Sunday, January 26, 2020

Lexis Treatment in Language Teaching

Lexis Treatment in Language Teaching Part 1. Examine the treatment of lexis in two course-books. How are the items introduced, practised and tested? Take into account the authors intentions and illustrate your account by close reference to one unit/chapter from each book â€Å"we need to see English language teaching as located in the domain of popular culture as much as in the domain of applied linguistics.† (Pennycock, 1998, p162 cited in Harmer, 2001, p94) For the purpose of this essay, lexis is defined simply as the words that make up a language. It includes all levels from morphemes to lexical phrases (Nattinger, 1988 cited in Harmer, 2001. It also includes the manner in which we ‘recast’ and reframe words with those that are similar, equivalent or alternative in order to fix, or negotiate (McCarthy, 1990), our understanding of the meaning. The two selected course texts, Cutting Edge (Cunningham Moor, 2004) and Matters (Bell, Gower Cunninham, 1998) both integrate elements of a lexical syllabus into their approach. In the following two sections – Module 8 of Cutting Edge and Unit 6 of Matters (see Appendix 1) – lexis is introduced and expanded through a number of methods. Whilst Cutting Edge expounds an engage- practise activate style (Harmer, 2001) of learning cycle (see Walmsley, 1979 cited in Els et al for a exploration of unit based teaching cycles), both combine a discovery learning style with more traditional grammatical constructs. For example, Unit 6 of Matters is entitled Are You Green?. The subject area is the natural world and the subheading is the environment. The language focus of the unit is: â€Å"†¦sentence structure, in particular defining relative clauses (sometimes known as identifying or restrictive clauses); clauses of purpose and clauses of result and  reason.† (Matters, Bell Gower, 1998, Unit 6) This unit introduces a range of vocabulary and contextualises both its language style and content initially through a magazine article. These are then expanded through an intentionally inflammatory ‘interview’. The exercises, although sometimes appearing initially divorced from the previous exercise, conform to a learning cycle approach. They relate to earlier learning as well as serving to re-enforce the meaning of the vocabulary and its contexts. The focus on relative clauses, as with lexical phrases, aims at acquiring a familiarity that enables the students to specific forms more naturally and correctly. In both texts, the material is introduced through oral presentation, discussion, reading and written work. Brainstorming serves t is similar to Greens (1993) word wall in that it provides the vocabulary and offers the opportunity for visual and oral re-enforcement. Cutting Edge has a Language Focus Section. This follows the same practise of building language familiarity through building ‘comparisons and talking about similarities’ (Cunningham Moor, 2004). Both use individual pictorial comparison followed by group discussion to re-enforce vocabulary and make connections to specific situations. As with Matters the same language is used in several formats – a listening and a reading activity. It is worth nothing that both texts recognise how age and culture affects the contexts of a lexicon. Matters warns that: ‘ In multinational classes, be careful: not all countries have the same level of sympathy for and awareness of environmental issues and scientific jargon’ (Bell Gower, 1998, Introduction). They acknowledge that, as Bowerman (1978) states, ‘Lexical rules are language – and culture – specific.’ (cited in Larsen-Freeman Long, 1991). However, both programs aim to move a student away from lexical over-generalisations (Backhouse, 1994) and increase depth of knowledge and breadth of vocabulary. Backhouse (1994) relates lexical development to intra and extra – lingual processes ie the â€Å"semantic relations which hold between lexical items in a given language.† (p.19) and the â€Å"paradigmatic relations† or the specific fields that define meaning within that context. Assessment of student understanding looks at how individuals develop vocabulary around a subject area through discussion, class response and exercises. In essence, it appears that both texts use a ‘field theory’ approach that allows for lexical compartmentalisation and a hyponomic (see McCarthy, 1990, p19) focus on developing associated meanings (Carter McCarthy, 1988). However, they do not limit themselves to associating specific vocabularly within specific fields. â€Å"Lexical phrases or ‘language chunks’ are like prefrabricated building units.† (Lewis, cited in Harmer, 2001, p.21) Part 2. How effective is the treatment of lexis in the two chosen units for a group of learners with whom you are familiar? What changes would you make in using these units with the learners you have identified? Class Profile This class consists of seventeen males and five females, all L1 Arabic speakers. They come from six countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It is an intermediate level class. 30% are students, 40% are supervisory/managerial levels of employees in Government departments or from private businesses. 20% are self-employed private businessmen and the remaining 10% are homemakers. The age range is 20-58 years. They are currently about half way through a twenty week English course. Whilst the treatment of lexis in the two chosen units is efficient and effective, it does benefit from some individual tailoring towards the above class. For example with some of the students I would perhaps encourage a move towards a more self directed learning plan (Pemberton et al, 2001). Others need more scaffolding. I have also tried to cater for learning styles so that a variety of exercises are supported by a variety of materials and presented in more than one way. I have not simply repeated specifics, but changed the way they are communicated. Clearly, cognitive tools vary according to each individual and the situation so no assumptions should be made (see Papademetre Scarino, 2000 for an exploration of class and culture) based on ones own parameters. However, the attached are two lesson plans that I have adapted to suit this class. These are adapted to work on this classes particular understanding of certain collocations. Common patters are re-iterated: verb + noun (fly a kite) adjective + noun (a light snowfall) adverb + verb (to boldly go) adverb + adjective (totally different) adjective + preposition (similar to) noun + noun (a collocation dictionary) (adapted from http://www.eli.ubc.ca/teachers/lexicon.html) However, as Schmitt 2000) and Thornbury (1999) both stress, idioms, idiomatic phrases and expressions – especially those with different meanings are further developed. The aim is to provide the students with an all round lexical confidence supported by a good knowledge of vocabulary as well as lexical phrases. Where specific lexical approaches have been used, they are mentioned in the lesson plans and sequences. Class of 22. Level Intermediate 02 TITLE: ARE YOU GREEN? Adapted from Matters- Intermediate (Bell Gower, 1998) Unit 6 Date 31st January 2006 Lesson duration 60 minutes Resources: handouts, cassettes, audio-player, white-board, OHP and transparencies Course text books Lesson Aims: Reading skills: magazine article on the ‘ungreen’ Moore family Comprehension check. Vocabulary and pronounciation skills Develop familiarity with colloquial and informal spoken and written English. Develop language for use both in and out of classroom. Develop language around a major current topic – environmentalism – that is widely relevant Awareness of word fields Contribute to discussion Contribute to brainstorming sessions Work independently with confidence Work confidently with lexical variations eg the ‘schwa /?/ Familiarisation with colloquial English publications (newspaper, magazines, journal excerpts etc) Contact with everyday English Teacher modelling Raise student awareness eg of pronounciation and meaning changes through stress syllabuls. Phrasal words Language ‘chunking’. Awareness of expression and collocations, their usefulness and frequency Develop OHP transparencies or posters of mind maps and word fields Anticipated Problems problems with reading new vocabulary technical problems eg OHP, audio-player timetable fit have a ‘hit list’ of potential problem words and definitions ready elicit and drill (time allowing) problem words where possible encourage students to develop a ‘power word’ list (Cary, 2000) of their own. Have English/Arabic dictionaries ready but use to note and refer to later Stand-by handouts if OHP fails Stand-by audio player Ensure good time keeping 19.00 19.05 19.05 19.15 19.25 19.30 19.35 19.45 19.50 20.00 Introduction and warm up. Small talk, humour or anecdotes etc Elicit the word green and discuss culturally specific colour associations eg in the UK blue can mean sad, yellow cowardice, red danger and green innocence, jealousy or environmental issues. Discuss and support with modelling and writing on white board. Lexically this exploration of meanings associated with colour will help students understand language extension, engage through subject matter, encourage higher order thinking and build vocabulary necessary for the lesson. Pairwork. Set the theme: two environmental problems facing the world presently ie global warming, loss of wildlife and habitiat etc. Elicit words and write on board. Set students to work together on this. The connotations associated with environmental issues eg wildlife, habitat loss, global warming are real and relevant to most students. This exercise requires students to develop a lexical framework to support both facts and opinions and know which areas they wish to find more language to fill. Ask students if in their countries they have an equivalent of the Green/Environmental Party? Explain what the Greens are and stand for. Set a discussion of this again in pairs. This has the same lexical aim as the previous section. Display a picture or poster of the Green Party on the white board. In pairs of threes read Are these people criminals? When finished reading, complete the exercise matching the paragraph number with the figure or object on the right of the page (see appendix 1) Read through the answers with the students. Matters, p42/43. Set exercise 2 p.43. to do individually or in pairs. Lexical rationale – aim for students to use and apply new language. Go through answers a to e with the students, giving a verbal explanation of each and support on the white board. Ask students to work in pairs and make a list of verbs on handouts eg: save, recycle, buy, ban, use, prevent. Show the students how these can be used in collocations and phrasal words from the text. Lexical rationale – starting to extend vocabulary into actions associated with environmentalism and using a discursive exercise to encourage their recognition and usage. Handouts Set exercise 3, a practise in relative clauses, and give out handouts. Students read through the test and complete it. Go through the answers with students answering one by one. Lexical rationale – aims towards students developing referencing skills by looking up words either individually or in pairs. Listening and speaking skills: pronounciation focus on the schwa. Students listen to the recording and take notes. Go through the exercise marking the syllables and stress in word pronounciation. Go through the answers on the white board. Lexical rationale – as part 1 explored, pronounciation and stress hightens student awareness of how intonation affects meaning. Second tape recording. Listen to the second recording and go through the rubric with the students. Students give answers back around the class and then practice in pairs the sentences in exercise 2. Matters p.45. Lexical rationale – extension of pronounciation focus. Wordspot focus. A lexical exercise to recap, re-iterate and re-enforce. FINISH. Issue handouts of target text. Put a transparency of the â€Å"Something† word-field flow chart on the OHP. Divide the students into A’s and B’s. A reads the instructions on p.135 and B on p138. (answering each others questions.) Issue handouts f the word-field for homeword and ask students to add at 4-5 new phrases with ‘something’ in them. Follow up first thing next lesson. Develops autonomous lexical growth at students own rate of learning ie with no time pressure Class of 22. Level Intermediate 02 TITLE: Adapted from Cutting Edge – Intermediate (Cunningham Moor, 2004) Module 8 Date 04th February 2006 Lesson duration 60 minutes Resources: handouts, cassettes, audio-player, white-board, OHP and transparencies, Course text books Lesson Aims: To reinforce reading and listening skills To reinforce comprehension. Vocabulary and pronounciation skills Develop familiarity with colloquial and informal spoken and written English. Develop language for use both in and out of classroom. Awareness of word fields Contribute to discussion Contribute to brainstorming sessions Work independently with confidence Establish preparation for next class Reading and listening exercises Vocabulary building exercises Excerpts taken from Cutting Edge follow on from previous reading and listening exercises but focusing on how to use words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) in phrases and collocations used in everyday English Teacher modelling Phrasal words Language ‘chunking’. Awareness of expression and collocations, their usefulness and frequency Develop OHP transparencies or posters of mind maps and word fields Set grammar/language points, p44 (Matters), for home work reading (using scanning and familiarisation) in readiness for the next class Anticipated Problems Some problems with reading and pronounciation problems with reading new vocabulary technical problems eg OHP, audio-player timetable fit have a ‘hit list’ of potential problem words and definitions ready elicit and drill (time allowing) problem words where possible encourage students to develop a ‘power word’ list (Cary, 2000) of their own. Have English/Arabic dictionaries ready but use to note and refer to later Stand-by handouts if OHP fails Stand-by audio player Ensure good time keeping Rationale for lesson focus Students need to practice their reading, listening and speaking skills more. They need to further their informal vocabulary In the previouse lesson (Are you Green?) issues were featured and discussed at some length. This lesson aims to restore a balance and put into perspective the alternative view featuring some of the benefits of the modern world so it is not always perceived as a wholly negative experience as can be construed by ‘Green/Environmentalist’ action groups. This could be important to avoid confusion in some students minds. (The fact that alternative opinions exist regarding the controversy surrounding this subject across the world. Timing 19.00 19.05 19.10 19.15 19.20 19.25 19.30 19.40 19.55 20.00 Introduction and warm up. Go over points from previous lesson. Small talk, humour or anecdotes etc (if time permits!) Review homework exercises concerning phrases and collocations from ‘Something.’ Appoint one student to write the answers on to the chart of white board. Go around the class an dget their answers and their explanations from each student. Tell students to note down answers. Brief review of work then move on. Flip chart of ‘somethings’ word-filed attached to white board. Focus and elicit upon the words inventor and successful. Get associated words too – invent, invention, succeed from the students. Ask students to predict/guess what kind of advice/information will be found in the text from comparing pictures on the left to those on the right. Handouts. Issue reading excerpts ‘How to be a successful inventor.’ Tell students to scan through the reading in 2-3 minutes. Read text individually. (Cutting Edge Teaching notes and coursebook.) Check for understanding especially words and phrases like light bulb, to be patient, purpose, to understand the porential of something, a dot, a s screen, a button, a know. Lexical rationale – re-enforcement of vocabulary plus the added re-pronounciation of read words, explanation of phrases indicates a development allowing for lexical phrases as well and comparative meanings. Put the answers on the OHP and go through these one by one. Handouts and transparency. Group work. Set students to discuss this task in groups of four or five. Apoint one from each group and get their feedback in turns. Listening and vocabulary skills (Cutting Edge, p.81) Handouts. Pronounciation and pair work. Emphasise with the students beforehand that they only have to identify which machines are being discussed in the tape. Do one example for the students in A. Press tehbutton down then play cassette 1 stopping after each phrase is used to check answers. Discuss the answers to B in pairs. Pair work. Set task 3, p81. Give students a few moments to think it over, preferably ones their partner is unfamiliar with students can draw it to explain it to the, Use examples each student is familiar with personally. Go around the class helping and prompting as needed. Explain using examples what a compound noun is. Go through the two rules – noun + gerund and gerund/noun + asdjective on the whiteboard. Repeat a couple of examples showing where the stress is to be found in both words ie laptop computer. Etc Lexical rationale – as covered in part 1, stress is extremely important for realisation of language variability and meaning. In this case the lexicon is integrated with a grammatical function. Pair work and individual response help to focus students on the task in reinforce the lanaguage learning. Give the students a little time to work this out then play cassette 2. Listen and practise pronouncing the words before giving out the answers to the pronounciation task. Set home work task (reading to familiarise only) Cutting Edge p81 handout. FINISH read ahead of time p44, Unit 6, Matter’s Intermediate Unit 6. Go over again also the reading and pronounciation work taught in class today in preparations for the next lesson’s review of this. Check students again for clarification and understanding of these. References Backhouse, A.E. (1994) The Lexical Field of Taste: a semantic study of Japanese taste terms. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Bell, J., Gower, R. Cunningham, G. (1998) Intermediate Matters. Harlow, Essex: Longman. Carter, R., McCarthy, M. (1988) Vocabulary and Language Teaching. Harlow, Essex: Longman. Cary, S. (2000) Working with Second Language Learners: answers to teachers top ten questions. Portsmouth, USA: Heinemann Cunningham , S. Moor , P. (2005) Cutting Edge – Intermediate (14th Impression) Harlow, Essex: Pearson English Language Teaching, Longman. Green, J. (1993) The Word Wall: teaching vocabulary through immersion. Ontario, Canada: Pippin Publishing Ltd. Harmer, J. (2001). The Practise of English Language Teaching. Harlow, Essex: Longman Krause, K., Bochner, S., Duchesne, S. (2003) Educational Psychology for learning and teaching. Southbank, Victoria: Thomson. Lewis, M. (1993) Implementing the Lexical Approach. UK: Language Teaching Publictions Larsen-Freeman. D., Long, M (1991) An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition Research. Harlow, Essex: Longman McCarthy, M. (1990). Vocabulary. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Papademetre, L. Scarino, A. (2000) Integrating Culture Learning in the Languages Classroom: a Multi-perspecitive Conceptual Journey for Teachers. Melbourne, Australia: Language Australia Pemberton, R., Toogood, S., Ho, S. Lam, J. (2001) Approaches to advising for self-directed language learning. In Learner Autonomy (Leni Dam, Editor) The AILA Review 15, pp. 16-26 Schmitt,N (2000) Vocabulary in Language Teaching. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Thornbury, S (1999). How to Teach Vocabulary Harlow, UK: Longman Websites Parallel Processing. JamesL.McClelland TimothyT.Rogers. Accessed 7 February 2006. http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v4/n4/abs/nrn1076_fs.html;jsessionid=98854A4BE16819AEB3B2C4220B9A470D Lexicon http://www.eli.ubc.ca/teachers/lexicon.html accessed 9 February 2006

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Essay 2

The Changes of Life Love, relationship, and sacrifice are very common in a relationship between two people. In the short stories of â€Å"Tommy† by Kelly Ruth Winter and â€Å"The Night of Oranges† by Flavius Stan shows these themes that the characters go through. However, there are also differences between the two stories and how they interact with their loved ones. For instances, Winter continued in love with Tommy throughout her life and Stan shows his love for his brother by buying a gift for him on Christmas.It shows their sacrifice they made to prove their love for them. Winter and Stan both expresses their love and sacrifice yet they displayed it in a different way. The stories â€Å"Tommy† and â€Å"The Night of Oranges† are about love and relationships. However, in both stories the characters have a different relationship. In â€Å"Tommy† the relationship between the characters are a boy and a girl love. When Tommy was eight years old, he e xpresses his feelings toward Winter by tapping his shoes to make the sound â€Å"I love you† (Winter 27).In â€Å"The Night of Oranges† the relationship between the characters are fraternal. Stan shows his love for his brother by buying oranges for him as a gift for Christmas. When Stan hears that there were oranges that are selling at the market he thought he wanted to do something important and give his brother a big surprise (Stan 31). The characters in both stories are very loving towards their loved ones and would do anything to make them happy.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Tried and True Method for I Search Essay Topics in Step by Step Detail

The Tried and True Method for I Search Essay Topics in Step by Step Detail The Downside Risk of I Search Essay Topics Which topic you decide on could help determine the entire writing process, the research, in addition to the grad you are going to get. As the teacher, you might decide to demonstrate the method by which the student will document her research. You must write a minumum of one research paper in a semester for many the subjects. Writing a college argumentative research paper isn't as simple as it might seem at first. The True Meaning of I Search Essay Topics Thus, it's always important to locate a topic that interests you. What's more, you'll also should be certain that the topic is extremely streamlined towards a specific research issue. Again search the info through keywords or your topic and you won't ever be let down. Quite frequently, the ideal topic is one which you truly care about, but you also will need to get well prepared to research it. It is an impossible task to compose an abstract research paper since this kind of article always touches on a particular topic and gives an actual search for optimal methods of solving a specific matter. Below are a couple of ideas for really superior research paper topics and the way you may be in a position to argue your position on the subject. If you're still somewhat stuck or confused about how to pick the ideal research paper topic, I've produced a list of 50 topic ideas that will help you out. You've got freedom to select your own topic now! The Appeal of I Search Essay Topics The company world is changing all of the time. Obviously, the area of business is quite wide. If you're confused with a selection of interesting topics to research on the web, it's much better to choose what interests you the most. Sports research paper topics cover a wide selection of fields. I Search Essay Topics Can Be Fun for Everyone There are lots of on-line essay writing services to aid you with your writing tasks. Apart from you could discover absolutely free examples on writing services too. If you still feel you need help, even if you've managed to select a topic, you may always seek the services of a custom writing service that will help you produce a fabulous research paper of which you'll be proud and will guarantee you a nice mark. If your topic is too broad, you won't have the ability to focus your paper since there is simply too much info to cover. Writing a research paper requires a lot of time, therefore it is vital to decide on a research paper topic you will really delight in working with. You must understand completely that you're not writing a descriptive essay. Scientific documents appear to be an extremely dull job. Argumentative research paper topics are a whole lot simpler to find than to produce. I Search Essay Topics Options You may discuss food or impact of the internet on the life. The thing is that the majority of the topics ment ioned above as well as several other considerations on animals and humans living together can prove to be quite controversial. The primary aim of a diet is to extend the body with essential nutrients. The suggestion is that factors like the muscular forces needed to manage an object could also play a part in perceptions of weight. The Debate Over I Search Essay Topics Well, if you believe the aforementioned discussion, you know where to have essay writing help. It's too hard to select just one idea. A superb paper topic ought to be interesting and ought to incorporate an original idea or position try to prevent cliche topics which will likely bore your reader. When you're given the chance to choose the topic for your paper, you can delight in the benefit of writing about something you find interesting. What is Truly Going on with I Search Essay Topics When you opt to get assistance from our cheap paper writing service, you ought not be concerned about the individual who wi ll work on your task. Some offer writing help while some center on editing. You are searching for a topic that has lots of available material for you to use. If you select the incorrect subject, you might get stuck with your writing and have a difficult time moving forward. Top Choices of I Search Essay Topics By way of example, in college, you might be requested to compose a paper from the opposing standpoint. If you're looking for college essay examples, be little careful concerning the quality. To approach the paper with at least anxiety, you should select a topic that you're feeling comfortable writing about, and one which you're confident that you may grasp the appropriate scholarship on. Without doubt, it would be a lot easier that you learn more about the topic that's related to the area of your interest. The readers should realize that you have in-depth understanding of the area. There is an excellent way to oversee your research work effectively and find the best results from it. You can both utilize personal experience and cover new nuances for you, dependent on the research of different authors and drawing your own personal conclusions. Therefore, you can observe how impressive the selection of topics for such kind of research can be.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Arthur Schopenhauer s Suicide As An Experiment - 1719 Words

Arthur Schopenhauer describes suicide as an experiment, a question that man puts to nature and demands an answer. The majority of those who commit suicide don’t have Schopenhauer s idea of experimentation in mind, but rather their mind is clouded by depression and stress. Suicide is not a danger that disproportionately affects the expected teen and young adults, but it has sunk its teeth into an unlikely demographic, and the way to combat this beast is still unclear. The most classically expected group to commit suicide in numbers much higher than the rest of the population are those that are teenagers and young adults. Suicide rates in middle aged men have witnessed a sharp increase, the baby boomers have become the surprising group to be affected by suicide most, even outnumbering teenagers and the elderly (Parker-Pope). The group of baby boomers who is now most prone to suicide has actually had higher rates of suicide across their entire lives (Phillips). The newest discovery that the group who is now most likely to commit suicide should logically be the happiest and some of the most mature, but for various reasons the middle aged have become the most at risk for suicide. With about 30 out of 100,000 middle aged men committing suicide compared to about 11 in 100,000 teens and young adults committing suicide, experts have been analyzing why such a sharp increase has occurred amongst those in midlife, and why it is so much larger than the group of young people who are

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Business Planning And Decision Making - 879 Words

People are constantly making plans or making decisions. In morden business world, a plan has to be made if a new project been assigned, or there is going to have a major change in the direction of where the business will be reroute. A good plan will parepare us better for uncertainty, which can help to ensure the success in the future. Meanwhile, business decisions are constantly being made by managers at each management level. A good decision determines the fail or success of a business operation. No doubt that business planning and decision making are mututal important in a business operation, many factors can contrubute to quality planning and decision making. Among all the factors, personal factors and environment factors are the two major topic in today’s business world. The purpose of this article is to take a deep look at what are the major personal and environmental facors in today’s business world that will positively influence the business planning and decisio n making. To answer above questions, we should first take a deep look at what are the steps involved in basic business planning process. Business planning are understand widely as the the quantative works that the founders of a entrepreneur carried out to collect business information and research for new opportunities. The basic activities are gathering and analyzing information, evaluating objetives, identifying risks and strategy, preparing or enlarging funding, and compiling paper plan (Cox, 2014).Show MoreRelatedManagerial Accounting1152 Words   |  5 PagesAccounting Accounting is a crucial part in running a business. There are various forms of accounting that can be used, it is very important to know which technique is best to use for what companies. Once you figure out a particular technique to use, it is important to keep an open mind if there are any changes that need to take place in the business. By keeping an open mind helps the business adjust and be able to make the right decisions. 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Monday, December 16, 2019

An Analytical Summary Free Essays

Se Habla Espanol By Tanya Barrientos An Analytical Summary Tre A. Williams Kimberly Muirhead English 115 11/14/2012 Tanya Maria Barrientos, a journalist by profession and an upcoming author is Guatemalan by birth. However she has been living in America for almost fifty years after coming from her native country at the age of three. We will write a custom essay sample on An Analytical Summary or any similar topic only for you Order Now The essay ‘Se Habla Espanol’ is a poignant depiction of the search for her misplaced identity that she desperately tried to forget in her formative years. Her aversion towards her own ethnicity can be summarized by this quote of hers, â€Å"when I was sixteen, I told my father how much I hated being called Mexican-not only because I wasn’t, but also because the word was hurled as an insult† (Page 59). The most important point of the essay is the difficulty the immigrants face while growing up in a land, which is not their by birth as how they are inherently misfit in the society, yet they desperately want to merge into it by forgetting their language and ignoring their last names. Barrientos starts the essay the quite aptly by depicting her child hood days as how her parents consciously forgot their own culture to assimilate their kids in the alien ‘gringo’ culture. Although they themselves talked to each other in Spanish, yet they talked to their kids in English, maintain the American culture within the house and kept their kids as far away as possible from other Latin Americans and Latin American Culture. The result was dark skinned kids who consider themselves white and hate to be called Latin American or Mexican. Barrientos’ mental state in her growing years can be ascertained by these words, â€Å"I enjoyed looking into the faces of Latino store clerks and waitresses and, yes, even our maid, and saying ‘yo no hablo espanol’. It made me feel superior. It made me feel American. It made me feel white† (Page 58). The situation completely changed when Barrientos reached her 20’s. Suddenly the societal conditions changed and the country woke up to recognize various cultures and ethnicities that made the United States of America that we know today. The culture baggage was no longer considered a baggage now and in fact it gave uniqueness to the immigrants. Now, Barrientos tries to learn Spanish and also desperately tries to search her lost identity while learning Spanish. However, now the unfortunate thing is that in spite of trying hard in learning Spanish, she is still managed to understand and haltingly speak Spanish that makes her stick out in her own community and she can never gel completely within her own community. The purpose of Barrientos’ writing clearly indicates the experience, the second generation immigrants feel, behave and communicate in the modern American society. She explains the experience of her life and analyzes the difficulties she had to endure throughout her life. Her audience primarily is young and most of them are not white Americans like her. The exceptional thing about Barrientos’ essay is that she has written it in a very exceptional, lucid and easy to understand English. Thus, Se Habla Espanol is an excellent essay, which depicts and analyzes a modern day issue, which has established as a major phenomenon in today’s world. Moreover, it is very much evident in America because it has always been a melting pot of varied cultures belonging to all over the world. References Create. (2001). ENC 1101. Corinthian. Columbus, OH: McGraw-Hill. Border-Line Personalities: A New Generation of Latinas Dish on Sex, Sass, and Cultural Shifting [Paperback] Michelle Herrera Mulligan (Author), Robyn Moreno (Author) Se Habla Espanol ByTanya Barrientos page 167. How to cite An Analytical Summary, Essay examples

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Business Workplace Policies Benefits

Question: Describe about the Business Workplace Policies Benefits. Answer: Why are workplace policies and procedures important? List five key benefits. Workplace policies and procedures are important for any organization as it deals with day to day problems. The five key benefits of workplace are as follows: Workplace policies and procedures are quite significant to the organization since they convey standards of personal and professional behavior expected from employees. Instead of wasting time in asking minute details again and again, workplace policies help in defining roles and responsibilities along with rules of the organization to enhance efficiency of workplace. They make decision-making process easier and undisputable while dealing with organizational conflicts. The communication channels are clearly visible if an organization has precise workplace policies. It ascertains employees that they will be treated fairly and equally. (NSW Government, 2013) Briefly explain why it is important that workplace policies and procedures are provided and explained to staff? It is very important that workplace policies and procedures should be clearly communicated to the employees because it will help them in knowing that what is expected from them. Besides that, it will be a great help to managers or employers to manage staff issues and grievances. A concise and clear communication of these policies is required to avoid any ambiguity in tasks and further misunderstandings among employees. When should staff be provided with policies and procedures? When an employee joins an organization, he is given an induction training in which his/ her reporting head should convey the policies and procedures of the workplace. If this is not feasible, employees should be given manuals containing organizational policies. The best time to do so is the time when an employee first enters the companys premises so that he/ she may be able to adjust to the workplace environment from the very beginning. List three methods of informing staff about changes to policies and procedures. Three methods of notifying employees about the change policies and procedures are: The manager may conduct a face to face communication with large group of employees at a time during staff meeting to inform about the altered policies. Publish the changed policies in the written format in staff manuals Transmit the information through intranet system of an organization What is the purpose of a workplace Code of Conduct? Workplace code of conduct is required to give clear path to resolve disputes among colleagues. It also provides clear guidelines as to acceptable behavior of employees, their dress code, their roles and responsibilities, companys values, ethical guidelines, etc. to avoid any ambiguity or confusion in such cases, workplace code of conduct is designed in organizations (Lupin, 2016). List three behaviors that a workplace Code of Conduct can cover. Three behaviors that can be covered under the organization's code of conduct are: Accountability Values that are expected from all members Standard of practice (Amico, 2016) List three benefits of networking. Strengthen the working relationships Creates new ideas and opportunity to enhance knowledge Access to wide information and thereby gains advice of experienced staff List two benefits to employers of a diverse workplace? Diverse workplace enhances productivity and thus, creates a competitive edge It adds to the value of an organization through increasing creativity and building an opportunity for operating in the international market (Johnson, 2016) Describe the main function of the Fair Work Act 2009? It is an Australian Act which provides a guideline to rules and regulations for employers and employees that must be adhere to in a workplace as per the national laws. Its main purpose is to check the behavior of both the parties and avoid illegitimate or unfair practices by them so as to enhance national prosperity and social interactions in the country (Australian Government, 2009). What is Equal Employment Opportunity? It is the most significant concept for both employers and employees. It indicates that everyone should be given an equal chance of employment in an organization. In other words, there should be no discrimination based on age, sex, religion or other aspects in the process of hiring, firing, wage settlement, promotions and transfers of employees. Describe the main function of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. This law was presented and passed by Australian Parliament to avoid any discrimination against disabled people. Its main function is to protect the rights and interests of the disabled population of the country. The law applies to certain areas like land and property, provision of goods, education and health amenities. (Australian Government, 1992). List the objectives of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. The objective of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 is to prohibit the act of racial discrimination and offensive behavior which is supported by racial hatred (Australian Govenrment, 2014). List the objectives of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984. The main purpose of the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 is to forbid the discrimination from the public life on the basis of several grounds including sex, relationship status, gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy status (Australian Govenrment, 2014). 2. Dear All, This is to inform you about the launch of new formal systems and processes within a company for several operating areas. The formal system includes workplace communication and consultation policy, code of conduct and dispute resolution policy. The company has adopted a code of conduct that outlines its commitment towards achieving goals with integrity and honesty. It includes the ethical behavior of the workplace and thus benefits to the company. The communication strategies avoid conflict and provide effective mechanism for feedback and hence, include such policies which help in resolving disputes among workforce within a company. Please find the attached documents. Looking forward to your feedback. Thanks and Regards ABC Attachment: Code of Conduct Comply with all the legal guidelines, company policies and procedures Respect everyone in the workplace Display professionalism in all their conduct at workplace Create the workplace culture embedded with integrity and honesty Maintain privacy and confidentiality of clients One should not accept any favors clients (Amico, 2016) Workplace Communication and Consultation Policy and Procedure Step1: The employees should report the problems and issues to a concerned manager or a supervisor Step2: If the issue is not resolved by a manager, an employee must report it to High Stage Regulator of a company or a team, who can discuss the issue with a line manager or senior supervisor, if required Step 3: Even if the problem is not solved yet, then, an employee can directly contact with the director of a company and thus get feedback Dispute Resolution Policy and Procedure Step 1. The initial application should be provided by a client or an employee/ employer to the concerned person Step 2. A formal letter should be sent to the affected party for a discussion through meeting Step 3. Based on the company's policies and minutes of the meeting, the disputes should be resolved by negotiation, mediation and arbitration depending upon the concerned issue Step 4. With the discussion, related parties involved in the dispute will reach to a solution Step 5. If the issue is complex and highly technical and thereby, a concerned authority is unable to solve the dispute among parties, then, it may further approach the court for finding a solution. 3. Establishment of professional development plan is essential for the expansion of the company. In order to develop a professional networking plan, there are three networks that can associate employer and employee to accomplish a particular task. A General Manager can develop a local business network, employees group and staff association to create specific ideas. These association of network helps in establishing a professional event within a firm. Four events for the next twelve months can be conferences and seminars, team building events, press conference and board meetings. The success of these events helps the firm to contribute towards generating profit for the company by formulating and defining the company's rules and regulations. Name of the event Venue Date and Time Cost of the event Benefit to General Manager Benefit to the team Conferences and seminars Crown Events and Conferences 16th October, 2016 AUD $ 10000 The general manager can influence people at a large and thereby increases productivity of the company. It enables the employees to enhance their network and share their existing knowledge among other employees in the Accountancy Victoria. Team building events Citadines on Bourke 5th January, 2017 AUD $ 9500 The manager can achieve its goals efficiently through clarity of objectives specified to the employees at the event. Manager can address to the concerned issues by providing effective working procedure. Employees can motivate and develop themselves by enhancing their skills. Better communication among employees can also be done through breaking barriers among them. Press conference Hilton Sydney 18th May, 2017 AUD $ 15000 Manager can announce its vision, mission and achievements which in turn builds company's reputation and manager as well in the operating market. Achievement of employees performance can be recognized in the press conference which motivates them towards their work. Board meetings Centre Ivanhoe 4th August, 2017 AUD $ 7000 General Manager can establish a strategic direction with mutual understanding of other board members which increases his credibility and legitimacy. Employees can address their issues to the top management, which helps them to solve related concerns and thereby increases their productivity. 4. Email inviting Beth to a meeting Dear Beth, Hope you are doing well! I would like to formally invite you for the meeting that is going to be held on 28th September, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Accountancy Victoria. We will be discussing about your weak performance during the last two months. During this time period it has been observed that you were not able to complete the assigned task on time and even you not have provided the correct information to the clients. This discussion will help us to avoid any confusion and thereafter will result into improvement in your performance at the workplace. I look forward to meeting with you discussing about the same matter. Regards, XYZ Follow up email: Dear Berth, It was pleasure meeting you today. We have discussed a reason behind your under- performance. After observing the situation and listening to your concerned issues, I have decided to provide you with the company's policies and procedure of performing a task. I appreciate that you have accepted your mistake and apologized for the same. I remember you have mentioned that you will make changes in your working process and improve your communication with clients. This will add value to our company. I am happy to meet you again. Regards, XYZ References Amico, S., 2016. Workplace Ethics Behavior. [Online] Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/workplace-ethics-behavior-5239.html [Accessed 9 September 2016]. Australian Govenrment, 2014. Racial Discrimination Act 1975. Australian Government. Australian Govenrment, 2014. Sex Discrimination Act 1984. Australian Govenrment. Australian Government, 1992. Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Australian Government. Australian Government, 2009. Fair Work Legislation. Australian Government. Johnson, R., 2016. What Are the Advantages of a Diverse Workforce? [Online] Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-diverse-workforce-18780.html [Accessed 2016]. Lupin, 2016. Code of Conduct Workplace Ethics. [Online] Available at: www.lupin.com/pdf/COC.pd [Accessed 9 September 2016]. NSW Government, 2013. Industrial RElations: Workplace Policies and Procedures. NSW Government.