Literacy Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Literacy Narrative - Essay Example Writing is almost totally based on practice and research. Writing good texts is impossible without concentration, analysis and some basic sense of self-critique. But it is better to stop on each of my discoveries. With my first paper I faced the fact that having a topic and sitting with a laptop and a cup of coffee does not mean writing. It is then I understood that writing requires efforts and concentration. A good writer must create his work word by word stringing the beads. Distraction can cause loss of thought and that is why a person must make efforts to write. Only later much later writing becomes natural and the words start flowing. But I have to say that this principle is applicable to any sphere of human life: on the first stages you only try, fail, develop some skills and only then the process becomes easier and brings pleasure. Analytical thinking is another thing that is a must in writing. The pleasant bonus is that it is extremely useful in real life and writing helps to improve it. When creating my first texts I had to choose and assess arguments, ideas, and concepts from different sides and decide if they are relevant to my work or not. It was very difficult often to consider some theories and concepts that are both right but still are opposite. So it is challenging sometimes to have one stable opinion regarding something. So it is a writer who decides which facts are more important and more persuasive and which are irrelevant with the help of critical analysis. Analytical thinking is the ability to analyze information critically, to define relevant from irrelevant, to structure information in your own words. Several discoveries were not as pleasant as I wanted them to be. Speaking about structure it turned out that it can be another serious ordeal to clear perception of the text. I did not realize it for a long time and paid little attention to making text coherent and logical. Sometimes it was much easier to write everything

NanoGene Technologies, Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

NanoGene Technologies, Inc - Case Study Example Without the founders the company would never exist and no one would receive equity or compensation. In the case it is described that typical founders only receive a certain percentage and salary. It is obvious that the founders have decided to make equity and compensation levels equal to avoid confrontation down the road. All though this may have been the idea, confrontation can still arise. When creating the company the founders were likely unaware that they may need to hire other employees. These other employees would likely require a percentage of equity and different salary than expected. For this reason, the founders should have kept with the idea of splitting the equity but allowing at least 20% of equity to go to outside sources. This would have allowed for the necessary hiring of other employees that may be needed. The founders were not prepared for further hiring and equity shares. The compensation level is said to be higher than normal for other scientist and lower than that of the average CEO. The difference in compensation is likely because the employee is not a typical employee but an actual founder. The CEO and scientist are all satisfied with the level of salaries and equity. Tompkins assumed the role of CEO because his abilities closely fit the description of a CEO over the other founders. Tompkins role was quite different than the other founders and each founder had an important role. Deciding to equally split was likely a fast and satisfying decision that was made so that other issues could be addressed. 2) Evaluate the size and composition of the founding team. What is the difference between being a founder and an early employee? The founding team is made up of five founders. Will Tompkins, Don Rupert, Mark Masterson, Ravi Rhoota, and Gary Garfield are the original founders of NanoGene Technologies, Inc. Having 5 founders is larger than usual for mos t. The teams came from AMSL and were all fellow scientists. Each had to quit their job in order to get NanoGene Technologies, Inc. where it needed to be. Will Tompkins new CEO of NanoGene was a former AMSL employee. The co founders equally agreed that Will Tompkins take on the role of becoming CEO since he had the strongest leadership capabilities. Don Rupert was an expert substrate surface tension and would be an important asset if NanoGene wanted to succeed. Don had many contacts to get the business moving and only wanted to work one day each week. Mark Masterson was a senior biophysics scientist. Ravi Rhoota was a general scientist and Gary was a post-doctoral fellow. Each founder had a different area of expertise and a good asset to the company. It was also important that each founder was willing to quit their current position and try to build NanoGene. Being a founder and being an employee has its differences. A founder is part of the creation of the company. A founder is with the company since the very beginning stages. Founders have the original say in the way the company should operate. An early employee such as the one Paige would be is there amongst the early stages of the company. Early employees can be just as important as founders but are not the original creators of the company. 3) Evaluate Paige Miller as an addition to the team, and assess her compensation demands. Would you hire her on the terms she seeks? Paige Miller appears to be strong women that can be a great addition to NanoGene. Paige has an impressive background with the ability to move a company to the level it needs to be. Paige seems to have the drive it takes to get where she needs to be and seems firm in her compensation demands. Each of the original founders does not have the level of experience that Paige has. Paige’s experience can organize the company in a way to make the

A Brief History of Heineken Company Analysis

A Brief History of Heineken Company Analysis Heineken is one of the global leading brewers. The company is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and spreads its business all over the world. In this report, we have taken a deep look into the Heineken Company. We will generally display the company portfolio, and then followed by the companys past 5 years performance. Afterwards, the report will focus on Heinekens international marketing activities with detailed explanations of its international marketing strategies. Ultimately, the report will extend to discuss miscellaneous topics of Heineken Company, and ends up with an exhaustive conclusion. Introduction Heineken is one of the worlds biggest brewers and is committed to remaining strong and independent. The brand is named after the founders name Heineken -can be found all around the world. Heineken has become one of the most valuable international premium beer brand since last century and it is still growing stronger. Heineken is also one of the experts of beer brewing and has built quite a number of specialty beers around the globe. In addition to the Heineken brand, there are more than 170 specialty beers which meet a variety of consumers needs from every corner of the world. The famous brands include Amstel ®, Europes third-largest selling beer, Cruzcampo ®, Tiger ®, Zywiec ®, Birra Moretti ®, Ochota ®, Murphys ® and Star ®. Heineken has wide international presence through a global network of distributors and breweries. Heineken owns and manages one of the worlds leading portfolios of beer brands and is one of the worlds leading brewers in terms of sales volume and profitability. History The Heineken story began more than 140 years ago in 1864 when Gerard Adriaan Heineken acquired a small brewery in the heart of Amsterdam. Since then, four generations of the Heineken family have expanded the Heineken brand and the Company throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Employees In 2007, the average number of employees employed was 54,004 170 brands Heinekens leading brand portfolio includes more than 170 international premium, regional, local and specialty beers. Our principal brands are Heineken ® and Amstel ®. We continually seek to reinforce our brands through innovations in production, marketing and packaging. 139.2 million hl The Heineken brand is available in almost every country on the planet. We own more than 119 breweries in more than 65 countries brewing a Group beer volume of 139.2 million hectolitres. Segments Heineken applies typical Global Area Structure to their organizational strategy. Global area structure is an organizational arrangement in which primary operational responsibility is delegated to area managers, each of whom is responsible for a specific geographic region. (International Business, 5th edition, Rugman Collinson). Heineken distinguishes the following geographical segments: Western Europe Central and Eastern Europe The Americas Africa and the Middle East Asia Pacific Head Office/eliminations. Segment information is presented only in respect of geographical segments consistent with Heinekens management and internal reporting structure. Heineken runs its business in five regions, which is in charge of regional presidents. Regional subsidiaries, which remain high responsiveness to the group departments,are responsible for management, risk assessment and operation efficiency. The distribution models of Heinekens is of a big variety. Goods are delivered in multiple ways in every country, depending on the countries conditions, usually direct to the wholesalers or via third parties. Hence, distributions diverse. The various distribution models are taken in charge by regional subsidiaries as well. In such a circumstance, no secondary segment information is in hand. Targeting Young adult consumers (core aged 18-25) around the world is the group Heineken targets at. Heineken is aware of the rise of popularity of mixers and other drinks in this market. Positioning The premium positioning of the Heineken brand is crucial to the growth strategy. Maintaining this positioning requires a combination of the highest quality brewing process delivering the highest quality beer and creative and compelling marketing. As the brand extends its global market share, and its positioning becomes more consistent, its marketing is becoming increasingly international. However, within the marketing mix, there will always be a requirement for locally driven campaigns and support. Product strategy Theory Product strategies vary depending on the specific good and the customers. Some products ca be manufactured and sold successfully both in the United States and abroad by using the same strategies. Other products must be modified or adapted and sold according to a specially designed strategy. A number of factors can compel an MNE to use moderate to high product modification. These include economics, culture, local laws, and product life cycle. Application A key strength for Heineken is the fact that the product is produced to be exactly the same, no matter which of 115 or more breweries it was produced at. The recipe has stayed the same for nearly 150 years, and Heinekens attractive packaging and red star are recognizable nearly anywhere in the world. Heinekens entire brand image is centred on it being a superior quality beer with exceptional taste. Heineken has also won many awards for its beer, which reinforces their claim that Heineken is a product of the highest quality. One potential weakness is that Heineken lacks a production base in many markets, which inevitably leads to higher costs associated with getting the product to market in these areas. However, the flip side to that is the consumers perception of premiumness that is often associated with an imported beer versus one that is produced domestically. Another important strength for Heineken lies in their innovation, as is evident by their recently released Heineken Draught Keg. Since the Heineken beer is recognized all over the world, and the product life cycle is quite short, there is no need to do large modification to the beer itself. Meanwhile, its package changes several times within a year, which makes it fresh to consumers and also a efficient way to promote their products. Company performance This report also analyzes the Heineken Company performance in a horizontal scope as well as a vertical scope. We will first measures its regional performance, and followed by a last 5 year performance evaluation. As we know, Heineken Company is a Multinational Enterprise. It has been doing business in different regions worldwide. Take appropriate measures when dealing business with typical customers is quite important. The financial statement of year 2009 will be released on March 20, 2010. So the analysis is mainly based on the data from 2004 to 2008. Key figures Revenue: In general, the Heineken Company enjoyed increasing revenues in last 5 years, from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 10062 million (2004) to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬14319 million (2008). EBIT: Earnings before interests and taxes (EBIT) is used as a primary measure of profitability, without taking interests and taxes expenses into consideration. The higher EBIT, usually, the better. The EBIT was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1348 in 2004, à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1249 in 2005, reached its peak at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1832 in2006, and then decreased to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1418 in 2007, even declined further to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1080 in 2008, measured in millions. Net profit: Net profit calculated by profit before taxes minus taxes. The net profit has almost the same trend as EBIT: rose from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬642 million (2004) to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 1211 million (2006), then it suffered a downwards shrink to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬807 million (2007) and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬209 million (2008). Dividends: Dividends is a portion of money a company paid to its shareholders. It can be used to measure a companys financial health. The dividends of Heineken kept growing from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬173 million in 2004 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬343 million in 2007. In 2008, it fell by a small amount to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬304 million. Net cash flow: Net cash flow is a part of cash flow statement, represented the cash receipts minus cash payments. Net cash flow was -à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬550 million in 2004, leaped to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬401 million in 2006, and dropped to -à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬227 million in 2007, finally climbed up to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬225 million. Regional analysis Western Europe Have an eye on Western Europe, Heineken is doing excellent: Heineken is Western Europes leading brewer and the region is the biggest contributor to Group profitability, thanks to the strong market positions and excellent brand portfolio. Heineken is Europes number one beer. Heineken has market leadership positions in the Netherlands, UK, Spain and Italy; and it is the number two player in France, Ireland and Switzerland. In the Western Europe, in the year 2004 to 2007, the revenues were around à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬5,400 million. However in 2008, it jumped to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬7661 million. Heineken even generated à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬8,432 million revenue, with earnings before interests and taxes (EBIT) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬792 million in 2009. The total assets were à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3924 million in 2004, but almost tripled to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬11678 million in 2008. And the group beer volume has doubled in past 5 years, reaching 56,345,000 hl (2008). It takes up 38% of the Groups consolidated EBIT. Western Europe is Heinekens main market. Central and Eastern Europe Central and Eastern Europe is Heinekens largest region by volume. The business is benefiting from integration of acquired breweries and the outcome of portfolio optimization. The Heineken brand is increasing its popularity. The beer market there is largely influenced by financial crisis last year. The high price of our products can also be an influential fact. Within this region, the company earned increasing revenues between à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬2,526 million and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬3,687 million in last 5 years, and EBIT from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬254 million in 2004 to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬389 million in 2009. The total assets have a 20% growth within 5 years. Group beer volume generated a 50% increase. Africa and the Middle East The improved political stability continues to drive economic development and improve purchasing power, making beer more affordable. The popularity of the brands and of Heineken beer in particular, is rapidly growing. Heineken is the number two brewer in Africa and the Middle East. The revenue in this region in 2009 was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1,817 million, and EBIT was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬485 million. In the past 5 years, the revenue doubled and the EBIT tripled, total assets also grew from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬825 million to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1919 million. And the market volume is still rapidly growing. Heineken Company has a long-term orientation in this market. The Americas The economic downturn led to lower on-trade consumption and downtrading in the off-trade, especially in the USA. In the fourth quarter volume of the Heineken brand showed a positive trend in Canada, the Caribbean and South America. In 2009, the revenue was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1566 million while the EBIT was only à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬210 million. The revenue welcomes a peak at 2006, and has a moderate float in the rest of 5 years. EBIT tells almost the same story. Total assets have a 50% growth over 5 years. And the group beer volume up soared by approximately 5,000,000 hl. Asia Pacific The revenue in 2009 was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬309 million, and EBIT was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬103 million, the company also has a long-term orientation in this region. The revenue has a continuous decline, from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬471 million to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬297 million, with slight floating. EBIT began at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬63 million, ended at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬65 million, and topped at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬95 million 2006. Total assets experienced an upward trend from 363 to 552, measured in millions of euros. Management Heineken Holding N.V. controls the Heineken Company. The Heineken N.V. Executive Board has two members, CEO and CFO. And it is chaired by the CFO Jean-Franà §ois van Boxmeer. The CEO is responsible for Group Commerce, Group Supply Chain, Group Human Resources, Group Corporate Relations, Group Legal Affairs, and Manager Group Internal Audit. The CFO is in charge of Group Control Accounting, Group Finance, Group Business Development, Group Process Technology Directors, Group Strategy Director, and Group Strategic Partnerships. There are five operating regions, namely, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, The Americas, Africa and the Middle East as well as Asia-Pacific. Each region has a Regional President. The Executive Committee is consist of two members of the Executive Board, the five Regional President,s and five Group Directors. The Executive Committee supports the development of policy and ensures the alignment and implementation of key priorities and strategies across the organization. Segmentation: Heineken sells its beer all around the world and has a global market share of 7%. The prime market of Heineken is Europe, in 2008 almost 50% of Heineken its sales were in Europe. Asia-pacific and the Americas cover the other 50%. The Americas count for nearly 30% of Heinekens sales, and the Asia-pacific for 20%. Heineken has divided all the types of beer it sales into groups. Standard lager, premium lager are the hold most products sold all over the world for Heineken. Together they count for almost 85% of all sales of Heineken. With standard beer counting for 55% of the total sales. Furthermore Heineken has got the groups specialty beer, ales shouts and bitters, and low or no alcohol. The group specialty beer count for 10% of the sales, so ales shouts and bitters, and low or no alcohol are of hardly any part of the sales of Heineken. Targeting: Because Heineken is a beer brand it can only sell to people who are older that a certain age. That age is set by the governments. The general age set by the governments for people to buy beer and other alcoholic drinks is set at 16 years in and older to 21 years and older. So the target market of Heineken is everyone older than the age set by the government. In what way does Heineken target the separate markets within those markets? To target the young adults (age 18-30) Heineken uses music. Heineken organizes for example a deejay-contest a lot of young adults are willing to go to that party. Heineken makes sure that their name is all over the place and that the party is a huge success Only Heineken beer is sold on that party, their name Heineken is everywhere you look. In this way Heineken makes sure that their name is widely known. Their name is also associated with successful parties so every time those young adults go to a party they will compare it to the Heineken party. That is the way of getting a good reputation among young adults. Because of this reputation Heineken will sell more beer to those young adults, which is their goal. Beer is very often associated with football. Heineken is a sponsor of the UEFA Champions League. At the beginning and during a football match their name is on billboards on the sides of the field. Their name is also mentioned before the match begins, for example: this match is sponsored by Heineken. In this way Heineken associates itself with football. Their target market with this type of advertising are the man who like watching football and who are allowed to drink, which is a big group. They are indirectly targeting the young people who are not yet aloud to drink, because they are watching to that match to they associate watching football with Heineken, so when they are allowed to drink they will probably buy Heineken to drink during the match. To target the women Heineken introduced Jillz and beer that is less bitter. Jillz is a apple cider mixed with water and barley malt and fruit. It is developed especially for women, because most women dont like beer. When you look at the commercial of Jillz you see four good looking men picking apples. Because women like watching to those men they will buy Jillz assuming that by drinking Jillz they will encounter such a good looking guy. Another way of targeting the women is by introducing a beer that is less bitter. Heineken introduces products like Wieckse Witte a white beer, which is less bitter than normal beer and has got a reddish color. Heineken introduced this type of beer because they assumed that women dont like beer because of its bitterness. Positioning, Market entry and distribution strategies: Waar verkopen ze en hoe krijgen ze de producten daar en hoe zijn ze in die markten binnen gekomen? Heineken sell its products almost everywhere in the world. Because beer hasnt got a high value per liter. Distributing the beer by for example a tanker is too expensive, so Heineken has to have a lot of breweries to supply in the countries they sell their beer in. because of this Heineken has got approximately 120 breweries in more than 70 countries. Heineken mainly sell its products through supermarkets/hypermarkets, specialist retailers and on-trade business. 7% of its products is sold on a different way. Drawing a conclusion this mean that Heineken is depending on other retailers to sell its products. Heineken doesnt have got a shop that sell only Heineken products. The only way in which Heineken is selling its own products is though internet. People can order Heineken beer on the official Heineken site, for example on www.Heineken.nl. Product strategies: There are a lot of different types of beer; there are bitter beers, sweet beers, sour beers, beers with a different amount of alcohol in it and different colors. This are some things that Heineken can differ its beer in. This shows that there are a lot of types of beer, but beer doesnt need a lot of modification. Heineken has got many different types of beer, even in one country. Heineken has got a total of 200 different products. There are different reasons for those modifications. According to International Business a book from Alan M. Rugman and Simon Collinson, there are four points on which a product has to be modified: Economics, culture, local laws and product life cycle. Economics: In each country the customers have got different needs. People want different amount of beer in a bottle, or they want more alcohol in their beer. Because of all these different needs Heineken has got to make a lot of different products, products that differ in size, alcohol percentage and shape. In the Netherlands for example, Heineken sell their beer primarily through the super markets and in bars. So Heineken sells often sells its products in bottles in crates, and in casks. The amount of beer in the bottles is approximately 33 cl. Culture: The history of beer a country and the time beer is present in a country causes many different tastes for and in those countries. In Germany for example people like to drink light beer(white beer). So when Heineken wants to sell beer in Germany it should not come up with dark beer with a high percentage of alcohol. So the culture of countries causes a lot of different demands for beer. Local laws: The laws of a country are very important for the beer products. When Heineken is not allowed to sell beer with a high percentage of alcohol in it, or when they are forbidden to use a certain ingredient, Heineken has got to come up with different products. Product life cycle: This concept states that a product has got to develop in order to maintain its sales. So Heineken needs to modify the beer products in order to keep ahead of the competition. Another reason to modify is to try and come up with other types of product before the demand of other products has declined to much, and to try and get to new markets. An example for this is Jillz, Heineken wants to sell its product to women, it keeps ahead of the competition, because the competition didnt came up with the same idea, and it invents a new product before another product, Wieckse Witte, shows a decline in sales. Pricing strategies: According to International Business a book from Alan M. Rugman and Simon Collinson, there are four forces that influence the pricing. Government controls, Market diversity, Currency fluctuation and Price escalation forces. Government controls: The government in the Netherland raises an excise on products that contain alcohol. Because beer contains alcohol, the prices of Heineken beer are higher than they would have had without that tax. The excise on crates is the same for every company, so Heineken can compete to other beers. Because Heineken is a premium beer, the price for a crate of Heineken is a lot higher than other types of beer. Therefore Heineken competes with other premium beer brand. Market Diversity: The marker diversity between countries causes different prices between those countries. A premium beer a Heineken can encounter a low demand for its beer. Heineken is than forced to sell its products for a low price to gain market share or just to sell beer. Heineken doesnt really have this problem, because they have over 200 different types of beer, so there is a high probability that Heineken does have the taste the people in that country like. Currency fluctuations: The currency fluctuations between countries cause higher or lower prices for Heineken beer that is exported. When the value of a currency in a country, where Heineken has got a brewery, declines compared to an country where the beer brewed is exported to, the prices of Heineken beer will increase compared to local beer brands. Price escalation forces: When the prices of producing Heineken increase by 25 cents, Heineken will try to pass this along to retailers in the production cycle closer to the consumers. Every retailer in the production cycle wants to make profit, so they will add an percentage increase. This increase in price will be larger the closer the product gets to the consumer. The increase of 25 cents may increase the prices in the supermarket with 35 cents.

Comparing Felicite of Flauberts A Simple Heart and Nelly Dean of Brontes Wuthering Heights :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing Felicite of Flaubert's A Simple Heart and Nelly Dean of Bronte's Wuthering Heights Nelly Dean and Felicite are both characters that are in stark contrast to the characters that surround them. They are both good Christian women in there own way who are serving those who have no real interest in godliness and place no real emphasis on it. Nelly Dean is a realistic character in a romantic novel, while Felicite is a romanticized character in a realistic story. Nelly Dean is a servant in a household that is filled with people that are difficult to get along with. They are in constant turmoil with each other, and they almost seem to enjoy the conflict they cause. Nelly Dean is the one character that does not usually allow herself to be pulled into the conflicts that the rest of the characters embroil themselves in. She is able to stand back from the situation and give sound advice. Felicite does not seem as able to distance herself from the problems around her until she gets older and is physically unable to participate. Both women are passed from master to master because of no true faults of their own, and neither woman seems to have much control over her own destiny. While Nelly Dean stays with the same family, she has to move and get accustomed to new bosses every time some one dies. Felicite just seems to have plain bad luck in her choice of employers at the beginning of her career. In spite of this, both women seem quite satisfied with their lives, while the people who are in charge of them seem a lot less happy with their own lives. The characters in ‚"Wuthering Heights‚" frequently have severe fits of negative emotion, while Nelly quietly looks on. The only time that we see Felicite completely overcome with grief is when she thought she was going to have control, and she lost it. This happens when Felicite is still relatively young. She falls in love with a boy, and when he decides to marry some one else, ‚ÄÃ ºshe threw herself on the ground, screamed, called to the God of mercy, and moaned‚ÄÃ ¹ (1021). After this first display of emotion, she picked herself up and moved on with her life.

Learning Diversity Essay

After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1. De? ne cultural diversity; 2. Describe the role of culture in shaping similarities and di? erences among individuals; 3. Recognise race and ethnicity as an element of micro cultural diversity; 4. Explain the educational implications of di? erences in students’ learning style; 5. Distinguish types of cognitive style; 6. Relategender di? erences and socio-economic status to individual di? erences issues; and 7. Describe teacher’s strategies in embracing diversity. Individual Differences 7 171i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. 171 INTRODUCTION As teachers, we must be aware of about students’individual differences such as differences in culture, ethnicity, intelligent, languages, learning styles, etc. It is because it may enhance students’understanding or limit their opportunity to learn from the school environment. These factors should be taken into consideration when we plan teaching and learning process in the classroom. We begin by discussing the de? nition of cultural diversity and other factors that contribute to students’diversity. Next, we examine the differences of learning styles and cognitive  styles among students. This is followed by the explanation of gender differences that in? uence the students’ performance. In the ? nal section of this chapter, we will discuss how teachers can cope with the individual differences effectively in the teaching and learning process. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 172 â€Å"†¦Characteristics of an individual’s society, or of some subgroups within this society. It includes values, beliefs, notions about acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and other socially constructed ideas that members of the culture are taught are â€Å"true†. † (1994 in Tan 3003). â€Å"†¦Those human characteristics that have both the potential to either enrich or limit a student’s capacity to learn from the school environment. † Henson & Eller (1999, p121) â€Å" Individual differences are the variations we observe among members of any group in a particular characteristic, such as temperament, energy level, friendship patterns and parent-child attachment. † Borich & Tombari (1997, p29) 7. 1 CULTURAL DIVERSITY 7. 1. 1 De? nition of Cultural Diversity According to Garcia, Culture refers to: Henson & Eller (1999, p121) posit that the term diversity mean: Whereas Borich & Tombari (1997. p29) posit that: 173i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 173 â€Å"Group membership can include racial identi? cation, but regardless of race, it can vary further in term of assumptions, values, language, religion, behaviour, and symbols. † (O’conor, 1988 in Tan 2003). Figure 7. 1: Various races in Malaysia. In Malaysia we have different races such as the Malays, Chinese, Indians and others as illustrated in Figure 7. 1. Each of the races has their own culture. Culture is a broad and encopassing concept. Even though we equate culture with race or ethnic identity, the truth is that within racial or ethnic groups there can  be cultural variations. In short, culture governs how we think and feel, how we behave and how we live, and it is born largely of socialization. We often recognize national culture such as Malays, Chinese, Indians and others. We share Malaysian citizenship. So, differences in culture pertaining to Malaysia also mean differences in ethnicity and race. 7. 1. 2 The Role of Culture in Shaping Similarities and Di? erences Among Individuals Culture has impact on our student’s socialization. Some elements of culture including religion, foods, holidays and celebrations, dress, history and traditions, and art and  music. Cultural diversity also can manifest in our views of the life cycle, decorum and discipline, health and hygiene (Example: Explanations of illness and death), values, work and play, and time and space. All could be elements of a shared national culture or of additional family cultures. Each element shapes our students through socialization within their families, later through teacher, peers and environment. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 174 We need to keep in mind that our students’ membership in cultural groups signi? cantly in? uences their lives both inside and outside of school. Therefore, we have to consider cultural diversities because honouring cultural diversities enhances classroom teaching and learning. As teachers, we have to understand these cultural diversities and try to accommodate to these differences. We have to honour other people’s beliefs and values because they have their rationale and that contributes to a harmonious society and peaceful nation. These have to start in school where the students are aware of their differences and teacher instil within them the espirit de core (spirit to live together peacefully), tolerance towards others, empathy and pro social behaviour. 175i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 175 To answer that question, Tan (2003), recognizes three ways in addressing cultural differences as illustrated in Figure 7. 2: Now let us examine all these approaches. (a) Assimilation Theory According to the assimilation theory, all students must conform to the rules of the Anglo- American group culture, regardless of their family culture or the rules of other groups to which they belong. â€Å"Anglo† culture is superior to all others, differences are threatening and rejected. Figure 7. 2: Three ways in addressing cultural differences INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7. 176 (b) Amalgamation Theory According to Davidson & Phelan: Cultural differences are ignored. Through the years, many of us have been comforted by the melting pot view of our society’s institutions. But, it too has encouraged the loss of individual identity. (c) Cultural Pluralism According to Davidson & Phelan: Diversity is not feared or criticized or ignored. It is valued, even celebrated. An effective teacher holds this view of diversity and incorporates beliefs about multicultural education. Multicultural education is education in which a range of cultural perspectives is presented to students. â€Å"The amalgamation theory is the â€Å"melting pot† approach in which elements of individual cultures are blended to become a â€Å"new†, synthesized American culture. † (Davidson & Phelan, 1993) â€Å" In â€Å"cultural pluralism†, we are encouraged to take multicultural view, in which we attempt to address the elements of both shared national culture and individual and/or family culture together. † (Davidson & Phelan, 1993) 1. What is cultural diversity? Give few examples of cultural diversity in your answer. 2. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to the cultural diversity among students. 177i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES. 177 7. 2 RACES AND ETHINICITY DIVERSITY Race and ethnicity are factors contribute to students’diversity. Through race and ethnicity, we will be able to trace the students’root and cultural make up. Through this awareness then we can be fair in our treatment to all students in the classroom. As Ladson-Billings (1994) notes: â€Å"The notion of equity as sameness only makes sense when all students are exactly the same†. Ladson-Billings (1994) In reality we are different in race, ethnicity, culture and ways of life. Therefore we should take advantage of these differences by learning other languages, about food and dances. Students would respect teachers who know about their students’languages other than their own because it enhances their knowledge about the students and make their communiaction with the students easier. In Malaysia, we have di? erent race that are Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasian and others. Within the races, we have sub-groups or ethnicity. Examples of the sub-groups or ethnicity are listed in table 7. 1. Table 7. 1: Races and it sub-groups or ethnicity in Malaysia. Race Malays Chinese Sub-groups or ethnicity ? †¢? Javanese? Malays? †¢? Bugis? Malays †¢? Kelantanese Malays †¢? Johorean? Malays †¢? Malaccan? Malays? etc. Chinese come from many parts of China which contribute to ethnic di? erences such as: ? †¢? Hokkien ? †¢? Cantonese ? †¢? Hailam? and? etc. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 178 7. 3 LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY Linguistic diversity is one of the elements that contributes to student’s diversity. Your class will have language diversity, and you will have to realize that you need to be sensitive to this linguistic diversity and adjust accordingly. In Malaysia, we are lucky because the medium of instruction is in Malay or Bahasa Melayu for all subjects except for English. Furthermore, English is regarded as the second language andball students must pass the subject at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia level or the form 5 national exam. It moulds young generations of Malaysia to at least mastering three languages, namely Bahasa Melayu, the English language, and their mother tongue. With this capacity, it enhances the Malaysians to understand each other and to live harmoniously. Tan (2003) suggested two ways to teachers in addressing language diversity as shown in Figure 7. 3, which are Facilitating English, and Immersion and Transitional Methods. Indians ? †¢? Tamil? Nadu ? †¢? Hindustani ? †¢? Benggali ? †¢? Pakistani ? †¢? Bangla? (Bangladesh)? ? †¢? Bangla? (Sri? Lanka)? and? etc.? These races and ethnicities also contribute to language differences. 1. What are race and ethnicity diversity? Give few examples of race and ethnicity in Malaysia. 2. Can you understand other race or ethnic language? List out the advantages for teachers if they know their student languages. Figure 7. 3: Two suggested ways in addressing language diversity by Tan(2003) 179i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 179 Let us examine those approaches. (a) Facilitating English Enhancing the mastering of the English language among students can help overcome the problem of communication with others in the school and outside the school. Teaching English to all students is regarded as a tool for cultural understanding and communication among students. We can emphasize comprehension in our classroom. If you can understand the student and the student can understand you, then achievement can continue. Increased student achievement should be our overall instructional goal, regardless of linguistic diversity issues. (b) â€Å"Immersion† and Transitional Method Traditionally, we believed â€Å"immersion† approach was the best way to move children to standard language usage. In this approach, from the beginning till the end, the instructor uses only the language to be learned. It becomes, then, a â€Å"sink or swim† proposition. †¢ Some children swim, they thrive under these conditions; they learn the language with few problems. †¢ Other students, however, sink; they do not learn the language and suffer inside and outside of class. Similarly, linguistically diverse students can sink or swim in language learning. Conversely, teacher may use transitional or balance bilingual strategies for adding standard language as a shared communicative tool are being examined. These approaches start with the language the student brings into the classroom and build on family and cultural language to promote standard language usage. Read on an example case below: Several? years? ago,? a? Massachusetts? teacher,? Gary? Simpkins,? attempted? to? move? his African-American students toward standard American English usage by developing? an? approach? called? â€Å"Bridge†? (Shells,? 1976).? He? used? transitional? strategies? whereby? the? students? learn? English? at rst? in? their? language-Black? English in reading, writing and oral communication. Midway through, he taught partly? Black? English? and? partly? standard? American? English.? By? the? end? of? the? instructional period, he taught all in standard American English but still aloud  student? to? use? Black-English? for? less? formal? communication. The implementation of approach above yielded â€Å"promising† results. 1. What is linguistic diversity? 2. Explain how teacher can help the students overcome language differences. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 180 7. 4 LEARNING STYLE OR COGNITIVE STYLE DIVERSITY 7. 4. 1 De? nition of Learning Style and Cognitive Style Kagan is one of the earliest psychologists who introduced the re? ective and impulsive cognitive style. Later, Witkin and Coodenough(1977) founded the concept of ? eld- independent and dependent cognitive style(Borich & Tombari, 1997). Another earliest psychologist, Massick proposed the concept of cognitive style. According to Massick: â€Å"Cognitive style is stable attitudes preferences or habitual strategies determining a person’s typical modes of perceiving, remembering, thinking and problem solving. † Messick (1976, p5) Later, there are various de? nitions for learning style or cognitive style by psychologists, depending on their views and perspectives as shown in Table 7. 2. Table 7. 2: Various de? nitions of Learning Style and Cognitive Style by psychologists. Tan et. al. (2003) Psychologist De? nition of Learning Style and Cognitive Style Henson and Eller (1999, p505). â€Å"Learning? styles? are? biological? and? socialized? di? erences? or? preferences for how students learn. Where as cognitive style is students’most comfortable, consistent, and expedient ways of perceiving? and? making? sense? of? information. † Tan et. al. (2003) ? â€Å"Learning? style? is? how? elements? from? basic? stimuli? in? the? current? and past environment a? ect an individual’s ability to absorb and retain information. † Henson and Eller (1999, p505) †¢? In? this? de? nition,? Tan? stressed? the? in? uence? of? biological? and? socialization? in? moulding? students’? learning? style. †¢? Henson? and? Eller? stress? on? basic? stimuli?that? a? ect? individual’s? learning style. 181i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 181 Woolfolk (2004, p603), Sternberg (1997) ? â€Å"Learning? preferences? is? preferred? ways? of? studying? or? learn- ing,? such? as? using? pictures? instead? of? text,? working? with? other? people versus alone, learning in structured or unstructured situation, and so on. Whereas a cognitive style is di? erent ways? of? perceiving? and? organizing? information. † Woolfolk ? â€Å"Learning? and? thinking? styles? are? not? abilities,? but? rather? preferred ways of using one’s abilities. † (Santrock, 2008, p132). †¢? Woolfolk? proposed? that? learning? styles?as? characteristic? approaches to learning and studying. †¢? She? also? equates? learning? styles? and? learning? preferences. †¢? According? to? Sternberg,? intelligence? refers? to? ability. †¢? Individual? vary? so? much? in? thinking? and? learning? style,? ? literally? hundreds? of? learning? and? thinking? styles? have? been? proposed by educators and psychologist. So from these de? nitions, we ? nd overlapping views on learning styles and cognitive styles. We can conclude that: Learning style and cognitive style cover many domains such as physical, psychological, audio, visual, kinaesthetic, etc. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7. 182 7. 4. 2 Types of Learning Styles According to Butler, there are few types of learning styles(Butler, 1989 in Tan, 2003) such as explained below. (a) Psychological/Affective styles †¢ One of the instruments to assess individual’s learning style for this type of learning style is Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). †¢ This instrument will reveal how a student feel about him/herself and how self-esteem developed is linked to learning. (b) Physiological Styles †¢ There are few instruments in this category such as: – Honey and Munford Learning Styles Inventory, – Kolb Learning style inventory, – Modality Preferences Inventory, etc. †¢ These instruments show individual of her/his consistent ways to facilitate learning through the use of the senses or environmental stimuli. †¢ These instruments also show hemispheric specialisation (i. e. right or left brain), auditory, visual, kinaesthetic, olfactory preferences or preferences for environmental conditions. (c) Cognitive Styles †¢ Students may utilize cognitive styles such as ? eld-dependent or independent, impulsive or re? ective, whole or serial, etc. †¢ These instruments measure consistent ways of responding and using stimuli in the environment, how things are perceived and make sense, the most comfortable, expedientnand pleasurable way to process information. 7. 4. 3 Measurement of Learning Styles and Cognitive Styles Since students’ preferred styles of learning in? uence their achievements and teachers’ learning styles in? uence their instructional choices, it is suggested that teacher and students take the test we describe below. (a) Modality Preference Inventory Through this inventory, teacher and students can classify their learning styles such as auditory, visual or kinaesthetic. To assess an individual’s learning style, he/she has to respond to the questions shown in Figure 7. 4. 183i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 183 Learning Styles. Modality Preference Inventory Read each statement and select the appropriate number response as it applies to you. Often (3) Sometimes (2) Seldom/Never (1) Visual Modality †¢? I? remember? information? better? if? I? write? it? down. †¢? Looking? at? the? person? helps? keep? me? focused. †¢? I? need? a? quiet? space? to? get? my? work? done. †¢? When? I? take? a? test,? I? can? see? the? textbook? page? in? my? head. †¢? I? need? to? write? down? directions,? not? just? take? them? verbally. †¢? Music? or? background? noise? distracts? my? attention? from? the? task? at? hand. †¢? I? don’t? always? get? the? meaning? of? a? joke. †¢? I? doodle? and? draw? pictures? on? the? margins? of? my? notebook? pages. †¢? I? react? very? strongly? to? colors. †¢? Total Auditory Modality ? †¢? My? papers? and? notebooks? always? seem? messy. ? †¢? When? I? read,? I? need? to? use? my? index nger? to? track? my? place? on the line. ? †¢? I? do? not? follow? written? directions? well. ? †¢? If? I? hear? something,? I? will? remember? it. ? †¢? Writing? has? always? been? di? cult? for? me. ? †¢? I? often? misread? words? from? the? text? (eg,? them? for? then) ? †¢? I? would? rather? listen? and? learn? than? read? and? learn. ? †¢? I’m? not? very? good? at? interpreting? an?individual’s? body? language. ? †¢? Pages? with? small? print? or? poor? quality? copies? are? di? cult? for? me to read. ? †¢? My? eyes? tire? quickly,? even? though? my? vision? check-up? is? always ?ne. ? †¢? Total Kinesthetic Modality †¢? I? start? a? project? before? reading? the? directions. †¢? I? hate? to? sit? at? a? desk? for? long? periods? of? time. †¢? I? prefer? to? see? something? done? and? then? to? do? it? myself. †¢? I? use? the? trial? and? error? approach? to? problem-solving. †¢? I? like? to? read? my? textbook? while? riding? an? exercise? bike. †¢? I? take? frequent? study? breaks. †¢? I? have? di? culty? giving? step-by-step? instructions. †¢? I? enjoy? sports? and? do? well? at? several? di? erent? types? of? sports. †¢? I? use? my? hands? when? describing? things. †¢? I? have? to? rewrite? or? type? my? class? notes? to? reinforce? the? material. †¢? Total Total the score for each section. A score of 21 points or more in a modality indicates a strength in that area. The? highest? of? the? 3? scores? indicates? the? most? e? cient? method? of? information? intake.? The? second? highest? score indicates the modality which boosts the primary strength. Figure 7. 4:Example of questions should be responded by students to measure their learning styles. INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 184 (b) Field-Dependent and Independent Teacher or student may utilize Field-Dependent or Independent Cognitive Style in percep- tion or information processing. Field-Independent learners perceive items as more or less separate from the surrounding ? eld. They are interested in concept for their own sake. They have self-de? ned goals and function successfully in self-structured situations and impersonal learning environments. For ? eld-dependent learners, their mode of learning is strongly in? uenced by the prevailing context or setting. They are more aware of their surroundings as they learn. These learners value practical information. They can memorize human faces and social facts such as best friend’s birth date more easily than ? eld- independent learners. Garger and Guild(1987) have summarized the characteristics of ? eld-independent and ?eld-dependent learners. These are illustrated in Table 7. 3. From this table it is clear that, at least in the extremes, the two styles are very different. Table 7. 3 Characteristics of Field-Dependent and Independent learners. Perceives globally. Perceives analytically. FIELD-DEPENDENT FIELD-INDEPENDENT Makes broad general distinctions among concepts, sees relationships. Learns material with social content best. Requires externally de? ned goals and reinforcements. Makes speci? c concept distinctions, little overlap. Learns social material only as an intentional task. Has self-de? ned goals and reinforcements. Experiences in a global fashion, adheres to structures as given. Social orientation. Attends best to material relevant to own experience. Needs organization provided. Experiences in an articulate fashion, imposes structures of restrictions. Impersonal orientation. Interested in new concepts for their own sake. Can self-structure situations. Learning Styles- Dependence and Independence Descriptions. 185i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 185 More a? ected by criticism. Less a? ected by criticism. Uses spectator approach for concept attainment. Uses hypothesis-testing approach to attain concepts. Teacher and students can assess their cognitive style using Embedded Figures Test (EFT) or Group Embedded Figures Test(GEFT). In this test, they have to recognize geometry ?gure, which are embedded in the picture or in the background. Those who can recognize the ? gure faster than the others are learners with the ? eld-independent style and those who take longer than a few seconds or cannot ? nd the ? gure at all, can be classi? ed as ? eld- dependent learners. Figure 7. 5 illustrates an example of Embedded Figures Test (EFT). Recognize? the? geometry gure,? which? are? embedded? in? the? designs? picture.? INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 186 Answer: Figure 7. 5: An example of Embedded Figure Test (EFT) If you are a ? eld-independent teacher, you may be comfortable giving lectures and empha- sizing cognition. You may prefer offering corrective feedback, using negative feedback as warranted, and you may use grades and personal goal charts motivationally. If you are a ? eld-dependent teacher, you may prefer interaction and conversation with your  students. You may rely less on corrective feedback and little on negative evaluations. You also like to establish a warm and personal environment and prefer to motivate through external reward such as verbal praise. Many educational psychologist views that if the teacher cognitive style match with the student cognitive style, students? will? bene? t? most? and? vice? versa.? Student? learn? best when there is congruence between their preferred teaching style. Unfortunately, most teachers ignore student’s? cognitive? style? because? it? takes? longer? time? for? them to prepare lesson plan and devices or activities to  ful? l their needs. 1. What is cognitive style and learning style? 2. Give a few examples of learning or cognitive styles. 187i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 187 7. 5 GENDER DIFFERENCES Linguistic diversity is one of the elements that contributes to student’s diversity. Your class will have language diversity, and you will have to realize that you need to be sensitive to this linguistic diversity and adjust accordingly. In Malaysia, we are lucky because the medium of instruction is in Malay or Bahasa Melayu for all subjects except for English. Furthermore, English is regarded as the second language  and all students must pass the subject at the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysialevel or the form 5 national exam. It moulds young generations of Malaysia to at least mastering three languages, namely Bahasa Melayu, the English language, and their mother tongue. With this capacity, it enhances the Malaysians to understand each other and to live harmoniously. Tan (2003) suggested two ways to teachers in addressing language diversity as shown in Figure 7. 3, which are Facilitating English, and Immersion and Transitional Methods. In Asian society, being a girl or a boy has signi? cant impact. The people usually adore boys than girls. It’s because most Asian country are rice bowl or dependent on agriculture where the man are more utilizable in manual jobs than ladies. But they forget, in terms of resilience and patience, the women are the winners! Now, let us examine gender-related student differences in several ways and explore their implications for teaching. Are you resent being a girl? You don’t have to. Accept things as it is. (a) Developmental rates According? to? Egan? and? Kauchak: â€Å"Di? erences exist in boys’ and girls’ developmental rates. Girls develop faster with? di? erences? in? verbal? and? motor? skills? appearing? at? an? early? age.? Boys?and? girls? are? di? erent in other areas as well, and these di? erences appear as early as the preschool years. Girls tend to play with dolls and other girls and to gravitate toward activities such as? make-believe? and? dress-up.? Boys? play? with? blocks,? cars,? dinosaurs,? and? other? boys. † (Egan and Kauchak, 1997). INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 188 We? can? observe? society? and? family,? school? and? work? place? treat? girls and boys di? erently. In the family, they are treated di? erently from the day they were born. †¢? Baby? girls? are? given? pink? blankets,? are? called? cute? and? handled? delicately. †¢? Baby? boys? are? dressed? in? blue,? are? regarded? as? handsome,? and are seen as tougher, better coordinated, and hardier. Di? erences in treatment continue in later years. In high school, girls? become? cheerleaders? for? the? boys,? who? become? basketball? or? football players. (b) Family treatment (c) Expectation for school success (d) Academic area These di? erences also include expectation for school success. Parents? probably? communicate? di? erent? expectations? for? their? sons and daughters. Researchers have found that: Research on gender e? ects founded di? erences in boys and girls in di? erent academic areas. According? to? Maccoby? and? Jacklin, â€Å"Parents’? gender-stereotyped? attitudes? toward? girls’? ability? in? math,? adversely? in? uence? their? daughters’? achievement? in? math? and their attitudes toward it. † (Nagy-Jacklin, 1989 in Egan & Kauchak, 1997) â€Å"Boys? did? better? in? math? and? on? visual? and? spatial? tasks,? example? tasks? in? geometry.? Girls? did? better? in? on? verbal? skills? such? as? in? languages. † (Maccoby & Jacklin, 1974) 189i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 189 Boys? and? girls? also? received? di? erent? treatment? in? school.? Both? male? and? female? teacher? treat? boys? and? girls? di?erently. They? interact? with? the? boys? more? often? and? ask? them? more? questions,? and? those? questions? are? more? conceptual? and abstract. (e) Treatment in school Gender stereotyping also in? uences career decisions. According to Kochenberger-Stroeher: Signi? cantly, when children choose non-traditional roles for males or females, their choices are based on personal experience. â€Å"Di? erences in students’ view of gender-appropriate careers appear as early as kindergarten. † (Kochenberger-Stroeher, 1994) ? â€Å"One? of? the? most? powerful? factors? in? uencing? school? performance? is? socio-economic? status? (SES),?the? combination? of? parents’? income,? occupations,? and? level? of? education.? SES? consistently? predicts? intelligence? and? achievement? test? scores,? grades,? truancy? and dropout and suspension rates. † (Ballantine, 1989 in Egan & Kauchak, 1997) 1. Why teacher treat boys and girls differently? 2. Give few examples of different treatment to boys and girls. 3. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to gender differences. 7. 6 DIFFERENCES IN SOCIO? ECONOMIC STATUS According to Ballantine; INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 190 Many? families? lack? in? proper? nourishment,? and? adequate? medical? care.? Poverty? also? in? uences? the? quality? of? home-life,? unstable? work? conditions? increased? economic? problems? that? lead to parental frustration, anger and depression. These pressures? can? lead? to? family? scattered,? marital? con? ict? and? nurturing homes. The impact of SES is also transmitted through parental attitudes and values where their attitudes and values are different. Example is in interaction pattern. †¢ Low SES parents are more likely to â€Å"tell,† rather than explain. †¢ High SES parents, in contrast, talk more with their children, explain ideas and the cause of events, and encourage independent thinking. Walbergs observed that: â€Å"High SES parents are more likely to ask â€Å"wh† questions (who, when, where, why) promoting language development, provide strong foundation for reading and vocabulary development. † (Walberg, 1991) 191i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 191 The educational aspirations parents have for their children are probably the most powerful variables a? ecting achievement.? Parents? who? expect? their? children? to? graduate? from high school and to attend college have children who do well than parents who have low aspirations. These expecta- tions are communicated through dialogue betweenparents and children.? Low? SES? parents? in? contrast,? allow? their? children? to? â€Å"drift† into classes and often got loss in the shu? e and failed in their lives. The differences between low and high SES families also re? ect the emphasis placed on student’s autonomy and responsibility. High-SES parents emphasize self-direction, self- control, and individual responsibility while low-SES parents, in contrast, place greater emphasis on conformity and obedience. 1. What is meant by parents’ SES differences? 2. Give few examples impact of SES on student’s aspirations, attitudes and values. 3. Think of ways in which teacher can accommodate to SES bdifferences. 7. 7 WAYS IN EMBRACING DIVERSITIES To be a good teacher, you should know the ways to embracing diversities among your students. Below are the discussions on how to handle your student’s diversities in the gender differences, cultural, race and ethnicity, learning style, socio–economy and linguistic differences. (a) Gender differences It is not easy to eliminate gender differences in the class, but to make teacher cautious and not gender bias, Figure 7. 6 shows some recommendations warrant that need to be considered. Avoid stereotypical language. (Example: â€Å"Okay, guys lets get work†) Provide equal opportunities for males and females. (Example: club membership). INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES l CHAPTER 7 192 In eliminating race and ethnicity, we move toward moulding one Malaysian nation with the same identity and characteristics such as same language and same spirit. One of the ways to unite Malaysians is through education system where all races study in the same school, same college and same university. All Malay- sian? know? and? appreciate? the? same? food? like? nasi lemak, roti canai, the tarik, tosay,mee teow, mee suah and etc. In coping with students with learning styles diversity, teacher  may use multi-approach in instruction such as cooperative learning which is suitable for ? eld-dependent students and doing experiment and also suitable for ? Eld-independent students. During instruction, teacher may use diagram and charts which is suitable for visual learner, using records and video tapes? which? is? suitable? for? auditory? learners? and? utilize? hands-on experience such as experimenting for tactile learners. Reduce or oust gender-typed activities. (Example: Girls have to cook, boys wash the car). Figure 7. 6: Some recommendations warrant that need to be consider to eliminate gender  differences in the class. (b) Cultural diversity In eliminating cultural diversity, teacher may utilize assimilation, amalgamation or cultural pluralism approach. In Malaysia we are encouraged to utilize cultural pluralism approach. (c) Race and ethnicity (d) Learning styles diversity 193i. CHAPTER 7 l INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 193 Teacher have to help students from poor family to excel by motivating them to learn, give extra-class to help them catch up? with? the? other? students,? maybe? organizing? charity? work? to? earn? money? that? can? be? donated? to? the? poor? students.? Later,? teacher? can? also?

Ensure Team Effectiveness Project

Momi jeweler| Sandeep kaur std01943| Aitt college| | Table of Contents 1 Name of the organisation2 2 Your position2 3 Type of position:2 4 Organisation background:2 5 Your role:2 6 Action plan:-2 7 Outcomes3 8 Alternative process3 8 IMPLEMENTATION4 10 Budget allocation4 11 conclusion4 1 Name of the organisation: momi jewellery shop 2 Your position:- Team leader of distribution and warehousing. 3 Type of position: – frontline management position. Reason for your new position developed: – there are many reason for develop team leader of distribution and warehousing position.The one reason is that nobody there to work for this situation, to achieve their goals, completes the organisation’s expectations. Work for company profit and production and provide good service to people so that every person can do their work with responsibility. 4 Organisation background:- it is a large jeweller firm. The organisation manufactures, imports and repairs jewellery for distributio n to its many stores in all states. There are 12 team members, from different background and with differing levels of expertise.Some team members have worked with the organisation and in this vision, for members of years. Other team members are relatively new, while some have worked in other department/ sections of the organisation before being transferred to your division. 5 Your role: – your initial role, therefore, is that of trouble shooter, problem solver and team facilitator. You need to bring this group of people together to form a cohesive, effective and productive team. 6 Action plan:- action plan are very necessary to get a team goals and their expectation ,This Action Plan builds upon the Strategic Framework developed as a, result of an extensive research programme with businesses in the Jewellery shop, 2 The purpose of the research was to produce evidence to inform the development of a Strategy and Action Plan to support businessgrowth and development in the secto r. While the focus wastherefore on factors affecting economic development, the researchcovered broader aspects relating to sustainability, i. . environmentaland social factors. As a result a number of indirect factors have beenidentified and these have been taken into account in formulating boththe Strategy and Action Plan. 3The Actions have short medium and long lead delivery times. Each Action has been developed as aPracticalactivity, although some may be considered to be preparationfor future delivery. Where possible they build upon broaderinterventions already on offer to the business community from arange of stakeholders and providers. Apprenticeship orImproversNetwork:-Identify those companies that would support andshare the cost of developing a network which enableda small number of apprenticeships to be awardedeach year and provided work placements forimprovers. Starters fund Establish small grants schemes to supportbusiness start-ups with access to equipmentand purchase of tools. 7 Outcomes 1 Improved understandingand focus on trainingavailable and successionplanning. 2 Raised awareness of thesector 3More new product andimprove turnaround times (reference=http://www. jewelleryquarter. net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/jibss_action_plan24909. df) 8 Alternative process If these process will not working then we have to use alternative process so the person can perform well like forming, storming, norming and performing these are the necessary stages for team development. So there must be training process so the employ can learn properly and perform properly 8 IMPLEMENTATION The following section sets out some proposals for the adoption andimplementation of the Action Plan. Action 1: An early activity should be to gain formal recognition for the Plan from Jewellers Association Company as principal funders of itsdevelopment.The achievement of this recognition should be led bysupport of the Steering Group and the nominated Business Champion. Action plan 2 shou ld bring together appropriate representativesfrom those agencies identified in the Plan to confirm their support and to identify/confirm the lead organisation for each activity. This group,or some form of it, should agree to develop a formal remit and to actas a project management group for implementation. Action plan 3 An assessment of the resourcing implications ofimplementation and delivery. This should include identifyingfunding to enable the employment of a co-ordinator. 10 Budget allocationAction | Budget / Expenses ($)| 01| 5000| 02| 2750| 03| 3600| 04| 8900| 11 conclusion In the end we can say that in this large jewellery shop which is working for manufactures, import and repairs jewellery and it has many store in all states. I just have appointed there for team leader as a frontline management position so I can work for complete its expectation and goals. there were lack communication so I made some of action plan which will good shop and it will increase its productivity. 12 reference Books and website:- (http://www. jewelleryquarter. net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/jibss_action_plan24909. pdf)