Explain the impact of Jesus upon the world of his day and today’s society. Essay

In the beginning of John’s gospel there is a description of Jesus as ‘The Word’. Verse 2 ‘He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him. ’ Later in the same chapter John says ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. ’ If that is true then Jesus was involved in the act of creation and so we must say that his impact is total. During his lifetime Jesus’ impact would have been relatively small – no media circus to follow him about and publicize his words and actions. He met thousands in a relatively small area, rather than millions world wide, and then, as now, he made both a positive and a negative impact upon individuals. H e would have been less well known than some modern figures such as Gandhi or Winston Churchill. But in Matthew 28 verse 19 and 20 Jesus tells his disciples to go to all nations and make disciples. This order, known as the Great Commission , was carried out by his followers in the years that ensued and they took the gospel message all round the world. Today, according to Adherents Web site there are estimated to be 2. 1 billion people who claim the name Christian, 33% of the world’s population, though it must be admitted that the title Christian means slightly different things to different groups, and has done throughout history. There are various calendars in operation in today’s world. Islam and Judaism for instance count the years differently for religious purposes, but for business purposes as well as religious ones, most of the world counts the years from the approximate date of Jesus’ birth. I have not yet discussed the spiritual impact, but this has been tremendous. Because of Jesus missionaries have explored the world, children have been educated and lives have been changed. The impact hasn’t always been a positive one, as when there have been differences between religious groups, both within Christianity and between Christians and those of other groups. In some parts of the world the impact is lessening, but in others it rises rapidly. Jesus continues to make a difference.

Deconstruction Final

Leadership's contingency theory focuses on the importance of a leader related to heir situation, (Morehouse 2010, p. 123); transformational theory focuses on a process that changes and transforms people, (Morehouse 2010, p. 200); and authentic leadership focuses on leadership being morally grounded and responsive to needs, (Morehouse 2010, p. 237). Aristotle Rhetoric discusses how a leader must be able to observe and discern what persuasion might be effective using deferent internal arguments. Aristotle defines pathos as emotions of the listener, ethos as character of the speaker and logos as logic or reason.Leaders must master rhetoric skills In both written and verbal communications to succeed. Immunization that strikes a positive chord with the listener Is Important in order to guide a team to achieve a goal. Each leader in 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society had a clear goal and understood how to drive their group that goal. 12 Angry Men is in a sass's courtroom, where 12 men fro m various backgrounds and different personalities, find themselves deciding the fate of a teenage boy accused of murdering his father.The vote must be unanimous and without doubt, with a guilty verdict resulting in the death of the young man facing trial. Dead Poets Society Is In a 1 puffs all male boarding school, (Walton Academy), which prides Itself on excellence, tradition, honor, and discipline. Walton Is rolled In Its' educational methods and Is not open to today's ‘talking outside the box' mentality. John Keating is a new poetry professor and a Walton alumnae, who wants to Inspire Nils young men to KICK at ten world Transiently, to â€Å"suck ten marrow out AT life†, (Oxford University Press USA, 2011), and find their own place in the world.With 12 Angry Men, Juror #8, (Fond), was not the assigned Jury leader but emerged as the primary leader within minutes of the group sequester. Fond's situation allowed his leadership traits to apply with success. Fond's leader ship was due to his ethical need for a Jury decision without reasonable doubt. Fond is authentic when presenting his reasoning for the not guilty vote. After casting the single not guilty vote, Fond used inductive reasoning to ask questions that triggered a battery of emotional and logical discussions ensuing internally and externally with each man.Fond appealed to each of the 11 other Jurors by asking probing questions and his first being â€Å"l Just want to talk†¦. Let's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first† (Lumen, 1957). This inductive statement is also an appeal to emotions of others, asking them to engage before making such a pivotal life decision. Fond was using pathos or emotions to persuade. This results in the group allowing a one-hour deliberation before taking a second vote. Fond requested the second vote be secret ballot, showing his supportive skill, to allow those not quite comfortable to vote their conscience .Juror #9, (Sweeney), is the first to change his vote to not guilty, basing it solely upon Fond's single stand signifying character the eldest of the group. Fond was using ethos or hereafter to persuade. After Sweeney's not guilty vote, Fond continues his appeal using logical arguments, presented in a manner that promote respect of others, statements as â€Å"suppose that†¦. † And â€Å"is it possible. Fond is appealing to those quieter, possibly of lower social status and unsure to voice their thoughts.Fond's rhetoric of emotion, character, and logic appeals to each Juror in differently and draws them into to his goal of discussing the trial and ensuring their decision is without doubt. Fond begins to gain their respect and supportive input into the discussions. Juror #5, (Clunking), relates to the accused as he grew up in similar situation and once he moved to reasonable doubt, assists in logically arguments with how a switchblade knife is used. Clunking physically ac ts out how a person would use a switchblade. Fond transforms other Jurors into leaders and supporters of reasonable doubt argument.Fond questions the fact that the knife used to kill the father is unique, he wonders if there could be other similar knives to the group. The knife that killed the father is brought to the Jurors and as the group discuss its' uniqueness. Fond resents a second knife identical to the knife of evidence. This one act of logic presents reasonable doubt. Another example of logical argument is the eyeglass marks on the female witnesses' nose. The female witness identifies the young man at night as the murderer; noise awoke her and she saw the young man from her window. The female witness had nose marks but no glasses during the trial.Fond asks Juror #4, (Marshall), who wears eyeglasses if anything else besides glasses could make nose marks like found on the female witness. Marshall says no. As Fond gathers support, en moves Trot Inactive to actively reasoning W alt social arguments, presents more passion and his own thoughts causing reasonable doubt. An example of his passion is specific to El train argument. Fond goes to great lengths on asking if someone is able to hear other noises over the El Train, if there was enough time for the elderly male witness to make it from his bed to the door while the El Train passed.Fond counts off the length the elderly male witness would have to walk from his bedroom to the apartment door, would the old man be able to make the distance in the time of the El train passing. This is an appeal to logic and contradicting to the witnesses' statement. Fond exhibits contingency theory aspects, maneuvering through the discussions with the other Jurors, due to his position of power because of logical arguments. Fond rewards or punishes Jurors based on their level of support with his attention level.Fond accepted a cough drop from Juror #2, (Fiddler), but refused gum from juror #7, (Warden); offered water to Sween ey but not to Juror #10, (Begley). 12 Angry Men is biased in presentation, (I. E. All white male Jury, Puerco Rican/ minority accused, effectiveness of America's Judicial system, Juror personal biases), and within some of Fond's arguments, (I. . Ignoring some aspects of discussions). Each Juror also brought some personal bias to the story: Juror #g's (Cob) intolerance of most anything or Juror #ass's, (Begley), racists aspect of us/them mentality.Fond's character bias appears through ignoring of topics he did not agree with or did not help his reasonable doubt argument, (ignoring the thought of sunglasses also causing nose marks the same as eyeglasses). With Dead Poets Society John Keating was a leader due to his situation of being a Walton Academy professor. At the same time, his leadership is contingent upon the needs of his ‘key students. Todd is new to Walton but is following in his older brother's valedictorian status, which causes self-doubt. Neil desires control over hi s own life but his father is dismissive and overbearing.Charlie is the most outspoken of the group but desires more freedom. Knox is painfully shy. Keating starts his first class off extraordinary; challenging students to think for themselves, be daring, communicating they are powerful men who have a wonderful life to live. Settings first class is interactive and passionate; he is interested in the boys and their thoughts. Keating presents poetry in a different light; it is what ascribes humans. Keating challenges the boys to live life to the fullest by showing them past alumnae pictures and stating, â€Å"They're not that different from you, are they?Same haircuts. Full of hormones, Just like you. Invincible, Just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, Just like many of you; their eyes are full of hope, Just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? † (Hok iest Dead Poets Society, 2011). This question alone invokes emotion and logic, which are woo of Aristotle internal arguments, (pathos, and logos). He is appealing to their youth to KICK toward transformation of all. ten Torture.I Nils Deigns ten teacher-student connection Ana Keating is interesting to the boys. The boys find Seating's old yearbook where he has Dead Poets Society, (DIPS), as an activity, which prompts them to ask about it. Keating tells the boys is it a secret club where boys meet in a nearby cave to read poetry, discover life and become true to themselves. Neil decides that the group should start DIPS up again, find their own place in the world, allowing poetry to inspire. The boys initiate a new DIPS, with Todd Joining as long as he does not have to read poetry aloud.Keating is using inspired motivation to enable his students to grow and expand their minds beyond the rigid Walton walls. DIPS is a method allowing the boys to challenge their own beliefs and be creati ve, which is intellectual stimulation. DIPS meetings ensue in a nearby cave at night where the groups of boys begin to read poetry, share their thoughts and dreams, discuss subjects, allow rebellious behavior, and bond. This is a step in team building, support, and starting to lead heir own lives. The boys are building trust, collaboration, and are transforming into leaders of themselves.As the movie progresses, Keating gains more stamina and enthusiasm because of the boys' responses. Keating uses unorthodox yet inspiring ways of pushing the boys to self-awareness and thinking for themselves. Keating presents how individuals in a group conform without awareness by having the boys march as a group, at first discordant, but soon in unison. Keating berates Todd to create a poem off the cuff in front of the class and Todd succeeds. Keating expresses his pride with Toddy's success: â€Å"Don't you forget this†, (Quotes from the movie Dead Poets Society, 2011).Keating has each stud ent stand on his desks to see the room from a different perspective. All these acts touch on transformational leadership points: idealized influence, motivation, or intellectual stimulation. The students themselves continue to transform, becoming more like independent and freethinking. Neil auditions for a play and secures a part knowing it will displease his father. Knox is interested in a girl named Chris, who has a popular football player boyfriend. Nook's vision of dating Chris is clear and as he finds self- inference secures a date with Chris.The group is supportive of each other via various examples: Neil tossing Toddy's duplicate birthday gift from his parents into the wind, the boys attending Nil's play, and the boys supporting Knox in his quest for Chris. The boys are cohesive. Seating's inspiring direction in the hands of young men is unregulated and without the tempering of experience. The boys do not understand where to draw the line in the quest for becoming individuals . Charlie sends a letter from â€Å"DIPS† to Welter's administration requesting acceptance of women. Welter's administration is splashed and demands the culprit for punishment.Charlie admits guilt, does not supply DIPS memoir names, Ana receives punishment. Keating attempts to point out expression must be tempered with logic with â€Å"There is a time for daring and a time for caution, and a wise man knows which is called for', (Quotes from the movie Dead Poets Society, 2011). Keating suggest Neil tell his father, (Mr.. Perry), how he feels about acting and that he wants to take part in the play. Mr.. Perry disapproves of Neil participating in the play, however, Neil does not tell Keating this. Neil participates in the play. Mr..Perry removes Neil from Walton and tells him he will attend military school and become a doctor. Neil is not self-assured enough or experienced enough to withstand his father's rule and commits suicide. Mr.. Perry blames Keating for his son's death a nd request a school inquiry. The school headmaster, and to a degree the parents, coarse the boys to sign documents stating Keating is the cause of Nil's suicide. Walton Academy dismisses Kitten. The next day the headmaster takes over Settings somber poetry class during which Keating enters to secure his belongings.As Keating is leaving, Todd stands upon his ask exclaiming â€Å"†Oh captain, my captain†, (Weir, 1997). Todd finds his voice, his inner leader and expresses his support and appreciation to Keating with this one act of defiance. In conjunction, Toddy's statement is an emotional and character appeal to the boys to do the same. One by one the boys forever changed by Keating stood on their desks. Dead Poets Society biases appear in presentation and in characters. Walton Academy is a learning institution that is not open to other methods of teaching.It appears the means is more important than the end, which is not true for all educational institutions. The movie d oes not explore fully the impact Keating had on other professors. In a short snip toward the end, Keating sees another professor taking his class outside which alludes to his impact but no farther. Keating bias is realism and idealism, shown by his action of ripping out the first chapter of the poetry class book, which is the realistic method of poetry. Keating is not open to teaching poetry methods. 12 Angry Men and Dead Poets Society are not only entertainment movies but also lessons in leadership and rhetoric.

Management of Change

School/Portfolio:| The Business School| Course Code/ID:| BUMKT5901| Course Title:| Marketing| Teaching Location:| MIT Melbourne| Program(s): | MBA| Author:| Kimble Montagu/Robert Errey| Level:| Introductory | Semester:| Insert| Prerequisite(s):| Nil | Corequisite(s):| Nil| Exclusion(s):| Nil| Credit Points/Progress Units:| 15| ASCED Code:| 080505| Adopted Reference Style APAhttp://www. ballarat. edu. au/library/assignment-and-research-help/referencing/apa-style 1COURSE ORGANISATION: 1. 1Handbook/sFor full details of programs and school procedures, please refer to the University of Ballarat handbook and The Business School Programs Handbooks available at: http://www. ballarat. edu. au/current-students/publications,-policies-and-forms/handbook/2012 http://www. ballarat. edu. au/business/handbooks Important information located in the handbooks includes: * * Student responsibility * Special Consideration process and forms * Submission of tasks and assignments * Appeal process * Unsatisfa ctory progress – Early Intervention * Grading codes 1. 2StaffThe most appropriate contact is your lecturer. If necessary they will contact the Course Coordinator at the University of Ballarat. | Coordinator| Lecturer| Tutor| Name:| Kimble Montagu| Kimble Montagu| N/a| Phone:| 0437 443 323| 0437 443 323| | Fax:| | | | Email:|   k. [email  protected] edu. au|   k. [email  protected] edu. au| | Office:| | | | Web:| | | | 1. 3Classes | Monday| Tuesday| Wednesday| Thursday| Friday| Saturday| Sunday| Morning| | | | | | | | Afternoon| | | | | | | | Evening| | | | | | | | Insert relevant time(s)/day(s)—then delete this messageStudents are reminded that class attendance is vital. Whilst it is appreciated that work commitments can impinge upon class attendance you need to be aware that there is more to learning Marketing than just reading the text and/or the lecture slides. Participation in class exercises and discussions, viewing DVDs, collaborating with your group memb ers and other classmates all add to a much richer learning experience. If you are going to miss all or some of a class then you need to let the lecturer and your group members know what is happening.History has shown that students who miss classes struggle to achieve the higher grades. 1. 4Consultation Hours By arrangement—please email for an appointment. 1. 5Prescribed Text This subject will be conducted on the presumption that students have a copy of: Iacobucci, D. (2012) MM3. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage. 1. 6Plagiarism Plagiarism is presenting someone else work as your own and is a serious offence with serious consequences. As set out in the University Regulation 6. 1. 1, students who are caught plagiarising will, for a first offence, be given a zero mark for that task.A second offence will result in a failing grade for the course(s) involved and any subsequent offence will be referred to the Student Discipline Committee. Student must be aware of the University Regula tion 6. 1. 1 Student Plagiarism, available at http://www. ballarat. edu. au/legislation/6. 1. 1-plagiarism. The link to the library website for more information is: http://www. ballarat. edu. au/library/assignment-and-research-help/referencing Students must: * fully reference the source(s) of all material, even if you have re-expressed the ideas, facts or descriptions; * acknowledge all direct quotations; and not submit work that has been researched and written by another person Turnitin—this software application allows students to check their assignments for referencing and citation omission or incorrect paraphrasing. Put a statement here about how/where to submit the assignments 1. 7UBOnline UBOnline is used to host course resources for all courses. Students can download lecture and tutorial notes to support class participation. Students login to the UBOnline at https://ubonline. ballarat. edu. au/login/index. php. ———————â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€ 2OBJECTIVES: 2. 1General comments The objectives of this course are to introduce to you the fundamental principles and practices of marketing and to develop your ability to understand and use marketing processes and techniques. The development of your analytical and presentation skills will also be emphasised in this course. Marketing performs a specific role within the organisation. It seeks to increase certainty in the revenue stream today and into the future (Ambler, Marketing and the bottom line, 2000).The philosophy that underpins how this is achieved can be simply stated as seeking to understand and satisfy customer needs and wants as part of the process of achieving the organisations objectives (Kotler et. al. 2009). To execute this philosophy to fulfil its role within an organisation, marketing follows a process that comprises a number of components and tools. The apparent simplicity of the task as portray ed above, masks a complexity that will keep you engaged in the discipline for many years.Good marketers are able to draw insights from the theory, apply it to the day-to-day and develop innovations in marketing activity that delivers success to the organisation. It is, therefore, suggested that organisations which embrace marketing are more effective and efficient at generating revenue than that those which do not. A more technical explanation of the process of marketing is that companies aim to deliver value to their customers in a range of situations and contexts via a product or a service.The concept of value is one we consider early in the course. Companies usually deliver value to customers by developing a strategically planned and managed approach and by understanding their markets—that is, their customers, who are usually divided into groups of people (referred to as market segments) who share similar aspects or characteristics. The notion of identifying and understand ing (target) segments is the basis of consumer behaviour; a key aspect of the course.The way in which companies actually design, and deliver a product or service to meet the needs, wants and demands of their markets lies at the very heart of the marketing concept and this is the marketing mix. This multi-faceted topic covers the remainder of the lecture series. There are four key parts of the marketing mix we focus on: product, price, place (logistics), and promotion. In fact, there are also three other Ps—people, physical evidence and process. We do not cover these in this course—not because they are not important but because we simply do not have the time (they are covered in many textbooks).Each part of the marketing mix (and indeed, of marketing as a whole) has to deliver carefully planned value to the market—so we return to the critical concept of value which lies at the very heart of marketing. The above focuses on how companies provide value to customers (known as customer value). However, customer value also has another meaning—the financial value customers provide firms via their purchase of goods and services and the consumption of pre- and post-sale services. The financial outcome associated with the company’s marketing program is a critical issue for Boards and senior management.On completion of this course, you should be able to: 2. 2Knowledge * Recognise and understand the fundamental core concepts and processes of marketing * Explain marketing and its role in society and identify the principles that underpin marketing orientation * Describe the variety of marketing activities necessary to fulfil the marketing management process * Have acquired an understanding of the fundamental concepts and processes of marketing and the principles underlying the development of marketing strategies . 3Skills * Select appropriate methods and tools for implementing marketing strategies * Demonstrate and apply this knowledge to p rovide solutions to marketing problems * Solve marketing problems, and write cogent academic and business reports to meet academic and business criteria * Differentiate between organisations that are marketing oriented and those that are not 2. 4Values Appreciate the marketing situations that can occur for a range of products, services and ideas, and the marketing practices of various organisations in the public and private sectors including the not-for-profit organisations * Understand and appreciate the role of the marketer as one which contributes to an organisation’s goals through satisfying the needs of the consumer and the longer term needs of society (values/attitudes based objectives) 3CONTENT: 3. 1Topics and sub-topics may include: See the schedule near the end of this course description for a detailed list of key topics to be covered in this course. You will be introduced to the marketing concept and its evolution. The role of marketing in a modern business environm ent will be discussed including the way in which the marketing system interrelates with influencing variables. Current topical issues, including ethical considerations and green marketing, will be raised. * The critical concepts of ‘value exchange’ and ‘customer value’ will be emphasised. * Marketing’s role within the organisation and the underlying principles and techniques for marketing decision making, marketing planning, marketing research and the development of marketing strategies will be discussed. You will gain an understanding of the forces affecting market dynamics and an introduction to consumer behaviour, market segmentation, target marketing and positioning. * The elements of the marketing mix and associated concepts will be covered including the product life cycle, new product development, brands and packaging, pricing, distribution and supply, advertising and communications. * The organisation, control and evaluation of the marketing a ctivities within a firm will be introduced. 3. 2Teaching Method Classes will be informal, interactive and involving.Class exercises and discussions will be complemented with DVDs/video clips on various topics where appropriate. The lecturer will vary the format, style, pace and flow to meet your needs but remember—your willingness to participate and share your knowledge/experiences will help your learning and that of the other students. If you have not studied marketing before it helps your learning if you start to become a highly aware consumer. This means, for example: 1. When you see an advertisement on TV or in a magazine ask yourself the following; a. ho is the target market? What has led you to this conclusion? b. what is the key message? How is it being communicated? c. is this the best medium to reach this target market? 2. When you’re at the supermarket take note of; d. what products/brands are placed in the best locations (where in the store/on what shelf) e. whether house brands are taking space from national/international brands f. what price or sales promotions are being run g. determine, if at all, how these marketing tactics affect your buying behaviour 3.Take note of how you go about your shopping for a variety of goods/services—just buy what you always buy, search for products and prices on the Internet first, speak to friends, who makes the final decision, who purchases the product 4. If you’re not happy with a product or service be an active consumer—contact the firm and assess how they handle your feedback/complaint—this is a good way to find out just how customer oriented a firm is. 4LEARNING TASKS AND ASSESSMENT: 4. 1Summary It is emphasised that this course requires a significant commitment outside of formal class contact.The learning tasks in this course may include classes (lectures, tutorials or seminars), required reading, the preparation of answers to set questions, exercises and problems, a nd self-study. In addition, students may be required to complete an assignment, test or examination. Summary of suggested time allocations for this course Classes | 3 hours per topic for 12 topics| 36 hours| Reading| 2 hours per topic for 12 topics | 24 hours| Preparation of set questions, exercises and problems| 4 hours per topic for 12 topics| 48 hours| Preparation of assignment| | 20 hours|Study and revision for test and end of semester examination| | 22 hours| TOTAL| | 150 hours| 4. 2Attendance and Participation It is in students’ interest to make every effort to attend all the classes for this course and to complete all preparatory and assessment tasks. It is our experience that those students who do not attend class or carry out the associated activities are more likely to do poorly or to fail the course completely. Learning Task| Assessment| Weighting| Demonstrate knowledge of the early course material such as: core marketing concepts (e. g. the value exchange) and the 4Ps| Individual Assignment| 25%| Via selection (by the student) of a firm/product/service, demonstrate application of critical marketing concepts and business acumen through the analysis and evaluation of relevant case questions/requirements| Group Presentations and Report| 25%| Demonstrate knowledge of key marketing concepts by applying them in different marketing situations| Examination| 50%| 4. 3Note on Assessment The University of Ballarat PASS grade is achieved at 50%. To pass the courses listed below student must achieve this and pass the examination (if applicable).All other courses must achieve a pass overall. BUACC1506, BUACC1507, BUACC1521, BUEBU1501, BUECO1507, BUECO1508, BUENT1531, BUHRM1501, BULAW1502, BULAW1503, BUMGT1501, BUMKT1501, BUMKT1503, BUTSM1501, BUTSM1502, BUACC5901, BUACC5930, BUACC5932, BUACC5933, BUACC5934, BUACC5935, BUACC5936, BUACC5937, BUECO5903, BUHRM5912, BULAW5911, BULAW5914, BULAW5915, BULAW5916, BUMGT5921, BUMGT5926, BUMKT5901, BUMKT5922. You nee d to get at least 50% in the exam and at least 50% overall to pass this course. Students are strongly advised to attempt ALL assessment tasks.Students who do not submit a task(s) or fail a task(s) in the semester will be identified as a ‘student at risk’ of unsatisfactory academic progress (outlined in the Business School Handbooks) and will be directed to the School’s Intervention Program. Students who encounter difficulties or who are otherwise concerned regarding their progress should consult their lecturer. Assessment criteria set out the details by which performance in each task will be judged. This information will give a clear and explicit understanding of the expected standards to be achieved relative to the marks awarded.The Assessment Criteria Sheet for each assignment for this course is at the end of this document. 4. 4Assignment One—Individual Report Due Date: Week 6 Submit a hard copy at MIT level 7 no later than Wednesday 19th December 2012 B y 4 pm Weighting:25% Length:Approximately 2,500 words This assignment focuses on how a product or service (which you can choose) delivers value to customers through the 4Ps of marketing (product, place, price and promotion). This is an introductory assignment. We do not expect you to know the intricate details of each of the 4Ps yet as these are considered later in the course.This assignment can make use of a product or service from Australia or from another country—however; you are much more likely to have greater access to information if you choose a company that operates in your city/country. That is, if you are studying in Sydney chose a company that operates in Sydney, or if you are studying in Hong Kong, chose a Hong Kong company. You are required to collect data and discuss how the product or service, delivers value to customers. This assignment gives you the chance to use your own views and opinions.Use sentences such as (in regards to, for example, promotion) ‘ this product (say a Toyota car) delivers value to customers in a number of ways†¦first of all, as in the attached advertisement. ’ Then describe the advertisement and how the advertisement helps to promote Toyota, it could be in regard to the wording, colours, design and so on. The second promotional aspect might be perhaps a radio advertisement†¦ so be quite specific. Try to discuss how each aspect of the product or service delivers value, that is, helps to market the product or service. Pick any product—a brand or car etc. but be specific, don’t just select ‘Toyota’ but pick a particular product. The product can be from Hong Kong or abroad. You could pick a service, but again be specific, (i. e. , perhaps Star Ferry in Hong Kong). * Describe the company providing the product or service in two paragraphs or so. This is just a basic introduction. * Describe, in your own words (i. e. , do not just use information off a website etc. ), how y ou feel the product or service delivers value to customers as follows (This is 80% of the assignment): The product or service—how does it deliver value to customers? Provide examples. (Aspects could be design, features, even brand, image reputation); * The price of the product or service—how does this deliver value to customers (perhaps it is cheap, or even expensive which can give customers a sense that the product or service is high quality, has status and so on). * The place of the product or service (the location in which customers can access the product or service). Perhaps the service is located in a particular place which can help its image and status i. e. a Kmart store in Australia located in a very good shopping centre; or Watsons in Hong Kong located in the busiest part of Hong Kong, such as Mongkok. But place can be very specific, too, perhaps a book—perhaps a popular novel, is located in a very smart bookshop (i. e. Pageone Hong Kong, or a specialit y bookshop in Australia) which can improve its status, and brand image); * The promotion of the product or service—the way in which the product or service is promoted). Perhaps the product or service benefits from some very smart advertising or promotion. Provide an example of an advertisement. . 4. 1Individual Assignment—Assessment Criteria This assignment is an introductory one and it is designed to cover some of the key aspects of marketing as contained in the first few chapters of the text book. It is an assignment which understands that many of you may not have come from a marketing background. Indeed, for many of you, this may be your very first course in the MBA so this is an assignment which helps you to understand some of the basic aspects of marketing and, indeed, of assignment preparation in a western MBA environment. Follow the format given above.At the back of this document is an Assessment Criteria Sheet (ACS) for the individual assignment—please n ote that the focus of the assignment is HOW VALUE IS DELIVERED by the product (or service) you select via the 4Ps. Hence, it is pertinent that you write something like ‘the product provides value because it is the most economical on the market’ or ‘value is provided because the product is distributed through all major supermarket chains and online’. To help you understand how firms can provide value your lecturer will allocate time on the first day to discuss the Office Depot case.You will form groups and answer specific questions and present to the class. You will review a sample of a ‘model’ report of this assignment which will give you clear indications of what is required to earn a high mark. 4. 5Assignment Two—Group Presentation and Report Due Date: Report—Due week 11 Submit a hard copy at MIT Melbourne level 7 no later than 30th January 2013 by 4pm. Presentation— 31st January 2013 Hard copy of the presentation is to b e handed to the lecturer before the presentation. Submit a hard copy at MIT no later than tutorial and lecture time. Weighting:25% (10% for the presentation and 15% for the report)Length:2,500 to 3,000 words for the report and an oral presentation of around twenty minutes followed by about ten minutes for questions. The presentation is usually accompanied by about 20 PowerPoint slides but again, you will be advised by your lecturer. This is a higher level assignment compared to Assignment One. Now we ask you to include some discussion, analysis, and creative thinking. In essence, you can now also provide more of your own ideas, viewpoints and thoughts about the topic. This a real life case study and this will be discussed by your lecturer.You will pick a real company to be the focus of your case study. The company could be the company as a whole, but it could instead be a product, or a service or, indeed, a range of products or services. History shows that it is easier to do this as signment if you focus on one specific product (or service) such as American Express Platinum Card rather than looking at the entire American Express suite of offerings or the company as a whole. The presentation and the report need to cover the following issues, although there may be some variation: talk to your lecturer.What is listed below is indicative, and often a presentation will have its own flow and format. The list of aspects below is for guidance only. 1. Describe the company, product or service. That is, give a short introduction. Provide some background. 2. Evaluate the product or service (or company). That is, discuss the product (or service or company) from a marketing perspective. To do this you may use the marketing mix to identify how the product, service or company satisfies its market. This discussion is not what the company writes about itself—it is the view of your group.YOU NEED TO COLLECT DATA. 3. Describe two target markets for the company, product or service. These markets may be identified by the company or you. If you researching a consumer product and are studying in Australia try to use the Roy Morgan Value Segments—see http://www. roymorgan. com/products/values-segments/values-segments. cfm. If you are studying elsewhere try to use the Strategic Business Insights VALS segmentation—see http://www. strategicbusinessinsights. com/vals/ 4. Evaluate these two markets. This means discuss and be critical of these markets.Are they too wide, or narrow? Are they, in your opinion, markets which seem to be appropriate (or viable) for the company (or its product or service)? 5. What would be FOUR new plans, ideas, products or services which your group feels would add value to the company? This part of your presentation, and report, can be creative. But JUSTIFY your ideas. By this we mean: where did your ideas come from—provide some background to your thinking and some theories to back them up. Remember to answer the se questions in a report format. Your lecturer will give you some tips here.As a note, the range of topics could be quite wide—for example, we have had presentations on nursing (as nurses provide value to their patients, staff and other stakeholders such as managers and government bodies), the retail sector (such as Watsons, for example), the I-Phone or I-Pod, or whatever. Marketing is about delivering value to a range of target markets—so it covers almost all sectors in business, and life. 4. 5. 1Group Assignment—Assessment Criteria At the end of this document is the Assessment Criteria Sheets for the presentation and report.The ACSs clearly show what needs to be addressed—not meeting these requirements will reduce your marks. For example, students sometimes don’t provide an Executive Summary or provide one but do not address the required elements—marks cannot be earned in such a case. You will be shown a sample of a group report and presen tation so that you will better understand what is required to earn a high mark. 4. 6Report Format Reports are to satisfy the following requirements. An Assessment Criteria Sheet MUST be fully completed and attached to the front of the assignment.The assignment MUST also have a cover page that includes: 1. BUMKT5901 Marketing 2. Insert Semester and Partner 3. Individual Assignment—Delivering Value OR Group Assignment—New Marketing Initiatives 4. Your name OR Names 5. Your student ID OR IDs 6. The Due Date 7. Submitted to—insert lecturer’s name Font—Arial Size—12 Paragraphs—fully justified Line spacing—single line Before and after spacing—0 points Paragraph spacing—one space before and after APA reference style 4. 7Peer Assessment Groups will be limited to a maximum of four members.Hopefully, this will limit the organisational and productivity issues that appear to plague group experiences. Peer evaluation may be un dertaken in this course. It will be the responsibility of all group members to produce a quality report. Hence, if there are group problems you are expected to sort them out so that the group, as a whole, does not suffer. If you need to discuss such a situation with your lecturer—DO NOT LEAVE IT UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT. Please note that if a Peer Evaluation is required for your group, under normal circumstances no marks can be awarded to the group members until ALL members have returned he Peer Evaluation sheets. Peer Evaluation covers individual performance on: * Understanding of the task and topic * Industry and initiative * Dependability and integrity * Participating as a group member * Attendance To help you formulate a fair peer evaluation all students should keep notes on, e. g. : * Tutorial and meeting attendance * Allocation of tasks—who is to do what and by when * Whether requested material is delivered on time and at sufficient quality/quantity * Dates and deta ils of all communications—verbal, SMS, email and any other formYou should all regularly ‘sign off’ so that there is consensus of what has occurred, what is being requested and by when, etc. If a group has to complete a confidential peer evaluation each student will obtain 50% of the group mark plus some allocation of the other 50% according to the result of the peer evaluation. No student can attain a mark that is higher than what the paper attained. For example, if the paper received 14 out of 20 then the student with the highest peer evaluation will receive 14 marks—the other students will receive a percentage of that student’s mark.The following example should clarify the approach. Assignment mark| 14 (out of 20)| | | Students| A| B| C| Marks @ 50%| 7| 7| 7| Peer evaluation (out of 100)| 100| 80| 70| Additional marks| 7| 5. 6| 4. 9| Final marks| 14| 12. 6| 11. 9| NB: Where the lecturer believes that the Peer Evaluations have not been completed fa irly he/she can amend the final marks generated by the above formula. 4. 7. 1Non-contributing Group Members Students need to understand that as a member of a group you have obligations to the other group members and failing to meet these obligations may put their and your performance at risk.Where a student (or students) is (are) not fulfilling these obligations all group members will be required to complete an independent and confidential Peer Evaluation. Where a student is rated poorly by fellow group members the offending student not only faces the prospect of scoring substantially reduced marks but may also: * Receive a letter from the School to, e. g. requesting the student to attend a meeting with the Deputy Dean or some other nominated party; and/or * Where applicable, be excluded from the group. * 4. 7. 2Removal from a GroupThis is a last resort approach where under certain conditions a student can be removed from a group if he/she does not contribute as expected. This remov al can occur at any time and then this student will be required to complete the group assignment as an individual assignment. The decision to remove the student is at the sole discretion of the lecturer after collecting data and speaking with the group members. Aspects that may be taken into account when reaching such a decision are: * Tutorial and ex-class meeting attendance * General attitude displayed towards the assignment Not responding to group members’ communication efforts * Not completing assigned tasks at the appropriate standard and on time * Not responding to the lecturer’s communication efforts To assist with this decision making students should keep individual diaries recording data related to the above points. 4. 8Exam A three hour (50%) exam will be conducted at the end of the semester to test material covered throughout the course. You will be provided with an idea of what is in the exam. All materials covered throughout the semester (that is, in the s chedule below) are examinable—includes any handouts etc.Examination assessment criteria include: 1. Your ability to apply marketing concepts to solve new problem situations. 2. Your ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of marketing concepts. 3. Your ability to demonstrate critical thinking, deductive reasoning and logic in relation # 1 and # 2. NB: You must pass the exam (i. e. , obtain at least 50%) and also gain a minimum of 50% overall to pass this course. 5SCHEDULE: As this subject is taught in intensive mode, and seeks to be highly interactive, the material covered may vary from the schedule detailed below.However, to ensure you get the maximum value from the subject it is suggested that you pre-read as much as possible prior to the class. Date| Lecture| TextChapters| Week 1Insert day and date| Course administration and introductionsMarketing management importanceOffice Depot case| Course description1Handout| Week 2Insert day and date| Customer behaviourHow the kids took over OR Consuming kidsIndividual assignment: discussion and formulation| 2DVD| Week 3Insert day and date| SegmentationEconomic segmentationIndividual assignment: discussion and formulation| 3Lecture notes| Week 4Insert day and date|TargetingPositioningGroup assignment: group formation and discussion| 45| Week 5Insert day and date| Products: goods and servicesProfitable product paradigm| 6Lecture notes| Week 6Insert day and date| BrandsPeter Day (BBC)New products| 7Podcast 8| Week 7Insert day and date| Marketing communications & IMCGruen Transfer| 11 & 12DVD| Week 8Insert day and date| Social mediaPricing| 139|Week 9Insert day and date| Distribution and logisticsThe price we payCustomer satisfaction and relationships| 10DVD14| Week 10Insert day and date| Presentations Marketing researchMarketing strategyDetroit: ain’t too proud to beg| 1516DVD| Week 11Insert day and date| Presentations Marketing plans| 17| Week 12Insert day and date| Presentations Course summary Marketing mind mapExam details and preparationCourse evaluation| | | SWOT VAC and EXAMINATIONS| | 6ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Additional useful references: Each day there are articles in the daily press that address key concepts covered by this course.Articles of interest can be brought to class for discussion. There is also a wide range of general marketing textbooks available that introduce basic marketing concepts. These books may help to supplement the material presented in your prescribed text. Other useful texts for general marketing knowledge, case analysis techniques and presentation skills include: * Kotler, P. , Brown, L. , Burton, S. , Deans, K. , Armstrong. G. (2009). Marketing. (8e), Sydney: Pearson Education. * Hubbard, G. ‘Analysing A Case', in P. Graham. (1990). Insights into Australian marketing: Readings and cases. Sydney: PrenticeHall. Jobber, D. (2009). Principles and practice of Marketing (6th Ed. ). London: McGraw-Hill. * Lamb, C. W. , Hair. J. F. & McDaniel, C. , (2011). Marketing (11th Ed. ). Mason: South Western. * MacNamara, J & Venton, B. (1990). How to give winning presentations: Sydney: Archipelago Press. * Nutting, J. & White, G. (1990). The business of communicating (2nd Ed. ). Sydney: McGrawHill. * Pride, W. M. & Ferrell, O. C. (2011). Foundations of marketing (4th Ed. ). Mason, OH, South Western. There are also numerous books written by Philip Kotler, either by himself or with other authors.For a comprehensive list of marketing journals go to: http://www. tilburguniversity. edu/about-tilburg-university/schools/economics-and-management/organisation/departments/marketing/links/journal1. html The major journal is the Journal of Marketing. Other journals that you should become familiar with and could use in your research for your assignments include: Australasian Marketing Journal Journal of Advertising Journal of Consumer Marketing Journal of Consumer Behaviour Journal of Product and Brand Management Journal of Strategic Marketin g Industry related linksThere is a diverse source of industry sites where the concepts covered in this subject are touched on. www. inc. com This is America’s number one entrepreneurship and small business site. Great if you are starting up your own business and some good general coverage of marketing topics (see the sales and marketing tab). www. marketingprofs. com The Marketing Professionals site, as the name suggests, is targeted as the specialist marketer. Click on the ‘marketing articles’ tab and you will find a list of main marketing topics covered and many you may not have thought of.As it is written for practitioners, most of the articles are 2 -3 pages in length. Marketing consulting firms http://www. tomspencer. com. au/2008/07/27/strategy-consulting-and-business-consulting-firms-list-australia/#Deloitte http://www. stormscape. com/inspiration/website-lists/consulting-firms/ The leading marketing consulting firms, both international and national, seek to hire the best and brightest people who come up with the big ideas that change the world! Of course they have to tell everyone how smart they are (many of them are very smart).To do this they write and publish insight and thought pieces on current industry and discipline trends. You will need to do a bit of searching but you will often find some very good general articles. www. digitalbuzzblog. com This site has the latest campaigns from the world of digital. Be careful it can be addictive!! Read the editorial commentary to get insight into the objectives organisations set for their campaigns. Adopted Reference Style APA – http://www. ballarat. edu. au/library/assignment-and-research-help/referencing ASSESSMENT CRITERIA SHEET Assignment #1—Delivering Value Student| Student Number| Email| | | Criteria| Maximum Marks| Comments| Executive Summary * Introductory sentence * Major findings| 4| | Introduction * Company background| 3| | Product – Describe product/serv ice- Features/benefits- Value delivered| 4| | Promotion – Describe—provide examples- Value delivered| 4| | Price – Data collected- Describe—provide examples- Value delivered| 4| | Place – Describe—provide examples- Value delivered| 4| | Presentation/Appearance- English expression, degree free of spelling errors, formatting, use of tables, correctly referenced, etc. | 2| | Total| 25| | Mark:___________Comments:______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ASSESSMENT CRITERIA SHEET Assignment #2—New Marketing Plans (Report) Student| Student Number| Email| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Criteria| Maximum Marks| Comments| Executive Summary * Introductory sentence * Major findings- Major recommendations| 2| | Introduction * Company background | 0. 5| |Product/service evaluation * Description of product/service| 2| | Promotion evaluation * Description of promotional activities| 2| | Price evaluation * Description of pricing strategies| 2| | Place evaluation * Description of how product is distributed| 2| | Market segments * Description of two segments * Evaluation of two segments| 2| | New Marketing initiatives * Description of FOUR new initiatives * Rationale for success| 2| | Presentation/Appeara nce- English expression, degree free of spelling errors, formatting, use of tables, correctly referenced, etc. | 0. 5| | Total| 15| | Mark:___________Comments:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ASSESSMENT CRITERIA SHEET Assignment #2—New Marketing Plans (Presentation) Student| Student Number| Email| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Despite the rhetoric of employee engagement, organisations still want Essay - 1

Despite the rhetoric of employee engagement, organisations still want to exert tighter control - Essay Example Despite the positive results of employee engagement, the organisations exert tighter control on the employees so as to make them more disciplined and increase the productivity (Brief & Weiss 2002). Taylorism or scientific management aims at simplifying and optimizing the jobs so as to increase the productivity of the employees. The theory depicts that the employees and managers should cooperate so as to maintain a good relation (Parker 2005). According to Frederick Taylor, the workers are motivated by the money so they should be offered fair day’s pay and he also mentioned that if the workers failed to achieve the goal for the day he/she does not deserve to be paid as high as a productive worker. Taylorism highlighted efficiency and does not concentrate on the employee welfare. The theory detailed that few workers are efficient compared to other hence they should be motivated with higher incentives. The main purpose of the essay is to highlight the reason why organisations exert tighter control on the employees despite positive result of employee engagement in light of Taylorism. In the past few decades, employee engagement has gained prominence due to its successful results in organizations. A number of researchers are executed on this topic in order to understand whether it has helped in developing good relationship between employees and managers. According to Holbeche & Springett (2003), employee engagement is defined as the combination of different commitments, which are made by the employees to the organization; it also aims at adding value for assisting the colleagues. However, Schmidt (2004) has defined employee engagement as the relationship between satisfaction and commitment in job. Here, satisfaction refers to the emotional or attitudinal elements wherein, commitment indicates motivational and physical elements of the individuals. He

Argument essay about triffic light camera Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Argument about triffic light camera - Essay Example She argues that these cameras help to record any misbehavior by police officers such as corruption of mistreatment. In addition, Mangu (3) supports the idea that these cameras can aid in security investigations. For instance, in London, camera footage led to speedy identification of July 2005 bombers. Eggers and Tushnet (1) say that a camera is a â€Å"crime fighting tool† to support the idea that security cameras help the police in protecting the public. They dismiss the idea that these cameras interfere with personal privacy on the ground that cameras are used everywhere including in supermarkets and bank ATMs and no one complains about privacy. Richard says that cameras must be â€Å"properly used and monitored† if they have to be effective in fighting crime (1). The implication is that the information from the cameras must be used for the right purpose to protect the privacy of the public. He cautions against abuse of information collected from cameras by the author ities. The three authors seem to agree that security cameras are necessary for public security. Another group of scholars has criticized the use of surveillance cameras arguing that this violates the private rights of the public. Steinhardt (6-7) argues that surveillance cameras gather information that is private to the public and that those who use the information are not necessarily security bodies. Therefore, there is abuse of information collected by the surveillance cameras. He states that â€Å"cops - not cameras - fight crime† to show that the surveillance cameras are unnecessary tools in fighting crime (2). The New York Civil Liberties union (1) says that these cameras collect information that is â€Å"more than required† for fighting crime. This information can be shared, hence exposing the people’s privacy. The suggestion of this group is that the use of cameras be regulated to balance between public privacy rights and safety.

Question answering on linked data Research Paper

Question answering on linked data - Research Paper Example Two searches are available, Navigation Search and Research Search. In navigational search, the user accesses the search engine as a navigation instrument to navigate to a particular targeted document. Semantic Search is not used in navigational searches. In Research Searching, the user feeds the search engine with a phrase is proposed to symbolize an object about which the user attempts to gather information. Rather than PageRank algorithm in Google, Semantic Web Search uses semantics to create highly pertinent searching results. This Search method can be used to retrieve the information from the data resource like ontology. Ontology1 is a technology used to facilitate the field knowledge to improve the query time used in Semantic Question Answering system. Data linking systems apply some of the systems identified in order to interweave Web data described in RDF. The following analysis studies some systems performing both automated and semi-automated data linking. Aqua log is able to learn the users language in order to improve the knowledge by the time. The user’s learning method is good in a way that it uses ontology reasoning to study and learn more general patterns, which could then be use again for the questions with analogous context.2 In this system Linguistic Component (LC) is used to change the NL questions into Query-triple format and Relation Similarity Service (RSS). The data model is triple based like {Subject or Object} type. The presentation is based on accuracy, recall and also failure types are referred individually. Averages of about 64 % of consecutive answers are retrieved from ontology with closed environment. ORAKEL used for computing planned answers of user query. It processes based questions as rational query type and information is symbolized with F-Logic and onto broker form. This system is

Technology trends Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Technology trends - Essay Example on news channels is immense and in order to retain their customer base, the need for adoption of suitable methods with the help of latest technologies is becoming the need of the hour. There has been found a noticeable change in the preferences of the customers as far as their choice of a particular medium of news delivery is concerned. To strive in today’s competitive world, it has become a challenge for the leading newspapers to make the news available to it customers as early as possible before its competitors grab the attention of the target audiences. To generate profits, some newspapers have adopted a scheme by which they make some news available for free and some content is marked as ‘premium content’ which can be accessed on payment of a considerable amount of fees. This strategy helps in building demand for the news within the audiences. Internet journalism has become the order of the day with audiences more interested in gaining information about different happenings across the world through leading newspaper websites rather than the printed newspaper(Group M., et.al., 2005). Web technologies have enabled these companies to gain feedback on the different news articles published on its websites. This helps the newspapers to understand whether any improvement has to be brought in the content or not. E-books have become a popular medium of gaining thorough in-depth knowledge about any topic which needs clarity. Topics can vary from something very theoretical to something very practical like the use of technologies in shaping the businesses of today’s organisations. E-books help audiences to surf easily through a wide range of books which might not be possible in reality. Audiences prefer e-books as they can have access to a wide range of subjects, story books, fiction books and technology related books without purchasing them physically. Many websites like e-snips and Amazon.com offers a wide range of free e-books to be accessed by its audiences

The Batek of Malaysia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Batek of Malaysia - Research Paper Example The researcher states that the Batek of Malaysia are a kinship-based society, which means that it emphasizes nurturing and sharing. Batek parents spend a lot of time playing with their children of either sex and they also spend this time holding, cuddling and talking to them. Batek parents also do not use harsh disciplinary methods when scolding their children, as their vernacular term sakel, which means hit also means the same as kill, thus the idea of even hitting their children disgusts them. Moreover, Batek parents raise their children in the spirit of respect, care and affection, and the whole camp even shares their own time in order to facilitate care for the child and to feed them. Lastly, as the Batek children are growing up, they are usually made to engage in active play but not in an aggressive or competitive manner, as competition is simply outside of the Batek system of belief. The kinship system of the Batek, just like many of the contemporary foraging aboriginal groups of Southeast Asia, follows the kinship classification of the Inuit, where parents are different from uncles and aunts. The Batek society has the conjugal family as its basic unit, and this conjugal family is politically independent and economically self-sufficient. These conjugal families, which mostly consist of eight or more children each, live in a camp that in turn consists of two to fifteen families related by blood. These camps are classified by the Batek themselves as belonging to one of the three â€Å"river valley groups,† who, although practically indistinguishable, occupy the Aring, upper Lebir or lower Lebir watersheds. (Endicott, 1988). Generally, the Batek society fosters equality between husband and wife, and the married couple is always expected to show affection to each other (â€Å"The Batek De,† 2010). Political Organization The political organization of the Batek is relatively simple since the society is highly egalitarian. A closely-knit settled gr oup of Batek may be assigned a headman, who is tasked to represent the group and to act as its spokesperson in matters where the Batek have to deal with the non-Batek (â€Å"The Taman Negara,† 2010). The headman, who is called penghulu in the native Malay language, is usually chosen because he is believed to possess â€Å"charisma, extroversion, and a familiarity with the Malay language† (â€Å"The Taman Negara,† 2010; Endicott, 1988). The headman is usually appointed by the Malaysian government through the Department of Aboriginal Affairs in order to have a spokesman for the group of Batek and for the group to have someone to relay to them the sentiments or wishes of the non-Batek (Endicott, 1988). Moreover, the headman is expected to possess an in-depth knowledge of the traditions of the Batek community, and may at times, because of such knowledge, assume the title of â€Å"Tok Batin† or â€Å"Spiritual Elder† (Ahmad, 2009). Nevertheless, the hea dman can only act as a persuasive leader and not an authoritative one (â€Å"Batek,† 2011). On the whole, the Batek society exemplifies political equality and the basis of this is most probably the fact that the Batek do not foster the practice of imposing their will upon their fellowmen, and except for

The end of Lehman Brothers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The end of Lehman Brothers - Essay Example The scandal that brought the Lehman brothers to their knees was one that involved financial and accounting fraud, which was no new case for the firm since its inception. Following the release of reports following the bankruptcy of Lehman, scandals are cropping up showing that the Lehmans have been cooking their books, also known as creative accounting since before the financial crisis hit the world in the last years of the previous decade. The precise time would be around the year 2007, when things began to go downhill for them. The scandal goes by the name â€Å"Repo 105† following the textbook application of previously used antics to bring about a scandal (Sharp). The scandal begins with deals involving banks in the Cayman Islands relating to repurchase agreements. In this case, Lehman planned to dispense toxic assets to the banks that got into the deal, on the condition that, after a given short period, Lehman would repurchase them. This deal made the Lehmans appear to be an honest organization dealing as per the law. However, the whole issue was only on paper, while the actual organization of the firm revolved around dirty dealings and fraud (Sharp). All the above was in an attempt to pull a fast one on investors and credit rating agencies to maintain their prestigious position. In the meantime, the Lehmans brothers were quite busy embezzling funds and finances from their organization on a colossal scale to a pint of no return. In their creative accounting, the Lehmans went beyond themselves in defrauding the public and investors by using the toxic assets as leverage. This is by balancing their books with the said assets as sales and not as loans, as is common practice in the financial world. The implication was that the firm reflected having more liquid cash in their books, as opposed to having more assets in mortgages as would be expected. This marked a calculated move to defraud every one off their keenness and trust in the firm by

Dq 7 m9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dq 7 m9 - Essay Example As such, the modern concepts that involve ethics in organizations encompass related issues to the triple bottom line, fair-trade, corporate responsibility amongst others (Savitz & Weber, 2006). Business, non-profit, and governmental organizations have often been mentioning sustainability in their goals. However, measuring the extent under which business advocates for sustainable growth, or is being sustainable is quite difficult. In mid 1990s, Elkington had to determine sustainability by trying to encompass new frameworks that measure the performance in Corporate America. The accounting outlines triumphs beyond the traditional measures of profits and return on investments. It also achieves shareholder’s value to incorporate the social and environmental dimensions. The framework is the Triple Bottom Line. Therefore, in focusing on the all-inclusive investment results, in which case, it includes the performance in the scope of people, profit and the planet, the Triple Bottom Lin e reports becomes the vital tool that supports sustainability goals. It has had to enable the business and nonprofit organizations to adopt Triple Bottom Line sustainability framework to enhance evaluation of their performance. Such similar approaches have had the gain of currency with the governments at all levels (Elkington, 1997). The concept that the triple bottom line demonstrates is that companies or organizations are responsible for all their stakeholders, in which case it should be by balancing the responsibilities of the organization. This might involve all that is part of the company whether indirectly or directly, and the planet in which a human being lives. This approach of TBL observes the shareholders as part of the shareholder group, however, in only a part of it. If I would conduct a cost/benefit analysis with respect to continuing to support the TBL, then I will come to draw some conclusions. One measures the accomplishment of the business in provisions of the econo mic performance. If the business generates some sufficient returns of finance, including from investments, operating activities and financial activities, then the business becomes successful. The triple bottom line has had to take some criteria that assess the performance of the organizations, the economic, social, and environmental. By using the traditional method, and by basing the stakeholders approach, one measures the inflow and the outflow of resources from the business, in which case it includes cash and the finances, the liabilities, the assets and even the simplest definable business resources. This economic criterion will then determine the extent an organization generates in monetary value. It determines also the net worth of business at some point in time, which is a significant benefit to the organization. Measuring the social performance of the organization will be quite the difficult criteria. This criterion of the triple bottom line involves the taking into account t he influence of business on the people outside the business and those within the business. The principles of the triple bottom line on a business will play the role of benefiting the community and will ensure there is no exploitation of the people by the action of the business. Societal factors measured include the

United States Policy On China Essay Example for Free

United States Policy On China Essay The United States policy on China has a long history. In the Shanghai Communique, signed between the US and China in 1972, the United States of America acknowledged the People’s Republic of China assertion that, all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait believe there is only one China, and that Taiwan is part of the mainland. Other Communiques have also been adopted by subsequent administrations to determine various policies for the United States, on the basis of the original one, signed in 1972 by President Richard Nixon. The US later shifted its diplomatic base from Taipei to Beijing in recognition of the Mainland. In Taiwan the United States has maintained vibrant unofficial contacts in commercial and cultural aspects. America’s ‘’unofficial’’ friendship with Taiwan has being a source of discomfort for mainland China over the years. It is sad to note that in 2005 Mainland China passed an anti-secession law stating; The People’s Republic of China will turn to non-peaceful avenues to tame Taiwan, if it declares self independence. The US has had to trade cautiously when it approaches China’s internal affairs. This diplomacy has often bore fruits and avoided facing head-on the root problems. The US taking hard stances on China and Taiwan affairs can certainly be counter-productive. Hence, the justification of its present position on the said matters as matters stands. Today, the main threat to the Security of the United States is from Terrorism. Other Global challenges, are to be found in Climate change and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. To suitably address these issues the United States must engage China, to jointly tackle these problems. Taiwan has historically been allied to the US. The Taiwan Relations Act in the US domestic law allows for ‘’unofficial’’ contacts to thrive between the two countries. This status quo has to be maintained, so as to protect the traditional interests of the United States of America, while observing the protocols of the various Communiques binding China and the US. The United States stands as the only superpower with an economy that has great influence globally. China on the other hand has the number with a population of over 1 billion people been the most populated nation. Its economy has also been steadily rising as many US firm outsource their operations to China, though many do so with the prime aim of maximizing profits and cutting down their operational costs. The Chinese economic growth has certainly been â€Å"food for thought† for the policy makers. And the US residents concerned about the â€Å"job loses† East Asia is a strategic trading partner for US Companies and products. A China policy has to defend the interests of these trading companies operating in this region, from Japan to Indonesia. East Asia’s security is threatened by North Korea developing nuclear weapons. This threat can be effectively contained with the co-operation of China. The US should advocate for a policy which will eventually unite the two Koreas. In exchange of the ultimate unification of China and Taiwan, the US may opt to root for One Korea which is free and democratic. The emerging liberal Korea will open up new markets for the existing US companies found in these regions. As the grave concerns of North Korea acquiring nuclear weapons been a major US concern. The US has often seen China in a better position to pile pressure on North Korea to abandon its quest for nuclear weapons, as the US seeks for a peaceful solution to avert the nuclear proliferation: currently threatening to tear the region apart. The end of the cold war ushered in new global rivalry between the US and China solely based on historical and economic mistrusts. Rapid industrialization of China has had a ripple effect on the economies in East Asia, which now look up to China as a partner and protector, a role which was previously a prerogative of the US. Repressive politics has managed to put a check on dissenting voices within China thus enabling the leadership to look beyond the borders and assert China’s regional hegemony. Japan, though an economic power house, embraces a culture of anti-militarism and has not been at par to counter the monstrous growth of neighboring China, despite their historical rivalry. As China increases its regional influence, her other aim is to unite with Taiwan. Their modern approach to achieve this pursuit is through Soft Power. In Political Science, Military and economic power is considered as Hard Power while other means of coercion to achieve political gains such as; Cultural norms, political ethics, Uniting Ideas and accommodating Foreign Policies are classified as Soft Power. China, through its Soft Power has managed to win the trust of many countries across the Globe. Recent research indicates that, China has surpassed the US as the most trusted country in the world. China’s domestic development and stability has made it a world power and is now bent on edging out the US from East Asian affairs. After the collapse of Communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, it dawned on Chinese bureaucrats the need to consolidate power in the State. Previously an authoritative powerful State was considered a deterrent to economic growth. In China, power was centralized in the CCP. Later, the open door and reform policy led to a revolutionary change in the social-economic well-being of its citizens. The transformation of lifestyles has imbibed a sense of pride and confidence in the Chinese, breeding nationalism in the country. It is this renewed Nationalism which is a threat to the crisis in the Taiwan Strait, Chinese nationalists feel China should be forcibly united to Taiwan. Across Taiwan, political liberalization and economic empowerment has created a new Taiwanese identity. Political parties which advocate Taiwanese interests and consciousness fair better in National polls whereas parties which lean towards the Mainland are shunned. Majority in Taiwan favor the political situation to remain as it is. The rise of Nationalism in the Mainland has coincided with emergence of a Taiwanese identity. These two aspects are bound to repel any forces which aim to unite them and might even isolate the US bid to act as an intermediary. The US, recently concentrated its military might in fighting the Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. The recent world economic crunch has also dented the military war chest of the US. In the Far East, North Korea’s acquisition of nuclear weapons has polarized the entire region. It is obvious The Japanese who looked upon the US as protector are starting to feel vulnerable. As China vows not to recognize the independence of Taiwan, it would be only appropriate to front for the remilitarization of Japan. This will eventually ease the burden on the US military in the Far East and contribute to peace and stability in the region. China and the United States can without doubt be argued to be the world’s two indomitable â€Å"super powers†. An idea has been mooted to establish CHIMERICA a G2 alliance to mediate on contentious world affairs. The two countries have however initiated the US-China strategic and Dialogue forum to tackle issues on global warming, humanitarian crisis and proliferation of nuclear weapons. Chinese authorities have adopted policies set to improve co-operation on both sides of the straits. China hopes to maintain a Status Quo in her favor; which simply means Taiwan will never be independent from the Mainland, especially taking into account its economic benefits. In 2010 the US proposed an arms sale to Taiwan which was vehemently opposed by mainland China. The US administration was to further antagonize Beijing when President Obama decided to host the Dalai Lama. The US today has its hands full in fighting terrorism at home and abroad. In the Far East, China’s increased economic might and international clout has tilted the power balance in her favor. A China Policy in tandem with the previous communiques will ease the existing security tensions in the Far East Region. The US has over time pursued a policy of close co-operation with a reformed and modernized China. This is to augur well with the over 48 Billion dollars worth of investments by US companies operating in China. The United States of America faces a formidable challenge as it tries to maintain hegemony in a region which has been transformed radically by an emerging economic power, China. Many US firms have often been accused of setting up tax heaven in China. These firms are viewed by those opposed to the whole idea of US firms outsourcing to China, as using US market to make huge profits and evading the responsibility of paying their fair share of national tax. This has forced the US lawmakers to devise ways and means to curb these loopholes, though its success rate is questionable. The Shanghai communique and others thereafter have managed to harmonize the relationship between the US and the People’s Republic of China. Each new US administration comes up with conflicting policies but which are based on the original communique, which advocates for one China. The signed documents are not binding and US interests, particularly in trade, are known to override these communiques. The above concerns raised have led policy makers on both sides of the equation to carefully assess their short and long-term policies towards each other. Some of the approaches that have been laid on the table for debate and implementation are:- Approach 1: Envision a crumbling China Most debates in America as concerns China policy tend to dwell on the emerging might of China, a big and threatening East Asian economic and military giant. Many others see a prosperous and cooperative Mainland China, which can is also be a ‘’Strategic partner’’ to the US. Rapid modernization may as well overwhelm the existing political structures in China to destabilize the country. At the moment, various provinces in the Mainland are agitating for self rule. An unstable Chinese State would reduce the government’s capabilities to contain serious vices in this vast country Industrialization in China has had its drawbacks as witnessed by the high pollution in urban areas. Stern laws are a deterrent to industries which pollute the environment. A weak, broken China will barely be able to enforce or control the resulting polluting culprits. A disintegrating China is a more serious threat to the US interests while a United China is a Strategic advantage. An American policy on China ought to advocate for a stable domestic China. As the worlds largest producers and consumers, China and the US should be in the forefront stemming global warming. To monitor levels of environmental degradation in a splintered China would be a nightmare. With a thriving and united mainland, the US can also count on Chinese support to disarm North Korea of its nuclear arsenal though peaceful negotiations. The prospects of a failing China are a disadvantage to the US trade interests in Eastern Asia, where numerous US multinationals have invested heavily. A China policy should support a strong Cohesive State; for floundering domestic China will deal a destabilizing blow externally. All the neighboring countries economies are dependant on China, a spill over effect of instability can be disastrous for the entire region. As China economy comes to par with the western world, improved lifestyles and access to information is bound to ferment discord as Citizens seek an outlet to flaunt their new wealth worldwide. A China policy should encourage cross cultural exchange between Citizens of the two States. An informed public will discard the deep rooted mistrusts of East verses West rivalries which are mostly myths. The success story of the Chinese economy would also boost the US tourism sectors as wealthy Chinese splash their wealth on US tours. Approach 2: Pursue ‘’One China’’ Dialogue In China the Taiwan issue is a matter close to the hearts of many. It is an emotional subject which can erupt negatively if not checked. The US has always been sympathetic towards Taiwan because of her liberalism and democratic ideals. This does not go down well with the Chinese who insist Taiwan is the 23rd province of the Mainland. To ease the tensions along the Taiwan Strait, China policy ought to lean on One Nation, which encompasses the Mainland and Taiwan. As mentioned before, the US can also bargain for a united China in exchange for ‘’One Korea’’ in the North. This will strategically secure North East Asia for the US as Japan is located in the neighborhood. The US should thereafter lobby for her trading concessions to be maintained. A sound and trusting relationship with China will eventually ensure world peace. Though some may feel that the US policy at times are viewed by many around the globe to be a bit forcefully, China’ s policy especially on foreign issues has been a bit laid back. Whereas, the US may favor sanction of countries that it considered a threat to its national security. China has not been in favor of those sanctions and may only favor them as a last result. When it comes to China’s internal affair especially on human rights issues, media freedom and democracy the Chinese have not taken lightly the US offshore comments on its internal affairs. It may seem that the standards of human rights issues are as far as the east is from the west when comparing china and the US. Across to the North East Japan’s economic muscle may eventually arouse Nationalism fronting for the re-armament of their country. After the testing of Nuclear weapons by North Korea, Japan must be feeling threatened. The emergence of new political players in Japan who profess aggressive military ideals can not be entirely ruled out. Historically a highly militarized Japan has been proved to be a global tyrant. It is whispered that ‘’ The Japanese have never learnt from their past military crimes’’, so they might as well be contained. Plus, given that Iran is also pursuing nuclear weapons and more nations are joining the nuclear club. Japan which has been traditionally enjoying military and economic superiority may be forced to rethink its policy. Though, China cannot be said to be a threat to Japan’s national security. The US has been advocating for nuclear non-proliferation and whether it will be able to convince the Chinese to reduce its nuclear stock pile is another hard rock to crack. The process of pursuing ‘’One China’’ Policy will maintain the Status Quo, China is known to prefer things to remain as they are, while plotting ways of controlling Taiwan. The US is a major supplier of arms to Taiwan and as things stand, the Status Quo serves well the profits of US multinationals. The rise of Taiwanese Identity has altered the mindsets in the Island, where majority now are against reunification with the Mainland and prefer the Status Quo remain. The split in the two China’s was fueled by Nationalists and Communists, as found in Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China respectively. It is highly probable that integrating the two will strengthen the renewed Nationalism in the Mainland. Political optimists believe China will eventually transform itself into a Democracy, though the process might take a while. With fast changing technology especially the fast growth of the internet China may find it hard to maintain its control of information freely flowing within its borders and would be forced to embrace democracy as viewed by the Americans. Some may argue that the US is playing double standards when it advocates for democracy whereas its own records are questionable. Especially, when Issues related to fighting terrorism are concerned. With some of the view in China and many other nations within the region feeling that the US policies should be toned down and they should bring more dialogue on the table. Approach 3: Engage Top-level Bureaucrats The US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue initiative is an example of Top-level bureaucratic engagement. The US Secretary of State heads the team in this initiative while the Chinese delegation is led by the Deputy Premier. High level consultations between the two countries have in the past opened the way for China to join the World Trade Organization. Bi-lateral Summits by the Presidents of the two powers have in the past yielded reforming solutions to global issues. With almost two digit growth rate been recorded by China, one may project and see that China may soon overtake the US economy which is growing at a much lower rate than China. Comparing the two countries one may see that the national cake is more evenly distributed in America than China. Even though the wide gap between the poor and rich may at times benefits the US in the sense that they can outsource labor intensive projects at a relatively lower cost. Meetings between the Top leadership increase the level of Trust and diminish any hostile perceptions held. Apart from China, the US should play the role mediator in issues affecting the East Asia region. America’s policy in the region will determine the relations with China. US national interests in diplomacy, military and economics will only be well protected when top government executives engage directly with the leadership of this region. US standing among the Nations of East Asia will affect China’s views on issues. The US diplomats should push to strengthen existing alliances, while assessing the composition and capacity of stationed troops to fulfill their missions effectively. China should also be engaged so as to participate in regional issues such as counter terrorism, Disaster management and peacekeeping. To check on North Korea, Trilateral consultations with the Republic of Korea and Japan should be intensified. Further consultations with Beijing and Moscow needed to pressurize Pyongyang to cede developing nuclear weapons. Within the East Asia region, the US should support sound structural economic reforms in particular countries. This will provide the foundation for a sustainable economic growth in the 21st century. Aid ought to be granted to establish regional institutions which are comfortable with America’s involvement in East Asia affairs. Approach 4: Arms Trade On January of 2010, the US was closing a deal worth $6. 4 billion selling arms to Taiwan. Mainland China immediately threatened to impose restrictions on the US firms selling the arms. PRC later suspended consultations on certain regional and international issues. The US gesture (arms sale), was seen as a snub to the spirit of ‘’One China’’. However the US-Japan alliance is favorable to the interests of China. Japan, due to her bloody military past is viewed with suspicion in the region. The US has effectively put on check any Japanese military ambitions. China has in the past borne the brunt of Japan’s military might and is comfortable with US limiting her capabilities. Japan is a nation with great capability when it comes to acquisition of military superiority. It has not lately been in the arms race seen within the region, which has played very well with the Chinese. This can partially be attributed to the US check and balances on Japan. Though the whether the status quo remains is a thorny issue that would need to be addressed in future. Across Japan, North Korea is flexing her nuclear muscle from a tightly closed and controlled society. This scenario best presents the US with an opportunity to re-arm Japan on terms strictly dictated by the US. Thereafter this process will eventually offer US firms a lucrative avenue to invest in Japan’s, National Security industry. The level of militarization will however be in tandem with China and Russia’s aspirations, who can also act as mediators in the balancing of power along the Sea of Japan.

Assessment Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Assessment Worksheet Essay DACL is a list of Access control entries; it defines access control for users and groups. 2) Why would you add permissions to a group instead of the individual? What policy definition do you think is required to support this type of access control implementation? When adding permissions to a group it makes it easier for a large organization and just set up the access for the departments, or job roles. Creating GPO is best use for this job. 3) List the 5 different access control permissions that can be enabled on user folders and data within a Microsoft Windows Server. Full Control, Modify, Read Execute, Read, Write, Special permissions. 4) What is the lowest level of permission you can enable for a user who must view the contents of a folder and its files? Why is this type of permission necessary? Read permission, this permission is necessary to allow the user of a group to get information of another department in the business. 5) What are other available Password Policy options that could be enforced within a Microsoft Windows Server to improve security? Under account options you can have the user either change and make their own password upon next logon, make it so they cannot change the password unless allowed to by admin, make the password expire or not, and enable reversible encryption. 6) Is using the option to Store passwords using reversible encryption a good security practice? Why or why not? When should you enable the option to Store passwords using reversible encryption? It is known as not a normal practice, it is used for applications or programs to read the users password for permission to use. It stores the password as plain text, and used in last resort situations where there is no need to protect the password or other options are outweighed for risk. 7) What’s the difference between a Local Group Policy and a Domain Group Policy? Local Group Policy; each computer has exactly one Group Policy object that is stored locally. This processes for both computer and user Group Policy processing. Domain Group Policy is a global setting for all groups in the domain. 8) In what order are all available Group Policies applied? There is the default applied, and new policies are applied after by linking to active directory.  9) What is an Administrative Template as it refers to Windows Group Policy Objects? Administrative templates can be used to have settings for users and what they can access on windows, programs etc. and can have folders redirected. By default some are enabled and have windows default settings. Templates can be useful for managing groups. 10) What is the GP MC? How can GPMC help ensure proper access controls are implemented correctly? The Group Policy Management Console unifies policies across a forest or enterprise in one console, and can easily create policies for groups and set their access.

Use of self and peer assessment

Use of self and peer assessment Use of Self and Peer assessment Self Assessment describes the activities employed within and outside the classroom that enable the pupil to reflect on what has been learnt and judge it against a set of criteria, e.g. using traffic light systems which give pupils the opportunity to indicate their own thoughts about a piece of work against the given Success Criteria (SC). This could simply be used during a pit-stop or plenary, pupils mark work with an R, A or G or with the relevant colour. I have seen this working effectively with children in Keystage 1. Admittedly lower ability pupils require an element of support but simply completing the process prepares and develops their understanding for the future. Both the whiteboard and the interactive whiteboard are access points for pupils to refer to find their learning objective and success criteria. Often the LO and SC can be located on childrens work. Self Evaluation is the process by which the pupil gains an understanding ofhowthey are learning as opposed towhatthey are learning. There are numerous factors that the class teacher must consider here. Whether there is/are: The right classroom climate Clarity in the intended learning outcome and a model of what success looks like examples of expected outcome, modelled by the teacher or TA Time for self assessment and reflection Training to allow the pupils to assess their own workeffectively e.g. use of traffic light cards and colour indicators Planned opportunities for pupils to assess their work during plenaries and pit-stops Resources provided that help the self assessment process on whiteboard, selected pieces of work Classroom strategies that support self and peer assessment include modelling by the teacher using exemplars: at the beginning, during or after completing tasks, success criteria shared or created and continually referred to by teacher and pupils (see whiteboard photograph), use of questioning techniques that promote higher order thinking, graphic organisers e.g. thumbs up, post its, charts and concept maps that encourage reflection on learning process and learning outcome, reflection time during the lesson referring to agreed success criteria, marking that celebrates and encourages the pupil to reflect on aspects of their work related to success criteria, talk partners are sometimes less inhibiting for pupils to express difficulties. The process develops a more analytical approach to their work as they learn from their partners talks. It is essential that pupils are trained. (And last but not least), setting clear targets that pupils understand and can refer to, in order to improve their work: The Wise Owl has become a universal character through Reception to Year 4 at MACAULAY PRIMARY, to indicate the Learning Objective. Similarly is the use of the Success Criteria toolkit, arming pupils with the things they need to succeed in a given task. Using Talk Partners Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998) indicated that it is crucial that children are familiar with self assessment before embarking on peer assessment, which can be known as ‘talk partners or ‘buddy checkers. Children need to be trained in how to do this and a set of ground rules need to be established. I have spent a lot of time with pupils ensuring they are all fully aware of the expectations. Additionally, the emotional aspect of sharing work with a partner should not be overlooked as children can find it daunting to share their work with other pupils in their class. However, the teaching of literacy seems to lend itself to these types of experiences because of the emphasis on development of speaking and listening skills. As a teacher you should model paired marking for the whole class, using role-play to demonstrate the wrong way and the right way over a piece of work. Recently during our topic on Roald Dahl I produced a piece of descriptive writing which pupils then marked using set criteria. Ive found it useful to use paired marking two thirds of the way through a lesson, so that the children can make the improvement and continue with a better understanding of the quality of the work. In order to develop a sound understanding of AfL I recommend the approaches Shirley Clarke discusses in her book Targeting Assessment in the Primary Classroom and Clarkes Golden Rules for marking with a talk partner should be an essential part of any primary teachers toolkit. The guidelines are clear and can be used to create a class agreement for how best to work with your talk partner. Clarke suggests that both partners should be roughly the same ability, or just one jump ahead or behind, rather than a wide gap, however, I have found that pupils do benefit from working with partners of   varying abilities at selected times. Each pupil should take time to check their own work before a talk partner sees it. The talk partner should begin with a positive comment at least one. The roles of both parties need to be clearly defined. And perhaps displayed for future reference. The talk partner needs time to take in the childs work, so it is best for the author to read out work first. This also establishes ownership of the piece. Children need to be trained in the success and improvement process, or whatever is being used, so that they are confident with the steps involved. Children must both agree the part to be changed. The author should make the marks on his or her work, as a result of the paired discussion. Children need to be reminded that the focus of their task is the learning intention for the piece of work. The talk partner should ask for clarification rather than jump to conclusions. The improvement suggestions should be verbal and not written down. The only writing necessary is the identification of the success(es) and the improvement itself. Common experiences, I have observed in the teaching of literacy include: Use of talk partners Peer and Self Assessment Time to respond to marking Comments to help children improve However, I have found that there can be issues with ensuring pupils have time to respond to the comments made. During the spring term in Year 2, we provided pupils with time solely for this purpose; this was very successful and allowed me, as the class teacher to provide vital feedback essential for the children to progress. A second issue is having time to mark pupils work in this way, the policy indicates that not all pieces of work require marking in full but to select one key piece a week in each subject, making this a more realistic objective. As part of a continuous process of monitoring individual progress at Macaulay Primary School, some work, for example in Golden Books, is marked according to National Curriculum levels. Trialling within a year group, a key stage and as a whole school is carried out to ensure that levelling is correct, this is moderate by the Literacy Coordinators and ensures continuity throughout the school. The Golden Book follows the children through each year group during their time in the school, instantly providing evidence of progression.