants for taking vital business decisions (Mahmoud Hosseinniakani, Inà ¡cio and Mota 2014). The analytical approach has been further considered as per the common sizing and analyse the reference point. The comparison of the financial statement has been considered as per the different types of the methods seen to be conducive for different period in different corporations. The ratio analysis of the company has been further seen to be considered as per the financial declarations of the audit (Adams and Evans 2004). Explanation of the way the results influence planning decisions for the audit The planning of the decisions has been further seen to be considered as per the audit planning when necessary. The results of the analytical process have been considered as per the classification of the financial statements as per the relevant information. For example, the various types of the outcomes of the ratio has been taken into account as per the current ratio of DIPL. This has been computed as 1.42 in 2013, 1.46 in 2014 and 1.5 in 2015. The main aspect of the profitability has been further seen to be 0.068 in 2013, 0.60 in 2014 and 0.06 in 2015. The various aspects of the profitability have been further able to reveal that the net income earned by the firm has been compared to sales from DIPL   (Ruhnke and Schmidt 2014). The assessor needs to understand the reason for high or low expenses to curtail the budget and time. The various types of fluctuations in the ratio are conducive for audit assessment with the soundness in the financial position. Comparably in 2013 and 2015, the solvency ratio is discerned as 0.62 and 0.21(Ghani and Rahman 2015). The important aspect of auditing has been able to show several incidences of material misstatements in the financial announce with a particular company. The various types of the risks have been further related to the financial misstatements with the financial declarations of the corporation. The risks have been further assessed as financial as well as non-financial factors. Despite of this fact the other related risks are seen to be related with omission and diverse errors, which are further seen to be diverse in nature for the operations of business in DIPL (Knechel 2016). As per the given situation the various transactions has been omitted by accountants. This has been directed sequentially with the inconsistencies particular to the essential planning with the sales activity. The depictions made from the study has further disclosed about the accomplishment in terms of the profit generated from sales. The analysis off the given case has been further seen to be associated to the IT implementation process related to certain issues. DIPL is not adequate to handle the execution process and the installation of the reconciliation and the testing of new arrangement at the year end (Kilgore, Harrison and Radich 2014). The cash receipts have been recorded as per the inherent risk present in the company and the same has been suspected based on the material misstatement consideration. Excessive pressure on employees and management- The excess work pressure among the members and the staff has been further related to poor bookkeeping practice. The various attributes has considered as per the poor liquidity, operating outcome and issues in the cash flow (Schmidt, Wood and Grabski 2016). Risks of errors or else incorrect misrepresentation- The main form of the intricacies and the errors has been misrepresented simultaneously (Duncan and Whittington 2014). Integrity of the entire management- The management team of DIPL is seen to lack the required integrity and the expectation to prepare the reputational loss in the business. Unusual pressure on management- The existence of the incentives for the management is based on the issues associated to exits incentives for the misstatements in the pecuniary declarations. Nature of entity business- The growth in the major economies has been seen to be competitive in this circumstance. The aforementioned aspects of the inherent risk of the business have been further based on the consideration to analyse the planning structure of the audit (Gul, Wu and Yang 2013). Identification and explanation of two key fraud risk factors relating to misstatements arising from fraudulent financial reporting The main risks indicated has been considered as per the amount loss incurred based on the fraud. The dissatisfaction among the workforce is based on the employees inducing their involvement in fraud. The various types of the consideration have been further based on specific financial outcomes in terms of changing of the guarantees generated (Kubuabola 2013). Fraud incidence for workforce engagement The main aspects of the fraud risk has been further considered as per the operation of DIPL. The operations of DIPL have been further based on consideration of novel accounting system. The pressure from the employees has been seen to be carried in the installation process for the new IT systems leading to fraud in accounting. The revealing of the IT system has also showed that the engagement in the fraudulent activities has led to the material statement in the audit statement. The various discussions of the study have been also able to show that incidence of improper handling of the IT procedure and allocation of transactions at the end of every year. This may further lead to loss by the end of every year. The different types of the discussions of the study has been further able to show the various incidences associated to the improper handling of the process and the IT and the improper allocation of the transactions during the end of each year (Christensen, Glover and Wood 2013). The fraud in the financial report has been seen to be another important risk factor. At times, due to excessive pressure it has been observed that the outside financiers will be able to declare the various types of the specific announcements made by the financial management to adhere to the certain goals to qualify for the acquisition of the debt. The high nature of the risk has been further seen to be associated to the improper financial considerations. The financial position of DIPL has been further able to depict the different considerations for the increasing trend of revenue from 2013 to 2015.In addition to this; the current asset of DIPL has increased to a considerable level. The gross profit has also increased from 2013 to 2015. The main considerations of the study has been taken with loan amounting to 7.5 million particularly in the loan agreement by maintaining current ratio of 1.5 and the debt equity has been seen to be lower than 1. This particular requirement has been rel ated to the considerations made in terms of improper reflection of the financial position. The company failed in terms of the maintaining the prescribed benchmark which will be able to relate to make the company eligible for the non- eligible finance of BDO (Ackers and Eccles 2015). As per the case study, the valuation of the raw materials of the inventory has been considered at a certain average cost which has been not seen to be appropriate with the present cost considerations. This is because the cost on paper was more than the average cost. The risk associated to the fraudulent activities has been   further seen to be based on monitoring and the evaluation of the financial statement at the same time (Winer et al. 2015). Ackers, B. and Eccles, N. S. (2015) ‘Mandatory corporate social responsibility assurance practices’, Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 28(4), pp. 515–550. doi: 10.1108/AAAJ-12-2013-1554. Adams, C. and Evans, R. (2004) ‘Accountability, Completeness, Credibility and the Audit Expectations Gap’, JCC 14 Summer 2014, pp. 97–115. doi: 10.9774/gleaf.4700.2004.su.00010. Christensen, B. E., Glover, S. M. and Wood, D. A. (2013) ‘Extreme estimation uncertainty and audit assurance’, Current Issues in Auditing, 7(1), pp. 36–42. doi: 10.2308/ciia-50447. Duncan, B. and Whittington, M. (2014) ‘Compliance with Standards, Assurance and Audit: Does this Equal Security?’, in Security of Information and Networks (SIN), 2014 Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on, pp. 77–84. doi: 10.1145/2659651.2659711. Ghani, N. L. A. and Rahman, A. R. A. (2015) ‘An analysis of Shari’ah audit practices in islamic banks in Malaysia’, Jurnal Pengurusan, 43, pp. 107–118. Gul, F. A., Wu, D. and Yang, Z. (2013) ‘Do individual auditors affect audit quality? Evidence from archival data’, Accounting Review, 88(6), pp. 1993–2023. doi: 10.2308/accr-50536. Kilgore, A., Harrison, G. and Radich, R. (2014) ‘Audit quality: what’s important to users of audit services’, Managerial Auditing Journal, 29(9), pp. 776–799. doi: 10.1108/MAJ-08-2014-1062. Knechel, W. R. (2016) ‘Audit Quality and Regulation’, International Journal of Auditing, 20(3), pp. 215–223. doi: 10.1111/ijau.12077. Kubuabola, S. (2013) External Quality Audit, External Quality Audit. doi: 10.1016/B978-1-84334-676-0.50005-4. Mahmoud HOSSEINNIAKANI, S., Inà ¡cio, H. and Mota, R. (2014) ‘A Review on Audit Quality Factors’, International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting Finance and Management Sciences, 4(2), pp. 243–254. doi: 10.6007/IJARAFMS/v4-i2/861. Ruhnke, K. and Schmidt, M. (2014) ‘The Audit Expectation Gap: Existence, Causes, and the Impact of Changes’, Accounting and Business Research, 44(5), pp. 572–601. doi: 10.1080/00014788.2014.929519. Schmidt, P. J., Wood, J. T. and Grabski, S. V (2016) ‘Business in the Cloud: Research Questions on Governance, Audit, and Assurance.’, Journal of Information Systems, 30(3), pp. 173–189. doi: 10.2308/isys-51494. Winer, R. A., Bennett, E., Murillo, I., Schuetz-Mueller, J. and Katz, C. L. (2015) ‘Monitoring Compliance to Promote Quality Assurance: Development of a Mental Health Clinical Chart Audit Tool in Belize, 2013’, Psychiatric Quarterly, 86(3), pp. 373–379. doi: 10.1007/s11126-014-9331-5.

Situated Learning and Social Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Situated Learning and Social Learning - Essay Example He realizes that learning is more effective when done in a group, especially when the learner gets hand-on experience. In the classroom, the student is made to learn abstract things which he may not relate to real life. . The student is presented with cold, uninspiring facts packaged in glossy books, beautiful classrooms and scientific rules. The result is, the student no longer enjoys the poetry he reads nor does any value learning take place from the other classes he attends, except dry jargon and clichs. Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger, in their book, "Situated Learning : Legitimate Peripheral Participation," make a strong case for Situated learning with its emphasis on the contextual setting and .social interaction. While people learn things easily and faster under the conditions of legitimate peripheral participation (LPP), it has some major drawbacks such as the model exerting subtle influence on the learners, so that they learn socially unacceptable behaviour like aggression . According to Lave and Wenger. Legitimate peripheral participation (LPP) occurs when the learner begins to move from the periphery of the community to its center. Social interaction is of paramount importance in situated learning, with learners becoming involved in "community practice". Situated learning, according to the authors, is mostly unintentional, as opposed to deliberate learning. We see examples of situated learning in the case of pre-schoolers, who learn to recite nursery rhymes or tell stories, seeing their peers do the same .Situated learning happens when a visitor to a country learns its language entirely by interacting with the local people. Situated learning has other proponents such as Brown, Collins and Duguid (1989) who propose the idea of "cognitive apprenticeship". According to Schoenfeld, mathematical problem solving is also a form of situated learning. As all mathematics teachers know, when the students are encouraged to think of mathematics is everyday life context, they learn better and the mathematical problems are solved faster. Children seem to understand mathematics better when they relate it to real life situations and solve it in a group.(Schoenfeld) A requirement of situated learning is that knowledge should be presented in situations where the knowledge would apply. For instance, in a lesson on friction in physics, the learner would understand the concept better when he or she is made to experience the friction between a nut and bolt when they are not oiled, and when they are oiled. An apprentice nurse would learn how to lift the patient better by doing it in the hospital than by reading about it in the classroom. Similarly, an apprentice mechanic learns how to repair your car by hands on experience A visitor in France would quickly learn French as well as the typical gestures of the French people. Situated learning happens when a child learns its mother tongue easily. The same child finds it difficult to learn a foreign language at school . According to William P. Hanks, situated learning "takes as its focus the relationship between learning and the social situation in which it