Key Pieces of Old Testament Essay Topics

Key Pieces of Old Testament Essay Topics The best strategies to accept the society and ensure it is accept you. Very often it becomes tough to choose 1 topic either due to the many ideas in the student's head, or due to their complete absence. Another reason is to observe how well students argue on distinct views and demonstrate understanding of the studied subject. Decide on a law and explain why it's so important to you. Gossip, Lies and Old Testament Essay Topics Try out another topic and do the exact same 5-minute writing test till you locate a topic you know it is simple to write on. So you don't actually need to get a topic! If you get to select your own topic, that's terrific. Therefore, the topic needs to be debatable! If you're looking for college essay examples, here's a great one below. To compose a strong argumentative essay, students should start by familiarizing themselves with a number of the common, and frequently conflicting, positions on the research to pic so they can write an educated paper. You will be assigned a topic, or your professor will permit you to select your own. There are several persuasive essay topics to select from to finish your high school or college assignment. Old Testament Essay Topics Tell us a topic you've changed your head on in the last three decades. At exactly the same time, detecting cause and effect relationships isn't that easy in regards to the selection of a fantastic cause and effect essay topic. Since you can see, a number of the topics listed are new and deal with the recent issues happening in the World today. Write about a problem which you have or wish to solve. The Battle Over Old Testament Essay Topics and How to Win It If you must compose your whole essay in 1 day, do your very best to give yourself breaks so you don't burn out. It is often as large or as small as it is possible to consider! It is very important to mention that the idea doesn't need to be a good one. The ideal thing is to choose a topic that will provide you with an opportunity to present new ideas or a fresh perspective on a problem. Opt for a distinctive topic that others may not think of, and whatever you select, make sure that you know a lot about it! When you're picking your topic, remember that it's much simpler to write about something which you presently have interest ineven in case you don't know a great deal about it. 1 important thing which you should do when writing your essay is to help it become personal. There are 3 important steps that you need to follow when you're writing an on-line essay. Informative essays are somewhat more descriptive. Overall, you can observe that writing a persuasive essay isn't a brain surgery. Old Testament Essay Topics Fundamentals Explained There are many steps that you should take so as to write an exemplary essay. You are able to also restate the ideas you have discussed in the body paragraphs in order to make your point valid. Wh en you've got a completed outline, you'll have a step-by-step guide that you are able to follow until you're done writing. Thus, it's important to read corresponding formatting guide. Application essays about challenges reveal how you respond to difficulty to folks who are really interested in how you'll take care of the subsequent four years by yourself. How to submit an application for a study abroad program. Curriculum proposal topics is a means to try. You need to be able to use persuasive language. Normally, having three leading arguments to demonstrate your point is sufficient for a convincing paper. Becoming in a position to compose a strong argument can help you succeed in society. You should produce a notion and offer some evidence. Needless to say, you can pick any topic, nobody could ever know that you're describing experience that you never actually had, but don't forget that it is always simpler to tell the truth than to invent lies. The New Fuss About Old Testa ment Essay Topics Although you're just beginning to compose essays, you shouldn't struggle attempting to develop something to discuss. If you're struggling, you always have the option to get help by utilizing an essay writing service such as ours. It is preferable to search online because it will conserve a plenty of time. It isn't possible to produce a true friend online. Old Testament Essay Topics Ideas So without further ado, here are a few effective writing tips to produce your common app essay stick out! The reader ought to take the author's side by the close of the reading. Some individuals may think that the excellent content could possibly be written on any topic and the paper success is dependent just on the mastery of the writer. You may use different examples on the world wide web at no cost. Ruthless Old Testament Essay Topics Strategies Exploited Argumentative essays are a few of the best that you can write as a student. Good persuasive essay topics must be pe rsuasive. Moral argumentative essay topics are a few of the simplest to get carried away with. Choosing topics for argumentative essays is critical for your general success. What You Should Do to Find Out About Old Testament Essay Topics Before You're Left Behind The college essay is among the most essential facets of your college application. On the flip side, some argue that the price of college leaves students with crippling debt they'll never have the ability to repay. A college essay topic may or might not be freely dependent on the student based on the course and the professor. For instance, you can pick a topic for elementary, middle, or higher school. Remember your final grade significantly is based on the topic. Type and purpose are the 2 standards that impact the collection of essay topic ideas.

The Ethical Issue Of Abortion Essay - 1857 Words

The meaning of the word ethical is related to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these. And an ethical issue is â€Å"a problem or situation that requires a person or organization to choose between alternatives that must be evaluated as right (ethical) or wrong (unethical).† And abortion is an ethical issue. Last year in New Zealand 14,073 abortions were performed. 14 thousand potential lives were killed before they were even given a chance to live. â€Å"Abortion means ending a pregnancy before the fetus (unborn child) can live independently outside the mother.† This is an ethical issue because it goes against many things that people’s values originate from for example, the bible, a person’s morals and the human rights act, a religious sacrament etc. and therefore people tend to get quite offended when something they so strongly believe in is being abused, for example the bible, where their religious belief is that every human being is made from God’s image and likeness. There are a lot of different responses to abortion and ones I will be discussing is the bible and Catholic/Christian church, Pope Francis’ view, New Zealand law and organizations helping out. Abortion in today’s society is known to be a contemporary ethical issue in New Zealand because abortion is still legal before you hit 12 weeks of pregnancy. It has been discussed that killing a fetus is depriving the unborn child of a future. The issue is also looking at the mother and her rights to abortShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Issues Of Abortion1024 Words   |  5 Pagesnumerous ethical issues that can develop in labor and delivery whether this issue influences the mother, baby, or both. In healthcare, it is an obligation for the provider to give ideal care, treatment, and prevent harm to patients while making ethical choices. Here and there, these choices aren t highly contrasting and providers must outweigh benefits versus harm in order to give the best care possible for mother and baby. One case of an ethical issues that emerges in obstetrics is late abortion inRead MoreThe Ethical Issues Of Abortion1847 Words   |  8 PagesVarious ethical issues result from aborti on, however the main one s to be discussed are regarding whether abortion is considered the taking of human life, the mental state of a woman becoming a mother, and whose decision is it to determine whether they should be permitted. Ultimately, the most significant concepts surrounding abortion relate to the Value of Human Life and The Principal of Individual Freedom. The Value of Life refers to the idea that our lives are a basic ownership. Every personRead MoreThe Ethical Issues Of Abortion Essay2253 Words   |  10 PagesThe Ethical Issues of Abortion Abortion is a highly-debated topic of whether it is ethical for a woman to decide to have one. Abortion is any of various surgical methods for deliberately terminating a pregnancy. When we speak of abortion today, we mean induced abortion performed by trained doctors, not including miscarriage (MacKinnon Fiala, 2015). Some current methods of abortion are morning-after pill, mifepristone, uterine or vacuum aspiration, dilation and curettage, saline solution, prostaglandinRead MoreAbortion Ethical Issues2555 Words   |  11 PagesVarious ethical issues result from abortion. However, the issues to be discussed are regarding whether abortion is considered the taking of human life, the mental state of a woman becoming a mother, and whose decision is it to determine whether they should be permitted. This paper is about the ethical issues surrounding abortion and the question as follows: Should women have the right of choosing abortion for the sake of their health, both mentally and physi cally? The history of abortion dates fartherRead MoreThe Ethical Issue Of Abortion2254 Words   |  10 PagesAbortion is the intended termination of a human pregnancy which is commonly done within the initial 28 weeks of pregnancy. It is the slaughtering of developing lives or babies amid a woman’s pregnancy. They come with a myriad of different procedures according to how far along the pregnancy is. This ethical issue is a subject all over the world and there are arguments for whether or not it goes against all morals. Premature birth has been and most likely will always be a controversial topic consideringRead MoreEthical Issue Of Elective Abortion Essay1738 Words   |  7 PagesEthical issue in the news June 2016 Three online news articles, two of which are New Zealand-centric, on the subject of elective abortion were published on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of June. News The first article I read called attention to New Zealand’s elective abortion laws, which criminalises elective abortion. The article claimed that the laws are outdated and requires change. It mentioned the pro-elective abortion faction’s campaign to remove elective abortion from the 1961 Crimes ActRead More Abortion as an Ethical Issue Essay2547 Words   |  11 PagesAbortion as an Ethical Issue In recent years, abortion has become one of the world’s most discussed ethical issues. This has made a huge impact on both men and women’s lives. There are many different views on abortion dating back from the Old Testament to the present day. I intend to show you all of abortion’s conventional arguments. I hope to establish few of these views;  · The Christian views on abortion  · Views that support and oppose abortion  · My personalRead MoreAbortion : A Controversial Ethical, Legal And Public Health Issue824 Words   |  4 PagesWhether or not abortion should be restricted in the law is a controversial ethical, legal and public health issue that affects us all. While some countries have a legal restriction on abortion, Canada has no legal constraints: abortion is regulated and determined by the health act. Liberalization movements of abortion laws in Canada started in the 1960s by both feminist groups and the medical profession. This was found necessary to address the rise in mortality rates of pregnant women. A provincialRead MoreShould Abortion Be Legal?867 Words   |  4 PagesABORTION Abortion is a deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. There are series of legal, moral and ethical issues which may arise about abortion. Most arguments about abortion are often focused on political insinuations and the legal aspect of such actions. Some frequently asked questions’ regarding the issue is if the practice should be outlawed and regarded as murder or should women have the right to practice it. For example, prior toRead MoreThe Ethics And Ethical Ethics1739 Words   |  7 Pagesthe turn of the 4th Century BC, the study of ethics and ethical behaviour has occupied human thought, with various philosophers exploring the fundamental issues of practical decision making, determining the nature of normative theories (Aristotelian virtue ethics), and applying these principles to pragmatic moral issues. Approximately 2040 years ago, Aristotle published, what is considered to be the foundations of modern day ethics and ethical frameworks, the â€Å"Nicomachean Ethics†. Through this publication

Talwar Articles Review Preview of Articlesâ€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Talwar Articles review Preview of articles? Answer: Introducation The case reviews are based on two clinical trial studies for the purpose of mental psychosis treatment. The studies are utilising the use of music therapy for rehabilitation treatment and restoration of mental ability for therapeutic measures among the schizophrenia patients. In the Talwar study, it bases its argument on the principle that music therapy improves the mental health status among the schizophrenia, and it evaluates its effects in the psychotic mental health state of the patients. In the Young study, it argues on restoration of social functioning of the mental state through rehabilitation therapy. It uses music as a form of psychosocial therapy for mental health. The studys background states that music therapy has been effectively been used to minimise negative symptoms to patients. The study evaluates the use of music therapy in lowering the symptoms and social disabilities associated with chronic schizophrenia among patients. In Yang study, it used selection criteria in admitting sample respondents, those who met the criteria were recruited in the study, employing CCMD-2 criteria of 1987. In Talwar study, the samples were recruited from in-patients in one of the hospital among the four hospitals in the study area. The sample was a representative of larger population. Talwar study has more strength in the sampling procedure in that it randomly selected patients admitted with schizophrenia, unlike in the Yang, the diagnostic criteria is too old for assessment and recruitment, more patients will be biased left out of study. The sampling chosen is robust enough to equalize the effects of expectation unlike from the other study; it risked being biased in the recruitment. Participants evaluation in the in clinical research is essential to eliminate business in the recruitment and treatment of the sample respondents. In randomised control trials, samples can encounter difference in terms of race, colour, cultural values, and changes in self awareness of the intended program and self perception recognition due to inert influences like self mentoring. However utilization of random assignment and selection should be balanced enough to counter act. It serves the purposes of equalization effects of non- processors that might affect the outcome of the two studies. In the Talwar study, patients who met the criteria of the study were approached and their consent sought through a written consent. Study procedure used inclusion and exclusion criteria, and those patients who met inclusion standards were included in the study. Thereafter the randomisation procedure ended whereby patients were treated to therapy care or routine alone, block randomisation stratification for the hospital was followed. The randomisation ratio used was 2:3, therapy: routine care with music sessions included. The treatments given were not equal hence could be a subject of biased results later during c study results. Follow up schedule was then initiated after 3 months of randomisation. To ensure that randomisation evaluation procedures were free of any biasness, an independent evaluator was used. Studies conducted have shown that effective randomisation in a study is effective for determination of causal effects of treatments, (Suvama, 2010). Randomisation is always prong ed with biasness hence this study utilized an independent evaluator to conduct the follow up interviews. Attrition biasness in randomised controlled studies is the systematic error in the loss of participants in the study. The patients might withdraw from the study due to personal reasons such as unfair treatments, efficacy issues and intolerable effects of music. In the Talwar study 27% of the respondents did not turn up for the study, this is larger portion which bring biasness in the study because the differing characteristics is correlated to the trial outcome being measured. Study done by Schulz and Grimes, (2002) argues that any loss of upto 5% or below should be a worry issue, while loss of between 5%- 20% should bring a lot of concerns. However in this study it is 30% which gives worry to evaluate validity of the results obtained, (Hewitt, David, Torgerson, Dumville, 2006). The Yang study is having greater advantage due to attrition loss being 3% which is way below the standard measure to worry. Thus results obtained from this study are presumed to be more valid and acceptable. Expectation effect on the observer is a reactivity process which a researcher cognitive biasness has an effect on the influence to the participant subjects in the treatments. It commonly refer to observation effects about outcomes f the study. It has been studied and shown to affect the diagnosis and decrease the internal validity when subjects behaviour is not according to expectations of the researcher, (Kobak et al., 2010). In the Talwar study, blinding ratters was used to conduct the interview so as to limit researchers selective approach in the collection of data. This protocol is effective in the process of the entry criteria, visit number and improvements expectations. In the Yang study, there was no use of independent ratters hence subject to expectation biases and affect the diagnostic treatment and results validity. The treatment of the groups in the Talwar study was given preferential access, by empowering the patients to play with the instruments was a way in which positive treatment could be used. The difference that can be observed in the groups is that, treatment group was given facilitation and guidance in the therapy of music play while in the control group no support give as they were left alone without the services of a therapist and music treatment given at the trail process. A repeat of this study, matching and stratification will be deployed to manage the preferential treatment that might occur between the therapist and the patients, (Austin, 2013). In the Talwar study, table two test the hypothesis relating to changes in primary and secondary experimental groups and control groups at two distinct periods were the same at baseline and at 3 months. The p value in the table is 0.045, thus allows us to reject the null hypothesis statement stated. The statistical power of the study was adequate and effective in rejecting any false null hypothesis of the study. In Yang study the effect of treatment is strong in that it shows significant difference in the outcomes of the study between the control and treatment groups. While in Talwar study it showed association of difference after three months of treatment. In Yang study the, therapist used for treatment were experienced musicians who had the skills of how to coach and effectively teach the patients how to sing and use the musical instruments whereas in the other there was no such treatment to the respondents. The application of music treatment in Yang study is that, the mode of application of the music was based on an individual basis and personal coaching applied to the patients. The therapists themselves were musician hence rich expertise in the application of the music through the different process which include participation, emotional and expression sequence which allows full participation of the respondents in the study. In the Talwar study the subjection of music to the patients was done in therapy sessions lasting for 45 minutes once in a week with music therapy who were not necessarily musicians by profession. The therapist function was to support the patients emotionally during the musical process which was not in-depth compared to the Yang study which was more intensive and patient captivating. Such treatment protocol is not feasible in acute care management plan because the patients characteristics are significant of negative symptoms such as mood disorders and cognitive impairments. This displays can lead to damage relationships between the care giver or the therapist and the patient, (Husnoo, Goonoo Abbas, 2012). To generalize findings of any research is a crucial aspect. Important factors such as internal validity of the study tools , play key role in generalizing the findings, (Kukull, Walter Mary, 2012),Talwar study findings cannot meet this criterion since the sample size respondents was far much wide with 31% of the respondents being non responsive thus affected the validity of the results. In Yang study the results can be generalized to other settings since the validity of the results is measurable and that the sample respondents were responsive. The findings of both studies have not given conclusive evidence on the use of music therapy to actually give treatment to schizophrenia management of patients. Neuroleptic treatments diminishes the effects of symptoms and prevent the occurrence of relapses among patients, (Frances et al., 2017), hence music therapy is unlikely to be a replacement of the therapy. In both the studies one outstanding gap is that the effectiveness of music therapy needs to assessed, as none has outline how effective the therapy is improving the state of the schizophrenia patients. Modification of the study design would analyse the use of the quasi-experimental designs to assign specific respondents into a study to asses them specifically regarding to the therapy. In this design, it estimates the causal impact on intervention without randomly assigning the target population. The researcher will control the variables but utilising the same criterion in experimental on exclusion and inclusion procedures, (Dinardo, 2008). At some point in this research process, control over the treatment assignment may be applicable, however this design may be subject to internal validity , it will based on the researchers own interest on what is measured. Difference in groups can be observed, and its occurrence will be due to chance and choice changes in the characteristics at post intervention will be equivalent to intervention applied. The outcome will be dependable variable of the intervention. References Austin, P.C., 2013. The performance of different propensity score methods for estimating marginal hazard ratios. Statistics in medicine, 32(16), pp.2837-2849. Dumville, J.C., Torgerson, D.J. and Hewitt, C.E., 2006. Reporting attrition in randomised controlled trials. BMJ: British Medical Journal, 332(7547), p.969. Frances R Frankenburg , 2017. SchizophreniaTreatment Management. Online Access on 14/05/2017. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/288259-treatment. Husnoo, N., Goonoo, M.S. and Abbas, S., Practical management of aromatase inhibitor-induced bone loss in breast cancer patients. Kobak, K.A., Leuchter, A., DeBrota, D., Engelhardt, N., Williams, J.B., Cook, I.A., Leon, A.C. and Alpert, J., 2010. Site versus centralized raters in a clinical depression trial: impact on patient selection and placebo response. Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 30(2), pp.193-197. Kukull, W.A. and Ganguli, M., 2012. Generalizability The trees, the forest, and the low-hanging fruit. Neurology, 78(23), pp.1886-1891. Schneider, J., Brner, D., van Rosmalen, P. and Specht, M., 2016. Can You Help Me with My Pitch? Studying a Tool for Real-Time Automated Feedback. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, 9(4), pp.318-327. Schulz, K.F. and Grimes, D.A., 2002. Unequal group sizes in randomised trials: guarding against guessing. The Lancet, 359(9310), pp.966-970. Suvarna, V., 2010. Consort 2010: A Standard for Reporting Clinical Trials Revised Anew?. Perspectives in clinical research, 1(3), p.87. Talwar, N., Crawford, M.J., Maratos, A., Nur, U., McDERMOTT, O.R.I.I. and Procter, S., 2006. Music therapy for in-patients with schizophrenia. The British journal of psychiatry, 189(5), pp.405-409. Yang, W.Y., Li, Z., Weng, Y.Z. and Zhang, H.Y., 1998. Psychosocial rehabilitation effects of music therapy in chronic schizophrenia. Hong Kong Journal of Psychiatry, 8(1), p.38.

Strategic plan free essay sample

Free Online Strategic Planner for creating a 3-page strategic plan based on the structure used in this white paper. Use it to organize your thoughts, structure your ideas and compile a short but comprehensive strategic plan for any size and type of organization. Recommendation: Review the paper on this page before using the planner. Click here to see feedback from past users of this planning tool (opens in a new window) and click here to see a sample plan (use back button on browser to return to this page). 1. Introduction to Strategic Planning If you dont know where your business is going, any road will get you there. What is a Strategic Plan? Entrepreneurs and business managers are often so preoccupied with immediate issues that they lose sight of their ultimate objectives. Thats why a business review or preparation of a strategic plan is a virtual necessity. This may not be a recipe for success, but without it a business is much more likely to fail. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic plan or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A sound plan should: * Serve as a framework for decisions or for securing support/approval. Provide a basis for more detailed planning. * Explain the business to others in order to inform, motivate involve. * Assist benchmarking performance monitoring. * Stimulate change and become building block for next plan. For inspiration (and a few smiles), have a look at some of the quotations and examples of bad advice included in other pages! A strategic plan should not be confused with a business plan. The former is likely to be a (very) short document whereas a business plan is usually a much more substantial and detailed document. A strategic plan can provide the foundation and frame work for a business plan. For more information about business plans, refer to How to Write a Business Plan, Insights into Business Planning and Free-Plan: Business Plan Guide Template. A strategic plan is not the same thing as an operational plan. The former should be visionary, conceptual and directional in contrast to an operational plan which is likely to be shorter term, tactical, focused, implementable and measurable. As an example, compare the process of planning a vacation (where, when, duration, budget, who goes, how travel are all strategic issues) with the final preparations (tasks, deadlines, funding, weather, packing, transport and so on are all operational matters). A satisfactory strategic plan must be realistic and attainable so as to allow managers and entrepreneurs to think strategically and act operationally see Devising Business Strategies for further insights. Get Strategic Planning Help: Free Online Strategic Planner for creating a 3-page strategic plan. See Also: Expert tools for Assessing Business Ideas (US$ 229.95) and Evaluating Marketing Strategies (US$ 795. 00). See a sample strategic plan use the back button on your browser to return to this page. Need More Help with your Strategic Planning ? Have a look at: * Plan Write Expert Business Planner: Combined business plan tool and expert system to help evaluate and develop your plan. * Quick Insight Business Idea Assessor: Ex pert system to help evaluate and improve a new business idea. * Business Insight Strategy Evaluator: Sophisticated expert system for evaluating, developing and comparing business and marketing strategies. Useful Links More Info Develop strategic plan Devise business strategies Write strategic plan See planning surveys Buy planning book View sample plan See Also Get business ideas Write business plan Get planning insights Prepare financial projections Seek planning advice Plan to plan Business plan guide Software Tools Financial Planners Expert Business Planner Strategy Planner Idea Assessor Marketing Planners Free Planners Buy Software Financial Projections Cashflow Forecasts Business Plans Marketing Plans Strategic Plans Basic Approach to Strategic Planning A critical review of past performance by the owners and management of a business and the preparation of a plan beyond normal budgetary horizons require a certain attitude of mind and predisposition. Some essential points which should to be observed during the review and planning process include the following: * Relate to the medium term i. e. 2/4 years * Be undertaken by owners/directors * Focus on matters of strategic importance * Be separated from day-to-day work * Be realistic, detached and critical * Distinguish between cause and effect Be reviewed periodically * Be written down. As the precursor to developing a strategic plan, it is desirable to clearly identify the current status, objectives and strategies of an existing business or the latest thinking in respect of a new venture. Correctly defined, these can be used as the basis for a critical examination to probe existing or perceived Strengths, Weaknesses, Threats and Opportunities. This then leads to strategy development covering the following issues discussed in more detail below: * Vision * Mission * Values Objectives * Strategies * Goals * Programs Top Business Plan WareTop of Page 2. Key Steps towards a Strategic Plan The preparation of a strategic plan is a multi-step process covering vision, mission, objectives, values, strategies, goals and programs. These are discussed below. The Vision The first step is to develop a realistic Vision for the business. This should be presented as a pen picture of the business in three or more years time in terms of its likely physical appearance, size, activities, structure, scale offerings etc. Answer the question: if someone from Mars visited the business, what would they see (or sense)? Consider its future products, markets, customers, processes, location, staffing etc. Here is a great example of a vision: I will come to America, which is the country for me. Once there, I will become the greatest bodybuilder in history. I will go into movies as an actor, producer and eventually director. By the time I am 30 I will have starred in first movie and I will be a millionaire I will collect houses, art and automobiles. I will marry a glamorous and intelligent wife. By 32, I will have been invited to the White House. Attributed to Arnold Schwarzenegger who was elected Governor of the State of California in 2003. The Mission The nature of a business is often expressed in terms of its Mission which indicates in a factual way the purpose and activities of the business in terms of operations, (unique) characteristics, functions, customers, offerings, sectors/segments, scale/scope/penetration, methodologies, technologies, resources etc. Just answer the questions as to what the business really is and does in qualitative terms. If planning for a startup, base the mission statement on the business as it would be once operational be realistic and practical rather than aspirational. For example, to design, develop, manufacture and market specific product lines for sale on the basis of certain features to meet the identified needs of specified customer groups via certain distribution channels in particular geographic areas. A statement along these lines indicates what the business is about and is infinitely clearer than saying, for instance, were in electronics or worse still, we are in business to make money (assuming that the business is not a mint ! ). Also, some people confuse mission statements with value statements (see below) the former should be very hard-nosed while the latter can deal with softer issues surrounding the business. The following table contrasts hard and soft mission statements. Hard Soft What business is/does Primary products/services Key processes technologies Main customer groups Primary markets/segments Principal channels/outlets Reason for existence Competitive advantages Unique/distinctive features Important philosophical/social issues Image, quality, style, standards Stakeholder concerns Compare the following statements: Hard Statement Soft Statement X Corp. designs, develops, assembles and markets systems for data base management. These systems integrate its proprietary operating system software with hardware supplied by major manufacturers, and are sold to small, medium and large-sized companies for a range of business applications. Its systems are distinguished by a sophisticated operating system, which permits use without trained data-processing personnel. Our mission is to enhance our customers business by providing the very highest quality products and services possible. Our customer support strategy is based upon total, no-compromise customer satisfaction and we continually strive to offer a complete package of up-to-date value added solutions to meet our customers needs. We value above all our long term customer relations. Intels original plan, written on the back of a menu (view copy), is an excellent example of a hard statement: The company will engage in research, development, and manufacture and sales of integrated electronic structures to fulfill the needs of electronic systems manufacturers. This will include thin films, thick films, semiconductor devices, and A variety of processes will be established, both at a laboratory and production level as well as the development and manufacture of special processing and test equipment required to carry out these processes. Products may include dioded transistors . Principal customers for these products are expected to be the manufacturers of advanced electronic systems .. It is anticipated that many of these customers will be located outside California. If youd prefer a soft statement, use the Dilbert Mission Statement Generator. When drafting a mission statement, critically examine every noun, adjective and verb to ensure that they are focused, realistic and justified. The Values The next element is to address the Values governing the operation of the business and its conduct or relationships with society at large, customers, suppliers, employees, local community and other stakeholders. The Objectives The third key element is to explicitly state the businesss Objectives in terms of the results it needs/wants to achieve in the medium/long term. Aside from presumably indicating a necessity to achieve regular profits (expressed as return on shareholders funds), objectives should relate to the expectations and requirements of all the major stakeholders, including employees, and should reflect the underlying reasons for running the business. These objectives could cover growth, profitability, technology, offerings and markets. The Strategies Next are the Strategies the rules and guidelines by which the mission, objectives etc. may be achieved. They can cover the business as a whole including such matters as diversification, organic growth, or acquisition plans, or they can relate to primary matters in key functional areas, for example: o The companys internal cash flow will fund all future growth. o New products will progressively replace existing ones over the next 3 years. All assembly work will be contracted out to lower the companys break-even point. Use SWOTs to help identify possible strategies by building on strengths, resolving weaknesses, exploiting opportunities and avoiding threats. For further discussion on strategies, refer to the paper on Devising Business Strategies as well as these items below: Use Hindsight when Strategic Planning, Effect not Equal to Cause when Planning Strategy and SWOTs Keys to Business Strategies. The Goals Strategic Plan free essay sample The purpose of this synopsis is to analyze the forces and trends that Green Mountain Coffee Rosters faces relevant to its competitive position. The synopsis will explore external forces such as economic, social, legal and regulatory. The paper will also weigh internal forces such as resources, goals, and intellectual property, as it relates to Green Mountain Coffee Rosters. I will describe how the company adapts to changes; identify the major issues and opportunities that this company faces with in this synopsis. External Forces and Trends Legal and Regulatory- These forces impact Green Mountain Coffee Rosters daily. In my opinion the one legal or regulatory force GMCR encounters is the Clayton Act. This stands out to me because of all the brands that are under the GMCR banner (Lister, 2012). The Clayton act prohibits board of directors being in position to make decisions for competing companies working under the same corporate banner. The coffee retail market is governed by U. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Plan or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page S. ntitrust laws as any other industry. The Federal Trade Commission Act bars dishonest methods of competition, such as misleading information or deceptive business practices (Lister, 2012). The act is aim is to keep each coffee retailer, regardless of whether it sells coffee, honest with the information it provides to consumers about its products, and The Food and Drug Administration monitors all coffee products sold in the U. S. and inspects them to ensure no potentially harmful ingredients are present. Economic- Economic factors concern the nature and direction of the economy in which a firm operates, Pearce Robinson (2009). A potential economic trend is the Hispanics demographic. The ethnic group drinks coffee more than other racial and ethnic groups. They begin drinking coffee earlier than other groups and in their older years are more likely to be exclusive coffee drinkers; and 74 percent of Hispanic-Americans drink coffee daily, twelve percentage points ahead of other Americans. As they become acculturated they mimic the attitudes and behaviors of non-Hispanic coffee drinkers. Competitive Analysis- Since 1981 GMRC has built formidable organization from its humble beginnings as a small cafe in Waitsfield, Vermont. Its positioning strategy thus far has been brilliant, differentiating its brand from other brands in the market. Green Mountain Coffee Rosters used a method of delivering value, strategic relationships and customer segments to wrestle away market from Nestle and other hot beverage manufactures. The organization recently machine introduced to the market a mid-high end brewer that provides many more options than regular Keurig machines. Consumer can control the strength of their drink, the temperature at which it is brewed, the amount brewed, and brew many other drinks including cafe beverages (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters INC. , 2012). This is an opportunity for GMCR to tap into more affluent markets and promote its specialty coffee as a complement to the Keurig Vue. Culture – The culture at GMCR is mindful to the effectiveness of the business. The ideas promote a positive perception in the company from customers, employees, suppliers, and stakeholders. The GMCR focus on establishing cultural environment to ensure everyone effectively knows how to implement the mission, vision, and values set for the organization. Key areas are: GMCR purpose states â€Å"We create the ultimate coffee experience in every life we touch from tree to cup – transforming the way the world understands business† (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, 2012). Another notable cultural belief of GMCR is personal excellence quoted this way â€Å"For today and tomorrow. Our competitive strength comes from the continuous improvement of all that we do† (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters INC. , 2012). We actively seek out and apply best practices†. Other principles to support its cultural environment are continuous learning, appreciating differences, shared ownership, and world benefit. Strategic Capabilities – Green Mountain Coffee Rosters imported coffee from 24 countries. This indicates that it has inbound logistics capabilities, such as material control systems, inventory control systems, raw material handling, and warehousing (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, 2012). Located in 7 states GMCR operates from three business units: the specialty coffee business unit, which includes Green Mountain Coffee, Barista Prima, Tully’s Coffee, Timothy’s World Coffee, and Coffee People coffee brands; the Keurig Business Unit, where the Keurig single cup brewing system was created; and the Canadian Business Unit, which is responsible for all GMCR sales in Canada and includes the Van Houtte business and Timothy’s brand (Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, 2012). This is also a demonstration of its strategic capabilities. Conclusion Before I analyzed the competitive position of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, I asked could this company do anything wrong? Now at the end of my analysis I ponder the same question. I’m not an expert yet at conducting SWOT analysis, but in my humble opinion one does not conduct a SWOT on a successful firm. I analyzed GMCR objectively and un-bias and still think the company has exceptional competitive positioning strategy. Strategic plan free essay sample The objective of this weeks assignment are to create a SWOT analysis for the Combat Sports Association to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of the organization and the external opportunities and threats to organization. The assignment will also identify the legal and regulatory trends that need to be taken into consideration and how the CSA will adapt to changes in the industry. Major issues will be identified and classified to determine the importance of each issue in the analysis. SWOT ANALYSIS: Strength: Weakness Strategy- Provide quality service by staying true to the CSA vision, mission, and core values Structure- The structure for CSA is simplistic that it can be managed by the owner and an Administrative Executive and service rendered by contractors Resources- limited resources are needed for start up (capitol, facilities, computers, personnel Leadership- CSA leadership has a proven track record within the combat sports community Technology- CSA has very little knowledge of current technology application such as web design. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic plan or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Intellectual Property- All applicable regulatory requirements for SCA need to be written. Economic: Combat sports are currently the fastest growing sports in the U. S Technology: The growth in technology allows faster communication via social media, smart phones to allow for real time communication Innovation: By staying up to date on the changes/issues in the sports CSA will can stay of the leading edge of training officials and provide customers will the best service available Competitive Analysis: There is tremendous growth in the sports. There are more promoters than established sanctioning bodies. Resulting in a stronger market share for a reputable sanctioning body Legal/regulatory: Combat Sports legal/regulatory requirements vary from state to State Social: Changes in social values of promoters (ethics/morals) and competitors ( banned substances) require constant supervision Environmental: Exposure to blood borne pathogens by officials, competitors, and fans must be mitigated by ensuring testing and proper disposal of bio hazard materials Opportunity: Threat: The Combat Sports Association SWOT analysis provides key areas of focus for development of a strategic plan for operating a new sanctioning body for combat sports in Nevada. The external factors that will be looked at are legal and regulatory requirements in the combat sports industry and how CSA will apply these requirements to ensure customer compliance. CSA will look at the economical perspective in regards to the growth of combat sports in Nevada and the competitive analysis SCA will use to be a low-cost provider in a competitive market. These issues are classified as the external issues of CSA . The internal factor that will indentify the strengths and weaknesses of CSA will be Leadership, structure, resources, and intellectual property. The leadership provided to CSA customers and sub-contractors is a differentiating value chain activity that sets CSA apart from competitors. CSA is structured as a flat organization to provide a simplistic communication with customers and contractor and eliminate costs to maximize profit. Few physical resources and overhead are needed to develop CSA in the combat sports industry. The most significant hurdle to overcome fro CSA is the development of intellectual property that will set CSA apart from the competition. These issues are classified as the internal issues of CSA. The two largest hurdles for CSA are the legal and regulatory factors (external) and the intellectual property (internal). Legal and regulatory factors were identified as a threat based on governmental laws of the state of Nevada. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) is the office of primary responsibility (OPR) that sets the regulatory guidance of combat sports in Nevada. This is accomplished through N. R. S 467 and N. A. C. 467 making compliance mandatory for all sanctioning bodies within Nevadas jurisdiction. CSA must comply with these standards and stay attuned to any changes, adapt to any changes of the law. One example is the policy changes for Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) for combat sports athletes. The intellectual property for the SCA must be written to comply with the regulatory requirements of the NSAC. SCA classified intellectual property as an internal issue and weakness. CSA intellectual property is the policies and procedures that the organization will operate from and the standards operating procedures that its customers/promoters/athletes will abide by. The intellectual property has for CSA has yet to be written. Until the CSAs regulatory guidance is written CSA will be unable to operate within the state of Nevada. The economic factor was classified as an external issue and indentified as strength for CSA. Combat Sports in the U. S. , particularly Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is the fastest growing sport. With the interest in the sports growing more gyms that cater to the mixed martial artist are opening. Those athletes that wish to compete seek out organizations they wish to compete for. This results in more events being put on by promoters. There is more business minded people investing in becoming promoters. As this growth continues it means more opportunity and work for sanctioning bodies. The CSA can take advantage of this growth in the MMA by conducting a competitive analysis to determine its place in the market. The competitive analysis was classified as strength for CSA because it beat the competition in all but one category. This gives CSA a strong competitive position in the sanctioning body market. Competitive Analysis CSA Rival 1 Rival 2 Quality performance 10 8 7 Reputation/Image 10 7 6 Service Capabilities 10 8 7 Competence Capabilities 9 9 7 Financial Resources 8 9 8 Geographical Infrastructure 9 8 8 Un-weighted Strength Assessment 56 49 43 The leadership of CSA is classified as an internal factor and identified as strength. One of the key factors is the experience the leadership has in the combat sports industry and over 21 years of providing quality control for regulatory standards. CSAs leadership has a proven track record within the industry for adherence to regulatory compliance and leading promoters to compliance rather than forcing them. The leadership is recognized as a subject matter expert within the state for matters concerning combat sports and is often recommended by NSAC to consult with new promoters prior to state licensing. The CSA leadership is a resident of the state of Nevada; where-as rival companies are out of state residents. This allows CSA leadership to frequently meet with NSAC on key issues and provide on-site supervision for customers/promoters event. All the experience and expertise has allowed the CSA leadership to develop a vision, mission, and core values that will allow SCA to achieve unprecedented success in a growing industry. The Structure of SCA flat this allows for direct communication to all functional areas of the CSA. This also is effective in cutting costs. By maintaining a flat structure CSA management speaks directly with customers and subcontractors on all matter to facilitate continuous improve to relationships and processes. For example; if a customers CFO needs a specific information on CSA officials travel itinerary they can call CSA management or the officials directly or if the customers administrative executive needs statistical data from previous event they can call CSA management directly. One of the benefits of a flat structure is that CSA provides customers with a hands-on approach to dealing with the customers needs. This creates a friendly and trusting environment. Another benefit to a flat structure is that it alleviates the high costs of multiple management and employees costs. With a flat structure that outsources key positions to subcontractors CSA can focus directly on maximizing profits. Customers/promoter will pay the subcontractors directly and only pay CSA the event representative fee and the standard sanctioning fee for services rendered. The resources factors was classified as an internal strength because there are very little resources and overhead needed to start up a sanctioning body. Essentially the initial resources needed are a computer, home office, and standard office supply. Very little capitol is needed to start this business. Some additional costs will be a business license, incorporation fees, legal fees to ensure contracts with customers are properly written to reduce CSA liabilities. CSA has established relationships with the best subcontractor/officials (Referees, judges, timekeepers, scorekeepers, inspectors, and physicians) in the combat sports industry. These relationships will help CSA move forward to become the premiere sanctioning body in Nevada. By using qualified and training officials CSA will create a culture of safe and fair competition for its customers that will attract the best competitors. This will result in a larger fan base for the promoters thus generating higher ticket sales and increased revenue. The comprehensive SWOT analysis conducted by CSA has achieved compound result that provides CSA with multiple areas of focus. It identified the internal strength and weaknesses of the organization. The opportunity and threat identified external factor that need to be focused on. The competitive analysis provided a current snapshot of how CSA currently ranks within the industry. The SWOT analysis also shows CSA where it can make improvements. The overall assessment for CSA is that it can gain a considerable market share of the combat sports industry within Nevada considering the growth of combat sports.

Ethics Auditing Essay Example

Ethics Auditing Essay Example Ethics Auditing Paper Ethics Auditing Paper Ethics Auditing: Identify the benefits and limits of ethics auditing. Is there a strategic role that ethics auditing may play in a company? Ethics Auditing By definition, an ethics audit is a â€Å"systematic evaluation of an organization’s ethics program and/or performance to determine its effectiveness. † (1) This concept of ethics auditing is fairly new and few companies have conducted an ethics audit. However, performing such audits will likely become more mainstream as recent legislation encourages greater ethical accountability for companies to demonstrate they are abiding by the law and have established programs to improve their ethical decision making. The U. S. Sentencing Commission (the â€Å"Commission) has amended the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations (â€Å"FSGO†) whereby an effective compliance and ethics program must â€Å"exercise due diligence to prevent, detect, and report criminal conduct and otherwise promote an organizational culture that encourages ethical conduct and a commitment to compliance with all applicable law. (2) The Commission noted there are seven minimum requirements of an effective ethics program: (1) Standards and procedures to prevent and detect criminal conduct; (2) Responsibility at all levels of the program, together with adequate program resources and authority for its managers; (3) Due diligence in hiring and assigning personnel to positions with substantial authority; (4) Communicating standards and procedures, including a specific requirement for training at all levels; (5) Monitoring, auditing, and non-retaliatory internal guidance/reporting systems, including periodic evaluation of program effectiveness; (6) Promotion and enforcement of compliance and ethical conduct; and (7) Taking reasonable steps to respond appropriately and prevent further misconduct upon detecting a violation. These requirements should be addressed through the ethics audit. Framework for an Ethics Audit In addition to the requirements noted by the Commission, there are many different questions that can be addressed by an ethics audit. How broad should the audit be? How often should the audit be performed? How will the company communicate the results with its constituencies? As each company has unique needs, each ethics audit should be unique. An example of a framework for an ethics audit is detailed below(4). Companies can adapt this framework to their own needs and circumstances. Step 1: Secure Commitment of Top Managers and Board of Directors As noted in the class slides, â€Å"a corporation only acts through those who act for it and it is the latter who must assume responsibility for the corporation. † (3) Essentially, management and the board of directors are responsible for the direction of a corporation. If there is no commitment from the top levels of a corporation, it is very unlikely that an audit would be successful. Step 2: Establish a Committee to Oversee the Ethics Audit The committee should consist of members who are knowledgeable about ethics auditing and come from various departments. In most cases, companies may not have internal employees that have the skill set to serve on an ethics audit committee. In such circumstances, external consultants, such as the Ethics Resource Center, can be used to assist with the audit. Step 3: Define the Scope of the Audit Process As mentioned above, each organization is unique and therefore, the scope of an ethics audit will differ from company to company. The committee should establish a scope based on the company’s risks and how those risks will be addressed. The committee should then monitor the progress of the audit based on the scope defined. Step 4: Review Organizational Mission, Values, Goals and Policies and Define Ethical Priorities In this step, the committee should examine and review all of the company’s policies, procedures and practices related to any areas defined in the scope of the audit process. All of these items may or may not be stated in the company’s mission statement. In some cases, the committee may find areas where policies need to be established and procedures updated. An effective ethics audit should review all these areas and assess their strengths and weaknesses. Step 5: Collect and Analyze Relevant Information This step is the where the majority of the audit work will take place. The committee should review internal and external documents and more importantly, gather employee, customer and stakeholder feedback through surveys. As employees are the key to carrying out an effective ethics program and to successful business operations, gathering and understanding their feedback is crucial. Customer and stakeholder perception of the company is also critical, so collecting their thoughts and opinions will help to create and maintain customer satisfaction and uphold stakeholder expectations. Step 6: Verify the Results The results collected in Step 5 should then be verified by an independent source. The independent assessment will verify the quality, accuracy and completeness of the audit. Having a third party verify this information will also offer an extra layer of assurance to external constituents. Step 7: Report the Findings The final step of the process is to report the findings to management and the board of directors through an ethics audit report. The report should outline all six steps discussed above and identify what the committee discovered throughout the process. In some cases, the findings may be more meaningful if combined with some benchmarking of similar companies in the industry. Such benchmarking is available through the OCEG Benchmarking Study that discusses best practices across industries. Benefits of Ethics Audits There are many reasons companies go through the process detailed above and perform an ethics audit. In some cases, management may simply want to comply with the FSGO or the board of directors may encourage compliance with these guidelines. From a business perspective, the auditing process can highlight trends, improve organizational learning and facilitate communication and working relationships (5). Internally, companies are able to assess their current policies and possibly find ways to increase efficiency in its operations. Additionally, the buzz word in the business world today is â€Å"transparency†. An ethics audit is one way to provide employees, customers and stakeholders with greater transparency. Many constituents have become wary of verbal assurances from companies. An ethics audit is verified by a third party and thus, seems to carry more weight than internal communication from management. Limits of Ethics Audits While the benefits of performing an ethics audit may be many, there are also some limitations. Many people interchange the words â€Å"ethics† and â€Å"integrity†. How do you measure the integrity or ethics of an organization? It is certainly not as easy to measure integrity as it is to measure financial performance. Financial performance can be quantified while integrity and ethics are the subjective aspects of a company’s culture. Models such as Six Sigma, the Balanced Scorecard and the Triple Bottom Line have been developed to capture structural and behavioral organizational ethical performance (6). However, these models likely will involve external consultants, which can prove to be costly to an organization. Additionally, ethics audits could uncover an issue that, when reported, could hurt employee, customer or stakeholder relations. This could also lead to public scrutiny. Strategic Role of Ethics Auditing Ethics auditing can be an important piece of the strategic direction of a company. The ethics audit can prove to be a useful management tool in helping a company to identify important initiatives and improvements. By identifying such initiatives, companies can prioritize its resources to focus on such ideas. The ethics audit can also help companies to fulfill their mission statements and identify areas where improvement of operating practices may be needed. In summary, and perhaps most importantly, the auditing process can demonstrate the positive impact of ethical conduct and convince constituents of the value of adapting more ethical and socially responsible business practices (7). Reference Page Cited Materials: (1) Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, Eighth Edition, p. 243 (2) Ethics Resource Center, FSGO, Part 2 Article: thics. org/resource/fsgo-series-part-2 (3) Corporate Governance Social Responsibility Class Slides, 9/26/2011 (4) Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, Eighth Edition, p. 252 (5) Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, Eighth Edition, p. 245 (6) Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, Eighth Edition, p. 248 (7) Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, Eighth Edition, p. 265

I Love You in German - German Phrases of Love

I Love You in German - German Phrases of Love He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me!...So youre in love. Or perhaps you just like someone. Anyhow, however your heart beats, here youll find phrases that all relate to I love you in German. If you want to leave an everlasting impression I have a suggestion for you at the end of this article. So, stay tuned. You Like Him/Her (All phrases mean â€Å"I like you.†) Ich mag dich. Ich hab dich gern. Du gefllst mir. You Like Him/Her a lot (All phrases mean â€Å"I like you a lot.†) Ich mag dich sehr. Ich hab dich lieb.Ich hab dich mehr als gern†¦Du gefllst mir sehr. You Love Him/Her Ich liebe dich: I love you.Ich liebe dich mit ganzem Herzen: I love you with all my heart.Ohne dich kann ich nicht leben: I can’t live without you.Ich bin verrà ¼ckt nach dir:  I’m crazy over you.Ich liebe dich, nur dich alleine:  I love you, only you.Ich bin in dich verliebt: I’m in love with you. When You Miss Him/Her Ich vermisse dich. Du fehlst mir.Ich habe so Sehnsucht nach dir: I ache for you so terribly.Ich verzehr mich nach dir: I yearn for you. After You’ve Done Something Stupid Bitte verzeih mir,...:  Please forgive me†¦Ich meinte es nicht so/ Es war nicht so gemeint: I didn’t mean it in that way.Ich war so ein Dummkopf: I was acting stupid.Kannst du mir vergeben?: Can you forgive me?Ich werde es nie mehr tun: I will never do it again. Asking Someone on a Date Mà ¶chtest du mit mir ins Kino gehen?  Would you like to go to the movies with me?Bist du heute Abend frei?  Are you free this evening?Bist du morgen Abend beschftigt? Are you busy tomorrow night?Kann ich dich wieder sehen?  Can I see you again?Wann kann ich dich wieder sehen? When can I see you again? Complimenting Him/Her Du siehst schà ¶n aus:  You look nice.Du siehst wunderbar aus: You look wonderful.Du bist heiß/ Du siehst so heiß aus!  You are hot/You look hot!Du siehst ja reizend aus!  You look so charming! Valentine and Love Phrases Tausend Kà ¼sse zum Valentinstag!  A thousand kisses for Valentines day!Ich wà ¼nsche dir einen wunderschà ¶nen Valentinstag!  I wish you a wonderful Valentines day!Du bist nicht nur an diesem Tag, sondern jeden Tag in meinen Gedanken:  You are not only on this day, but every day in my thoughts.Ich liebe dich wie nichts auf dieser Welt: I love you like none else in this world.Du machst mich so glà ¼cklich! You make me so happy!Ich liebe dich bis in alle Ewigkeit: I love you for all eternity.Ich liebe dich, mein Valentin/Valentinsschatz: I love you my Valentine/Valentine treasure. Some Familiar Expressions About Love Die Liebe ist alles: Love makes the world go round.Die Liebe macht blind:  Love is blind.Die Liebe wchst mit der Entfernung:  Absence makes the heart grow fonder.Die Liebe geht durch den Magen:  The way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Soll ich dich einem Sommertag vergleichen?  Shall I compare thee to a summers day?Er ist wie du so lieblich nicht und lind.*Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Shakespeare A Wonderful LoveSsong In case you prefer to sing about your feelings I have some inspiration for you in form of Bodo Wartke, a charming and gifted German entertainer  and you should certainly check out the other songs in the recommendations below.

A Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Business Plan - Essay Example Following is the list of elements required for the business plan Executive summary is one of the most important segments of any business plan. It will give the brief idea of the company’s business, background and expectations from the particular group. This creates interest for the investor to read further. It should be carefully written. This is written to give an idea about the market and the company operating in. The background of the company should include information like when company started, product or services it offers, its customer base, the growth it’s experiencing and current performance. Apart from company specific information it should also include the information regarding the market and industry it’s operating in. The market can be new developing or developed. The competition and the position of the company within that market give an idea to the investors about the overall position of the company and validity of its growth projections. The clarity of vision can be supportive to attract investors. Vision gives the overall picture of the opportunity existing and how company will be growing with that opportunity. It is supported by the financials and other non financial factors. This section discusses the about the opportunity existing in the market and the roadmap through which company will be operating to earn the profits. This will include planning for various functions of the company i.e. operations, marketing, human resource management and financial management. In this segment the financial strategy should be described. The capital budgeting, break even analysis, operating cost, fixed and variable cost, projection of profits, investment requirement, cash flow and balance sheets. The financial projections will give the bank or investor an opportunity to understand the financial planning and its coherence with the overall strategy. The organization structure includes the organization chart, brief

Line Management, Culture, Resoursce based view Case Study

Line Management, Culture, Resoursce based view - Case Study Example Line management is crucial in recruitments that are done in organizations. Procedure that are applied in line management have enabled following of norms in recruitment from analysis of jobs, advertisement of vacancies available based on job specifications and job requirements, resumes collection, conduction of written and verbal interviews and selection methods used in choosing the best recruits (Roy, 2007). Human resource management and function is much important aspect that has been applied in line management to achieve goals of organizations. Strategy that has been applied in human resource involves systematically linking of employees with activities of the organization. This has enabled working of employees with focus of achieving organization’s objectives. Analysis that line managers have done in organizations has enabled solving of strategic issues that relates to management of human resources in organizations (Bedward, 2007). Line management have been also used in focusing the integration between management of human resources and objectives and strategies that organizations have. This has contributed to effective management of resources leading to improvements in performance of organizations. Line managers have come to realize that they play an important role in peoples and employees that they manage. Issues that have come out in line management have been fast responded to enabling lack of diversion in objectives and strategies in organization (Lewis, 2006). Line management has enabled proper handling of costs in organization in achieving objectives in the organizations. Organizational cultures in human resource involve behaviors in hiring, training and orienting of employees in an organization. Culture in organizations has been crucial in strong alignment of organizations towards their achievement of goals (Bedward, 2007).

Author’s thesis Essay Example for Free

Author’s thesis Essay 1. Reviewer question: What is the author’s thesis? The author’s thesis revolves around the different ways wherein Carl can maximize his roles and capabilities in the profession he is associated with. Under this process, it requires an active communication of responsibilities and at the same time carefully understanding the planning and implementation process of his objective. This then helps strengthen his department and allows him to grow at the same time. 2. Reviewer question: Is the thesis clearly stated? If not, how would you help the writer restate it? Looking at the article, the thesis statement was not clearly stated within the introduction or beginning of the paper. Though the document was thorough in elaborating on ideas, the reader shall decipher relevant information in order for the main idea to be understood. If I was the writer, I would try to create one to two sentences wherein I will elaborate the central idea of my study and concern. Writer question: List the changes made based on this feedback. Also list those suggestions that were offered but that you did not make, and explain why you did not make the suggestions. Reviewer question: Does the essay’s body stick to the main topic? If not, where does it digress, and how could the writer revise the paper to make it stay more on the main topic? The essay main body does stick to the contention made by the author in the introduction. Though it lacks a clearly stated thesis statement, the succeeding paragraphs offer the readers a clear view of what are the (1) background, (2) prevalent problems, (3) what needs to be done and (4) recommendations for the issue. On the other hand, the writer must take a look at the transition and coherence of the paper. Sometimes there are different paragraphs that do not connect with the overall content and scope of the paper. Writer question: List the changes made based on this feedback. Also list those suggestions that were offered but that you did not make, and explain why you did not make the suggested changes. 4. Reviewer question: Does the paper contain any ambiguously-worded or confusing sentences? Please list them below and offer a suggested revision for each one you identify. The paper also contains several errors that need to be addressed. For example, the first sentence in the introduction seems confusing. The use of the word analysis was phrased incorrectly to address the idea. In here, the word analyze should be used instead. At the same time, under the key problems, the last sentence must also be looked into. The use of the word issues does not coincide with the succeeding phrase in the sentence. Either the word is changed to singular or plural form depending on the writer’s preference. Writer question: List the changes made based on this feedback. Also list those suggestions that were offered but that you did not make, and explain why you did not make the suggested changes. 5. Reviewer question: Which closing strategy did the writer use? Is the closing effective? Why or why not? Offer a revision suggestion for making the closing more effective. The strategy that the writer used revolves around providing a summary of what happened to the case of Carl. Analyzing this, it may prove to be effective on one point however this could have been changed to a more assumptive tone. This is because his case was already pointed out in the beginning and middle part of the paper. The readers already know what the consequences of his actions are and what it can provide to the company. One way to reinforce this study is by outlining in the closing further strategies Carl can do to maximize his potential and responsibilities. At the same time, it can also include new approaches and methods that can justify his position and further his role in addressing the current trends. Writer question: List the changes made based on this feedback. Also list those suggestions that were offered but that you did not make, and explain why you did not make the suggested changes? 6. Reviewer question: Please give the writer feedback regarding the essay’s effect on you. The essay was good in terms of providing information about the case and was able to outline the processes in a coherent manner. However, there needs to be changes in the way the thesis statement is presented, some grammatical considerations and the closing strategy. By trying to do these things, it can have further effect on readers because it can help them learn from the problems experienced by Carl and at the same time, understand the solutions and alternatives that are available in such conflict. Likewise, the use of simple words did help the reader further decipher the information and content and helped that ca cater to further comprehension of the topic. In the end, the writer should seek to address the proposed changes to help further the ideas surrounding the issue. Writer question: List the changes made based on this feedback. Also list those that were offered but that you did not make, and explain why you did not make the suggested changes.

Willa Cathers Death Comes to the Archbishop: A Narrative :: Willa Cathers Death Comes to the Archbishop

Willa Cather's Death Comes to the Archbishop: A Narrative Though many reviewers of Willa Cather's, Death Comes to the Archbishop, had difficulty classifying the book, Cather herself preferred to call it a narrative rather than a novel. I tend to agree with Cather. One definition from Webster's New World College Dictionary defines "narrative" as "a story", which is then defined as, "the telling of a happening or connected series of happenings, whether true or fictitious". A novel on the other hand is defined as having, "a more or less complex plot or pattern of events." Where most books tend to follow certain guidelines as to plot, Cather chooses to take a different route. Trying to create a tale that involves clever plot twists, bizarre characters, a telling climax, and a fitting denouement, would detract from the simple story she is telling. It is the story of two French priests who have been sent to the American Southwest to rejuvenate the Catholic churches in that diocese, during the late 1800's. The southwest, during this time period, was harsh and unhurried, and its indigenous people lived simple, remarkable lives. In keeping with the atmosphere of her story, the book is written almost as though her two main characters are keeping journals. The stories of Bishop Latour and Father Vaillant, who have adopted this rugged lifestyle, are told in little vignettes separated by chapters. Each vignette narrates a meaningful incident in their lives. I find it interesting that each chapter, or vignette, can stand on its own as an independent short story, yet it is woven together to create a tapestry of the Father's lives, with the people they meet and places they go tying it all together. Cather put it best when, in the book, she says, "Observing them thus in repose, in the act of reflection, Father Latour was thinking how each of these men not only had a story, but seemed to have become his story" (182). This type of "narrative" writing gives believability to the people, and a sense of realism to the story.

Leadership Style Essay

According to Reh (2014), a leader is a â€Å"person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen† (para. 2). I want to be a leader; however I must understand my leadership style at this moment to understand where I am at, where I want to be, and what I need to do to get there. Raines (2014) states â€Å"your style defines your values and perspective, and being aware of it will aid your communication with those you work with† (para. 1). For the purpose of this paper I have chosen former President Bill Clinton as a leader that I admire. I will analyze his leadership style to identify characteristics and will provide specific examples of leadership qualities that I believe contributed to his success. I will finally examine my leadership style and offer ideas and plans for improving my effectiveness as a leader based on my work with my mentor. Read more:  The person whom I admire Bill Clinton Former President Bill Clinton is a transformational style leader. A transformational leader garners â€Å"trust, respect, and admiration from their followers† (Cherry, 2014, para. 4). President Clinton started his path to great leadership at the age of 13 when he became a comic book entrepreneur (Florida, 2013, para. 1). He learned that he could support himself and that gave him a confidence in himself that stays with him to this day. The qualities that I see in President Clinton that make him an excellent transformational leader is that people really do trust and admire him. When asked to describe his leadership style he states â€Å"explain where we are and  decide where we want to go. Figure out how to get there, get good people and trust them to do the job as long as they’re competent, realistic, and flexible when change is required† (Florida, 2013, para. 10). He also believes that the main skills necessary to motivate a team are â€Å"good listening and the ability to build consensus for action† (Florida, 2013, para. 16). President Clinton is also very charismatic. It has been told that he has the ability to make someone feel like they are the most important person in a room of many when he talks to you. He is a visionary, as seen in his many humanitarian efforts, and has that knack to make you believe in his vision. Personally, when I hear him talk I feel a calming presence, he talks in a language I can understand, and I trust him. One of the best examples of his leadership abilities in play was his ability to work productively with the Republican Party to solve the multi-billion dollar national debt during his term of presidency. It is well known that our current president very rarely has bipartisan support in anything he wants to do. My Leadership Style After reviewing all the leadership style theory’s and discussing this with my mentor it became evident that I am currently considered a participatory leader. WiseGeek (2014) defines participatory leadership as a â€Å"style of leadership that involves all members of a team in identifying essential goals and developing procedures or strategies to reach those goals† (para. 1). This is how I lead, by involving others in the entire process. While this is not a bad type of leadership style, the motive behind why I do these things illuminates a flaw in my leadership abilities. I have the tendency to not have enough confidence in myself to make decisions without a lot of input from others and permission seeking. My mentor used to be my boss and he told me that while I was ultimately one of his best program directors he had ever supervised; my journey to the directorship was exhausting and sometimes a bit frustrating for him. He stated that I would ask questions about every minute detail because I seemed to fear making a mistake. He said that for me to become a leader I need to believe in myself, have confidence that I am capable and I do know what I am  doing. He told me that until I learn to trust myself, I am going to have a difficult time getting others to trust me as a leader. He also told me that I have the capacity to become a transformational leader, which is my goal, but I have to let go of the fear, and allow myself to make mistakes. According to him, mistakes teach valuable lessons, and the way I react to the mistake builds character. My Plan My plan to transform into a transformational leader is to take risks, allow myself to make mistakes, and find the lessons in them. I am going to begin by taking initiative at work and in my personal life. I have historically taken initiative when I knew (for the most part) that things would work out. I can’t always have that luxury of seeing into the future, I just need to believe in myself and my abilities. I also plan to look at failure as an opportunity to start over and do better. I am not shy in asking for help, or asking questions when I am unsure of something. I do need to stop asking questions when I really do know the answer and take accountability for my decisions. I am a very good talker, and I have the ability to make confusing situations seem clear to others. For example, on our learning teams, I am the one that can break down the assignment and make it make sense for others, so it doesn’t seem so overwhelming. I plan to take that same confidence and apply it to all aspects so that I may one day become a leader like former President Bill Clinton. Conclusion In conclusion, President Clinton is a well-known transformational leader and the one I admire the most. He started young believing in himself and it has translated into great success for this man. My goal is to become a transformational leader and while I have traits of a participatory leader, I believe that it is possible to become the leader I aspire to be. I just need to have faith in myself so others will have faith in me. References Florida, R. (2013). President Bill Clinton: Don’t worry about yesterday, embrace tomorrow. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rana-florida/president-bill-clinton-do_b_3697725.html Raines, S. (2014). The advantages of knowing your leadership style. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-knowing-leadership-style-18924.html Reh, F. J. (2014). What is a leader. Retrieved from http://management.about.com/od/leadership/a/whatisaleader.htm WiseGeek.org. (2014). What is participative leadership?. Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-participative-leadership.htm

Innovative programs in special education Essay

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