The pianist of willesden lane Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The pianist of willesden lane - Movie Review Example This is exactly same to Jura’s days in London. The director’s message in the play is how music communicates the past and more so the feeling of dismay. Over and above, the information extends to show how great music can cheer someones sad, hard and lonely moment just like the one Jura found herself. This essay analyzes the impact of music in solving various societal ups and downs. In many approaches, the simple behaves of Golabek being seated at the Steinway keyboard that Royal George Live theater is an ideal declaration of the play's main message. This is enough to create the oral cavity area drop wondering about how the world can frustrate. By viewing, this middle-aged lady's arms proceed with service of the development of wonderful songs, the forfeit of her grandma and grandpa are made reveal. Nazis being successful neither in eliminating these close relatives nor its achieved art, did not deter the inheritance of the skill by the next generation. Finally, the Nazi r egime passes and The piano enjoying continues. It is all set out before attendance in the most instantaneous, theatrical way (Golabek 23-30). One of the main themes on how music solves a societal problem is on the reduction of diseases related to boredom. Notably, hard economic moments have compelled people to spend more time working to bridge their problems. As a result, they spend several hours behind closed office doors. This is not healthy for the brain since it tends to be overworked. Additionally, the boredom comes in, and it can reduce the productivity of an individual. To solve this, contemporary offices are fitted with music system where employees at wish can listen during work. Notably, this has created stronger unity in open layout offices because at some point employee are attracted in discussing the music. As a matter of facts, this was eminent at some point where the audience joined in the singing (Golabek 43-57). Another theme that is communicated by the music is pass ion. Passion can be for someone or something. In this case, Juras’ passion was to become a prominent pianist, which was supported by her family. The parent made sure she was far away from timid Nazi’s regime through the Kinder transport program. In real life situations, super achievers have made it with the guidance of passion. For instance, Mandela’s passion to liberate his countrymen made him fear nothing including twenty seven years jail term. The outcome of his dedication was freedom to South Africans. Another case is eminent in sports. Diego Maridona had a passion for football. His passion for the game made him rose to become one of the best world players at some point in his career. He did all within his ability to emerge the best by even scoring a world cup championship goal by hand. It, therefore, is clear that passion should drive every undertaking (Golabek 134-146). The framed picture hung in the blue stage during the play depicts the theme of the hist orical moment. They emphasize that the occurrence was back in gone days. In the picture, it is seen that there is some audience listening to a performance in some old school fashion wears. The instrumentals in the big oval frame are old times instruments. Another theme depicted by the dim stage setup is the struggle. This is true because, at some point, the light goes out completely. Light is a symbol of good things because through it safely is assured. Therefore,

Creative Marketing and Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Creative Marketing and Critical Thinking - Essay Example Combination of all these elements will give the best results in marketing processes. Wireless advertising offers potential to target markets; creativity stimulates creating new ideas and ideologies; broadband technologies allow marketing experts to deliver large amounts of data and make this process even faster and simpler. Due to creative thinking wireless advertising gives the opportunity to implement online newsletters, virtual storefronts, interactive brochures, and web(Frame 2003). Marketing process is sometimes called as "getting stuck". People need fresh and effective marketing ideas in order to promote new products and services. But very often person's mind is failing back to old ideas. People are tired of them, because they want and need new marketing approach that will be exciting and full of surprise, vividness and life. (Nunley 2004) And marketing expert resort to the help of critical thinking and creativity in order to give people what they want and really need(Smith 2004). For example, if to ask people to determine the main driving force of advertising, they will most likely tell that it is creativity. Creativity is very important, but it is one of the three legs upon which successful marketing is standing. The four legs are: If to ask the same peo... Creativity is very important, but it is one of the three legs upon which successful marketing is standing. The four legs are: Message Medium Creativity(Hercky 2005) If to ask the same people to define creativity, they will most likely tell that it is something "of which they themselves would not have thought". It is a matter of fact that creativity and creative thinking are the vital components of marketing strategy and planning. They help expert to develop new approaches to attract new customers and to retain the power on the old ones. Marketing has to be creative in its thinking and deliver whether in creating unique promotional plan, finding technical solution to existing problem, designing new web site or devising a differentiating channel distribution model. Hercky (2005) admitted that every marketing expert can be creative if the environment is right and favorable. Marketing has to build on such environment where marketing creativity and creative thinking will flourish, "manage that creativity, and still deliver on budget and on time". Creative thinking helps marketing experts to understand how different people work, how to have creative fun during working process and how to make everybody perform at their creative peak. It is important to deliver a real boom to the organization or company(Hercky 2005). There is a question: are creativity and creative thinking innate talents reserved only for selected ones or they can be learned like, for example, riding a monocycle or juggling But before answering this question it is necessary to define creativity in marketing and advertising. Creativity in marketing differs significantly from creativity in arts. Hercky (2005) defines creativity in marketing as "the melding

The meaning of life Essay Example for Free

The meaning of life Essay According to Saint Exupery in The Halo (2006), â€Å"Each man must look to himself to teach him the meaning of life. It is not something discovered: it is something moulded.† The meaning of life has a no specific definition; it depends on how each individual give meaning to their lives. It is a natural thing for an individual to curiously know about their life since their birth till death. Moreover, human beings are also curious to find out why they were put in this earth that is why babies keep touching everything in order to experience all their surroundings from the very beginning (Taylor, 2000). In this essay, the concept of meaning will be significantly analysed. Firstly, by defining the meaning which will secondly be followed by discussing the different types of needs an individual must meet to experience the meaning of life. Thirdly, the types of things that enhance and curb the experience of the meaning of life will be highlighted. Lastly, various practical steps will be described to enhance the experience of the meaning of life. This essay will be intertwined with personal reflections and aspirations that have enhanced the meaning of life for the writer. What is the meaning of ‘meaning’? Subjectivism: According to Eagleton (2007), everyone adds their own meaning to life. The meaning of life is never universal or complex. The meaning of life is very simple and people experience it when they understand the universe, themselves, their identity and their goal in life (Bennet, 2005). Subjectivists state that the meaning differs with individuals’ psychological and mental states and their desires and goals. For example one individual can find meaning of life in music or art while other may find it in attaining goals or in religion (REF). In addition to this, (REF) states that life only becomes meaningful when all the needs and wants are fulfilled and when the individual is content and satisfied with themselves. Super naturalistic views: On the other hand, spiritual beings consider their lives to be consequential and significant when they can reach the pious pathway God has set (REF). The God-centred view points out that the definitive meaning of life is holistically attained. Moreover, an individual will only figure out the meaning of life when they are not attached to the worldly desires (REF). Personal reflection: Personally, the meaning of life for me is constantly being in search for my identity and accomplishing the goals I have set in life. I explore my identity through my art work as it helps me express my feelings and emotions about everything. My art work makes me realize who I am as a person and what people interpret me as a person through my paintings. What types of needs must be met for a person to experience meaning in life? Searching the meaning of life is a motivational force in an individual however; the degree of motivation to which they search the meaning of life differs in all individuals (REF). Despite individuals having different degrees of motivation, there are some needs and conditions that must be met for the individuals to experience the meaning of life. Individuals do not necessarily have to meet the same needs and conditions to experience the meaning of life. Some individuals are inspired by other individuals like great artists, inventors and thinkers, some individuals need sense of belonging, some need to experience certain events to make sense of life while others need to attain autonomy and self efficacy to experience the meaning of life. In short, individuals can discover the meaning of life through social work, experiencing something or someone or reactions towards unavoidable circumstances (REF). For example, an individual who is very emotional needs to experience the need of belonging in order to experience the meaning of life. They need to have many friends and a good relationship with their family in order to satisfy their need of belonging; this helps the individual to live a happy and full life. However, if they do not feel the sense of belonging, they have no hope hence do not have anything to look forward to and see no point of living. Conversely, not all individuals need to meet the need of belonging to experience the meaning of life. Some may have to experience the need of autonomy and self efficacy. These types of individuals usually have certain goals and tasks in life which they believe  they can attain thus that would help them experience the meaning of life. For example, an individual whose goal is to become a doctor tries to attain that goal by being a hard worker and devoting all his time to attain their goal. They would experience the meaning of life when they achieve the title of the doctor as it would help them conquer a place in the community and gain some prestige. In addition to this, if an individual fails to attain this need might gain a very low self esteem which would then impact on the choices they makes in life. They would become very dependent on others and would not be able to cope with that leading them to suffer from various health issues. What types of things enhance the experience of meaning in life? The meaning of life can be enhanced by sustaining life, accepting a teaching, giving life or creating wisdom (REF). For example things that would enhance the meaning of life for mothers, doctors and nurses is when they deliver as links in a biological chain by giving life from one generation to the other. Young artists are inspired and enhance their meaning of life when they authorize and respect and accept their teacher’s work (REF). Personally, as an artist, the meaning of life for me is enhanced when I can appreciate the work of different artists and what they are trying to express in their paintings. Art work makes me understand the different feelings individuals go though and how they express it through drawings. It also makes me see different viewpoints of life and experiences people are going through. Despite all individuals having different needs to discover the meaning of life, there are certain things that all individuals require to enhance the meaning of life like: Hope Inspiration Goals High self esteem. What types of things curb the experience of meaning in life? Many individuals curb their experiences of the meaning in life due to: No inspiration or goals and failure: If an individual constantly fails and has  no potential and inspiration of achieving his goals may feel ineffective and hopeless. They may start feeling that they have no purpose in life and life is completely meaningless for them. Loss of loved ones: loss of a loved one through death or divorce may affect an individual mentally and emotionally. They may feel the are not loved and do not belong anywhere as their loved one does not exist anymore. The loss brings suffering and misery which makes an individual believe that like if meaningless. Lastly, experiences like these pushes an individual to have a low self esteem and become reserved (REF). Personal Reflection: If individuals are not open, emotionless or afraid to be seen as themselves due to low self esteem cannot enhance their meaning of life and hence would curb this experience. As an artist, my goal is to become an art teacher and help other children to express their feelings through painting if they cannot through words. However, I have a clear goal and always have been inspired by my father to attain this goal. If I had a low self esteem and did not believe in myself, I would have no hope hence that would curb the search of meaning of life as I would feel I am worthless Practical steps to enhance the experience of a meaningful life As mentioned above, many individuals curb their experiences of the meaning in life due to low self esteem, no inspiration, no goals and being reserved. However, they can enhance their experience firstly by accepting and believing in themselves. This would help them make a contribution to life and share their best. According to (REF) self-destructive behaviour can be conquered by increasing self-efficacy and self-esteem. This can be done through counselling so that they can start believing in themselves. Individuals who need the sense of belonging to experience the meaning of life should try and fit in and socialize with people they are close to and have good relationships with them all. Furthermore, individuals who are trying to attain a specific goal should always reward themselves every time they are a step closer towards the goal. This would keep them motivated and not lose hope. Personally, I enhance my experience by acknowledging the  great artists and how they are an inspiration to other young artists. Conclusion Finally as mentioned there is no specific meaning of life. All individuals need to meet different types of needs such as the need of belonging, experiencing life threatening incidents, need of autonomy and self efficacy to experience the meaning of life. An individual’s perception, values, needs and feelings centre him and help in organizing the world around him. Feelings help in expressing oneself. If an individual has a great skill in expressing himself, he can change the larger world. Great artists found expressions in their art work which helped them change the world that came after them. The creations around us are the different individuals trying to express themselves and their experiences of the meaning of life. All the inhibitors that we posses such as low self esteem and inner struggles should be resolved to make life more creative and enhance the meaning of life.

Analysis Of Renewable Energy Sector In Australia Marketing Essay

Analysis Of Renewable Energy Sector In Australia Marketing Essay Introduction In this century, the water usage of households is increasing in a rapid rate. This implies that hot water usage would increase directly as well. Electric and gas water heater are the common heating system, and renewable energy is not commonly used. Due to the high level of usage of electric and gas water heater, unwanted gas emission increases rapidly and killing the earth. Therefore, people are encouraged to be more environmental friendly to save the earth by reducing gas emission. To replace electric and gas water heater, solar water heating systems and heat pumps are encouraged to be used, as they are using the renewable energies that are available in Australia to generate electricity without causing any harm to the environment. Part 1. Industry Analysis of Renewable Energy Sector in Australia. This section includes the macroenvironment and microenvironment of Australias renewable energy devices. Macroenvironment Microenvironment Company Supplier Distributors Competitors Customers Political/Legal Environment Economic Social Technological The Marketing Environment Macroenvironment can be very large and can be grouped with the PESTLE model (political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal and environment). West, D, Ford, J Ibrahim, E 2010 Legal: According to Kent, A Mercer, D 2006, a political organization, Australias mandatory renewable energy target (MRET) has been established since April 2001 in order to encourage the additional generation of electricity from renewable sources, reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and ensure that renewable energy sources are ecologically sustainable (Renewable Energy (Electricity)  Act  2001, s3). The legislation (the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000) places a legal liability on most wholesale purchasers of electricity and large users to contribute proportionally towards the annual targets that increase to 9,500 GWh in 2010 and remain at that level until the measure expires in 2020. If they fail to meet required targets of renewable energy purchase, they face a penalty. Penalty could be avoided by purchasing renewable energy certificate through the market. Political: Political issues such as the changes of political party or decisions could bring influence to an industry. According to Reuters, the parliament had passed the amendments to the nations renewable energy target scheme, splitting it into by small-scale and large-scale. The large-scale Renewable Energy Target will benefit renewable energy companies that have stockpiled cheap certificates. Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) has been introduced to help household and small businesses with installation of eligible renewable energy systems, such as solar water heater (Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2010). The Solar Homes and Communities Plan helped Australian homes and communities reduce their energy use and bills and better the environment. It successfully installed more than 100,000 systems as of the end of  April 2010 and  helped to increased accredited solar panel installers over the last year to more than 1,900. Technological Factors: Report from Ferguson, M, 2010; In order to support Australias response to climate change, the Australian Government announced it will provide $652.5 million as Renewable Energy Future Fund (REFF); to provide additional support for the development and deployment of large and small scale renewable energy projects. There are also further investment decisions of $110.5 million for existing renewable energy programs such as $92 million for Australian Centre for Renewable Energy funding for solar projects under the Renewable Energy Demonstration Program to build a 23MW1  solar boost to coal-fired turbines in western Queensland; and build a 40MW concentrated solar thermal demonstration plant in South Australia, by using Australias own Big Dish technology; and $18.45 million for Australian Solar Institute as fund for research into advanced solar energy technologies. Moreover, Australia has one of the best renewable energy resource bases in the world such as solar, wind, geothermal, sugar cogeneration and ocean technology. Australia has been the industry leader in a number of solar technologies such as Photovoltaics(PV), solar thermal technologies and solar concentrator systems. Australia also provides support for International Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Initiatives. Economic Factors: Energy Matters 2009 shows that Australias renewable power generation provides around 8% of electricity consumed in Australia, gas provides 14%, oil 1% and coal 77%. In capacity terms, 8,229 MW of renewable power generation (254 projects) were in place at 31 December 2005 that was 16% of total installed capacity in Australia. According to a 2005 survey undertaken by the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), the renewable energy industry in Australia supports the direct employment of nearly 6,000 people. Moreover, according to the Climate Institute, 26,000 job opportunities would be available from the $31 billion worth of renewable energy investments planned for Australia. This includes almost 2,500 new permanent positions, over 15,000 construction jobs and more than 8,600 indirect jobs in supporting sectors. Barton, ACT 2004 mentioned that Australian Government had spent about $50 billion on energy each year, while energy exports earn more than $24 billion a year. The sector involves massive, long-lived capital items such as electricity plants, transmission lines, coal, oil and gas production facilities, pipelines, refineries, wind farms as well as a multitude of smaller facilities such as wholesale and retail distribution sites. Following West, D, Ford, J Ibrahim, E 2010, Porters five forces model used to illustrate the microenvironment: Competitive Rivalry: There are several successful firms in renewable energy industry. (taken from Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy, 2006) Solahart Pty Ltd is the first manufacturer and a recognised leader in the field of solar water heating. It was the first product that carried the European Solar Keymark label. Solahart has been officially recognized by the Australian Government with Export Dedication and Enterprise Awards (Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy, 2006). According to Warren, M 2007, Solahart heavily dominates about 70 per cent of total Australian solar hot water market share through its leading brands Rheem, Solahart and Edwards. The next biggest player is household consumer supplier GWA International with its Dux and EcoSmart brands and followed by Rinnai/Beasley. Substitutes: A guide from choice online 2010, states electric and gas water heater as substitutes. Electric water heater prevails because electric supply is on 24 hours with day-rate systems which only receive power during the day. There are also night-rate systems, receiving power only during the night, suitable for households with solar-powered systems to avoid paying high day-rate tariffs. Gas is also a substitute available throughout the day and it can replace heat losses in a short time. Buyer: (Graph taken from Clean Energy Council 2009) (Graph taken from Clean Energy Council 2009) (Graph taken from Clean Energy Council 2009) The graphs above show that only 7.6% of Australian households are using solar water heating, with Northern Territories leading at 55%, followed by Western Australia at 21.8%. This data indicates solar usage at rural areas where access to gas and electricity supply can be limited. Therefore, they are compelled to use solar power rather than it being optional like their city counterparts such as Victoria (3%) and New South Wales (5.7%). The majority of the nation is using electricity (46%) or gas (37%) to heat up their water. This is both costly and a waste of unrenewable resources such as coal, which is heavily used to generate electricity in Australia (World Nuclear Association, 2010). In line with the Australian Governments initiative to reduce carbon emissions, this shows promising potential for solar water heating seeing as solar power is a green and renewable source of power (Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, 2010). Part 2. Segmentation Cluster analysis is a group of multivariate techniques which main purpose is to classify objects in such a way that within-group differences are minimized and between-group differences are maximized according to some grouping variable. Cluster analysis is used in this segmentation part in order to define the clear and distinct consumer needs; also to list in order of importance the attribute or needs of product for Solarharts heat pump to consumer. Demographic Family Size of Australias Household (graph taken from Australian Institute of Family Studies 2006) A research from Australian Institute of Family Studies shows the average household size and number of households between 1911 to 2006. The graph shown that the average household size is in decreasing rate, while the number of households is in the rising rate. (table taken from Australian Institute of Family Studies 2006) The statistics above show that the number of household size in 2006 is about 7,596,000 which is almost 2,000,000 more compare to 1991. The average household size is remain constant since1996 which is around 2.6 person per household. Impact of household size, behaviour and geographic to Usage Rate of Hot water Refer to Harrington, L 2010, Hot water consumption is also affected by a whole range of demographic factors. Household size is the main factor as it refers to age of household members. For instance, teenagers tend to have a longer shower time. On the other hand, the presence of kids in households also consume a high level of water due to the use of bathtubs and also more washing loads compared to households without young children. However, household income could affect the level of use of water. Other factors that affect the hot water consumption include the behaviour of household members. For instance, the showering frequency and the flow rates and duration. The more frequent the household members shower and if the flow rate is set on the highest and also they are showering for a longer time, the level of water usage would be very high. In addition, the frequency use of dishwasher, the water levels settings and the preferred washing temperatures on the clothes washer will also affec t the hot water consumption in household. On the other hand, the selection of hot water system could be influenced by some minor demographic and geographical factors such as households, which have access to gas, they would prefer to have gas heaters. The water levels settings and the preferred washing temperatures on the clothes washer will also affect the hot water consumption in household. On the other hand, the selection of hot water system could be influenced by some minor demographic and geographical factors such as households, which have access to gas, they would prefer to have gas heaters. Furthermore, large household would need more hot water supply and therefore, large hot water systems would be preferred. Whereas, for those rental houses, they tend to focus on high operating rates and therefore, they would choose to get other conventional systems with low purchase cost. Restricted choices are available for apartments as solar systems are impossible. However, households which are located in a hotter place would prefer solar water heating. Behaviour of Consumer making purchase decision According to The ACRS Research Team 2010, different types of consumer have different behaviour. Firstly, the value consumers are those who spend their money wisely and smartly by focusing on what they need instead of what they want. Therefore the product must be worth for its cost. Secondly, the busy consumers are those who simply seek for convenience, speed and simplicity, as time is the most valuable thing to them. And the green consumers are those who are more concerned about environment. This type of consumers is environmental friendly consumers and they are willing to spend more to go green. They also gain some advantages such as traveling less to reach the product. Also there are also the bored consumers who are exposed and buried by various choices as the number of advertisements and promotions are increasing rapidly today. They tend to seek for a more unique products and services. And lastly, the digital consumers are those who are spend most of their time interacting through internet. The sources that could be found through internet improvise the way consumers approach retailers, and they are clear with what they are looking for. Part 3. Targeting Undifferentiated targeting strategy would be used in Solar targeting progress. According to Solahart, consumers of the solar heater water market are mainly household users. A marketing mix (Leader, WG Kyritsis, N 1990) will be designed for the solar water heater product to target all household users in Australia, aiming to increase the market share and to fulfil the governments renewable energy policies to increase the substitution of households with renewable energy devices. The marketing-mix will be tailored to the behaviours and demographic of consumers such as usage rate, income, and consumer behaviour in product attributes. The place and promotion strategy will focus on drawing consumers to approach this renewable energy product and simultaneously increase consumer awareness to green issues. According to consumer behaviour in 2009, consumers tend to be more aware of value; seeking for convenience, speed and simplicity, uniqueness and environmental friendly. The marketing mix strategy will relate to the key components of marketing: product, price, place and promotion. First is the product, encompassing packaging, labelling, product performance or service support. The solar heat pump has several advantages; it is fast and efficient with synergys large compressor that gives quicker recovery, providing hot water faster; easy to use and installation as no solar panel is needed and is equipped with an electric booster to provide a continuous supply of hot water for the cooler climates; valuable in saving electricity bill in the long-run; and lastly environmental friendly as it converts heat from the air to deliver hot water, reducing electricity usage or fossil fuel energy use and the pollution and greenhouse gas emissions associated. This is in line with the efforts of State Governments across Australia in banning the use of electric hot water systems in new homes. Second, the place to distribute the solar heat pump will be through retail chain such as Harvey Norman and Dick Smith. This is known as one level distribution channel (Mantau, U, Merio, M, Sekot, W Welcker, B 2001), where the distribution activities will move from manufacturer to retailer then to consumer. For example, Harvey Norman (intermediary) with a positive retail image could help build consumer trust in a product. Besides that, Solahart (manufacturer) could force goods through channels by giving intermediaries incentives such as higher margin to boost the sales of product. This is known as Push Strategies (Gillespie, A 2001). Intermediaries will be in charge of product service and advertisement efforts. They may also help consumers with claims under the governments renewable scheme for the purchase of solar heat pump. To deal with Internet buyers, Harvey Normans online store could help to promote the product online. Therefore users can easily obtain the specification and information of the solar heat pump and even purchase it on net. Furthermore, Solahart could promote their product through personal selling. The company itself can organize promotion fairs in shopping centres that are always full of potential consumers. This activity could involve salespersons interacting with consumers to bring their attention to environmental issues and supplying product information. Additionally, salespersons can better understand consumer needs and play up the benefits solar heat pumps can offer such as electricity bill-cut to persuade consumers to make the switch. Educating household users with environmental knowledge is important to increase the market share of the product. Solahart could advertise through media such as TV advertisements, newspapers and online websites such as Facebook, Yahoo, CNET Australia, eBay etc. to attract consumer awareness. This could also help portray a positive image for the company and build up brand reputation. 4. Positioning Positioning refers to the placement of product in the perception of product, brand or company in the mind of consumer. (West, D, Ford, J Ibrahim, E 2010) A new position statement Solahart needs to make: [Convince] consumers that they are a green power brand, pioneering in solar water heater industry and the product is extremely energy efficient  and of highest quality. [That] Solaharts heat pump is environmental friendly, secure, durable, with long life-span and effectively provides hot water to household when needed with the most reasonable price. [Because] Solahart is an Australian-owned environmental-friendly brand which is also world recognised as a leading water heating company to fulfil needs of hot water system for consumers with the lowest, most cost-efficient and effective way. Successful criteria for positioning must include the four Cs of positioning such as Clarity in terms of market targeting and differential advantages. The positioning statement above clearly states that Solahart is a pioneer and innovator brand, giving credit to their professionalism and reputation in the product line of solar water heaters (Haig, M 2007). Solaharts innovation could help households to cut both their utility bills and dependency on gas or electric based heater for hot water. There must be Consistency in conveying the message to consumers, including the positioning statement. Solahart is truly an innovator brand, being the first manufacture of solar water heating. It has also been recognized officially by the Australian Government with Export Dedication and Enterprise Awards. Consumer perception of Solaharts Credibility is also important. The companys 55-year experience in supplying thousands of households across 70 has helped build up its brand reputation, where consumers trust the brand in what they are doing. Solahart also has Competitiveness where the companys differential advantages surpass its competitors. Solahart provides extended warranties to their users and provide excellent after-service to their consumers to insure their buyer policy. To increase competitiveness, Solahart could further develop their line to enhance performance or providing more functions and even enhancing appearance to lead to a new fashion of life style in the industry. High Recognition Low Recognition More Market Share Less Market Share * Solahart * Edwards * Rheem * Dux *EcoSmart *Rinnai * Quantum * Solco Perceptual map of Brand Recognition and Market Share of Water Heater Market (West, D, Ford, J Ibrahim, E 2010) A perceptual map could be used by the company to assess its perceptual position in its consumers mind. The perceptual map above shows a variety of water heater brands to give the perception of that particular market segment. The perceptual axels are Brand Recognition Level and Market Share of the main competitors. There are three major groupings shown on the perceptual map. Solahart, Rheem and Edwards are companies in the high recognition group, owning the major market shares in the solar water heater industry. The moderate recognition group are companies with moderate market shares such as Dux, EcoSmart, Rinnai. The last group is the low recognition group with minor market share companies such as Quantum and Solco. Conclusion In conclusion, the industry analysis is to help the company to understand the macro and microenvironment of the renewable energy device market. It shows that there is a large potential of market share in renewable as the Australia Government is very concerned about reducing the gas emission by providing a rebate scheme to support household user to switch to renewable energy device as it is environmental friendly. Besides that, the segmentation, targeting and positioning strategy drive the company to target the right market with right marketing mix strategy and to make sure the company is in appropriate perceptual positioning in consumer minds. As the consumer needs are met, the demand towards the renewable energy devices would increase. Therefore, the aim of the government that is encouraging the use of renewable energy instead of electric and gas will be achieved. Referencing: Kent, A Mercer, D 2006, Australias mandatory renewable energy target (MRET): an assessment, Energy Policy, vol.34, no. 9, pg 1046-1062, Retrieved 18 August 2010, ScienceDirect The National Association of Forest Industries, What is the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target, Retrieved 26 August 2010, Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency 2010,Solar Homes and Communities Plan, Australian Government, Retrieved 26 August 2010, Reuters 2010, Analysis: Australia energy law faces green certificate overhang, Reuters.com, retrieved 18 August 2010, http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66F3HX20100716 Ferguson, M 2010, Australias Biggest Ever Renewable Energy Roll-out, Australian Government, Retrieved 18 August 2010, http://minister.ret.gov.au/TheHonMartinFergusonMP/Pages/!budget_renewable.aspx.html Energy Matters, 2009, 26,000 Renewable Energy Jobs For Australia, Enerygymatters.com, Retrieved 19 August 2010, Barton, ACT 2004, Securing Australias Energy Future, Commonwealth of Australia, Retrieved 19 August 2010, http://www.efa.com.au/Library/CthEnergyWhitePaper.pdf Australian Business Council for Sustainable Energy, 2006 Australias Renewable Energy Use, Technologies and Services, Clean Energy Council Australia, Retrieved 19 August 2010, http://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/cec/resourcecentre/reports/Past-Reports/businchina/mainColumnParagraphs/0/text_files/file0/china2.pdf Solahart 2010, Company History, Solahart Company, Retrieved 19 August 2010, http://www.digal.pt/Digal_I/company.html Edwards Solar Hot Water 2010, About Us, Edwards Company, Retrieved 19 August 2010, http://www.edwards.com.au/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=828 Rheem Australia Pty Ltd 2002, Company History, Rheem Australia, Retrieved 19 August 2010, http://www.rheem.com.au/history.asp Solco Ltd 2010, Solco Corporate, Solco Limited, Retrieved 19 August 2010, Quantum 2010, Welcome to Quantum, Quantum Energy Technologie Retrieved 19 August 2010, http://www.quantumenergy.com.au/home-1.aspx Dux Manufacturing Pty. Ltd 2010, Dux Manufaturing, Retrived 19 August 2010, http://www.dux.com.au/about.htm AquaxMax Water Heather 2010, Retrived 19 August 2010, http://www.aquamax.com.au/ Rinnai 2009, Corporate Information, Retrieved 19 August 2010, Australian Agency for International Development 2000, POWER FOR THE PEOPLE: RENEWABLE ENERGY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, Australian Government, Retrieved 20 August 2010, Choice Online 2010, Hot water options buying guide, Choice.com Australia, Retrieved 20 August 2010, http://www.choice.com.au/Reviews-and-Tests/Household/Energy-and-water/Saving-water/Hot-water-options-buying-guide/Page/Storage-water-heaters.aspx Living-Australia.com 2010, Wages / Salaries Australia, Retrieved 21 August 2010, Australian Institute of Family Studies 2006, Family face and figure, Australian Government, Retrieved 21 August 2010, Harrington, L 2010, Hot Water End-use Measurement, DEWHA, Retrieved 22 August 2010, The ACRS Research Team 2010, The Australian Consumer Trends Report, Monash University, Retrieved 23 August 2010, Mantau, U, Merio, M, Sekot, W Welcker, B 2001, Recreation and environmental markets for forest enterprises, CABI, retrieved 23 August 2010, Google books Gillespie, A 2001, AS A level business studies through diagrams, 2nd edn, Ocford University Press, retrieved 24 August 2010, Google books Leader, WG Kyritsis, N 1990, Fundamentals of marketing, Hutchinson Education, retrieved 24 August 2010, Google books Clean Energy Council 2009, Solar, Australia Government, Retrieved 21 August 2010, http://cleanenergyaustraliareport.com.au/technologies/solar/ Haig, M 2007, Brand Royalty: How the Worlds Top 100 Brands Thrive Survive, Kogan Page Limited, Retrieved 26 August 2010, Google books Warren, M 2007,Solar heating not an easy switch, The Australian, Retrieved 26 August 2010, West, D, Ford, J Ibrahim, E 2010, Strategic Marketing: Creating Competitive Advantage, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press Inc, New York

Essay On Poems :: essays research papers

Essay on 3 Things The three sources I have selected are all based on females. They are all of change and transformation. Two of my selections, "The Friday Everything Changed" by Anne Hart, and "Women and World War II " By Dr. Sharon, are about women’s rites of passage. The third choice, "The sun is Burning Gases (Loss of a Good Friend)" by Cathleen McFarland is about a girl growing up. The first selection of mine was a short story called "The Friday Everything Changed" by Anne Hart. The changes in this story are good in a woman’s point of view. The author Anne Hart talks about her school years in this short story. She talks about how a girl in her class asked a question that changed their lives forever. The question her friend Niles asked was "Why can’t girls go for the water, too?"1. In those days getting the water for the class was a boy’s job. To go out every Friday, to fill the bucket up with water, and bring it back to class. This showed that you were strong, and you also got to have some fun missing half an hour of class. Because the boy’s felt threatened by this question, they started bugging and picking on the girls to make them change their minds. But the girls didn’t, and that is what changed their lives. At the end the teacher did let the girls go for the water, and that was a big change for the girls in those days. To show that they can do what the boys can do. Now the girls also get to miss class getting the water and not only the boys. This short story had a humorous tone to it. For example when the author say’s "are you trying to be saucy , alma?"2 and "Alma threw a bombshell of her own,"3 etc. The second selection of mine was an essay named "Women and World War II " by Dr. Sharon. There were two different changes in this essay that the war created for the women of America, there was a bad change and a good change. The bad change in this essay is that most of the women were left to take care of their families by themselves. They had to find jobs to provide for their families. The good change was that it widened the horizons of American women.

Trinity of Beliefs Essay -- essays research papers

We study different religious faiths in order to understand other people. Many people have strong religious convictions, and it would be impossible to understand them without first understanding their faith. Which is why when studying the early Western World the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which are all closely related, are examined. All three of these religions are Western, they are monotheistic, and together they form the Abramic religions. Judaism is the oldest, dating from around 2000 BC and the most ancient religion still practiced in today's society; Christianity originates from shortly after the death of Jesus Christ; Islam is the youngest, emerging in the seventh century AD. It would appear, then, that Christianity and Islam are descended from Judaism, as different interpretations of the same beliefs. A possible hypothesis is that Christianity and Islam are adaptations of the old monotheistic religion in accordance with the political and social climates of t he times in which they emerged. All three religions share the same ancient history. The importance of Adam, Abraham, Moses and David and many others detailed in the Old Testament, is agreed on by all three religions; however, their view of Jesus' place in the scheme of things is the first major disagreement. The Christians believe him to be the Messiah, which the Jews had waited for for so long, while the Jews and Muslims believe him to be a great prophet and find the claim that he is the Son of God to be blasphemous. This difference of opinion was the chief reason for the bloody break up of the relationship between the Jews and the Christians. At their first emergence the Christians were considered a sect of the Jewish faith by both themselves and other Jews. However, the relationship between the different sects and the rest of the Jewish community became increasingly problematic as Jesus' teachings were considered blasphemous by the Romans. Jesus' all embracing theories and disregard for Jewish law made his movement all the more loathsome to the Jews. This is the primary reason for the stormy relationship between the two religions that were once one; the second reason is due to the manner in which the sect broke away and become a religion in it's own right. This breakaway began with the increasing rejection of Jewish law, for example, of the dietary customs, and when an Emperor... ...ar, even fashionable belief around the Roman Empire at this time, and paganism was fast becoming the religion of the ignorant. However, the diversity of the cultures and pre-existing beliefs in this area meant that not everybody could accept Judaism and the laws and customs that came with it as their single religion. This made sects necessary, and there were a great number of these; Christianity and Islam were the most popular and enduring of them. In today's society, Christianity claims the largest percentage of the world's population, while Islam is the second largest faith. Therefore, although historically Judaism shares a very close relationship with Christianity and Islam, its two main sects have now overtaken it as the world's most popular religions. Today, if a non-Jew, a non-Muslim and a non-Christian came together and examined their faiths, they would find no real faults between them. However, ask any Jew, Muslim or Christian and they will tell you a lot of conflicting b eliefs between the faiths. When, in truth, the faiths are basically one faith all connected in roots, prophets, and beliefs and its not the faiths that are in conflict, but the people of those very faiths.

Personal Narrative Essay - The Ski Trip :: Personal Narrative Essays

The Ski Trip Standing in awe, cold air permeated through my hair. The smell of fresh and minty pine scent complimented the beautiful vantage of the wilderness. With my boots wedged in the snow, a shiver took over my body. This is was a place of peacefulness and tranquility. Never before had I been so close with nature. Facing the north was the vast forest. To the left and right, only the crystal white snow was visible. While looking up, I caught a glimpse of the old ski lift, the solo apparatus which was my passport to this great adventure. All that could be heard was the sweet chirping of birds nestled upon tree branches. "This is indeed a moment to remember." I thought to myself. Being that close to nature could put anyone in a state of nirvana. As I stood admiring the clear blue sky and the world around me, I was interrupted by my friends' constant taunting, "Come on, let's go!" They were not rookies. They had experienced the sport of skiing and the atmosphere around it and were not as enthusiastic toward the surroundings as I was. Their calls became louder, with annoyance. I stepped up to the edge of a great slope. The steepness of this colossal block of snow I stood upon, was frightening. The only was to go was down. I took a deep breath with no worries, for this was not the first time I was confronted with a suicide mission. In a heartbeat, the exhilarating feeling of going downhill on a pair of thin skis took over.

Peer Tutoring Final Reflection Essay

My goals in joining peer tutoring were to have an easy term project assignment and spending one hour each week for studying with my friends in an enjoyable atmosphere, but after a couple of sessions, I discovered that peer tutoring was more than that. With peer tutoring, my motivation for studying has increased a significant amount as well as my grades. The program didn’t only provide me academic success, but it also thought me the best studying skills that I will use for a lifetime. Throughout the program, I experienced both being a tutor and a tutee. Both of them have benefited me in different ways. The day I started my first session, I was not aware of the fact that choosing peer tutoring was one of the best decisions I have made in my academic life. During the after school sessions that I have attended, I worked on English, Mathematics, Biology and Physics. When I was a tutor, answering the challenging questions of my peers and going over the subject over and over again made me comprehend the topic better. While explaining them the subject in different ways, I was also reviewing and studying it. For instance, when a friend of mine asked me the similarities and differences of competitive and incompetitive inhibition, I was able to visualize the types of inhibition in a better way. Looking at the other side of the coin, when I was a tutee, I had the chance to observe my friends’ studying methods. For example, while studying with Beste, I learned that making diagrams and lists are very helpful for science branches. Furthermore, it is easier to ask the things that you don’t understand to your friends. You can ask the same thing over and over again without feeling embarrassed. Besides, I’m an auditory learner. When I worked on a subject with my peers, either listening or explaining, hearing the words made it easier for me to learn. To be honest, I have never studied regularly before. Staying after school for peer tutoring at least once a week forced me to study in a routine. After peer tutoring, I was going home with less work to do and feeling content about the work I have finished. Moreover, I didn’t quite know how to study for the exams. Thanks to peer tutoring, I had chance to observe my friends’ studying methods and apply the most suitable one for me to my own life. For example, I learned to review my notes and rewrite them in shorter phrases on flashcards. They were really easy to review before the exams. In addition, I used to study the night before the exam. Peer tutoring taught me to study days before. For example, I started studying three days before my biology exam. Peer tutoring session was on Friday and the exam was on Monday. Thanks to peer tutoring, I got the best biology grade since the beginning of the year. In other words, peer tutoring increased my grades as well as teaching me studying skills that I can use for my whole life. I studied with my friends which was much easier than studying alone. Just like Henry Ford said, â€Å"Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success. † I thank peer tutoring for bringing me and my friends together, keeping us together and making us work together. And eventually, for making us succeed.

Language Development Within Infants and Young Children Essay

Language is a systematic means of communicating through the use of sounds or conventional symbols. Without language there would be no way of communicating with others. To allow us to be able to use recognisable sounds and symbols to express ourselves, they first have to be taught before humans can utilize them and are continually built upon through ongoing language development. Currently, language development includes a sizeable amount of theory, research, and debate from a variety of fields which include linguistics, psychology, philosophy, sociology, medicine, computers, biology, neurology, speech and language pathology, and education to name but a few. More recently, due to a sudden occurrence of activity in the aforementioned disciplines, there has been a huge leap as far as what is known about language and as a result of the interdisciplinary sharing of information between these groups the quantity of language development theories has increased tenfold. Read more: Essay explain how children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors. Theorists and researchers have lined up to either support the more traditional theories or to develop more diverse and unique descriptions of language which may provide insightful clues into answering some of the existing questions. The number of language development theories is extensive in number and range from Chomsky’s nativist theories (universal grammar, principles and parameters, minimalism, etc. , connectionism, optimality theory, Vygotsky’s social interactionism, Piaget’s cognitive constructivism, information processing theory, neural network models, interactionist approaches such as Bruner’s LASS and Bates and MacWhinney’s functionalism, and models that stress pragmatics, such as speech acts theory and Grice’s conversational maxims. There are then the more philosophical models such as structuralism, semiotics, logical positivism, Frege’s direct reference theory, or Wittgenstein’s picture heory, waning models (such as case grammar, pivot grammar, and the semantic relations approach). There are also many, more recent theories being promoted and debated in specific circles which include Ullman’s dual system’s model, Fodor’s language of thought, Tomasello’s usage based grammar, Jackendoff’s conceptual semantics, and Sperber and Wilson’s relevance theory. All these go to make up a fraction of the theorists database available to the average language student. When thinking in a teaching context it is clear that owing to the copious amount of theories available how, when attempting to use current research and theory in functional practice, any language or class teacher could easily become baffled by the intensity and sometimes complexities contained within the above in addition to the obvious drawback of there being just too vast a number from which to make a decision. Moreover, how one then manages to deliver a single, clearly defined system or theory within their classroom is a task that is far beyond the reach of any typical primary school teacher. However, through personal experiences in addition to past and current teaching trends it is possible to see how language development techniques have progressed from the earliest theories to the most popular and productive techniques in use today. The earliest theory concerning language development assumed that children acquired language through imitation alone as stated by Edward Thorndike (1911) in his connectionism theory which was the original stimulus-response-consequence psychology of learning which has influenced so psychologists today. It is also plainly visible within any nursery or early years setting where by children as young as six months begin to vocalization with intonation in addition to responding to their name, other human voices without visual cues by turning their head and eyes and responding appropriately to friendly and angry tones, this has also been noted through personal parental experiences as well as teaching. However, whilst research has shown that children who imitate the actions of those around them during their first year of life are, generally speaking, those who also learn to talk more quickly; there is also evidence that imitation alone cannot explain how children become talkers. An example from the English language is the simple expression of â€Å"We goed to the Shops† – it is evident here that the child is very cleverly inventing the past tense of ‘go’ based on the rules they have absorbed from their surrounding teachers’. B. F Skinner, the Behaviourist theorist argued that adults shape the speech of children by reinforcing the babbling of infants that sound most like words. (Skinner 1957). In other words, when a parent, carer or teacher shows enthusiasm for something a child tries to say, this should encourage the child to repeat the utterance. In spite of this, even though reinforcement may help, this theory cannot account for children’s inventions of language. Some argue that it is not just hearing language around them that is important; it is the kind of language and whether it is used responsively through following a baby’s input, such as making a noise or gesture. Also, it is clear that babies need to hear language to develop these responses. This point is of great importance in relation to young children with impoverished language experience as it can be a contributing factor as to why so many reception year children are entering the schooling system with an inadequate grasp of the English language. Through personal experience it is evident that young children become amazingly proficient communicators during the first three years of life through the use of noises which only their parents can comprehend. This evolves into simple sign language which again only baby and parent understands; whilst all the time parents, siblings, grandparents, carers and any other significant person within an infants’ scope is constantly reinforcing these movements with their verbal equivalents. Once more this is stated within official documentation within schools in the Birth to Three Matters framework which points out, that babies and infants alike use ‘the hundred languages of children’ – body language (including facial expressions and dance); sign language (their own and family inventions as well as an officially recognised sign language); painting, drawing and mark-making; and oral expression. They have been acutely active listeners since their days in the womb, where they learned to recognise the speech patterns, tunes and tones of the languages used in their home contexts. Again, language development research informs us that young children’s language is influenced by many factors, including having sensitive adults and older children around them who will listen and attend to their expressions and who will use and model appropriate language themselves. This has been called Motherese by researchers and theories led by Cathy Snow. The idea of Motherese (Snow and Ferguson 1977; Trevarthen 1995) the accentuated, tuneful speech from mothers o their babies has been used to explain how aspects of a child’s environment can help or hinder them from talking; however it does not explain the underlying causes of language acquisition. Nevertheless, Motherese does play an important part in the development of conversation with infants and young children as it attracts and holds the attention of babies’ as well as allowing them to participate in enjoyable turn taking exchanges – the beginnings of conversation. Nativist theorists such as Chomsky (1965; 1975) argue that humans are born with an inbuilt Language Acquisition Device (LAD) and are biologically programmed to gain knowledge; he goes onto to state that language then simply emerges as a child matures. He goes onto maintain that ‘the LAD contains knowledge of grammatical rules common to all languages’ (Shaffer et al, 2002). He also proposes the LAD allows children to understand the rules of any language which is native to their existence. He also developed the concepts of ‘transformational grammar, surface structure and deep structure (Matlin, 2005) – transformation grammar is grammar which transforms a sentence; surface structure refers to written words; and deep structure is the underlying message or meaning of a particular sentence’. Slobin (Ferguson and Slobin 1973; Slobin 1985) continued this premise, suggesting that just as newborns come into the world ‘programmed’ to look at interesting, especially moving, objects, so babies are pre-programmed to pay attention to language. Nevertheless, this theory has its inadequacies in that children seem to have great proficiency in acquiring whichever language surrounds them and throughout their first year of life they will gradually discard from their repertoire of vocalisations sounds which they do not hear in the speech of those with whom they spend their lives – but of course the pre-programming does not need to be thought of as tied to a specific language. Like Trevarthen and others, Chomsky indicated the centrality of interactions with familiar adults and older children from the earliest days of life. Parents and practitioners needed time to enjoy ‘protoconversations’, supporting research has shown that treating babies as if they understand talk and involving them in conversational exchanges are essential experiences on which later abilities are founded. This ‘in-built’ ability is currently being built upon within the National Curriculum through the introduction of French into earlier key Stages (KS) such as KS1 and KS2. It has been shown that the nativist theory, to some extent, holds true in that children are more capable of acquiring multiple languages in their earlier years compared to when they being to mature. This is not to say that once children reach a particular age however, that humans can no longer learn a language which is non-native, quite the contrary. In contrast, theorists such as Piaget, Nelson and Sinclair focus more on the behaviour surrounding children and the effects of it. When compared to Chomsky, Slobin and Trevarthen; Piaget argued that language was an example of symbolic behaviour and therefore no different to other learning. A colleague of Piaget: Hermine Sinclair (1971) went onto propose that a child’s ability to nest a set of Russian dolls uses the same cognitive processes involved in the understanding of how sentences come to be embedded within one another. Using this cognitive processing explanation, Nelson (1985) produced theories based on the thinking that language is an extension of the child’s existing meaning making capacity. This seems to fit with the notion that children will generally begin to engage in pretend play at about the same time as their first words are expressed, indicating that they are using symbols in the form of words and also symbolic pretend objects; for example using a block as a pretend cake. This type of learning is clearly evident within the primary classroom especially within literacy and in particular reading when children use pictures within their books to decipher difficult words which are maybe too problematical to make out through phonetical sounding. In addition to this powerful alteration from the biologically-based understanding of human behaviour to the social/cultural explanation of human activity is Vygotsky’s social learning tradition which stressed the importance of opportunities for babies and children to interact with, and observe interactions between, others. This idea is supported by research showing that mothers who behave as if their babies and young children understand language right from the start, make eye contact with them and engage in dialogue, responding to their babies’ reactions (kicking, waving arms, smiling, etc) are laying the foundations of conversation. This progresses as children grow to verbal praises, however, it is again evident within the classroom the children who receive positive physical reinforcement for their achievements through embraces, reward charts and even basic reactions such as looking at a piece of work which the child is proud of, questioning them on their days activities and so. Through this continual interaction, parents retain a constant, ever-progressing dialogue with their child; whilst all the time that child is developing their language skills. In spite of this, having such a wide selection of options often obscures the availability of the best option. As well as this, there are so many theories in existence which offer explanations of hidden processes, that they tend to be so general that teaching assumptions cannot apply across categories of language or from individual to individual. Connectionist ideas may inspire treatment relevant to semantics, such as graphs and webs. An instructor could teach implications and sarcasm as implied in pragmatic theories. Or one may use underpinnings from theory of mind explanations to inspire joint attention and reciprocal turn taking. While these explanations apply to specific parts of language, others do not apply to instruction at all. How for example, could one teach optimality theory to a preschooler? And beyond futuristic gene manipulation, improving universal grammar is impossible. The time and resource limitations involved in using evidence based practice in language therapy have been eloquently discussed in Brackenberry, Burroughs, and Hewitt (2008). Compounding difficulties greatly is the predominance of some theories (nativist) that work from the assumption that because grammar is analogous to an organ that grows, it therefore cannot be taught (Chomsky, 1980). That no one language acquisition theory has been settled upon indicates that no one method of language teaching can currently be deemed the best. Despite this and when considering language development within the classroom it is important to consider as many ideas as possible; as researchers and educational theorists alike have still not decided on an unambiguous form of language development that encompasses how humans develop language. Nevertheless, that is not to say that we, as teachers should therefore ignore what is in front of our eyes, but rather embrace what we have and attempt to create a learning environment which stimulates and captivates the children we teach.

Hope Wireless HR Proposal Essay

In support of launching a total reorganization of Hope Wireless, the third leading wireless company in the United States, the Human Resource Department will review and enhance several processes to include but not limited to staffing, performance appraisal, training and development, total rewards, and organizational behavior and processes. The goal is to transition Hope Wireless from good to great; from not only being an American company but a global company. The goal of this strategic organization proposal is to attract and retain the most qualified employees, improved company performance, customer satisfaction, prevent churn and increase revenue. Employees are Hope Wireless number one resource and a long term investment in employees is a long-term investment for the organization. Part I – Hope Wireless HR Proposal Plan Hope Wireless offers a broad range of wireless and wire line communications services encouraging mobile freedom to consumers, business and government users. By the end of the first quarter 2013, Hope Wireless had served more than 55 million customers with an employee base of approximately 60, 000 people. This is over 15 million more customer than one year ago. Hope Wireless is widely recognized for offering the most innovative technology and cutting edge devices and the most sophisticated network of all mobile carriers. Hope Wireless’s business objective is to position the organization to be the leading wireless company in the telecommunications industry. Hope Wireless is striving to offer world-class customer service, proactively identifying and meeting the wireless needs of customers and to offer benefits unlike any other organization. â€Å"Organizations in which people work affect their thoughts, feelings, and actions in the workplace and away from it. Likewise, people’s thoughts, feelings, and actions affect the  organizations in which they work† (Brief & Weiss, 2002). Over the past five years, Hope Wireless has progressively earned numerous customer service awards but most importantly the American Customer Satisfaction Index award. The American Customer Satisfaction Index group rated Hope Wireless No. 1 amongst all national carriers in most improved customer service particularly over the last four years. â€Å"Customer satisfaction is an important goal for providers of both services and products, and customer surveys are a commonly used instrument for evaluating that satisfaction† (Ammar, Moore & Wright, 2008). Approximately five years ago, Hope Wireless was failing customer service surveys miserably and the customer satisfaction rate was fluctuating between anywhere from 65% to Part I – Hope Wireless HR Proposal Plan 72%. The telecommunications industry customer satisfaction goal is 85% or better. It was obvious across sites, states and countries that employees were not satisfied with their work environment and conditions. A supervisor task force proposed ideas to incite change across the organization. â€Å"Operation Smile† became a nationwide Hope Wireless initiative in addition to the â€Å"Go Fish† campaign. Operation Smile all employees to smile whether it was towards another employee or customer. Everyone in the organization was presented 20 SMILE cards of which agreements were electronically signed that each employee would award any employee they â€Å"caught† smiling. The quality analyst were charge to give a SMILE cards to employees they heard SMILING through the phone. The Operation Smile initiative alone increased the overall customer satisfaction rate by 9%, sometimes higher. Any employee who accumulated increments of 10 or more cards could earn exciting gifts. This was a six-month initiative that cumulated with a grand-prize drawing that varied depending upon the site and locality. The next morale boosting initiative which would have a direct positive impact on organization effectiveness was implementing the â€Å"GO Fish† campaign. Seattle’s Pike Fish market was the source of this idea as they are a living example of the principles supported by this initiative†¦.†being present† and â€Å"making someone’s day†. If an employee was present for the  customer or peer, they were awarded a fish by their supervisor or manager. The receiving employee would solicit a fish for their peer from a supervisor or manager. The quality analyst would award the fish if they witness an employee â€Å"being present† and â€Å"making someone’s day† towards their customer. Part I – Hope Wireless HR Proposal Plan Each team was also given a stuffed fish to throw to the person who received a fish. Whenever the random bell tolled, the person holding the fish would receive an immediate reward, most often a gift card. Just as the SMILE initiative, any employee who accumulated increments of 10 or more fish could earn very exciting prizes. This was also a six month morale boosting plan. Customer satisfaction results have continually progressed and have been maintaining ratings of 85% or better on a monthly basis. Hope Wireless began and continues to see a decrease in churn, decrease in employee turnover, increase in employee relations and retention and a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction. The aforementioned action plans greatly influenced employee morale and encourage positive customer behavior while increasing the effectiveness of the organization. â€Å"The loss of employees is a disruptive event. Organizations often pursue innovative ways to reduce employee turnover, often with limited success† (Murphy & Taylor, 2006). In addition to random initiatives, Hope Wireless offers on-going employee relation and retention resources such as the manager, site director open door policy, human resource specialist, employee assistance hotline, anonymous corporate security hotline and email address and a on-line suggestion box is set up in each site. Hope Wireless needs to supports diversity management by â€Å"ensuring that factors are in place to provide for and encourage the continued development of a diverse workforce by melding these actual and perceived differences among workers to achieve maximum productivity† (Mondy & Mondy, 2008). Hope Wireless needs to offer various employee resource groups in support of sexual preference, gender, race, veteran status, etc. The employee Part I – Hope Wireless HR Proposal Plan resource groups will be voluntary, open to all employees with them not being limited to having access to only one group. The Employee Resource Groups (ERG) will offer many benefits to employees such as unique development and networking opportunities, acquisition of practical skills and mentoring programs. In addition, ERG offers connections with people and information not generally accessible. The aforementioned connections to aid employees in positively impacting the organization by become part of the solution. Association with ERG provides allows employees exposure to company leaders, to serve and volunteer in the community as a representative of the organization and most importantly exposure to and learning about different cultures. Hope Wireless has utilized both internal staffing processes and temporary staffing agencies. Research has suggested employees that were hired on a permanent basis out-performed temporary worker. The permanent workers demonstrated ownership and allegiance to the company coupled with documented higher customer satisfaction ratings. The recommendation is to maintain the internal hiring practice. Hope Wireless is successfully trending in the right direction. The aforementioned initiatives, processes and resources, customer service ratings and referenced awards have aided and proven that Hope Wireless is now offering world-class customer service. In addition, the number of net-adds in one year’s time, demonstrates Hope Wireless’s ability to meet and exceed the mobile needs of customer base. Hope Wireless continues to strive for on-going growth and success. REFERENCES Ammar, S., Moore, D., & Wright, R. (2008). Analyzing customer satisfaction surveys using a fuzzy rule-based decision support system: Enhancing customer relationship management. Journal of Database Marketing & Customer Strategy Management, 15(2), 91-105. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/dbm.2008.2 Brief, Arthur P., & Weiss Howard M., â€Å"Organizational Behavior: Affect in the Workplace†, (2002), pp. 279-307. Mondy, R. W., & Mondy, J. B. (200*) Human Resource Management (10th ed.), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall Taylor, Lloyd J., I., II, Murphy, B., & Price, W. (2006). Goldratt’s thinking process applied to employee retention. Business Process Management Journal, 12(5), 646-670. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14637150610691055 Part II – Hope Wireless Performance Appraisal Hope Wireless offers a broad range of wireless and wire line communications services encouraging mobile freedom to consumers, business, and government users. Performance appraisal methods are essential in support of â€Å"Human Resource planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, career planning and development, compensation programs, internal employee relations and assessment of employee potential† (Mondy & Mondy, 2008). The appropriate performance appraisal method for Hope Wireless, considering the type of organization and the number of employees is the rating scales method. â€Å"The rating scales method is a performance appraisal method that rates employees according to defined factors† (Mondy & Mondy, 2008). â€Å"Performance management systems are effective when they are based on goals that are jointly set and are driven by an organization’s business strategy† (â€Å"What Makes Performance Appraisals Effective?† 2012). Performance appraisal imperatives for Hope Wireless will include: Do It Now (resolve); Delegate & Empower (engage appropriate resource/make a decision); Be Accountable (ownership); Focus on Customers (attentive); Teamwork & Camaraderie (work and win as a team); Compete like Winners (always strive for the top); Develop Yourself & Others (stay abreast of the business policies/procedures; peer-to-peer coaching); Acting with Integrity (adhere to code of conduct) and Have Fun (enjoy what you do). The advantage of the rating scales method is that the process is controlled and uniform. With the large number of individuals employed by Hope Wireless, the rating scales method allow for easy comparison and contrast. ‘The rating scales method allows each employee to be subjected to the same appraisal process and rating criteria, with the same range of responses. Part II – Hope Wireless Performance Appraisal Rating scale methods are easy to use and understand. The concept of the rating scale makes obvious sense; both appraisers and evaluated employees have an intuitive appreciation for the simple and efficient logic of the bipolar scale. The result is widespread acceptance and popularity for this approach† (â€Å"Appraisal Methods†, n.d.). â€Å"Organizational culture change is dynamic and depends on leadership and  management. The concepts of organizational change focusing on process, culture change and leadership, and organizational culture change and the learning organization are central to organizational transformation and will be addressed next† (ConceiÃÆ' §ÃƒÆ' £o & Altman, 2011). â€Å"Training and development is the heart of a continuous effort designed to improve employee competency and organizational performance† (Mondy & Mondy, 2008). The training and development program projected for Hope Wireless will be inclusive of intense focus on the position of the front line employee. The front-line employee is the customer-interfacing employee which directly impacts the organization’s bottom line revenue. While training for the management team and other integral positions is very important, it is the customer interaction of which the organization thrives and allows the other positions to be vital and necessary. Taking into consideration the organization’s mission, goals and corporate plan, the training and development will be created to support the company’s culture. It is also important for Hope Wireless’s training and development plan to support the various job description tasks to include both internal and external customers. The final attribute in the training and development process is each employee’s personal training needs. This can be assessed by compiling knowledge, skills and abilities checklist and having each supervisor/manager administer the survey. Establishing training goals specific to each Part II – Hope Wireless Performance Appraisal Position will ensure effective training in support of expected execution. Goals should include purpose and objectives. Hope Wireless offers 60% instructor led training and development while 40% of the training is via on-line classes for all level of employees. The management staff will also receive enhanced development via team builders, instructor led leadership courses and off-site leadership classes. Career pathing at Hope Wireless will be facilitated through Hope University (HU). Hope University’s goal is to improve business performance innovative tools and resource to ensure on-going learning and development in support organizational success and employee career enhancement. â€Å"As a leader in learning and development, HU creates support tools that effectively  facilitate performer tasks while on the job (such as desktop decision-making tools) and knowledge-management solutions which allow organizations to capture and share their collective knowledge (like discussion forums, blogs, pod casts and case studies). These less traditional solutions are in addition to its more than 3,000 skills and knowledge development offerings and over 2.5 million hours of training delivered annually†(â€Å"Sprint†, n.d.) At Hope Wireless each employee is ultimately responsible for their career plan, with their manager’s and leader’s support. With expertise in performance support, development, and delivery, the HR staff has the knowledge and hands-on experience to help each employee reach their full potential through innovative and engaging solutions. On-line job development courses and interactive training classes are optional and available to any employee to be scheduled at Part II – Hope Wireless Performance Appraisal their leisure. The HR staff will provide assistance in identifying the appropriate classes in support reaching one’s career goals. Effective succession planning is the reward of training and development and career pathing. Both training and development and career pathing should be developed and executed with succession planning in the blueprint. Hope Wireless succession plan would include promoting from within as the potential candidate will be prepared to transition into the open position fully armed with the organization’s mission, goals and expectations. It will be important to focus on those individual who demonstrate the ethics, value and integrity of which the Hope Wireless culture represents. Potential leaders will be identified, partnered with existing leadership and provided the resources to enhance strong skillsets and enhance areas of opportunity. Company career goals will be identified along with the potential candidate identifying their personal career goals. Hope Wireless will extend every effort to fill key positions from within to enhance employee morale, avoid negative business impact and ensure continual career advancement. Part II – REFERENCES Appraisal Methods. Retrieved from http://www.performance-appraisal.com/ratings.htm ConceiÃÆ' §ÃƒÆ' £o, S., C.O., & Altman, B. A. (2011). Training and development process and organizational culture change. Organization Development Journal, 29(1), 33-43. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/862094636?accountid=35812 http://linked2leadership.com/2013/04/01/10-steps-to-create-a-killer-succession-plan/ Mondy, R. W., & Mondy, J. B. (2008) Human Resource Management (10th ed.), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall Sprint. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sprint.com What Makes Performance Appraisals Effective? (2012, October). Sage Journals, 44(4), 191-200. Retrieved from http://cbr.sagepub.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/content/44/4/191 Part III – Hope Wireless Compensation Plan â€Å"Compensation is the total of all rewards provided employees in return for their services† (Mondy and Mondy, 2008). In support of meeting and exceeding Hope Wireless’ business objectives, a comprehensive compensation and incentive plan will be outlined as follows for the front line customer-interfacing employees. Hourly rate for customer service (CS) agents is $12.00 per hour based on the average industry hourly pay of $10 per hour. Overtime will be paid at one and one half hours for every hour worked over 40 hours. This does not include vacation hours, specifically worked hours. Bonus compensation will be paid when the criteria has been met as outlined in the bonus plan for each group. Paid time off (PTO) will accrue at the follow rate: tenure of one to three years will accrue two weeks of PTO; tenure of four to six years will accrue three weeks of PTO and tenure of six plus years will accrue five weeks of PTO. Each employee will only be able to carry-over 40 hours of PTO at the end of each calendar year. Every year each employee will accrue two eight hour floating holidays for personal use, which are not transferrable. CS agents will begin with a balance of 140 HAP (Hope Attendance Points) to be used for unscheduled absences. A five to eight hour unscheduled absence will result in deduction of 10 HAP. An unscheduled absence of four or less hours will result in a deduction of five HAP. Business impact days that are designated by Workforce, will have a double point deduction. Those days will be  identified at least two weeks prior to applicable timeframe. The aforementioned benefits and compensation are in support of employee satisfaction, retention and securing employees commitment to the organization. The CS agents will be Part III – Hope Wireless Compensation Plan provided a comprehensive outline of the PTO/HAP policies to include unacceptable HAP balances, the consequences of exhausting all balances including PTO and HAP, etc. The CS agents will also have the option of enrolling in medical insurance of which Hope Wireless will remit 70% of the premium. The CS agents will also have the option of dental and optical insurance where Hope Wireless will remit 70% of the premium. Employees will also have the option to participate in pre-tax flex-spending accounts. A self- initiated pre-tax monetary amount will be deducted from each paycheck and placed in a fund for medical/co-pay expenses for the employee and covered relations enrolled in the medical insurance program. This is a great savings and perks for the employees. Hope Wireless offers all employees an exciting 401K plan of which Hope Wireless matches dollar for dollar up to five dollars per pay period. Stock options are also available in addition to the 401K plan, both of which will be outline on the company’s intranet benefit site. Enrollment in 401K and stock options are available year-round. Tuition reimbursement is available for courses applicable to customer service/leadership/management and will be paid up to 90% for two courses annually after outlined criteria is met and approved by his/her manager. Criteria can be found on Hope Wireless’ intranet benefit site. Base pay increases are performance based and will be determined yearly once the employee has been rated by Supervisor via the annual performance review. The pay increases will be based on current rate per hour, performance rating and active corrective actions and performance action plans. Pay increases will be com mensurate with current industry standards at the time of the rating. Part III – Hope Wireless Compensation Plan The Human Resource team has rendered extensive research of surrounding call centers, conducted surveys of sister sites and concluded the outlined  compensation plan is inclusive of the most desired benefits of the most tenured employees who consistently exceed performance goals. The targeted employees also have consistently exceeded customer expectations per customer surveys. HR’s partnership with middle management is also a key element to successful operations and employee retention. HR will also outline a process of which middle management can execute separate and apart from the aforementioned proposal. â€Å"Practical strategies for supervisors include clearly identifying role responsibilities, implementing flexible scheduling, supporting role integration, applying job sharing principles, and remembering to reward and recognize employees†(Winterstein, Mazerolle & Pitney, 2011). Hope Wireless’ mission is to exceed the expectations of every customer who is in contact with the site. In order to enjoy such a reputation, every employee has to be engaged, empowered, committed, satisfied in their role and have allegiance to the organization and their team leads. Meeting performance expectations will allow each employee their hourly base pay. Surpassing performance expectations invites the opportunity to earn a bonus. WOWING every customer, owning the business, caring about your co-worker, volunteering in the community on behalf of the organization, etc. earns rewards and recognition. Recognizing employees for a job well done is more important than many leaders realize. Employees often times provide feedback via company surveys that their manager only meet with them to share/discuss poor performance. Being â€Å"caught in the act† of outstanding performance/behavior is a pay-off for the organization that is immeasurable. Great behavior Part III – Hope Wireless Compensation Plan breeds great behavior. Receipt of recognition in front of an employee’s peers not only enhances one self-esteem but often times deem an employee a subject matter expert. A go to person. â€Å"Since managers prefer to keep their good performers and employees that they like, it is important to understand their treatment of those individuals in promoting their desired continued personal development† (Adams, 2005). Hope Wireless will not only engage in  on the spot â€Å"Caught in the Act† positive feedback cards issued by an employee’s manager, the use of â€Å"Caught in the Act† certificates, posters and emails will also be initiated. Certificates will be presented in team meetings; posters will be posted in the team work area and emails will be sent to recognized employee with the entire team copied. Hope Wireless Trinkets will also be available to the management team in addition to the creation of the Hope Wireless Fun committee. The Hope Wireless Fun committee will be charged with engaging a mix of employees to create and execute fun activities for the site to reward and motivate employees such as team prizes for the best performers, best customer service surveys, etc. Hope Wireless is committed to working and winning as a team and to have the best team of employees in the wireless industry. REFERENCES Adams, S. M. (2005). Positive Affect and Feedback-Giving Behavior. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(1), 24-42. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview Mondy, R. W., & Mondy, J. B. (2008) Human Resource Management (10th ed.), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall Winterstein, A. P., Mazerolle, S. M., & Pitney, W. A. (2011). Workplace environment: Strategies to promote and enhance the quality of life of an athletic trainer. Athletic Training & Sports Health Care, 3(2), 59-62. doi:http://dx.doi.org Part IV – The Cultural Change The senior leaders of Hope Wireless prides themselves on being one of the top three wireless leaders. Hope Wireless has won sundry service awards and achieve many honors for most improved customer service. In addition, Hope Wireless offers innovative and competitive wireless devices of which the other wireless providers have been unable to match. While many of Hope Wireless’s policies and procedures will be addressed and enhanced as a result of this proposal, the last enhancement proposal is in support of the internal culture of the organization. The previous site director allowed employees to dress down daily. Dressing down allows denim, flip-flops, shorts, hats, etc. Employees who are dressed down are more relaxed and come across as such when speaking to customers lending to an unprofessional  environment and poor customer service interactions. A recent event involving an employee who had placed their sweatshirt hood on and laid their head on the desk while waiting on a call is the final motivation for the proposed change. While sleep, several customers came onto the sleeping employee’s line and dropped when no one responded. This resulted in an impact in customer service and service level. The news of the termination of the employee was wide-spread amongst the agent’s peers. This was the first step towards awareness that the organization will take immediate reaction to negative impact caused by an employee. â€Å"When people in an organization realize and recognize that their current organizational culture needs to transform to support the organization’s success and progress, change can occur. But change is not pretty and change is not easy† (Heathfield, n.d.). Part IV – The Cultural Change The first cultural change proposal is to initiate a change to the current dress code policy from daily dress down to dress down Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays ONLY, unless otherwise specified. Currently, employees are only required to wear professional business attire when corporate visitors are expected on-site. The proposed normal day to day dress requirement will be business casual. Business casual dress guidelines will require men to wear collared shirts, khaki or dress pants and no tennis shoes or sandals. Business casual dress guidelines will require women to wear non- provocative, non-tight-fitting clothing void of denim and stretch material. Denim will not be allowed for either women or men. Women or men will not be permitted to wear shorts on business casual days. Women’s skirts and dresses must be knee length and the women’s shoe requirement will require dress shoes, no tennis shoes or flip flops. â€Å"Top-down attempts to change organization culture have a number of unintended consequences, amongst which is an emotional fall-out that becomes manifested in higher rates of absenteeism† (Carr, 2002). Human Resource has elected to release management of the task of owning and communicating this change. Employee focus groups will be formed to access to proactive strategize the most effective communication and reaction to opposition toavoid   negative impact to business. Agent dissatisfaction often translate to poor performance and reliability in call centers. Severe opposition is expected in response to this proposed change. The tentative initial communication to employees will be socialized to employees in team meetings by members of the employee focus group. Often times, peer buy-in lends to continued peer buy-in to change in an organization. In support of the opposition, Human Resources will also partner Part IV – The Cultural Change With the Communication team to begin sending out catchy, funny emails and launch internal television advertisements of the dress code change to occur in 30 days. The â€Å"why† documents will be drafted to include the goal of delivering superior, professional customer service. Anonymous pictures will be included of relaxed desk posture of agents who are dressed down versus those who are dressed business casual. Relaxed posture translate to relaxed conversations. Human Resources will also be prepared to hold optional brown bag meetings to share â€Å"relaxed† remote quality observations where unprofessional customer service was rendered versus calls observed on a professional dress day. Human Resources will set the expectation that the Management team will be held accountable to execute this change and maintain application and consistency of the policy change. All policy amendments are supported by 30 day adaptation grace period after which the following reaction will be instituted. Management will render a documented verbal warning for the 1st dress code violation. The 2nd dress code violation will result in the employee being sent home to change with an impact to pay for the time missed and documented warning. The 3rd dress violation will result in a 1st written warning and will continue to progress to termination. Human Resources will be open for feedback will be open to negotiate with employees holistically to encourage receptiveness to the dress code change. â€Å"Timing can be crucial. Conflict tends to develop through stages, from awareness that differences exist to a hardening of attitudes and, possibly,  open hostility† (â€Å"Abc of Conflict and Disaster: Approaches to Conflict Resolution,† 2005). The employee focus group will be the first reaction to conflict of which employees will be encouraged to provide open and honest feedback to and amongst their peers. Part IV – The Cultural Change This will provide an immediate forum for employees to react versus allowing dissatisfaction and conflict fester and result in unnecessary and avoidable conflict.  The aforementioned changes outlined in this proposal outline a cultural change that lends to effective start-up, encourage growth, prevent decline, encourage renewal and upward mobility and prevent death of the organization. CONCLUSION The Human Resource planning and partnership outlined in the aforementioned proposal will institute efficient, effective, consistent, and revenue impacting operations. The Human Resource team for Hope Wireless has prepared the blueprint to propel the organization to becoming the #1 wireless leader in the industry. REFERENCES Abc Of Conflict And Disaster: Approaches To Conflict Resolution. (2005, August). BMJ: British Medical Journal , 331(7512), 344-346. Retrieved from http://av4kc7fg4g.search.serialssolutions.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com Carr, A. (2002). Organisational culture: Organisational change? Journal of Organizational Change Management, 15(4), 425. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/197601624?accountid=458 Heathfield, S. (n.d.). How to Change Your Culture: Organizational CultChange. About.com Guide, (), Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/organizationalculture/a/culture change.htm

Afropithecus - Facts and Figures

Afropithecus - Facts and Figures Name: Afropithecus (Greek for African ape); pronounced AFF-roe-pith-ECK-us Habitat: Jungles of Africa Historical Epoch: Middle Miocene (17 million years ago) Size and Weight: About five feet tall and 100 pounds Diet: Fruits and seeds Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; relatively long snout with large teeth About Afropithecus Paleontologists are still trying to sort out the complicated relationships of the early African hominids of the Miocene epoch, which were some of the first true apes on the prehistoric primate evolutionary tree. Afropithecus, discovered in 1986 by the famous mother-and-son team of Mary and Richard Leakey, testifies to the ongoing confusion: this tree-dwelling ape had some anatomical features in common with the better-known Proconsul, and it also seems to have been closely related to Sivapithecus as well (a genus to which Ramapithecus has now been assigned as a separate species). Unfortunately, Afropithecus isnt as well attested, fossil-wise, as these other hominids; we do know from its scattered teeth that it fed on tough fruits and seeds, and it seems to have walked like a monkey (on four feet) rather than an ape (on two feet, at least some of the time).

Free Essays on Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is one of the most popular instructional strategies used in education. There are five defining elements of cooperative learning: Positive interdependence- a sense of sink or swim together. Face-to-face promotive interaction- helping each other learn and applauding success and efforts. Individual and group accountability- each of us has to contribute to the group achieving its goals. Interpersonal and small group skills- communication, trust, leadership, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Group processing- reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better. When organizing students into cooperative learning groups it has a strong effect on learning, even if the groups don't compete among each other. Three generalizations can be used to guide the use of cooperative learning. 1. Organizing groups based on their ability levels should be done sparingly. When grouping students they benefit the most when they are grouped with homogeneously. That is with the exception of low ability students they perform better when they are grouped heterogeneously. 2. Cooperative groups should be kept rather small in size to be more effective. 3. Cooperative learning should be applied consistently and systematically, but not overused. It is reported that grouping strategies are most effective when they are used at least once a week. It can often be misused when the tasks are not well structured or overused when students are not given time to master the skills and processes independently first. There are three ways to vary the grouping patterns within your classroom. One way is informal grouping such as pair sharing or turn to your neighbor that may only occur for a short period of time. Formal groups are more designed to give students enough time to complete a complex task. The last way is to use base groups, which are long term groups su... Free Essays on Cooperative Learning Free Essays on Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning is one of the most popular instructional strategies used in education. There are five defining elements of cooperative learning: Positive interdependence- a sense of sink or swim together. Face-to-face promotive interaction- helping each other learn and applauding success and efforts. Individual and group accountability- each of us has to contribute to the group achieving its goals. Interpersonal and small group skills- communication, trust, leadership, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Group processing- reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better. When organizing students into cooperative learning groups it has a strong effect on learning, even if the groups don't compete among each other. Three generalizations can be used to guide the use of cooperative learning. 1. Organizing groups based on their ability levels should be done sparingly. When grouping students they benefit the most when they are grouped with homogeneously. That is with the exception of low ability students they perform better when they are grouped heterogeneously. 2. Cooperative groups should be kept rather small in size to be more effective. 3. Cooperative learning should be applied consistently and systematically, but not overused. It is reported that grouping strategies are most effective when they are used at least once a week. It can often be misused when the tasks are not well structured or overused when students are not given time to master the skills and processes independently first. There are three ways to vary the grouping patterns within your classroom. One way is informal grouping such as pair sharing or turn to your neighbor that may only occur for a short period of time. Formal groups are more designed to give students enough time to complete a complex task. The last way is to use base groups, which are long term groups su...