Consumption expenditure Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumption expenditure - Coursework Example Consumption expenditure Construction developed sturdily in the initial part of the decade and while there was a momentary deterioration in mid-2000s, in 2007, this reversed. Industries have exhibited various inclinations after the last economic downturn. The production, manufacturing and construction industries were heavily affected by the decline of economic conditions. In contrast, the output of the service industry declined by four percent from its peak to trough. Production began to develop in 2010, and the construction and manufacturing industries exhibited a similar strength, and none of the industries showed a sustained growth. The output of production dropped in 2011 and 2012. In 2012, the output of construction dropped sharply. In 2014, the output of construction improved. However, the output dropped in the recent quarter. While there has been a prevalent development across the sections of GDP since the beginning of 2013, the service industry still remains to be the steadiest and the largest contributor to the economic development, and is the only headline industry, where the output has passed the levels of pre-downturn. The United Kingdom experienced a marginally slower standard compound growth of GDP in five years after the economic downturn; this is also the same for the service industry. In quarter four of 2014, only the production and service industry outperformed the post-downturn growth rates of the headline industry. Within the insurance, financial and service industries have exhibited certain strengths when compared to the 5-year average.

Describe How Human Resource Management helps in increasing and Research Paper

Describe How Human Resource Management helps in increasing and improving employee efficiency and perfomance in work place - Research Paper Example HRM Effects on Employees in a Workplace: The human resource management team in a workplace has a significant effect on the performance and improvement of the organizational employees. There are several measures that an HRM team considers in order to realize the potential and capability of the employees, their chances of improving and hence the methods to help them out for enhancing their work and career opportunities. It is for this reason that HRM is one of the most essential parts of every organization as it deals with the employee performance, their training and development as well as their retention in the organization for a longer period of time. This also involves planning of compensation packages strategically such that the employees may be motivated and encouraged to give their best performance for their organization. Considering such an important role of the HRM, some of the concepts that the team follows in regard to their employees are discussed in this research. Training and development involve learning and developing the skills required for any task to be completed by the workforce (Bhatia 257). The HRM of an organization provides its employees with such training and development such that their job skills are enhanced. As a result the performance of the employees improves. Moreover, with training, the enhanced performance of the employees is maintained for a longer period of time. Development reflects on the growth of the employees in terms of their performances as well as skills (Bhatia 257). Thus with development of the employees, organizational employees obtain an overall growth which is focused towards their career as well. Training and development are the roles of the HRM in a workplace positively affecting the performance of the employees. Performance management is another role of the HRM that is focused on the development of the working teams as well as of the individual employees thereby enhancing their capabilities and enabling gain of suc cess by the organization. Appraisals involve organized assessment of the performances of employees in a workplace associated with their behavior and effective completion of tasks depending on which they might be rewarded or trained accordingly (Tatichhi 196-197). Thus performance management and appraisals allow an understanding of the present status of an employee in terms of his performance which can accordingly be rewarded or improved. Thus this measure can be said to have positive implications on the performance of the employees who would try to give their best to achieve positive feedbacks for their work. Strategic plans are often utilized by HRM while planning for the compensation packages of the employees. Establishment of strategic pay plans is considered as a strategic measure of the HRM in a workplace that is focused on planning of the compensations in a manner such that the right people can be attracted to the organization. This compensation planning may not match with tha t prevalent in the marketplace (Kumar 284). Thus such strategic plans as followed and implemented by the HRM of an organization can be said to be effective in improving the performance of the employees. This is primarily because, with increased pay and rewards, the employees would be further encouraged towards considering their

The role of the tutor in the Lifelong Learning Sector Essay Example for Free

The role of the tutor in the Lifelong Learning Sector Essay There are many facets to the role of the tutor within this diverse learning sector and the responsibility and commitment required from the tutor is of the highest. Analysis of the role of the tutor needs to start firstly with†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ the tutor! Although qualified to deliver material on a specialised subject, to teach that subject effectively requires strong personal commitment from the tutor. The tutor needs to be committed to a path of delivering excellence in all areas to the pupils and this can only be achieved if the tutor sets high standards in the first place. This is so important as to be quoted in the overarching standards document introduced by Lifelong Learning UK in 2007 titled â€Å"New professional standards for teachers, tutors and trainers in the lifelong learning sector, Domain A: professional standards and practice† (LLUK2007, pg3). Page 2 To achieve high standards in their own personal work, a tutor must be prepared to maintain a programme of continual professional development enabling continual learning to take place within their own subject matter and the peripheries of that subject. This ensures that only the most up to date information is conveyed to the pupils and maintains relevancy in the latest subject matter. However, â€Å"The key purpose of the teacher is to create effective and stimulating opportunities for learning through high quality teaching that enables the development and progression of all learners. † (LLUK 2007, pg2) and it is within this statement that three key words exist: effective, stimulating and development. The tutor needs to be mindful of these words when constructing, creating, delivering a lesson and especially when assessing the outcomes of a lesson. Tutors are required to deliver curriculum based lessons and as such need to be able to formulate the art form that delivers quality teaching that encompasses relevant material, a delivery methodology, a means of assessing the learning and all done in such a way that measures the value of the learning. Lifelong learning pupils are extremely diverse and as such will require different teaching methods such as visual, auditory, kinaesthetic methods and all these different styles may even be required in one class. Petty (2004, p141) clearly suggests that ‘Student learning styles can be categorised in a number of ways. However, it is now thought that all students can learn in all these learning styles, and the more learning styles each learner experiences the better. ’ although later research has cast some doubt on Petty’s statements. All of this must be done whilst ensuring that every pupil feels they are treated as individuals, certainly without favouritism or discrimination. (This is a professional teaching requirement, supported by Gravels (2008) and made a requirement by the Institute for Learning (IfL) 2008. A tutor understands how to engage with each of their pupils at whatever level of teaching is relevant to that one individual, facilitating the pupil’s progress through the learning and measuring the outcomes to gauge pupil’s understanding. Measuring outcomes may be a relatively simple process done through a simple scoring system based on the number of correct answers and whilst being objective, doesn’t always show that the pupil understands the material, just they can answer questions or pass a test. So a tutor needs to be able to measure in different ways, both objectively and subjectively and this may lead to different formats of teaching and flexibility within the learning process. Now we need to look at the second part of the equation – the pupil. The prime key to a pupil’s learning is motivation and desire to achieve and a successful tutor is able to capitalise on this to allow the pupil to achieve. This was echoed by Reece and Walker who said â€Å"Motivation is a key factor to successful learning. A less able student who is highly motivated can achieve greater success that the more intelligent student who is not well motivated†. (Reece Walker, 1997. p96). In summary a pupil may be likened to an empty book with blank pages waiting to be filled and it is a symbiotic relationship between the pupil desire to succeed and the tutor’s ability to develop interesting and engaging teaching that creates the successful outcome, in other words a moving art form!

A Study Based On Senge Model

A Study Based On Senge Model The importance of organizational learning in organizations can never be underestimated. In Malaysian manufacturing industries, the applications of organizational learning could be the crucial factors that keep the continuous improvement going. Organizational learning is a popular practice among manufacturing organizations. The organization learns to adapt to culture and environments changes. Organizational learning can be traced back to Cyert and March (1963) who introduced the terms of Organizational Learning. Some have claimed that Argyris and Schà ¶n (1978) were the first one to propose models that facilitate organizational learning. Using Gregory Batesons concepts of first and second order learning, they distinguish the single-loop and double-loop learning. Organizational learning can be defined in various ways and an organization does not only able to learn but it also can unlearn in some way to enhance their continuous improvement. According to Senges The Fifth Principles: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization book which was released in 1990, there are five disciplines in Organizational Learning. Those five disciplines are: System Thinking Personal Mastery Mental Models Shared Vision Team Learning Each of this discipline can be used individually or in any combination to suit an organization needs. These disciplines have been used widely in public as well as private sector to produce learning organization. This research will be focusing on the learning organization practices in Malaysian manufacturing companies based on the Senges five disciplines models. The manufacturing companies will be selected from three manufacturing industries which is automotive, electronics and ICT. The independent variables in this research would be the Senge Five Disiplines Model and the dependent variables in this research would be Learning Organizational. Research Questions In order to remain competitive, Malaysian manufacturing companies have been actively looking for ways to become learning organization .The only way to stay ahead in this global business environment is the rate of learning of the organization is greater than the rate of change. Mainly, this study tries to investigate the learning organization characteristics based on Peter Senges Model in Malaysian Manufacturing firms. Specifically this study attempt to answer these questions: Is there any evidence of learning organization traits based on Senge Model in the selected manufacturing firms? What is the element in Senge LO Model that is dominant in the selected manufacturing firms? How significance is the difference of LO dimension between the three clusters of manufacturing firms? Objectives To investigate the evidence of learning organization traits based on Senge Model in the selected manufacturing firms. To determine the element in Senge LO Model that is dominant in the selected manufacturing firms To determine whether there is a significance difference in the dimension of LO in three clusters of the manufacturing firms. 1.4 Scope, Limitations and Key Assumption of the project This study is based on Senges model of learning organization. One of the models concerning description of learning organization is Peter Senges model. The essence of this model is the interconnectedness between individual learning and organizational learning. Organization cannot learn until all the members begin to learn. (Senge, 1990). The respondents will be selected from three sectors of manufacturing in Malaysia; automotive, electronics and ICT. There are some limitations in this research. This research will not cover an organization culture and organization points of view in both of these concept since time limitations as well as geographical factors. This research only covers manufacturing companies in Malaysia and will not be able to done research any other area or country. This might lead the results of the research only on that particular area. Some of the respondent (Managers and Supervisors) may refuse to respond since some of the companies stated some rules on regulation about company confidentiality. 1.5 Importance of the Project This study was made to investigate the implementation of organizational learning concept in Malaysian manufacturing concept. This study was also made to determine the dominant element in Senges five disciplines that have been applied in Malaysian manufacturing companies. By achieving both of these objectives, the researcher may able to know the progress and growth of Malaysian manufacturing in the organizational learning. This research also one of the few research that focusing on Senges five disciplines. This research was hoped to give more understanding to managers and supervisors in applying organizational learning as well as building a learning organization. This research may be able to give manager a clearer view on Senges five disciplines and the effects of it on an organization. It may also give the industrial a new view on the difference in the dimension of organizational learning in three clusters of the manufacturing organizations. 1.6 Summary This chapter consists of the directions of this research. The introduction explains briefly the meaning of organizational learning and Senges five disciplines. This chapter also explains the objectives of this research as well as the research questions of this study. The significance of this research is it will explain the nature of a learning organization based on Malaysian manufacturing companies. It will also discover how well Senges model is recognized by the companies. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introductions This chapter highlights the literature review on organizational learning which consist the definition of the organizational learning as well as the rich history of it. It will explain about Senge Five Disciplines Models. This study used various reference materials as a guide lines such as books, journals, thesis and other published medium. The information from this research can be used to strengthen the understanding and conceptualized research framework. 2.2 Organizational Learning Organizational Learning is considered one of the most powerful tools in an organization continuous improvement. Organizational learning can be defined in many ways since there are no absolute ways to implement organizational learning in an organization but there is only one goal in organizational learning which is people on all levels in an organizational by individually or by group continually and consistently improves their knowledge and ability on performing to work given to them. Organizational learning is really important as its give an organization a clear vision or milestones where and what the organization wants to achieve in few years ahead. It also important to know that your organization grows through the years by learning and that is just what organizational learning can do for an organization. As today electrical and electronic industry become more competitive than ever, it is important and at the same time relieving to know that your organization is learning and got what it takes to compete. 2.2.1 Definition of Organizational Learning Organizational learning has been around for a long period of time and there were more than one definition to define organizational learning. Arygis(1977) defines organizational learning as detection and correction of errors. He sees that an organization learns from the individuals or the workers. He stated that The individuals learning activities, in turn, are facilitated or inhibited by an ecological system of factors that may be called an organizational learning system (Arygris, 1977, p.117) One of the theorists in this field, Huber (1991) viewed organizational learning from behavioral perspective. An entity learns if, through its processing of information, the range of its potential behaviors is changed. (Huber, 1991) From this statement, an individuals effectiveness or potential does not always improve by learning. In addition to that, learning does not need to lead to changes that can be seen in behavior. Knowledge acquisition, information distribution, information interpretation, and organizational memory is a four construct as integrally linked to organizational learning as has been considered by Huber. He explained that learning does not need to be conscious or intentional. Some other notable definitions of organizational learning from well-known theorist in the field are: The ability of an organization to gain insight and understanding from experience through experimentation, observation, analysis, and a willingness to examine both successes and failures (McGill et al, 1992). in which you cannot not learn because learning is so insinuated into the fabric of life. (Senge, 1990) a group of people continually enhancing their capacity to create what they want to create.(Senge, 1990) A Learning Company is an organisation that facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously transforms itself(Mike Pedlar, Tom Boydell, John Burgoyne, 1988) The Learning Organisation can mean two things : it can mean an organisation which learns and / or organisation which encourages learning in its people. It should mean both (Charles Handy, 1989) 2.2.2 History of Organizational Learning As has been mentioned before in chapter 1, organizational learning was first introduced by Cyert and March (1963). The concept of System Thinking was introduced in the 1950s. This concept implying that the organization needs to be aware about the organization as well as the individuals on the organization. Before this concept was introduced, most company only focus on the organization goals without considering the workers needs. This concept was never implemented in any organization at that time. Gould-Kreutzer Associates, Inc. defined System Thinking as: A framework for seeing interrelationships rather than things; to see the forest and the trees. (Gould-Kreutzer Associates, Inc) This statement clearly stated that system thinking is concept that not only focusing on business or an organizational goals but to focus individuals needs and goals. The forest here is a metaphor for organization and the trees is a metaphor for individuals or workers in the organization. This concept is trying to change the managerial views at that time from being business goals-oriented to continuous improvement. From the concept of System Thinking, a new system emerged which was called Decision Support System (DSS). This concept is changing the traditional way of decisions making. This new model help executive to make decisions for the company future. Incidentally, the model benefits management more rather than the systems operation. This is because the model more focuses on what the business really was and providing the alternatives for the future. One of DSS major contribution is that it made implicit knowledge explicit. This has caused the organization have more knowledge to explore and learn better than before since explicit knowledge spread much faster throughout the organization. Because of this, DSS can be seen as additional method of communication. The idea of this concept later was renamed into organizational learning in 1970s. Some have claimed that the term of Organizational Learning was introduced by Cyert and March (1963). One of the earliest theorists in organizational learning was and still is Chris Arygris. He published a book entitled Organizational Learning in 1978 and Organizational Learning II in 1996. At that time, Organizational Learning concept was still not taken seriously by any organizations. Not until Peter Senge published the book The Fifth Principles: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization in 1990 the organizational learning is taken importantly. This book influence many organizations to start taking Organizational learning into consideration. Since then, organizational learning has evolved until what of we known as today. 2.3 The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization In 1990, Peter Senge, one of the theorist and gurus in Organizational Learning published a book that changed the managerial views. The book entitled The Fifth Principles: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization. In the book, Senge list out five discipline that is a must in a learning organizational. The five disciplines are Personal Mastery, System Thinking, Mental Models, Shared Vision and Team Learning. 2.3.1 Personal Mastery Organizations learn only through individuals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning. But without it no organizational learning occurs (Senge, 1990, p.139) Personal mastery is the discipline of continually clarifying and deepening our personal vision, of focusing our energies, of developing patience, and of seeing reality objectively (Senge, 1990, p. 7) It goes beyond competence and skills, although it involves them. It goes beyond spiritual opening, although it involves spiritual growth (Senge, 1990, p. 141) From these citations from Senge, we can conclude that an organization only learns when the individuals or the workers in the organizations start to learn. Personal mastery its a traits that every individuals should have. The higher level of personal mastery an individual has the stronger their will to continue learning and improve themselves. Peter Senge mentioned in his book Personal Mastery as People with a high level of personal mastery live in a continual learning mode. They never arrive. Sometimes, language, such as the term personal mastery creates a misleading sense of definiteness, of black and white. But personal mastery is not something you possess. It is a process. It is a lifelong discipline. People with a high level of personal mastery are acutely aware of their ignorance, their incompetence, their growth areas. And they are deeply self-confident. Paradoxical? Only for those who do not see the journey is the reward. (Senge, 1990, p.142) From what Senge has cited, we know that the goals are not the reward; the journey toward the goals is the reward itself. The lifelong process of learning is what Personal Mastery is all about. The acknowledgement of not knowing and the desire to learn is what drives an individual to learn and to achieve Personal Mastery. In other words, without Personal Mastery disciplines in the individuals, the organizations might never start to learn. Those who have a high level of Personal Mastery might often find asking these kinds of questions to themselves; Why do I have to learn this? Why is it important to learn? To summarize it, personal Mastery helps and guides an individual to realize what they have and what they dont. It also makes an individual aware of their attitude and belief as well as be responsible to their action. 2.3.2 System Thinking In his book, Peter Senge also includes a system theory among the five disciplines. Some have claimed that system thinking is the conceptual cornerstone of the Senges five discipline models. This mainly because of peter Senge said it himself; It is the discipline that integrates the others, fusing them into a coherent body of theory and practice (Senge, 1990, p.12) Senge explained more on system thinking in his book. He mentioned system thinking is interconnected with other four disciplines. Systems thinking also needs the disciplines of building shared vision, mental models, team learning, and personal mastery to realize its potential. Building shared vision fosters a commitment to the long term. Mental models focus on the openness needed to unearth shortcomings in our present ways of seeing the world. Team learning develops the skills of groups of people to look for the larger picture beyond individual perspectives. And personal mastery fosters the personal motivation to continually learn how our actions affect our world. (Senge, 1990, p.12) System thinking can be said as a system that should be use on overcoming problems as a whole, not only on that particular problem. Focusing only on specific part or problem may lead to unwanted or unintended consequences. Instead of focusing only on that specific parts or problems System Thinking take larger accounts and investigate the interactions of the parts or problems with every other parts of the system. This characteristic makes it an effective solving method especially when dealing with difficult types of problems. The problems that involving complex issues and needed to be seen by big picture, the problems that recurring or depending on the past, and the problems which the solution are not obvious are the ones that needed the application of System Thinking. As Peter Senge said in his book, We learn best from our experience, but we never directly experience the consequences of many of our most important decisions,(Senge, 1990, p.23) we tend to focus only on the solution that problems cause but only on the short-terms. System Thinking forces an organization not only focusing on the solution for improvement for a shot-term but at the long-term as well. Peter Senge also urged organizations to use System map. System map is a diagram showing the important elements or parts in the organization and how they were connected to each other. Here is the example of System Map. (Source: www.cogneon.de) C:UsersNAIM RAHIMDownloadslearning-organization.png Figure 2.1 System Map Learning Organizations 2.3.3 Mental Models Peter Senge defines Mental Models as deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures and images that influence how we understand the world and how we take action (Senge, 1990, p.8) Mental models are the vision we have in our mind. How our mind process the things we see and what we expect to happen in the future. For example, when we see a bullet shot to a balloon, our mind would come out with what would happen to the balloon. Most of us would have the vision of the balloon explode. From this example, we can assume that our mind can share the same vision. Applying this to an organization, if the workers or individuals in the organization shared the same vision, they can changed their behavior and shape their strategies and internal ways of working. The discipline of mental models starts with turning the mirror inward; learning to unearth our internal pictures of the world, to bring them to the surface and hold them rigorously to scrutiny. It also includes the ability to carry on learningful conversations that balance inquiry and advocacy, where people expose their own thinking effectively and make that thinking open to the influence of others. (Senge, 1990, p.9) From this citation, Peter Senge said that every thought should be mentioned and exposed so everyone can learn and influence from ones thought. By doing this, an organization can start learning as everyone will start to learn new skills and develop new orientations parallel to the organization goals. Senge also said that Mental Models is Moving the organization in the right direction entails working to transcend the sorts of internal politics and game playing that dominate traditional organizations. In other words it means fostering openness (Senge, 1990, p.273-286). Senge continued by saying It also involves seeking to distribute business responsibly far more widely while retaining coordination and control. Learning organizations are localized organizations (Senge, 1990, p.287-301) Models are not perfect but sometimes it can be useful. In this case, Mental Models are not an exceptional but if the organization using it in the right ways, there are so many things it can learn from it. 2.3.4 Building Shared Vision Shared vision refers to the ability for an organization to share or hold the same goals or future that they want to achieve. According to Senge, building a shared vision is the capacity to hold a share picture of the future we seek to create (Senge, 1990, p.9) Building a shared vision for an organization is very important. All individuals in the organization will work toward one goal, which will make the organization, become more effective. This also can foster a sense of the long term which is fundamentally one of the five disciplines core beliefs. When there is a genuine vision (as opposed to the all-to-familiar vision statement), people excel and learn, not because they are told to, but because they want to. But many leaders have personal visions that never get translated into shared visions that galvanize an organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ What has been lacking is a discipline for translating vision into shared vision not a cookbook but a set of principles and guiding practices.(Senge, 1990, p.9) The practice of shared vision involves the skills of unearthing shared pictures of the future that foster genuine commitment and enrolment rather than compliance. In mastering this discipline, leaders learn the counter-productiveness of trying to dictate a vision, no matter how heartfelt. (Senge, 1990, p.9) It is very important for any organization leader to realize the importance of shared vision. The leader not only should be able to command the workers to do things but also to create a learning organization which the workers not only learn continuously because they have to, but because they want to. The individuals in the organization also play an important role in shared vision. They must clearly understand the shared vision of the organization and also know where they are at the present and they want to be in the future. 2.3.5 Team Learning According to Senge, team learning is the process of aligning and developing the capacities of a team to create the results its members truly desire(Senge, 1990, p.236) By having Personal Mastery and Shared Vision, an organization may have Team Learning. But most of the times it is not enough. An organization needs to get the workers to act together. By having the workers work together as a team, the shared vision and personal mastery become better and the organizational learning can be achieve. The discipline of team learning starts with dialogue, the capacity of members of a team to suspend assumptions and enter into a genuine thinking together. To the Greeks dia-logos meant a free-flowing if meaning through a group, allowing the group to discover insights not attainable individuallyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. [It] also involves learning how to recognize the patterns of interaction in teams that undermine learning. (Senge, 1990, p.10) To start team learning, the individuals of the organization must start to speak their mind up. In my opinion, this is what Senge means by dialogue. When people start to speak up their mind, other people would give their own opinion and start a discussion or a genuine thinking together. It also helps the group to achieve an insight which might not be able to be achieved by thinking individually. By using team learning, the team may identify the kind of interaction that may stop the learning progress in the team. As people talk, the vision grows clearer. As it gets clearer, enthusiasm for its benefits grow' (Senge, 1990, p.227) By constantly sharing insightful information and knowledge, the visions become clearer and the enthusiasm will be spread among the individuals in the organization. 2.4 Relationships between Senge Five Disciplines Model, Organizational Learning and Malaysian manufacturing companies. Manufacturing industry is probably one of the most competitive industries in Malaysia. Thats why it is very important for the manufacturing companies to keep learning. The companies that capable of learning will have a big advantage than those who didnt. In this research, the researcher will try to found out the evidence of Senge Five Disciplines model that forms a learning organization in Malaysian manufacturing companies. In recent years, Malaysian manufacturing companies begin to adapt to the learning organization theories but it was never been proved that Senge Five disciplines models were used in their effort on becoming a learning organization. 2.5 Summary From this chapter, we can conclude that there are the relationship exists between Senge Five Disciplines Model, Organizational Learning and Malaysian manufacturing companies. By understanding the relationship between these three, the question now arise as to which disciplines from the five disciplines are the dominant element in Malaysian manufacturing companies. The theoretical framework for this research as in Table 2.1 Malaysian Manufacturing Companies Learning Organization Team Learning Shared Vision Mental Models System Thinking Personal MasteryIndependent Variables Dependent Variables Table 2.1 Theoretical Framework CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction This chapter outlines the research the research design for this study and the manner in which the research was conducted. The research methodology used in this study is described. This chapter consists of research design, method research design, primary and secondary data sources, research strategy, and scientific canons. The instruments used to collect data are also described. 3.2 Research Design Research design can be divided into fixed and flexible research designs (Robson, 1993). As in this research, the quantitative approach was taken. As has been described by Burns and Grove (1993, p.777) quantitative research is a formal, objective, systematic process to describe and test relationship and examine cause and effect interactions among variables. Research design is important because it gives the direction to the study and what to find that may be significant to the study. 3.2.1 Exploratory studies An exploratory study is a type of studies or research conducted when the problems are not clearly defined. Exploratory studies usually depends on secondary research such as reviewing past journals, literature and data, interviewing experts in the industry, conducting in-depth individual interview and sometimes conducting focus group interview. 3.2.2 Descriptive studies Descriptive studies sometimes can be referred as statistical research. The objective of descriptive studies is to gain an accurate profile of events, persons or situations (Saunders, 1997). Descriptive studies usually involved observing and describing the behavior of subject without influencing it in any way. Descriptive studies cannot describe what cause a situation although the data description is factual, accurate and systematic. 3.2.3 Explanatory studies The explanatory studies explained the way of certain event. The outcomes of event could be either positive or negative. So basically, the explanatory research is a research that conducted to find out and to explain any behavior or event. 3.3 Research Design Method The research design for this study is the by using the quantitative method. Surveys and questionnaire may be used for the descriptive, explanatory and exploratory research. The questionnaire in this research is a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was made for data and information collection and it will be distributes personally by the researcher. This research design was chosen to accomplish the objectives of the study and the researcher believes that the quantitative method is the best way to meet those objectives. 3.3.1 Quantitative Method Quantitative research method is a non-numeric data such as words, images, video clips, and other similar material. The aim of quantitative research is to develop statistically reliable information from sample data that can be generalized to a larger population (Dutka, 1995). Quantitative research uses a relatively short structured questionnaire, while the survey sample should be large enough in order to provide a statistically reliable set of responses. The collected information is also analyzed using specific statistical techniques and quantitative tools. In the case of customer satisfaction measurement and developing new product, this type of research is focused on the quantification of satisfaction information. The most frequently used types of quantitative research are mail survey, personal interviews, and telephone surveys (Gerson, 1993). 3.4 Primary and secondary data sources In this research, the data and information collected from two main sources which are the primary resources and the secondary resources. 3.4.1 Primary data The primary data for this research are the book from Peter Senge which was released in 1990, The Fifth Principles: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization. Another primary data for this research would be the questionnaire that will be distributed to three sectors of manufacturing in Malaysia; automotive, electronics and ICT. From here, the researcher will gather the data in the three sectors managers or supervisors that involved in the surveys whether by face-to-face, emails, telephone calls or any other ways. 3.4.2 Secondary data The secondary data in this study were collected before the researcher proceeds to collect the primary data in the three sectors of manufacturing industry in Malaysia; automotive, electronics and ICT. A bunch of useful information was collected as it is already exist in the form of secondary data. The secondary data that was used in this study are journals, relevant internets site, magazines and articles. 3.5 Location of Research The lacation or this research would be focusing on Malaysian Manufacturing. The group focus would be 3.6 Research Strategy Research strategy can be defined as a plan for a researcher to achieve the objectives of the study as well as how the reascher going to answer the research questions. There are many strategies that can be used in research strategies such as Experimental, survey, archival research and case study. The researchers choose the survey strategy for this study. The reason survey method was chose is because they allow the collect quantitative data and can suggest possible reasons for particular relationship between independent variables and dependent variables. It also gives the researcher more control over the research process as well as lower in cost compared to other methods. The strategies for the survey method are as follows: Preparing the Survey As has been mentioned before, the research will be using quantitative method where a set of survey is used to gather related data and information for this study. The questionnaire or the surveys were constructed based on the research question and research objectives. The respondent for the questionnaire would be the employees from Malaysian manufacturing industries. Survey research design The survey design divided to several ways. There are structured way (the formal list of questions use and all the respondents have to answer the same question) an

Radio Shacks Termination of Employees Essay -- Corporate Communicatio

Radio Shack As the economy continues to be unstable companies, large and small, are making decisions to reduce their workforce. This is a daunting task that has to be handled delicately. When companies begin the process of reduction, even if the staff is aware, the communication must be honest, open and appropriate. If a company is a large retailer there is more at stake than just the current financial situation. The employees can become customers and advocates for the business. They can also become the customers of the competitors and communicate to others the bad experience. In 2006 Radio Shack was on a turnaround plan (O’Rourke, 2010). This plan included a reduction of workforce of about 400 employees. Employees were aware this was the plane, but were taken by surprise that when the â€Å"pink slip† came through as an email. Most employees received this at the same time and were given a limited amount of time to gather their belongings and say goodbye. This action cau sed a backlash of publicity. For Radio Shack to continue and regain trust of the employees and public they will need immediate training in communication standards to further avoid any other incidents. Secondly, they must reach out the employees that received the email and lastly work on a new mission statement and culture to match with where the company is heading. Communication training Understanding the audience is a very important piece to communication (O’Rourke, 2010). For Radio Shack to change perspectives of the current employees and public, and to avoid further incidents, the leadership team needs to complete communication training. When a company has made a decision that could impact current and future employees they must focus on how to n... ... because the this decision by communication training for remaining leadership, reaching out to the employees that were terminated and changing the culture an mission statement during a time of transition. By attempting to complete these tasks Radio Shack has a possibility of continued growth after transition and the possibility of not losing the successful employees they still have. Works Cited Finnie, R. r., Sniffin, P. B., & College and Univ. Personnel Association, W. C. (1984). Good Endings: Managing Employee Terminations. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Krapels, R. H., & Davis, B. D. (2000). Communication Training in Two Companies. Business Communication Quarterly, 63(3), 104-110. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. O’Rourke, J. S., IV (2010). Management communication: A case-analysis approach (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN-13: 9780136079767 Radio Shack's Termination of Employees Essay -- Corporate Communicatio Radio Shack As the economy continues to be unstable companies, large and small, are making decisions to reduce their workforce. This is a daunting task that has to be handled delicately. When companies begin the process of reduction, even if the staff is aware, the communication must be honest, open and appropriate. If a company is a large retailer there is more at stake than just the current financial situation. The employees can become customers and advocates for the business. They can also become the customers of the competitors and communicate to others the bad experience. In 2006 Radio Shack was on a turnaround plan (O’Rourke, 2010). This plan included a reduction of workforce of about 400 employees. Employees were aware this was the plane, but were taken by surprise that when the â€Å"pink slip† came through as an email. Most employees received this at the same time and were given a limited amount of time to gather their belongings and say goodbye. This action cau sed a backlash of publicity. For Radio Shack to continue and regain trust of the employees and public they will need immediate training in communication standards to further avoid any other incidents. Secondly, they must reach out the employees that received the email and lastly work on a new mission statement and culture to match with where the company is heading. Communication training Understanding the audience is a very important piece to communication (O’Rourke, 2010). For Radio Shack to change perspectives of the current employees and public, and to avoid further incidents, the leadership team needs to complete communication training. When a company has made a decision that could impact current and future employees they must focus on how to n... ... because the this decision by communication training for remaining leadership, reaching out to the employees that were terminated and changing the culture an mission statement during a time of transition. By attempting to complete these tasks Radio Shack has a possibility of continued growth after transition and the possibility of not losing the successful employees they still have. Works Cited Finnie, R. r., Sniffin, P. B., & College and Univ. Personnel Association, W. C. (1984). Good Endings: Managing Employee Terminations. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Krapels, R. H., & Davis, B. D. (2000). Communication Training in Two Companies. Business Communication Quarterly, 63(3), 104-110. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. O’Rourke, J. S., IV (2010). Management communication: A case-analysis approach (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN-13: 9780136079767

Graduation Speech: A Poem for Graduation :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

As freshmen, life was overwhelmingly, exhaustingly demanding, Eat, sleep, and school. Don’t trip and fall in front of seniors, And don’t act like a fool. "Each floor is like a baseball field," The teachers all would tell. So why can’t I find room 222? Oh great, there goes the bell. No pressure from the sports team tryouts ‘Cause all we made was JV. While upperclassmen said, "thaz aight" We would yell, "yippee!" I know, how cool were we? But what amazing concepts to grasp Who knew bands could play real notes? And lunch could consist of nothing, but HoHo’s, And we could wear hats, and coats. Notes to make, tests to take, work to fake, There’s just not time enough. Can you believe papers have to be typed? Our lives were really tough.... OR NOT! Now we look at the freshies and think "We couldn’t’ve have been so annoyingly immature. I can’t be seen standing next to this beastie, Come on, let’s sneak out the door." As sophomores, slumped over with attitude and rights We were still a wee bit too callow. "What is she wearing... oh man, how grotesque!" How we wallowed in being so shallow. What an awkward year it was to endure, Not freshie, but still no respect. Some attracting significant others, While some had the opposite effect. We could be found playing or attending The football games, soccer, and track. Praying our moms’ wouldn’t be forced to drive us, Begging rides to and from, forth and back. As juniors, 9-11 united the school, Age does more than our years on earth. Concerned for loved ones, with more on our minds, Those that mattered, things that had greater worth. All too soon, junioritis infected one and all In not 2, not 5, but 7 classes. Who needed food, we saved homework for lunch, And more signatures on bathroom passes. With warm weather, like eggs, we were starting to crack, SATs, college visits, straight A‘s, Spring prom, spring break, and spring in our steps, Those minutes dragged on like days. As seniors, we’re awesome, there are none who compare, We have wit, humor, charm, looks, and class. Four years of work, winning, whining, and wrath, Are part of our glorious past! The snowball attacks, the Iraq war

An Analysis of Early Years Philosophies

Introduction The importance of early years’ education has long been recognised within both academic and professional circles. By establishing strong theories and policies during the early years of education, this then has a knock-on effect on the other aspects of education and makes the overall educational system more effective, in terms of producing capable adults. This paper will look firstly at the contribution of leading theorists when it comes to the provision of key documents in order to guide those in the practical application of these theories in the context of early years’ education (Catron and Allen 2007). The paper will then go on to look at current policies and practices in early years’ education and how these either support or disprove the theoretical perspectives laid out. The final section then goes on to establish a personal philosophy of how the author here has pulled together existing theories and practices to develop their own approach to early years education. Key Theories of Early Education Unsurprisingly, those involved in the theories and philosophy which have emerged, over the years, in relation to early years’ education have gained considerable attention. In order to consider the theories each will be looked at in turn to look at their own contribution and in order to consider any advantages and disadvantages associated with these theories and concepts. This will be broken down within each theory to look at the key issues of: Children’s learning Relationships Learning Environment Meeting Children’s Needs MontessoriChildren’s Learning The educational approach developed by Montessori promotes the notion of freedom and independence in early years’ education, provided of course there are limits put in place with respect to the existing level of education and understanding of the children involved. Although multiple different approaches have been developed and are broadly considered to be based on the educational theories of Montessori, there are certain elements of this educational theory that would be essential, regardless of how it is applied in practice (Montessori, 1994). This includes the use of mixed age classrooms for children between the ages of three and six, with the students themselves having a choice of activities. Once they have been given a range of choices, the work time should be uninterrupted, as far as possible and a discovery model of behaviour being used to encourage the children to explore themselves, rather than being directly instructed on certain patterns of behaviour. In order to facilitate this approach, there needs to be freedom of movement within the classroom. Meeting Children’s Needs Montessori is largely considered to be an educational theory. In reality it is more of a theory of human development and nature, with two key basic principles. Firstly, when children and adults engage in any form of development, they take on board a self construction approach, as they interact with items and the environment around them. This recognises that the learning experience is directly linked to interaction with external factors and it is the stimuli is crucial to this educational theory and places a much heavier emphasis on facilitating, rather than direct teaching (Cadwell and Rinaldi 2003). Learning Environment With this in mind, those looking to apply this educational theory, in practice, will need to consider the environment almost as much of the content of the lesson itself. This is achieved by creating a harmonious and clean environment that is uncluttered and encourages free movement and activity, but also ensures that the availability of material is linked to the area of development being targeted. By restricting the material available, this has the effect of guiding the learning experience, but not to such an extent that the individual feels constrained. This educational theory also breaks down the age groups of those involved, with the recognition that children under the age of six are undergoing an incredibly dramatic development period and therefore developing self-construction during this period will potentially be the most important element of long-term development. Certain key expectations are included within this educational theory to guide expectations, without constraining e ither teacher or student. For example, the acquisition of language is something that is recognised as taking place, continuously, and therefore social behaviours will only truly become a fundamental element of the learning experience from approximately 2 years onwards, according to this educational theory.Waldorf Education (Steiner)Another formative educational philosophy is that referred to as Waldorf education or Steiner, which was established in Austria the early 20th century. As a result of this, several independent Waldorf schools were established, primarily in Germany, although also in neighbouring countries. This theory of education looks at the stages of development as being a crucial underpinning factor as to how education should take place. This theory broadly splits child development into three distinct stages, each of which lasts around seven years. The early years’ education which takes on-board the first seven years focuses primarily on providing hands-on activi ties and creative play opportunities, so that the primary focus is on child development through physical and practical activities, during this phase. Children’s learning For the purposes of this analysis, it is the first stage that is most important. However, so that it can be seen how these early years of education fit into the broader picture, it is worth noting that the second stage focuses more on social development and the third on academic understanding. Although the Waldorf theory can largely be seen as an educational theory that can be attached to independent schools across Central Europe, many of the theories and philosophies have permeated more traditional educational establishments. Relationships The education ideas put forward by Steiner largely follow the concept of common sense and go beyond simply what is taught to children. These theories also look at the environment and broader issues such as health and well-being. Taking this developmental approach is, in many ways, similar to that looked at above, with the Montessori theory; however, it is much more focused on ensuring practical experiences, where the children are not necessarily focusing on maintaining freedom as the primary and key theme (Roopnarine and Johnson. 2005). The emphasis during the early years period is on providing children with practical activities that will allow them to live life experiences either by following the examples of others, or by their own experimentation. Throughout this theory there is also a heavy emphasis placed on nature, where external influences may be seen to be relevant.High ScopeMore recently, developed in Michigan, USA, is the High Scope early childhood educational approach which looks at a variety of different educational establishment, including kindergarten, pre-school and even home-based childcare, in order to look at the ways in which early childhood development should be best established, so as to lay down the foundations for future learning. The development of this educational theory was primarily founded on the concept developed by the psychologist Lev Vygotsky, which takes a scaffolding-style approach, suggesting that adults should form a learning â€Å"scaffolding† around children, to take into account their current level of development and encourage them to build on it (French and Murphy 2005). Relationships Several central concepts have been developed alongside this educational theory and although participation from the student is important, as it is with the other two theories, there is, however, a structure associated with this educational theory which distinguishes it from the previous theories (High/Scope Educational Research Foundation 2001). Learning Environment For example, environment is seen as important, within this educational theory and the classroom is expected to comply with a high scope model would have several well-defined interest areas, e.g., there would be a toy area and an art area, clearly delineated and made available for the children. This supports the basic learning approach that is advocated by the other two theories in that students will gain from interaction with adults and their own construction of the world around them. However, this is done in a much more structured way, where the daily routine requires early years’ children to be following a predictable sequence of events throughout the day and there not being complete freedom, as advocated by Montessori. To a certain extent, this theory can be seen to be a muted version of the earlier theories. Furthermore, although a heavy emphasis is placed on a constructivist and interaction approach, a much more rigid structure is put in place to ensure that there is consistency and comfort offered to the students and that they understand exactly what is likely to happen, on any given day.Forest SchoolsFinally, there is the specialist theory associated with Forest Schools Education which involves outdoor education and suggests that the children are able to develop confidence and knowledge through having a large amount of outdoor activities and engaging at times within a forest environment. These types of schools are seen as a means of building independence within any age category and the theory of Forest Schools has become a pedagogy, in its own right. This recognition of the importance of the environment is itself something that can be utilised, either in its own right or alongside the previous theories of development of early years children, as advocated by the other theories, mentioned above. Government Legislation and Guidance Within the UK, the Department for Education provides guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The aim of this guidance is to produce basic compulsory standards that all entities involved in the early years’ education provide. The statutory framework for the EYFS stage was established in 2012 and is the full document guiding those involved in the provision of years’ education is seen as merely a minimum standard that they are required to meet and any underlying aims and objectives that should be in mind when establishing their own methods and philosophies. This was given its statutory status by virtue of the Childcare Act 2006. There are underlying aims associated with the guide, including the desire to provide consistency and equality of opportunity for all young children, which will ultimately then provide a secure foundation upon which every child can develop in an appropriate manner and according to their abilities and desires and become well adjusted young adults, in the future. Basic safeguarding welfare requirements are also fundamental to this guidance and, although the focus here is on educational theories, it should be noted that early years’ education theories should, at all times, consider welfare issues and how these may interact within the educational environment (Helm, and Katz 2001). Overarching principles recognise that each child is unique and will be in a constant state of learning and development, and will therefore need to be adaptable and taking the lead from the child in question. Furthermore, the establishment of positive relationships, both with their peers and adult groups is crucial and educational environments should be enabling and positive, regardless of precisely how they are set up or managed. Depending on the nature of the early years provider there may be more specific requirements when it comes to learning and development. For example a childcare provider for wrap-round services, e.g. outside of school hours, would have a lesser requirement to support learning and development, as it would be presumed that the learning and development has been covered within the educational environment. In order to ensure sufficient flexibility, while also ensuring equality and consistency with policies produced in the area of learning and development down into three key subjects: communication and language; physical development; and personal, social, emotional development. All providers of early years’ education need to provide basic supporting literacy, mathematics, general understanding of the world and expressive arts and design. To a certain extent, the rigidity of the current requirements would prevent total freedom within the educational environment and this would disallow a pure theory, such as that of Montessori, to be used although many of the elements of this educational theory can still be present, despite the constraints of the statutory guidance. When establishing methods of learning and development the guidance requires the use of a mixture of directed and free play within any education establishment and this prevents the approach from begun being entirely focussed one way or the other. The binding agreement to deliver the statutory framework requires that there are three characteristics which must be applied to all the activities that are undertaken by those involved in early years’ education. Firstly, there is the need to encourage playing and exploring which is supportive and congruent with the earlier theories of Steiner and Montessori and which encourage every child to explore and develop during their early years. Secondly, there is the need for active learning which encourages children to concentrate and to continue to strive to achieve the results that they are after (Anning et al 2004). Thirdly, there is the need to encourage the creativity and critical thinking of the children, in order to develop their own thoughts and ideas, as well as making links between ideas which they can then use in the future. Although the statutory guidance has a relatively large level of structure attached to it, on the whole, it follows the educational theories on early years’ education advocated by Steiner and Montessori. Certain requirements are also placed on early years’ education providers; for example, a pupil must have an allocated key person with whom they interact and who has responsibility for ensuring that they are developing and learning in an appropriate manner; this is also seen as a welfare and safeguarding issue, where this is a non- negotiable requirement. Certain standards are expected of children at any stage of early years’ education, such as the requirement that, by a specific age, sentences should be constructed and the children will be regularly reviewed and tested, in order to ascertain whether they are meeting the requirements, exceeding the requirements, or falling short. Although it is not expected that every child will develop at the same place, regular monitoring in many areas which are deemed to be weak is critical and a fundamental part of the current framework, so that the child in question can then be supported to develop in these weak areas. The main assessment is undertaken in the final term of the academic year in which the child becomes five years old is provided to the child’s carers / parent and other professional that are relevant during the early years. This assessment has several purposes other than to simply ascertain the current stage of learning for the child in question and provides information for the teacher who will be dealing with the child, as soon as they enter into compulsory education. This indicates that the early years’ agenda does in fact have the underlying aim of placing children in the best possible position to enter Year One (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment 2004). Another important aspect of the statutory guidance which is relevant to this discussion is the heavy emphasis placed on partnership arrangements, with the requirement for early years’ education providers to engage with the local authority, where appropriate, particularly for welfare and safeguarding issues. The essence of the policies here, therefore, is to fulfil certain requirements for having the statutory, basic standards in place, while also offering freedom to the early years’ educational establishment, in order to allow them to adjust, depending on the nature of their establishment and the types of facilities available to them. This would seemingly be a combination of theories, as discussed above, and goes largely along with the early focus on freedom and independence, but with slight constraints put in place. Based on this it can therefore be argued that the closest educational theories discussed above to the current situation are that of High Scope, where the adult operates as a form of scaffolding around the independent and free learning of the children. There does however need to be clarity, on a day-to-day basis, but the children themselves are given the freedom to develop at their own pace. A Personal Philosophy By looking at the educational theories explored in the first part of this report and also looking at the way in which the government has established guidelines, both compulsory and optional for educational establishments, the author here has been able to develop their own personal philosophy for early years’ education. This personal philosophy also draws, to a certain extent, on reflective learning from the author’s own experience within the early years teaching environment. As a result, and in the opinion of the author, it was found that the educational theories that support the notion of entirely free play are not as effective as the current educational agenda. However, whilst there are merits in the notion of entirely free experiences for very young children, as advocated by Montessori, it is suggested here that there needs to be a degree of structure, as this is more reflective of the educational experience which the children are likely to receive in the future. Moreover, there is an underlying aim within early years’ education to present children with the best possible foundation before branching into compulsory education and this would seem to be the main focus. The author also believes that the most appropriate philosophy is a combination of Waldorf and High Scope, stating that there needs to be at least some degree of structure and expectation, in order to ensure that there is sufficient consistency. Each child leaving early years’ education needs to be in position to undertake compulsory education; therefore, without having at least some boundaries and expectations laid out for all involved in education, this would result in some children not being able to achieve basic standards. This could ultimately impact, not only on their educational knowledge, but also on their self-esteem, if they were to enter compulsory education considerably behind others, in terms of attainment (Hohmann, 2002). Applying the statutory rules which are in place within the UK also supports this philosophy and recognises the fact that the ability of children to learn and develop will be different, particularly within the early years, and there needs to be at least some freedom for the children to explore and make up their own minds. This does, however, need to be structured and facilitated by the educational professionals, so that any individual weaknesses can be identified and supported in such a way that would not be possible, if total freedom were given to the students. Educational theories provide a strong background to the way in which education should be delivered, both from a physical environment perspective, through to how the adults responsible for delivering education interact with the children in their care. Despite the need for structure, it is noted here that a strong emphasis should also be placed on freedom of choice for the children when building social and self-esteem factors, which are arguably going to be the foundations for future learning, far beyond technical skills such as the ability to read and write (Penn, 2005). By looking at the broader developmental issues, such as those set out in the statutory guidance, those involved in delivering educational standards can adapt to deal with any issues that arise, rather than being constrained to delivering a specific curriculum. Based on this, my own personal philosophy of education is a hybrid between High Scope and Waldorf, with a bias towards increasing structure, so that basic standards are achieved, regardless of the underlying skills and personalities of the children involved. References Anning, A., Cullen, J. and Fleer, M. (eds.) (2004). Early childhood education: society and culture. Delhi, New York and London: Sage Publications Cadwell, L. B., and C. Rinaldi. (2003) Bringing Learning to Life: A Reggio Approach to Early Childhood Education. New York: Teachers College Press. Catron, C. E., and J. Allen. (2007) Early Childhood Curriculum: A Creative Play Model, 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. Department of Education (2012) Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/2716/eyfs_statutory_framework_march_2012.pdf French, G. and Murphy, P. (2005). Once in a lifetime: Early childhood care and education for children from birth to three. Dublin: Barnardos. Helm, H and Katz, L (2001) Young Investigators: The Project Approach in the Early Years, New York: Teachers College Press. High/Scope Educational Research Foundation. (2001). The physical learning environment: Participants guide. Michigan: High/Scope Educational Research Foundation Hohmann, M., et al. Educating (2002) Young Children: Active Learning Practices for Preschool and Child Care Programs. Ypsilanti, MI: High/Scope Press. Montessori, M (1994). From Childhood to Adolescence. Oxford, England: ABC-Clio. pp. 7–16 National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. (2004). Towards a Framework for Early Learning. Dublin: National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Penn, H. (2005). Understanding early childhood. Glasgow: Open University Press. Roopnarine, J., and J. Johnson. (2005) Approaches to Early Childhood Education, 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall.