Islamic Management

Definition : Definition management â€Å"The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work. † Characteristic of conventional management : Examinees each resource sector and environment component in isolation Examines each resource sector and/or environmental component in isolation (e. g. , water, air, forests, fish) Focuses on biotic components; limited, if any, consideration of ecological processes (e. g. , hydrological process) Targets only specific resources of interest; typically those of commercial value Conflicting management policiesComparision Islamic management and conventional management 1. 2 CONVENTIONAL AND ISLAMIC UNIT TRUSTS 1. 2. 1 CONVENTIONAL UNIT TRUSTS Based on the Guidelines on Unit Trust Funds issued by the Securities Commission in October 1991, a unit trust fund company can only invest in authorized Malaysian assets, which include listed and unlisted securities of Malaysian companies, Malaysian Government Securities, Cagamas bonds, bankers’ acceptances, Negotiable Certificates of Deposits, Government Investment Certificates and cash (Banker’s Journal Malaysia, 1995).However, in March 1994, the Commission has provided a provision by which trust funds can invest (10% of portfolio) in overseas stock. Hence, conventional unit trust funds can invest in any of the above Malaysian assets without any restriction as long as the funds have not reached its maximum approved size. 3 1. 2. 2 ISLAMIC UNIT TRUSTS The Islamic unit trusts mainly focus on the investments in portfolios of ‘halal’ stocks and bonds complying with the Syariah principles.Such ‘halal’ stocks exclude companies involving in activities, products or services related to conventional banking, insurance and financial services, gambling, alcoholic beverages and non-halal food products and also companies whose products can cause illness, death, disease or even p romote social ills such as tobacco. From an Islamic perspective, the above industries are avoided as they represent elements that are forbidden by Allah and the harmful effects of such products on mankind (Smart Investor, 2002).The returns of Islamic unit trusts also avoid the incidence of ‘riba’ or usury interest through the process of cleaning or purification by the removal of such amounts representing the interest element. In instances where a fund has inadvertently made profits investing in non-permissible sectors, the fund will liquidate the investments. The proceeds of the gain will then be donated to charities. Mohd Nasir (2000) mentioned in his paper that the Syariah principle of ‘musharakah’ acts as a base for Islamic unit trust whereby it is a participatory financing involving agreement between the contributor of capital and the user.Therefore, the providers of funds or partners are the unitholders in an Islamic unit trust. A formal contract betwe en the unitholders, capital or fund, profit, the offer, the acceptance and the investment activities are also available within the practice of the Islamic unit trust. The concept of ‘al-wadiah yad dhamanah’ or guaranteed safe custody is involved in the operation of the Islamic unit trust fund. Prior to the funds existence, the owners of assets are the investors, custodian holder is the fund manager, and asset is the money invested.After the creation of the fund, the owners of assets are the unit holders, the custodian is the trustee and the assets include all assets of the fund. Besides that, the concept of ‘al-bai’bithamin ajil’ is also practiced in the Islamic unit trust whereby there is a transaction of buying and redemption of units of funds. In this case, the purchase or redemption price is the managers forward selling or buying price at the next valuation point when investors decide to buy or unitholders decide to redeem their shares. Moreover, the valuation point is the price at the close of business for the day.Nonetheless, based on ‘al-wakalah principle’, the price must be determined at the time the contract of sale or purchase is executed. As a result, the current practice of Islamic unit trust does not conform to the ‘al-wakalah’ principle. Thus, it has been suggested that daily historical price would be more appropriate in order to observe the Syariah principles (Shariff, 2002). Apart from having the same standard criteria for other conventional unit trusts as explained in the Securities Commission’s Guidelines on Unit Trust Funds (1997), the Islamic unit 4 trust funds must lso meet the criteria as advised by the Securities Commission’s Syariah Advisory Council (SAC) 2 . For example, the Islamic unit trust funds can only invest in securities approved by the SAC. The trust funds are also required to appoint a Syariah committee or syariah consultant who must be approved by the C ommission. As at October 25 th , 2002, the SAC has approved 684 securities [543 approved securities as at January 2 nd , 1999 (Arbi, 1999)] listed on the KLSE and classified them as ‘halal’ stocks thus can be bought by the Islamic trust fund managers

High Performance Working Systems Essay

High performance working systems have been defined as a combination of the practices of HR, the work structure of the organization and the processes utilized by the organization in order to maximize the knowledge, skills, commitment and flexibility of the employees. When this is implemented effectively, this form of working system would be able to benefit both the employees and management of the organization since employees will become more involved in the organization by becoming valuable contributors to the overall growth of the company (Bohlander & Snell, 2007). In the case of Lanier Worldwide, the high performance working system would benefit the company since there are a number of branches that are situated around the country, utilizing a high performance working system would ensure that they are given up-to-date information of the company’s business plans and strategies which would allow the employees from the different branches to provide suggestions in order to improve the operations of the company as well as making the employees more committed to the courses of action being implemented by the company (Bohlander & Snell, 2007). While all of the steps in setting up a high performance working system are considered to be crucial, the most important would have to be the establishment of a solid two-way communication plan during the initial stages of the changes being made by the company using this form of working system. This is because when management is able to properly communicate with their employees, fears and concern that may be felt by employees will be diminished. This, in turn, will ensure that commitment towards the established goals of the company will be reaffirmed and allow issues and areas of improvement to easily be addressed. Without a properly crafted communication plan, employees may become apathetic to the changes management would want to implement which may open doors to more problems on the part of the company’s operation as a whole.

The politics of deficits, surpluses, borrowing and debt Essay - 1

The politics of deficits, surpluses, borrowing and debt - Essay Example A diverse empirical literature is provided by research based on industry level-data [Rajan and Zingales 1998; Wurgler 2000], time-series research [Neusser and Kugler 1998; Rousseau and Wachtel 1998, 2000], and econometric investigations that use panel techniques [Beck, Levine, and Loayza, 2000] supports the view that financial systems are essential for economic growth. While a strong relationship exists how sound and well-functioning financial markets impact economic growth, Beck et al raise a critical question: ‘How did some countries develop well-functioning financial systems, while others did not? Why do some countries have particular laws and enforcement mechanisms that support the operation of free, competitive financial markets, while others do not?’ (2001, p.2). Particularly, why do some countries post huge budget surplus amounts while other states suffer prolonged effects of massive budget deficits? According to Petersen (1999), governments face the fundamental issue of using credit and raising funds in the present that will be repaid in the future with interest, a cost just like any other economic choice. Governments usually borrow in order to finance deficits (easier than to raise taxes), stabilize the economy in the short term and invest in productive infrastructure and economy upskilling in the long-term. Foreign borrowing allows a country to invest and consume beyond the limits of current domestic production and, in effect, finance capital formation not only by mobilizing domestic savings but also by tapping savings from capital surplus countries (Narayanan 2002). Petersen notes that national governments face more options in this regard because it has control over the money supply as well as the operation of the banking system and credit markets than its local counterparts but argues that the more open that national economies have developed, â€Å"the more even those opti ons are curbed by the workings of the international economy†

The legal and ethical issues surrounding Solyndra Essay - 1

The legal and ethical issues surrounding Solyndra - Essay Example Obama administration was doing everything possible to encourage renewable and environmentally friendly energy sources such as solar energy. It is believed that solar energy will replace all conventional energy sources in future because of its potential to provide green energy or clean energy. Obama administration does not want to see the closure of energy companies, especially the energy companies dealing with solar energy. Therefore, Obama administration has recently sanctioned a half-billion dollar loan to the failing solar energy company Solyndra. Many people believe that the decision to support a company like Solyndra is illegal and unethical. The concerns of the ordinary people related to the $535 million financial aid to Solyndra was proved to be right after the collapse of the company in 2011. The collapse of Solyndra has left the taxpayers liable for all $535 million (Solyndra, the White House, and the Most Dangerous Conflict of Interest of  All, 2011). The Solyndra scandal is a perfect example to prove that politically motivated illogical decisions may cause immense harm to the taxpayers or ordinary people. This paper analyses the legal and ethical issues involved in the decision of Obama administration to support Solyndra. Solyndra accuses Chinese companies for its failure to prosper in American market. The company believes that the governmental policies are not good enough to counter the challenges from foreign companies in the solar energy market. Solyndra argues that Chinese companies or solar panel makers are conspired to fix prices and flood the U.S. market with solar panels at below-cost prices forcing it out of business. Solyndra has already filed a1.5 billion lawsuit against Chinese companies (Bathon, 2012). It is a fact that Chinese made products are cheaper than products manufactured in other countries such as America. In China, manpower cost is extremely less compared to that in America. Therefore, Chinese companies can sell

Short term finance sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Short term finance sources - Essay Example It is evident from the study that in today’s modern era, every business maintains a bank account of its own where it deposits the money it receives from the sales generated by the business. As the businesses expand, the ratio of their cash sales ratio decreases to the credit sales ratio, because of which the businesses can face difficulties in paying their short term and immediate expenses such as paying salaries of their work and the heating bill. This is when the businesses ask ‘their’ bank for an overdraft so that they can pay for their expenses. Bank overdraft is a form of loan given by the bank to its customers and businesses, where the customers and businesses are charged interest on the money spent by them. Another option that a business can exercise to pay for its expenditures and administrative costs is by arranging a short term loan from the bank. Any loan taken from the bank that has to be repaid within a year can be defined as ‘short term loanâ⠂¬â„¢. Trade credit is the number of days in which a business has to pay for the good it has received from the supplier. The number of days in which the payment has to be made for the business entirely depends on the working relationship between the supplier and the buyer. If the buyer has been maintaining a good reputation and has always being paying on time, the supplier may also go a little easy on the buyer by giving him enough time to arrange for the funds. Sale of unused assets: Most businesses only exercise this source of finance when all their sources of finance are have been used up. In this source of finance, funds are generated by selling unused fixed assets of a business or assets that the business is not making full use of, which may include extra machinery, buildings and vehicles. By selling the unused fixed assets, the business is able to generate enough funds to meet its requirements. In 2010, Lokul Oil used four sources of finance to meet their requirements which we re, Trade Credit, Sale of investments, Sale of property and Sale of its subsidiary companies. To generate funds to meet its short term obligations, Lokul Oil had to sell its short term investments, which included bonds and other cash equivalents. In addition to that, Lokul Oil also sold some of its subsidiary companies to generate enough cash for the company so that they don’t have to arrange for a bank overdraft or short term loans to pay for the expenses. The company also sold some of its property that it had bought long time back for expanding purposes, in order to generate cash to meet the short term obligations of the company. On the other hand, the primary sources of finance that were used by Premier oil to finance its expenses were Trade Credit, Sale of unused assets and Sale of investments. Premier oil asked their suppliers to extend the payment time given to them so that they meet their other short term expenses first, and then, when they have enough funds, the suppl iers will be paid. This helped in solving the problem of meeting short term obligations for Premier oil. Another source through which Premier Oil arranged for funds to meet its short term obligations was sale of its unused fixed assets, the assets that the company had in surplus. This included sale of property, offices, buildings, sites which were not profitable or were not generating enough revenue to meet the company’s demand. This source of finance helped in putting the idle money into use. Like Lukul Oil, Premier Oil also used sale of

The need for imigration refom Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The need for imigration refom - Research Paper Example From the findings of the analysis carried out in the paper, it has been viewed that the aspect of rapid illegal immigration has been the cause of various illegal activities in the nations. Additionally, it has also been determined that reform in the current immigration policies would not only facilitate in decreasing the illegal activities but would also aid in developing an environment that would be safe for both the civilians and immigrants who migrate legally from other nations either for professional or academic purpose. Introduction The facet of immigration plays a vital role for every nation as it not only involves financial benefits but also aids in developing the country technologically and culturally among other aspects. In general, immigration is the process through which the people belonging to a particular nation move to another country owing to economic, political, natural disaster or other factors. With the advent of globalization and the increasing literacy rate, peopl e tend to emigrate from their home country to another nation because of the need to progress their professional or academic life. ... However, in recent years it has often been viewed that the lure of reaching the land of American dreams has propagated many individuals to tread the forbidden path of illegal immigration. Subsequently, in the act of immigration, people who belong to different terrorist groups move to the country either legally or illegal and cause great harm to the citizens. This has given rise to the debate amid many political critics to implement strategies and policies that would help in reforming the immigration policies effectively along with helping to maintain a safe place for the civilians to live in (U.S Department of Homeland Security, 2012; Library of Congress, n.d.). The purpose of the paper is to depict the need for immigration reform which allows legal immigration in the United States, while enabling to protect the nation from the people of groups that aim at causing it harm. Discussion History of Immigration in the United States The aspect of immigration in the United States can be div ided into four major parts. From the Colonial era to 1880, most of immigrants came from northern part of Europe especially from countries such as England, Germany and Ireland. It is worth mentioning that the Africans were also brought in America in this period through salve trade and Chinese began migrating towards the end of this period. The second period started from 1880 and ended in 1920. In this era, people especially from the southern and eastern part of Europe especially from countries such as Italy, Russia immigrated in America. The third wave of immigration can be categorized during the World War I targeting Asians, southern and eastern Europeans to strengthen the military force of the country. And, the fourth ended after the conclusion of the World War II. The Immigration

Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gay Marriage - Essay Example The ban on gay marriage is not different from preventing women from voting or denying African-American’s access to public places. One of the most potential arguments for gay marriage is that it enhances the marriage rate. Since 1991, there was a sharp decline in marriage rates world wide. In some countries, the marriage rates were down over 20%. This declining marriage rate clearly reflected deterioration in social as well as cultural values since premarital sexuality and sexual promiscuity were the root causes of the decrease in marriage rates. In addition, this worse condition also persisted to be a threat to the existence of family relationships. However, a steep rise in marriage rate is observed as the gay marriage was legalized. For instance, 4000 couples married in San Francisco in just one month when the city legally validated same sex marriages. While comparing with the marriage statistical data of many other countries, it is evident that gay marriage boosts marriage r ates. There were 12,348 same sex marriages registered in Canada from June 2003 (date of same sex marriage legalization in Ontario, a province of Canada) to October 2006 (‘Re-opening the debate’). Similarly, divorce rates have increasingly risen for the last two decades. As specified in the ‘Gay Marriage Facts & Statistics Tips, United States statistics show that 60% of all opposite sex marriages ended in divorce during the first decade and the figure rose to 80% in the first 20 years. Although, government and religious institutions have taken initiatives towards the safety of family relationships, the divorce rate still continues to be unsatisfactory. At this time, the family bonds of same sex couples... The researcher of this essay states that since 2001, ten countries and a number of jurisdictions have legally approved same-sex marriage and they consider it as a matter of civil, moral, social, political, and religious issue. Despite the legal validity of the gay marriage, limited rights are granted to gay marriage as compared to heterosexual marriage. In fact, the same sex marriage does not hurt the institution of marriages because homosexuals enjoy a pleasure that is obtainable from a traditional marriage. Obviously, romance is the most profound feeling that determines the intensity of relationship especially between adolescents. To be more specific, the different choices in romantic relationships have a profound influence on their aspirations. Each and every individual has the basic human right to express themselves without depending on the approval of any authority. While prohibiting same sex marriage, this condition questions the personal integrity of homosexuals and hence this governmental act do separates the gay people from the mainstream of the society. In total, the ban on gay marriage is a clear case of gender based discrimination, which will have far reaching consequences in the society. In fact, sexual outlook and individual choices are the key factors that determine the agreement or conflicts between partners. In conclusion, the researcher mentions that same sex does not inevitably ensure same gender, for example if the individuals involved maintain opposite gender desires.

An article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An article - Essay Example Hence, living many to question his ethical claims about own lifestyle. The ethical question that arises is why does he claim that his life is simple yet own lifestyle depicts otherwise? The worst criticism though emerges after his return from England characterized by lavish travel style funded by special interest groups and non-profit organizations that he himself has instituted. His perceived ethical standards further betray own character, when he results to opening up corruption opportunities which he himself vowed to end. From the time he assumed office, he has been at loggerheads with public employees over wages. This raises question as to his ability to deliver earlier made promises of well-censored of an ethical rule. He has turned his regime as that full of secrets leaving many to question even his integrity as an honest man. Some people contend he is not the first to give such ethical speeches when contesting for an office, thus â€Å"so can he be an exemption?† They do all this by criticizing the current office and when they are in the same spot maintain similar operations. He further go against his ethical stands after promising to bring a legislation to bar public office holders to work in two jobs and end the conflict of interest but then the law never comes to be. This really downgrades his willingness to end the malpractice and end unlawful party donations. His critiques even argue that he showed little interest for the bill to pass and that is why he has done nothing about the bill even if he could do something. There are many ethical violations exhibited by Christie especially when he denied public information yet claimed accountability would characterize his leadership. This leaves many wondering of how a government can be accountable when they do not allow people to evaluate and score them. His tenure is a characterization of numerous lawsuits with a lot of

Transportation Paper Essay Example for Free

Transportation Paper Essay Every time I go to watch a television I always heard a lot of news about traffic congestion or traffic accidents. Especially when I go to watch foreign channels, most of the time the news was about traffic incidents or super heavy traffic. But there’s a lot of difference about the transportation in the US to other countries. For example in the Philippines, it is common on their everyday lives to have the situation like this as they go out on their house they are expecting for a heavy traffic on their way. But in the US it is not common. I mean not all the time traffic is present in the US. There is only traffic if there’s a special event or sometimes because of the unpredictable accident happened in the road. Some places in the Philippines have always traffic not because of special events or unpredictable accident but because of the road itself. For example some roads in the Philippines were not well constructed and so it causes heavy traffic sometimes a great accident. While in the US road is not a problem, actually all roads are well-constructed, full cement and straight roads. So it can’t cause any harm to the travelers or to any cars as well. But still even though the roads in the US were like these, it seems accident still present and problem to Americans. It’s not only about the traffic congestion in the countries; there are still a lot of problems. Some of these were the form of transportation itself. One of the biggest factors of transportation is the number of cars in a given place. Another great factors are the following way, street or any kind of thoroughfares. A certain hi-way can accommodate a certain number of cars. For example there’s a hi-way that can accommodate only 300,000-400,000 cars a day. But every time there’s a special event people were full blast, for example if they want to have a vacation, an outing or any private family activities they prefer. And so with these matter roads can’t accommodate that number of cars and so traffic congestion occurs. In the US there’s no big problem compare to the Philippines. It is because roads in US were so big and wide that can accommodate a large number of cars there or maybe I can say almost half the numbers of cars there. Compare to the Philippines, roads can accommodate only a very limited number of cars a day and so traffic congestion occurs regularly. Another big factor in the transportation is the discipline of the cars drivers or owner. Those drivers and owner of a car in the US were as discipline as they could. You can see it on news or maybe in some newspapers. And we can observe this also on our everyday lives. You can see that if there’s problem or traffic congestion in US, you can observe that cars were on their proper line. They do obey roads and traffic rules or something like that. While in the Philippines if we will go to observe the process of their transportation, especially with this kind of problem. You will see that most of the drivers don’t have a discipline. If there’s traffic accident or traffic congestion, cars are not on their proper position or lines. Some are going this way some on that way. One thing is important for all the drivers and for some aspiring drivers in US or in the Philippines. Discipline is what I’m talking about. Discipline is the most important thing to have for all the drivers. After this is the skill you have in driving. Of course it’s still important. Discipline in driving won’t work without the ability to drive. Followed by of course honesty in following rules and regulations in the roads. Some road rules or traffic rules or something like that. Whatever it is, drivers need to obey this. Without all these solution we still can’t prevent traffic congestion or something like these.   Another thing for all the drivers in the Philippines don’t forget to be careful in your driving. One day I heard news about this problem about driving after being drunk. It causes a lot of problem on that given place. Not only for the driver himself but more to others. And so accident is more prone to that kind of place because drivers don’t took any care on their driving. In the same matter I don’t hear a lot of things or problem like this in the US. Well maybe I think maybe it’s because many people in the US were so busy and no time for some parties or something like this. But even with this situation in the US still be aware Americans not to happen this in the US. Well for your own sake and for others as well. Well to summarize all on this essay maybe we can now prevent traffic congestions on our own country. US, Philippines or what country are you. Of course first we need to be discipline. Also we need to be skillful in this kind of Profession-driving. We need to obey rules and regulations in the road. And of course we need to be honest in that matter. And lastly we need to be very careful in our driving. and in addition to this we need to be responsible in our action. Works Cited â€Å"Traffic Congestion.† National Service Training Program.1st ed. 2003

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Example for Free

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Herman Melville and Henry David Thoreau present their writing pieces as different forms of nonconformity. The essays both represent Ralph Emersons essay, Self-Reliance, but they do so in different ways. In Thoreaus essay, Solitude, the narrator has removed himself from society and into solitude in a cabin in the deep woods. The narrator displays nonconformity by not taking on the normal daily routines and an average person in society. The nonconformity exhibited in Bartleby, the Scrivener is Bartleby not conforming at the same level of his co-workers in the law office. The law office in Bartlebys eyes is stark place that only brings him displeasure. The transcendentalist essay by Ralph Emerson, Self-Reliance, is composed of many simple transcendentalist ideas. Solitude and Bartleby, the Scrivener both represent the simple ideas expressed in Self-Reliance, but the essays do so in different manners. All three essays have attributes of transcendentalism, but they display these ideas differently. Henry David Thoreaus Solitude is a transcendentalist essay which displays the narrator as a nonconformist toward society. While the rest of society resides as a group in towns or cities, performing similar actions, the narrator of Solitude resides and an individual in the deep woods. The common society is composed of families working together. Common duties such as working a job, maintaining a household, attending school, attending social events, and helping others in the community are duties people in a society would fulfill. The narrator does not participate in any of these daily duties. He believes being secluded and alone in nature is a full and rich life. He is a nonconformist in the sense that he does not act as the rest of society. Instead of running to the store for groceries to take care of the family, he sits in the midst of pure nature and self-reflects to gain satisfaction. Some of my pleasantest hours were during long rain storms in the spring or fall, which confined me to my house for the afternoon as well as the forenoon, soothed by their ceaseless roar and pelting; Along with the narrators nonconformance to society through love, passion and need for nature, he explains that he finds his own society in nature. The word ? society pertains a different meaning to the narrator. Society is not all of the living parts of a community according to Solitude. Yet I experienced sometimes that the most sweet and tender, the most innocent and encouraging society may be found in any natural object. The narrator found society in nature unlike other people. Being alone in nature is the spiritual nourishment for the narrator. Herman Melvilles Bartleby, the Scrivener exhibits a sad, lonely character, Bartleby, who is a nonconformist to society, and is confined inside brick walls of a law office on the depressing Wall Street in Manhattan. Bartleby seeks pleasure and enjoyment, but it seems impossible for him to achieve happiness being a nonconformist toward his co-workers and boss. He is miserable in the law office unlike all of the others. So much anger and aggression had built up inside of Bartleby that one day when the narrator asked Bartleby to copy some papers, Bartleby had no desire to carry out the task and simply replied Id prefer not to, to the narrators request. Bartleby displays nonconformity by not acting as the co-workers in his office do by following the instructions of the boss (narrator). He chooses to rebel against the system and to not take instructions. Bartleby does not want to continue as a scrivener any longer in the law office. He would rather be alone and secluded, away from all of society who cause his anxiety. Instead he tries to remain secluded in his office, doing thing such as working on Sunday. Yes, thought I, it is evident enough that Bartleby has been making his home here, keeping bachelors hall all by himself. Immediately then the thought came sweeping across me, what miserable friendlessness and loneliness are here revealed! His poverty is great; but is solitude, how horrible! Think of it. Of a Sunday, Wall-street is deserted as Petra (Ancient city whose ruins are in Jordan, on a slope of Mount Hor). Bartleby is yet another example of a nonconformist, secluding himself from everybody to be alone, and unfortunately, just as miserable as ever. Clear cut Transcendentalism is ? at its best in Self-Reliance. Individualism, self-reliance and nonconformity are highly valued in Emersons essay. Emerson underlines these ideas in his essay, Self-Reliance, which is referenced in both the essays, Solitude and Bartleby, the Scrivener. This transcendentalist idea put forth by Emerson is quite simple. Before he even begins his essay with his own words, Emerson quotes an epilogue. Emerson using this quote before his essay makes it clear that this quote would very well summarize his main belief toward the virtue of self-reliance- man is his own ? everything, and a man should only rely on himself. Man is his own star, and the soul that can Render me an honest and a perfect man, Command all light, and influence all faith, Nothing to him falls early or too late. Our acts our angels are, or good or ill, Our fatal shadows that walk by us still. Epilogue to Beaumont and Fletchers Honest Mans Fortunes These ideas of reliance in ones self, nonconformity, and individualism represent the basis of ideas in Solitude, but the form nonconformity in Solitude is different from the form presented in Self-Reliance. In Solitude, the narrator shows nonconformity by secluding himself from society. He lives in the deep woods while society resides in towns and cities, together. Nature is his calling, and he enjoys living as an individual. He gains satisfaction from his actions of nonconformity. This is a delicious evening, when the whole body is one sense, and imbibes delight through every pore. I go and come with strange liberty in Nature, a part of herself. Thoreau expresses that secluding himself from society is what brings him peace in himself. On the other hand, Melville responds differently to Emersons essay as well. In Bartleby, the Scrivener, Bartleby exhibits nonconformity by being different from his co-workers in his law office. He is anti-social and cold toward the others around him. He simply relies in himself to do his work and carry out daily tasks. Bartlebys rebel attitude makes him a nonconformist in his office. He displays his rebel attitude when he finally stands up to his boss when he is asked to do a task and replies- Id prefer not to. Bartleby decides he will no longer act as everyone else in the office does. He decided to take a stand in what he believed in. Emerson would choose to rely on himself and act as an individual whenever he would do something. Bartleby is not letting the narrator affect him in how he is going to handle this task, and by doing this, he is acting as Emerson would. Self-Reliance is a guide for nonconformists by which Solitude and Bartleby, the Scrivener follow. When essays are written with transcendental influences, they will all have nonconformity. Characteristics of transcendentalism are: ? Individualism, self-reliance and nonconformity are highly valued. ?The Transcendentalists fueled the abolitionist movement. They believed in the worth and dignity of every human being including slaves. ?Nature is a source of spiritual nourishment. ?Humankind is at its best in nature. People transcend or rise above their animalistic impulses by communing with nature. ?A belief in an oversoul that resides in all living things and connects us. ?Transcendentalism is a response to industrialization. The majority of these transcendentalist ideas are absent from the common thought of society. Consequently, less people gain such an enormous amount of satisfaction from nature. Transcendentalism is rare among people, but it is present in all three of these essays. There are many possible forms of nonconformity. These three essays each display a different form though they are quite similar. Transcendentalists have very radical ideas which to some people may be deemed as ridiculous. It may also seem crazy, but once again, transcendentalists are very radical, and are all nonconformists in some shape of form. Sources: 1. Norton Anthology Volume II.

Prevention of Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting of Steel

Prevention of Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting of Steel Prevention Of Nozzle Clogging In The Continuous Casting Of Steel There have been four documented causes for nozzle clogging in continuous casting steels; build up de-oxidations such as Al2O3 (1), solid steel build up, buildup of complex oxides such as spinels, and the buildup of reaction products such as CaS (4). While some causes are more detrimental than others, all are a problem. Different steels will yield a different potential nozzle clogging cause (3), for example, a re-sulfurized free machining steel is going to have much more of an issue with the formation of calcium sulfides than spinels. No matter what cause is all nozzle clogging can be detrimental to a continuous casting process. Looking at Figure 1, it is easy to see how the deposit of clogging material on the side walls of the nozzle can cause irregular flow from the tundish into the mold. Irregular flow through a tundish nozzle enhances the probability of generating a number of quality defects such as re-oxidation of the steel and slag entrapment (4). Nozzle clogging also affects pr oductivity in that less steel is able to be cast because of the blockage in the nozzle. In simple business terms, less steel equals less profit. Another thing to consider is the life of the tundish is often limited to the life of the nozzle due to clogging. If nozzle clogging can be controlled enough to extend the nozzle life even one or two heats longer, that results in substantial process cost savings. The most effective way to prevent, or at least lessen, nozzle clogging in the continuous casting of steels is to modify the inclusions in the steel to a liquid rather than a solid at steel casting temperatures (2). This is typically done by the addition of calcium to the steel at the end of the steel refining process. Looking at Figure 2, a pure Al2O3 inclusions liquidus temperature is considerably higher than that of steel casting temperatures, and that by adding the right amount of calcium to the inclusions in the steel the inclusions liquidus temperature can potentially be lowered to below steel casting temperatures (12CaO.7Al2O3). Calcium is typically added to the melt one of three ways; by CaSi powder, CaSi wire, or calcium injection with argon. CaSi powder has the poorest recovery because calciums vapor temperature is lower than steel making temperatures (5). Therefore by simply throwing calcium powder on top of the melt, the majority of the calcium will vaporize into a gas and leave the system without being absorbed into the steel. Figure 3 shows the vapor temperature for calcium related to depth into the steel melt and we can see that the deeper into the melt the calcium is able to get (i.e. the greater the pressure) the higher the vapor temperature is for calcium (5). This is the basis by which CaSi wire is used. CaSi wire is a steel wire shell packed with calcium as the core. As the wire is injected into the melt the calcium is protected by the steel shell from melting and not exposed to the high melt temperatures until deep enough into the melt to provide enough pressure to avoid the calcium from vapori zing. Calcium injection uses this same principle by sticking a lance into the melt deep enough to avoid vaporization and blows calcium into the melt by the use of inert argon. Its one thing to make inclusions liquid and its a completely different challenge to keep it liquid throughout the entire casting process. This is often the difficult aspect of nozzle clogging prevention given that all of your incluions modification control is performed at the LMF or degasser and not at the caster. One thing many steel producers will try to do is reduce the number of incluions present in the steel during the casting process (2). The easiest thing to do in lowering the number onf inclusions in the steel is to increase ths size of the inlucions. By Stokes law, larger inclusions will have a greater upward velocity out of the steel and into the slag thus not being cast through the nozzle. Another practice steel producers use to reduce inclusionon counts in their steel is to have proper geometry in the tundish as the caster. By adding tundish components such as dams and weirs (shown in Figure 4) inclusion flow can be directed to give optimum exposure to the slag(4). Weirs a used to direct steel flow down where as dams are to direct flow upwards. By having two sets of weir-dam combinations between the ladle shroud and nozzle, the inclusions in the steel are exposed to the tundish slag all while maintaining minimum turbulance (5). Unfortunatily not all inclusions in the steel can be removed and therefore the remaining inclusions must remain liquid through the nozzle to prevent clogging. To achieve this it is curtial that the steel is protected from re-oxidation from atmospheric oxygen (2). To ensure this many tools are used. Starting from the ladle, a ladle shroud is used from the ladle to tundish in order to funnel the liquid steel from the ladle to under the slag layer in the tudish (Figure 4). An impact pad is often used as shown in Figure 4, to reduce the turbulance in the tundish (5). Increased turbulance can disrupt the slag surface in the tundish as expose the liquid steel to the amtosphere causing re-oxidation and possibily slag entrapment. To help prevent steel -slag interaction,baffles are often used (Figure 5) which slows down steel flow but also allows steel to flow through the holes. In order to prevent the steel exposed to the surface from re-oxidizing tundish fluxes are used to act as a protecti nve barrier between the steel and atmopshere as shown in Figure 6 (2). Tundish refactories must also be considered to ensure no or very little reaction occures between the steel and refactory occurs (2). If it were to occur and solid inclusions percipitate in the steel, all the effort put forth into the steel up until the point could be usless. Once the steel is secure in the tundish one more step is required and that is to get the steel through the nozzle and into the mold. Just as in the tundish, re-oxidation of the steel and any negative reaction between the nozzle refractory and steel must be avoided. To ensure this, typically submerged entry nozzles or submerged entry shrouds are used as the nozzle which will provide a barrier between the steel and atmosphere all the way into the mold. Typically made of alumina graphite, the added graphite prevents wetting of the inclusions onto the nozzle walls (4). Argon purging in various parts of the side walls of the nozzle are also often used to separate any would be oxygen from the steel. In conclusion, preventing nozzle clogging is not successfully completed by one simple action but rather many actions working together: inclusion count reduction, inclusion modification by the use of calcium, protecting from re-oxidation of the steel, proper tundish geometry, and proper tundish and nozzle refractories (2). While the concept of making only liquid inclusions appears simple in application, it can be rather difficult to maintain these liquid inclusions throughout the entire casting process. Sources Cited 1. Zhang, Lifeng; Thomas, Brian; Inclusions in Continuous Casting of Steel. Nationals Steelmaking Symposium. Mich, Mexico. November 2003. page 138-183. 2. Alekseenko, A.A. Problems of Nozzle Clogging during Continous casting of an Aluminum-Killed Low-Carbon Low-Silicon Steel. Russian Metallurgy, Vol. 2007. page 634-637. 3. Girase, N.U. Development of indices of quantification of nozzle clogging dujring continuous slab casting. Iron and Steelmaking. Vol. 34; No. 6. 2007. page 506-512. 4. Zhang, Lifeng, Wand, Yufeng, and Zuo, Xianjmun. Flow Transport and Inclusion Motion in Steel Continuous-Casting Mold under Submerged Entry Nozzle Clogging Condition. Metallurgical and Materials Transaction. Vol. 39B. August 2008. page 534-550 5. The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel, 11th Edition Casting Volume; AISE Steel Foundation. Pittsburg, PA. Copy Right 2003

Failure in a Success Oriented Society in Death of a Salesman Essays

Failure in a Success Oriented Society in Death of a Salesman    In the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the playwright focuses on the theme of failure in a success oriented society. Willy Lowman, a failed salesman, is the central character. Willy’s downfall is caused by his belief in the propaganda of a society that only has room for winners. The significance of this theme, still very relevant today, is heightened by Miller's skilful use of a range of key techniques, including setting, characterization and symbolism. The drama focuses on the life of a middle aged salesman, Willy Lowman, who, at the outset of the play is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He lives with his adoring but over protective wife, Linda, who acts as a buffer between her husband and their two adult sons, Biff and Happy, whose relationship with their father is permanently under tension. The play plots the tragic collapse of a man who cannot face up to his moral responsibilities in a society whose false values attach a dangerous importance to success as measured in such transient terms as income and material possessions. Living according to these values means that failure is likewise defined in economic terms. The play's setting contributes to our understanding of the significance of this theme. Willy Lowman's home is presented as 'small and fragile-seeming', dwarfed by a wall of apartment blocks whose presence contributes to the trapped, claustrophobic atmosphere. He makes reference to a time before the build up of this area when there were 'two beautiful elm trees', now cut down by the builder and a garden in which scented wisteria and lilacs bloomed in profusion.Willy complains of the airless quality within his apartment, despite... ...ary society. For today's audience, Willy Lowman remains a poignant figure of failure, partly as a result of society's false value system but partly because of Willy's own inability to confront life with integrity.    Works Cited and Consulted Baym, Franklin, Gottesman, Holland, et al., eds.   The Norton Anthology of American Literature.   4th ed.   New York: Norton, 1994. Corrigan, Robert W., ed. Arthur Miller.   Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1969. Florio, Thomas A., ed. â€Å"Miller’s Tales.† The New Yorker.   70 (1994): 35-36. Hayashi, Tetsumaro.   Arthur Miller Criticism.   Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1969. Martin, Robert A., ed. Arthur Miller.   Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982. Miller, Arthur.   The Archbishop’s Ceiling/The American Clock. New York: Grove Press, 1989. ---.   Death of a Salesman.   New York: Viking, 1965.

Personal Narrative - A Hasty Decision Essay -- Personal Narrative Writ

A Hasty Decision When I turned eighteen I went out and began renting my very own apartment. The effort I put into this task at the time seemed sufficient. I went online, found a place I liked with good location and low rent. I asked my good friend Sean to live with me to help keep costs down. Then I took care of all the utilities, gas electric, cable, phone, internet, and all the necessities. My first apartment gave me some very rough times, but from that time I learned a little about apartments and a lot about life. Things were going great for Sean and I. we had been living on our own in Tera Vida Apartments for three months and we were getting along swell. The only occasional dispute was when we would rock, paper, scissors to see who was taking out the trash. Expenses were no problem. Sean had a job as a telemarketer and was getting weekly bonuses in excess of five hundred dollars for beating the quota. I was driving the zamboni and working in the pro shop of the local ice rink. The best part of all was no one was telling us to do anything at all. Almost out of nowher...

Communication and Learners Essay

Much of my research was carried out online and I have included my written research notes and sources. Teacher net (2010) says â€Å"Adopting an approach to your teaching which draws on research and evidence should help you in reviewing and developing your practice†. With this in mind I considered Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs motivational model which we often refer to in teaching, although the original model was designed as a business motivational tool. Maslow claims that needs 1-4 are deficiency motivators and are generally satisfied in order when the previous need is fully or partially satisfied (Businessballs, 2010). If the lower level needs of the model are met then I can begin to help the learner gain the top level and realise their own potential however, in order to help others reach this level I must first achieve this myself, by researching I am furthering my own knowledge and developing myself on an ongoing basis. 1a – Negotiating With Learners – 753 words Gravells and Simpson state that â€Å"Initial assessment of you learner’s skills, knowledge and preferred learning styles should take place before you begin teaching the programme content.† (Gravells & Simpson, 2010, P17). Here they are saying ‘before the program content’, so an initial assessment is valid even if it is at the beginning of the session itself. I do however slightly disagree with the necessity to always know the learners preferred learning style from the outset. If we accept that learners are different then we must accept that we will be teaching learners during each session with differing learning styles, and must therefore accommodate those differing styles. I usually do not get chance to assess my learners for learning styles before a session so I must compensate using a progressive style of assessment, this enables me to adjust my teaching methods and styles to suit and include my learners. It is therefore not so important to know what th e learning style of an individual from the initial assessment but, it can assessed as the teaching progresses. Learners enter the learning environment with varying needs and expectations; it is my responsibility as the teacher/tutor, through processes such as initial assessment, to ensure that the learner is on the correct path/course or at the right level. Failing this then I should be able to help the learner choose a more appropriate path. According to Walklin â€Å"It is important to assess all people seeking access to education and training opportunities, the purpose being to help them to plan their future education and training programme. Initial assessment helps the provider and the learner sort out what it is they wish to achieve†, (Walklin, 1993, p.290). The initial assessment is a way of evaluating what the learner will need to achieve the goals set and indeed a way of setting future goals with the learner. I have recently experienced this myself when an experienced teacher found that I was in fact following an unsuitable path, he was then able to change the course I had appl ied for, to a more suitable and achievable course. Having an understanding of a learners previous experience is also beneficial to the teacher, I myself train professional drivers who often have many years experience within the industry. Using a short pre-session initial assessment which consists of an informal one to one chat and note taking, and group introductory sessions allows me to make a connection with these more experienced learners, who often feel disgruntled by the process of having to train within an industry they feel they already know. It is important then to be aware that experience will affect learning and that it may have a positive or negative influence. After an initial assessment I can ascertain what the learners knowledge and skills will be to date and a learning action plan can be completed, this plan is specific to each individual leaner to ensure their needs as a learner are met. A tutor should spend time with each individual learner and agree learning goals and further actions. Further actions may include additional help that may be needed, for a student with learning disabilities for example. Once the learners needs have been identified and agreed the trainer would focus on the teacher/training cycle, Kolb (1984) which is made up of the following 5 points, keeping in mind that this is an ongoing cycle. * Identify needs and planning * Designing * Facilitating/deliver * Assessing * Evaluating Further actions that should be agreed prior to the course commencing is the establishment of ground rules. Ground rules are commonly referred to as, â€Å"the minimum necessary conditions for getting learning work done in the class.† (Atherton, J S 2009). I agree with Atherton here and would add that, establishing ground rules in a learning group can also be negotiated between the learners and the teacher. WestOne (2010) discusses various strategies for negotiating with learners, it suggests that It can often be effective to give learners some responsibility for rules, such as what time breaks and dinner is taken, these small items of negotiation will give learners a sense of control within the environment and encourage them to take part in the learning process as they will begin to have shared ownership of it. I would say though that to give too much away to learners may lead to a loss of control for the teacher, one must always consider the fine balance here. I looked at a company called Novadata, they provide training similar to mine but also have a larger portfolio of courses. Their main initial assessment is carried out over the telephone or via an online internet form. While I will consider the option of the online form in the future I do think it may be a little impersonal and I would have doubts about getting the right quality of information, telephone based initial assessment is however a possibility that would allow me to connect with learners better. 1b – Inclusive Learning – 748 words Gravels & Simpson discuss inclusive learning and suggest that â€Å"inclusive learning is about recognising that each of your learners is different from other learners in many ways†, and â€Å"you should plan your teaching and learning sessions to enable all of your learners to take part†. (Gravells & Simpson, 2010, P25). There are various methods to ensure this, we can for instance use different teaching methods to appeal to the different learning styles, for instance VAK or VARK(Visual, aural, reader and kinaesthetic), kinaesthetic learners prefer to touch whilst visual learners will prefer to see demonstrations and, aural learners will be more attuned to a discussion while readers prefer the written word. In all of these cases it should be noted that any given learner may have a preference for learning but will to differing degrees have traits of all styles. I use this as the basis for any planning but keep myself aware that it is just that, a basis or starting point for a flexible plan. It is once we begin to understand that learners are individuals with varying needs that we realise that relying on the VAK descriptions alone is inadequate in order to be inclusive. Inclusion UWE states â€Å"The aim is not for students to simply take part in further education but to be actively included and fully engaged in their learning† (2008). It may be that a particular learner is a kinaesthetic learner but for one reason or another cannot take part in an exercise. In order to agree with the UWE statement I had to recently change the way I carried out a practical exercise as one of my learners could not look at a small computer screen for very long, by pairing him with another learner and allowing them to use a projector connected to the computer they were able to complete the exercise together thus ensuring inclusivity. But inclusivity goes further than just planning sessions and resources. Huddleston and Unwin discuss how teachers must no longer be concerned with their own subject and transmitting knowledge but, â€Å"as managers of learning, teachers will need to seek the help and support of other professionals in their college, including non-teaching staff.† (Huddleston and Unwin,1997, P117). While I do agree in principle with what they are saying, for example, a student with problems of childcare can easily be helped by being pointed toward crà ¨che facilities within the learning establishment, I would also have to point out that it is important to facilitate a solution rather than be the solution. I think a teacher must maintain a certain distance from the student, so it is better to offer information on transport subsidies than to offer a lift. Another example of how we can be flexible to promote inclusion recently happened to me, When I arrived at a site to carry out training many of the delegates found that in order to start for their working shift the following day, they would have to finish 45 minutes early, as the requirements for the training to be completed meant they had to carry out a full 7 hours of training I could not legally cut the course short. We then came to an arrangement whereby tea breaks would be taken as we carried out practical exercises thus allowing for the full session to take place. By making this small adjustment I was able to cater to the individual needs of a few of the learners which again placed them in a position where they did not have to worry about working the following day and, could continue the learning process. Preparing to Teach Inclusively states â€Å"There are many issues to consider when identifying a student’s needs, but it is important to remember that they may fluctuate from day to day. As the course progresses, try to review with students whether you are meeting their needs.† (2006). Students needs do change constantly, it may be that a bus service is delayed and a number of students will be late by 10 minutes or another may have employment difficulties, while it is not the job of the teacher to fix these problems, it is the responsibility of the teacher to make provision for them and to suggest agencies or information that can help. A solution can be as simple as asking another learner to take extra copies of handouts and pass them on, whatever the action, the aim is always to enable the student to return to a successful learning environment. 1c – Integrating Functional Skills – 557 words QCDA says that â€Å"Functional skills are practical skills in English, information and communication technology (ICT) and mathematics. They allow individuals to work confidently, effectively and independently in life† (2010). Functional Skills are often given different names such as â€Å"Key Skills† or â€Å"Minimum Core†, but they all amount to the same thing, the basic integration of Maths, English and Information & Communication Technology. Petty states â€Å"The alternative to integrating key skills is to teach them separately. The problem with this approach is that students tend to see them as an irksome irrelevance to their main course of study†.(G Petty, 2009, P538) Whilst I agree with his point and I agree with the methods and reasons for teaching Functional Skills in this way, I also believe that this statement pays little attention to those of us who would thrive in a situation where those key skills are taught separately, people such as myself, I trained as a chef when I was young, attached to this course I did a C&G in communicating and in computer programming. I enjoyed having a separate learning session for this and was able to gain another certificate to be proud of; in conclusion I would say that this is again an area where we can see how people differ in so many ways. Gravells and Simpson state that â€Å"As a teacher, you should be able to demonstrate your own competence in the areas of literacy, language, numeracy and ICT.† (Gravells & Simpson, 2010, P59). As a teacher I believe it is important to have a good understanding of Functional skills, spelling and maths mistakes within a handout or presentation will be transferred to learners, why should they not believe you if you are the teacher. To this end it is important as a teacher to continually give consideration to improving my own Functional skill on an ongoing basis. The embedding of these skills within a teaching session is not difficult but should be given careful consideration at all times, for instance, I recently had a learner who was dyslexic, I try where possible to provide printed material on different coloured papers as this can often help people with this condition. It turned out that this was the first time this particular learner had come across this aid to reading, so instead of just ignoring the reading exercise he became interested enough to ask about further help. I was able to give him a contact at Learndirect. This particular learner now has the confidence to learn to read and write at higher standards than he thought possible. It is this gaining of confidence and belief in oneself that will cause the attitude change that is conducive to learning. In order to integrate Functional Skills into any given session you could consider exercises such as multiple choice quizzes for reading, discussion sessions for language skills. By adding in maths questions to a PowerPoint presentation you can elicit answers from learners, by watching the reaction of other learners it is often possible to see if anyone is struggling with these concepts thus allowing you to go over the question in more detail until you are sure the learner has grasped it. ICT can be integrated in just as many ways, for instance asking learners to find and print a particular style of picture for the next session. 1d – Communication – 677 words Just out of interest I typed into a leading search engine â€Å"verbal non-verbal communication†, within the first five listings I found the following (MinorityCareerNet, 2010): â€Å"Nonverbal Communication According to A. Barbour, author of Louder Than Words: Nonverbal Communication, the total impact of a message breaks down like this: 7 percent verbal (words)   38 percent vocal (volume, pitch, rhythm, etc) 55 percent body movements (mostly facial expressions)† This is a misquote that can be found time after time in books, on websites, and more worryingly within training courses. In fact, this statement is based on the work of Professor Albert Mehrabian in the mid to late 1900’s. The research actually concentrated on the communication of feelings and attitudes, it has since been misquoted to define all types of communication. It is somewhat ironic that his message has been so misused and misunderstood. I raise the point of this because I am guilty of using it in the incorrect context, assuming that because those that have taught me use it, then it must be so. It really does not matter how I contort my face wave my arms in front of learners, unless I explain verbally or with written instructions very few of them will understand what I am trying to communicate. Different people respond to different forms of communication, when we teach we give consideration to the varying types of learners, Visual, Aural, Readers, Kinaesthetic (VARK), we try to design our lessons to include all of the styles. I asked myself the question, â€Å"Why do people learn in these different ways?† My research results led me to investigate a condition known as synaesthesia, in which one sensory input produces unexpected results for example, a synaesthete may see the colour red when they see the number 2 and blue if they see number 3, in some cases sound caused a visual effect for the synaesthete. It occurred to me that this may go some way to explain why one person responds better when information is given in a verbal format, another responds better if it is visual and so on. The connections between these different sensory areas of the brain mean that we all have our own unique way of perceiving what is being taught or communicated (please refer to my micro teach for more information). For me the advantage of this seemingly odd line of research had the effect of allowing me to empathise with learners of different styles and gave me meaningful reason to consider how I communicate to learners with differing learning styles. â€Å"Communication is the art of successfully sharing meaningful information with people by means of an interchange of experience. The important word is ‘successfully’, which implied that a desired behaviour change results when the receiver takes the message† (Walklin, 1993, p.164). I think what Walklin is trying to tell us is that it is not enough to communicate the instructions, it is also important to deliver praise or constructive criticism in order to encourage and guide the learner into new discovery, if you ask the learner to complete a task a feeling of accomplishment will encourage behaviour conducive to further learning. This is important to me when teaching as my own learners can often be hostile to the learning process, feeling it has been imposed upon them. It is also important to listen to the students, if you set tasks that are above the student’s current abilities then you are likely to create a barrier to communication whereby the student will close in on themselves not wishing to admit they cannot continue and the learning process will cease. Achieving two way communications with our students is not straightforward. Barriers can often present themselves. It is crucial that a teacher can identify barriers and help students overcome them. Petty (2009) suggests that inappropriate level of work, jargon, vocabulary and other use of language, environmental factors, fear of failure and an inapproachable teacher can be barriers to students learning experience. Whilst I agree in principle to this, I also believe that introducing new vocabulary and language usage is essential to the student’s further development. ATHERTON J S (2010) Learning and Teaching; Ground rules for the class (Online) Available: http://www.learningandteaching.info/teaching/ground_rules.htm (Accessed: 03 January 2011) Anne Gravells and Susan Simpson (2010) Planning and Enabling Learning (2nd Edition), Learning Matters Businessballs (2011) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, (Online), Available: http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm , (Accessed: 15 February 2011) Inclusion Further Education (2008)(Online) Available: http://inclusion.uwe.ac.uk/csie/tmlnsn.htm (Accessed: 10 January 2011). Minority Career Network Inc. (2011) Non Verbal Communication, (Online), Available: http://www.minoritycareernet.com/newsltrs/95q3nonver.html , (Accessed: 15 February 2011) Open University (2006) Preparing to Teach Inclusively (Online), Available: http://www.open.ac.uk/inclusiveteaching/pages/inclusive-teaching/preparing-to-teach-inclusively.php (Accessed: 20th January 2011) Prue Huddleston and Lorna Unwin (1997) Teaching and Learning in Further Education (2nd Edition), Routledge Farmer. Petty G (2009) Teaching Today (4th Edition), Nelson Thornes. QCDA (2010) Introduction to Functional Skills (Online), Available: http://www.qcda.gov.uk/qualifications/30.aspx, (Accessed: 11 January 2011). Teachernet (2010) (online), Available:http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/research/Learning_about_research/ (Accessed December 15 2010), (Note-now removed) Walklin, A. (1993) Teaching and Learning in Further and Adult Education. Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes (publishers) Ltd. West One (2010) How to negotiate learning (Online) Available: http://www.westone.wa.gov.au/toolbox8/taa/elearn/toolbox/resources/e_space/e_sources/quickguides/interaction/negotiating/howto.htm (Accessed 03 January 2010)

Comparison Between Poem Red, Red Rose and Sick Rose

Comparison between both poems, â€Å"Sick Rose† and â€Å"A Red, Red Rose† The poem â€Å"The Sick Rose† by William Blake is about a rose that has reached the end of its lifespan in the arrival of winter. A rose usually symbolises love, beauty and romance, but in this poem the rose is sick. This reflects the damaged, hurt and destruction. The rose which represent as an ill woman which was damaged by the worm, which is represent as the man who has caused the harm to her.The poem reveals the negative attitude of a man towards a woman, whom he destroys to satisfy his lust. Where else in the poem â€Å"A red, red Rose† by Robert Burns the poem is about a man who is deeply in love with his lover. The word red is repeated twice, which shows the great passion he has for his lover. It is a romantic love poem which has a positive attitude of a man towards a woman whom he loves by showing his great passion of love, which is growing deeper and deeper each day. Anothe r comparison of the poem is respect.In the â€Å"Sick Rose† the man destroyed the dignity of the woman. He ruin the life of a woman and caused her to be become ill. Where else in the â€Å"A Red,Red Rose† the man keep the dignity of a woman whom he is in love with and even praised her beauty. Besides that, the poem's responsibility. In the â€Å"Sick Rose† the man is irresponsible, he does not care about woman. His intention is to ruin the life of the person he loves in the wrong way, where else in â€Å"A Red, Red Rose† the man’s action shows his loyalty of being a responsible person.In the last stanza of the poem he said that he will return with love though he is ten thousand miles away from her, â€Å"And I will come again, my love, Thought I am ten thousand mile†. Furthermore the love in â€Å"Sick Rose† is a secret love of a man towards a woman. He used force and unhealthy way to get his love from the woman. His action and impati ent behaviour has caused the damaged in the woman whom he loved secretly. Therefore, it shows the darker side of human nature. In â€Å"A Red, Red Rose† the man patiently and gradually release his love towards his lover.He shows his passion in a decent way and he did not use any force. Burns used two similes to compare the love, the first â€Å"red, red rose† and the second is his love is like the â€Å"melody†. Both of simile shows a delicate form a love between a man and a woman. It also shows the brighter side of human nature. In â€Å"The Sick Rose†, the poem ends with a depressive tone where the beautiful rose was spoiled by the evil, lust of a man, but in â€Å"A Red, Red Rose†, the deep feeling of the man's love is longer, even when he has to say farewell: â€Å"And fare you well, my love†.Burns ends the poem in a tender, hopeful and inspiring note. The language of both, Blake and Burns', in the poem interest the readers to find the h idden message behind it. The use of symbolic and figurative language written made both the poems very interesting and appealing to the readers’ mind. After comparing both poems both poems reflect the two opposite of a human soul as â€Å"The Sick Rose† is a dying rose while the â€Å"A Red, Red Rose† is a blessings rose.

Buddy’s Snack Food Company Essay

The case discusses the scenario of Buddy’s Snack Food Company. It is a family owned company that has produced and marketed potato chips since 1951. Buddy’s business quickly turned in to a multi million dollar franchise, competing with the likes of Frito Lay, but is losing its market share. Buddy’s son, Buddy Jr. , now runs the company and recently, his son Mark has joined the company. After joining as a salesperson, he was quickly promoted to sales manager with a fresh MBA in marketing. Mark has been making some substantial changes in the sales division and employees have been reacting to it. This paper will discuss the major issues and objectives of the company, as well as alternatives and solutions. Major issues of the company The primary issue of the company, at first seems to be the loss of market share. That is a common concern for all members of the organization. Mark, Buddy Jr. ’s , was hired in hopes that he could come up with new marketing strategies that could turn the company around and regain its market share. That gave rise to another issue, which was employee dissatisfaction and de-moralization. Mark’s new policies and, to some, even his quick promotion made the employees upset and lose faith in the company. As a result, employees are now less enthusiastic about their work or are overworked and can not perform efficiently. Such a situation can further worsen Buddy’s Snack Food Company’s market share due to inefficient employees. Also, the new policies had been implemented very quickly, following Mark’s quick promotion and the lack of communication and familiarization to the firm’s employees created a gap between the manager and the subordinates. Another issue that seems to be evident is the absence of any employee benefit programs. Employees don’t seem to be appreciated or rewarded for their good performance and are dealt with seriously, if the performance rating is low. Apart from this, there seems to be no concern about the employees’ living situation; single mothers are being required to attend extra sessions, when they have other responsibilities. This can affect their performance greatly in a negative way. Also, some of the employees seem to be unfit for the job and are not taking it seriously, while others are working hard. The two types need to be distinguished because if both of them are held accountable for similar reasons, the better employee is de-moralized. The company needs to change the way it manages its staff to ensure a better future. Finally, some of the employees are upset about Mark being ‘handed’ the position of the sales manager just because he’s the son of the owner. Many employees had been working hard towards getting that position and are now discouraged by the new change. Strategic goals and objectives Buddy’s company operates under the conventional strategies and objectives. It is a regular snack food business with a family-like working environment. Mark, after he acquired the position of sales manager, introduced some new policies. One of them was that if a certain sales employee receives a below average performance rating for any quarter, they would have to attend a mandatory session. The coaching session would be more or less a training/refreshment session where the employee’s issues are discussed and improvements are recommended. Unfortunately, this new move has not been very popular among the workforce. The issue is that some employees actually are underachievers and inefficient, while others are good employees, with an exceptional past record, but could not perform up to the standard because of the business situation and the declining market share. When the two types of employees are treated equally, the employee who works hard is de-moralized. Alternative strategies If Buddy’s Snack Food Company wants to achieve their goals, they would have to adopt a new strategy. The current approach is proving to be unpopular among the employees and would only result in an inefficient, de-moralized and overworked staff, and such a group of people are not fit to work as a team and achieve goals. Some of the alternative strategies would be: †¢ Better employee care package for staff members with families and children, with suitable work shifts. Employee appreciation: bonuses, incentives, employee-of-the-month program etc. †¢ Customer feedback on the sales representatives. †¢ A revised form of employee performance rating based on the current economic and business situation. †¢ Training and refreshment programs for all employees on a monthly or quarterly basis to ensure there is good communication, all problems are addressed and issues are discussed. Also, the employees’ performance would be measured in a better way through such meetings. †¢ More opportunities and promotions of employees showing consistent and excellent performance. Recommended Strategies and Hopeful Outcomes  Of all the alternative strategies discussed Buddy’s needs to adopt some or all of them to move towards their goal. A better employee care package is necessary as good employees like Lynda Lewis could benefit greatly from them. As a single mother of three sons, she has a lot of responsibility at home. An employee care package with flexible working shifts would allow her to spend more time with her family and perform even better than she already does. Also, the company can hold events like a mini funfair or a sporting event that would enable employees’ family and children to participate in the business and contribute. This would not only be a good marketing move by creating a better image of the company and advertise their name, but also an incentive for employees to feel happy and at-home when they work. Apart from this, employees need to be appreciated for their good work. With just an Employee of the Month program with a reward bonus, employees would be more enthusiastic about their work and perform better. Such incentives not only boost staff morale, but also the overall business because employees would work more and earn more in order to get the reward. Customer feedback would help the management know which employees are good team players and which are not. This would help in filtering out the ones that actually need the coaching sessions. Also, the management needs to consider the current economic situation that the company is going through before rating the employees’ performance. Such an evaluation would be fair. Training sessions for all employees every quarter or meetings would promote communication. All issues and problems would be addressed and the subordinates would have a chance to openly talk to the managers. Such communication allows the employees to be more comfortable working and feel that their opinion matters as well. Other than that, issues that the management might not even know about come into consideration and solutions are discussed as well. Working as a team motivates employees to perform better. Lastly, give promotion opportunities to hardworking employees rather than members of the owner’s family fresh out of college who might not know the company as well as the salesperson with more experience, working hard to keep it all together.

Innovative programs in special education Essay

Special education departments have introduced a variety of innovative programs for children with sensory impairment (deafness, hard of hearing, and blindness). There has been a good deal of success in opening access to regular school experiences to young people with sensory impairments and in educating their peers about the special concerns for children who are deaf and/or blind. There is a considerable body of evidence that innovative programs for teaching reading and spelling skills to children with disabilities should be both multi-sensory and phonic and that this type of teaching can benefit most children in any class at most stages. These are usually programs that are highly structured. They can be seen as essentially free-standing and can form a central element of the overall strategy for teaching children with disabilities. There are many such programs, often they have a slightly different focus, with different types of materials and strategies but they all include multi-sensory element and metacognitive aspects. The range of innovative programs for children with disabilities is impressive, and this work will provide some of the various types of programs and strategies that can be used in special education. Most innovative programs incorporate some or all of the following principles and approaches: multi-sensory; over-learning and automaticity; highly structured and usually phonically based; sequential and cumulative. Multi-sensory methods utilize all available senses simultaneously. This can be summed up in the phrase ‘hear it, say it, see it and write it’. These methods have been used for many years and have been further refined by Hornsby and Shear (1980) in phonic structured programs that incorporate multi-sensory techniques. Over-learning is deemed necessary for children with dyslexic difficulties. The short- and long-term memory difficulties experienced by dyslexic children mean that considerable reinforcement and repetition is necessary. The structured approaches evident in programs of work for children with disabilities usually provide a linear progression, thus enabling the learner to complete and master a particular skill in the reading or learning process before advancing to a subsequent skill. This implies that learning occurs in a linear developmental manner. Although there is evidence from learning theory to suggest this may be the case, there is still some doubt in the case of reading that mastery of the component subskills results in skilled reading. In reading, a number of cognitive skills such as memory and visual, auditory and oral skills interact. This interaction is the key feature; so, it is important that the skills are taught together and purposefully with the practice of reading as the focus. Sequential approaches are usually appropriate for children with dyslexia because it may be necessary for them to master subskills before moving to more advanced materials. Hence a sequential and cumulative approach may not only provide a structure to their learning but help to make learning more meaningful and effective as well. Programs based on the Orton-Gillingham approach have become a central focus for multi-sensory teaching (Hulme & Joshi 1998). The programs offer a structured, phonic-based approach that incorporates the total language experience and focuses on the letter sounds and the blending of these sounds into syllables and words. The approach rests heavily on the interaction of visual, auditory and kinesthetic aspects of language. Orton-Gillingham lessons always incorporate card drills, spelling and reading and usually include activities such as: card drills, word lists and phrases, oral reading selection, spelling of phonetic and non-phonetic words, handwriting, and composition. Once the child has mastered the letter name and sound, the program then advances to introduction of blending the letters and sounds. This begins with simple three-letter words and the child repeats the sounds until the word is spoken without pauses between the constituent sounds. The visual-kinesthetic and auditory-kinesthetic associations are formed by the pupil tracing, saying, copying and writing each word. Reading of text begins after the pupil has mastered the consonant-vowel-consonant words to a higher automatic level (i. e. , when the pupil can recognize and use these words). The initial reading material is taken from the program and contains words the pupil has learnt from the teacher’s manual. The program gives considerable attention to the learning of dictionary skills as well as development of written language from pictographs to ideographs and eventually to the alphabet. The program does appear to be more suited to a one-to-one situation, and it would be difficult to integrate the program within the school curriculum. As in many of the program derived from the Orton-Gillingham approach, the key principles of over-learning, automaticity and multi-sensory approaches are very apparent. In the USA, Morgan Dynamic Phonics have produced a series of phonic programs that focus on user-friendly approaches using the principles of Orton-Gillingham, which includes the use of humor and interaction (Hulme & Joshi 1998). The following programs are based on the Orton-Gillingham method: Alpha to Omega, The Bangor Dyslexia Teaching System, The Hickey Multisensory Language Course, Dyslexia: A Teaching Handbook, Units of Sound. Letterland, developed by Lyn Wendon, consists of many different elements. The materials are extremely useful for teaching reading, spelling and writing, and for developing and sustaining motivation. The programs are internationally renowned, as well over 50 per cent of all primary schools in England and Ireland rely on this program (Gersten, Schiller & Vaughn 2000). Letterland encompasses a number of teaching elements based on recognized and essential components of the teaching of reading. The major elements are: language, with an emphasis on listening, speaking and communicating; phonic skills; whole word recognition skills; sentence awareness; comprehension; reading and spelling connections; and preliminary skills in creative writing. The materials consist of teachers’ guides, wall-charts, code cards, flashcards, wordbooks, cassettes and song- books, photocopiable material, workbooks, games and resources, software, videos, and materials specifically designed for use at home. The program may also be seen as a preventative approach, since it is appropriate for early intervention and may also facilitate the reinforcement of important developmental concepts in learning, such as object constancy. The Letterland system essentially grew out of close observations of failing readers, and the materials reinforce the importance of a reading-for-meaning orientation to print (Gersten, Schiller & Vaughn 2000). Letterland focuses on letters and sounds, and by using pictograms encourages children to appreciate letter stages and sounds, thereby reinforcing both shape and sound of letters and words. Integrated within this, however, are the programs and exercises on whole-word recognition, reading for meaning, spelling and creative writing. Spelling is not presented as a series of rules, but instead through a story approach, focusing on the Letterland characters. Progress through the Letterland program is by a series of steps. These steps can provide the teacher with choice and flexibility, and the program can be implemented to the whole class, in small groups or individually. There are a number of aspects about Letterland that make it useful for some children with specific learning difficulties. These include the use of pictograms— which can be particularly beneficial to the learner with difficulties in phonological awareness and auditory skills. The use of the story approach to reading and spelling that encourages the processing of information using long-term memory is particularly beneficial to dyslexic children whose short-term memory is generally weak. The range of activities incorporating different approaches allows the learner to develop imagination and creativity in the use of letters and words. Other useful aspects include the focus on the context aspects of reading and the use of syntactic and semantic cues. Alpha to Omega is a phonetic, linguistic approach to the teaching of reading and can be used as a program or as resource material. It is highly structured and follows a logical pattern of steps that promote the acquisition of phonological and language skills. There is an emphasis on learning the 44 phonemes from which all English words are composed. These consist of the 17 vowel sounds and the 27 consonant sounds. There is also an emphasis on the acquisition of language structure, focusing on content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) and finite words (prepositions and participles). There is, therefore, an emphasis on using words in the context of a sentence. The program provides a highly structured format for the teaching of sentences and for grammatical structure. There are also three accompanying and very useful activity packs designed for different stages. These packs provide appropriate back-up exercises to reinforce the teaching program. There is also an extremely useful program of learning games—before Alpha—that can be used with children under five. These games are in a series of structured stages, are multi-sensory and aim to foster language development and other pre-reading skills such as visual and auditory perception and discrimination, fine-motor control, spatial relationships and knowledge of color, number and directions (Gersten, Schiller & Vaughn 2000). The Hickey Multisensory Language Course recognizes the importance of the need to learn sequentially the letters of the alphabet. The third edition of The Hickey Multisensory Language Coursewas now incorporates aspects of the National Literacy strategy and the requirements of the Literacy Hour. The dyslexic child, however, will usually have some difficulty in learning and remembering the names and sequence of the alphabetic letters as well as understanding that the letters represent speech sounds that make up words. The program is based on multi-sensory principles and the alphabet is introduced using wooden or plastic letters; the child can look at the letter, pick it up, feel it with eyes open or closed and say its sound. Therefore, the visual, auditory and tactile-kinesthetic channels of learning are all being utilized with a common goal. These programs involve games and the use of dictionaries to help the child become familiar with the order of the letters and the direction to go (e. g. , he needs to know that T comes before ‘K’), the letters in the first half of the alphabet and those letters in the second half. The alphabet can be further divided into sections, thus making it easier for the child to remember the section of the alphabet in which a letter appears, for example: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. The Hickey language course includes: activities related to sorting and matching the capital, lower case, printed and written forms of the letters; practicing sequencing skills with cut-out letters and shapes; and practicing positioning of each letter in the alphabet in relation to the other letters (this involves finding missing letters and going backwards and forwards in the alphabet). The course also indicates the importance of recognizing where the accent falls in a word, since this clearly affects the spelling and rhythm. Rhyming games can be developed to encourage the use of accent by placing it on different letters of the alphabet. This helps to train children’s hearing to recognize when a letter has an accent or is stressed in a word. The course includes reading and spelling packs that focus on securing a relationship between sounds and symbols. This process begins with single letters and progresses to consonant blends, vowel continuations and then to complex letter groupings. The reading packs consist of a set of cards; on one side, the lower case letter is displayed in bold with an upper case (capital) letter shown in the bottom right-hand corner in order to establish the link between the two letters. The reverse side of the card indicates a keyword that contains the sound of the letter with the actual sound combination in brackets. Rather than providing a visual image of the keyword, a space is left for the child to draw the image. This helps to make the image more meaningful to the child and also utilizes and reinforces visual and kinesthetic skills. The spelling pack is similar in structure to the reading pack. On the front of the card the sound made by the letter is displayed in brackets, while the back contains both the sound and the actual letter (s). Sounds for which there is a choice of spellings will in time show all the possible ways in which the sound can be made. Cue words are also given on the back as a prompt, in case the child forgets one of the choices. Spelling is seen as being of prime importance by the authors of the program since they view it as an ‘all round perceptual experience’. This process involves over-learning and multi-sensory strategies. The Bangor Dyslexia Teaching Systemis a structured, sequential teaching program developed for teachers and speech and language therapists involved in supporting children with dyslexia. A useful aspect of this program is the division between primary and secondary pupils. Although it is acknowledged that some secondary pupils are still ‘beginning’ readers and need to go through the same initial stages of acquiring literacy as ‘beginning readers’ in the primary school, the program makes some special provision and adaptations for secondary students. This helps to make the secondary material more age appropriate. The basic philosophy of the program is not unlike that of other structured, phonic programs. It focuses on phonological difficulties and the problems dyslexic children have in mastering the alphabetic code. The program attempts to provide children with some competence, at the earliest stage possible, in recognizing and categorizing speech sounds. It is not possible for children to benefit from ‘top down’ language experience approaches to reading if they have not mastered the basic principles of literacy. Some of these principles, which the program for primary aged children focuses on, include: the teaching of basic letter sounds and the structure of words, long vowels, common word patterns, irregular words, alphabet and dictionary skills, grammatical rules and silent letters. The program shares the same principles as that utilized by other similar programs for dyslexic children. It is highly structured and the teacher has to proceed systematically through the program. The aspect of over-learning is acknowledged to be important, and therefore revision of material already learnt occupies an important place in the implementation of the program. One of the difficulties inherent in following the principle of over-learning is the aspect of boredom, which may result from repetitive revision of material already learnt. This program acknowledges that pitfall and suggests ways of overcoming it through the use of games and other adapted materials. The multi-sensory teaching element is also crucial in this program. Some of the exercises attempt to engage all the available senses simultaneously, thus acknowledging the accepted view that dyslexic children benefit from multi-sensory learning. The program also utilizes the particular benefits of mnemonics for dyslexic children as well as the notion of reading and spelling as an integrated activity. Some emphasis is also placed on encouraging dyslexic children to use oral language to plan their work. It is felt that such verbalizations help children clarify their thoughts and planning before embarking on a course of action. The secondary component of the program provides useful advice on dealing with the problem of teaching basic literacy to older students. Some effort is made to ensure that the student is familiar with polysyllabic words in order that the potential for creative writing is not unduly restricted. At the secondary stage the aspect of reading for meaning is of great importance in order to ensure sustained motivation. The Bangor Dyslexia Teaching System acknowledges this and suggests a range of techniques that can help to support the student through the decoding difficulty in order that maximum meaning and pleasure can be derived from the text. Such suggestions include: supplying difficult words; introducing the story and the book’s background and characters; pointing out clues such as capital letters and titles; encouraging fluency by reading from one full stop to the next; omitting words that are difficult, thus encouraging the use of context to obtain meaning; practice; and reading rhymes and limericks that aid sound and syllable awareness. The key principles found in the majority of individualized programs for dyslexic children-multi-sensory techniques, automaticity and over-learning-are all found in the Alphabetic Phonics program. Additionally, the program recognizes the importance of discovery learning. Opportunities for discovery learning are found throughout this highly structured program. The program, which stems from the Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory approach, was developed in Dallas, TX, by Aylett Cox. Alphabetic Phonics provides training in the development of automaticity through the use of flash cards and over-learning through repetitive practice in reading and spelling until 95 per cent mastery is achieved. The program also incorporates opportunities to develop creativity in expression and in the sequencing of ideas. DISTAR (Direct Instruction System of Teaching Arithmetic and Reading) was originally designed for socially disadvantaged children in the USA as part of the Project Follow Through scheme launched by the US government in 1968 (Hulme & Joshi 1998). The program is orientated to achievement in basic attainments and tasks and skills to enhance effective learning. Some of the features of DISTAR include: the transfer of learning from specific examples to general concepts; continual, positive reinforcement to enhance motivation and success; and the monitoring of progress through the use of criterion referenced assessment. In addition to reading skills, the current DISTAR program covers language, spelling and arithmetic. Evaluation studies display impressive progress in attainments among students undertaking the DISTAR program – results that appear to continue through to secondary education. Some criticism, however, has been raised that the teacher’s manual is too prescriptive and places too much restriction on teachers. The focus of the program on transferring skills from the specific to the underlying general task concepts is, indeed, commendable and can make the DISTAR materials a useful resource. Three recent studies trained phonological awareness in children with reading disabilities using the Lindamood Auditory Discrimination in Depth program (ADD), a method that first encourages awareness of the articulation of speech sounds. Two studies used no control groups, but reported good progress for students who had made little progress with other programs. The third study used matched groups of children with severe reading disability at a private school. The control group received the school’s well-reputed program, which included auditory training and strategies for encoding and decoding written symbols. The trained group spent 6 weeks learning ADD before merging it with the regular program. All children improved substantially by the end of the year. The ADD group did not gain significantly more than controls on standardized tests of reading and spelling, although trends favored the ADD group. Compared to controls, ADD children did make significantly greater improvement in the phonetic quality of their errors in spelling and nonsense word reading. Besides being a well-structured phonemic-awareness program, the ADD approach holds theoretical interest because of its strong emphasis on developing concrete articulatory (speech-motor) representations to distinguish phonemic differences. The program includes associating articulatory labels, pictures, letters, and sounds, and using these articulatory concepts in phonological awareness work and manipulating letters and sounds in reading and spelling exercises. This work described some of the innovative programs that may be utilized in special education. The programs are logical and consist of small steps. They also incorporate elements of all the modalities—visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile. Teaching is not only about providing information, but about accessing useful and transferable skills as well—for example, phonological awareness skills can be later transferred and utilized in writing skills. Essentially, the approaches involve thinking about thinking and the learners with disabilities consider how a particular response was arrived at. Children with disabilities is a whole-school concern, and not just the responsibility of individual teachers. Innovative programs require an established and accessible policy framework for consultancy, whole-school screening and monitoring of children’s progress. It is important to consider the rationale for using particular programs and strategies. Within the areas described here of individualized learning, support approaches and strategies, assisted learning and whole-school approaches, there are many effective means of dealing with disability. Therefore, the criteria for selection—the context, the assessment, the curriculum and the learner—must be carefully considered. It is important to link programs and strategies together because, while there are a considerable number of well-evaluated and effective commercially produced programs in special education, it is very seldom that the program can be used by untrained teachers. Even if a program has clear instructions, there is some skill attached to implementing such programs. Therefore, the teacher needs to be aware of strategies that can be used to reinforce the program and to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning that can take place through the use of the program. One of the main challenges facing teachers is the need to find varied approaches to learning that will motivate children and will provide the key elements that the child requires as well. If the child does not respond to a structured program, the teaching program should then be reevaluated. This would help to decide whether it is the most appropriate program to use. It is also important to consider other factors as the child may not be responding because she or he may only need a longer period to achieve the objective of the program. References Gersten, R. , Schiller, Vaughn, S. (2000). Contemporary Special Education Research: Syntheses of the Knowledge Base on Critical Instructional Issues. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ. Hulme, C. , Joshi, M. (1998). Reading and Spelling: Development and Disorders. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ. Hornsby, Shear. (1980). Alpha to Omega. Heinemann Educational Books. London. Lindamood, P. , Bell, N. , & Lindamood, P. (1997). Achieving competence in language and literacy by training in phonemic awareness, concept imagery and comparator function. In C. Hulme & M. Snowling (Eds. ), Dyslexia: Biology, cognition and intervention (pp. 212–234). London: Whur.