Saturday, August 31, 2019

New Heritage Company

NEW HERITAGE DOLL COMPANY Capital Budgeting NEW HERITAGE DOLL COMPANY Capital Budgeting Brief Case Brief Case Brief Case Brief Case Brief Case Brief Case Brief Case Brief Case To: CFO (New Heritage Doll Company) From: Date: 11/16/12 RE: NEW HERITAGE DOLL COMPANY To: CFO (New Heritage Doll Company) From: Date: 11/16/12 RE: NEW HERITAGE DOLL COMPANY Here a composite report is advanced on the toy industry, New Heritage Doll Company and the evaluation of its investment projects. Here a composite report is advanced on the toy industry, New Heritage Doll Company and the evaluation of its investment projects. Index Index | | 1. Introduction| 4| | | | | | 2. The Doll Industry| 6| | | | | | | 3. New Heritage Company| 9| | | | | | | 4. Capital Budgeting| 11| | | | | | | 5. Investment Proposals| 17| | | | | | | 6. Projects analysis| 20| | | | | | | 7. Election of one project| 26| | | | | | | 8. Exhibit. 1. Match My Doll Clothing| 32| | | | | | | 9. Exhibit. 2. Design Your Own Doll| 35| 1. Intro duction 1. Introduction ————————————————- ————————————————- 1. 1 New Heritage Doll Company: Capital budget In September 2010 Emily Harris was considering two proposals for investment for the company New Heritage Doll Company.As always, there are certain financial constraints that force the choice of a project and discard the other. The evaluation process for each project is hard, there are many details to consider, other data are not known with certainty and the only thing that can be done is an estimate as closely as possible. Our role here is to help interpret information, work with it, develop surveys and help clarify the dilemma so that the end result is the choice of the most suitable investment project for New Heritage Doll Company. Sport toys Sport toys 2. The doll industry 2. The doll industryNew Heritage has created a durable franchise for its line of heirloom dolls. New Heritage has created a durable franchise for its line of heirloom dolls. Revenue in the toy industry in the United States were 42 billion in 2008 and is expected to grow 4. 6% per year to reach 52. 5 billion in 2013 (graph 1). The market is divided into two broad segments: video games (48%) and traditional toys and games (52%) (Figure 2). The second segment is further divided into preschool toys (14. 5%), wrist (14. 1%), sports toys (12. 3%) and other toys and games (59. 1%) (Figure 3). Figure 2 Figure 2 Toys segmentsToys segments Figure 1 Figure 1 Sport toys Sport toys Figure 3 Figure 3 Traditional toys and games Traditional toys and games Preschool toys Preschool toys Sport toys Sport toys Other toys Other toys Dolls Dolls Sport toys Sport toys Sport toys Sport toys 3. New Heritage Company 3. New Heritage Company By the year 2009, New Heritage had grown to 450 em ployees and generated approximately $245 million of revenue and $27 million of operating profit. By the year 2009, New Heritage had grown to 450 employees and generated approximately $245 million of revenue and $27 million of operating profit. ———————————————— 3. 1 New Heritage Dolls The New Heritage Dolls Company was founded in 1985 by Ingrid Beckwith, a retired psychologist specializing in child development and the grandmother of two young girls. Figure 4 Figure 4 It sought to extend the New Heritage brand and capitalize on high levels of customer loyalty by selectively licensing the company’s doll characters and themes to a variety of media that reached the firm’s target demographic of toddler to pre-teen girls. New Heritage Dolls Production DivisionNew Heritage Dolls Production Division 4. Capital Budgeting 4. Capital Budgeting ———â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- 4. 1 Capital budgeting Capital budgeting is the planning process used to determine whether an organization's long term investments such as new machinery, replacement machinery, new plants, new products, and research development projects are worth pursuing. It is budget for major capital, or investment, expenditures. ————————————————- 4. 2 Ranked Projects The real value of capital budgeting is to rank projects.Most organizations have many projects that could potentially be financially rewarding. Once it has been determined that a particular project has exceeded its hurdle, then it should be ranked against peer projects. The highest ranking projects should be implemented until the budgeted capital has been expended. ———————â €”————————- 4. 3 Need for capital budgeting 1. As large sum of money is involved which influences the profitability of the firm making capital budgeting an important task. 2.Long term investment once made cannot be reversed without significance loss of invested capital. The investment becomes sunk and mistakes, rather than being readily rectified, must often be born until the firm can be withdrawn through depreciation charges or liquidation. It influences the whole conduct of the business for the years to come. 3. Investment decision are the base on which the profit will be earned and probably measured through the return on the capital. A proper mix of capital investment is quite important to ensure adequate rate of return on investment, calling for the need of capital budgeting. 4.The implication of long term investment decisions are more extensive than those of short run decisions because of time factor involved, capital budgeting decisions are subject to the higher degree of risk and uncertainty than short run decision. ————————————————- 4. 4 Capital Budgeting at New heritage Doll Company Currently the capital budgeting process in New Heritage is conducted by a panel consisting of the CEO, the CFO, the COO, the controller and the division of presidents. Historically, capital budgeting was about 15% of Ebitda. Three formal methods are used in New Heritage capital budgeting: 1.Net Present value (NPV). 2. Payback period. 3. Internal rate of return (IRR). These methods use the incremental cash flows from each potential investment, or project. Under accrual accounting, revenues and expenses are reported based on accounting principles. This means that revenues are reported when they are earned, and expenses are matched to the periods of the revenue. In other words, revenues and expenses are not reported on the income statement when the money is received or spent. Further, the revenue and expense amounts are not adjusted for the time value of money because of the monetary unit assumption.Capital budgeting decisions should be based on cash flows that are adjusted for the time value of money. The time value of money recognizes that a dollar received or spent in the future is less valuable than a dollar received or spent in the present. Calculations such as the internal rate of return or net present value include adjustments for the time value of money. In these calculations present value factors, financial calculators, or computer software are used to discount the cash flows to their present values. ————————————————- 4. Incremental cash flows They are additional operating cash flows that an organization receives from taking on a new project. A positive incremental cash flow means that the company's cash flow will increase with the acceptance of the project. There are several components that must be identified when looking at incremental cash flows: the initial outlay, cash flows from taking on the project, terminal cost or value and the scale and timing of the project. A positive incremental cash flow is a good indication that an organization should spend some time and money investing in the project. ———————————————— 4. 6 Free cash flows A measure of financial performance calculated as operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. Free cash flow (FCF) represents the cash that a company is able to generate after laying out the money required to maintain or expand its asset base. Free cash flow is important because it allows a company to pursue opportunities that enhance shareholder value. Without cash, it's tough to develop new pro ducts, make acquisitions, pay dividends and reduce debt. FCF is calculated as:EBIT (1- Tax rate)| | | + Depreciation ; Amortization| – Change in Net Working Capital| – Capital Expenditures|   | Free Cash Flow| | | Where: Current assets| – Current liabilities| Net working capital| Where: Cash| | | + Accounts receivable| + Inventories| | Current assets| | It is important to note that negative free cash flow is not bad in itself. If free cash flow is negative, it could be a sign that a company is making large investments. If these investments earn a high return, the strategy has the potential to pay off in the long run. ———————————————— 4. 7 Sunk cost It is a cost that has already been incurred and thus cannot be recovered. A sunk cost differs from other, future costs that a business may face, such as inventory costs or R&D expenses, because it has alre ady happened. Sunk costs are independent of any event that may occur in the future. ————————————————- 4. 8 Opportunity cost It is the best return that could be earned on assets the firm already owns if those assets are not used for the new project.Now suppose the initial cost shown in each project was based on the assumption that the project would save money by using some equipment the company now owns and that equipment would be sold for certain amount of money, after taxes, if the project is rejected. The amount is an opportunity cost, and it should be reflected in our calculations. We would add that amount to the project's cost. The result would be an NPV- Asset value. ————————————————- 4. 9 Terminal value The terminal value of an asset is its anticipated valu e on a certain date in the future.It is used in multi-stage discounted cash flow analysis and the study of cash flow projections for a several-year period. The perpetuity growth model is used to identify ongoing free cash flows. The exit or terminal multiple approache assumes the asset will be sold at the end of a specified time period, helping investors evaluate risk/reward scenarios for the asset. An asset's terminal value is a projection that is useful in budget planning, and also in evaluating the potential gain of an investment over a specified time period. 5. Investment proposals 5. Investment proposals ————————————————- . 1 Match My Doll Clothing (MMDC) line expansion This line consisted of a set to match clothes for girls and dolls and some accessories. Due to the good publicity, it is thought to be a good time to expand this line. It is believed that this expansio n will be profitable because the current line is very popular and allows charging premium prices. This project involves the expenditure of large sums for research and development, market research and marketing. Table 1 Table 1 Initial expenditures ($ thousands)| 2010| Upfront R&D| $625 | Upfront Marketing| 625| Investment in Working Capital| 800|Property, Plant ; Equipment| 1,470| Total| $3,520 | The R;D and marketing expenditures would be deductible for tax purposes ta New Heritage’s 40% corporate tax rate. ————————————————- 5. 2 Design Your Own Doll (DYOD) Research suggested that many loyal customers would purchase yet another doll if they could customize the doll’s features to create a â€Å"one-of-a-kind† addition a girl’s or family’s existing collection of dolls. However, even a limited degree of customization increased manufacturing complexity and expense. Table 2 Table 2 Initial expenditures ($ thousands)| 2010| 2011|Upfront R;D| $841 | | Upfront Marketing| 360| | Investment in Working Capital| | 1,000| Property, Plant ; Equipment| 4,610| | Total| $5,811 | $1,000 | As with Match My Doll Clothing, the required R;D and marketing costs would be tax deductible. To complete development work, it is planned to use some of the company’s existing IT staff. The majority of the work would take place during calendar 2011. The number of people is shown in the table below. Table 3 Table 3 Application Development Personnel Costs| Number| Salary| Total| Web Application Developers| 1| $150 | $150 | Database Manager| 1| 160| 160|Systems Integration Specialist| 1| 125| 125| Total Cost| | | $435 | If this project stumbled for some reason, New Heritage risked damaging relationship with its best customers. 6. Projects analysis 6. Projects analysis For each project, three metrics are going to be calculated: 1. Net Present va lue (NPV). 2. Payback period. 3. Internal rate of return (IRR). ————————————————- 6. 1 Net Present Value (NPV) The difference between the present value of cash inflows and the present value of cash outflows. NPV is used in capital budgeting to analyze the profitability of an investment or project.NPV compares the value of a dollar today to the value of that same dollar in the future, taking inflation and returns into account. If the NPV of a prospective project is positive, it should be accepted. However, if NPV is negative, the project should probably be rejected because cash flows will also be negative. For example, if a retail clothing business wants to purchase an existing store, it would first estimate the future cash flows that store would generate, and then discount those cash flows into one lump-sum present value amount, say $565,000.If the owner of the store was w illing to sell his business for less than $565,000, the purchasing company would likely accept the offer as it presents a positive NPV investment. Conversely, if the owner would not sell for less than $565,000, the purchaser would not buy the store, as the investment would present a negative NPV at that time and would, therefore, reduce the overall value of the clothing company. ————————————————- 6. 2 Payback period The length of time required to recover the cost of an investment. The ayback period of a given investment or project is an important determinant of whether to undertake the position or project, as longer payback periods are typically not desirable for investment positions. ————————————————- 6. 3 Internal rate of return (IRR) The discount rate often us ed in capital budgeting that makes the net present value of all cash flows from a particular project equal to zero. Generally speaking, the higher a project's internal rate of return, the more desirable it is to undertake the project. As such, IRR can be used to rank several prospective projects a firm is considering.Assuming all other factors are equal among the various projects, the project with the highest IRR would probably be considered the best and undertaken first. ————————————————- 6. 4 How to work with working capital assumptions To know the value of current assets (cash, accounts receivable and inventories) and accounts payable a set of assumptions are given, with which we must work: 1. Cash Minimum Cash Balance as % of Sales. It is easy to know the amount of cash together by applying the percentage to sales revenue. 2. Days Sales OutstandingIn this case the data is provided are the days. Using the formula of Days Sales Outstanding, we can solve for the value of accounts receivable. DSO = Accounts receivableSales365 3. Days Payable Outstanding. In this case the data is provided are the days. Using the formula of Days Payable Outstanding, we can solve for the value of accounts payable. DPO = Accounts payableCost of sales365 ————————————————- ————————————————- 6. 5 Metrics results for both projects Clarifications: For the terminal value, it has been employed the following formula:Terminal value=FCF10 (1+G)(R-G) Where: * FCF10 is the free cash flow of year 10 (2020). * G is the growth rate. In this case a growth rate of 2% has been used, for New Heritage prefer more conservative forecasting. * R is the discount rate used. T hree different discount rates have been used depending on the level of risk is low, medium or high. ————————————————- 6. 6 Metrics for Match My Doll Clothing Line Expansion These are the results obtained from free cash flows provided by Match My Doll Clothing Line Expansion: Table 4 Table 4 RISK LEVEL| RATE| NPV| PAYBACK PERIOD| IRR|Low| 7. 70%| 7,285. 27| 7. 52| 23. 08%| Medium| 8. 40%| 5,938. 36| 7. 52| 22. 12%| High| 9%| 5,002. 43| 7. 52| 21. 40%| ————————————————- 6. 7 Metrics for Design Your Own Doll These are the results obtained from free cash flows provided by Design Your Own Doll project: Table 5 Table 5 RISK LEVEL| RATE| NPV| PAYBACK PERIOD| IRR| Low| 7. 70%| 9,219. 21| 9. 06| 18. 17%| Medium| 8. 40%| 7,010. 46| 9. 06| 17. 09%| High| 9%| 5,483. 73| 9. 0 6| 16. 29%| ————————————————- 6. 8 Other aspects to consider in capital Budgeting FlexibilityCapital budgeting techniques used by large businesses often run into flexibility problems. Many companies use a standard capital budgeting form where an analyst plugs numbers into specific categories to come up with net present value, cash flows, ROI and other basic results. However, not all costs and revenues from a project fit into such a fill-in sheet and can be difficult to classify. The best type of capital budgeting is the kind that can be customized for each project. Accuracy Capital budgeting depends largely on the quality of information that is used to for the budget analysis.This opens the process up to flaws if the incoming data is incorrect. For example, if someone underestimates a key cost, capital budgeting will show the project as less expensive than it will be. This is a common risk, and managers should always consider that the financial information behind the capital budgeting process is usually not 100 percent accurate. Benefit Type There are two general benefits associated with capital budgeting and projects. Hard benefits directly affect the project and loss statement and have easy, tangible results.There are also soft benefits, which are quantifiable but do not easily affect profit or loss directly. A third group, intangibles, is related to intellectual, emotional and environmental gains. Companies tend to only concentrate on hard benefits and forget that projects can produce other advantages as well. Emotions and Assumptions Capital budgeting is ultimately a tool that can help managers make decisions, not a process for making the decision itself. Managers are susceptible to energy behind a project and may support a project because it appears exciting or the end results are highly noticeable.Sometimes it is better to go with more boring, stable results that will keep the company strong than always moving for flashy projects. 7. Election of a project 7. Election of a project In the case of the Match My Doll Clothing, given the current economic situation and the inherent characteristics thereof, it seems most reasonable to choose the medium risk discount rate (8. 4%). At this rate, the following results are reached: Table 6 Table 6 RISK LEVEL| RATE| NPV| PAYBACK PERIOD| IRR| Medium| 8. 40%| 5,938. 36| 7. 52| 22. 12%|In the case of the Design Your Own Doll, as it has a fairly long payback, it has new unknown processes for New Heritage and because if the project fails the customer relationships will be damaged, it seems that it is more appropriate to assign the high risk discount rate (9%). At this rate, the following results are reached: Table 7 Table 7 RISK LEVEL| RATE| NPV| PAYBACK PERIOD| IRR| High| 9%| 5,483. 73| 9. 06| 16. 29%| Match My Doll Clothing Line Expansion and Design Your Own Doll are Mutually Exclusive P rojects which means that are a set of projects from which at most one will be accepted.For example, a set of projects which are to accomplish the same task. Thus, when choosing between â€Å"Mutually Exclusive Projects† more than one project may satisfy the Capital Budgeting criterion. However, only one, i. e. , the best project can be accepted. Of these three, Net Present Value, Payback Period and Internal Rate of Return, only the Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return decision methods consider all of the project's cash flows and the Time Value of Money.And, only the Net Present Value decision method will always lead to the correct decision when choosing among Mutually Exclusive Projects. This is because the Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return decision methods differ with respect to their Reinvestment Rate Assumptions. The Net Present Value decision method implicitly assumes that the project's cash flows can be reinvested at the firm's Cost of Capital, where as, the Internal Rate of Return decision method implicitly assumes that the cash flows can be reinvested at the projects IRR.Since each project is likely to have a different IRR, the assumption underlying the Net Present Value decision rule is more reasonable. Nevertheless, the NPV method has some disadvantages. One major disadvantage is that the method requires a detailed prediction of the project’s future cash flows. It is not that difficult if the project life is four years. But generally the life of a project is much longer. For example, computing the NPV for one these projects would require forecasting cash flows for the entire life of the project.This period could be 20 years, 30 years but we don’t know exactly how many and forecasting revenues for so many years is extremely difficult. A second disadvantage of the NPV method is that it assumes that the discount rate will remain the same over the life of the project. In many instances, the cost of capital, and the refore the discount rate, changes as firms refinance debt. ————————————————- 7. 1 Projects NPV Profiles The figure bellow presents the net present value profile (A graph showing the relationship between a project’s NPV and the firm’s cost of capital)For both Match My Doll Line Expansion and Design your Own Doll projects. To make the profile, we find the project's NPV at a number of different discount rates and then plot those values to create a graph. We can see that at a zero cost of capital, the NPV is simply the net total of the undiscounted cash flow. This value is plotted as the vertical axis intercept. It is also seen that the IRR is the discount rate that causes the NPV to equal zero, so the discount rate at which the profile line crosses the horizontal axis is the project's IRR.When we connect the data points, we have the NPV profile. IRRMMDC IRRMMDC NPV ($) NPV ($) Cost of capital (%) Cost of capital (%) IRRDYOD IRRDYOD DYOD DYOD Crossover rate; conflict if r is to the left, no conflict if r is to the right Crossover rate; conflict if r is to the left, no conflict if r is to the right At r = 10% NPVMMD > NPVDYOD but IRRDYOD > IRRMMD, so there is a conflict At r = 10% NPVMMD > NPVDYOD but IRRDYOD > IRRMMD, so there is a conflict MMDC MMDC The IRRs are fixed, and DYOD has the higher IRR regardless of the cost of capital. * However, the NPVs vary depending on the actual cost of capital. * The two NPV profile lines cross at the crossover rate that is the cost of capital at which the NPV profiles of two projects cross and, thus, at which the projects’ NPVs are equal. * MMDC project has the higher NPV if the cost of capital is less than the crossover rate, but DYOD has the higher NPV if the cost of capital is greater than that rate.Besides, MMD has the steeper slope, indicating that a given increase in the cost of capital caus es a larger decline in NPVMMDC than in NPVDYOD Finally, although MMDC is more sensitive to the variation of the discount rate, we think the most reasonable for New Heritage, as to these two investment proposals, is to choose Match My Doll Clothing Line Expansion for the following three reasons: * NPV is greater ($5,938. 36) than that of Design Your Own Doll ($5,483. 73). * The payback period is shorter (7. 2 years) than that of Design Your Doll (9. 06 years). Years Years * The IRR is greater (22. 12%) than the Design Your Own Doll (16. 09%). New Heritage Doll Company Exhibit 1. Cont New Heritage Doll Company Exhibit 1. Cont New Heritage Doll Company Exhibit 1. Cont New Heritage Doll Company Exhibit 1. Cont | | | | | | | | | | New Heritage Doll Company Exhibit 2. Cont New Heritage Doll Company Exhibit 2. Cont New Heritage Doll Company Exhibit 2. Cont New Heritage Doll Company Exhibit 2. Cont

Friday, August 30, 2019

Cooling Water Lab

Cooling Water Lab Background: 1. Temperature is a measure of molecular motion; the average kinetic energy of the particles. 2. Heat is a form of energy that flows from a system at a higher temperature to a system at a lower temperature; the total kinetic energy of the particles. Hypothesis: If two beakers containing different amounts of hot water are placed into an ice bath, then the one containing ________ (more or less) water will cool down more quickly. Materials: 2 Beakers Ice Hot Water 2 Thermometers Graph Paper Procedure: 1.Copy the data table onto your paper. 2. With stopper in place, fill basin (sink at lab table) about half full of ice. 3. Place one beaker containing 400 ml of hot water and one beaker containing 100 ml of hot water into the ice bath. 4. Record the temperature of each beaker every two minutes for twenty minutes. 5. Construct line graphs of your data. Time will be on the X axis and temperature on the Y axis. Data Table: Analysis and Conclusion Questions: 1. W hat was your hypothesis? 2. Was your hypothesis supported by your data? . What is temperature? 4. What is heat? 5. Which beaker contained more heat energy? 6. How are heat and temperature different? 7. How would the amount of energy absorbed by melting 10 grams of ice compare with the energy released by freezing 10 grams of water? 8. If you mixed 20. 0 ml of 20. 0 oC water with 20. 0 ml of 60. 0 oC water, what would be the final temperature of the mixture? 9. If you mixed 10. 0 ml of 20. 0 oC water with 30. 0 ml of 60. 0 oC water, what would be the final temperature of the mixture? 10.Draw pictures of a teacup and a bathtub both filled with water at the same temperature (show relative particle movement). Which contains more heat? 11. A candle and a bonfire both burn at about the same temperature. Compare the heat content of each. Some material adapted from ChemSource: Instructional Resources for Preservice and Inservice Chemistry Teachers. KEY Analysis and Conclusion Questions: 1. W hat was your hypothesis? Answers will vary. 2. Was your hypothesis supported by your data? Answers will vary. 3. What is temperature? easure of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter 4. What is heat? measure of the total kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of matter 5. Which beaker contained more heat energy? The beaker containing 400 ml. 6. How are heat and temperature different?7. How would the amount of energy absorbed by melting 10 grams of ice compare with the energy released by freezing 10 grams of water? It would be the same. 8. If you mixed 20. 0 ml of 20. 0 oC water with 20. 0 ml of 60. 0 oC water, what would be the final temperature of the mixture? 0. 0 oC 9. If you mixed 10. 0 ml of 20. 0 oC water with 30. 0 ml of 60. 0 oC water, what would be the final temperature of the mixture? 50. 0 oC 10. Draw pictures of a teacup and a bathtub both filled with water at the same temperature (show relative particle movement). Which contains more heat ? Pictures; the bathtub. 11. A candle and a bonfire both burn at about the same temperature. Compare the heat content of each. Bonfire has more heat. Temperature (oC) Time (minutes) Beaker with 400 ml water Beaker with 100 ml water 0 2 4 6 20

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Freedom and the Art of Balance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Freedom and the Art of Balance - Essay Example The most noticeable one is Nichomachean Ethics. In this Aristotle pointed out the virtue ethics which demarcated the proper functioning of every article of thing. He said that what is fact is truth for e.g. an eye is only a good eye as long as it can see as the proper function of eye is sight. Also, he identified the best activity of the soul as eudaimonia (a sense of happiness that suffuses the good life) and in order to attain the good life one must live a balanced life and avoid anything in excess. This excess could hold different meaning for different people and also for different situations and exists as a golden mean between the two vices- one is an excess while other is a deficiency (Nichomachean Ethics). This is essential to define the quality of a person's habits or character as the man of excellence or the thing of excellence is said to have virtue and this in its highest forms is associated with potential for happiness (Nichomachean Ethics). Book 1 defines the subject matter and emphasizes on the Goal-directed ethics and is often called teleological. In this Aristotle stated that everything has a purpose or end. For instance a good knife has a purpose to cut and therefore must be sharp. In the similar manner every human has also a purpose this might be different than what he has thought, i.e.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

How to be an effective team Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How to be an effective team - Research Proposal Example a)For an adult learner, effective team work is crucial for learning and knowledge acquisition process. For this age group, team communication is one of the main elements which help the organization to create high performance teams and achieve further growth and development. In general, a learning team can be defined as a group of individuals working together to solve problems or accomplish tasks. It is the ever-changing collective feelings, hopes, problems and pains of the community. Rather than simply "tell" students that a certain situation or problem is interesting or important, researchers suggest that the teacher try to arouse their sense of curiosity (Bruner, 2007). Once aroused, it will carry the students through the planned course of study. Learners must get involved with whatever topic or problem they select and must learn its characteristics as well as the general skills of problem solving. In short, we learn by doing. The traditional, logical method of pedagogy presents a systematic, organized body of material. The psychological method links the subject to the learners life situation and then lets him or her work through it in initially chaotic form until a clearer understanding emerges (Dickson and Hargie, 2003). For an adult learner, learning teams are a powerful design option that hopes to meet the challenges of increased knowledge demands, improve output quality, and address the social needs of the ever-changing global workforce. However, the success or failure of work teams will depend largely on communication. Effective communication requires that HR practitioners adapt key assumptions about motivation, structure, and accountability. Adapted assumptions must support lateral thinking, collaboration, interdependence, a focus on process, permeable boundaries, and mutual responsibility. Learning teams are most effective when there is high task interdependence

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Sociology - Essay Example Likewise, if the polling takes place in the daytime, it will be under-represented by working people. One of the keys to using these polls is to assume that the margin of error is far greater than the polls would lead us to believe. Generally, the margin is plus or minus 3 percent. However, the reasons given above would inject more than this amount of error. News outlets are challenged to produce polls almost daily that have a headline grabbing quality. The consumer needs to be aware that these polls are used to sell news and attract an audience. They are not scientific or for the benefit of the viewer. While it would be a bit overboard to regulate the polling, it is the responsibility of the source to be as accurate as possible. In an election, the candidate that is reported as the frontrunner may have an advantage, as people like to vote with the winner. This is why momentum is regularly brought up as a desirable feature of a

Monday, August 26, 2019

Oedipus and Creon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oedipus and Creon - Essay Example The trust Oedipus has for Creon is obvious from the first time he is mentioned. Oedipus explains, "I have sent Menoikeus' son, Creon, my own wife's brother, forth alone To Apollo's House in Delphi" (Sophocles 6). The city is in despair and the oracle is Oedipus's last hope, so he sends his most trusted companion on this important journey. Oedipus's faith in him is obvious, and Creon really seems to warrant this trust. His sensitivity to Oedipus is apparent when he says, "Shall I speak now, with all these pressing close, Or pass within" (Sophocles 7). Creon tactfully states he would not openly express anything that Oedipus would prefer to remain private. As Creon relates the news he's heard from the oracle, Oedipus hangs on every word, questions him about the particulars, and generally believes the story. At the scene's end, he has accepted everything Creon has told him, and announces his intent to act upon this news, saying, "It falls on me then. I will search and clear This darkness " (Sophocles 10). On Creon's advice, he also summons the seer, Teiresias, for further instructions. There is no doubt of the trust that exists in their relationship. Once Teiresias enters the picture, things begin to change. Threatened by the accusation, Oedipus grows paranoid and his relationship with Creon grows strained. The news is so awful and amazing that Oedipus cannot believe it. It's easier to suspect foul play, and his suspicions fall immediately on the man who stands to gain the most from his downfall. He asks Teiresias, "Ha! Creon!--Is it his or thine, this plot" (Sophocles 23) and refuses to believe it when the seer insists it is not a plot at all. "For this crown Creon the stern and true, Creon mine own Comrade, comes creeping in the dark to ban And slay me" (Sophocles 23), Oedipus insists. He insults Creon, calling him, "assassin" (Sophocles 30) and "robber of my crown" (Sophocles 30) as well as a coward, a snake, and an idiot. Creon defends himself against false charges, leading to a long argument. Eventually, even his patience wears out, and he tells Oedipus, "I see thou wilt not think" (Sophocles 35). The disagreement degenerat es into name-calling; Oedipus will not see reason and Creon will not admit to something he has not done. Only late in the play, when the shepherds have produced the evidence that convinces Oedipus of his crimes, does he realize that he has wronged his brother-in-law. Jocasta is dead, Oedipus has put out his own eyes, and Creon has returned, "Not to make laughter, Oedipus, nor cast Against thee any evil of the past" (Sophocles 81). This is true compassion on Creon's part. Not only has he been wronged, but he has learned that Oedipus is the cause of all the turmoil in Thebes, including his sister's death, and still he is kind. Even Oedipus doubts that Creon can deal kindly with him, saying, "How make him trust me more He hath seen of late So vile a heart in me, so full of hate" (Sophocles 81). Showing the same sensitivity as earlier in the play, when he asked whether he should make a public announcement of his findings, he offers Oedipus privacy, saying, "Quick within! Guide him. -- The ills that in a house have been They of the house alone should know or hear" (Sophocles 81). Creon's co mpassion is further demonstrated when Antigone and Ismene enter, and Oedipus shows his gratitude, saying, "Creon of his grace Hath brought my two, my dearest, to this

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Managerial and Professional Development ('portfolio' assignment) Assignment

Managerial and Professional Development ('portfolio' ) - Assignment Example Even though organizational learning is fundamentally different from individual training, it is influenced either directly or indirectly through individual learning. Hence, it is necessary to evaluate the way in which individual learning operates in an organization. Experiential Learning In many organizations, individual learning gets influenced in a major way by the Experiential way of learning. This theory, proposed by Kolb has four different stages of learning (McGill & Beaty 1995). According to this theory, any learning occurs in four different stages – through concrete experience, through observation and reflection, through abstract conceptualization as well as through active experimentation (Kolb and Fry, 1975). This is the chosen approach because of the holistic approach to learning offered by it. It was realized that this learning process is continuous and can begin at any of the stages. On a personal level, it provided ample scope to develop experience and opportunitie s to observe as well as reflect. In most organizations, employees also come across many scenarios where they indulge in abstract conceptualization and can carry out active experimentation. ... The learners, even though are not aware of the terminology given to each of these phases, go through either some or all the stages of learning depending on numerous factors like individual aptitude, availability of opportunities, nature of organization and so on (Itin, 1999). The experiential method of learning is the selected method because the strength of this theory lies in the fact that it talks about reflection. From previous experiences, it was realized that reflection is an important aspect of learning because it helps in understanding the mistakes and avoiding it for future instances. In addition, it also fosters innovation because of the scope related to experimentation as well as conceptualization (Kolb, 1984). Hence, the chances of holistic learning become very high with this form of learning. In addition, it is not imperative that a formal environment is needed to go through the various stages. For example, observation and reflection can easily happen in a very non-formal situation, giving ample scope for learning to take place. However, there are also some key disadvantages related to this theory that it is looked at from the context of an organization that was noticed during personal observation. Very often, the learning cycle is not completed, even though the process is incomplete. Due to external conditions or due to the individual interest, it has been noticed that many individuals go through the same stage of learning repeatedly. Therefore, some researchers do not consider this form of learning as a holistic way of learning and development in an organization. Reflective Learning Reflective learning is another popular way of learning in an organizational or corporate environment.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Rene Descartes and the scientific revolution Research Paper

Rene Descartes and the scientific revolution - Research Paper Example The Bible taught that the Earth was a special planet because God has deliberately set it at the center of the others; a clear sign of its importance to God. However, past the 16th Century, some scientists began challenging the existing way of thinking by replacing the past assumptions with new theories. This change in the European thought about the natural world is what is commonly referred to as the Scientific Revolution. The Scientific Revolution was a foundation stone upon which Rene Descartes developed the scientific method approach. The breakthroughs in the scientific revolution were championed by Copernicus who observed that the stars and all the planets revolved around the sun. The thoughts were sparked off by an ancient Greek idea that the sun was at the center of the universe. Copernicus indeed found this to be true after 25 years of studying planetary movements. Though revolutionary, the theory had a limitation in that it never explained why the planets behaved the way they did. Another problem was that it contradicted ancient studies and religious views. For fear of persecution and possible ridicule, the scholar did not publish his findings until 1543; the year of his death. Despite his death, Copernicus’ ideals withstood the test of death and were a good foundation for other like-minded scientists. Brahe, an astronomer from Denmark, made careful and accurate records of the planets’ movements over many years. The scientist produced volumes of accurate data recorded from his personal observations. With his death imminent, it was left to his followers to make the mathematical inferences from the data. Johannes Kepler, his assistant, studied the data and inferred that some mathematical laws governed the movements in the universe. According to Hellyer, (2003) Descartes’ findings disapproved the belief that the planets orbited in circular motions. In contrast,

Friday, August 23, 2019

U.S. Airline Industry Regulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U.S. Airline Industry Regulation - Essay Example Since the deregulation, the air transport carriers have decreased in number. A number of problems have plagued the industry and its workers. Whereas there are many favorable conditions that prevailed in the air line industry. The term airline deregulation has been in the news for decades. The airline deregulation was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter, he removed the power of the Civil Aeronautics Board to allocate routes and set fares. Before this law the fares were the same regardless of the airline flown. Due to the airline deregulation the airline fares have varied. But from a consumer’s point of view, the deregulation proved to be consumer friendly as fares are much less expensive than it were before. (Buckfelder) When talking about regulation, it has played a pervasive role. It subsidized increasing return and it had economy-wide positive spill over. Regulation provided an institutional structure that gave way to investment and uncertain technologies, which would otherwise exposed to inconsistencies and market breakdown. Regulation created high concentration industry, major trunk airlines with high market shares justifying high-fixed cost and new aircraft technologies. (Yosef, 2005, p No 133) Air travel has increased drastically and due to deregulation the airlines have improved their services, equipment and made it accessible to the general public. The rigid fares of the regulatory era have given way today’s competitive price market. It introduced competition in the industry and airline fares. It proved as a successful step for commercial airlines, the airlines could now set their own policies; determine the fares without any government intervention and expect high level of profits. Although the industry gained a lot from deregulation but few draw backs also flourished. The industry had unionized workforce that flourished on inefficiency and generous salaries, it proved to be a problem for a competitive

IKEA International Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

IKEA International Marketing - Case Study Example Those that can are part of an elite group that set a precedent for other retailers to follow. IKEA is one of those leaders. In less than forty years, IKEA has become a globally successful, multibilliondollar business, with stores on six continents and a very large customer following. Competitors constantly strive to imitate IKEA, but this company's secret to success is not easily duplicated. In Sweden in the 1940s, Ingvar Kamprad ran a small delivery business from his home using the local milk van. Needing a name for his business, he combined the initials of his name along with those of his family farm, "Elmtaryd," and the name of his village "Agunnaryd," to form IKEA (Appelbaum 1990). When the delivery service failed, Kamprad transferred his knowledge to mail order and soon discovered an untapped niche: furniture. By 1953 the first warehouse showroom of cataloged goods was opened. Soon to follow were stores in Norway and Denmark. Today Kamprad can boast of ninety-six stores in twenty-four countries, including the United States, France, Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Australia, Hong Kong, Hungary, and Saudi Arabia. The Swedish company is now the largest furniture retailer in the world. In total, these stores cover 14 million square feet and in 1990 had global sales exceeding $3.4 billion and served close to 90 million customers (Chandler 1990). What was Kamprad's form ula for success "IKEA shall offer a wide range of home furnishing items of good design and function, at prices so low that the majority of people can afford to buy them" (IKEA Home Page 2008). A simple formula it is, but one that has resulted in huge success ("IKEA in 2005", 2005). Current Business Structure Around the globe, IKEA stores are similarly designed in a Swedish style-blue and gold (Sweden's national colors), with the flag of Sweden waving proudly at the front. The stores are huge (100,000-250,000 ft), warehouses led with wide aisles for easy navigation. Products consist of assemble-it yourself furniture such as tables, bookcases, and shelves, and also china, plants, linens, wallpaper, flooring, carpets, beds, lighting, and cabinets, all at rock-bottom prices (IKEA Home Page 2008; Trachtenberg 1991). All stores are attractively merchandised with up to one hundred settings of fully decorated rooms. Store traffic patterns are designed so that the customer passes through all departments to pick up the knock-down merchandise and proceed to the checkout counter. Very little space is wasted ("IKEA in 2005", 2005). MARKETING STRATEGIES IKEA was founded as a mail order

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Chronicle of a Death Foretold and the Stranger Essay Example for Free

Chronicle of a Death Foretold and the Stranger Essay Conflict Resulting From the Negative Effects of Rigid Societal Expectations in A Chronicle of A Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus Everyone has felt the pressure of societal expectations during their lifetime. The negative effects society brings on one’s life can lead to a feeling of rejection towards the people who do not conform to meet those standards. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Albert Camus, author of The Stranger, both construct the external moral conflict of society versus the protagonist in order to critique the way society fails to accept the moral values of the people who differ from the norm. In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez emphasizes the central conflict of society versus the protagonist, based on beliefs and values, through the controversy leading up to the murder of Santiago Nasar, which is based on family honor and pre-marital sex. When Pedro and Pablo Vicario ask their sister, Angela Vicario, who had stolen her virginity, her response is described as â€Å"She only took the time necessary to say the name †¦ and she nailed it to the wall with her well-aimed dart, like a butterfly with no will whose sentence has already been written. ‘Santiago Nasar,’ she said†(47). Describing Angela’s response as â€Å"only took the time necessary† indicates that she is trying to put the blame on Santiago, making him a scapegoat, in order to protect the true man who took her virginity before marriage. In the Latin American society, where the setting of the novella takes place, it is not acceptable for a woman to have pre-marital sex due to the beliefs and morals of Catholics. Santiago is represented as the butterfly â€Å"whose sentence had already been written†. Even though there is no evidence Santiago took Angela’s virginity, it is the twin’s duty to protect their sister. Therefore, Pedro and Pablo Vicario set out to kill the man who had stolen their sister’s virginity, Santiago Nasar, in order to protect their family. The twins tell everyone in town about their plan to murder Santiago, but the people in the community doubt their intentions: â€Å"twenty-two people declared they had heard everything said, and they all coincided in the impression that the only reason the brothers had said it was so that someone would come over to hear them†(51). The people in the town who â€Å"[coincide] in the impression that the only reason the brothers had said it was so that someone would come over to hear them† shows how oblivious the townspeople act owards a societal member’s life. Society looks past at the fact that a murder is about to occur, but focuses on the purpose; family honor, which is highly respected. Since it is unacceptable for a female to have sex before marriage, Santiago is viewed in a negative light by society because he is accused of taking the virginity of an unmarried woman. The debate surrounding Santiago’s death highlights the conflict between society and the protagonist, where Santiago is a man who is accused of committing an act that society does not accept. Albert Camus, in The Stranger, constructs the protagonist, Monsieur Meursault, as a man who has absurdist morals and values, which society does not accept. Meursault has an intimate relationship with Marie Cardona, a former typist, but the connection does not go beyond a physical attraction; â€Å"she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her† (41). By Meursault stating â€Å"it didn’t mean anything† and â€Å"I probably didn’t love her† highlights his absurdist views on life; he believes life contains no purpose, thus he cannot love Marie because loving Marie would give life a purpose, which Meursault does not believe. He simply associates with Marie, because he likes being around her. There is no need for an emotional connection because the physical appearance of her is satisfying enough. Absurdism is not accepted in society therefore it does not accept Meursault. He is an outsider in a world he did not choose. Meursault is a man who does not show his emotions very well, but instead focuses on his physical need; â€Å"I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings† (65). Meursault saying â€Å"that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings† emphasizes the simplistic life he live—a life without meaning. Showing emotions would signify a life with purpose, which Meursault does not believe. The Algerian society, in which the novella takes place, does not accept the type of lifestyle Meursault lives and believes every life should be lived with a purpose. Society’s expectations clash with Meursault’s values because his beliefs and outlooks on life are not accepted by society, which sets up the external conflict between the two. In the external conflict between society and the protagonist, Garcia Marquez emphasizes the negative effects society has on a person who goes against the social norm by showing the biased opinions towards the Pedro and Pablo Vicario regarding Santiago’s murder. After brutally stabbing Santiago to death, the Vicario twins sprint to the church to inform the priest of their barbaric act; â€Å"Both were exhausted from the barbarous work of death, and their clothes and arms were soaked and their faces smeared with sweat and still living blood but the priest recalled the surrender as an act of great dignity†(49). The priest calling the murder â€Å"an act of great dignity† shows how, in the Latin American society, family honor is highly valued, no matter how far it is taken. Even though the twins have committed the worst crime imaginable, it is acceptable because it was done in order to protect their family. Pedro and Pablo Vicario are viewed as meeting expectations, as opposed to Santiago, who fails to follow them. When the crime was brought to court, the twins had already won before it even started; â€Å"The lawyer stood by the thesis of the homicide in legitimate defense of honor, which was upheld by the court in good faith, and the twins declared at the end of the trial that they would have done it again a thousand times over for the same reason† (48). The lawyer stating the homicide as a â€Å"legitimate defense of honor† verifies that society values family honor over a man’s life. The court case represents the conflict of society against Santiago and since he goes against society’s values, Santiago ends up dying, indicating society’s victory. The twins do not receive any severe punishment, because of their intentions to protect their family. Through Santiago’s death, Garcia Marquez stresses the harmful effects society can have on someone whose beliefs differ from societal standards. Camus constructs Meursault’s trial to critique society’s lack of acceptance towards the people who do not meet expectations. Throughout the court case, Meursault is quickly judged by the prosecutor due to his actions concerning his mother’s death, â€Å"He said the truth was that I didn’t have a soul and that nothing human, not one of my moral principles that governs men’s hearts, was within my reach† (101). The prosecutor bluntly stating that Meursault â€Å"didn’t have a soul† and is incapable of having â€Å"moral principles that governs men’s hearts† highlights how society does not understand Meursault’s morals and values, thus critiques his character and neglects him. Meursault is looked down upon because of how he acted on the day of Maman’s funeral. He does not express feelings towards his mother’s death because he is an absurdist and believes death is inevitable. Society believes that there is purpose to every societal member’s life, and since Meursault shares absurdist views, he is not accepted by society. To close his final argument against Meursault, the prosecutor states, â€Å" ‘I ask you for this man’s head†¦never as strongly as today have I felt this painful duty made easier, light, clearer by the certain knowledge of a sacred imperative and by the horror I feel when I look into a man’s face and all I see is a monster. † (102). The whole trial is based around Meursault’s character, and him being called â€Å"a monster† stresses the fact that society is unwilling to accept anyone who does not follow the expectations. Meursault does not share the same views that society wants, and as a result, he is rejected because of his moral values. By asking â€Å"for this m an’s head† the prosecutor shows how society neglects the people who share different views and therefore want them out of society completely. Camus uses the trial and Meursault’s crime to emphasize the external conflict of society versus the protagonist, Meursault, to demonstrate how society does not accept people who share different moral values. The negative effects society has on the people who do not meet expectations are emphasized through the external conflict, based of moral values, between the protagonist and society in the Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus. Both novellas show the harmful consequence faced by the protagonist, who do not conform to societal expectations, which evidently resulted in death.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Transformational leadership

Transformational leadership Introduction: Leadership can be described as an important quality of a person, a vital attribute for an organisation or a key source for an effective team towards attaining success. In these ways, leadership occupies its space in different fields and proves to be important in several aspects. The role of a leader is very important in a management field in terms of taking the organisation towards success or failure, as Drucker (1985) defines Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. According to Cox (2001), the leadership has been classified into two types: Transformational and Transactional. This differentiation was initially made by Downtown (1973, as cited in Barnett, McCormick and Conners, 2001). Transformational leader to be briefly explained is the one who possess a good vision and commitment towards success and motivates his followers and encourage them to increase their work potential. Whereas a transactional leader works in a task oriented manner and behave rigid with no place for personal emotions. In this modern world, business culture changes more rapidly prior to time and it is mandatory that skill and custom of the leadership has to adapt these changes. Heiftz and Laurie (1997) claim that: Instead of maintaining standard, leaders have to challenge the style of doing business and facilitate others in order to distinguish immutable values from historical practices that must go. In this essay, certain counter arguments for transformational leadership are critically analysed and a position has been adopted that transformational leadership is better in the current business atmosphere. The reasons are articulated with characteristic feature of transformational leadership. This is further justified with the explanation of some successful facts about notable transformational leaders and their success in their business. Criticisms of Transformational leadership: ransformational leadership being one of the best leadership models has some criticisms regarding several factors like personality, complication, clarity and other factors. Johnson and Kepner (2002) explain the key criticism within transformational leadership is that, it possesses high probability for the abuse of power. This is concerned with morality of leadership, as in terms of emotional perspective a transformational leader influence his follower. If the direction or the path tends to be in wrong track, then it would result in bad consequences. Further Bass (1997) notifies that, transformational leadership lacks the quality of ensuring and balancing the respective interests and influences that might facilitate to avoid dictatorship and minority suppression. Some notable examples of this model are Adolf Hitler, Osama bin laden and Rev Jim Jones who was the main role in massive Jonestown suicide. These are the people considered to be the negative side of transformational leadership . The second critic is that, transformational leadership is more often concentrated in developing an individual personality trait rather than a conduct through which people may be instructed (Bryman, 1992). This result in a difficult situation to train people in this approach, as most of the people will find complicated to adopt this quality. Since transformational leadership is a combination of several leadership models, it is more complicated to understand the concept and teach. In a transformational leadership, the leader is considered as a visionary idol and the leader involve in the business process along with his followers. This creates a dilemma in viewing the leadership in a trait perspective. The third critic provided by Avolio (1999) is that, the transformational leadership is discriminatory and autocratic. This further brings to another critic, the lack of conceptual clarity. The transformational leadership covers a wide range of activities like motivation, inspiration, buil ding trust and furthermore, this creates confusion in terms of concept when compared to other leadership model, as Bryman (1992) pointed out that transformational and charismatic leadership are often considered to be identical with respect to their qualities. The fourth argument is about dimensions of transformational leadership as not clearly mentioned. A scientific research by Tracey and Hinkin (1998) has shown considerable intersections among the dimensions of transformational leadership; it notifies that the dimensions are not clearly defined and complicated to measure. The final critic deals with regards to ethics, describing that transformational leadership suppresses the minorities of an organisation. Keeley (2001) believes that the only way to prevent harm done to the followers by the managers is to avoid the managers from uniting towards a common interest or goal. This ethical statement put forwards an action which is contradictory of what transformational leaders are suppo sed to do. These are some of the critical arguments by various researchers in the business field. The upcoming statements provide a justification for transformational leadership and some counter arguments for the above given critical statements. Justification for transformational leadership: Reviewing the critics arguments, a question arises whether the transformational leadership could be followed by an organisation to run efficiently. A position has been adopted for transformational leadership in this essay and the facts are described and clearly articulated. The first point of criticism review the morality and misleading of power by transformational leadership. Bass (2006) explains the classification in transformational leadership as socialised and personalized characteristics in the book Transformational leadership. The leaders using their abilities to inspire and lead their followers to a wrong path are termed to be pseudo transformational leaders. They possess similar elements as that of transformational leaders, but the motive would be personal and exploitative. It depends upon the individual characteristics in determining or choosing their motive and path, the concept of transformational leadership cannot be blamed. People regarding pseudo transformational model were discussed in the previous section; some examples of leaders who led a constructive path of transformational leadership are Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela etc. Transformational leadership concentrates in developing individual personality trait and it is difficult to understand and teach the concept was another critic. The significant feature of transformational leadership is that, it concentrates the development of follower and tries to enrich their personality. It encourages and involves inspiring followers to commit to a shared vision and goal of the organisation. A transformational leader encourages others to become leaders; as a result the entire organisation will be filled with people possessing effective leadership qualities, Kelly (2003). Furthermore, transformational leader motivates his followers to be innovative in problem solving and develop followers leadership qualities by coaching, mentoring and providing both challenge and support. According to (Leithwood, as cited in Cashin et al, 2000, p.1) Transformational leadership is that which: helps to redefine an individual mission and vision, thereby renewing their commitment and re structure the system for accomplishing the goal. This result in a mutual co-ordination within a leader and follower, where the follower grooms his qualities of leadership and the leader transform himself as a moral agent. Hence transformational leadership must be grounded in moral foundations. Regarding the issue about conceptual clarity, transformational leadership has much in similar characteristic features as that of charismatic leadership. The charisma is a part of transformational leader, it is considered to be a factor which correlates with idealized influence (one of transformational leadership 4Is). It is generally classified as socialized and personalized categories. For an organisation to perform better, Howell and Avolio (1993), authentic charismatic or transformational leaders must be socialised leaders. Under transformational leadership, there are four vital organisational activities performed. Making a compelling case for change in order to heighten followers sensitivity towards organisational change, inspire shared vision in order to attain new and better future, leading new changes and embedding the same. Certain critics notice transformational leadership as discriminatory and autocratic and a questionnaire whether it is directive or participative. Weber (1 947) emphasized that during the period of crises transformational leader directed dependent followers with essential solutions towards the problem; high inspirational leaders were extremely directive in terms of their process and approach. This clearly illustrates that, depending upon the situation a leader has to be either directive or participative in order to perform the task efficiently. The issues concerned to dimensions of transformational leadership, the multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) by Bass and Avolio (2000) provides a solution for this critic. The MLQ is used in measurement or determination of the dimensions for this leadership, which are Idealised influence, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation. The ethical issue about the transformational leadership is about suppressing minorities. Being researched for over 25 years, in transformational leadership the objective is to convert individual attention towards larger cause. It results in transformation from selfishness to cooperative concern. The significant feature of this leadership model is that, it focuses on common goal (Ethics, 133). An effective team work is concentrated where majorities and minorities are in the same platform to attain an objective. Successful Transformational leaders: Transformational leadership model proves to be efficient not only in business, but in all other sectors where it is implemented. In order to strengthen the position of transformational leadership, so examples from the past and present are portrayed in this essay. In a historical perspective, Yates (2002) describes about Genghis khan. During the late 12th and 13th century, this man struggled for the unification of the Mongol tribes, which was one of the largest land empires. The mode of leadership used was transformational at that period of time. In terms of business field, Lou Gerstner- the former chairman and CEO of IBM is one of the best examples for transformational leadership. One of the notable events at IBM under Gerstner leadership is: recovery from the companys loss of $1.8 billion in 1993 and making IBM as one of the largest private corporation in IT sector during that period of time. Sheppard (2002) describes that, Gerstner completely rectified the organisational culture an d took IBM to certain heights. Regarding the field of government and military contexts, General Colin Powell overcame the notorious racism in United States military and amidst low expectations became the United States chiefs of staff in 1989. He is the first Afro-American to become the U.S Secretary of State in 1991. Chekwa (2001) notifies that with the vision and qualities of transformational leader, Powell attained this position. Conclusion: The image and the research concerned to transformational leadership might be relatively recent, but demonstration and research of its characteristics and features has been done years back. It is proved thattransformational leaders have great capability to increase the performance beyond expectations and thereby able to make massive changes among individuals and organizations. In this essay, analysing most of the critics statement it has been justified that transformational leadership is stated to be better in a business perspective. When compared with other leadership styles like transactional or autocratic, transformational leadership addresses an individual needs, while the transactional leadership addresses the organisational process and the functioning is more often considered to be monopoly in nature. The decisions made are concerned only with the leader, success and failure occurs in an equal probability. While transformational leadership indulges effective team work, the leader motivates his follower and provides constructive feedback. The significant feature is that, feedback is expected from the follower too thus creating a two way communication. In the current world, transformational leadership is highly recognised and practised by executives in modern organisation. The current business scenario is influenced by insecurity, global commotion and organisational volatility, for which transformational leadership would be a better solution to deal these factors efficiently. References: Bass, B. and Riggio, R. (2006) Transformational leadership, 2nd edition, Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. Pillai, R. and Williams, E.A (2004) Transformational leadership, self-efficacy, group cohesiveness, commitment, and performance Journal of Organizational change management, Vol 17. Issue 2 pp. 144-159. Hay, I. (2006) Transformational Leadership: Characteristics and Criticisms [online] Available at: http://www.leadingtoday.org/weleadinlearning/transformationalleadership.htm (Accessed: 04 January 2010). Sarros, J. and Santora, J. (2001) The transformational-transactional leadership model in practice Leadership and organisation development journal, Vol 22, pp. 383-393. Sheppard, P. (2002) Leading the turnaround: Lou Gerstner of IBM. Wharton Leadership Digest [online]. Available at: http://leadership.wharton.upenn.edu/digest/02-03.shtml (Accessed: 30 December 2010) Yukl, A. (1989) Leadership in Organisation 2nd edition, New Jersey: Prentice Hall publication. Odom, L. and Green, T. (2003) Law and the ethics of Transformational leadership Leadership and Organisational development journal, Vol. 24, pp.62-69.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Impact of International Business in India

Impact of International Business in India India has emerged as a potential and a diversified market for the Western firms and other foreign investors. Earlier establishing a business in India was a challenging assignment, but economic reforms, brought in by different Indian governments over a period of time, have smoothen the course of entry for Western multinationals and other business magnets. Still it is considered difficult and a different proposal to do business in or with India, mainly because of its different business and socio- economic culture. Western multinationals/ investors dealing with India so far had to adopt major changes in their business style in order to serve effectively to their customers. This write up examines in detail the prevalent business, socio- economic, and cultural environments that western multinationals have to face in India, as well the implications of their adopted major changes in business practices to succeed in India. Business, socio- economic and cultural environments of India Family Business and non corporate culture Despite revolutionary changes since independence of India, the basic business style has remained the same as of family controlled businesses. Leading business families, from Birlas and Tatas to Reliance, keep total control on business of companies promoted by them. Major management posts in these business houses are always held by responsible family members. Though joint family system is slowly disappearing, but still there is a common tendency in Indian families to own a business. Another prominent feature of the Indian economy is that non- corporate sector has the largest share of the total business of the country. They are the largest employment providers. Growth in non- corporate sector is much faster than even in the corporate sector. Non- corporate sector is engaged in wide spread manufacturing and service industries, and these are again mostly family business. Non corporate sector work according to available conditions and develop their business models suiting prevalent conditions and systems. This way India is a high powered distant society. Western businesses will have to accept family authority while negotiating business deals with non- corporate as well as family controlled corporate sector. Multi Linguistic and cultural market with political challenges The business language in urban India is local language mixed with English. It is also mixed with Hindi and state dialects making it difficult for a casual business operator to negotiate. There are wide ranges of languages spoken in diverse India. Accordingly, perfection in one language by a Western business negotiator does not mean that he or she can represent his/ her business deals effectively in all parts of India. Though middle class rules the roast in India, but this class mostly believes in eastern culture, making it imperative for Western multinationals to adopt eastern tastes in their goods and services being marketed in India. At the same time it is difficult for foreign companies to standardize their products on national basis because of diversity in regional culture; but it may be possible in India on regional basis. Also foreign MNCs need to find out the consumers tastes in India before launching their products or services in Indian markets. One thing is necessary to understand that economic growth in India has brought up its middle class to the fore front; and at the same time rural poor are largely isolated from the achievements of growth.With a robust and working democratic system, India is a federal republic where bulk of executive power rests with prime minister and his or her cabinets. As a nation state, India presents a vast mosaic of hundreds of different ethnic groups, religious sects, and social castes. About one third of population lives in urban areas; an overwhelming majority of the remainder is engaged in the agricultural sector.(Michael F. Martin and K.Alan Kronstadt, August 31, 2007)Â  [i]Â  An Indian is so politically informed or connected that it would not be wrong to say that every Indian treats himself/ herself as a politician in one sense or the other. With the result every political event in India has great impact on consumer markets. Politically there is a relaxed atmosphere at present for foreign direct investments (FDIs). But businesses often get disturbed with unwanted political rallies and events. Very frequently opposite national political parties call for nation- wide strikes (called bandh in Indian dialect) on any hot issue. The entire economic process gets disturbed and with the result corporations and other businesses suffer huge losses. For example on July 5, India went on strike. The country closed down at several places after opposition parties protested an increase in the price of petrol or gasoline. (In India, the government controls petrol prices). The Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry estimated that nationwide strike caused a production loss of US $ 2.8 billion (Human Resources, July 29, 2010)Â  [ii]Â  . Indian economy is also badly bitten by the inflationary bug. Even necessities of life have become costlier for public at large. Average citizens find it difficult to save something for luxuries. Still luxuries like cars, foreign tours etc are being sold at rates that envy other economies of the world. But this is a fact of urban India only, where black marketing and corruption is rampant. Corrupt politician and business people make ugly display of their wealth. There is no doubt that Indian economy is growing, but this growth is lopsided. The required growth in infrastructural sector is lagging behind. This has created a real bottleneck for long term growth and economic expansion. This information is necessary for Western MNCs to decide about their target sector as well the type of market available in India for their products and services. India is a free economy and taking advantage of this, many Western MNCs are also raising part of their capital investment from India itself. BPO business brought in by multinationals in India succeeded because the MNCs exploited the conditions to best of their advantage. The shortage of infrastructure for BPO business was a matter of concern for MNCs. But MNCs found that building infrastructure in India is much cheaper than developing the same in western countries. India is a developing country with huge populations. Naturally the availability of educated labor force at lower prices was a distinct advantage that MNCs exploited to enhance their overall profitability. Indian young population has proved to be more hospitable and courteous than their counterparts in Western countries. Educated young people have a lot of command in English language making it very easy and economical to get the customer convinced about the product being marketed by BPOs. The result is that BPO business in India has become not only a profitable for MNCs, but a bread earner for thousands and lakhs of its staff without pressing government resource s. Changes adopted by international firms to serve customers in India Adoption with local conditions or changing of business rules provide international business to grow firmly. Western multinationals have taken many rational and objective decisions keeping in view marketing and other conditions prevalent in India. Changes in business style are necessary as the risks in the international business are not the same as in domestic markets. Some of changes adopted by Western MNCs to serve their Indian customers are discussed hereunder. Organized Retailing and direct marketing Barring exceptions like Bata stores and few others, retailing in India so far has been fragmented and not organized. Organized retail stores and trendy chain stores to catch the young customer is be one of the major changes brought in India by Western MNCs to serve and attract their customers. Though the trend is same as in western countries, but organization style has changed. Family owned businesses are being attracted to own retail stores and develop a chain of stores as franchisee or under other arrangements with MNCs. A few successful examples are McDonalds, Levis Strauss and others. Organized retailing is growing in India. With the results manufacturers are loosing their positions. Even local brands like Pantloons and Shoppers Stop are offering competitions to manufacturers owned stores. An organized franchisee style of retailing has ushered. It is also seen that family owned businesses seek franchisees of western MNCs. Many multinationals are entering Indian market though partnerships with local giants in the organized retail sector. Direct marketing is another change brought in by the MNCs. Earlier joint venture technique of marketing has changed to direct marketing. Products are not being sold on agency basis. Goods are not manufactured but traded by MNCs in chain stores either owned by them or their franchisees. Earlier the trend was to find low cost manufacturing location in India for producing goods in India, and then marketing the goods by entering into joint venture agreements with local giants. No doubt MNCs are still benefitting from low cost production, but the trend has changed to offer the products and services directly to customers. Creating products to serve Indian markets One of the major changes that western MNCs have made is the introduction of products and services that suits Indian style of consumption. This means not only developing affordable products and services that deliver value to the customer, but also finding right kind of distribution channels and designing credit systems to permit the access of the poor to financial services. (Michael John Baker and Susan Hurt, 2007)Â  [iii]Â  In fact MNCs are taking full advantage of availably of large number of engineers, technicians, and other experts to introduce products as per Indian tastes of consumptions. Take the case of US Pizza Hut selling pizzas through its outlets in India. What they have brought to India is not an American style pizza but a way of serving food in a nice, clean, bright place at a price an ordinary family can afford. But the food they serve is what Indians like. In many cities in India, Dominos offers a 100 percent vegetarian pizza, cooked in a separate kitchen where no me at items are allowed. (Subash C. Jain, 2003)Â  [iv]Â   In fact marketing style the product has also changed by Western MNCs. For example creating small packs with simple designs and less volume at affordable prices will not only boost sale but also create brand awareness among a particular section of consumers. Introduction of financing schemes with marketing of products create an urge to buy among those who cannot afford the goods temporarily. This is certainly not unethical if the interest rates are reasonable. This is because reasonability is the basic rule of marketing. Another marketing idea floated by MNCs is to provide products and services on rental or lease basis instead of making a direct sale. This may take shape of hire- purchase sale or simple renting if the consumer does not want to purchase the product. Conclusion Indian market has peculiar characteristics. Owning family business is still the rage in Indian society that is multi linguistic with Hindi or English as link language. Inflation is very high and the conditions in India always remain political charged. Abundant educated labor force is available at reasonably cheaper wages. Corrupted people flaunt the use of money in an ugly way. Under such circumstances different democratically elected Indian governments created liberalized conditions for MNCs and other foreign investors to enter the Indian market. Businesses like BPO units succeeded immensely in India. Foreign investments also established varied businesses for their customers in India. For satisfying customers in India, these MNCs made concessions and changes in their traditional style of operations. Direct marketing and organized retailing are the major changes bought in by MNCs to satisfy their Indian clientele. Products also changed to suite Indian tastes of consumptions. Leasing and hire- purchase selling have become style of MNCs to satisfy their customers in India.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Private Schools vs. Public Schools Essay -- School Reform, Education Re

Would you change your school? Would you go to a private school instead of a public school? Or to a public school instead of a private school? Private and public education is different in many ways such as their performance, enrollment, and the overall education taught but yet they have somewhat similar teachers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Students’ performance in public and private schools differ a lot. Private schools often have better grades and test scores. It is proven that kids who go to a public school and attend a private school perform better (Williams 17). Student performance varies but the advantage would probably have to go to the private schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Teachers in private and public schools are similar yet have some differences. There are about 2.7 million teachers and other faculty members in public schools (Klieg 22). There are about 400,000 teachers and other faculty members in private schools (Klieg 22). Of all these teachers only about 71% of private school teachers are licensed where 97.4% of public teachers are licensed (Williams 61). That makes the public teachers sound good, but there is also this little fact that they’re leaving out. Public school teachers aren’t even qualified to be teaching the subjects that they teach a lot of the time (Williams 46). Perhaps this is why the private school students are doing better than the public school students are. Or maybe it is because the average student to teacher ratio is better than public schools. This ratio is 17 students to 1 teacher in public schools where it is 14.9 students to 1 teacher in private schools (Williams 46). A good reason why private education is made out to be so much better than public schools is not necessarily because of the teachers, but the way private schools are able to hand pick each one of their students (Phillips Internet). Most likely they are going to pick the richest and smartest students they can. Why the richest and the smartest? Well if they pick the richest students it’s going to help the school financially. While the smarter students make the school and their teachers look good. So all in all teachers are all pretty equal besides maybe a few differences. How about teachers and their salaries? Teachers who are getting paid less are probably going to do a worse job right? WRONG! Private school teachers are usually paid about 12,000 dollars less than public school teachers ... ...ver child they want into their school. Who know, but it seems that public education can and needs to be improved maybe slightly more than private education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is money really the answer to everything? Some may think that their school does not have enough money and that’s why their students are doing so poorly. But more than likely money doesn’t play such a big part in the academic achievement of the students in school. For example: New Jersey is rated number 1 in terms of money per a student but yet they’re rated 29th in the basic student achievement (Williams 192). So before you blame your poor education on insufficient funds next time stop and think of these little facts. So what’s this saying? Maybe money is not the answer to everything.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So therefore private and public education is similar to an extent. However they do show many differences also. As shown they were different in their performance, enrollment, and the overall education taught. Private and public schools don’t have that much in common, but are their things that they do have in common but just didn’t get mentioned? Yes there are many more topics that are similar and different that we didn’t get into.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

The Use Of Symbols In Macbeth Essay -- essays research papers

The Use of Symbols in Macbeth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses many symbols to add to his story. His use of blood, water, light, dark, rampant animals, and even the witches are examples of how he used symbols to add depth to his play. These symbols were often times recurring and they were all related to the central plot of the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shakespeare used blood in this play several times. Blood is first mentioned by Macbeth shortly after he had slain Duncan. The subject of blood was introduced again when Duncan's murder was brought up by Lady Macbeth, as well as others later in the play. In the aforementioned circumstances, blood was used to symbolize the guilt, and pain that Macbeth and his wife were experiencing as a by-produc...

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Management and Leadership Essay

Abstract This paper describes the difference between leadership and management, followed by an examination of the role responsibility of leaders in creating and maintaining a healthy organizational culture. It explains that a leader is someone who can offer a compelling invitation for others to take action, while managers manage and accomplish work through others. Today’s leader needs a multitude of characteristics but most important is the ability to develop a vision and to articulate it. This paper critically examines and articulates key conceptual and practical differences between leadership and management through an analysis of the differences in the form, function and influence processes which underpin these complementary organizational roles. It attempts to show that while management involves a key responsibility for leadership, effective management also needs to include the skillful application of other power bases which underpin the wider influencing tactics of effective leader ship. Management and Leadership Today’s organizations become more complex, more ambiguous, and more unpredictable. So how should managers and leaders respond to these challenges? Along with the world is changing constantly, everything has been changing, like the Internet and information revolution, globalization of economies, demographics and ageing population, decrease in new born babies†¦etc. Changing is the trend of development of society. All kinds of environment such as investing, marketing, financing and operating environment has been changing for organizations. Leadership and management are two notions that are often used interchangeably. However, these words actually describe two different concepts. Leadership is a facet of management and is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. Care must be taken in distinguishing these two concepts. The main aim of a manager is to maximize  the output of the organization through administrative implementation. To achieve this, managers must undertake the following functions: Organizing, planning, leading and controlling. A manager cannot just be a leader; he also needs formal authority to be effective. For any quality initiative to take hold, senior management must be involved and act as a role model. This involvement cannot be delegated. In some circumstances, leadership is not required. For example, self-motivated groups may not require a single leader and may find leaders dominating. The fact that a leader is not always required proves that leadership can be just an asset and is not essential for certain groups or organizations. Managers think incrementally, whilst leaders think radically. â€Å"Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing† (Ikeda, 2003). This means that managers do things by the book and follow company policy, while leaders follow their own intuition, which may in turn be of more benefit to the company. A leader is more emotional than a manager. Men or women are governed by their emotions rather than their intelligence. Leaders stand out by being different. They question assumption and are suspicious of tradition. They seek out the truth and make decisions based on fact, not prejudice. They have a preference for innovation. Often with small groups, it is not the manager who emerges as the leader. In many cases it is a subordinate member with specific talents who leads the group in a certain direction. Leaders must let vision, strategies, goals, and values be the best guide-post for action and behavior rather than attempting to control others. When a natural leader emerges in a group containing a manager, conflict may arise if they have different views. When a manager sees the group looking towards someone else for leadership he may feel his authority is being questioned. Groups are often more loyal to a leader than a manager. This loyalty is created by the leader taking responsibility in areas such as: Taking the blame when things go wrong, celebrating group achievements, even minor ones,  giving credit where it is due. The leader must take a point of highlighting the successes within a team, using charts or graphs, with little presentations and fun ideas. Leaders are observant and sensitive people. They know their team and develop mutual confidence within it. â€Å"The leader is followed, the manager rules† (The University of Edinburgh, 1997). A leader is someone who people naturally follow through their own choice, whereas a manager must be obeyed. A manager may only have obtained his position of authority through time and loyalty given to the company, not as a result of his leadership qualities. A leader may have no organizational skills, but his vision unites people behind him. Management usually consists of people who are experienced in their field, and who have worked their way up the company. A manager knows how each layer of the system works and may also possess a good technical knowledge. A leader can be a new arrival to a company who has bold, fresh, new ideas but might not have experience or wisdom. Leading, often confused with managing, is the process of creating a vision and motivating people to achieve certain goals. On the other hand, managing is the process of organizing, planning, controlling, and leading; hence, leadership is a characteristic of managing but managing is not necessarily a function of leading. Often employees prefer employers to express roles of leading over those of managing. â€Å"If given the choice, most people would rather follow a leader than managed by a manager. To manage is to control and manipulate. To lead is to guide, influence and persuade. In today’s business world, both management and leadership skills are vital, but it’s important to use them in the proper manner – things are managed and people are led† (Iscoe, n.d.). For employers to be successful it is imperative that they distinguish the  difference between managing and leading and are able to express all functions of management (leading included), for if they do not profit maximization is hindered and failure inevitable. For leaders to influence others to become interested in their vision often they need to put some attention toward creating a healthy organizational culture. This is important because when an employee feels comfortable in their work environment it is more likely that they develop loyalty and interest for their employer. Unfortunately, due to costs and lack of regulating standards for creating a healthy organization culture many employers express unwillingness and look towards other creative means to improve employees health. â€Å"So many companies find it easier to try to ‘fix’ the employee than the organization. Focus on employees’ unhealthy behaviors – poor diets, smoking, lack of exercise. Promote self-management of health. That’s today’s typical ‘control strategy,’ but it does nothing to address the deeper organizational ills† (Johnson, 2001). Another creative way to maintain a healthy organization culture is to offer, at the employee’s expense, authorized absence (leave). This has been a common occurrence from those that I know who are in the Navy. Employers will allow an employee to take, at their own expense, additional time as needed off when stress levels are high. I believe that employers do this in attempts to avoid morale drop that could arise out of employees having health problems (some relating to stress). As far as leaders and managers having to be responsible for creating a positive work environment, it is by their own choice and in their best interest. They must make the cost-benefit analysis to decide if expenses are worth an increase in constitution of employees. Unless employers are literally doing something immoral to employees, a positive atmosphere can often be overlooked. In conclusion, leadership is an important function of management and is essential if one wishes to be triumphant. For my captain his leadership was enthralling to anyone that he met, making him and his crew more interested in furthering his career in the military. Creating pride in employees’ job and using your position as a leader or a manager to excel organizational  goals and influence employees to work towards positive goals either for themselves or the organization is my vision of healthy organizational culture. References University of Edinburgh (1997). The Difference Between Management And Leadership. Retrieved April 30, 2005 from: http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/MENG/ME96/Documents/Intro/leader.html Ikeda J. (2003) Addressing the Leadership Crises: Clarifying Leaders’ Responsibilities. Retrieved April 30, 2005 from: http://www.linkageinc.com/company/news_events/link_learn_enewsletter/archive/2003/11_03_leadership_ikeda.aspx Iscoe, S. (2004) Link to Success: Management Versus Leadership. Retrieved April 30, 2005 from: http://linktosuccess.com/success-articles/management.html Johnson, D. (2001). Creating a healthy workplace for today’s stressed-out employees. Retrieved April 30, 2005 from: http://www.ishn.com/CDA/ArticleInformation/coverstory/BNPCoverStoryItem/0,2164,62212,00.html

Curriculum designing guidelines Essay

Purpose The construction of experiences and outcomes that effectively provide progression in each curriculum area and convey the values, principles and purposes of A Curriculum for Excellence is central to the success of the program. In particular, it is important that you reflect relevant aspects of the four capacities in your work. If we can get this right these outcomes and experiences will have a significant, positive, impact on classroom practice and hence on the learning experience of all children and young people. It is an exciting prospect. Starting point In phase 1 each early review group should be asked to simplify and prioritise the curriculum (from age 3 to 15 in the first instance) retaining what currently works well and making changes where these were justified by research evidence. The output from phase 1 of the review process and the rationale for your curriculum area, research and other national and international comparators are your starting points. Your work will be based on the relevant parts of the Curriculum Frameworks: for Children 3 – 5, 5 – 14 guidelines, Standard Grade, and National Qualifications. It is important that experience and outcome statements you write at each Curriculum for Excellence level provide appropriate cognitive demand. The framework for outcomes The experiences and outcomes will sit within a framework of advice to teachers. Curriculum Area The eight curriculum areas are: Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Languages, Maths, Religious and Moral Education, Science, Social Studies and Technologies. Rationale The rationale provides an overview of the curriculum area states its main purposes and describes its contribution to the values and purposes. Subsets of the curriculum area Each curriculum area is subdivided either into fields of learning – or ‘subjects’ (e. g. Expressive Arts into art, drama, dance and music) or into aspects of learning in that area (e. g. Languages into listening and talking, reading and writing) Lines of development These identify learning tracks in each subset of the curriculum area. They are expressed in different ways in each area of the curriculum. For example within expressive arts they identify the skills to be developed: creating, presenting and evaluating in art, drama, dance and music; within science they describe broad areas of knowledge and understanding to be developed; biodiversity, being human and cells in Our Living World. Experiences and outcomes Within each line of development, experiences and outcomes describe the expected progression in learning for children and young people. Essential outcomes. Essential outcomes are a small number of high level statements, derived from the main purposes described in the rationale, that encapsulate what learning in that curriculum area provides for all children and young people. Taken together, the essential outcomes are intended to sum up the expectations for the broad general education of all young people. The focus of your work will be writing the experiences and outcomes for your curriculum area. It is likely that there will be interplay between what you produce and the ‘essential outcomes’ , which are the ones helping to shape and refine the other in an iterative manner. Outcomes should be written in the clearest possible English. Where possible these should be accessible to children and young people, but not at the expense of clarity. It is also important to try to write lively and engaging experiences and outcomes. Best Practices of Writing the Curriculum Ultimately the intention is to produce streamlined guidance for the entire curriculum in a single document. We also intend to make the outcomes available in electronic format to allow curriculum leaders and teachers to identify and blend outcomes from both within and beyond curriculum areas. Several stages will be required to achieve this.