The Principles of Nursing and Health

The Principles of Nursing and Health Introduction This assignment into principles of nursing and health will explore dimensions of health; it will give an insight to a person who has a condition called multiple sclerosis. Looked at will be what determinants of health are to this person. Underpinning professional, legal and ethical implications surrounding health should the individual require nursing care is of great importance. Finally the assignment will give a reflection of what information has been gained and health concepts on a personal level. 1 Dimensions of health Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. World Health Organisation (WHO 1946) cited in Naidoo (2009). Health means so many different things to different people, someone viewed as having a disease or disability can also feel like they are healthy, as can a person who is physical fit feel unhealthy. Dimensions of health determine health to each individual. There are six different dimensions of health which are; intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual, social and environmental. Health is looked at as a whole and when being cared for, a holistic approach could be used taking into account all of the dimensions of health. Dimension in more detail are; intellectual this is when a person has the ability or inability to make decisions and judgements reasonably, understanding decisions and consequences of decisions. Physical health is what you can see the size, shape and body function. Emotional is when a pers on is empathetic towards other peoples feelings and has an understanding of their own, and can deal with all different types of emotions as and when they occur. Spiritual health can be having a belief in a god or religion however it has more of an impact on a persons ethics, peace of mind and principles. Social dimension is having relationships with all different types of people for example work colleagues, family and childhood friends. Environmental can be where a person lives and works it could be a poor area or poor working conditions. Across all the dimensions if one is affected this could have a knock on effect to other dimensions or all of them, they usually all go hand in hand, Brooker (2007). 2 Person overview To put principles of health into a reality and have an understanding an example could be an individuals health. Chosen as an example is David Anderson; David is fifty five year old male who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early thirtys. Multiple sclerosis is a condition which causes a defect in the central nervous system. The myelin sheath which surrounds the nerve fibres comes under attack from the autoimmune system, Corcos (2008). The disease is unpredictable and can affect different people in different ways. Usual symptoms are numbness in limbs, involuntary movements, lethargy, blurry or double vision the list goes on. Multiple sclerosis was identified by the French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot in 1863 who worked in a hospital called Salptrire in Paris. He identified the condition as aclrose en Plaques, Burgess (2010) which mean hardening, this relates to the scaring which causes the damage to the nervous system. David has worked in the same job for over 30 years, it is an outdoor manual position where he walks for long periods of time in a country setting as well as working in a country setting he also lives four miles from his place of work and has no commuting stress. David has been married for 35 years he has three grown up children and three grandchildren. David enjoys spending time playing golf in the summer months and watching sports live and on the TV he also enjoys photography. Davids health has always been very good despite his condition; he has never been on medication other than over the counter analgesics and has never required any kind of treatment. At times the effects of his condition do show but in a very minor way which he has always coped on the surface extremely well. 3 Determinants Determinants are factors which may affect a persons health; this may be in a good way or a bad way, generally and in the health of the above person. Determinants are factors which influence how healthy a person is. These are socio-economic which are cultural and environmental for example where in the country the person lives, living and working conditions for example are the conditions good is there stress involved, social and community networks is there support in place in the community and socially, individual lifestyle factors for example if the person takes regular exercise and eats a balance diet, and age, sex and hereditary factors. Naidoo and Wills as cited in Brooker (2007). Determinants which affect David are difficult to identify, possibly determinants affect him in a positive way. David has a very good life style, and has had a steady job for a long time environmental factors have possibly enhanced the quality of life for David. He spends a lot of time outdoors and feels t his has a positive effect as for long periods of time he lives symptom free from his condition. Social and community factors again are strong in his family who surround him and the networks of doctors in the local GP office are also strong. Around the world the United Kingdom has one of the highest rates of multiple sclerosis in the world, Rog et al (2009) cited in Burgess (2010). It has been said by Ebers et al (2007) cited in Burgess (2010). One in one thousand people in the UK have MS. It has been shown in studies that the further away from the equator the higher the volume of people recorded to have MS. This could be due to the periods of time these areas have sunshine, a vitamin related to sunshine is vitamin D, the body requires sunlight to synthesize vitamin D this vitamin is found in most immune cells and is associated functions including inhibition of the production of cytokines this is known to have a negative effect in MS, Ponsonby et al (2005) cited in Burgess (2010). Sh etland and Orkney in the north of Scotland have the highest rate of cases in the world. Interestingly studies have also shown people who emigrate from country to country before the age of 15 will develop the risk from the country which they have settled in, if the move takes place after the persons 15th birthday it is said the person will retain the risk factor from the country they are originally from. Underpinning professional, legal and ethical principles. Nursing care may be required for David in time and there are a lot of factors to consider when any person is being nursed. Looked at are the underpinning professional, legal and ethical principles involved in nursing a patient. As a professional a nurse has to follow rules which are set by the NMC. The NMC is the Nursing and Midwifery Council they are the governing body for all nurses and midwifes, the NMC have produced a code and within the code there are rules, standards, guidance and advice. NMC The Code (2008). The NMC are a council who if find or have any incidents reported to them will make decisions about fitness to practice, and can discipline or strike a nurse off of the registration if the nurse has failed to follow the code or committed an offence. The main concern of the NMC is to safeguard patients and members of the public and how they are treated by nurses and midwifes. It is said in NMC, The Code (2008) Individuals must be respected and dignity must be maintained. Individuals should not be discriminated against and must also be treated with consideration and kindness. Where required a nurse must seek out help and support from relevant agencies and support networks in the health and social care setting. Respect is an essential part of protecting an individuals confidentiality, information should never be shared other than with relevant people or professionals involved with the care of the person. It is also important that information should be shared if the person is at risk or h arm. An additional part of respecting a person may be concerning their likes and dislikes, communicating is essential when caring for a person or there family to ensure the best possible care is given, this could be ensuring communication can happen without any obstruction for example language or communication requirements possibly providing some kind of aid. Consent is a large part of care giving every time a treatment is given this could be from bathing to giving medication consent must be obtained, if an individual declines consent for treatment this must be respected, as it is a persons right to be involved in any decisions regarding treatment however there is an instance when decision making could be taken away from a person this happens when the mental capacity is compromised. there is a part of legislation which ensures a person who is incapable of making decisions regarding care is safe guarded. As a professional nurse boundaries must be maintained between patients and nurse s it is unacceptable to accept gifts, loans or personal relationships from patients and their families. It is part of the role of a professional to identify risks and people who are taking risks, it is also a duty to report any practices that are putting others at risk. Record keeping is an essential skill which nurses must practice in an accurate way as the records include all of the patients care which has been given or is due to be given, keeping accurate records is imperative as poor records could harm a patients safety and confidentiality. In the case for David he may become ill in time and require nursing care and it may become costly to the government, it is his right to receive care as and when required and be treated with respect and dignity, he may decide he does not want his suffering to be prolonged if his life is nearing an end and any decisions he may take must be upheld. Be open and honest, act with integrity and uphold the reputation of your profession NMC The Code (2008). Following the above statement ensures you comply with the code and also by following the law, being honest and able to identify problems and deal with them in the correct way if anything were to happen in practice. This will ensure care given can be without prejudice and the integrity of the nurse remains intact. NMC (2008) Legal issues which could arise could be in two ways these are civil and criminal. A civil court of law is where an individual person can file a case against another person or organisation when a person has come to harm possibly by neglect. Criminal law is where a person has committed a crime and it is in the publics interest for the person who committed the crime to be prosecuted by a court of law and punished. Personal Concept As I have studied and read more about principles of health it has had a major impact on the importance of knowing what the dimensions of health are, and understanding why a person has maybe become ill or in hospital, and what can be done to help or educate an individual to have a better life style which will lead to improved health. Looking at an individual has also given me an understanding that determinants of health can be positive as well as negative, as having a good life style for someone who has a condition like MS can enhance quality of life. Also if someone has a very poor life style this can lead to conditions like type 2 diabetes, this is generally caused by a very poor diet and by being overweight. Being a nursing is an extremely important role and has very strict guidelines which must be followed. This will ensure accurate information and care is given at all times. By following the NMC code it will ensure that I am respectful of individuals and value people from all walks of life, always leading by example, being accountable for my actions and will always treat people fairly. Conclusion This assignment has looked at dimensions of health, and how different dimensions can have an effect on all of the dimensions, there are six different dimensions which range from emotional to physical, each one is of equal importance and if any one is impaired it can often influence health. An overview of a person who has MS has been given and what determinants affect this persons life, is it good or bad? Professional, legal and ethical principles have been looked at, also and the importances of how these come into play when a person is being nursed. Identifying how the assignment has enhanced a personal view of the nursing profession has also been discussed. It has been identified the importance of being accurate regarding care giving and in record keeping to ensure the best care is given at all times. References Brooker C, Waugh A and Watson R. Foundations of Nursing practice fundamentals of holistic care, 2007 Edinburgh Mosby Elsevier. Burgess M, Shedding greater light on the natural history and prevalence of multiple sclerosis British Journal of Neuroscience nursing January 2010 Volume 6 number 1 Corcos J and Shinck E Neurogenic Bladder second edition 2008 Informa Healthcare. Naidoo J and Wills J. Foundations for Health Promotion Third edition 2009 Edinburgh. Nursing and Midwifery Council The Code 2008 World health organization. (WHO) 1948 Preamble to the constitution, Geneva. [online] http://www.who.int/suggestions/faq/en/ [13/11/2010]

The Formative And Summative Assessment English Language Essay

The Formative And Summative Assessment English Language Essay Why is assessment necessary? Schwartz and Webb (2002) state that from the past 30 years and the great number of language teaching research, assessment is not only the central part of work for teachers, but also the main driver of learning. That is to say, assessment is for teachers and students, to know not only how well they have done but also where they have done well and where they need to make great efforts. Assessment is frequently divided into summative assessment and formative assessment. Testing is the basic way of summative assessment. We often set a test at the end of the learning period. Formative assessment involves the collecting of information or evidence of a learners learning progress in the classroom. (Wang, 2006) Testing is the method most often used in China. For example, in 2011, 9,330,000 high school students took part in the University and College Entrance Examination in China. The enrollment rate of the exam is 72.3%, and only approximately 40% students would be enrolled by universities. Actually, 2011 was not the peak time, the real peak time was at 2008, at that time, the number of Chinese students attending the University and College Entrance Examination is 10,500,000. In 2009, there were 740 universities and 1168colleges in China. Therefore, it is hard to imagine how difficult if the university and colleges selected students without testing. That also led to tests becoming the most important way for evaluating students no matter when they entrance the high education before or after. 2. Literature Review 2.1 Formative and Summative assessment Why assess?, in answering this question, it deals not only with the purposes of assessment, but also the issue of who needs or uses the results. Biggs (1999) pointed out the important distinction between formative and summative functions. The main purpose of summative assessment is to make a judgement regarding each students performance. Students are marked at the end of a module, course or unit, so the results of such assessments are often presented in marks or grades. Summative judgements are also used to accredit learners as the end of the programme. (Falchikov, 2005) Nevo (1995) described these judgements as being for certification and diagnostic purposes. There is a critical thinking about summative assessment: Can test scores be used to inform us about our teaching and learning? Nevo (1995) considered that the answer is: not very much. Because of the students ability and achievement in learning are not measurable in terms of one single test. Even if they can reveal some problems about our teaching or learning, it is often too late to do anything about them, as it is already the end of a learning period. Different from summative assessment, formative assessment is based on information collected in the classroom work and that attention to improving its practice can enhance the learners achievements. For example, English teachers ask students to write an essay, complete a research project, or give a speech in front of whole class. This kind of assessment will provide more information on students learning during the learning process and will be useful for teachers to adjust their teaching according to students needs and base teaching on the success or difficulties of students learning. Formative assessment will be similar to activities that are often carried out in classroom. Students may develop their assessment tasks based on certain classroom activities, work out criteria to be followed when assessing students performance, and do record keeping. The issues involved here are summarized very briefly by Miller, Imrie, and Cox (1998). Formative assessment focuses on the process of learning, and gives students practice in essential skill such as essay writing, problem solving. This type of assessment should be to provide regular feedback to students in order to stimulate learning. (Miller, Imrie and Cox, 1998) Harlen (2004) states the relationship between assessment for formative and summative purpose. Teachers can use summative assessment evidence to help learning, and at the same time, using formative assessment information for summative assessment. It is both a weakness and a strength that summative assessment derived by interpreting formative evidence in a different way that both are in the hand of the teacher. 2.2 What to assess? Journals/ reflective logs/ diaries Brown (1997) argued that learning diaries, logs and journals are essentially the same, in that all are regarded as to promote feedback and all are based on the concept that the feedback is beneficial language learning. Nevertheless, someone always keep it in her/his mind that there are differences between these three activities. Take one example, Freeman and Lewis (1998) find that logs has less personal than diaries. Logs record a learners activities truthfully, while diaries are a personal selection of events that can add some reflection and understanding of their learning. Furthermore, Gibbs (1995) puts journals between diaries and logs, because journals include some reflection but not as personal as a diary. Journals Journal writing is a powerful way for individuals to give accounts of their experience (Clandinin and Connelly, 1994: 421), while writing journal is not only for this purpose, Brown (1997) points out four purposes of leaning journals. He discusses that journal writing as a type of assessment tool creates students opportunities to reflect their learning progress and problems; record students learning experiences. It is also a chance for expressing feeling and emotion of their leaning. Logs Brown (1997) states that student can use learning logs to provide a self-report of their learning experience. In order to solve the problem of this kind of assessment, Brown (1997) proposes that logs may include information concerning what language error or mistakes starts have been made, the reason why occurred this kind of error, how to solve this problems and which kind of approaches will be helpful. Freeman and Lewis (1998:254) emphasize that making an explicit and clear criteria is very important. They advise teacher to tell their student: what to record; how much detail to record; the number and range of items to include; the time period over which to record; the desired format; the type of analysis to be carried out prior to submission. Diaries A diary is a book, which has a separate space, or page for each day, students can write down their learning experiences they have and their private thoughts. A diary with real-time features includes written records, but also involves pictures and other multimedia. Therefore, diaries are described as an appropriate form of assessment where the learning is focusing on the processes of doing something rather than on the result. Diary writing could be a way of building up students confidence in their own thoughts and feelings, rather than taking on other peoples in an uncritical fashion. It could be said therefore to encourage independent thinking (Ashcroft and Foreman-Peck, 1994:59). Falchikov (2005) critically evaluate the advantage and disadvantage of diary writing. These techniques are easy to use and cost effective. What is more? Self-reporting is believed to engender self-revelation, therefore, useful for collecting intimate information. However, a number of disadvantages have also been identified. Assessing logs, journals and diaries As with many of the newer assessment methods, little is recorded in the literature about how logs, journals or diaries may be assessed. Bound and Knights (1994) asserted that setting an assignment which teacher believe will encourage reflection is not sufficient, as the intent of the student is a important determinant of what actually happens. Additionally, Brown (1997) indicated that no study had been done to certain whether the use of learning journals changes the style of learning. Based on his own experience of using the learning log method, assessment may be carried out in a number of ways. Teacher may mark the written record, or using the guidelines supplied as criteria against which to judge the work. Students may submit a self-assessment of all or part of the record. McNamara and Deane (1995) refer to that peer assessment is not suitable method for assessing logs, journals and diaries. Because these diaries were, meant to be private and read only by the writers themselves Oral presentation Falchikov (2005) states that in oral presentations, students research a topic and present their achievement in front of their teacher and other classmates. Oral presentation are often linked with self or peer assessment. Falchikov (2005a) find that involving students in the assessment of oral presentation is very beneficial. At the same time, ask the other peer have to provide feedback, which can get the other students concentration. This way will be more active engagement than simply listening. This kind of assessment will not only improve the oral skill of the students, but also may be developing the other skill. Portfolios Because progress tests and proficiency tests are both need to assess students at the certain time, students only get one-off chance to reveal their real level of knowledge. It is unfair to some students who are not good at exams innately. As a result, portfolio assessment appeared, unlike traditional measures which tend to evaluate students possession of knowledge at the certain time, portfolio assessment can allow students to show their best pieces of work over the period of time. There are some obvious benefits of portfolio assessment; firstly, it makes students more independent and self-governing. Whats more ¼Ã… ¸Students have a chance to modify their work before submitting, it will have a positive wash back effect on assessment. (Harmer, 2007) However, the pitfalls still exist in portfolio assessment. Using portfolio assessment can be time-consuming; teacher need more time to give the marks. The reliability of portfolio assessment need to be consider, because students complete this kind of assessment out of classroom, it is difficult to confirm that the students finish their assessment by themselves, nobody helps them. (Harmer, 2007) 2.3 The relationship between assessment and pedagogy Before we discuss the relationship between assessment and teaching approach, we need to clear the concept of these approaches: Their definitions, features and so on. The Presentation, Practice and Production (PPP) PPP refer to presentation, practice and production. At the presentation stage, the teacher introduces new vocabulary and grammatical structures. At the practice stage, the lesson moves from controlled to guided practice. At the production stage, teacher will encourage students to present what they have learned and perform some communicative activity. In this stage, the heart of the matter is on meaning ¼Ã‹â€ fluency ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °rather than forms (accuracy). (Harmer, 2007) Some of the advantages of the PPP model are that first it is clear and easy to conduct by the teacher. Secondly, it is easy to evaluate, as there are often clear goals to be obtained. Thirdly, there is the belief that learning with focus on forms will become one kind of habit (Skehan, 1996). Nevertheless, with the development of theories in TESOL, some language teachers keep it in their mind that the PPP model is not valid. It is not enough for the teacher to simply help practise the structure. The teacher should also try to create meaningful teaching materials for student to use the structures learned in real communication (Wang, 2006).. Task-based Language Teaching (TBLT) Task-based Language Teaching is widely promoted in English language teaching nowadays. Many teachers are asking what is Task-based Language Teaching? How is TBLT different from communicative language teaching? Task-based Language Teaching is, in fact, a further development of CLT (Walsh, 2011). Thornbury (2006) suggests that TBLT has emerged from the strong form of CLT. It shares the same beliefs, as language should be learned as close as possible to how it is used in real life. However, it has stressed the importance to combine form-focused teaching with communication-focused teaching. When students are carrying out a task, they are focusing on the complete act of communication. Sometimes, however, we may wish to focus their attention on individual aspects of language, such as vocabulary, grammar or individual skills. We can call these activity exercises. Another kind of activity, which is very common in CLT, comes halfway between tasks and exercises. This kind of activity consists of contextualised practice of language items (often a particular grammar point). For instance, it could be an activity that helps the students to master the present continuous tense by getting them to describe what is happening in a picture. This kind of activity can be called an exercised-task. (Littlewood, 1993) Differences between PPP and TBLT Willis (1996) provided two perspectives to identify the difference between PPP and TBLT. The way learners express language in TBLT is completely different from PPP (Willis, 1996). In TBLT, all 3 components (task, planning and report) are free of language control, students have to rely on their own language resources. The purpose of TBLT is using language for real communication. In PPP model, learners adjust their language at the practice stage. Nevertheless, in TBLT, we adjust our language at the report stagethe last one. The planning stage encourages students to consider appropriateness and accuracy of the language form in general, rather than the production of a single form. The report allows learner to exchange their idea and information freely, but in PPP model, learners do not have any freedom to a certain extent. TBLT can provide a context for grammar teaching and form-focused activities. PPP is different in this aspect (Willis, 1996). In PPP model, with the presentation of the target language coming first, this context has to be invented. However, in TBLT, the context is already established by the task itself. When students finished the task, the language is already familiar. The activities in TBLT encourages learners to use the target language to analyse and think, not just simply to repeat. A PPP model leads from accuracy to fluency; a TBLT cycle leads from fluency to accuracy (combined with fluency). Overall, PPP offers a simplified approach to language learning. It is based upon the idea that you can present language in a clear way. Moreover, your language develops by adding new forms from one lesson to the next. However, simply being able to produce forms in isolation will not help learners acquire the language for communication. Research proves that if there are plenty of opportunities with students to practise language in meaningful context, which will be the best way for students to acquire language effectively. (Frost, 2004) 2.3.4 Introduction of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Although people have different understanding of communicative language teaching, the following three principles suggested by Richards and Rodgers (2001): Communication principle: the core of CLT activities are real communication, which will promote language learning. Task principle: the language used in activities is for carrying out the tasks, which will promote learning. Meaningfulness principle: language that is meaningful to the learner supports the learning process. It is important to note that CLT requires a higher level of communicative competence on the part of the teacher. It also requires that teacher develops a wider range of skills beyond the presentation and explanation of grammatical structures (Hedge, 2000). In a communicative classroom, a great deal of time is spent on managing learning, setting up activities, organizing resources, guiding students in pair/group work. Howatt (1984) proposes a weak and a strong version of CLT. With the weak version, learners first acquire language as a structural system and then learn how to use it in communication. The strong version of CLT claims that language is acquired through communication (Howatt, 1984:279). This means that learners discover the structural system in the process of learning how to communicate. In other words, the weak version regards overt teaching of language forms and functions as necessary means for helping learners to develop the ability to use them for communication, whereas the strong version regards experiences of using the language as the main means or necessary condition for learning a language as they provide the experience for learners to see how language is used in communication. Savignon (2004) maintains that CLT in its strong form cannot be adhered to via a single textbook, implicitly suggesting that ELT materials that are termed communicative must be adhering to the weaker form. 3. Methodology 3.1 Research question The topic research question: What are English teacher own beliefs about the effects of assessment on teaching English experience? Finding the balance between formative assessment and summative assessment. Then try to find the relationship between assessment and pedagogy. I intend to centre on teachers viewpoints on English language assessment. From teachers aspect, the questions will draw attention to the close relationship between assessment and pedagogy. What type of assessment is beneficial to teaching? That is to say, what kind of assessment is good for learning English? When assessment is solely dependent on test results, teachers tend to begin teaching to the test (washback effect). Teaching has become test practice. They try to find out what will be tested and how it will be tested. Is it good for learning English? 3.2 Interview Question Design In the beginning, my interview questions are very generalization, and contain some specialized vocabulary. I used to have an interview experience, so I know if the questions are too hard to answer, will be putting pressure on interviewees. Therefore, I try to make my question simplification and concretization, in order to reduce the pressure on interviewees. Interview questions of teachers 1. According to your teaching experience of students, summative and formative assessment, which kind of assessment do you think is good for language teaching and learning? Why? 2. Could you explain the advantage and disadvantage of each assessment respectively? 3. When you assess your students language learning, how many factors do you consider? What are they? 4. Do you consider the motivation of your students? 5. Besides testing, what are the other methods that can be used to gather information about the knowledge and performance of language learners? Please give examples if possible. 6. What are the usual formats of the tests that you have taken in your experiences of English teaching? 7. Is there any particular format that you like or dislike? Give your reasons. 8. Do you think examinations could reflect student learning better than the other type of assessment? If yes, give a reason. If no, please take one instance. 3.3 Methods the Rationales Since the total conception of the research was based on investigating English language teachers and Chinese learners own beliefs about the effects of assessment on learning English experience, go without saying, the research methods used should be satisfied this determination. Qualitative approach is above all else a person-centred enterprise and therefore particularly appropriate to our work in the field of language teaching (Richards, 2003:9), so it deserves to be depended on in my research. A number of different interview types can be employed to gather data for qualitative research. Interviews are often associated with survey-based research, as well as being a technique used by many qualitative researchers. In structured interviews, researchers usually ask an identical set of questions of all respondents. Less rigid are semi-structured interview, in which the researcher used a written list of questions as a guide, while still having the freedom to digress and explore more information. On the other hand, in unstructured interview, no list of questions is used. Instead, interviewers develop and adapt their own questions, helping respondents to open up and express themselves in their own terms and at their own speed. (Mackey and Gass, 2005) Mackey and Gass (2005) stated that interviews could allow researchers to investigate phenomena that are not directly observable, such as learners self-reported perceptions or attitudes. In addition, because interviews are interactive, researchers can elicit additional data if initial answers are vague, digression, incomplete, or not specific enough. Another advantage of interview is that they can be used to elicit data from learners who are not comfortable in other modes. Take one instance, some learners are more at ease speaking than writing and more likely to provide extended answers in a conversational format. Depending on the research question and the resources available, interviews can also be conducted in the learners mother tongue (L1), thus removing concerns about the proficiency of the learner affecting the quality and quantity of the data provided. According to the two groups of interviewee, I apply in different interview type. For students group, I prefer using semi-structured interview. For teachers group, the narrative interview may be the best policy. Actually, the narrative interview is one kind of unstructured interview. Flick (2002) defines that the narrative interview is different from the traditional way of interview, which will help the researchers free themselves from the question-answer pattern and approach the personal experience of interviewees. The interviewees are encouraged to tell their own stories of the assessment on learning English experience. 3.4 Research Procedure I explained to my interviewee in the beginning about the whole process, the orientation of the questions, and the time needed approximately. During the process of our interview, the interviewees could speak both English and Chinese. Because I had no experience about how to conduct an interview, and did not do the Pilot Study that is a simulated interview before the real interview. Therefore, when I interview my first participant -Wing, sometime she confused by the question which sounded profound. Wing was my best friend in China and she was very nice and patient. If she did not understand what I mean, she will discuss with me about this question. Then I revised my questions with her help. She proposed some suggestion for my interview. I also discuss with her about my question for students. During the process of interview, I encourage interviewees to talk about some of their own experiences. Moreover, do not mind if they use Chinese to explain the questions more clearly. Finally, after we went through all the questions, the interview was going smoothly. 3.5 Ethical Concerns There are some important ethical concerns, which have been considered throughout the entire study. At first, consent both in written (see Appendix) and verbal form was given to each potential participant previously, so that they could have enough time to decide whether to join this research. Because my research method is interview, my participants are not anonymous to me. Therefore, protecting their privacy and holding in confidence what they share with me must be the best policy. I will fully inform all of participants about my research purpose, and make sure they totally understand what their agreement to participate entail. Furthermore, participates can withdraw from my research at any time. 4. Result Teacher A : Wing What is Wings belief about the effects of assessment on learning English experience? Wing thinks that English assessment, especially test is absolutely very important. Because she worked in a Cram school, has lots of pressure from the administrate of the school and her students parents. What is assessment? Wing regards the language assessment as a tool to keep a check on her learners, through a language assessment, she can find out strengths and weakness of her students and herself. Actually, in most of cases, Wing thinks that assessment is to do with testing. Do you think examinations could reflect student learning better than the other type of assessment? If yes, give a reason. If no, please take one instance. Wing believes that examinations cannot be said to be the best means of assessment, but the test is really the most effective way to measure students language learning effect. Besides testing, what are the other methods that can be used to gather information about the knowledge and performance of language learners? That is to say, what are the other methods that you prefer using to assess your student? You have some choices: teachers observation, interview, journals/ reflective logs/diaries, oral presentations, portfolios. Wing recalls the day when she was a student, both her English and Chinese language teachers recommended diary writing as an effective means of improving language proficiency. Therefore, when she started as a teacher, she began to try to use this method to assess her students. Actually, diary writing is the better way to assess student grammar and vocabulary. Towards grammar, she could identify common error in the use of article, tenses and preposition. Common errors in the spelling of particular word were also easily spotted. Towards vocabulary, diary writing can be very good to help students understand some words of their special usage. For example, lots of students always confuse the usage of the words hope and wish, because in China, there is a word can express both these two words. In students diaries, many students often want to express a strong desire or hope for something, but they always confound these two words. Wing mentions that some students translate their meaning from Chinese to English directly, they do not think in English way. After a period, Wing finds that dairies writing have some shortcoming. For example, sometimes teacher is hard to control what student write. Sometimes what students write are not teacher want to assess. Sometimes Wing finds that it is quite difficult to comments or analyses her students diaries, because diaries is their own experience. Therefore, Wing changes her assessment method in the other way. She ask all of her student to read a series of books BOOK WORMS which was published by Oxford University Press. This series of books are the simplification of many world famous works. Every time she will layout a book requires students to read at home, and then write impression of the book. she wants to find out the difficulties her students had with a summary assignment they had been given, so she requested that her students write in their diary, talk about the difficulties they had when they did the assignment. However, Wing also finds out that if she too frequently requires students to do like that, by the time the students have lost all their motivation for writing diary. According to your teaching experience of students, summative and formative assessment, which kind of assessment do you think is good for language teaching and learning? Why? Because Wing works in a Cram school, each student in this school has a goalthat is to pass the exam. This invisible to students a great deal of pressure, will definitely affect their learning effect. She believes that formative assessment is good for language teaching and learning. Consider the other methods (you mentioned at question 3) that you prefer using to assess your student again, which is your purpose of this assessment method? Formative or summative? Formative assessment. Wing think that it could be for summative assessment, but she think there is intense pressure on her students from exam, she does not want to put more pressure on her students. Therefore, she always assess her students by formative purpose. In your classroom, what teaching methods do you usually use? Grammar translation approach or you can say that is PPP (Presentation, Practice and Production) module. When you assess your students language learning, how many factors do you consider? You have some choice: linguistic (Grammar and Vocabulary), interest, culture background, motivation, teaching approach, to foster learning ability. Wing states that she will consider grammar and vocabulary at the first place, because all of her teaching and assessment are examination-oriented. Do you think that your main teaching approach will influence you to assess your students? Wing says that it is difficult to answer this question. She want to say yes, because her teaching goal is examination-oriented, she use grammar-translation approach, therefore, she is unable to control herself to consider linguistic (Grammar and Vocabulary) when she assess her students. Teacher B: Linda What is Lindas belief about the effects of assessment on learning English experience? Linda works in a private high school, she has approximately 2 years teaching experience. What is assessment? Linda always use language assessment in her classroom, she regards language assessment as a way of keeping a check on the student learning. She always carry out an assessment with recording-keeping, to discover learners achievements. Do you think examinations could reflect student learning better than the other type of assessment? If yes, give a reason. If no, please take one instance. Linda thinks that examination is not the only way that could reflect student learning. She cannot decide which one is better. Besides testing, what are the other methods that can be used to gather information about the knowledge and performance of language learners? That is to say, what are the other methods that you prefer using to assess your student? You have some choices: teachers observation, interview, journals/ reflective logs/diaries, oral presentations, portfolios. Linda indicated that she always use interview and oral presentation to assess her students. Compared to other skills, Linda pays more attention to speaking skill during she assess her student. She suggests dividing her process of assessment into two parts: If it is the first time she meets a student, she prefers to interview s/he face to face. Regard to her all class, Linda think oral presentation is not only benefit for students learning, but also good for team cooperation spirit. According to your teaching experience of students, summative and formative assessment, which kind of assessment do you think is good for language teaching and learning? Why? Formative assessment. In the process of learning, keep abreast of student mastery of knowledge, correct errors in a timely manner, to amend his mistakes early is better than the final. Consider the other methods (you mentioned at question 3) that you prefer using to assess your student again, which is your purpose of this assessment method? Formative or summative? For interview, Linda think formative assessment will be her purpose, because it focus on what are the next steps in learning. For oral presentation, summative assessment will be h

A Waste Of Talent :: essays research papers

On his tenth birthday Jim Walker was introduced to the game of basketball by receiving a basketball from his uncle Mark Walker. Jim acted as if he loved the gift to please his uncle but really expected more from him. Jim never really played basketball at this age because he would rather spend his time doing things most other ten year olds did like riding bicycles and playing with G.I. Joes. On the same birthday Jim’s mother, Althea gave him ankle weights. She gave him this because she realized her son had a talent, which was jumping high, hoping this talent would payoff for both of them in the future. Jim and his family were not very wealthy living in the Harlem projects were drugs and constant violence plagued the neighborhood so he didn’t really receive many other gifts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With these two gifts in hand he started playing basketball at the local parks developing his game. He would play and practice with the ankle weights on, realizing he like playing and was pretty good at the game. At the age of thirteen he was playing a full court pick up game at a local park with a group of older guys. While coming down the basketball court at the height of five feet four inches Jim dunked on one of the older kids he was playing with. Word got around neighborhood that there was a thirteen year old who could dunk on the standard ten foot basketball rim in the park. People started to respect Jim because of his basketball skills. He also started getting girls because of his skills and off the court began hanging out with a bad crowd doing drugs and not doing his schools work. Sometimes as a bet and to show off exactly how high he could jump he would snatch money that was placed on the top of backboard rims.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jim was then recruited by a very good New York City preparatory school. Jim and the other members of the basketball team were giving preferential treatment because of their good record. They were allowed to get away with murder. The coach of the basketball team made sure Jim’s work was done and showed him ways to cheat on tests. One day the track coach approached Jim and asked him to join the track team to high and long jump for him.

A Study of Literature Isms :: essays papers

People change through every generation. But the bidding force through all the generations has been literature. There are four essential classifications for literature, romanticism, realism, naturalism, and existentialism. Romanticism centers â€Å"around art as inspiration, the spiritual and aesthetic dimension of nature, and metaphors of organic growth† (VanSpanckeren, â€Å"The Romantic Period: Essayist and Poets†). VanSpanckeren says that in his essay â€Å"The Poet†, Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the most influential writer of the Romantic era, asserts: For all men live by truth, and stand in need in expression. In love, in art, in avarice, in politics, in labor, in games, we study to utter our painful secret. The man is only half himself, the other half is expression (qtd. in â€Å"The Romantic Period: Essayist and Poets†). Romantic literature came from a reaction to the neoclassicism and formal orthodoxy of the preceding period (Holman and Harmon). â€Å"Romanticism arose so gradually and exhibited so many phases that a satisfactory definition is not possible† (Holman and Harmon). According to VanSpanckeren, the development of the self became a major theme in romanticism; self- awareness was a primary method. According to the Romantic theory, self and nature are the same, and self- awareness is not a selfish dead end but a mode of knowledge opening up the universe (VanSpankeren, â€Å"The Romantic Period: Essayists and Poets†). With this new found idea of self, new compound words with positive meanings emerged: self- realization, self- expression, and self- reliance (VanSpankeren, â€Å"The Romantic Period: Essayist and Poets†). Romanticism stresses individualism, affirmed the value of the common person, and looked to the inspired imagination for its aesthetic and ethical values (VanSpankeren, â€Å"The Romantic Period: Essayists and Poets†). In New England, Romanticism prospered, the New England transcendentalists, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and their associates, were inspired to a new optimistic affirmation by the romanticism ideas (VanSpanckeren, â€Å"The Romantic Period: Essayists and Poe ts†). The transcendentalists believed that the soul of each individual was thought to be identical with the world (VanSpanckeren, â€Å"The Romantic Period: Essayist and Poets†). Some examples of romantic writers are the New England transcendentalists (Emerson, Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Margaret Fuller, Bronson Alcott, and William Ellery Channing), Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Edgar Allen Poe (VanSpanckeren, â€Å"The Romantic Period: Essayists and Poets†). The New England transcendentalist carried the expression of philosophical and religious ideas to a high level through essays and lectures (Holman and Harmon). Ralph Waldo Emerson’s first publication, Nature,

Earthworm Biodiversity in an Arid Region of Rajasthan, India

Among the soil fauna, earthworms have an important role to improve soil texture. The soil texture plays an important role in water holding capacity. Earthworms have an ability to enhance soil characteristics. It contributes to the breakdown of organic matter and release plant nutrients (Edwards and Bohlen, 1996). Earthworms are also considered as useful indicator of the health of soil ecosystem (Edwards and Bohlen, 1992) as to their role in soil fertility through fragmentation and mixed up the soil with mineral particle, enhancing microbial activity to breakdown plant organic matter.The contribution of earthworms in soil turnover, structure formation and serve as a fertility enhancer in different way. Earthworms are useful in land improvement and organic waste management (Edwards and Baker, 1992; Lavelle and Martin, 1992; Johnson, 1997; Villenave et al. , 1999). The distribution and population density of various earthworm species have been correlated with soil type and agriculture la nd use (Haynes et al. , 2003; Sbrina et al. , 2009). The biodiversity of earthworms is influenced by physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and climatic conditions of habitats.Earthworm’s biodiversity is directly affected by soil characteristics (Edwards and Lofty, 1977). These community influencing factors are soil pH, organic matter, nitrogen, C/N ratio, soil moisture and soil texture. Biodiversity is counted as human resources (Heywood, 1996). Recently, many biologists studied the biodiversity and distribution of earthworms in the different parts of the world (Blakemore, 2000, 2002, 2003; Change and Chen, 2004,2005; Blakemore et al. ,2006; Sautter et al. , 2006; Ghafoor et al. , 2008).Present study was done in Bikaner district, which is located in Thar desert of Rajasthan ranging 28. 01 ° N 73. 19 ° E. . The average rain fall in this area is 10† to 15† only. Therefore, climatic conditions are adverse for organisms. Most of its area is irrigate d with tube wells and Indira Gandhi canal. Due to adverse conditions from a long period, there is still a few information about biodiversity and habitats. The present study will revealed new basic information for further research on earthworms and its ecology and application of earthworms in agriculture sector.

Global Media and Cultural Homogenisation Essay

In the 21st century, economic globalization has finally become an irresistible reality. Information, technology, goods, people, especially monetary capital are frequently exchanging worldwide unprecedentedly. The development and expansion of markets have effectively broken through the national, ethnic, cultural customs and ideological boundaries (Fairweather & Rogerson 2003). From multinationals, satellite TV, Internet to McDonald’s, Mercedes-Benz cars, cartoons, various cultures are now crossing huge distance and national borders, more densely implanted in different countries, and finally resulting in the phenomenon of cultural homogenisation. This essay is going to discuss whether globalisation implies cultural homogenisation, which will mainly focus on the role that global media has played in causing this phenomenon. To better understanding whether globalisation could lead to cultural homogenisation, this essay is about to define globalisation first. More specifically, globalisation is a terminology in economics, and scholars have three main kinds of explanation for globalisation: the first is that globalisation is Westernisation or Americanisation (Appadurai 2001), the second is that globalisation is the worldwide optimising allocation of economic and technical resources (McChesney 2001); and the third is that globalisation is to solve global problems such as environmental pollution, population explosion, drugs proliferation and transnational crimes, etc. (Mehlika 2013). In this essay, the meaning of globalisation is referred to the second explanation. When it comes to the effects of globalisation, it could be seen in various aspects, and living space of people has been associated with the world as a whole. For instance, London’s stock market or the European Football League is not a regional event, shockwave of these events quickly spread to every corner of the globe (Mehlika 2013). â€Å"Global village† is a more realistic word to describe the current world (Appadurai 2001). No matter international relations, political interests, social wealth distribution, cultural homogenisation or everyday life, globalisation has shown their significant role in those fields, and has contributed to profound consequences. Cultural homogenisation, which could be expressed as one of the significant impacts  of cultural globalization, that is local unique cultures all over the local culture will tend to become a single global culture, contributing to different lifestyles, values and beliefs of differing ethnics and communities are becoming increasingly similar (Mihailidis & Moeller 2010,). According to the view of Marxist (Mehlika 2013), the economic base determines the superstructure; economic and cultural globalization inextricably has linked and influenced each other. With the impact of the trend of globalisation, previously diversified culture has been influenced by the stronger culture and fashionable trend which are normally propagated by global commercial media system (McChesney 2001). In addition, McChesney (2001) holds the view that economic and cultural globalization arguably would be impossible without a global commercial media system to promote global markets and to encourage consumer values. Therefore, this essay believe that global media has played a crucial role in the development of globalisation and cultural homogenisation, and the following part of this article will mainly focus on the how global media has impacts on cultural homogenisation. At present, when reading newspapers or magazines, or turning on the TV, a confusing phenomenon could be the hom ogenisation of media culture, and sometimes similar entertaining programs could be seen in dozens of TV channels. Homogenization of media culture is very fast, often like a plague epidemic (Jan 2009). For example, a popular talent show called American Idol in the U.S. had a new name in China called Chinese Idol, which completely copied the main contents of American Idol. In addition, the successfulness of open copy experience has immediately provoked a chain reaction, almost all the local TV stations are following this trend, for a time, from national TV station (CCTV) to the local ones, and more than ten similar talent shows hurriedly came out. Another example is the Quiz Millionaire, this TV show has numerous versions in China, such as Happy Dictionary, Lucky 52, and so on. And there are various other TV programs in China are just Chinese version of famous TV programs around the world. In terms of the homogenisation of media culture, what most people may consider first is to criticize the lack of creativity of TV people or media workers. However, to explore further, more problems will involve in this problem. That is the globalisation of commercial media will unavoidably lead to the homogenisation of different cultures (McChesney 2001). A problem that may  be ignored is the convergent environment of media. More specifically, people tend to accept the fact of the homogenization of economic life; however, it is difficult to accept the homogenization of culture. The majority people still hold the view that different cultures should own their unique national, ethnic, and local characteristics (Fairweather, & Rogerson 2003). In other words, individuals could drive multinational or foreign designed automobiles, wear foreign produced perfume, but should remain vigilant when enjoy foreign films and television programs or other cultural products (Dumas, et al. 2010). However, little do these people know that the production mode of the media culture determines the globalisation of it, especially since the mid-twentieth century , new media and new media culture comes along with it, are emerging and developing in the international environment with relatively frequent exchanges (Appadurai 2000). That is to say, what we call the media culture of today is not entirely follow the traditional method that brought to the global market after its completion in certain developed countries, but gradually generated in the broader context of international exchanges which are contributed by the modern commercial media system (McChesney 2001). Taking the Hollywood films as an example, it is totally different form what it was half a century ago. Today’s Hollywood has a broader global context; its creators and performers are white, black or yellow from Europe, Asia or Oceania and other regions around the world. Additionally, technical means or electronic producing technologies of Hollywood films are also the most advanced, regardless of the technology are coming from the United States or from other countries. Another example could be the footboard culture, before the Western football culture was introduced to China, China does not have similar local cultural phenomenon about football. Because there is no similar local media environment of football in China, the popularity of football media culture in China is not resulting from the public choosing the Western media culture in the competition with local media culture (just like choose the team which that is liked best), but the decision has been make before individuals have the right to choose, or that the decision is made by the convergent media environment (Jan 2009). For the football culture in china, it is either existing or not existing; and once it exists, it would be derived from western culture. Here, the most difficult to imagine is the development of  China’s own local football culture. The development of culture cannot be delimited and designated by people in a relatively closed space (Bredin 2009). In other words, culture is not static, but dynamic, and acquiring development in the exchanges and communication with other cultures. Ethnic and local cultural could be regarded as closed culture in certain degree, but only with respect to the degree of globalisation and internationalisation (Bredin 2009). In fact any so-called ethnically local culture cannot grow in a completely closed environment, just like running water is never stale, any viable culture must obtain nutrients and support in the exchanges and communications with other cultures (Bredin 2009). For example, Chinese culture, which originated in the Yellow River Basin, but in the long years later, it is in contact with the south Chu culture and western culture it becomes vibrant. People may be sceptical for the single origin of Chinese culture, but they will not deny that the development and prosperity of Chinese culture is owing to the time after time collision and exchanges with other cultures. Cultural homogenisation may emerge during the exchanges and collision, which contains various types of convergence of this case (Fairweather, B & Rogerson, S 2003). For instance, some cultures could be complementing each other’s advantages. Additionally, there are weak cultures naturalised by the dominant culture, as well as the repression of strong cultural to weak culture. Besides, there are also new cultures created in the collision and interaction of differing cultures. All these situations discussed above exist in the development of today’s media culture; however, the convergence of media culture is obvious more than ever of any age. Here, admirations should be given to McLuhan’s prophecy of â€Å"earth village†, his conclusion was drawn from â€Å"media is the message†, rather than deduced from the globalisation of capital and markets (Jan 2009). Moreover, perhaps another deduction could be made that the globalisation of capital and markets are also a result caused by the modern media system in some degree. Besides, as what has been discussed above, global media will also contribute to cultural homogenisation. In fact, media culture reflect the conformity or group psychology of individu als, it could absorb essence and advantages from other cultures, and then turn into a form of global media culture. Therefore, from what has been discussed above, in order to find out whether the globalisation implies cultural homogenisation,  this essay has made the following discussions. On the one hand, the globalisation is an economic term which is promoted by global commercial media system. On the other hand, various studies has found out that it is the global media commercial media system that promoted the convergence of the media culture, and influence the national, ethnic and local culture through media values. Nowadays, individuals are deeply influenced by the wide broadcasted media systems, thus, more and more people have the tendency to pursue the latest fashionable elements, or other items to keep up with the time. Moreover, According to Appadurai (2001), the globalisation of culture is no the same as its homogenisation, however, globalisation involves the use of a variety of instruments of homogenisation. This also indicates that it is not the globalisation that completely leads to the cultural homogenisation. Cultural homogenisation is more likely to be regarded as a coexistence with the globalisation, which are caused by the increasingly homogeneous comm ercial media system. In conclusion, in order to investigate the relationship between globalisation and cultural homogenisation, and get a better understanding of both these items. This essay has defined the meaning globalisation and cultural homogenisation based on the previous studies. Moreover, this article has discussed the emergency and development of cultural homogenisation, and then finds out that the global commercial media system has played a vital role in causing this phenomenon. The following parts of the essay discussed the how the global media culture is formed and its impacts on the result of cultural homogenisation. Finally, this essay hold the view that, the fact of globalisation does not completely imply the emergency of cultural homogenisation, however, it is the increasingly homogeneous global commercial media system that plays a more important role in both causing the globalisation and cultural homogenisation. Reference list Appadurai, A 2000, ‘Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy’, in Frank Lecchner and John Boli (eds), The Globalization Reader, Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 322-330. Dobewall, H & Strack, M 2011, ‘Cultural Value Differences, Value Stereotypes, and Diverging Identities in Intergroup Conflicts: The Estonian Example’, International Journal of Conflict and Violence, vol.5, no.1, pp. 212-223. Dumas, G, Madel, J, Soussignan, R, Martinerie, J & Garnero, L 2010, ‘Inter-brain synchronization during social interaction’, Plos one, vol. 5, no.8, e12166 Mihailidis, P & Moeller, S 2010, ‘New Frontiers in Global Media Education’, Communication Today, vol. 2, pp.6-13. Fairweather, B & Rogerson, S 2003,‘The problems of global cultural homogenisation in a technologically dependant world’, Journal of Information, Communication & Ethics in Society, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 7-12, viewed 27 April 2014, < http://search.proq uest.com.ezproxy.utas.edu.au/docview/1011920977/C47C3B1C2CD642E3PQ/4?accountid=14245>. Bredin, M 2009, ‘Global Indigenous Media: Cultures, Poetics, Politics’, Canadian Journal of Communication, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 765-767. Jan, M 2009, ‘Globalization of media: Key issues and dimensions’, European Journal of scientific research, vol. 29, no.1, pp. 66-75. McChesney, RW 2001, â⠂¬ËœGlobal Media, Neoliberalism, and Imperialism’, Monthly Review, vol. 52, no.10, pp.1-19. Mehlika, F 2013, ‘Globalization and its social-cultural-political and economic impacts’, viewed 26 April 2014, .

Strategic Management and Personal Media Players

Apple, Inc. in 2010 Assignment Questions 1. What are the chief elements of Apple’s overall competitive strategy? How well do the pieces fit together? Is the strategy evolving? 2. What are the key elements of Apple’s strategy in computers, personal media players, and smartphones? Have its strategies in its core businesses yielded success? Explain. 3. What does a competitive strength assessment reveal about Apple’s computer business, as compared to the leaders in the personal computer industry? Use the methodology in Table 4. to support your answer. Does it appear that the company’s competitive positions in personal media players and smartphones or stronger or weaker than its position in computers? 4. Does it make good strategic sense for Apple to be a competitor in the computer, personal media player, smartphone, and tablet computer industries? Are the value chain activities that Apple performs in computers, personal media players, tablet computers and smar tphones very similar and â€Å"compatible† or are there very important differences from product to product?Which of the four products lines—computers, tablet computers, personal media players, or smartphones—do you think is most important to Apple’s future growth and profitability? Why? 5. What is your assessment of Apple Computer’s financial performance the past three years? (Use the financial ratios in Table 4. 1 on pages 94-96 of the text as a guide in doing your financial analysis. ) 6. What recommendations would you make to allow Apple to strengthen its position in its most important markets? What steps should it take to ensure that the iPad becomes a success in the marketplace and a major contributor to the company’s overall performance?Google’s Strategy in 2010* Assignment Questions 1. Discuss competition in the search industry. Which of the five competitive forces seem strongest? weakest? What is your assessment of overall ind ustry attractiveness? 2. How is the search industry changing? What forces seem most likely to bring about major change to the industry within the next three to five years? 3. What are the key factors that define success in the industry? What are the key competencies, capabilities, and resources of successful search engine companies? 4. Describe Google’s customer value roposition and profit formula linked to its business model. What strategies has Google relied upon to build competitive advantage in the industry? 5. Have Google’s business model and strategy proven to be successful? Should investors be impressed with the company’s financial performance? How does the company’s financial performance compare to that of Microsoft and Yahoo? Please conduct a financial analysis to support your position—you may wish to use the financial ratios presented in the Table 4. 1 of the text as a guide in doing your financial analysis of the company. . What are the company’s key resources and competitive capabilities? What competitive liabilities and resource weaknesses does it have? What opportunities exist? What threats to its continued success are present? 7. What recommendations would you make to Google’s top-management team to sustain its competitive advantage in the search industry? How should it best capitalize on its strategic initiatives in mobile phones, cloud computing, emerging markets, and other ventures? Southwest Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices Assignment Questions . Is there anything that you find particularly impressive about Southwest Airlines? 2. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in crafting the company’s strategy? What is it that you like or dislike about the strategy? Does Southwest have a winning strategy? 3. What are the key policies, procedures, operating practices, and core values underlying Southwest’s efforts to implement and execute its low-cost/no frills strategy? 4. What are the key elements of Southwest’s culture? Is Southwest a strong culture company? Why or why not?What problems do you foresee that Gary Kelly has in sustaining the culture now that Herb Kelleher, the company’s spiritual leader, has departed? 5. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in implementing and executing the company’s strategy? Which of Southwest’s strategy execution approaches and operating practices do you believe have been most crucial in accounting for the success that Southwest has enjoyed in executing its strategy? Are the any policies, procedures, and operating approaches at Southwest that you disapprove of or that are not working well? 6.What weaknesses or problems do you see at Southwest Airlines as of mid-2010? 7. Does the AirTran acquisition make good strategic sense for Southwest? 8. What strategic issues and problems do Gary Kelly and Southwest executiv es need to address as they proceed to close the deal with the AirTran acquisition and contemplate how best to integrate AirTran’s operations and AirTran’s employees into Southwest? 9. What recommendations would you make to Gary Kelly and Southwest executives as the company heads into 2011? Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Assignment Questions 1.What are the strategically relevant components of the global and U. S. beverage industry macro-environment? How do the economic characteristics of the alternative beverage segment of the industry differ from that of other beverage categories? Explain. 2. What is competition like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness and the potential profitability of new entrants? 3. How is the market for energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin-enhanced beverages changing?What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those forces individually or collectively make the industry more or less attractive? 4. What does your strategic group map of the energy drink, sports drink, and vitamin-enhanced beverage industry look like? Which strategic groups do you think are in the best positions? The worst positions? 5. What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? 6. What recommendations would you make to Coca-Cola to improve its competitiveness in the global alternative beverage industry? to PepsiCo? to Red Bull GmbH?