Web Quest

Context clues Directions: Answer each question for the politician Huey Long. Use the internet and your favorite search engine to answer each of the questions. Each complete response for each author is worth 5 points 1. What was happening politically during the time this author was writing? During his time, there was poverty and homelessness due to the Great Depression. 2. Where was the author located? What nationality is the author? He was located in Louisiana and his nationality was the US 3. When was the author born? And, when did he die? August 30, 1893 – September 10, 1935 . What kinds of social problems would the author have observed? Name and explain three. It also extends to the ends his strategies and schemes for dealing with the social problems he identified by redistributing wealth. He didn't like the rich, and he expanded the freeway system.. redistributing wealth 5. What novels, short stories or articles did the author write which reflected those problems? List a m inimum of two. Every Man A King and My First Days in the White House 6. What were the author’s political beliefs and how might they have shaped his writing?He was highly liberal and very anti-Standard Oil. He pushed high taxes and wealth redistribution. 7. Did the author earn his living through writing alone or did he earn an additional income doing something else? What was the alternative employment if any? Huey Long earned money in many jobs. He won a debating scholarship, he spent four years as a traveling salesman, selling books, canned goods and patent medicines, as well as working as an auctioneer. In 1915, he passed the state bar exam in Louisiana and began private practice.

Evaluation of Hmv

TABLE OF CONTENT 1. Tasks Allocation3 2. Company Web Site (hmv. com. hk)3 3. Business Model and Value Proposition3 4. Evaluation Framework4 4. 1. Context4 4. 2. Content7 4. 3. Community9 4. 4. Customization12 4. 5. Communication15 4. 6. Connection17 4. 7. Commerce19 5. Fit and Reinforcement23 6. Competitor Comparison24 7. Reference List24 1.Tasks Allocation | Business Model, Competitor Comparison, Framework Design | Evaluations of Customization, Communication, Fit and Reinforcement | Evaluations of Community | Evaluations of Connection and Commerce | |2. Company Web Site (hmv. com. hk) |HMV is a British global entertainment retailer. The retail shops are selling music, videos, games and entertainment accessories. The HMV Website’s started in 1997 and provided the online selling and delivering services. |3. Business Model and Value Proposition | HMV’s online service is a Business-to-Customer (B2C). It has been provided the different services as selling, delivering and exchange at retail’s industry.To enable competitive advantage (value proposition), the business model of â€Å"Bricks and Clicks† is performed by HMV which integrates both offline (bricks) and online (clicks) presences and the services are available 24 hours a day for all countries. HMV specializes in both physical and digital products on music, video, games and entertainment’s accessories. |4. Evaluation Framework | The evaluation of hmv. com. k will be based on 7Cs framework, including context, content, community, customization, communication, connection and commerce. Each of the 7Cs will be evaluated individually and how HMV use it to â€Å"fit† its business model and value proposition and we also look into whether consistency exists among the 7Cs. |4. 1. Context | 4. 1. 1. Pros Targeted website www. hmv. com. hk has used black and shocking pink as the theme color throughout the site. It is consistent with brand image and banner of HMV.It matches th e symbol of HMV, which is shown HMV is a trendy and fashionable CD warehouse to their target customers such as teenager, the middle class and the working people. From the functionality aspect, HMV uses tab menu as navigation tool on the top of the page to present its product or service catalogs, so it enables users to move easily back and forth between different catalogs without clicking â€Å"back† button. Moreover, the design of the website has taken into consideration of different language requirement including English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese. The specific language environment can be easily changed by users.Moreover, HMV uses consistent image layout and packaging information, which helps customer to easily identify required products. It also presents the new release products in HMV, catalyzed by the type of product, such as new release of music and movies. And the special information that included the weekly top 10 sales ranking of product and the speci al offer of HMV is placed in the left hand side and right hand side of the main page. This design approach makes customer can find the important information, as known as the newest product is on sales in HMV recently in the center of the main page.On the other hand, the sales ranking and special offer information has put into left and right hand side in the page, when customer would like to know more about the sales information of HMV. The context of HMV fits its value proposition by using user-friendly tab menu which make users easily access the information and multi-language web interfaces. [pic] 4. 1. 2. Cons As a customer’s experience, an advertisement banner in the main page is quite annoying, because it started to play the promotion movie clip automatically. It does not provide any visible interface to let customer to pause or mute the promotion movie.Sometimes, customer will not prefer to see the advertisement, when the page is loading with the big band sound. [pic] 4. 1. 3. Recommendation To avoid inconvenient cause to customer on the advertisement, it is recommended to HMV that try to provide a movie interface as good as customers can play the promotion movie clip by themselves or mute the movie clip as default movie playing setting after the main page is loaded. |4. 2. Content | 4. 2. 1. Pros First of all, www. hmv. com. k is a specialty store which is selling physical products. It can be seen in the clear catalog and the sub-catalog in the top of each page. This catalog has divided HMV’s product into different type, such as â€Å"music†, â€Å"dvd†, â€Å"blue-ray†, â€Å"games† and so on. Therefore, it can be seen that HMV is a Mega specialty store which is provide multimedia to its customer. [pic] When customers click to the catalog and find his or her product that want to buy, HMV has listed the information of the product such as the price, the artist of the product, track list of the product and other p roducts that relate to the selected product.Through the information listed, customer can understand the detail of the product and the related products. As a result, the content of HMV fits its value proposition by providing sufficient information which move consumers close to purchase, because of more awareness. [pic] 4. 2. 2. Cons In the product information, only text and graphic information are provided to the customers review. As media warehouse, HMV does not provide more information such as promotion music clips or promotion video to its products. 4. 2. 3. RecommendationIt is recommended HMV to use more multimedia to aid HMV to have customer to understand the product of HMV such as promotion music clips or promotion video to its product. |4. 3. Community | 4. 3. 1. Pros The HMV does not have a community for users on its own websites. The strategy of HMV is using hyperlinks, connected to social networks. For example, Facebook, Tweeter and YouTube are integrated in HMV site to pr ovide information about latest products and discount, creates topics for iscussion and answer user's questions through these social networks. For these parts, HMV can function as advertisement and customer service. [pic] Information about latest products: Moreover, customers not only collect information passively, but also create topics and plan activities of interest to others. Apparently the degree of member participation is high and there are more user-to-user communications on these websites especially Tweeter and Facebook. Customer Service: While micro blog and social network are becoming more and more popular, it is reasonable that HMV mainly emphasizes on these websites.There is no need to create new sites, so the cost can be lower. And because micro blog and social network have millions of users, using those platforms to do advertisement and contact with customers are quite effective. Actually, micro blog and social network can be very useful tools for promoting for every B2 C company. As a result, the community of HMV can fit its business model, because they are effectively using external resource systems such as Facebook and Twitter to enable online HMV community and global communications. 4. 3. 2. ConsAfter browsing lots of products on HMV, we found that although, there is customer review section for each product behind the product introduction, only a few customers do the rating and hardly find customer reviews. Lack of comments, rating or references can influence customer purchase decision. As a consumer aspect, when buying a certain product on HMV site, they might interest other people's opinions for the references. 4. 3. 3. Recommendations Considering very few people write the customer review, there are three recommendations for HMV.Firstly, in order to grow the audiences, HMV can submit its blog to various search engines such as Google and Yahoo for making user attentions. Secondly, HMV can also build a music blog community for its fans to encou rage them to leave comments for making more interactive communications. This kind of communications might help to grow HMV’s audience and generate the customer reviews. The last suggestion is that the specific offer, discount or coupon can be provided by HMV, when writing a number of customer reviews by visitors. |4. 4.Customization | 4. 4. 1. Pros Log-in Registration: After log-in registration, users can access personal account details that contain personal information, payment method, wish list and order history, so that the users can be able to manage their personal HMV profile. Cookies: The feature of cookies is enabled by HMV to track our basket during site visit. For the â€Å"my basket†, the shopping items can be recorded by the users and saved by clicking â€Å"add to basket† button.The feature of â€Å"My Basket† also helps to provide personalized shopping basket to store the interested items, before performing business transaction. Content Pers onalization: HMV offers the features of content personalization by using â€Å"wish list†. For the â€Å"wish list†, it provides flexibility to allow users to specify their personal preferences and provides the way to keep track of products we may want to purchase at a later date. Moreover, the users can receive e-mails about sale promotions, based on a personal â€Å"wish list†.Even though, the HMV's unique customization tools try to a â€Å"fit† with its position as an innovative online music shop, we found that there are some customization features, company policies which should be improved with the following details. 4. 4. 2. Cons The web site provides some customization features such as personalized content and cookies, but there are four weakness points. First of all, HMV does not offer notification features to notify the consumers about the upcoming releases of our favorite singer.Secondly, HMV does not take responsible for any loss of privacy, dis closure or information with its web-site, this might cause negative band image for the users. Thirdly, HMV offers very limited content personalization in this stage, so that the users might not pay more attentions in their products or services. The last weakness point is that HMV does not offer the feature for reviewing visited products. 4. 4. 3. Recommendations There are limited customization features provided in HMV site.The recommendations are that HMV should consider to make sufficient privacy policy for protecting consumers, in order to build the positive band image. Although, the feature of cookies has been enabled for â€Å"My basket†, this feature should be improved, so that they can track and gather data and then return corresponding visited items, called â€Å"browsing history†. Moreover, the feature of product notification for upcoming releases of our favorite products should be provided to enhance competitive advantage. The last recommendation is about pers onalized contents, in order to address individual user needs and driving consumer behavior.According to the study â€Å"2008 ChoiceStream Personalization Survey†, there are 78% of consumers interested in receiving personalized content and 71% of consumers also believe that personalization can improve their experience [X]. Therefore, both implicit data and explicit data should be used in HMV site to provide customized experience for online shopping, called â€Å"tailoring by sites†. Implicit data should be generated by the user who choose to view the products by clicking on relevant links. Explicit data is provided by user [X].For example, â€Å"recommendation list† should be generated by HMV site to display similar category of products, based on your past shopping records. |4. 5. Communication | The overall communication of the website is good. It provides many communication channels, including email enquiry, FAQ, Phone, Facebook. Some of the Pros and Cons are l isted below: 4. 5. 1. Pros e-Mail Newsletters & Content-Update Reminders: The feature of â€Å"Newsletter† is an example of broadcast communications. The newsletters are sent via e-mail to inform subscribers about sale promotions or specific offers.Customers can choose either subscribe or unsubscribe newsletter at their discretion under â€Å"Communication Preferences† menu. Beside, the website also provides email alarm for new products and News Information broadcast, based on purchase history. As a result, customers can receive latest information via these channels. Moreover, personalized e-mail content is another type of one way information exchange from HMV to users, called â€Å"Content-Update Reminders†. The e-mail content is tailored by HMV to reflect each user's interests, based on â€Å"wish list†, so that the users from time to time to receive emails from HMV about sales promotions.Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): The HMV site provides the list of questions and answers to support all commonly asked questions, called broadcast communication. It is very useful for users to know how to use HMV's web services such as configuration of cookie and checking order status, when they do online shopping. Innovative communication channels via Facebook: The feature of Facebook as social networking service is embedded in HMV site. It is an example of one-to-many, responding user. Users can share their comments regarding their experiences and respond. . 5. 2. Cons The customer service is not convenience, because the HMV does not offer the â€Å"Live HELP† support for 24 hrs. In modern life style, most customers go online shopping after working hours. Beside, the scope of FAQ session is insufficient as it only forces the basic questions. 4. 5. 3. Recommendations The service of 24 hrs â€Å"Live Help† should be provided by HMV for supporting time zone difference and providing quick response to consumers, by using read-time cha t system, like [pic] to provide the one-to-one personal Live communicational channel.Moreover, the website should enhance the FAQ session for the overall operations instead of providing the FAQ for the basic enquires only. |4. 6. Connection | 4. 6. 1. Overview The degree of target website HMV links to other website is low. In order to make a better understanding of the connection part, a similar online CD warehouse, Yesasia, is selected to compare with HMV: [pic] Base on the table above, it can be seen that HMV performs better than Yesasia.HMV has a better Google index pages and inbound links ranking, along with the Alexa ranking. But shows a little bit lower in Alexa inbound links. 4. 6. 2. Pros First of all, lesser external link may give customers the image that the company is professional. Consumers can far away from annoying advertisement. On the other hand, external link may generate some extra profit. The link here provides some latest information relating to the website. The refore, the tube from HMV can provide the customers with information about the fresh new goods. . 6. 3. Cons Although HMV has few external links, the link may not achieve customer expectation and the profit generated by this link might be low. Moreover, as HMV is mainly deal with the audios and games, which update very rapidly, so customers would more willing to have some links on introducing the latest information or selling some related products. 4. 6. 4. Recommendations As mentioned in overview, HMV need to lift the Alexa Inbound Links ranking. There are few suggestions that recommend to HMV.It can be delivered messages or published articles on the popular BBSs or Blogs linking to its own website and add the index link. Or it can exchange links with some related or similar website. |4. 7. Commerce | 4. 7. 1. Overview This website has most of the basic features of customer interface that support the aspects of trading transactions. 4. 7. 2. Pros Registration For the registration, the most impressive thing is â€Å"Individuation†. When registering, the website will record consumers’ preferences if permitted.Then it will email the information of the goods to the consumers according to their preferences. [pic] For the Shopping part, one very useful column is sales ranking. It is a good promotional way to attract customers and guide consumption. When I have no idea to buy what kind of staff, or I’m confused with which CD is good, it will be quite useful, like a shopping guide. Security Security gives an impression of convenience. Not like the general security methods by which customers need to install different kinds of digital certificates or USB key, HMV cooperates with â€Å"thawte†.Only one single click can achieve verification. It is convenient for the customers to a great extent. Besides, â€Å"Thawte† provided a security policy that guarantees all transactions inside HMV are trusted via security channel by using SSL aut hentication. Additionally, there is a guideline for customers to identify the site is safety while it has the Thawte Trusted Site Seal. [pic] 4. 7. 3. Cons Even though, HMV considers customization in registration, some negative user experiences also appear while using HMV registration interface.For instance, customers have to change their privacy settings in browser to allow the website to track the shopping cart and account details during visit, but most customers may not be willing to do so. [pic] Moreover, only one address can be stored. Usually, customer will have at least two addresses which are used for different purposes or at different times. So every time when customers want to ship items to a different address, they have to manually fill in the different address rather than choose one from the address lists. The function of shopping cart is very important in customer interface.However, it is not that 100% satisfaction. Whenever adding a product to shopping cart, the page w ill skip to the cart page. It is not convenient when customers want to continue shopping other items. What’s more, no recent history will be demonstrated about the items viewed by the customers. If the product is deleted by human mistake, customers have to go back to the original page and place the order again. 4. 7. 4. Recommendations In the registration module, information about more addresses and contact persons can be stored in the customer information.Shopping online is convenient but receiving packages sometimes could be a problem. So adding more information about delivery addresses and contact persons is necessary. Shopping cart could be more user-friendly. For instance, the deleted items can be recovered. It can operate as follows: [pic] Apart from that, what customers have to add to shopping cart can be stored in backstage and when they finish shopping, they can pay through their baskets. Furthermore, HMV can adopt â€Å"one click† shopping pattern which allow customers to make online shopping through one single click, like[pic].It is a good way to simplify purchase work flow. |5. Fit and Reinforcement | Communication is reinforced by customization (wish list) Commerce is reinforced by personalization Community is reinforced by communication (Lecture Note p. 58) Content is reinforced by customization HMV provides user-friendly customer interface to fit its business model for creating positive experiences and brand-building which make users close to purchase. 6. Competitor Comparison | |7. Reference List | [X] ChoiceStream, Inc. : Choicestream personalization survey. Research brief, 2008, pp 2-4. [X] Rayport, J. F and Jaworski, B. J. , e-Commerce, McGraw 2001. pp 113-165. [X] Probert, J. , Personalization In Digital Business, 2010, pp 1-2. ~ END

Chapter Assignment

A. Scope Statement Project objective To organize a casual, charity dinner-dance concert for 30 couples within four weeks at cost not to exceed $5,500. Deliverables Dinner for 60 people. Venue. Jazz music performance. Charity Information announcement. Milestone 1. Hall reserved and Jazz combo hired -February 2 2. The guest list checked-February 7 3. Invitation sent-February 14 4. Track list confirmed-February 20 5. Caterer hired-February 25 6. Tables, chairs arranged-February 28 Technical requirements . There must be dance floor that can accommodate 60 people to dance. 2. There must be sufficient number of tables and chairs that can hold 60 people. 3. There must be proper sound equipment for the music. Limits and exclusions 1. The concert will be organized to the specification provided by the local charity. 2. Alcohol drinks are not included among the ticket price but soft drinks are included. 3. Venue decoration and arrangement work limited through February 27 to March 1. Customer review The local charity b.The priorities would likely be the time and scope. The time is constrained since the concert would be held on specific date, and the scope of it must meet the specifications provided by the local charity. The quality should be accepted since the project should be on time and not to exceed the budget. Therefore, slightly lower quality is acceptable though not desirable. The one should be enhanced Is cost. Because the remaining budget will be included In charitable donations, the organizer loud take advantage of every opportunity to reduce the cost.

Conceptual Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conceptual Analysis - Assignment Example If one has to love, it might be necessary not to ask something in return and it is a decision to take for this matter. Therefore, it is possible to see unrequited love at some point, as long as there are individuals who will decide to love even if they will not be loved in return. On the other hand, love does not inherently involve sexual attraction. For this matter, we can always go back to our major premise that love is a decision to take and part of it is to go for it even if there is no sexual attraction involved. Since love is a decision, one can therefore love with more than one person at a time or over a lifetime. Finally, although love is linked to survival and reproduction, but knowing it is a decision, then one can still decide to love even if it is beyond the context of continued existence and propagation. Now, let us move our discussion to unveil sufficient condition on what does it mean to really be in love. Sufficiently, we can say that one is really in love when he or she is able to express that feeling from within, by which it is a form of engagement or personal attachment to whoever such expression has to be given. The expression involved in this case can be verbal, non-verbal or both. In the presence of this verbal, non-verbal or both requirements, love can be manifested and it is a sufficient condition to consider that there exists an opportunity to show what love is. Although actions may speak louder than words, these two requirements are relevant expressions that one can employ individually or both in order for us to determine what it means to really be in love. Therefore, the act of showing love is manifested through verbal and non-verbal gestures as substantial evidence for its actual expression. For instance, if a man gives flower to a woman because he loves her may not sufficiently convince us that he really indeed loves her. However, further necessary expressions is needed to prove this, and here where we can probably depict a combinat ion of the needed requirements, verbally and non-verbally. Now that we have finally formulated the necessary and sufficient conditions in order to know what it means to really be in love, we are heading to discuss the intended Socratic definition for this matter. Concerning this, we can therefore say that an individual is in love when he or she is performing a decision to do it, by which we can actually depict through verbal and non-verbal acts or both as the sufficient requirements. Section B. Conceptual Analysis II: Love In Section A, we have introduced the necessary condition for the realization of love, which is a form of decision to take. To sufficiently prove this, expressions such as verbal and non-verbal or both as the requirements must be depicted. Therefore, we can define that an individual is in love when he or she is performing a decision to do it, by which we can actually depict through verbal and non-verbal acts or both as the sufficient requirements. Socrates might re fute this claim by providing substantial counter examples, so as to nullify the entire concept by providing an instance that may potentially defy it. For this reason, here are the potential counter examples that Socrates might probably use against the established definition above. Socrates might use the concept of commitment as necessary element linked to love. Therefore, without this commitment, which is something one could sufficiently observe, then there is no existence of love at all. At some point,

Plasmid analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Plasmid analysis - Essay Example The blue plasmid DNA did not contain any of the restriction sites for Hind III or Sac I. Introduction Plasmids are the extra chromosomal DNA molecules which are mostly double –stranded, circular and covalently closed molecules, varying in size from 1 kb to 200 kb. (Sambrook and Russell 2001). They are found in many bacterial species. They replicate independently and use a variety of mechanisms to maintain their copy number. They contain the gene codes for the enzymes that are important for the bacterial hosts. The plasmids act as vectors in the molecular biology experiments. The vectors are the carrier DNA molecules into which the foreign gene of interest is inserted and expressed in the host. This DNA is now called recombinant DNA (Roberts and Murray 1976). This recombinant DNA is able to express the Foreign DNA in the bacteria. These vectors replicate inside the host cell along with the inserted DNA. These vectors are of two types: expression vectors (expression of the clone d gene to give the desired protein) and cloning vectors (produce millions of copies of cloned DNA) (Sambrook and Russell 2001). Restriction endonucleases are the enzymes that cut the DNA at the specific sequences. There are about 200 different restriction enzymes (Siwach and Singh 2007). ... The restriction mapping is used to identify the plasmids. The number of DNA fragments and the size of the DNA fragments depend upon the action of the restriction enzyme (Kruezer and Massey 2008). These DNA fragments thus obtained are separated using the Agarose gel electrophoresis. Restriction mapping consists of three important steps. They are restriction enzyme digestion, agarose gel preparation and sample loading (Kruezer and Massey 2008). Results and Discussion: The nutrient agar plate was inoculated with E.coli, and the antibiotic discs were placed in the four quadrants. Figure1: Antibiotic profile against tetracycline in E. coli DH5alphaE:: pMTL84445 After inoculation at 37 degree Celsius for overnight, it was observed that the antibiotic disc of tetracycline had a clear zone. This indicates that the E.coli culture is resistant to kanamycin, chloramphenicol and ampicillin. There is very little sensitive to tetracycline. Figure 2: Antibiotic resistance profiling: Table 1a : Anti biotic resistance profiling of kanamycin control Kanamycin control E. coli DS941::pRRK Antibiotic disc Zone diameter in mm Chloramphenicol 30 Kanamycin 0 Tetracyline 10 Ampicillin 0 E.coli DS941::pRRK bacteria was found to be very sensitive to Chlormaphenicol and comparatively sensitive for Tetracycline antibiotics. The bacteria showed resistance to kanamycin and Ampicillin. Table 1b : Antibiotic resistance profiling of chloramphenicol control Chloramphenicol control: E. coli DS941::pAV35 Antibiotic disc Zone diameter in mm Chloramphenicol 0 Kanamycin 27 Tetracyline 32 Ampicillin 0 E. coli DS941::pAV35 bacteria were found to be very sensitive to Kanamycin and Tetracycline and resistant to Chloramphenicol and Ampicillin.

Answer case study questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer questions - Case Study Example The other team will be responsible for the development of Regional Information System Modules, sketched out centrally to digitize all processes of AgCredit. The project selection process should be done in-house, however the project should be selected and implemented by more competent manager as the limited technical expertise of Paul Manley will not do for project of enterprise scale. SOA is a strong case but the Manley has a personal stack involved in it as he want to be at the helm of affairs himself despite his limited capacities to run a project of enterprise scale. However he can make the case of SOA if the pilot project he has suggested to Schader is completed satisfactorily. A full scale IT Directorate with regional IT Centers is indispensable for AgCredit to launch their future business vision while automating and integrating their existing disrupted Information Systems. A team of highly professional network managers and developers is required to handle the case of an enterprise level network environment and a totally integrated software solution to address all existing issues with business process automation. The most important aspect is to resolve the issues with manning the IT Infrastructure with the principal of right man at the right place. Specially, Manley as the head of IT is a misfit for future IT vision and implementation of a highly available, scalable and efficient enterprise software

Importance of Communication Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Importance of Communication - Research Paper Example Each follower can inspire others and they can also be inspired by the leader. Good communication skill successfully sends a clear message by way of oral, written or non–verbal method. It avoids any kind of confusion among followers. Confusion can lead to less productivity and conflict among team members. Communication not just means sharing information, but also good listening and writing skills. These are also part of communication. Listening to the followers can help to actively manage any difficulty which may arise in an organization. A leader can understand the requirements of followers and thus effectively lead them by fulfilling their needs. If the followers realize that their words are provided with due attention by the leader, they will be likely to communicate more efficiently. As a consequence, the leader-follower relationship will become strong (Mayfield & Mayfield, â€Å"The Role of Leader-Follower Relationships in Leader Communication†). There are certain t echniques for communicating with the followers. The manners, gestures, and verbal impressions always matter on the personality of a leader. A casual communication can lead to bad impression about leadership and thus, a serious expression is needed while making statement towards the followers. The anger or the satisfaction can be communicated by the non-verbal actions and these are very effective for maintaining an operative association between the leader and the follower (Mayfield & Mayfield, â€Å"The Role of Leader-Follower Relationships in Leader Communication†). Proper leader behavior is required to support leader–follower relationship. Communication ensues in the framework of a certain leader-follower relationship. It is not an autonomous procedure of transmission of information. Poor manners can counteract good communication. Communication will be ineffective without positive leader-follower relationship. The behavior of leader can facilitate the communication. I n an organization, a leader must be nominated on the basis of communication abilities and relationship building talents. In simple words, only conversation is insufficient; leader should also be capable of keeping the communication real and express encouraging behavior towards follower. Deprived behavior is regarded as a hindrance in communication (Mayfield & Mayfield, â€Å"The Role of Leader-Follower Relationships in Leader Communication†). Evaluation Of Own Communication As communication is a cooperative procedure, the evaluation must consider the decision of trained evaluator along with the impression of followers who are involved in the communication process. It comprises of self-report of the leader being evaluated. The evaluation of communication must be able to differentiate with the talking and listening from interpretation and writing skills. Though major part of evaluation is in the form of verbal communication, it also contains the interpretation and writing abili ty. The technique of evaluation must be reliable with the measurement of communication. The leadership communication can be evaluated by actual performance in collective atmosphere. The tools for evaluating communication must define the level of proficiency. It must be able to clearly recognize the responses (National Communication Association, â€Å"Criteria for Oral Assessment†

Discussion Board #6 Cool Jazz Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Board #6 Cool Jazz - Article Example Pure musical devices have been used in the production of the recording and emotional expressions are correctly used. The recording is accompanied by a cool and detached concentration which encircles the performances that happens alongside the recording. In the recording, the rhythm section’s role is to provide the foundation over which the improvisers could drape melodies to accompany the recording or the album. The drummers and bassist have efficiently played their role in the recording as they have not interacted with the soloists; therefore, intensity in the recording has been controlled. The recording also posses’ incredible lines sound making it be a perfect match of the 21st century, this is because of the rhythmic activity used by instrumentalist in the recording. The recording thus reveals subconscious-Lee as musician of the past who has allowed and incorporated changes in the twenty first century to produce a form of music that is appealing to the present and future

UNIT 2 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

UNIT 2 INDIVIDUAL PROJECT 2 - Essay Example rt from the external short and long-term creditors of the company, the investors and lender’s interested in a company consider ratios as an important indicator for decision making. The investors look to measure the capacity of the firm to provide them with adequate return on their investment. Similarly banker’s who look to lend money or advance money to any firm would use the below ratios to assess the capacity of the borrower firm to repay the debt. As we know the primary purpose of every firm is to maximize shareholder’s wealth. The bottom line of the company is the prime focus for both the management and the external investors / lenders of the company. Thus, the net profit ratio helps us understand the percentage of net profit after all expenses to the total revenue of the company. It is an indicator of how well the company’s management has worked not only towards accelerating revenues, optimizing costs including cost of borrowed funds but also providers the owners an understanding that there would be adequate return on their capital employed. A higher net profit would mean adequate returns to the shareholders and the lenders. â€Å"Debt-Service Coverage Ratio† is an important ratio for every banker or lender who is looking to finance or provide funds as borrowings to the company. This ratio is indicative of the capacity of the company to make enough earnings before tax to ensure that the loan is being serviced. In other words, the ratio (if above 1.5) indicates that the organization makes enough earnings to repay interest and principle payments of the funds borrowed on a monthly basis. Indeed, the banker or the lender considers this ratio as a prime indicator of the capacity of the firm to repay back the debt that they fund. ROCE is one of the important ratios used to understand the return on investment or capital employed. The term capital employed means long term funds supplied by creditors and owners of the firm. This ratio helps in measuring or

Formal analytical report on employment in thehealtcare field Research Paper

Formal analytical report on employment in thehealtcare field - Research Paper Example The report contains five parts. The first part can educate individuals who would like their children to develop a career in healthcare management. This is because the part contains recommendation on steps that could be made to enhance professional development among this group of individuals. Part 2 could educate both parents and teachers on the most recommendable steps to take in encouraging students to develop a career in healthcare management. Part 3 and 4 would be of very great assistance to individual learners who want to develop career in healthcare management. This is because it contains the recommendable steps that they could undertake to enhance their acquisition of necessary knowledge and skills. Thank you in advance for reading the report. I know that the knowledge and skills you have obtained would assist you in developing competency in healthcare management or help someone else become a better healthcare manager in future. Regards (Insert names here) Table of Contents Let ter of transmittal 2 Table of Contents 2 Background 4 Purpose, scope, and limitations 4 Sources and methods 5 Report organization 6 Career development during pre-elementary and elementary education 6 Career development during high school and undergraduate education 7 Career development during postgraduate and work 8 Conclusion 9 Introduction Background Healthcare management is a very luxurious field to pursue a career. According to Buchbinder & Shunks (2011), healthcare management is a fast growing profession with increasing opportunities in different settings. This is because of the growing population that results to a greater demand for effective and high quality healthcare services. However, healthcare management has become very demanding as the healthcare institution continue to adapt complicated organizational structures to improve service delivery. Like other managements, interaction between academic and experiential learning plays a very great role in developing competency in healthcare management (Walshe & Smith, 2011). This makes individuals pursuing a career in this field to be required to advance their education to supplement their experience. Challenges encountered in healthcare management are different from challenges encountered in other management fields. According to Goldsmith (2005), healthcare management involves allocation of scarce resources among competing factions and maintaining something akin to equilibrium in the organization. Achieving this has not been easy because of interdisciplinary activities that are required to be undertaken. Multidisciplinary activities require teamwork activities. Therefore, professional in healthcare management need to understand how to achieve group cohesiveness and teamwork in the team they manage (Burn et al., 2011). This is actually among the most conspicuous challenges that distinguish healthcare management from the one taken in other management fields. Purpose, scope, and limitations This report explai ns how individuals can develop a career in the healthcare field. The purpose of the report is to inform young people who have ambitions of becoming healthcare professional about the necessary steps that they require to undertake to achieve their ambitions. Moreover,

Biomedical Engineering Essay Example for Free

Biomedical Engineering Essay Medicine, biology, research, and engineering are build blocks for the profession of a biomedical engineer. Biomedical engineering deals with the application of ones knowledge of engineering to medicine and biology to help with healthcare. To join this profession you need at the minimum of a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. There are many types of biomedical engineering such as tissue, genetic, neural, clinical and pharmaceutical, and with each they require special expertise. This profession is fast paced and filled with excitement, biomed will forever be evolving as the research and knowledge of all things medical grow. Now biomedical engineering is a larger profession than many think and is broken into many sub-specialties that require even a higher level of education and experience. Biomedical engineering requires a higher level of education after high school. Now before college for those interested they should enroll in advanced math and science classes to help with better preparation. Now while you’re in college obtaining an internship would be very beneficial to getting a job after graduating since most are looking for those with experience. Biomedical engineering includes coursework from both engineering and biology. Depending on your school the subjects vary but will normally include biomaterials, physiology, solid and fluid mechanics, and computer programming. Now if you enroll in a biomedical engineering program it must be accredited by ABET, if not your degree may not help you get a job after graduation. Well after graduation a brighter world opens up to you and you have a wide variety of other directions to travel because biomedical engineering doesn’t just stop there. Tissue engineering is the study for the growth of new connective tissues, organs, etc. This allows the creation of fully functional organs for implantation into host bodies. Sounds quite innovative and it is with the direct implantation over transplantation which could cause the host body to reject the organ causing further problems. Now to break down this process first a sample of cells would be taken from the host body, which soon after will be cultured from explants. Culturing explants is basically the process of mig rating and the expansion of cells. Then the cells get further culturing to form tissue that’s been engineered for implantation. Now these experiments are carried out within special Tissue Culture Facilities to keep a safe and sterile environment. Now when  these donor implants are created they are given growth measures so the cells can multiply and grow so once implanted they will recreate their intended functions. Now that’s quite fascinating, but this is just the tip of the ice berg there’s much more to be unfolded. Genetic engineering deals with the manipulation and changing of cells and their makeup. Often people think of this being a way to create super organisms, which is actually quite true in a sense. This part of biomedical engineering helps scientist break through the boundaries that restricts them from creating novel organisms. Novel organisms are organisms that can produce offspring with new gene combinations through sexual reproduction. Now this process takes place when engineers extract specific gene traits and transfers them into another specimen. Therefore new combinations of genes and traits lay a path for new species that doesn’t occur in nature and by which can’t be developed b y natural means. Although these may be great feats this is one of the riskier specialties. Alongside the benefits adding unnatural genes and traits can bring forth unknown consequences, but this is someone’s future and our future. Neural engineering runs on the principals of wanting to understand the brain and how it works; all the while developing new technology to interact and treat the brain. These engineers are taught about fundamental diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, tinnitus, and epilepsy. Other skills that are needed for this profession include signal processing, image processing, instrumentation and computational modeling as well as electrode design, amplifier and filter design, brain machine interfaces, cochlear implants, and deep brain stimulation. Now all of that sounds over whelming but neural engineering requires some of the top precision because the brain is something like the bodies controller. So being an amateur in this field is not something that’s accepted. Clinical engineering deals with the stride towards better te chnology to analyze and provide solutions for the clinical needs of patients. This field is quite diverse and covers a lot of areas within health care. These engineers work with complex human and technological systems. Now these men/women are the technical managers of the medical equipment, some of their responsibilities include financial or budgetary management, service contract management, data processing and in house operators. In addition they also fill other important functions like assuring that the medical equipment is safe and effective. Clinical  engineers are one of the more precise and helpful of the engineers because they work with medical, nursing and paramedical staff to ensure that the care their trying to deliver with the assistance of technology is being worked to the best of its ability. Pharmaceutical engineering is the field that deals with the creating and manufacturing plants and pharmaceutical products that are generated by these plants. These engineers help create the guidelines that regard the production of medical drugs in addition to their other work. Now alike the tissue engineers their sites of work but maintain sanitary all the time on a count of the drugs and other items they handle. Labeling and packaging these pharmaceuticals after validating the integrity is another task they must handle. It may sound odd but a major aspect of the job is being able to designing the pharmaceutical facility. They must build pharmaceutical and research facilities while considering the equipment needed and the â€Å"cleanrooms† and other utility stations they use. Clean rooms are an enclosed area that have low numbers of environmental pollutants, like dust or other things that can contaminate, this is somewhat of a Pharmaceutical engineer’s sanctuary in a way. In conclusion biomedical engineering is a very demanding yet interesting profession and can branch off into other specialties to enhance the fascinating experience. As you read through some of them you may have realize that each have their own intricate points, but all of them have one common goal and that’s to provide healthcare and its people with the best of the best no matter what their in need of. No matter which direction you decide to go with you’ll need a concise clear mind and an education to back it up. This is a very advanced profession and will only grow upon itself for years to come, so if this profession is chosen be sure that you’re ready and filled with enthusiasm and ambition because it will be needed. Works Cited King, YaShekia, and E. E. Hubbard. WiseGeek. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-pharmaceutical-engineering.htm. Neural Engineering. : Emphasis Areas : Undergraduate Program : Department of Biomedical Engineering : University of Minnesota. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. http://bme.umn.edu/undergrad/handbook/emphasis/neural.html. Trinity College Dublin. What Is Clinical Engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. http://www.medicine.tcd.ie/medical-physics-bioengineering/postgraduate/msc-physical-sciences/clinical-engineering.php. What Is Genetic Engineering? Union of Concerned Scientist: Citizens and Scientist for Environmental Soultions. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic-engineering/what-is-genetic-engineering.html. What Is Tissue Engineering. What Is Tissue Engineering. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2013. http://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/Biotech-Environ/Projects00/tissue/What is Tissue Engineering.htm.

The Last of the Mohicans Essay Example for Free

The Last of the Mohicans Essay Nicole Kidman and Daniel Day Lewis both render excellent performances as Satin and Hawkeye in the movies, ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘The Last of the Mohicans’, respectively. However, with the genres being quite different for each of these movies, both performers had to face specific demands in terms of their acting and preparation for their roles in each of these films. Acting is something that not most people can do and do well. On film acting takes on a brand new life when compared to acting on stage. While many people claim that acting on stage is much more difficult than acting on film, what most people don’t know is that in film, there is no room for falsity because the performers are expected to be the exact copy or portrayal of the character that they perform. In stage acting, on the other hand, actors usually own the role and in many cases the character is forgotten in favor of the actor. For instance, in Miss Saigon, it was not the main protagonist ‘Kim’ that people wanted to watch for but Lea Salonga. The case is different in film; for instance, in the movie, ‘The Queen’ Helen Mirren had to perform as an actress to be as truthful and accurate as she can be to the real Elizabeth, Queen of England. The demands in film and stage acting are different and albeit dissenting opinions, film actors go through more rigorous preparations before they are seen in their films so that the truth becomes more apparent and vivid to the audience. This means that acting on film is a craft of truth and that it should be something that actors and actresses assimilate and internalize to be able to perform well. In ‘Moulin Rouge’ Nicole Kidman played the role of Satine, a turberculous, love struck, performer/courtesan to whom a struggling poet falls in love with. Satine is then torn between two men, one a wealthy Duke and her true love, Christian, the poet. This film can be considered a hybrid because it is both a musical and a romantic comedy and it is surprising that Nicole Kidman had to use her real voice in performing as Satine in the many instances in the film where the character had to sing. The actress admits to having had gone through voice lessons to prepare for the film, which initially gives one the idea of what the film demanded of this particular actress. Other than getting voice lessons, Nicole also had to take dance lessons for the numerous dance numbers that she had to do in the film. Save it to say that the film was created in the Bohemian tradition which involved ostentatious set designs as well as loud colors and surreal scenery. These took their toll on the actress as well; being set in a bohemian environment required that the actress also exude a bohemia air. So, Nicole as Satine brought life to the character (pun intended) as she portrayed the calloused personality and soft, longing girl that Satine was. In effect, Nicole had to convey two characters that belonged to entirely different spectrums, one, an insensitive and gold-digging whore, and two, a lonely girl in love who would want to break away from the demands of her job. Satine’s conviction, however, lies in her dream of having a show of her own and finding her one true love, so Nicole had to balance the calloused personality that Satine was known for and the gentle, thoughtful, and loving girl that had dreams of her own. Another acting demand that Nicole had to meet for this film was the need to remain indifferent yet hopeful throughout the film. The challenge here is to be indifferent and allow small slivers of hope to shine through in her almost subdued acting. The reason for this is that Kidman had to maintain the mood of the film and while at the same time excluding herself from the fanfare that characterized most of the actors. The mood was quite surreal, a mood to which the wealthy Duke belonged to but the film offered another dimension, that of Christian, a more realistic and truthful dimension, so Satine had to be adequate for both worlds to successfully exist. Hence, Kidman, while being portrayed as a colorful and surreal character had to retain a certain degree of anchorage on reality in her performance to also make her fit for her true love, Christian. All in all, Kidman’s performance as Satine was out of the box because she had many demands on her beyond just the initial demands of learning to sing and dance for the film. Her performance successfully brought her character to life and effectively conveyed the kinds of messages and emotions that were required of the character at certain points in the film. In this particular film, Kidman had to act more accordingly to emotional acting than on physical acting. Physical acting, while all acting is in fact considered physical, is the kind of acting that requires the performer to use more physical language instead of emotional language as opposed to emotional acting. This means that a character has to make full use of physical faculties to illicit a physical response instead of using these faculties to illicit a subtle emotional response from the audience. Physical acting is more evident in action and adventure films of which ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ is one. In this film, Daniel Day Lewis who plays Hawkeye, a white man who is part of the dying Mohican tribe refuse to join the English Militia and come across two Indian women with whom love stories blossom amid the war. Immediately, it becomes evident that there were demands of conviction for the actor as he was expected to again, be torn between defending the Mohicans and the woman that he loved. While this film may be considered an adventure in all its aspects, it has elements of a love story and may be considered a hybrid. Perhaps most contemporary films now are considered hybrids because conflicts are created on the basis of various relationships and situations that pass for different theme genres. Going back to Lewis, another demand that this actor had to meet was the physical demand for the film – Lewis had, according to some sources, undergo agonizing weight training to get into character. He also had to assimilate to the rugged environment of the forests in which his character lived; this meant that he had to learn how to hunt and fish and survive only on the resources found in the forest. In addition to this, crew members involved in the film reveal that Lewis also had to learn to skin animals and carry a long rifle at all times to remain in character. This is a film where the environment is an important element of the acting, and may even be considered a character because included in the demands of the actor was that he had to learn to interact with the environment and approach it like it was part of the story, as in fact, it was. Comparing this to the earlier film, â€Å"Moulin Rouge† Lewis had to do more physical acting than emotional acting because while there was a love angle in the film, Lewis also had to convey the savageness and fierceness of the Mohicans, the tribe which he represented and had to embody. So, despite gentle and passionate scenes in the film, these were only added to give a deeper dimension to the conviction of the character, but more importantly, Lewis had to act like he was part of the environment and like he was the meat and bone of the conflict to portray his character more accurately and more realistically. In both of these films, the acting demands are quite clear and in any film in particular, any actor will have to meet these acting demands not as an obligation or a duty to the director or the producer but as a responsibility to the audience that has faith on the way actors and actresses should perform in character. Films are often driven by the way characters act and how the actors and actresses meet the acting demands thrown at them. Any effective and successful film will have actors and actresses fully meeting the demands of both the technical film and the creative aspect which is the story; and only then when the actors and actresses do meet these demands will they be able to give back to the audience a film that will grace movie history and hopefully transform into a timeless classic.

Education Important Factor In A Developing Country

Education Important Factor In A Developing Country For thousands of years, education has been an integral part of society. But is it the single most important factor in the development of a developing country? I believe education is of great significance instead of the most important factor. First and foremost, a complete education system provides large number of qualified people with advanced knowledges and skills in a wide range of subjects. Through attending various educational facilities, including but not limited high school, college and university, people can get themselves prepared for and contributed to the development of the country, which clearly requires the effort from all profession. For instance, if you want to be an architect, you go to university to learn basic knowledge in construction and designing, if you want to be doctor or nurse, you go to a medicine school to get familiar with all kinds of medicines and acquire some first-hand experience. In addition to talents cultivation, education in itself has tremendous influence on spirit civilization, which accounts for a large part in a countrys development. As a place where knowledge handed down and wisdom passed around, school represent the homeland of scholars like Socrates and Confucius, who had huge impact on the promotion of spirit civilization, and the birthplace of innovative ideas like democracy. Whats more, the improving of education involves many constructions of schools and universities which have positive effect on local economy. For instance, the university i attended, expand a new campus in the countryside area in Nanjing. With more and more students came to spend their four or even more years in here, the local economy was tremendously accelerated, restaurants, cafes, hotels, bookstores and supermarkets mushroomed in few years. On the other hand however, it would be rash to make the assertion that education is the single most important Education is the single most important factor in the development of a developing   For thousands of years, education has been an integral part of society. But is it the single most important factor in the development of a developing country? I believe education is of great significance instead of the most important factor. First and foremost, a complete education system provides large number of qualified people with advanced knowledges and skills in a wide range of subjects. Through attending various educational facilities, including but not limited high school, college and university, people can get themselves prepared for and contributed to the development of the country, which clearly requires the effort from all profession. For instance, if you want to be an architect, you go to university to learn basic knowledge in construction and designing, if you want to be doctor or nurse, you go to a medicine school to get familiar with all kinds of medicines and acquire some first-hand experience. In addition to talents cultivation, education in itself has tremendous influence on spirit civilization, which accounts for a large part in a countrys development. As a place where knowledge handed down and wisdom passed around, school represent the homeland of scholars like Socrates and Confucius, who had huge impact on the promotion of spirit civilization, and the birthplace of innovative ideas like democracy. Whats more, the improving of education involves many constructions of schools and universities which have positive effect on local economy. For instance, the university i attended, expand a new campus in the countryside area in Nanjing. With more and more students came to spend their four or even more years in here, the local economy was tremendously accelerated, restaurants, cafes, hotels, bookstores and supermarkets mushroomed in few years. On the other hand however, it would be rash to make the assertion that education is the single most important factor in the development of a developing country, because other factors plays a no less or even greater role in the progress of a country. Economy, for instance, directly influences the national power of a country and the well-being of its citizens. All in all, the development of a developing country can not be determined solely, it includes the promotion of many aspects such as education, economy, politics and army force.   For thousands of years, education has been an integral part of society(,) but is it the single most important factor in the development of a developing country? I believe education is of great significance instead of the most important factor. First and foremost, a complete education system provides large numberS of qualified people with advanced knowledges and skills in a wide range of subjects. Through attending various educational facilities, including but not limited TO high school, college and university, people can get themselves prepared for(,) and contributed to(,) the development of the country, which clearly requires the effort from all professionS. For instance, if you want to be an architect, you go to university to learn basic knowledge in construction and designing, BUT if you want to be A doctor or A nurse, you go to a medicine school to get familiar with all kinds of medicines and acquire some first-hand experience. In addition to talents cultivation, education in itself has tremendous influence on spirit civilization which accounts for a large part in a countrys development. As a place where knowledge IS handed down and wisdom passed around, school represent the homeland of scholars like Socrates and Confucius, BOTH OF whoM had A huge impact on the promotion of spirit civilization, and the birthplace of innovative ideas like democracy. Whats more,  The improving of education involves many constructions of schools and universities which have positive effectS on THE local economy. For instance, the university (I) attended, expandED a new campus inTO the countryside area in Nanjing. With more and more students COMING to spend their four or even more years in here, the local economy was tremendously accelerated, restaurants, cafes, hotels, bookstores and supermarkets mushroomed in ONLY A few years. On the other hand however, it would be rash to make the assertion that education is the single most important factor in the development of a developing country, because other factors plays a no less or even greater role in the progress of a country. Economy, for instance, directly influences the national power of a country(,) and the well-being of its citizens. All in all, the development of a developing country (cannot) be determined solely BY ITS EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS, it includes the promotion of many aspects(,) such aseducation,  economy, politics and ITS ARMED FORCES.   :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Well, you have four paragraphs and an introduction plus a conclusion, so it is longer than it need be. Relax and forget about the outcome of the test. Take your time to jot down two or three good ideas before you start writing, and then write only about them and nothing else. Include them all in your conclusion. In developing country, the most important thing is the way how to develop in firm foundations. And one of the firm foundations is education. This essay will discuss why education is the single most important factor in the development of a developing country. Firstly, in the life, people can live without education but education is the fast way helping people improve knowledges and experiences.Basic education provides people with a greater understanding of basic daily informations about life as well as of their own potential. A country with a strong education system can more definitely develop in the future.In developing country, improving citizens learning is very important because their attitude towards a question can influence on development of country.It is necessary to invest in education is because children will be laborer in future. If they work without education, this could be wasting a lot of resources and lead their country to go down. Secondly, in all countries especially developing countries, the way to develop is do own self. Developing education means the own way to develop country.Theres a famous saying If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, if you teach the man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.In some countries, the government invests a big part of the profits in weapons but its really waste time and money. The long investment is in education.With a good education system, people can study easily, they can overtake the newest technology then they apply in their life. To sum up,education factor in developing country is very important.Developing education is the most needful.Its a firm foundation for most countries especially developing country. I posted it in dethi.com and now, I post it again in here.I hope people can help me.Thanks Today, having a good education is really important for people. So that, most people apply a lot of tecniques which help them their work and school. Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country. Countries need a lot of things for their future because educated people are good at many things, such as communication and also to know how to improve themselves. First of all ,being good at communicating which has some advantages for people is very urgent for todays life .It brings people a lot of feasibility and success. For example, at work people get on well and behave eachother suitable. They find possibility and become successful .But if they dont do these ,they can lose many things .In addition to this, they may be hopeless and destroy their future. For these reason, people can have a good communication thanks to only education .To sum up, having good education opens people new door in their work and give them many things for their life. Another issue in the development country is that people know how to advance themselves during their all lives. For instance, educated people improve themselves during their all lives. They learn many things and in the future when they face with some problems ,they know how to deal easily, because they read or saw previous anywhere these problems .As a result, improving themselves about a lot of things is very significant for people. In the light of the above-mentioned reasons ,a country cannot develop without the education which requires an essential communication and improving themselves .In my opinion ,the education includes the most things that advance to the country.

The Crime of Stalking Essay -- Crime Stalking Stalk Harassment Essays

The Crime of Stalking Stalking has been around since the beginning of time. Men and women alike have been accused of such a crime cause they either can't get it out of their head that the other person does not want to have anything to do with them, or they are just obsessed with a stranger. It is just recent that they United States Government have decided to make stalking a crime in it self. This type of crime was labeled as harassment, annoyance, or domestic violence. It wasn?t until the 80's and 90's that stalking cases were brought to the attention of the media and high political policy makers. I suppose that I should inform you as to the legal definition of stalking before I go any further with this paper. There really is no one definition, each state has the right to put down on paper their own definition of what they this is stalking. Most states will agree that stalking is a willful course of conduct involving repeated or continuing harassment or another individual that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested, and that actually causes the victim to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested. Basically this is saying that in order for there to be stalking, a person need to feel like their life is in danger, they are unable to lead a normal life cause of another person that won?t leave them alone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three main types of stalkers. The first one is the simple obsession type. This is probably the most common one consisting of 70 to 80 percent of all stalking cases. Most of these were brought on when a relationship of some type was terminated. This could have been a business relationship, neighbor, customer, dating or even a lover. These people are also seen as the most dangerous. In cases where the two people were dating or lovers, they become obsessed with getting the relationship back, not with the sexual aspect. This type of stalker has a low self-esteem and feels that their partner is the only positive thing in their life. They fear losing this person, for they become dependant on them for their support and sense of achievement. They literally feel that without this person being an active and positive part in their life that they are worthless. They do not realize that they are driving the person further from them, they think that they a... ...  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Expecting police to solve your problem and hope it goes away 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Taking adequate privacy and safety precautions 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neglecting to enlist the support of family and friends. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ignoring their emotional need before and after a stalking . This is only the top ten mistake that a victim makes. There are probably plenty others, and if a person feels like a they are a victim of stalking then they need to get some help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, stalking is not something to be taken lightly. It is a serious crime that affects thousands of people each year. Recent laws are making it safer for the victim, but there is a lot more that needs to be done, and as long as there are men and women on this earth then there is going to be stalking. Works Cited 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Heavy Hands, by: Denise Gosslin. Prentice Hall 2000. Pp. 316-326 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  National Call for Law Enforcement Stalking Protocol, by: David Anderson (6 Mar. 2000) 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Top Ten Mistakes, by: Clairity Consulting. (6 Mar. 2000) http://www.stalkingvictims.com/mistakes.html 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Stalker Definition, by: Zona. (6 Mar. 2000) http://onour.com/stalking/definiti.htm

Aristotles Poetics: Complexity and Pleasure in Tragedy Essay -- Arist

Aristotle's Poetics: Complexity and Pleasure in Tragedy Aristotle 384-322 BC First, the instinct of imitation is implanted in man from childhood, one difference between him and other animals being that he is the most imitative of living creatures, and through imitation learns his earliest lessons; and no less universal is the pleasure felt in things imitated. We have evidence of this in the facts of experience. Objects which in themselves we view with pain, we delight to contemplate when reproduced with minute fidelity Poetics Chapter 1V In his Poetics [1] Aristotle classifies plot into two types: simple [haplos], and complex [peplegmenos]. The simple plot is defined as a unified construct of necessary and probable actions accompanied by a change of fortune. The complex plot, says Aristotle, is accompanied by two other features, namely; peripeteia or reversal, and anagnorisis, or recognition. It is this which Aristotle feels is the best kind of tragic plot, in that it provides the best possibility of delivering tragic pleasure. Before we look at the distinctive features of the complex plot, it would perhaps be instructive to examine those features which it shares with the simple plot. The unity of structure recommended by Aristotle includes the tripartite division of the plot into the beginning, the middle and the end, as well as the unities of time and action. He stresses unified action, where all action in the plot carries a definite link to other actions, and subsequent actions are the necessary and probable outcomes of the former. Necessary and probable are terms which recur throughout the Poetics. They stand for the universality of poetry in that they point to how or what actions should logically be in a gi... ...ost imitative of living creatures, and through imitation learns his earliest lessons; and no less universal is the pleasure felt in things imitated. We have evidence of this in the facts of experience. Objects which in themselves we view with pain, we delight to contemplate when reproduced with minute fidelity: such as the forms of the most ignoble animals and of dead bodies. The cause of this again is, that to learn gives the liveliest pleasure, not only to philosophers but to men in general; whose capacity, however, of learning is more limited. Thus the reason why men enjoy seeing a likeness is, that in contemplating it they find themselves learning or inferring, and saying perhaps, 'Ah, that is he.' For if you happen not to have seen the original, the pleasure will be due not to the imitation as such, but to the execution, the coloring, or some such other cause.'

Did The Expansion Of The Aztec Empire Lead To Their Downfall? :: essays research papers

Did the Expansion of the Aztec Empire Lead to Their Downfall?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Aztec Indians originated from a place called Aztlan, somewhere in north or northwest Mexico. At that time the Aztecs were a small, nomadic tribe living in the border territory on the margins of civilized Mesoamerica. (see map I) In the 13th century they settled in the valley of central Mexico. The Aztecs finally found refuge on a small island in Lake Texcoco, where about 1345, they founded the town of Tenochtitlan. The island was found through a prophecy which said they would settle where they found an eagle perched on a cactus. (see diagram I)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the next century the Aztecs grew to be greatest power in Mexico. As they grew in political status they became sophisticated and civilized, learning from established peoples who had been town dwellers for more than 1,000 years. (Ekholm, Gordon F.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Aztec empire consisted of numerous, loosely connected urban communities. Land ownership was communal. Each local group was composed of a few families that jointly owned a piece of land. Part of the yield of cultivated land was given to the state as a kind of tax.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Technology depended more on human skills than on mechanical devices. Iron and steel were unknown, although copper and bronze were used for tools and Mexican jewelers made ornaments from gold, silver, and their alloys. Wheat, barley, cattle, horses, sheep, and goats were unknown until introduced from Europe and the Mexicans were efficient farmers who made full use of irrigation, terracing, and fertilization of the fields.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aztec Mexico was rich and civilized. The state controlled every aspect of life. Schooling and training in the martial arts were compulsory for all boys, while the girls were trained in gathering, cooking, and the sewing arts. A centralized bureaucracy looked after the collection and storage of taxes, matters of legislation and punishment. (Peterson, Frederick)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life for the Aztec's was good. Because of the complexity of their government all were happy. Then in 1519 Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, met the Aztec leader Montezuma in Tenochtitlan. Montezuma believed that the Spaniards had come in peace, but he is proven wrong in 1521 when the Spanish, lead by Cortes, violently conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of this report is to answer the question â€Å"Did the Expansion of the Aztec Empire Lead to Their Downfall ?† I feel that it most likely did. This is because when the Aztec's were conquered they were the most powerful civilization in the New World. The Spaniards saw them as â€Å"the ones to beat† to gain supreme power in the Americas. Did The Expansion Of The Aztec Empire Lead To Their Downfall? :: essays research papers Did the Expansion of the Aztec Empire Lead to Their Downfall?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Aztec Indians originated from a place called Aztlan, somewhere in north or northwest Mexico. At that time the Aztecs were a small, nomadic tribe living in the border territory on the margins of civilized Mesoamerica. (see map I) In the 13th century they settled in the valley of central Mexico. The Aztecs finally found refuge on a small island in Lake Texcoco, where about 1345, they founded the town of Tenochtitlan. The island was found through a prophecy which said they would settle where they found an eagle perched on a cactus. (see diagram I)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the next century the Aztecs grew to be greatest power in Mexico. As they grew in political status they became sophisticated and civilized, learning from established peoples who had been town dwellers for more than 1,000 years. (Ekholm, Gordon F.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Aztec empire consisted of numerous, loosely connected urban communities. Land ownership was communal. Each local group was composed of a few families that jointly owned a piece of land. Part of the yield of cultivated land was given to the state as a kind of tax.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Technology depended more on human skills than on mechanical devices. Iron and steel were unknown, although copper and bronze were used for tools and Mexican jewelers made ornaments from gold, silver, and their alloys. Wheat, barley, cattle, horses, sheep, and goats were unknown until introduced from Europe and the Mexicans were efficient farmers who made full use of irrigation, terracing, and fertilization of the fields.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aztec Mexico was rich and civilized. The state controlled every aspect of life. Schooling and training in the martial arts were compulsory for all boys, while the girls were trained in gathering, cooking, and the sewing arts. A centralized bureaucracy looked after the collection and storage of taxes, matters of legislation and punishment. (Peterson, Frederick)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life for the Aztec's was good. Because of the complexity of their government all were happy. Then in 1519 Spanish conquistador, Hernan Cortes, met the Aztec leader Montezuma in Tenochtitlan. Montezuma believed that the Spaniards had come in peace, but he is proven wrong in 1521 when the Spanish, lead by Cortes, violently conquered the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of this report is to answer the question â€Å"Did the Expansion of the Aztec Empire Lead to Their Downfall ?† I feel that it most likely did. This is because when the Aztec's were conquered they were the most powerful civilization in the New World. The Spaniards saw them as â€Å"the ones to beat† to gain supreme power in the Americas.

Learner-Center Educational Plan

With abundance of information regarding teaching and learning, it might reasonably be expected that education planning would be a quick and easy process. Teachers still have a vital role to play within planning; the guidance and frameworks provides information on what to teach, the teacher will decide how best to interpret this information for the particular children within their class. Proctor et al (1995, p.39) discusses the requirement for planning, and opens with the idea that no planning can take place without a clear idea, on the part of the teacher, of what the children in the class are going to learn.The planning process requires the identification of the learning objectives in detail; in reality, meeting the criteria of the curriculum and even the more detailed key objectives in the teaching strategy will require a series of lessons and usually a return to the subject at a later date. Planning over different time frames allows teachers to meet the desired outcomes and provid e a coherent progression.Long term plans will detail the expectations within a curriculum area over an academic year; these plans will identify themes to be used and the subject areas to be covered they will be expressed in terms of the key concepts that children will need to understand and the knowledge and skills that they should be acquiring. Medium term planning will usually be for a unit of work – generally one item from the program of study – and cover a term or  ½ term. The medium term planning phase is when teachers are required to link the long-term plans to the curriculum key objectives. The medium term plans will outline a series of activities and the approach that is to be taken; these plans are the first level at which the teaching/learning approach is considered and the methods and criterion for assessment are decided. (Platz 1994)There is need to consider the different learning styles that children prefer and to include (as far as is practical) these d ifferent styles within each teaching episode. Education planning, is a complex area, not all teaching methods are appropriate to the subject matter; we as teachers need to remember that an eclectic approach is necessary if we are to provide an adequate learning experience for all of the pupils within our classrooms. Additionally, new paradigm of learner-centered education emerged recently.It implies issues of what and how the student is learning, the conditions under which the student is learning, how current learning positions the student for future learning, and whether the student is retaining and applying the learning. (Weimer, 2002 XVI).   In this paper we will try to cover up a cognitive aspect of learner-center education planning. Cognitive aspect of learner-centered education involves some following factors. These are the nature and goals of learning process, the construction of knowledge and higher-order thinking.In order to identify children's individual learning needs t he teacher should observe the children and their work. Factual information can be obtained from previous teachers, schools etc. The Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) provide essential information about the level of attainment a child has reached and may possibly show levels of progression over time. According to Proctor et al (1995 p.129) assessment provides an accurate picture of an individual child's achievements.It measures a child's achievements from that child's own baseline and as it is non-comparative to other children it shows what a child is able to achieve regardless of what other's can do. Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) show evidence of any special needs, which may be physical such as poor sight and hearing and any learning difficulties. It will also identify children who have behavioral problems or particularly able and gifted children.IEPs will also show any strategies and teaching approaches used to meet these children's needs. It can also highlight any particular resources that facilitate the children's learning. A previous teacher can provide valuable information on how these strategies and resources were employed and the success or failure of them. It is important to keep in mind when discussing children with other teachers that their views and opinions are unlikely to be impartial. Conversations with parents/carers allow them to raise any issues they have about their interpretations of their children's needs and progress in learning. It can also be useful to look at children's ages to gain a better understanding of the level they are working at.Once this preliminary information has been collected the teacher can plan diagnostic work, which will further identify children's abilities and needs. Teachers should plan broad topic work at a variety of levels where children have a reasonable opportunity of success and which provides some challenges. The teacher's prior knowledge of the children should enable him/her to pitch the work at the corr ect levels. If not, the assessment of the children's difficulties or ease will provide clues as to how to alter it. From this point onwards the teacher should have a fairly coherent idea of the needs of the class as a whole and the individual children within it. (Hamilton 1999)When planning to meet children's individual needs, a teacher is planning for inclusive education, which provides all children with an equal opportunity to reach their potential.   While planning, teachers must set up a learning activity, which effectively achieves the learning outcomes for each individual child. Teachers must structure learning within their classrooms in order to move each child forward, this can include differentiating appropriately, using appropriate resources and implementing various teaching and learning strategies inclusive of all children.Teaching Strategies Education planning will use a variety of strategies described by Minton (1997, p.117). It is appropriate to use ‘lecture' t o begin the session to explain what is to be covered, to find out how the students have found the work in the previous session so there will be some ‘questions and answers'. There will be a ‘group discussion' as we go through the assignment and this will give the students the opportunity to ask any questions and familiarize themselves with the work. A ‘question and answer' session will follow and then depending on the outcome, there be the opportunity for ‘demonstrations'. These strategies are outlined below. §   Question and answer to review work from last lesson §   Lecture to explain unit assessment §   Group discussion while criteria for assessment are discussed §   More question and answers as appropriate §   Demonstration of previous practical work if necessaryUsing Q and A to start the lesson as this gives an immediate feedback of progress. The disadvantage of this is that the ‘quiet' students may be reluctant to ask questions , There is need to be aware of this, and perhaps ask those students questions that they can answer to build up their confidence. A lecture strategy is then used to explain the unit assignment, as this is an effective method of broadcasting the information. Then a group discussion will involve teacher and students discussing criteria, this allows everyone to ask questions and give opinions but it may allow ‘loud’ students to dominate the group. Certain time to demonstrate practical work to the students on the computer allows the student to see what the final product should be of any particular exercise and gives them confidence in their own work.Learning Resources For IT classes, for example, a variety of resources are used in the high school. The most common ones used in the IT department are computer-based resources, OHT's and computer generated slides, and printed materials. The most common types of media resource are the PC/projector combination and printed materials , to accompany whiteboard work. In the IT department it is critical that students have individual access to PCs with relevant software installed on them, and also access to a printer to enable them to obtain hard copies of work produced.There is need for a room to seat all students, we do not need PCs for each student in this case, we need them all to see a whiteboard so we can explain the topic we will supply unit assignments in hard copy to every student, including the marking criteria and the moderator's comments. It is becoming common practice to write all forms of work on the PC, and we would expect them to word process their work whenever the facility is available.There is need to evaluate the group of students at the beginning of a course to determine if any had special requirements, for example disabled access or if any had hearing or visual impairments. It is necessary to develop intranet to include study aids for the students. For example, to put previous lecture notes and practical exercise handouts on the intranet to enable students to go over past work and also allow absent students the opportunity to catch up.Arrangement of the desks in the classroom is a common horseshoe of computer workstations with a small number of tables in the center of the room. The central tables can be moved freely although this is a suitable position for the classroom discussion. The computer workstations will be used towards the end of the lesson. The white board is at the door end of the room, it is a new smart board, and although is smaller, it can be seen from all positions in the room, if the students move their chairs round. This will be used for demonstrations of PC work and is available for the question and answer section. The acoustics are adequate for a teaching environment. The room is always light and warm enough, and windows can be opened to provide additional ventilation.Goals of learning process On reflection, education planning goals are following:Timing  · Allow enough time for each phase. Be aware of how long it takes to complete tasks and allow some leeway in each lesson for dealing with any class management issue. Be wary of being overambitious in what can be achieved in a lesson. Allow enough time for discussion and be aware of allowing too much time for starter and plenary activities.Content · Teacher should not try to cram too much in – don't fall into the trap of thinking ‘one topic per lesson’ and be prepared to spend more than one lesson on a topicWhen to collect in/hand out homework · Have a clear idea of when you are going to do this and how. Keep it consistent so the pupils know when to make a note in their contact diaries, and when to hand their homework into me, and allow time for this to be done.Differentiation.   Although there has been minimal need for differentiation in teaching particular class, teacher should be aware that other classes might require more differentiation and he should always ensure that lessons are tailored to the class he teaching. Pupil-led activities.   Make sure to include enough pupil-led activities. Remember that these types of activities not only engage learning but are also very useful in settling a lively class. Strengths Planning lessons around the five different phases of a lesson, using starter and plenary activities. This enables to focus on the different stages of a lesson and therefore how best to achieve the learning objectives as well as concentrating on what either myself as teacher, or the class or individuals should be engaged in at any point during the lesson. However, flexibility is also a key factor in delivering effective lessons and it is able to adapt the lesson plan (for example by omitting certain overheads or allowing more time for discussion of a topic) to accommodate the learning.Being creative. This a useful skill in planning and meant that it is appropriate to present what is for most pupils a familiar topic in a new and interesting way, therefore engaging more higher order thinking and facilitating learning (and minimizing disruptive behavior) at the same time. Being able to plan around what resources are available. This to a certain extent is also a creative skill although it must be taken into account when planning a series of lessons.Linking lessons with each other and with the pupils experiences. Using everyday examples, images that the pupils can relate to, and referring back to the concept map of the whole picture at every lesson enabled the pupils to put their learning (and the objectives for each lesson) in context. If the pupils can relate to what you are teaching them, you are more likely to succeed in your learning objectives.Weaknesses Overestimating what can be achieved in a lesson. Certainly to begin with, underestimated how long it would take to complete a worksheet or copy something from the board. In addition, it had not taken into account during first lesson plan, the t ime that would be spent on dealing with minor off-task behavior which can lead to you running five minutes late by the end of the lesson and therefore running out of time for the clearing and exit phases, which for example can mean you run out of time to explain the homework task properly.Spending too much time on one phase. The pupils enjoyed this so much that they would ‘plead’ for another round and on more than one occasion complied, meaning that although the pupils had a ‘great’ time, teacher run out of time to handle the clearing and exit phases as well as he should and the lessons ended a bit ‘rushed’. This is as a ‘new’ teacher who was anxious to ensure that the pupils viewed my lessons as a ‘positive' experienceReferences:Hamilton, P. J. (Fall 1999). Perceptual learning & lifelong Montessori. Montessori Life, 11(4), 41-42.Minton, D. (1997) Teaching skills in further and adult education 2nd edition, MacmillanProctor, A . Entwistle, M. McKenzie-Murdoch, S. (2001) â€Å"Learning to Teach in the Primary Classroom† London : RoutledgePlatz, Donald L., (March, 1994)   Student directed planning: fostering student ownership in learning. Education, 3Weimer, Maryellen. (2002) Learner-centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. Jossey-Bass

Group Working Positivity

Group Work Participating in Group Work Participating in group work is an important skill to develop as it is something you will do in your student life and in your working career. Job advertisements often highlight ‘good team worker’ as a crucial skill for potential recruits. These may involve a group presentation or a group report followed by a reflective piece of writing and/or an individual assignment. Take notes or record your lecturer’s assignment briefing. Module Handbooks usually includes the assessment criteria (see Appendix 1) so it is important that you work well together to achieve success.It will be quite obvious to your lecturer whether you have worked well as a team and whether you prepared your assignment as a group. Groups formed by students to discuss case studies or discuss an assignment can help improve your grades and make the task more manageable. Keep a journal and record your progress, hindrances, issues and successes, plus any pitfalls to a void next time! Working in a TEAM? Together Everyone Achieves More Successful group work will involve: †¢ Clear, shared goals. †¢ Good communication amongst members of the group. †¢ Agreed ways of working towards the group goals. Support and cooperation, rather than competitiveness. †¢ Listening to one another. †¢ Autonomous team working. †¢ Arrangements for monitoring progress and taking corrective action, if necessary. †¢ Keep to deadlines – it is unfair to let others down who are depending on you, in order for the whole group to succeed. †¢ High levels of motivation. †¢ Plan – do – review. Why work in groups? Team building is vital to any organisation and by working in groups you can: †¢ Share resources. †¢ Share ideas and information. †¢ Share abilities. †¢ Learn from and help each other. Stimulate creativity and innovation. †¢ Increase motivation. †¢ Solve complex problems. †¢ C an help you get better grades. You will need to identify your strengths, which you can contribute to the group. You will also identify your weaknesses, and ideally the group will support and help you work on turning these weaknesses into strengths. IH have some useful DVDs on group work that may be helpful to watch (Assert yourself: learning to be assertive; Building the perfect team: Belbin’s team-role theory in action; Does the team work? Improving effectiveness through teamwork; It’s a deal!Win-win negotiation deals; Team leading: how to become an effective team leader; The great communicator: communication skills for all). Getting started †¢ It is up to the members of the group to make the first contact with one another. Exchange telephone numbers and email addresses so the group can meet. †¢ An icebreaker task is a good way to make each member feel comfortable with others that s/he does not know (see Appendix 2). †¢ Ensure you understand the instruc tions in the assignment. Each group member should have read the assignment brief and prepare to discuss it at the first meeting. Break the assignment into practicable chunks. Agree deadlines to complete each part. †¢ The group needs to compile and agree set ground rules (see Appendix 3). These rules can be reviewed and renegotiated from time to time – keeping useful rules in practice, amending or creating new ones as solutions to unanticipated problems that arise. †¢ Set realistic aims and targets within a given timeframe that all members understand and agree with. †¢ Negotiate roles and tasks: Who will be the leader? Who will do what? When? With what resources?Allocate tasks according to the experience, expertise or strength of each member. However, task allocation can also be allocated to build on a student’s inexperience and areas of weakness. †¢ Establish a regular programme of meetings to review task progress and group process. The group should keep in regular contact so plan where you will meet. Will it be at the University, will you alternate between group members’ homes, will you set up a site in ‘Your Groups’ in StudyNet or a group in Facebook or any other social networking site? †¢ Agree to keep good records (Group Log of meetings etc. see Appendix 4). You might also want to keep a blog, for self reflection of group work. It is compulsory at Level 5 and Level 6 to keep records of group work. Each member of the group needs good personal management skills and good time management skills to complete their part of the task, including taking corrective action. This means being honest with the rest of the group – let them know if there is a problem, seek help from the group, share information with others. The group needs to make a contract based on the above points and stick to it so ground rules are obeyed.Establish Group Roles In order for the group to function successfully to achieve thei r goal and to maximise the group’s time in meetings, roles have to be taken on by each member of the group. Belbin (1981 & 1993, cited in Blundel, 2004) and others have identified numerous roles within a team, usually in keeping with individual personality and strengths. Many university student groups have five or six people, and their suggested roles are below. These roles may be rotated amongst members or a member holds onto his/her role for the duration of the assignment.Whatever the size of your group, ensure that someone carries out the following: |Team role |Contribution | |Project/team leader/ Chair |Organises rooms, agendas and chairs meetings, co-ordinates and keeps the group focused and involved. Stops the group from | |person |going off at a tangent. Initiates, leads and drives the group towards achieving their task. | |Innovator &/or Evaluator |Creates novel ideas and solutions to support the task. | |Assesses ideas and proposals. | |Investigator/ Info. gatherer | Collects information and resources to support the task and the group takes up and develops his/her contributions. | |Team worker/ harmoniser |Encourages others, fosters team morale and reduces negativity. | |Record keeper |Keeps records, shares information. Provides facts, ideas, feedback, and/or alternative proposals to finish the task. | | |Summarises what has been done. Lists what else needs to be done to complete the task. |Completer |Keeps track on objectives meeting deadlines making sure the group is on target to complete the task and achieve the goals | | |set. Judging whether the task is being completed successfully and efficiently | Group dynamics All group work consists of both task and process elements. Attention is often focused on the task, i. e. a report or presentation, and the process is neglected (how you get the task done, i. e. working in groups), which can be a major reason for ineffective group working.Individuals need to focus on the group needs rather than the ir own personal needs. Encourage and support others and try to facilitate harmony. Self-seeking roles to avoid are: dominator, cynic, clown, aggressor, blocker, group humourist, recognition seeker, avoider, politician, etc. (based on Benne & Sheats, 1948 cited in Barker et al, 1991). Keep to the responsibilities you were given – do what you said you would do. Ensure there is co-operation between members, if the team is to succeed. Listen to one another and acknowledge one another’s ideas and suggestions. Listen actively and you will hear.Buzan (2000) states that listening is a top management skill. So improve your listening skills now and you’ll be more prepared for any job interview! Listen and DON’T: Pretend to pay attention – do so! Do other things at the same time. Decide it’s uninteresting. Have your mobile on in meetings. Hogg the conversation – be aware of others’ need to talk. Be distracted by someone’s way of sp eech or mannerism. Get over-involved and so lose the thread of conversation. Let emotion filled words arouse personal anger, antagonism, etc. Focus on distractions instead of what’s said.Take linear one colour notes (instead, use different coloured pens, draw diagrams, mind maps, lists, tables). Just listen for facts (also consider the speaker’s emotions, feelings, body language). Turn off when it is complex or difficult. Plan what you’re going to say next. All group members need to agree any changes, e. g. to meetings, content of the assignment, etc. if the group is to be successful. Keep to the deadlines given. If you cannot manage your time well, be aware that you are letting others down. Meet and keep in contact regularly, where progress and any changes are tracked.Cohesiveness, good communication, commitment and cooperation are essential. Misconduct, unethical behaviour, rule breaking, must be avoided. At times the group will be affected by pressures of dea dlines, absence of an influential member, a traumatic experience, or a new member joining. Disperse any cliques that may form. There should be no ‘outsiders’ involved in the group or have input in the group. Antagonistic or contentious individuals need to be dealt with by the group early on, so conflict is avoided. Consensus in decision making helps make all group members feel they have a say. Try the questionnaire ‘Are We a Team? in Appendix 5 to assess the extent to which your group is cohesive and how well you work together, at some stage in the second half of the process. Groups can access a small room for their meetings, by booking a study room. Virtual meetings may form part of your plan and if so, you need to make sure that everyone has suitable access. An agenda has to be agreed by the group for each meeting, otherwise the group may waste valuable time during the meeting by chatting or straying from discussing the issues. Decide how long you will spend dis cussing each item. Respect one another’s opinion – everyone is entitled to their say.A ‘talking stick’ could be used during meetings, where the person holding the stick gets to speak. Others must listen until another person gets to hold the stick, and has his/her say. Another useful idea for effective discussion at meetings is to follow de Bono’s Six Hats Model (1985). See Appendix 6 for the full details. The ‘6 Thinking Hats’ helps generate critical thinking, to brainstorm or reflect, as these six ‘hats’ are metaphors for thinking about different aspects of a task/experience, at different times. Break down your thinking into 6 areas; use all six hats, to explore effectively and thoroughly with less confusion.De Bono considers that the emphasis should be on designing a way forward all the time. The hats are directions of how to think and not descriptions of what has happened. He says this parallel thinking method allows the subject to be explored fully by considering one view at a time and accepting that they can be viewed as parallel, not necessary contradictory. It can be used constructively by all cultures. It allows you to find positive or constructive elements in negative or difficult situations and so helps to create a sense of perspective about it.A variant of this technique is to look at problems from the point of view of different professionals, or roles, or customers. Evaluate your progress as you go and keep a record of the meetings, which will be useful later when you have to carry out reflective writing based on the group work. If a group member is going to be absent (with good reason), let the group know beforehand. Ask questions of the other group members in order for you to proceed with your task or to clarify an issue. Be honest with peers – if you do not know something, say so or if you are not on target with your work, tell the group.The group will not function if everyone is not working openly, together towards the same goal. Behaviours serving task needs: †¢ Clarifying objectives †¢ Seeking information from group members †¢ Giving relevant information †¢ Proposing ideas and building on ideas or proposals contributed by others †¢ Summarising progress so far †¢ Evaluating progress against group objectives †¢ Time keeping †¢ Identifying a group member to take responsibility to ensure agreed actions are taken †¢ Setting up a way of reviewing progress after the meeting Behaviours serving group needs: Encourage members to contribute and value all contributions. †¢ Check that you have understood a point by summarising that understanding, before giving reasons for disagreeing †¢ Help to resolve conflict without making others feel rejected †¢ Change your view in light of arguments or information given by others †¢ Help to control those who talk too much †¢ Praising group progress towards obj ectives †¢ Dissuading group members from negative behaviour Behaviours interfering with task or group needs: †¢ Not preparing for the meeting/not doing your job Talking too much and/or focusing your attention on yourself †¢ Reacting emotionally to points made †¢ Attacking others points by ridicule or unreasoned comments †¢ Not listening to others †¢ Interrupting others and/or talking at the same time as them †¢ Introducing a completely different point of view while productive discussion of something else is taking place †¢ Chatting to others privately during the meeting †¢ Using humour to excess †¢ Withdrawing from the group and/or refusing to participate †¢ Being late for meetings/not turning up at all/leaving early Cameron (2005) BrainstormingBrainstorming is a useful way of generating ideas as well as problem-solving. A ‘facilitator’ needs to be appointed for the session. S/he will write everyone’s ideas d own and encourage all members to participate. Then, collect ideas from all members of the group. Ideas or opinions should not be criticised or rejected at this stage. Acknowledge and record all ideas and suggestions. Once the brainstorming has been exhausted, move on to link ideas and themes, and synthesise them. The group should then agree on which ideas should remain and which should be discarded. Using Post-its and Flip ChartsPutting things down on paper is an essential part of keeping the group going. †¢ Brainstorming session: one member of the group puts ideas on the flipchart OR individuals note their ideas on post-its and these are collected and examined. Ideas are easily prioritised using post-its as they are easily re-arranged. †¢ Resolve conflict: each member notes their opinion on a post-it and posts it on the board. The group can examine and consider the points made by the group. †¢ Equal opportunities: all members have a ‘say’ by writing down their ideas and suggestions, rather than a dominant vocal member ‘taking over’ the session.Virtual Group Work It is not always easy for groups to meet regularly; however, an arrangement must be made to keep in regular contact. There is no excuse if students cannot meet face-to-face, because they can meet virtually. There are a number of ways they can do this: You could chose email updates, a which anyone can set up through ‘Your Groups’ in the top black menu. For instructions to set up a group discussion forum, see Appendix 7. The wiki facility in ‘Your Groups’ could be a useful way of developing your work in such a way that all members have access to it.See YouTube – Wikis in Plain English for a quick demonstration of a wiki in use for a collaborative group task. Or you could all agree to use a social networking site, such as Facebook, to work on. Lecturers sometimes monitor and assess the level of communication that occurs in these gr oups. E-mails can be sent to group members, with files attached to share your part of the task with the other group members. Note: Virtual group work should NOT replace regular face-to-face meetings; rather it should be used in addition to it and as a way of keeping in contact between meetings to support one another.Group Diversity Be aware that some people initiate ideas, motivate, co-ordinate, maintain standards, seek opinions, and keep the group working towards their goal. Personality clashes, cross-cultural differences, discrimination, bullying and blocking people out can be issues that arise in groups. Difficult team members can be aggressive, try to be the centre of attention, waste time joking around, compete with other members, reject ideas without good reason, be ‘hard done by’. Cross-cultural differences can sometimes cause conflict.Hofstede (1991) and Morrison et al, (1994, cited in Levin, 2005: 89-91) identify cultural traits that may cause conflict: |Indivi dualism Vs Collectivism | |People brought up in individualist cultures see themselves as individuals, taking it for granted that they can say what they think, take decisions on | |their own and confront others with their view. | |People brought up in a collectivist culture view themselves as members of a family and/or wider group.To them, the preservation of harmony within the | |group is very important. Decisions are made by consensus within the group and confrontation is avoided. | |Tolerance of Uncertainty | |In some cultures there are authority figures to whom everyone else defers, everyone knows their place and rote learning is the method of education. | |People from this culture would feel uncomfortable in situations of uncertainty, or when they do not know where their place is and what the rules and | |regulations are, and where there is no ‘right answer’. |On the other hand, there are cultures where authority comes under challenge, and independent and critical thinking are encouraged. People do not have a| |clearly defined place in society, rules and expectations of a ‘right answer’ are absent but this is seen as an opportunity and a challenge. | |Issues of Embarrassment and ‘loss of face’ | |Embarrassment and loss of face are to be found in all cultures.However, the reasons for embarrassment vary. People from some cultures may find it hard| |to admit they are unable to perform a particular task whereas a person from another culture would not be embarrassed by this. Revealing emotion may be | |unnatural; to express disagreement; to refuse something; to be able to understand something said to you more than once; to be discovered to have lied; | |and/or to renegotiate an agreement in the hope of getting a better deal. |In some cultures losing face happens when you feel challenged, when your contribution to a discussion is not acknowledged, if someone makes a joke at | |your expense or if you suffer a public-let-do wn. What one person feels as teasing, another might feel it as insulting. | |Gender Issues | |In every culture roles and places are assigned to men and women. People from different cultures have different assumptions, expectations and habits | |towards men and women.Some men may find it difficult to deal with assertive women and some women may find it difficult to be assertive. Often people | |feel more comfortable in same gender groups where they can say what they think and feel. | |Codes of Behaviour | |There are codes of behaviour in all cultures. Certain behaviour is seen as acceptable in one culture but unacceptable behaviour in another and is | |viewed as rude, immodest, lacking respect, etc.Some examples are: | |Standing very close to someone you are talking to | |Gesturing a lot when talking (moving your hands and head) | |Expressing impatience | |Confrontational behaviour, especially outright disagreement | |Interrupting someone who is speaking | |Boasting | |Silence during a conversation. Failure to respond immediately may cause discomfort or may imply agreement or disagreement. | |Failure to make eye contact with someone who is speaking or listening. This could be mistaken for insincerity or lack of attentiveness, whereas it is | |intended to show deference. |Lack of punctuality | Other differences may be how a person is treated according to their age, social status, occupation and/or educational background. Working with people of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds is a great opportunity to learn about others, and indeed learn about yourself. Make ‘understanding group members’ backgrounds and points of view’ an explicit group objective. Care will have to be taken with group rules (ways of operating) where less assertive students will have their say, and regular checks on how members feel about other members’ responses to their contributions. Addressing ConflictDue to groups involving people of different personal ities, cultures, gender, etc. it is quite common for conflict to occur. Problems should be discussed in the group, i. e. a group member not working, non-attending group member, etc. and decisions on how to proceed should be considered in light of the ground rules set in the first meeting. This needs to be resolved without creating bad feeling amongst group members. Resolution is achieved by addressing the issues through discussion amongst the whole group. Do not leave problems to fester and grow. It is important that the group tries to address this conflict themselves before involving a third party, i. e. your lecturer or an ASU adviser.Here are some steps to try to resolve the conflict within the group, before seeking a negotiator: †¢ Set a rule of how disagreement will be resolved, i. e. if someone is not participating, if someone misses meetings, if there is a personality clash, etc. †¢ Encourage an environment of openness and honesty – say if you are unhappy/wri te it in the group site. Be honest about where you are at with your task. †¢ Agree for all members to participate fully – always put your view forward. Consider other members’ feelings. †¢ Agree to put group needs before personal needs. Others are depending on you to provide your input and complete your task. †¢ You do not have to like people to work with them – however, you have to learn to work with them in the group.This will help you to develop good interpersonal skills. †¢ Develop and practice listening skills – everyone deserves to be heard, even if you disagree with their point-of-view. †¢ Keep to deadlines – others are depending on you. †¢ Keep track of progress, so things do not fall behind and thus putting the group under pressure. †¢ Establish the nature of the disagreement. Do members perceive facts differently? Do they disagree about ways of working? Are members operating with different values? By exp loring the cause of the disagreement, the group may be able to come to a better understanding of the task and its context. Solutions can then be suggested by the group.In dealing with conflict you need to use your talking, listening, assertiveness and interpersonal skills to reach a resolution. Try not to give up until you have resolved the issue(s) as a group. If you are unable to resolve the conflict, then you MUST speak to your lecturer about it. Do NOT put it off until your report is due in or until the day of presentation. Group Presentations It is important that the group present themselves as a team. This can be done in the following way: †¢ Prepare the slides using the same format and ensure the presentation is well structured. The team will need to meet regularly to ensure this occurs. †¢ Practice the presentation together so you can ensure your presentation is completed within the time limit.By practicing regularly as a group, the presentation should be coherent, polished and well executed on the day. †¢ Have a back up plan incase one of the group is absent on the day; is unable to present their section or takes too long presenting their section of the talk. †¢ The first presenter should introduce the whole group and say what they will talk about. †¢ Be supportive to other students in your group while they are presenting by looking interested; using positive non-verbal communication, i. e. nod; help with using visual aids. You should not sit down after your section has been done. †¢ At the hand-over stage, the current speaker must introduce the next presenter and what they will say.The next person to speak should thank the previous speaker before beginning his/her part of the presentation. Group Reports †¢ Advice given above on group roles, meetings, etc. applies when preparing your report. †¢ You need to meet regularly to assess progress and to put the tasks together. †¢ The report must be compiled as one piece of work, rather than having obvious separate parts of different font styles and writing style. At the end†¦ Ensure the group meet before presenting/submitting their work to check that the work is well structured, clear and coherent and shows that you worked closely as a group. Submit on time. Reflection on Group WorkYou may be asked to reflect on what happened, your role within the group, what you have learned from it and what you need to work on in the future. Ensure you have clarified with the lecturer what is expected of you and what the assessment criteria is. Complete the reflection by considering the following questions: †¢ What went well? Why? †¢ What went wrong? Why? †¢ How did you solve it? †¢ What would you do differently next time? †¢ What contribution did you make? †¢ What did you learn from others? †¢ What did the other members learn from you? †¢ What strengths did you identify? Did the group utilise your strengths? â € ¢ What weaknesses did you identify? How did you and the group address them? Did you improve on your weaknesses to turn them into strengths? †¢ What do you plan to do about the weaknesses you have identified? †¢ How does this link to the theories on successful group work? Who did what, when, problems or difficulties encountered, etc. Analyse the group activities: (What was the group trying to achieve? What were the different views? Who said what? What was left unsaid? How were decisions made? How did you feel about this? How did the others feel? What was the energy levels and motivation like? Did anything unexpected happen? ). Action planning: Identify what you contributed to the group, difficulties you experienced, and from this assess your strengths, weaknesses and action points.Focus on critical incidences – which were turning points for the group or which demonstrate particular difficulties / successes. Use the checklist in Appendix 9 at the end of each meeti ng to reflect on strengths and weaknesses. Avoid Academic Misconduct When participating in group work, you must avoid any academic misconduct, i. e. you must not plagiarise (use another’s work as your own by not acknowledging it by making reference to the author’s work in your assignment) or you are not accused of collusion (you work it not your own individual work but rather it has been undertaken jointly with another students, where you shared ideas or your material with another student and their work (or any part of it) is a replica of yours).Academic misconduct is identified when your coursework is passed a software programme that detects and identifies cheating. Such misconduct can occur when you ‘share’ your work with another student, where you may send him/her an electronic version of your work, share materials or you do your write-up together. References Barker, L. , Wahlers, K. , Watson, K. & Kibler, R. (1991) Groups in Process. 4th edn. New Jerse y: Prentice Hall. Belbin, R. M. (1993) Team Roles at Work. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Belbin, R. M. (1981) Management Teams: why they succeed or fail. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Benne, K. D. & Sheats, P. (1948) ‘Functional Roles of group Members. ’ Journal of Social Issues. 4. pp. 41-49. Blundel, R. 2004) Effective Organisational Communication. 2nd edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Buzan, T (2000) Use Your Head. London: BBC Active Cameron, S. (2005) The Business Student’s Handbook. 3rd edn. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. De Bono, E (1985) Six Thinking Hats. Harmondsworth: Viking Elluminate (2010) Window Descriptions. Available at: http://www. elluminate. com [Accessed: 18 October, 2010] Hofstede, G. (1991) Cultures and Organisations: Software of the Mind. London: McGrawHill. Levin, P. (2005) Successful Teamwork! London: Open University Press. Morrison, T. , Conaway, W. A. , Borden, G. A. (1994) Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: How to do Business in Six ty Countries. Adams Media.Race, P. (2000) 500 Tips on Group Learning. London: Kogan Page. Stuart, R. , (1998) Team Developmental Games for Trainers. Gower Publishing Limited. In Levin, P. (2005) Successful Teamwork! London: Open University Press. Appendix 1 – Assessment of Group Work Group work is not always formally assessed. However, in some modules at the overall assessment of a group report or group presentation may include an assessment of the process of preparation. This may include the following considerations: †¢ Progress of preparation (e. g. meeting of milestones; numbers of meetings; progress of preparation) †¢ Relative inputs of members of the group (e. g. ocumentation of input; peer assessment of input) †¢ Roles of group members in preparation (e. g. project manager; reporter, etc) †¢ Resolution of conflict situations †¢ The level of team building Appendix 2 – Icebreakers The following icebreakers are a quick way of helping members of a group get to know one another a little better. †¢ What’s you name? Members of a group tell what their name is and provide the group with a little background of why they were given that name. †¢ What I like and what I hate – Members of the group introduce themselves and share a like and a dislike they have, i. e. I love coffee but I hate people who talk too much, I love jazz music but I hate queuing, etc. †¢ What’s your hidden secret?Each member of the group introduces themselves and tells the group one thing not many people know about them, i. e. I met Madonna, I play the piano, I dived in the Red Sea, I walked the Great Wall of China, I ate frogs legs once, etc. †¢ Triumphs, traumas and trivia* – Each member of the group identifies a triumph, a trauma and a trivia about themselves, which they will share with the group, i. e. I won a gold medal for running at school, I was in a car accident when I was 12, I do crosswords; I won ? 10 in the lotto last year, I lost my suitcases when I came to the UK, I tell terrible jokes; etc. *Note: Care needs to be taken with this activity as deep feelings can emerge about traumas suffered. Interview your neighbour* – Group splits into pairs and one member of each pair spends about three minutes listening to the other tell some of the above mentioned information, as well as the person’s background information. Notes should be taken. Swap roles for next three minutes. Then each person feeds back to the group some information about their neighbour. * Note: Care needs to be taken not to ask questions that may intrude on an individual’s privacy and the amount of information s/he wishes to divulge about themselves to the group. †¢ What do you already know about the topic? Members of the group jot down the most important thing they know about the topic on a Post-it and put it on a flipchart. Members can read what they know about the topic or the group c an read it from the flipchart. This is a useful starting point for the task.Adapted from: Race (2000:37-39) Appendix 3 – Ground Rules Here are some suggested rules to be set by a group – these are by no means the only rules a group can adopt. Honesty and truthfulness is fostered in the group. †¢ You do not have to like someone to work with them. Members have to work together despite their personal feelings about individuals in the group. Affirm collective responsibility. Once issues have been raised, aired, and solutions provided, the group lives with the decisions made by the group. †¢ Everyone listens while someone speaks and everyone has a say. Members are entitled to their opinions, which should not be ignored, put down or belittled by others. Full participation is required. All members need to participate in discussion, complete their tasks, etc. †¢ Fair share – everyone participates equally in the task. †¢ Meet deadlines. †¢ Agree and set up a regular programme of meetings. †¢ Keep records. Record progress and milestones reached, minutes, agendas, self reflective logs. †¢ Flexibility in meeting members’ needs. Sometimes a member’s personal needs may interfere with the group working – allowances must be made. Dealing with conflicts in the group. Appendix 4 – Group Work Log Module: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________Assessment Aim: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Group Objectives set: 1. ________________________________________________________________________________ 2. _____________________________________________________________________________ ____ 3. _________________________________________________________________________________ 4. _________________________________________________________________________________ 5. _______ __________________________________________________________________________ The group should agree roles for each of the members at the beginning of the task and this group log should be complete by the end of the task. |Member’s Name |Role/s |Assigned Tasks |Deadline date |Deadline met |No of meetings attended |Individual comments | |1 | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | |2 | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | |3 | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | |4 | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | |5 | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | | | | |- | | | | | Details of all group meetings |Meeting Date |Discussion topic/s |Actions & deadlines agreed |Attendees signatures/date | |1. | | |1. | | | |2. | | | | |3. | | | | |4. | | | | |5. | |2. | | |1. | | | |2. | | | | |3. | | | | |4. | | | | |5. | |3. | | |1. | | | |2. | | | | |3. | | | | |4. | | | | |5. | |4. | | |1. | | | |2. | | | | |3. | | | | |4. | | | | |5. | |5. | | |1. | | | |2. | | | | |3. | | | | |4. | | | | |5. | |6. | | |1. | | | |2. | | | | |3. | | | | |4. | | | | |5. | Appendix 5 – Questionnaire: Are We a Team? First, each individual member of the group fills in the questionnaire below. Then the sheets are collected and the scores collated to the table below. = never; 2 = rarely; 3 = sometimes; 4 = mostly; 5 = always 1) We all show equal commitment to our objective1 2 3 4 5 2) We all take part in deciding how the work should be allocated1 2 3 4 5 3) We are committed to helping each other learn1 2 3 4 5 4) We acknowledge good contributions from group members1 2 3 4 5 5) We handle disagreements and conflict constructively within the group1 2 3 4 5 6) We are able to give constructive criticism to one another and accept it1 2 3 4 5 7) We all turn up to meetings and stay to the end1 2 3 4 5 8) We are good at making sure everyone knows what is going on1 2 3 4 5 9) When one of us is under pressure, others o ffer to help them1 2 3 4 5 10) We trust each other1 2 3 4 5 11) We remain united even when we disagree1 2 3 4 5 12) We feel comfortable and relaxed with one another1 2 3 4 5 13) We refer to our ground rules and review them when necessary1 2 3 4 5 Stuart (1998, cited in Levin, 2005) |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |TOTAL | |1. We all show equal commitment to our objective | | | | | | | |2. We all take part in deciding how the work should be allocated | | | | | | | |3. We are committed to helping each other learn | | | | | | | |4. We acknowledge good contributions from group members | | | | | | | |5.We handle disagreements & conflict constructively within the group | | | | | | | |6. We are able to give constructive criticism & accept it | | | | | | | |7. We all turn up to meetings and stay to the end | | | | | | | |8. We are good at making sure everyone knows what is going on | | | | | | | |9. When one of us is under pressure, others offer to help them | | | | | | | |10.We trust each other | | | | | | | |11. We remain united even when we disagree | | | | | | | |12. We feel comfortable and relaxed with one another | | | | | | | |13. We refer to our ground rules and review them when necessary | | | | | | | Action planning can occur as a result of the findings. Appendix 6 – De Bono's (1985) ‘6 Thinking Hats’ ModelEdward de Bono considers that the emphasis should be on designing a way forward all the time. The hats are directions of how to think and not descriptions of what has happened. White Hat:[pic]Facts, figures, laws, information, neutral, objective†¦ With this thinking you focus on the data available and are non-judgmental. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and identify what you need to get or take account of. You consider past trends and historical data. You may consider philosophical aspects such as whose truth it is, whose fact is it? Data may need to be supported by evidence.R ed Hat: [pic]Feelings, emotions, hunches, intuition about †¦ Wearing this hat, you consider the issues using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. This may be feedback about your feelings and preferences but also consider how other people might react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of other people who do not have the same information or understanding as you. Black Hat: [pic]Negative, drawbacks, disadvantages, careful, cautious, defensive†¦ This highlights the weak points in a situation or plan. By identifying them, it allows you to eliminate or alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them. Consider why something might not work (give reasons, consider past evidence).Black Hat thinking may play ‘devil’s advocate’. It helps you to plan carefully, be prepared and more resilient. This way of thinking helps spot fatal flaws by considering safety and risks before embarking on a course of action. (Some successful people get so used to t hinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties. ) Yellow Hat: [pic] Positive, speculative, advantages, benefits, savings of†¦ Consider what is right, why it is good and be constructive. Even in a very difficult or stressful situation find positives, e. g. learning will have taken place. It is an optimistic, sunny viewpoint that is often speculative.It helps you to see the benefits of a situation/decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking is supportive when things seem gloomy and difficult. It finds reasons and logical support, and often links to creativity. Green Hat: [pic] Creativity, ideas, innovation, growth, exploration, alternatives†¦ Green Hat thinking is developing creative solutions to a problem. It may generate completely new ideas and developments or consider possible changes to a situation. It is a freewheeling, non-judgmental way of thinking. Blue Hat: [pic] Organise, control, plan (pro cess, people, agendas)†¦ This hat is often the view of a director or the chair at meetings.They often choose the order or process, summarise the situation and offer conclusions which can be put into practice in the future. This way of thinking is generally cool and considered. When others’ ideas cease, Blue Hat thinking may direct activity to other hats! For new ideas Blue may pass to Green Hat or when contingency plans are needed Black Hat thinking will be engaged, etc. | | Appendix 9: Group Work Check List (to be used after every meeting) Please reflect on the group meeting and check/cross the boxes as appropriate, in order to identify strengths and weaknesses: ? Each member was present at the meeting ? Everyone turned up on time Every member did their part of the work & brought it along ? Every member took a role in the meeting ? Each member in the group had a turn to speak ? Each member in the group participated ? The group members respected and appreciated one anot her’s contributions ? Members of the group were polite to one another ? Disagreement / conflict in the group was resolved during the meeting ? Everyone was clear what they had to do next ? Everyone was clear what they had to bring / present at the next meeting ? It was clear how members could communicate with one another between meetings ? The next meeting date, time and venue was agreed by all members