REMEDIAL WRITING PROGRAMME FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS

REMEDIAL WRITING PROGRAMME FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS The purpose of this study programme is to determine if students from the elementary level of Hin Hua High School (Chinese Independent School) improved in their ability to write in English after having studied specifically developed curriculum. The 7-hour remedial programme is to be conducted once the academic department releases the final assessment grades. Fifteen students with the lowest score were selected using the criterion method to undergo the remedial programme. the importance of all six major aspects of writing measured in the English Test which comprises mainly punctuation, grammar and usage, sentence structure, strategy, organization, and style. It is believed by attending the remedial programme selected students would be able to show the ability to make and articulate judgments by taking position on an issue or problem. Besides sustaining a position by focusing on the topic throughout the writing. They are alson expected to develop a position by presenting support or evidence using specific details and make inferences based on support or evidence. Most importantly, they should be able to organize and present ideas in a logical way by logically grouping and sequencing ideas. Hence communicate clearly by using language effectively and by observing the conventions of standard written English INTRODUCTION As a language teacher, I often select writing tasks from language textbooks to help students improve their writing ability. Behaviorists, communicative, cognitive, and discourse theories could influence writing approaches in language textbooks. Each theoretical framework has provided us with a better understanding of the multiple dimensions and purposes of teaching writing. A review of the developments in writing pedagogy leads us to conclude that we could teach writing as a means to improve linguistic, rhetorical and communicative competence or as a discovery and cognitive process. The writing tasks that we select from language textbooks and assign to students could reflect one or some of these pedagogical purposes. As teachers, we need to question and understand the pedagogical assumptions of textbook writing tasks so that we can select tasks that will help our students become confident writers and independent thinkers. Primary students entering the secondary school level (high School) are challenged not only to learn new content in the disciplines but also to communicate this. A significant number of students will not have adequate academic literacy levels to be able to do this successfully (Jones and Bonanno, 1995 (1). Atlhough traditionally students were expected to develop academic literacy skills without any explicit teaching of these skills, schools now recognize the increasingly diverse backgrounds of their student populations and have put in place mechanisms for helping students develop their academic literacy. These have included the establishment of literacy and learning units as well as the requirement for school curricula to address the teaching of writing skills including communication skills. English Learning Centre of Hin Hua High School Klang, like other literacy and learning units, has been involved in a number of collaborative projects with teachers involved in teaching Junior One to integrate the teaching of communication skills into the curriculum (Webb et al, 1995, Taylor and Drury, 1996). These initiatives have resulted in the development of new teaching materials and approaches as well as new practices of assessment and feedback. However, as subject area curricula are being adapted to computer-based forms of learning, it is also necessary to consider how the teaching of communication skills can be integrated into these programs or how the teaching of communication skills can be contextualized within the learning of subject area knowledge. With the current demand for propheciuency in English Language great importance has been given to developing programs to instill good writing modes to the elementary learners which aims to help students become successful editors of their own writing. 1.1 LITERATURE REVIEW Writing skills have been identified as to improve students thinking. Moffett and a few others have developed cognitively sequenced curricula for elementary and secondary writing, college composition, when it is sequenced at all, tends to rely on structural or rhetorical arrangements, which are neither sequential nor cumulative. Progressions from word to sentence to paragraph to theme confuse quantitative with qualitative growth, while rhetorical sequences confront students with cognitive problems of different but equal complexity. In short, from a cognitive perspective, most writing instruction in higher education is consistent with that in secondary education: what Stephen Judy described as Advanced Hodgepodge in high school gives way to Arrogant Hodgepodge in college. A large and growing body of research, however, shows that cognitive development follows a hierarchical sequence of stages and suggests that a curriculum can be sequentially organized to promote cognitive development. Blooms Taxonomy of Educational Objectives provides some essential connections between the cognitive abilities we expect of college students and a curriculum that can stimulate those abilities Blooms Taxonomy is one solution to the cognitive hodgepodge of the writing curriculum. It allows us to sequence instruction and assignments in ways that speak directly to students developmental needs. From least to most complex, For writing instruction the taxonomy provides a flexible model of what happens cognitively in the learning process Bloom described a six stage sequence: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. (See Figure 1) Figure 1.0 The flow chart of Blooms Taxonomy At each new level, thought processes build on and encompass previous levels. Implicit in this structure is the assumption of an ascending scale of difficulty and comprehensiveness. Thinking at the comprehension level is more demanding than at the knowledge level; cognitive problems requiring synthesis or evaluation encompass all the preceding levels. A review of Blooms definitions for each taxonomic level suggests what such a cognitively-based writing course might entail. Although the focus of each level is cognitive, rhetorical issues of audience and purpose are equally appropriate and can be specified for any assignment. Most of all, the taxonomy allows us to contemplate the value and feasibility of a cognition-based curriculum in writing. Such a curriculum would reflect the hierarchical relations of the various thought processes and would help to control for cognitive complexity in writing and thinking about distorting natural discourse. In this form, writing or writing-intensive courses would systematically develop students thinking skills rather than leaving them to chance or, worse, blunting the writers still-developing ability to explore and express ideas. In short, a cognition-based curriculum ensures that students participate fully in using writing as a mode of learning. 2.0 INTENDED PURPOSE The remedial programme is targeted for the elementary learners who are in the process of upgrading their writing skills to the pre -intermediate level. A total of 15 students are selected from the age group of 13 years old based on the final semester examination results. The examination basically structured in accordance to the textbook currently used in the school curriculum ,New Opportunities (Pearson Longman-Cambridge). Basically the (Stiggins to highlight achievement differences between and among students to produce a , 1994). School systems might want to classify students in this way so that they can be enhance their competency level even further. The major reason for using a norm-referenced test (NRT) is to classify students. NRTs are designed on dependable rank order of students across a continuum of achievement from high achievers to low achievers be properly placed in remedial or gifted programs. These types of tests are also used to help teachers select students for differe nt ability level reading or mathematics instructional groups. As the selected students fall under the below average group in Paper 1(Writing Assessment) whereby there are two parts that the had to complete here: SECTION A Notes Expansion and SECTION B Continuous Writing (Choose one topic out of five given) From the academic analysis it was found that majority students failed in Section B where it consists of 25% of the total marks of 40% of the Writing paper. Thus they are required to attend a 7 hour remedial programme to improve their writing skills by at least 85%. 3.0 PURPOSE OF REMEDIAL WRITING PROGRAMME The reasons for the remedial program to be initiated is to better the learners in their writing skills and strengthen it so that they have all capabilities to be promoted to the next level but due to certain minute factors they fail to adhere to the standards of the pre-intermediate level. Thus these students are carefully selected using the criterion method to undergo the 7 hour remedial programme. In order to drill and motivate these students in the remedial programme an enriching lesson plan is formulated to create a positive outcome at the end of the the 7 hour remedial programme. The purposes for emphasizing writing skills are to produce who can comprehend teaching and learning in a positive mental attributes. There is a wide body of research suggesting that assessing students written performance is a valuable undertaking. Not only is an instructor able to help a students progress, but also the instructor can facilitate the learning process and the learning outcomes by being aware of student performance throughout the academic session. Figure 2.0: The Purpose for Teaching Writing Undeniably, 3R skills are important and necessary in daily living. They are also needed to support the development of a knowledge-based economy. Recognizing these needs, the school has initiated and implemented programmes to identify students who have not mastered the 3Rs. These programmes are designed to specifically address and overcome the inability of students to master the 3Rs. This is in line with the essentialism which instills students with academic knowledge and character development. Among the programmes that have been implemented in schools are the Early Inter ­vention Reading and Writing Class, Basic Skills for Reading, Writing and Counting Programme and the Literacy and Numeracy Programme at Level One. 3.1 Sub-skills of Writing Besides drilling and enriching the remedial learners with the core writing skills , there are also exposed to the importance of sub-skills in their learning such as: I Manipulating the script of the language: handwriting, spelling and punctuation. II Expressing grammatical [syntactic and morphological] relationships at the sentence level III Expressing information or knowledge in writing: explicitly implicitly IV Enrichment of Vocabulary PART B 4.0 Objectives of the 7-hour remedial programme The main aim in introducing and implementing the remedial programme particularly in the aspect of writing skills is to mainly: to develop competencies in writing skills among learners to move from a teacher-centered didactic model to a student-centered constructivist model to acquire the ability to write in a more clear, concise and acceptable manner 5.0 Instructional Design : Using the ADDIE Model to Build Writing Competency Among Remedial Learners Table 2.0 ADDIEs Model 5.1 Framework The generic term for the five-phase instructional design model consisting of Analysis,Design,Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Each step has an outcome that feeds into the next step in the sequence. There are probably over 100+ different variations of the generic ADDIE model. Instructional design aim for a learner -centered rather than a traditional teacher-centered approach to instruction, so that effective learning can take place. This means that every component of the instruction is governed by the learning outcomes, which have been determined after a thorough analysis of the learners needs. This phases sometimes overlap and can be interrelated; however they provide a dynamic, flexible guideline for developing effective and efficient instruction. Figure 3.0 Instructional Design: Using the ADDIE Model 5.2 ADDIES Theory The ADDIE instruction model for this desin is outlined by Smith and Ragan(1995) in their book entitiled Instructional design. The focus is n 5 points Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. From this theory the analysis has proved that there was a need to conduct remedial programme for the elementary low scorers where an opportunty was given to learn and develop basic essay writing skills. 6.0 Remedial Education Programme In Malaysia, the importance of remedial education gained attention in the 1960s. Results of a pilot project in nine schools between 1967 and 1970 showed a need for remedial education, especially for pupils in rural areas. This paved the way for remedial education programmes in primary schools. The pioneers in the field attended a two-year intensive course on remedial education in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, a national series of seminars and workshops on remedial teaching were organized. With the exception of small schools or under-enrolled schools, every school is allocated one remedial education teacher. At the school level, a Remedial Education Committee is formed, comprising the headmaster, remedial education teacher, class teacher, subject teacher, resource centre coordinator, and other teachers as members. The introduction of a new curriculum for primary schools in 1983 implied a return to the basics in education. The ultimate goal was to ensure that no pupil is illiterate by the year 2000. The implementation of the remedial education programme for children in Primary 1-3 is to ensure that they master the 3Rs. Children who have been recommended for remedial education are required to attend remedial classes. As of 1999, 54,000 primary school children have undergone the intervention programme. In addition to improving and enhancing teacher development, the Malaysian government also works towards improving the curriculum at school to meet the changing needs of the economy. During the Fourth Malaysia Plan, the primary school curriculum was revised with the aim of providing and establishing a firm education in reading, writing, and arithmetic. This led to the development of a new curriculum emphasizing the 3Rs. Studies looking at the returns to education in Malaysia have found positive results in those who have had some form of formal education, thereby providing support to the government guidelines on the primary curriculum which emphasizes the acquisition of basic skills.Education in Malaysia , changing very rapidly responding to the emerging focus of lifelong learning; the growing emphasis on learning; as opposed to reaching and the development of the new delivery systems 6.1 The Educational, Philosophical and Psychological foundation Elementary education shall aim to develop the spiritual, moral, mental and physical capabilities of the child, provide him with experiences in the democratic way of life, and inculcate ideas and attitude necessary for enlightened, patriotic, upright and useful citizenship. To achieve these objectives, elementary education curriculum shall provide for the: inculcation of spiritual and civic values and the development of a good citizen based on an abiding faith in God and genuine love of country; training of the young citizen in his rights, duties and responsibilities in a democratic society for active participation, in a progressive and productive home and community life; development of basic understanding about Malaysian culture, the desirable tradition and virtues of our people as essential requisites in attaining national consciousness and solidarity; teaching of basic health knowledge and the formation of desirable health habits and practices; development of functional literacy in English as basic tools for further learning; and acquisition of fundamental knowledge, attitudes, habits, and skills in science, civics, culture, history, geography, mathematics, arts, and home economics and livelihood education and their intelligent application in appropriate life situations. The Elementary Basic Education Curriculum focuses on the tool learning areas for an adequate development of competencies for learning how to learn. The goal of Instructional design is to support the cognitive processes that result in learning (McGriff). The expected outcome of instructional design is to provide knowledge and skills to people. The three major learning theories are Constructivism, Behaviorism, and Cognitive. Instructional Design is based on constructivist principles. Instructional design is associated with instructional systems development (Leshin et al, 1992). An Instructional System is the arrangement of resources and procedures to promote learning (Berger and Kam). 6.2 Programme Design: ADDIE Model ADDIE is a general-purpose model, which can be used to create instructional products and program design. ADDIE is the acronym for Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate and summarizes the five steps in the Instructional Design process. The instructional designer makes decisions critical to ensuring the effectiveness of the educational experience in each phase of the process. In accordance with the process improvement model, the five phases are a loop, with the improvement of learning outcomes as the goal. Dick and Carey and Kemp (Kemp, et .al, 1998) expanded the ADDIE Model into nine elements. The Dick and Carey Model uses a Reductionist approach in breaking instruction down into smaller segments targeting sub skills. The learner is required to master of sub skills, which are aggregated to achieve overall skill mastery and learned behavior. It provides a systematic approach to curriculum and program design. Teaching is essentially a philosophical endeavor and therefore educational activity can be conceived within the context of a philosophy or worldview. The curricukum refelects the art and craft of teaching. Educational technology can provide diversity of thinking regarding curriculum and instruction which would be curriculum theorizing. 6.2.1 Analysis Basically the nature of the students whom the remedial programme to be conducted are students who learn English Language as a second language. They are originally from Chinese speaking families with a minimum exposure to English Language. Due to the expectation of the school and the educational needs in adhering English as one of the core subjects in school these students are required to have in depth knowledge and skill in it. All of them have been educated in the Chinese primary school education system. Based on the final semester examination results 15 students are selected to undergo remedial programme as they fall in the border line cases .The students acquire poor writing skills, while being able to construct sentences fairly well, they seem to have great difficulty in organizing and developing their ideas into the form of an essay that has an introduction, body and conclusion. In order to promote these students to the next level that is the pre-intermediate phase from their origin elementary level the English Language Department found it vital for them to attend a 7-hour remedial programme in order to find solution to this situation. All of them need to further develop their writing skills in term of cohesion and coherence; time and practice. 6.2.2 Design The main design goal for our programme would be on the cognitive strategies of being able to develop an idea for writing since all of them com e from a very similar background and have basic sentence writing skills. Besides the development of language in the mechanics of sentence construction such as syntax, grammar, structure, etc given priority. R.Gagne(1965) divided learning into 5 categories: Verbal or declarative knowledge, intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, attitudes and psychomotor skills. The learning goals are also in connection to these categories to try to put educational value behind our goals. At the same time the goal also reflects competences outlines by Benjamin Bloom (Bloom,1956). These include: Knowledge, Conprehension , Application, Analysis, Synthesis an Evaluation. These give our goals validity whereby competencies are incorporated in bringing about concrete task for learners that we assign in order to achieve their goals. Hence in the evaluation phase, we can use this aspect to find out the validity and the accomplishment of the learners in implementing the programme. Learning Goals and Type of Learning OBJECTIVE STANDARD GAGNES DOMAIN BLOOMS TAXANOMY Learners will identify an essay topic and 3 sub-topics Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Cognitive strategies Synthesis Learners will be able to write a 3 paragraph essay with an introduction, 2 sub topics to include their opinions, ideas and conclusion Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Declaration Knowledge Intellectual Skills Synthesis Evaluation Application Learners will be able to use the library and Handouts to research printed information on their topics Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Procedural knowledge (declaration knowledge) Knowledge Learners will be able to use proper mechanics of grammar syntax Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Intellectual Skills Application Learners will be able to present their topics in class Criteria established by Hin Hua High School, English Language Department Declaration knowledge Comprehension Table 3.0 Learning Goals and Type of Learning 6.2.3 Development In order to establish a approachable remedial programme for the elementary learners , we English teachers have developed a remedial programme which will undertake a 7 hour learning process. The teachers from the same level have brainstormed and come up with a course content for the 7-hour teaching and learning programme. The teachers from the same teaching level are the best person to create the lesson as they deal with the same competency level of students all the time and are considered experts in their area. Besides this, they will be able to make he printed and computer materials and added step of getting the right content for the level. On top of that since they have already been teaching in the same scope so they will be undoubtedly familiar in the process of teaching and guiding the learners in order to make the remedial programme a success. 6.2.3.(1) Procedure The remedial programme would be in the English medium since the main objective is to improve writing skills among elementary learners. The programme consists of 6 regular sessions and followed by a review and a test day. Each hour is scheduled to be conducted for 60 minutes ***Details on the whole programme given on Part D 6.2.4 Implementation Further to the development to the development the teachers would be equipped with intact course content for he programme. The module would be prepared in balance with the time frame allotted for the programme. Any teacher who is selected for this task should be ready to undertake the teaching process based on the scheme that has been prepared. Al l 15 students will be instructed to attend the programme for 7 hours. These are the various aspect of implementation emphasized in the learning process: Table 4.0 Learning Process Implementation 6.2.5 Evaluation The evaluation phase consists of two parts: formative and summative. Formative evaluation is present in each stage of the ADDIE process. Summative evaluation consists of tests designed for domain specific criterion-related referenced items and providing opportunities for feedback from the users. Primarily the evaluation is done in two parts. The first phase will be the evaluation of student work based on the objectives in the Learning goals and type of learning listed above. Students will be rated by their teacher based on the A,B,C,F criteria set by the English Department. An A is excellent work, B is average, and C will mean student needs improvement. An F would mean that student failed the writing assessment with below 60% of mark. Students will be evaluated at each stage of the course. The department will use this evaluation in order to find out how they might need to modify the programme in the future. A summative evaluation will be conducted as outlined by Smith and Ragan(1999,p.352). Those authors explain that in order to evaluate the effectiveness, appeal, and efficiency of instruction, a collection, analysis and summary of data on students ia essential. In our designed programme an exam is built to access students of their mastery on the abilities taught during the programme.Students are to show their capabilities in their understanding and knowledge taught to them by completing the set of homework targeted to them. Students will be graded on from 1 to 5 for their abilities in each of the following sections: Student name Student able to choose a topic n sub-topics Student able to use handouts information Student able to complete the essay Score dated from 1 to 5 1 : poor 2 : Able to understand the writing concept with some guidance 3 : Able to complete the task with help and support 4 : Able to understand the concept and complete the task individually A pre-test and post-test can measure how well learners achieved the learning objectives. However, it usually takes more time and effort to measure things such as whether the learners will use their training. This evaluation phase can extend for months. Upon completion of the programme the students feedback will be collected to further gauge the success of the programme. Questions are also answered on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is low and 5 is high. The standard questions constructed are as below: Were you satisfied with the content of this course? Were you able to understand the teachers explanation? Were you able to put into practice elements that you learnt? Did you fond the course interesting? On a scale of 1 to 5, what is your general feeling about the course? PART C 7.0 REVIEWERS COMMENTS Below is the summary of the feedback received from two of the Senior Teachers from the English Language Department of Hin Hua High School regarding the 7hour remedial programme on writing skills. Reviewer 1: Mdm Annaletchumy Reviewer 2: Ms Sastina The strengths and weaknesses of the newly developed Remedial Programme for Elementary Students Strengths 1. Learning by actively participating in group discussion 2. Encouraging students to construct their own ideas and knowledge of the topic 3. Student-centered rather than teacher or subject-centered 4. Teaching aid contributed to students visualization on the topic given 5. Suitable to students development level 6. Group work enables students to self express, to be self-confident and self- awareness 7. Encourage teacher to develop students creative thinking abilities 8. Emphasizing the concept of group work and peer evaluation where no student Is left behind 9. Encouraging the co-operation among students and teacher positively 10. Enables student to have a positive mindset in creative writing Weaknesses 1. Unsuitability of activities for crowded room 2. Lack of materials used as aid for pre-writing task 3. Lack of teachers evaluation on the first phase of writing 4. Certain task may take more time than the planned time 5. Peer evaluation on writing inappropriate approach for elementary learners 8.0 Summary of Review Summarized below are some of the accomplishments and challenges I personally went through in construction the remedial programme: 8.1 Strengths 8.1.1 Improved students attitude and motivation Students are mentally prepared to participate in the programme because students agree to a particular pace, workload, and learning environment from the beginning. 8.1.2 Creating Learning Communities: Classes function as teach communities both teacher and their students benefit in both social and academic areas from working with each other over a entire programme. 8.1.3 Eliminating Stigma of Dependency: The concept group work and peer evaluation removed the stigma of being too dependent on the teacher Writing materials. 8.2 Weaknesses 8.2.1 Students participation Some learners will not contribute in due to the lack of interest or proficiency 8.2.2 Stipulated Time The period allotted might not be sufficient for certain task. Thus this will delay or sometimes interrupt the whole programme structure. 8.2.3 Genuinely in peer marking Some learners will not adhere by the rules set in peer marking when it comes to assessment. Favoritisms and self -centered will influence the observation 9.0 Conclusion It is expected that by attending this model of English remedial instruction it will be beneficial to low English achievers. Students will gain substantially in grammar and vocabulary and they will also gradually improve in their overall English competence. Based on the comments from the reviewers it can be concluded that learners will be effectively improve their English writing skills through the prepared course module for the remedial programme. A well-designed course will definitely give them encouragement and support to elevate their English proficiency and be prepared for the next level , pre=intermediate. 10.0 PART D 7 HOUR LESSON PLAN REMEDIAL PROGRAMME ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEVEL: ELEMENTARY LENGTH:420m LESSON TYPE: WRITING SKILLS Aim: by the end of my lesson, students will be able to write a full-length essay on Endangered Species and improve their approach of writing strategies. Subsidiary aim: students will be able to improve their use of linking words in controlled and less controlled writing activities on Endangered Species Evidence: (How will I know I have achieved the aim?) Students will be able to complete gist and short writing strat

Four Functions Of Management At Fedex

Four Functions Of Management At Fedex Originally FedEx Corporation is recognized as FDX Corporation. It is a well-known logistics services company. The company was founded in the United States in 1971. FedEx furnishes customers and businesses all over the world with an all-inclusive portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services (About FedEx, 2010). The company offer incorporated business applications through functioning companies competing conjointly and managed collaboratively, under the well-thought-of FedEx brand. FedEx had attained significant position among the worlds most accepted and committed employers. It operates with more than 275,000 employees and contractors. It motivates all its employees and contractors to remain perfectly, positively concentrated on safety, the highest ethical and practised measures and the demands of their customers and communities. The company operates all over the world with its following segments: FedEx Express: This segment of the company offers numerous shipping services for the deliverance of packages and freight. FedEx Ground: This segment of the company offers business and residential ground package delivery services. FedEx Freight: This segment extends less-than-truckload freight services, as well as shipment carrier services. FedEx Services: This segment of the company offers sales, marketing, information technology support, customer service support, document solutions and business services and many other advanced services (FedEx Corporation, 2010). The significant functions of management that managers at all the levels of FedEx perform in order to achieve its organizational objectives, are as follows: Planning: This function of management is the conscious determination of future course of action. This involves why an action, what action, how to take action and when to take action. Thus, planning includes determination of specific objectives, determining projects and programs, setting policies and strategies, setting rules and procedures and preparing budgets. Organizing: Another significant function of FedEx management is organizing. Organizing is the process of dividing work into convenient tasks or duties, grouping such duties in the form of positions, grouping of various positions into departments and sections, assigning duties to individual positions, and delegating authority to each position so that the work is carried out as planned (Montana Charnov, 2000). Leading: The nest crucial function of management is leading. In this function of management a proper direction is determined by the company managers that help the employees in the proper understanding of their role to attain the goals and targets effectively. Leading is the process of influencing the behaviour of others to work willingly and enthusiastically for achieving predetermined goals. Controlling: The last significant function of management is controlling. This function involves identification of actual results, comparison of actual results with expected results as set by planning process, identification of deviation between the two, if any, and taking of corrective action so that actual results match with expected results (Harris Hartman, 2001). It brings to light all bottlenecks in work performance and fulfils the needs of the situation. Globalisations and its Impact on FedEx four Functions of Management Globalization is a procedure of interaction and compounding among the people, companies and governments of diverse nations. It is a procedure determined by international trade and investment and assisted by international technology. This procedure has its consequences on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity and as well as on the human physical well-being in associations all around the world (FedEx and Key Industry Drivers, n.d.). This external factor is making a prominent impact on the operations and functions of management of FedEx. Increasing globalization of its business had make a prominent impact on its planning function of FedEx management as now it had become more complex and requires more crucial analysis of international markets. In addition to this the function of organizing and leading business operations and all resources is also become difficult as now the company involves a diverse workforce and diverse customer base with different needs and demands. The last function of management controlling is also evolved as a difficult task due to the involvement of different type of international risks. Technology and its Impact on FedExs Four Functions of Management Technology is the employment and cognition of tools, proficiencies and crafts. It had made life of human beings more easier as it involves advanced know-hows in the form of tools and techniques. At FedEx emerging technology is playing an increasing role in offering critical information at any point in time about the location of a customers product and the time of delivery (FedEx and Key Industry Drivers, n.d.). With the increasing effect of technology the four functions of FedExs management is significantly affected. With the use of advanced technology, the companys planning and organizing function had been affected greatly as now its planning is done by making use of advanced technology and IT tools. For organizing all its operations and resources the company make use of up-to-date tools and techniques like for giving training to its employees now it make use of electronic sources (Huff, Maher Munro, 2004). Increasing use of technology and electronic means of communication also make a significant impact on companys leading and controlling function of management. With advanced tools and techniques both of these functions of FedExs management had become more easy and effective. E-Business and its Impact on FedExs four Functions of Management E-business is a term that can be used to delineate businesses run on the Internet, or employing Internet technologies to ameliorate the productivity or profitability of a business. In a more universal sense, the term could be used to explain any form of electronic business (Sharif, Ching, Bakri Zakaria, 2005). In present more and more companies are adopting this practice of doing business and similar is the situation with FedEx that is also making use of electronic sources and internet for communicating with its client and doing business. This e-business practice of the company had made tremendous impact on its four functions of management as now company does not have to indulge in complex planning as now it performs all its functions with the help of web, which makes everything simple and speedy (FedEx and Key Industry Drivers, n.d.). The organizing and leading function of management are also affected with this practice of e-business as now company can track performance of its employees and operations through web rather indulging in more formal procedures. The use of web had made everything very easy and quick and now the controlling of business operations had also become very easy. Conclusion With the detailed discussion of company operations and functions of management, it could be said, that the management of all these functions is essential as otherwise it could not direct the company towards its pre-determined goals. With the discussion of globalization, technology and e-business it could be conferred that these entire factors make a prominent impact on companys four functions of management because as time had changed this functions of company management is also changed. The impact of globalization, technology and e-business had advanced these functions in a significant manner, which in turn facilitates FedEx in managing its business.

Cameron Crowes Film Jerry Maguire Essay examples -- Crowe Movie Film

Cameron Crowe's Film Jerry Maguire In his movie Jerry Maguire, director Cameron Crowe illustrates how failures and successes are all part of life and if you have love and are happy with your life then you will surely succeed. It is part of life to experience failure which propels one forward to take risks and make changes to find the answers on how to succeed in lives little games. Jerry Maguire is an inspiring movie based on this theme, demonstrating success and failure with business endeavors, love relationships, friendships and self realization. Relationships between characters in this movie were numerous and were very intense. The relationship between Jerry and Rod Tidwell was initially one of strong control exhibited by Tidwell when he asks Jerry to yell â€Å"show me the money!† and when he refuses to complete the camel car commercial. This in turn adds to Tidwells failure with company endorsements and extra cash. Jerry also tries to exhibit control over Tidwell because he expects him to act in a certain way which he doesn’t always do. Jerry proves this when he tells Tidwell the truth about his arrogant actions towards society and the team. Jerry knows it is in Tidwells best interest to tone down his arrogance in order to succeed which he does. In the end both men come to realize their faults and change their behavior which results in the success of Tidwells career. The other relationship that drive...

True Romance :: essays research papers

Once again, Quentin Tarantino outdoes himself. The movie True Romance was excellent. It presented real issues that some people are forced to deal with in their lives. The title of the movie is misleading. You would think this was going to be a love story. Actually it is, but unlike any love story I've ever seen. It's filled with violence, action, blood, guts and gore. Like most other Tarantino movies it revolves around the violence we rarely see or experience in our lives. He also incorporates drugs and racism, hate and love and his usual corny way of portraying them. In Tarantino films, violence is presented in a totally different approach than movies like Rambo or Die Hard. Although you have the same amount of people dying, Tarantino seems to have this perverted and gruesome way of presenting it to his audiences. He always takes violence to the extreme. In the scene with the pimp he doesn't just shoot the pimp in the back or chest. He goes right for the gusto...his balls! Another example of this is when Dennis Hopper was killed. We all knew what happened to him, but Tarantino makes sure he shows us the oozing bullet wound to his head. Some people think this is taking violence too far; however, acts of this nature happen in the real world every day. I guess this is his way of giving us a "reality check." Shit like this happens to people. We are so sheltered in our comfortable little worlds we don't even realize this kind of stuff goes on. Variety. Isn't it supposed to be the "spice of life?" Well, Tarantino gets so damn spicy it can make you sweat bullets. What is it about violence that is so attractive to the general public? There are so many people who would rather see a violent movie than a movie filled with romance or adventure. If you were to compare the revenues from box office earnings I'm almost positive the movies filled with blood and guts earn much more than other movies. Naturally, if a person in the movie industry knows this will make them mega bucks , they will continue to make movies like this to make more money. Tarantino tends to slide in a little racism in his flicks. It's pretty obvious it's not the main topic, but it is apparent. Hopper was unique when he told the Sicilian guy his great, great, great, great grandmother had slept with a nigger and that's why he had dark skin and brown eyes.

coping with death :: essays research papers

Coping with Death People cope with the loss of a loved one in many ways. For some, the experience may lead to personal growth, even though it is a difficult and trying time. There is no right way of coping with death. The way a person grieves depends on the personality of that person and the relationship with the person who has died. How a person copes with grief is affected by the person's cultural and religious background, coping skills, mental history, support systems, and the person's social and financial status. The definition of coping is described in the text as the â€Å"constantly changing (dynamic) cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage internal and/or external demands exceeding the resources of the person. This emphasizes that coping behaviors go beyond routine, adaptive behaviors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1990, my aunt Ann started experiencing heart-problems. My family was very close to Ann because she lived only a block away. Aunt Ann would walk over to our house everyday for a visit. During this particular summer, Ann noticed that she was becoming increasingly out of breath from just the short walk. The entire family strongly urged that she see a doctor as soon as possible.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After her doctor’s visit that she reluctantly went to, she announced to the family that she was suffering from a damaged heart valve. We were all terrified about what would happen to her, but she assured us that the doctor said it could be fixed with a minimal risk.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When she went into surgery in St. John’s Medical Center in St. Louis, we were all there and confidant that everything would go as planned. The doctors came out about one hour into the surgery to inform us that the damage was much worse than they initially thought. They told us that they would keep us updated on her progress. Two hours later they came out to tell us that her heart stopped beating and they tried everything they could to revive her, but she had died.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through the next couple of days our family went through some of the coping stages. We experienced anger because we did not know the severity of the damage, we were depressed and then we had to come to accept God’s will. Ann was a devout Christian and we found comfort of knowing where she was going to.

Statistic: Sampling and Research Design

Carlene Reyes 809000173 Question 2: Describe the relationship between research design and sample design Before examining both sample design and research design it is important to be clear about the role and purposes of each design. Research design is a plan for collecting and utilizing data so that desired information can be obtained with sufficient precision or so that a hypothesis can be tested properly. Every type of empirical research has a form of implicit research design.A design is a logical sequence that connects to empirical data to a study’s initial research question and ultimately it, to its conclusion. According to Adam G Bluman in his book Elementary Statistic define research design as a logical plan from getting from here to there, where here may be defined as initial questions to be answered , and there is some conclusion (answers) to these questions . Another text book has described research design as a plan that guides the investigator in the process of collec ting analyzing and interpreting observations.It is a logical method of proof that allows the researcher to draw inreferences concerning causal relations among the variables under investigations (Nachmias andNachmaias 1992 pp. 77-78). Research design can be seen as the â€Å"blue print† for your research, dealing with at least four problems what question to study, what data are relevant, what data to collect and how to analyze the results. As a result research design is more than just a work plan it is what makes social science scientific.In addition there are various forms of research design that can be broken up into both quantitative and qualitative research design. Qualitative research follows a naturalistic paradigm which is based on the idea that reality is not predetermined, but is constructed by the participants in the research (Vishnevsky and Beanlands 2004, p. 235). It aims at exploring the phenomenon in question by focusing on the individuals who experience it, assu ming that it is possible to maximize the understanding of the phenomenon by minimizing the interpersonal distance between the researcher and the participant.Qualitative research in non-experimental, with no dependent or independent variables. The idea is to understand phenomena as a whole. Qualitative research is done â€Å"in the field† and requires ongoing data collection and analysis. The data collection and methodology are flexible, and allow for modifications throughout the research process, gathering subjective data that includes thoughts and perceptions of the participants and the researchers alike.Qualitative research does not choose a representative sample of the population, but only chooses as participants those who have rich experiences in the phenomena of concern, and the sample size is rarely predetermined, because researchers include as many participants as necessary to give an understanding of the phenomena (Vishnevsky and Beanlands, 2004, p. 235). Whereas, in quantitative research the researcher aim is to determines the relationships between one thing (an independent variable) and another (a dependent or outcome variable) in a population.Quantitative research designs are either descriptive (subjects usually measured once) or experimental (subjects measured before and after a treatment). Descriptive studies are also called observational, because you observe the subjects without otherwise intervening. Descriptive research provides answers to the questions of who, what, when, where, and how for example a study measuring various attributes of salespeople, a training program, or a retailing situation.Experimental studies are also known as longitudinal or repeated measures studies, for obvious reasons. They are also referred to as interventions, because you do more than just observe the subjects. However the sample design provides information on the target and final sample sizes, strata definitions and the sample selection methodology. It†™s a relatively small subset selected from a population. Sampling design is a process of selecting a member of a unit for a study in such a way that the unit represents the larger group from which they are selected.Sampling makes possible the study of a large heterogeneous population. There are different forms of sampling design it can be classified as probability sampling and non-probability sampling. Probability sampling is a proportion and such sample is selected from the population by means of some systematic way in which every elements of the population has a chance of being included in the sample. With this research it is more complex its time consuming and more costly.Non probability sample is not a proportion of the population which there is no system in selecting the sample. The selection depends upon the situations no assurance is given that each has a chance of being included as a sample. The first form of probability sampling is Random sampling this type of sampling is one in which everyone in the population of the inquiry has an equal chance of being selected to be included in the sample. Its main advantage of this technique of sampling is that it is easy to understand and it is easy to apply too.Its disadvantage is that it is hard to use with too large a population because of the difficulty encountered in writing the names of the person involved. Another form of sample design is systematic sampling a technique of sampling in which every kth member of a list may be selected to be included. This form of sampling is called interval sampling there is a gap or interval between each selected unit in the sample. Its main advantage is that it is more convenient faster and more economical. Its disadvantage is that if the sample might become biased.Stratified sampling is another form of sampling the process of selecting randomly , samples from different strata of the population used in the study a sample obtained by dividing the population into groups, c alled strata according to the various homogeneous characteristic and then selecting members from each stratum for the sample . Its advantage is that it contributes much to the representative of the sample. Cluster sampling also called multi-stage sampling are used when the population is so big or the geographical area of the research is so large, it is therefore efficient to use.Its disadvantage is that it reduced accuracy or representativeness on the account of the fact that every stage there is a sampling error. Non probability sampling methods into two broad types are accidental and purposive. Most sampling methods are purposive in nature because we usually approach the sampling problem with a specific plan in mind. The most important distinctions among these types of sampling methods are the ones between the different types of purposive sampling approaches. In purposive sampling, researchers sample with a purpose in mind.We usually would have one or more specific predefined grou ps we are seeking. Accidental sampling is where the first set of available appropriate sample are used. To conclude research design function is to ensure evidence obtained enables us to answer the initial question as unambiguously as possible. Thus, we need to ask what kind of evidence is needed to answer these questions. Research design is thus equated with both qualitative designs whereas sample design is equated with both probability and non probability sampling. Sampling design involves taking a proportion of the population to do your research project.

Charles Chocolates Case Essay

In March of 2012 Steve Parkland was hired as the new president at Charles Chocolates. He was immediately faced with numerous decisions about the future of the company. The board of directors had tasked Parkland with doubling or tripling the size of the company over the next decade, but the board and the senior management team had different opinions about the strategy that would accomplish this goal. The main issues that Parkland faced were how to increase the company’s operations while maintaining the traditional culture and support of the board. The premium chocolate industry is a large market in the United States and continues to grow around 10% annually. It is also populated with very strong competitors both internationally, with companies like Godiva (Nestle), and local companies like Delice. Both competitors are priced higher than Charles and have higher sales. This is most likely because Godiva and Delice have modern trendy packaging for their products. The number and strength of competitors means that buyers have very high bargaining power, but it also means that the threat of new entrants is low because it is hard to gain a piece of a market saturated with such powerful players. The majority of the suppliers to the chocolate industry sell commodity products whose price is set by the market and their power and influence is low. There are numerous substitute products for affluent customers’, confections and pastries being the most significant, but chocolate will always be a stable product so it is a medium level threat. To compete in such a challenging industry Parkland needs to revitalize the company’s packaging and its marketing campaign. New packing is an ideal way to begin because it demonstrates the changes that will be taking place in following years without compromising the company’s heritage or corporate culture. Charles’ current marketing strategy strongly targets the local community which it already has a strong presence in. Charles needs to increase its marketing to the tourist community. The advertisements should follow industry trends for use of ethically responsible ingredients to produce the highest quality chocolates. In order to attract and keep the new, non-local, customer base Parkland needs to increase Charles online presences and sales channels. This is a low risk, low cost opportunity with the potential for large growth in new geographical areas. If Parkland wants to achieve the aggressive growth that the board desires his ability to improve the capabilities and the operations of the company will be one of his greatest barriers. Due to the affluent nature of the customers and the possible variety in the product Parkland should focus on improving the company’s organizational capabilities. A new plant will eventually be needed but that decision can be delayed if Charles can streamline its operations. Parkland needs to institute policies that will measure productivity and develop an accurate method of forecasting sales. This will result in lower inventory carrying costs, fewer out of stock issues, and fewer backorders that need to be filled. If Charles can reduce the number of back orders and out-of-stock products it can focus on a single product line at a time which will reduce the frequency of expensive switching costs. There are many other growth opportunities that Parkland may pursue in the future. He may wish to grow the Sandwich Heaven segment of the business, growing the corporate connections of the company, and expanding into other physical locations in the states. These are all viable options for the future but the ones listed above are the best for Charles’ current situation. By improving packaging, marketing, online sales, and internal organizational capabilities the company can grow significantly without large changes to the tradition of the company and without taking on too much additional risk.