Comparative Analysis of Amazon and Webvan

Webvan was founded by Louis Borders in 1999 after he saw the opportunity in the growing number of people making online purchases. Borders created Webvan as an enterprise that would offer greater variety than conventional stores and at the same time provide the necessary convenience to online shoppers. Webvan started by offering groceries that were frequently bought by online shoppers to ensure economies of scale in their orders.After establishing a critical customer base, it planned to use its distribution system to expand its sale to product lines that were not being frequently offered but with high profit margins such as books and consumer electronics. The company developed the web store and constructed its distribution and fulfillment center in the San Francisco Bay area from 1997 to 1999. After implementing its trial delivery system in May 1999 to 1,100 customers, Webvan was launched in June of the same year as a venture whose primordial mission is to deliver to its customers eve rything from groceries to palm pilots in a cheap and efficient manner.After raising $1. 2 billion as start-up capital from its stock offering, it began to execute grandiose plans of establishing strings of futuristic warehouses with motorized carousels and robotic product-pulling machines which costed $35 million, hoping it would minimize the cost of operations. With profit-margins so thin, Webvan failed to cover its growing cost of operations. Demand was so weak to sustain the income that Webvan needed to raise. Finally, after suffering a net loss of $217 million and accumulating tremendous deficits amounting to $830 million, Webvan found itself in a loosing situation.By July 2001, Webvan Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Webvan-Bay Area, Inc. , Webvan Operations, Inc. , and HomeGrocer. com, Inc. filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United Stated Bankruptcy Court in July 2001 and ceased operations. Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, after he noticed the promising growth of Web sites and internet access. Bezos was said to be particularly â€Å"optimistic about online retail opportunities and set out to develop a business model that will leverage growth of internet access in the United States†.Bezos decided to start with bookselling as its initial retail category, with the belief that online business model possessed superior economics to established competitors. Amazon was so successful in its initial public offering that it was able to sell 3 million shares at $18 per share, thereby raising $54 million as part of its start-up capital. And so they say the rest is history. Amazon evolved from a tiny warehouse to a leading internet retailer in the world. Bogler and Johnson (2000) wrote:â€Å"The company’s growth was phenomenal: it expanded from books to offering 28 million items across numerous categories and acquired 29 million global customers along the way. By 2000 according to Interbrand, Amazon. com beca me the forty-eighth most valuable brand in the world, embodying the principle of electronic commerce for people worldwide. † However by late 2001, Amazon experienced a tremendous loss of $2. 3 billion. Its share price which ascended rapidly in 1999 went down significantly. Fortunately, it was able to borrow $2.1 billion to sustain its international investments. With innovations such as the one-click system and creative strategies to raise revenues from publishers and increase in sales from wider product selection, Amazon was able to survive the slump in the subsequent period at the NASDAQ. (Burgelman, 2001) By 2008, Amazon emerged as a global brand with 76 million active customer accounts and order fulfillment to more than 200 countries. With this volume of sales, on December 31, 2007 Amazon employed approximately 17,000 full-time and part-time employees. COMPARE & CONTRASTIt would be interesting to note that the founder of Webvan actually started in the business of booksellin g. In terms of experience in the dot-com business, Amazon started earlier in 1994 while Webvan started in 1999. Webvan started operations in 1999 and was publicly-listed on November of the same year, with its share price zooming to $34 from the offering price of $15 on its opening day. This allowed Webvan to raise a whopping $1. 2 billion in start-up capital from the offering and other sources such as venture capitalists, thereby putting it within the league of Amazon.com. ([email  protected], 2001) In other words, both companies were of equal footing in 1999 when Webvan caught up with Amazon in terms of dot-com stature and financial backing. Both companies also established strategic alliances in the course of their operations. In the case of Webvan, it established partnership with Eve. com, an online prestige beauty products retailing company. It also established strategic alliances with Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Foods, and Chlorox Company. This was done by Webvan to reduce its pr ocurement costs.Amazon partnered with Drugstore. com (pharmacy), Living. com (furniture), Pets. com (pet supplies), Wineshopper. com (wines), Sothebys. com (auctions) and Kozmo. com (urban home delivery). In most cases, Amazon purchased an equity stake in these partners, so that it would share in their prosperity. Such partnerships helped Amazon extend its reach into the customer-base of other suppliers, and of course, customers who buy in one category such as books can be encouraged to purchase into other areas such as clothing or electronics.Webvan carried mostly perishable grocery goods in its retail categories while Amazon had the policy of selling only non-perishable and conveyable items. Since profit margins were so thin for perishable goods compared to non-perishable goods, it would be easy to undertsand why Amazon had greater chances of success than Webvan. Furthermore, perishable items have greater risk and cost in inventory handling. This is the reason why Webvan had to in vest too much money in its warehousing infrastructure. This spelled the difference in the success and failure of the Amazon and Webvan.Webvan had to invest too much money on a system that must ensure the freshness of its perishable goods. It had to establish a highly technological and robotic warehousing infrastructure that was very expensive to begin with in contrast to Amazons system which required its employees to â€Å"touch† its products. In the case of Amazon, since most of its items sold online were non-perishable, it had lesser inventory risks. In addition to that, its business model allowed it to shift it cost of carrying most of its inventory to its suppliers.Thus, Amazon had better grip in its infrastructure costs. The savings it obtained from its leaner operations allowed it to invest its money in developing its software systems that facilitated greater efficiency in its distribution. Finally, the viability of both business differed mainly from its customer-base a nd funding support during hard times. Webvan had a weak local customer-base that was often dissatisfied by its delivery service while Amazon had a strong customer-base that was not only confined to the US but also overseas.More so, NASDAQ just gave up on Webvan when it continously experienced financial setbacks while Amazon was able to secure additional investments to sustain its global operations. CAUSES FOR FAILURE OR SUCCESS One of the main reasons why Webvan failed is because it made the wrong decision of investing the money it successfully raised in a very expensive infrastructure and rapid expansion of operations. According to Strom (2001): â€Å"Webvan spent huge sums on high-tech warehouses that were designed to revolutionize distribution, but they turned out to be mostly a waste of money.The problem is that all the technology was meant to reduce labor costs, and labor is relatively cheap. Worse, Webvan designed the warehouses so they could scale to 8,000 orders per day, bu t that's a lot of unnecessary expense when you're receiving less than half that many orders. † Another factor that led to the failure of Webvan is the decline in the quality of its service delivery. When Webvan took over HomeGrocer, an internet grocery shopping store which was absorbed into Webvan’s grandiose expansion plan, customers noticed the deteriorating effectivity of customer service.Before the takeover, there were no complaints with HomeGrocer specially interms of customer service. Emails from customers were being promptly addressed by customer service such as providing refunds in cases of occasional mistake or damaged food. This quality of service worsened when customers started to receive rotten fruits from the delivery. Webvan was buying inferior produce in order to save on cost. Such decline in customer service resulted in customers going back to the conventional way of picking up their groceries and patronizing the local groceries once again.(Mcafee, 2006) Finally, it can be seen that Webvan’s botched acquisition of HomeGrocer led to its failure as it did’nt handle the merger of resources and assets wisely. HomeGrocer’s competency and strength in terms of operations and marketing were not totally assimilated into Webvan’s system. Amazon’s e-commerce technology platform, brand power and fulfillment infrastructure was a key to its success. It had technological innovations that efficiently facilitated online order such as the â€Å"one-click check out process†.Amazon provided its customers with an online system that allowed shoppers to purchase products online without filling lengthy registration and shipping forms that would usually turn-away buyers. Amazon was able to create an online system that also helped repeat purchases by buyers to be executed by just one click of a button – a system whose patent was eventually awarded to Amazon. One important factor why Amazon succeeded is becaus e of certain inherent strengths in its business model.Its negative operating cycle allowed Amazon to get credit card payments from its customers in a few days while enjoying a time lag of thirty to sixty days to pay its vendors after the sale. This gave Amazon a financial advantage that allowed it to generate interest in the full price of its goods for over a month. Another inherent strength in Amazon’s business model is its less dependence on physical infrastructure such warehouses. Amazon was able to sell it products with out actually carrying in most of its inventory thus shifting the risk of its inventory to its vendors.Amazon’s suppliers carried the burden of storage, thereby lessening its cost due to minimal inventory handling. Amazon also instituted free shipping offers to encourage increase in basket size since customers have to spend over a certain amount to receive free shipping. The level at which free-shipping is set is critical to profitability. Because of this, Amazon got a competitive edge as promotional battles evolved with its competitors. LESSONS LEARNED AND CONCLUSION Growing Too Fast Too Soon The lesson that can be learned from the experience of Webvan is that of timing.Some would think it’s a business that is way ahead of its time; others would say it grew too fast too soon. In his review of the â€Å"Top ten dot-com flops†, German (2009) wrote that: â€Å"A core lesson from the dot-com boom is that even if you have a good idea, it is best not to grow too fast too soon. But online grocer Webvan was the poster child for doing just that, making the celebrated company our number one dot-com flop. In a mere 18 months, it raised $375 million in an IPO, expanded from the San Francisco Bay Area to eight U. S.cities, and built a gigantic infrastructure from the ground up (including a $1 billion order for a group of high-tech warehouses). Webvan came to be worth $1. 2 billion (or $30 per share at its peak), and it toute d a 26-city expansion plan. But considering that the grocery business has razor-thin margins to begin with, it was never able to attract enough customers to justify its spending spree. The company closed in July 2001, putting 2,000 out of work and leaving San Francisco's new ballpark with a Webvan cup holder at every seat.† Getting Big Fast Ironically, in the case of Amazon, the same business principle of getting big fast was said to be the most important decision that lead to its success. In an interview with Jeff Bezos by Fortune Magazine, he said that the initial strategy was very focused and very uni-dimensional†¦It was GBF: Get Big Fast†¦What once looked foolish can seem smart now. When we started the company on July 15, 1995 we offered one million titles. We were advised by very knowledgeable people to offer only three hundred thousand titles.That was twice the size of the inventory carried by the largest physical bookstores. The catalogue was hard for us but d oable. Obtaining the books was really hard. But the success generated word of mouth. (Brooker, 2000) Supply-chain management was also a crucial lesson in the experience of Webvan and Amazon. The company that was able to efficiently and effectively manage its online retail business with minimal inventory cost and risk was the company that turned out to be successful.The difference in the supply chain management of both companies ultimately distinguished between the company that was financially viable and which one was not. References Bogler, Daniel and Edgecliffe-Johnson, Andrew (2000). Jeff Bezos: The Man of Last Year Revisited. Brooker, Katrina (2000). Beautiful Dreamer. Fortune Magazine. Burgelman, Robert and Meza, Philip (2001). Amazon. com: Evolution of an e-tailer. Graduate School of Business. Stanford University. [email  protected] (2001).Webvan Finds that Shopping for Food Online Hasn’t Clicked with Consumers. [Online]. Available: http://knowledge. wharton. upenn. ed u/article. cfm? articleid=321 German Kent (2009). Top 10 dot-com flops. CNET Networks Incorporated. [Online]. Available: http://www. cnet. com/1990-11136_1-6278387-1. html Mcaffee, Andrew and Ashiya, Mona (2006). Webvan. Harvard Business School. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Strom, David (2001). Where Webvan Went Wrong. TidBits #588. [Online]. Available: http://www. strom. com/awards/255. html

VIRTUAL SCHOOLS AND THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY STUDENT

Can Virtual Schools Meet the Needs of the Twenty-first Century Student?The turning complexness of an interdependent and interrelated universe has spurred monolithic instruction reforms in the United States. Unfortunately, many say that the instruction system is non overhauling plenty to bring forth more competitory 21st century pupils. Harmonizing to the North American Council for Learning and Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills ( 2006 ) , bulk of Americans feel that the United States is dawdling behind other industrialised states in fiting pupils with twenty-first century accomplishments such as critical thought and problem-solving accomplishments, computing machine and engineering accomplishments, and communicating and autonomy accomplishments. Calls to reform the instruction system to aline with the demands of the planetary work force have prompted support for practical schooling. Reports suggest a turning credence and popularity of on-line acquisition among pedagogues, parents, and pupils. K-12 online acquisition is a new field that caters to an estimated $ 50 million market and turning over 30 per centum yearly. There are over 173 practical charter schools functioning 92,235 pupils in 18 provinces in 2007 ; 57 per centum of public secondary schools in the U.S. offer auxiliary online classs and 72 per centum of school territories with distance instruction plans planned to spread out on-line offerings in the old ages to come ( Watson, Gemin, & A ; Ryan, 2008 ) . The phenomenon of the â€Å" practical school † has generated much exhilaration. Considered by many to hold revolutionized the manner instruction is delivered and accessed in the digital epoch of the Information age, practical acquisition in the United States has roots that go manner back in the late eighteenth century. The modern precursor to the modern-day practical schools is the mail-based correspondence school, said to hold been invented in 1891 at the University of Chicago. From mail-based systems, bringing mechanisms shortly evolved to radio plans to telecasting and satellite broadcasts to the Internet-based practical schools of today. Virtual schools utilizing the Internet as medium were launched in the 1990s but its foundation established before that period. In 1988, the federal Star Schools plan was started with peculiar accent on supplying distance-education engineerings through telecommunication partnerships to little rural schools. In August 1993, a charter school was built by Horizon Instructional Systems in Lincoln, California, offering plans that include an â€Å" electronically assisted pupil learning † plan that blended home-based computing machines with satellite engineering and distance instruction. The K-12 practical school appears to hold materialized in the summer of 1995 when the Eugene, Oregon-based CyberSchool Project was launched by nine territory instructors. By 1996, the ballyhoo of the practical school took land with the constitution of the experimental WebSchool in Orange County Florida ; Cyber-School Academy in Washington State ; the Concord Virtual High School which was built through a $ 7.5 million grant ; and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. What concretized the presence of K-12 practical schools is the outgrowth of big, multi-state plans such as the Florida Virtual School, founded in 1997 and the Virtual High School ( Greenway & A ; Vanourek, 2006 ) . Several surveies and researches have cited both the advantages and disadvantages of online acquisition. Researches show that apart from online larning non demoing important difference in act uponing pupil public presentation compared to traditional schoolroom direction, on-line scholars experience signifiers of isolation and hapless societal accomplishments. Some surveies have concluded that effectual execution of blend larning attacks in practical schools contribute to better academic public presentation and assessment trial tonss for pupils compared to their traditional schoolroom opposite numbers. In add-on to betterment in nucleus academic topics, surveies besides show that practical schooling provides the needful accomplishments in critical thought, originative job resolution, digital literacy, liberty and planetary consciousness to fix pupils for the twenty-first century work force. This survey aims to garner pertinent literature to find whether or non the practical school can run into the demands of the twenty-first century pupil. Purpose of the Study The viability of online acquisition to supplement traditional schoolroom direction has become undeniable in the face of increased Internet connectivity. In the United Schools, 100 per centum of the schools have Internet entree. Computer use begins at really immature ages and immature kids are now able Godheads of multimedia content ( International Council for K-12 Online Learning, 2009 ) . Integrating engineering with instruction seems merely suiting in the digital epoch of the Information age. Like all instruction reforms enterprises, the instance has been made to extol and discredit the success of on-line acquisition in bring forthing 21st century-standard instruction results. Surveies have pointed to the effectivity of on-line acquisition as â€Å" tantamount † or â€Å" better † than traditional schoolroom direction ( Cavanaugh, 2001 ; Barker & A ; Wendel, 2001 ) . In add-on, experts have come to believe that when used suitably, e-learning can take to improved pupil public presentation ( National Association of State Boards of Education, 2001 ) . There are besides disadvantages cited: isolation, hapless societal development, disadvantages for pupils experience linguistic communication, hapless accomplishment in physical demonstration-focused topics such as music, physical instruction, or foreign linguistic communication ( Barker & A ; Wendel, 2001 ; B ond, 2002 ) . Exhaustive research in on-line acquisition or practical schooling is limited, as research on the subject is comparatively new and undergoing development. This survey hopes to lend to the little organic structure of research that explores the capableness of practical schools to run into the demands of the twenty-first century scholar. This survey presents relevant theoretical constructs and bing research work to give a proper rating of whether or non practical schooling efficaciously equips and prepares the twenty-first century pupils with accomplishments needed to last in the competitory and internationalized work force. Statement of the Problem The alterations spurred by the Internet and multimedia engineering has challenged the traditional apprehension on how instruction is delivered in order to efficaciously fix pupils for the demands of the twenty-first century. Virtual schools break down geographical and clip barriers that limit chances for larning. The promise of flexibleness and pupil liberty in practical schooling are believed to fix pupils for the increasing demand in job resolution accomplishments and technological expertness in the globalized work force. Research workers have pointed both advantages and disadvantages of the practical school. While it offers exciting chances for pupil battle, strictly on-line larning lacks the needed face-to-face interaction and exposure to socialisation that traditional acquisition can supply. Hence, the blended acquisition or intercrossed attack, which combines both the online experience and face-to-face direction, has found application in most schools offering online classs toda y. This survey will reexamine relevant literature in order to reply the undermentioned research inquiries: What are the demands of the twenty-first century pupil? What is the effectivity of practical schooling in bettering pupil public presentation? What is the potency of practical schooling in supplying pupils with twenty-first century accomplishments, peculiarly ( a ) critical thought and job resolution accomplishments ; ( B ) planetary consciousness ; ( c ) information communications and engineering ( ICT ) skills ; and ( vitamin D ) autonomous acquisition and authorization? Discussion This subdivision presents selected relevant surveies and theoretical constructs that explore the capableness of practical schools to run into the demands of 21st century pupils, peculiarly in bettering nucleus academic competences every bit good as alleged twenty-first century accomplishments. The Needs of the Twenty-first Century Student Aside from the academic nucleus competences listed in the No Child Left Behind Act ( 2001 ) such as English, reading or linguistic communication humanistic disciplines, mathematics, scientific discipline, foreign linguistic communications, civics, authorities, economic sciences, humanistic disciplines, history, and geographics, theoreticians list several accomplishments needed by the 21st century pupil: information, media literacy, and engineering accomplishments, larning and invention accomplishments, life and calling accomplishments, and planetary consciousness ( NACOL and Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills, 2006 ) . Information, media, and engineering accomplishments are farther subdivided into information literacy, media literacy, and information, communications and engineering ( ICT ) literacy. Information literacy is the pupil ‘s capacity to entree and measure information expeditiously and efficaciously, every bit good as appreciating the cardinal ethical issues related to information entree. Media literacy entails the capacity to understand why and how media messages are constructed and the creative activity of media merchandises using appropriate media creative activity tools. Information and communications engineering ( ICT ) literacy is the aptitude of utilizing digital engineerings ( computing machines, media participants, etc. ) , societal webs, and communication/networking tools to measure and pass on information and successfully map in a knowledge-based economic system. Learning and invention accomplishments include creativeness and invention, critical thought and problem-solving, and communicating and coaction. Creativity is the ability to make a broad scope of new and worthwhile thoughts, refinement and measuring them to better originative attempts, every bit good as the openness and reactivity to new positions. Critical thought involves abilities such as job designation, information assemblage, premises, informations reading, measuring grounds, acknowledging relationships, pulling decisions, proving decisions, retracing forms and doing judgements ( Thornburg, 2000 ) . Communication and coaction accomplishments involves the ability to joint ideas and thoughts efficaciously utilizing verbal and gestural communicating methods, listening efficaciously, and working efficaciously with diverse squads or groups. Effectiveness of Virtual Schools in Improving Student Performance Key findings gathered by educational reform organisations comparing student public presentation among on-line scholars and traditional schoolroom scholars range from â€Å" no important difference † , â€Å" equal † , and â€Å" better † results for pupils engaged in on-line acquisition. Surveies besides point to intermix acquisition or the intercrossed attack as the method that consequences to outdo pupil results. In a meta-analysis done by The U.S. Department of Education ( 2009 ) synthesising 51 on-line surveies in 2009, consequences indicate that â€Å" on norm, pupils in on-line acquisition conditions performed better than those having face-to-face direction † ( p. nine ) . Furthermore, the survey compared results of both online and blended larning attacks to face-to-face direction. The survey concludes that blended direction was more effectual than face-to-face direction and recommends execution of blended attacks. A meta-analysis conducted by Cavanaugh ( 2001 ) explored the differences in accomplishment among distance acquisition and traditional schoolroom plans at the K-12 degree. Consequences indicated that accomplishment was more or less tantamount among the two groups. The Florida TaxWatch Center for Educational Performance and Accountability ( 2007 ) cited in its concluding study of the Florida Virtual School that pupils enrolled in online classs outperformed their equals in traditional schools. In the school twelvemonth 2004-05, FLVS pupils outperformed their traditional school opposite numbers in nine out of 10s capable countries. Both groups scored 85 % in art/visual humanistic disciplines. During the 2005-06 school twelvemonth, high school pupils taking on-line classs scored systematically higher in nine out of 10s capable countries than traditional public high school scholars. The study besides indicated that FLVS pupils systematically earned higher classs, received better FCAT ( Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test ) scores, and achieved higher Markss on Advanced Placement ( AP ) exams than scholars in traditional schools. A survey on K-adult distance instruction plans conducted by Shachar and Neumann ( 2003 ) revealed a important positive consequence, reasoning that in approximately two-thirds of the instances, distance instruction scholars outperformed their traditional schoolroom opposite numbers. Cavanaugh et Al. ( 2004 ) conducted a meta-analysis aimed at comparing accomplishment in online and traditional schoolroom plans. The synthesis revealed â€Å" no important difference † in academic results and concluded â€Å" about tantamount † steps between on-line pupils and schoolroom opposite numbers. Other surveies reveal that groups of pupils larning on-line by and large achieve at degrees equal to their equals in schoolrooms. There appears to be grounds to show that when used suitably, blended acquisition attacks in practical schooling can better what pupils learn and supply them with high-quality acquisition chances ( Kearsley, 2000 ; National Association of State Boards of Education, 2001 ) . Potential of Virtual Schools in Promoting twenty-first Century Skills Unlike literature on the effectivity of post-secondary and higher-education online acquisition, there is a dearth of research that focuses on the effectivity of K-12 distance instruction in heightening learning results among pupils. Using the Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills theoretical account ( 2007 ) , the literature presents bing certification on effectivity of online acquisition in furthering critical thought and job resolution accomplishments, ICT or digital literacy, planetary consciousness, and autonomous acquisition and authorization. Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Since 21st century occupations require higher degrees of job work outing accomplishments and critical thought, practical schools prepare their pupils by guaranting that they are able to appreciate relationships between abstract thoughts and practical applications in the context of the existent universe. NACOL ( 2001 ) asserts that practical schools use competency-based acquisition theoretical accounts that are effectual in heightening critical thought accomplishments. Creative job resolution is besides facilitated through group or squad activities developed routinely in online classs. The contextual acquisition theory, the acquisition theoretical account used in on-line acquisition, suggests that larning occurs merely when the scholar is able to treat newly-acquired information in a mode that makes sense to them utilizing their ain frames of mention. Since the head of course finds significance in context, it establishes connexions that has significance and seem utile. Education theoreticians assert that when acquisition is situated in the context of real-world scenarios, pupils become more motivated to larn. In add-on, pupils find more exhilaration as they represent and simulate reliable and existent real-world jobs, alternatively of abstract, out-of-context activities ( Bransford, Brown, & A ; Cocking, 2000 ; Driscoll & A ; Carliner, 2005 ) . Many theoreticians argue that the effectivity of practical acquisition is based on rules of effectual acquisition in general. Harmonizing to the acquisition theory, acquisition is enhanced or promoted on three conditions: ( a ) when pupils have active engagement in the acquisition procedure ; ( B ) when coursework is contextualized in real-life state of affairss and experiences ; and ( degree Celsius ) when deep acquisition or critical thought is facilitated through brooding activities ( Bransford, Brown, & A ; Cocking, 2000 ; Quitadamo & A ; Brown, 2001 ) . The National Survey of Student Engagement ( 2008 ) survey found that online scholars reported deeper attacks to larning than classroom-based scholars and experienced â€Å" better usage of higher order believing accomplishments, integrative thought, and brooding acquisition † ( p. 15 ) . Duffy and Cunningham ( 1996 ) assert that practical schools facilitate acquisition by utilizing engineering in making real-life contexts that engage scholars in work outing complex jobs. Using real-world state of affairss promotes deep acquisition by developing critical thought in the pupil. Online direction such as simulation promotes critical thought as it involves active and adept analysis, synthesis, and the application of information to peculiar state of affairss. An illustration of a contextualized acquisition attack applied efficaciously is illustrated by Florida Virtual School ‘s scientific discipline course of study. The school ‘s course of study is designed by and large to go around around the usage of job work outing accomplishments and real-world applications. For case, in a Geometry category, pupils are non merely taught theoretical edifice and architectural constructs. The on-line instructor required pupils to complete a undertaking utilizing real-world architectural rules. After sharing digital transcripts of designs and floor programs, pupils were instructed to pull the front position of place. Another assignment required pupils to research the constructs of incline, rise, pitch, and run by analyzing local edifices ( Florida TaxWatch, 2007 ) . The usage of multimedia in practical schools is an effectual acquisition tool that facilitates student battle. Multimedia inclusion in on-line classs finds support in basic cognitive rules of larning. Constructivism argues that larning can merely be meaningful one time the scholar is able to choose relevant information, form this information, and efficaciously makes connexions between matching readings. Furthermore, active acquisition occurs when the scholar engages in three cognitive procedures: choosing relevant words for verbal processing and choosing relevant images for ocular processing, forming words into a coherent verbal theoretical account and forming images into a consistent ocular theoretical account, incorporating matching constituents of the verbal and ocular theoretical accounts. As a consequence, Doolittle ( as cited in Hede, 2002 ) concludes that pupils have a better potency for larning from a combination of words and images than from words entirely. The usage of game s and simulations when learning on-line topics allow goal-based challenges that stimulates involvement and heightens pupils ‘ motive. In add-on, supplying tools that enable pupils to collate and footnote notes promote battle ( Hede, 2002 ) . Autonomous Learning and Empowerment The nature of the 21st century cognition economic system requires citizens to be engaged in womb-to-tomb acquisition. As a consequence, being in control of the way of one ‘s ain acquisition becomes non merely valuable but necessary in the twenty-first century. Online direction offers the needful flexibleness and convenience to finish larning units when and where a scholar desires ( McDonald, 2000 ) . Furthermore, practical schools empower scholars with self-paced and autonomous acquisition, allowing them take independently what courses to take and when. The self-paced nature of online larning benefits both pupils who are speedy scholars and those who need more clip in finishing class aims. Quick scholars are given the chance to larn at an prosecuting gait while pupils who are comparatively slow in carry throughing larning units can take their clip without being capable to stigma ( Watson, Gemin & A ; Ryan, 2008 ) . Online acquisition besides encourages pupils to put to death clip direction and pattern a higher degree of personal duty ( Cavanaugh, 2001 ) . To exemplify, Florida Virtual School pupils are able to take the rate of class completion depending on their single demands. Students are empowered to either extend or cut down their completion period from the traditional 36-week school twelvemonth. In making so, pupils are able to pull off their clip and custom-make the faculty or unit organisers provided to accommodate their demands. Flexibility in online acquisition comes with the pupil ‘s answerability to subject terminal merchandises to their teachers. Students are free to subject class assignments at any clip of the twenty-four hours in a given hebdomad but will still be capable to answerability steps. This theoretical account is really much comparable to practical offices and teleworking of today that allows flexibleness but commands high answerability and quality outlooks for the terminal merchandise. Haughey and Anderson ( 1998 ) province that online, networked acquisition has the undermentioned advantages: communicating and interaction ; immediateness ; permanency ; diffusion ; and, exhilaration. Interactive and interpersonal applications of digital engineering facilitates the displacement on how acquisition is approached. Online larning makes the move from an authority-based acquisition to one founded on find or experiential acquisition. Online larning facilitates communicating and interaction based on a learner-centered theoretical account ( Cavanaugh, 2001 ) . The learner-centered attack is the nucleus of the practical school doctrine. Learner-centered instruction in online classs necessitates increased communicating on an single footing, and frequently consequences to positive teacher-student relationships. Positive student-teacher relationships nurtured online are lined to positive pupil results, such as critical thought, motive, and dropout bar. The National Association of State Boards of Education ( NASBE, 2001 ) lists the undermentioned activities that could further communicating and coaction among pupils in practical schools: instructional resources ( on-line tutorials, WebQuests, practice/testing environments, instructional faculties, practical labs, and simulations ) ; informational stuffs ( scouts, electronic databases, mention resources, streaming picture, and digitized primary resources ) ; practical escapades such as web-based Tourss and practical field trips ; unrecorded interactions utilizing picture conferencing ; collaborative online acquisition ( e-mail, web logs, treatments, undertaking sharing, collaborative scientific discipline experiments, collaborative authorship, online books treatments, on-line writer visits, and adept treatments ; on-line aid ( proficient support, mention inquiries, mentoring, and peer tutoring ) ; sharing infinite ( practical galleries of pupil work, on-line newspapers, and collaborat ive composing countries ) . Global Awareness The world of globalisation has put force per unit area on instruction systems to set to the increasing complexnesss and demands of an mutualist universe. Education ‘s intent in developing responsible and productive citizens to fuel national growing has been supplanted as increasing competition and mutuality of a globalized universe require pupils to be educated in order to go more productive international citizens. Harmonizing to Schukar ( 1993 ) , â€Å" Children in this state must be provided an instruction that more than adequately prepares them for citizenship in the society and universe they will shortly inherit † ( p. 57 ) . The coming of globalisation has necessitated monolithic reforms in instruction. Thomas Friedman ( 2005 ) contends in his book, â€Å" The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century † that antiquity in the methods of acquisition and learning have no topographic point in the â€Å" level † and â€Å" connected † universe. Hence, digital engineering, which he attributes to the universe ‘s â€Å" flattening † , must be utilized to interrupt down clip and geographical barriers in instruction. Through it, the ascribed function to instruction as the great equaliser can carry through to a greater extent than the traditional educational methods. Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills ( 2007 ) emphasizes the importance of developing planetary consciousness in the twenty-first century pupil. Global consciousness involves the usage of critical thought and job resolution to be able to understand planetary issues, learn from and prosecute collaboratively with persons from diverse civilizations and backgrounds to further an attitude of common regard and unfastened duologue, and understand different civilizations and larning non-English linguistic communications. The purpose of planetary instruction is to develop empathy and perspective-taking among pupils as they study human struggle and cooperation, mutuality of human systems, and cross-cultural differences ( Freeman, 1993 ; Tye & A ; Tye, 1992 ) . In other words, planetary instruction serves to bring forth pupils who have a planetary position and are equipped with accomplishments, cognition and temperaments to be able to appreciate and digest the built-in pluralities in civilization, ethnicity, and faith in the globalized universe ( Gilliom, 1981 ) . There are several types of activities that practical schools launch to advance planetary consciousness and an enhanced grasp of cultural diverseness among pupils. Virtual schools teach societal surveies concepts that require pupils to make web-based research, communicate with pupils from different states or provinces, engage in collaborative undertakings, and travel on telefieldtrips ( Harris, 2002 ) . As a consequence, pupils are provided the chance for real-time interaction and collaborative acquisition with kids from diverse civilizations that the physical school can non. Merryfield ( 2000 ) provinces that when engineerings are fused with societal surveies larning, the possible to advance cross-cultural apprehensions is maximized and consciousness in subjects such as equity, diverseness, and favoritism are heightened. NACOL ( 2001 ) paperss one of the most advanced undertakings launched by Broward Country Public Schools with the aid of the Florida Virtual School that successfully fused societal surveies larning with engineering to develop planetary consciousness. In an AP and Honors American History Course, four groups composed of Nipponese and American pupils collaborated through on-line picture conferencing and email interaction to discourse World War II and Japan-US dealingss. Using a Nipponese translator, American pupils were able to interact with pupils from Achiba, Japan. Other instructional content came from a Holocaust subsister, Nipponese cantonment captive and a professor of Asiatic Studies. Throughout the class, pupils created multimedia presentations and engaged in problem-solving activities. â€Å" Face-to-face † coaction utilizing Web picture conferencing enabled heightened cultural consciousness and promoted the bridging of two civilizations. Young, Birtolo, & A ; McElman ( 2009 ) reports how on-line acquisition in the Florida Virtual School ( FLVS ) provides chances for pupils ‘ increased consciousness and grasp of planetary issues and concerns. Students are given activities runing from online forums to discourse AIDS and universe hungriness, to engagement in online nines that portion perspectives on international personal businesss and other societal issues. In 2008, staff from FLVS ‘ online newspaper News in a Click interned as editors for PEARL World Youth News where they collaborated with pupils all over the universe through Web conferencing in making and redacting the newspaper. Creative schemes utilized by online instructors besides provide avenues of intercultural coaction and duologue ( Young, Birtolo, & A ; McElman, 2009 ) . One illustration is the Global Economic Summit organized by FLVS economic sciences instructor Patty Sibson that featured a cross-curriculum treatment of planetary issues participated by around 100 scholars from different states. The activity utilised Web conferencing and originative problem-solving undertakings. Another illustration is the on-line Chinese Language class offered by the Michigan Virtual High School ( MVHS ) . The class, which meant to present Chinese linguistic communication and civilization to get downing Chinese linguistic communication scholars, ran for a semester and was taught by a qualified Chinese-speaking teacher. Using a task-based language-learning course of study, the class emphasized on heightening basic communicating accomplishments and cross-cultural, planetary consciousness and apprehension. The on-line class required self-study and practical meetings and was designed to have four chief resources: an e-textbook, a group problem-solving undertaking, Web conferencing and treatment, and a group composing activity ( NACOL, 2001 ) . Digital engineerings used in practical schools offer pupils the agencies to get new types of cognition, accomplishments, and temperaments needed to work more efficaciously and go more productive planetary citizens ( Bell-Rose & A ; Desai, 2005 ) . Digital engineerings offer many possible ways to further planetary consciousness in schoolrooms. By inculcating planetary instruction and engineering in societal surveies larning, pupils are able to appreciate the interrelatednesss of states and peoples worldwide. Liz Pape ( 2007 ) discussed how practical schools are lending in run intoing the planetary consciousness accomplishments of the twenty-first century pupil. In an online confab interview moderated by Education Sector, she explains that online acquisition schools have developed learning theoretical accounts that enable the bringing of interaction of pupils across province or national lines, such as those take parting in online schoolrooms together. In this mode, planetary consciousness and citizenship accomplishments among pupils are developed. Certain restrictions prevent practical schools from maximising the chances of pupils to develop cross-cultural apprehensions such as larning non-English linguistic communications. There is a accepted deficit of foreign linguistic communication instructors ( Cavaluzzo & A ; Higgins, 2001 ) . Furthermore, technology-based societal scientific discipline learning to develop planetary consciousness is non ever successful. There is a needed attempt upon the online instructor to originate and put to death originative schemes that could bring forth coveted planetary instruction results. Surveies have come to reason that engineering entirely does non heighten pupil results ( McIsacc & A ; Gunawardena, 2001 ) Information and communications engineering ( ICT ) Literacy The demand for technological aptitude in order to go more competitory in the twenty-first century work force is now undeniable. In the age of information, it has become a necessity for pupils to get the hang the ability to utilize engineerings to treat, analyze, and articulate information in instruction, life, or employment scenes. Since the usage of engineering in practical schools is a constitutional demand, pupils master twenty-first century engineering accomplishments to fix them for the planetary and Web-driven workplace. Some pedagogues feel the effectivity of engineering is overestimated, mentioning that presenting information engineering in schools has non achieved either transmutation of learning or larning. Research workers deduce that maximising the benefits of IT investings require more than merely presenting engineering and alining it with the course of study. They believe it requires the triangulation of content, sound acquisition rules, and high-quality instruction ( Cox et al. , 2003 ) . Several suggest that the appropriate application of digital engineering in the schoolroom puting enhances pupil outcomes. In 2003, a quasi-experimental survey was conducted by Rosas et Al. ( as cited in Metiri Group, 2009 ) on 1,274 early simple pupils in Chile whose results were compared to a intervention group that were equipped with hand-held devices with games designed to progress reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematical accomplishments. After a period of 3 months, the survey revealed that pupils who used the hand-held devices for 30 hours posted important betterments than their control group opposite numbers. A survey studies positive correlativities between the use of educational games on PDAs and public presentation in reading comprehension and mathematics. The surveies conclude that bet oning engages pupils in deep concentration and motive that leads to high attending, concentration, and self-regulation of pupils ‘ larning procedure ( Savill-Smith & A ; Kent, 2003 ) . A meta-analysis across 42 surveies conducted by Pearson et Al. ( as cited in Metiri Group, 2009 ) showed important positive consequences with the usage of practical larning engineering in primary and secondary schools. Except for foreign linguistic communication were practical acquisition revealed uneffective, consequences were consistent across class degrees and capable countries. Effectss were somewhat higher to scholars under blended acquisition plans. Decision The complex challenges that pupils face today in visible radiation of the quickly increasing diverseness of the state ‘s population, globalisation of commercialism and civilization, and detonation of the Internet and other engineerings, higher academic results and increased versatility will assist fix pupils run into the demands of the twenty-first century. The related literature reviewed indicates the potency of practical schools to adequately run into the demands of the twenty-first century pupils and contribute to heighten academic public presentation and the development of of import accomplishments needed to fix them for the work force and the planetary economic system. There are advantages every bit good as disadvantages to online acquisition, but its benefits outweigh its restrictions. Research besides points to the blended acquisition policy or the combination of online and face-to-face direction as the most ideal in run intoing demands of the twenty-first century pupil. There remains yet inconclusive grounds on whether online acquisition surpasses the quality of traditional schoolroom acquisition, but it is clear that the practical school has become a popular and necessary option for 1000000s of pupils across America. Maximum benefits of practical schools may include easing betterment of pupils public presentation in academic nu cleus topics every bit good as developing accomplishments including originative job resolution, critical thought, autonomous acquisition and authorization, and ICT literacy.

Gun Control Argumentative Essay

I stumbled over an argumentative article that at first, I did not understand completely. After doing a little research over the topic the author was discussing I quickly connected to his concern for her current children, as well as other children nationwide. What I learnt during my research is about the â€Å"Common Core Standards† that hundreds of thousands of schools follow and teach each year. She set her tone early in the paper so the reader could get an emotional stance on her position. Most common to side with the â€Å"non-common core standard† group is the mothers and fathers of children that are enrolled in many different schools. Whether it’s public or private, and religious or non-religious; each following one of the two choices they have. They can teach the Common Core Standards, or have a choice of what they believe each child will be able to keep up with. Each and every child is different, none are exactly the same. In saying that there is no possible way that the common core is an effective and well established standard for schools to follow. What one child can grasp easily and quickly may take another child longer and need another method of learning and studying in order to be as well knowledgeable as the first student. Others believe that the Common Core Standards are needed for schools to teach ids what they will need to be successful in their future. They see each child as someone that can study and try harder if they are not caught up with the other children, for they are all alike in their learning ways and don’t need special care when learning complicated material. As I see it, when they see a child that struggles in school should try harder or else they will fail, and that’s the end of it. No help to the struggling student or help towards the student that they should want to succeed and thrive in their future. She starts her opinion with a real-life experience that many can relate to. Whether its parents or grandparents they have tried their hardest to give their children what they thought was best. She tells us about how she has sent her 2 daughters through many schools, that have failed to provide her  daughters with the education she believed was right. They (the school) believed that every student was able to learn and act upon that learning in the same ways. She searched and searched through religious schools, private schools, and public schools; until she found one that believed in the power of the student. They moved from the east coast to Colorado where her daughters were enrolled in a school that allowed the girls to escape the corrupted, dumbed-down curriculum of an overpriced private girls’ school. She uses some examples of mothers that have started home-schooling their children for the sole purpose to get away from the Common core standard, they believe that they will be able to teach their children better than any teacher or school can because they can teach at the pace of the child. Therefore, the children learn in a way that is better for them and will expand the knowledge that they gain throughout their school years. She uses quotes from a mother that is also in her shoes to prove to people that this is a concern that has spread throughout our nation and is making parent take action to change the problem our children face every day Michelle states that â€Å"We were blessed to find a community of parents and public school educators in Colorado Springs who embrace high standards, academic excellence and strong character education for students of every race, creed and class,† she uses words and examples that are easy to understand and comprehend to even the simplest o f minds. All in all Michelle used real-life situations that weren’t only easy to relate to, but also to show her point of view easily and clearly. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone were to respond to the message Michelle is sending to us. Teachers would base their lesson plans on each individual student, pushing for that student to thrive in their studies and achieve what they know they can do. To plan studies that would work best with the students learning abilities. The school would look at the student as an individual, not as the whole student body as the same person. They would stray from thinking that no one is different from another on their learning abilities. Race, ethnicity and social status would not play a part in the education or outcome of each student’s achievements within the school. If no one pays attention to the message Michelle is sending to schools, teachers, and parents around our country; nothing will change. The education of our children, grandchildren, and great great grandchildren will struggle to  learn the material our government thinks they need to know, and learn how they think every student can learn. Our government controls many aspects of our live and environment, why let they control the way we learn and what we learn. They don’t know each individual personally, they have no knowledge on our learning abilities and the struggles we will face with learning certain material throughout our school years. Our educational departments in our nation will only decrease throughout the year if nothing is changed about our educational aspects in children’s lives. Michele did an excellent job on drawing the reader in with a personal story, kudos on the ethos. She wanted people to feel the pain her and her daughters felt throughout their years in school. Struggling with the materials because their teachers neglected to teach in a way that would be more suitable to their learning abilities, which would lead to higher test scores and higher colleges. Her tone, I believe, was perfectly out into this paper. Not to forward to the reader but was easily established in the paper so the reader could identify which side you were defending and the points you would be making throughout the paper. I think that her personal experiences, knowledge, and research are what made her opinion convincing. Knowing that she knew what she was talking about and could answer questions on this topic if need be was very reassuring that she knew her topic well enough to write an opinionated paper in a way to sway even the toughest cookie to her side.

Environmental Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words - 1

Environmental Law - Essay Example Concerning the marine environment, in recent years, several projects and political actions at national and international level have been advanced in order to reduce the effects of water pollution. Preserving and improving the marine environment requires the achievement of a good ecological status of waters, without which the aquatic ecosystem and the human activities of marine coastal zones could be strongly at risk. This is the proposal of EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) which represents a major advance in European policy with the concepts of classes of water quality and water management. Irrespective of this it is found that European water is still polluted. This paper aims at assessing the effectiveness of EC law on water quality and pollution. The UK’s membership of the EC has had important consequences for the UK with regard to improvements in water quality and the regulation of water pollution. The European Commission has been very active in drawing up a series of water-related directives which, when passed by the European Parliament, must then be transposed into national law. ... actual or intended use of the relevant waters (quality objective of receiving waters) The EC has had, and continues to have, a major impact on water quality and waterpollution control in the UK. Over the last three decades, EC has passed a range ofdirectives designed to prevent discharges of pollutants into the aquatic environment and also to establish quality standards for waters which are used for drinking, bathingand fishing. Often, the EC adopts a 'framework directive' to set up a specific controlregime and then, over time, supplements this with 'daughter directives' which setlimits for the presence of chemical substances in different types of waters (that is,drinking, bathing and fishing). Member States are given a set period of time totranspose the relevant EC directive into national law and achieve actual compliancewith the specific provisions of the directive. EC legislation on water pollution The legislation on water pollution is probably the most highly developed branch ofEC environmental law and most certainly has the longest history. Approximately 30directives concern water. The directives adopt two main approaches to pollutioncontrol: (1) the imposition of limits or restrictions upon the emission or discharge ofparticular pollutants into the water media; and (2) the establishment of quality standards for particular designated types of water.The outcome of this dual approach has been a somewhat peacemeal body of law. The directives on water pollution share several common features: The use of dual lists described as 'I' and 'G'3 which require member states to setwater standards which do not fall below 'I' limit and which should aim to achieve'G' standards.A

What Makes a Bilingual Education Program Successful Research Paper

What Makes a Bilingual Education Program Successful - Research Paper Example Dr. Tove Skutnabb-Kangas is a linguist who has extensively researched linguistic human rights; bilingualism and multilingual education; linguistic imperialism and subtractive spread of English; support for endangered languages; the relationship between linguistic and cultural diversity and biodiversity and has authored numerous publications on her subject of interest (WISC, 2006). Among her highly acclaimed works is â€Å"Linguistic Genocide in Education or Worldwide Diversity and Human Rights?.† According to Tacelosky’s (2000) review of this book, Skutnabb-Kangas presents the state of languages of the world in terms of extinction and endangerment. The linguist also avers that although the threat to biodiversity is great, the threat to language diversity is far greater. Skutnabb-Kangas goes on to define the term mother tongue with criteria such as origin, identification, competence, function and the degree of human rights awareness. The author defines linguistic genocid e as the policies that a state takes from attempting to kill a language to the adoption of an official language. She positions minority education in terms of society and politics, distribution of power in terms of dominant and dominated languages, race, sex, class and other factors. The author argues against claims that a language is necessary to form a nation and discusses the place of language in the power structure. Skutnabb-Kangas propounds that linguistic human rights are necessary rights which incorporate basic human rights.

Principles of International Business Management Essay - 1

Principles of International Business Management - Essay Example The ICT services sector is the fastest growing sector in the country, with software development, ITES, BPOs and call centres earning good deal of foreign exchange. Combined with low labor costs, highly skilled manpower and good investments in human capital India is fast exploiting the opportunities of the global economy. India has signed treaties with its neighbors and other countries in the Asian region and streamlined its trade with these countries with the help of Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement, ASEAN and SAARC. But India’s main exporting arena remains the EU and America, as it gets good value for its products and services from these nations. India’s export figures for 2005-06 are US $ Million 103,090.54, while import figures are, US $ Million 149,165.73 (Govt. of India, 2007). The gap between import and export is not much compared to the situation prevailing in pre-liberalization era. During those days India’s exports used to be miniscule in comparison with its imports. But now the manufacturing industry has come to age, while clothing and items like pearls, stones have remained its forte for quite a while now. India’s export to EU Countries stand at US$ Million 23,120.38 as per the Government of India figures (2007). Main components of this export include; Imports to India from the EU nations on the other hand stand at US$M 25,704.03, while from North America this figure is US$M 10,374.61. This shows the edge in favor India in merchandise trade. India has signed bilateral and multilateral agreements to promote economic development through a continuous process of trade expansion, in the form of ‘India-EU Strategic Partnership1, US -India Trade Policy Forum and India-United States Commercial Dialogue2 to further the cause of the trade and industry requirements. The French economy is considered a developed economy as compared to

Fiction Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fiction Analysis - Essay Example In the very time, she takes the opportunity to go out and to her surprise she meets her husband contrary to the news the sister had delivered to her a short while. The experience led to her collapse and eventual death. This short story begins with who apparently is the main character in the story and the sister to the woman described in the story. She is referred to as sister of Louise; the woman on the other side is referred to as Josephine. Josephine is depicted as a woman with great traits as kindness, nurturing, and strength. The traits attributed to Josephine in a way had been experienced by the author who in the story was raised by the mother and other nuns in Katechopin.org a catholic school (Chopin, 18). It can then be deduced that the traits in this story was part of her life initially. The author’s (Kate Chopin) father died in a railroad accident in the early days and presumably this is why the story in this book has been framed in away that thee sister fictitiously tell the accident story to the woman (Chopin, 27). Because the father died when she was young, it may have appeared to her in a dream that her father was not hurt as it really was and that he one day came home-this may have had some influence in the orientation of the story. The woman described in this story equally was widowed in her prime age and from this, she learnt on how to earn a living from writing without depending on anybody (Chopin, 32). The story did not exempt the engagement of irony and satire in which the sister to the woman, Louise made the all radical decision to be free as a woman who is entitled to herself to exhaust the experiences in life. She decides to triumph in her bid and finally lived see this happen. The hidden lesson of the story is rather hidden in the sense that even no reference is made to the historical event, it tends to communicate a

Organization Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organization - Research Paper Example As such, the employees will know how to improve the performance of the organisation by implementing the techniques used in training. Thirdly, the HR should insist on using technology in some of the activities. It is decreed that technology improves production. Therefore, employees that use technology will give the organisation competitive advantage. 3. Necessity of job descriptions Organisations have to be open about job descriptions. All workers should be given their job descriptions. However, when this is not done, there are possible scenarios that would be experienced. First, all workers will not be responsible for the hard tasks at the work place. The hard task will be left unattended, as each worker will prefer lighter tasks (Aaker, 2011). Secondly, there will be no accountability. None of the workers will be accountable for loss of property. Similarly, no worker will accept liability when part of the work is not done. Lastly, without job descriptions, there will be minimal prod uction. This is due to the haphazard execution of tasks. 4. Drawbacks to using flexible work hours Employees have to provide optimum production while at their work place. This includes working for a specified period before taking a rest. However, some organisations prefer flexible working hours for their employees. This could expose the organisation to negativity. First, such an approach will encourage irresponsible behaviour. The workers will not report to their places of work as required (Robin, 2004). For example, they will find excuses to justify their irresponsible behaviour. Secondly, workers will be choosy on the schedules at work. They will prefer a schedule that is minimally supervised. This will reduce the productivity. Thirdly, collective progress will not be realised since the employees will choose different working hours. 8. Basis of ability or on personality Applicants should be primarily selected on basis of ability. The ostensible reason for an organisation is to get work done at the most appropriate time and within the set parameters. Workers with ability can increase productivity of an organisation to an optimum level. They are versatile in executing their work since they have the ability to do so (Learn Media BPP, 2010). As a fact, workers with a basis of ability have the mindset to learn new techniques at the work place. As such, they are likely to conform to the needs of the organisation. On the other hand, personality is not directly related to productivity. An organisation that picks personality will expose decent behaviour, but will not necessarily have optimum production. 9. Laying off workers Laying off workers is a process where an organisation reduces the number of workers. This can be due to a reduction in productivity, foreseen market concerns and when there is a need to cut on costs. To begin with, managers prefer to lay off workers with cyclic Sicknesses. These workers are constantly off duty due to their sicknesses. Therefore, the managers prefer to lay off such worker to cut on costs. Apparently, the option of early retirement is not considered in such a situation. This is due to the increased costs especially in insurance payments for the worker. Secondly, managers prefer to lay off workers especially when their payments have been revised (Beynon-Davies, 2009). An increase in the payments would mean an increase in the pension schemes payable to

Problem-solution essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Problem-solution - Essay Example Increased consumption of food and reduced physical activity provides for an imbalance of energy and hence an individual becomes obese (Verdiun et al 2595). Obesity is a matter of concern due to the rise in the number of Americans suffering from this issue and this problem can be solved with the coordination and cooperation of the government, the health care authorities, the food industry and the media by creating awareness and education amongst the masses. The BMI is used as a predictor of the normal weight of an individual and people with a BMI ranging from 25 to 29.9 are labeled as overweight whereas those with a BMI of above 30 are marked to be obese. There has been an increase of 34 percent in the obese individuals since the year 1960 in the United States (Begley). According to statistics of the year 2009, greater than 65 percent of the residents of the United States had weight above the normal limits. Furthermore, in the last three decades, the number of children who are overwei ght has increased almost thrice. This increase amongst children as well as adults has raised the morbidity and mortality associated with the medical issues that arise owing to obesity. The young children do not have a good quality of life and have a susceptibility of becoming obese when they become adults. The adults are at greater risks of developing pathological conditions that are associated with obesity. Obese individuals have a greater susceptibility than the normal individuals to develop diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular conditions as well as hypertension. The probability of a few carcinomas is also increased with obesity. The mortality that has been linked with obesity and its associated pathologies is approximately 400,000 on an annual basis in the United States. Thus, there has been an increase in the number of people suffering from obesity and this has led to a subsequent rise in the pathologies associated with it (Huber; Verduin et al 259). Obesity not only affects the in dividual on a personal level but its effects on the economy of the United States have also been revealed. It has been assessed that obesity has been linked with alarming increases in the healthcare costs incurred upon the government. A burden of 190 billion dollars on the annual national healthcare cost has resulted owing to obesity. This cost is greater than the spending of the government on smoking which is also an important public health issue. The health care costs of obese males are 1,152 dollars greater than the normal weight men and the costs of obese females are 3,613 dollars greater than the non-obese females on an annual basis. The healthcare costs of an obese individual are more than six times greater in comparison to a person having normal weight. Healthcare researchers have also cited the fact that in comparison to smokers, obese people pose a greater burden on the healthcare spending even in the long run. This is because most of them live up to the normal age of life e xpectancy unlike the smokers and hence the spending on their nursing homes and old age issues is also increased (Begley; Ungar). Costs other than the healthcare expenditures have also increased owing to obesity. These include the increase in the costs of fuel. Owing to increased weight, greater energy is required by the vehicles and this accounts for greater fuel used. An additional cost of 4 billion annually has been accounted due to this. There has been increased spending on

The Interests of the Educated Individual, the Employer, and the Assignment

The Interests of the Educated Individual, the Employer, and the Economy - Assignment Example In terms of the volume of employment, education and health are the two prime sectors in Australia. The Australian government spends a huge amount of its national income every year for supporting and promoting the educational institutions of the country. In the line of public policy, education is always given priority because in one hand development of education system plays a modern role for sophisticating the society while on the other hand an improved educational system is expected to absorb the unemployment by providing educated, thoughtful, intellectual and innovative human resources. For example, the mean of ‘Smart State’ vision of the government of Queensland was to develop technology-based industries and build up the skillful and flexible working people. In this policy, the Queensland government for the growth and development of the state in future has promoted innovative ideas in the field of scientific research and information and communication technologies. (Le nore Adie, 2008, pp 252-255). Besides the government of Queensland on the issues of social justice, has developed the reform strategy QSE 2010. This strategy was developed responding ‘the major challenges for education posed by the global knowledge economy in ‘new times’, characterized in particular by the global information networked society and increased inequalities and new forms of exclusion’. (Taylor and Singh, 2005, p 727). However, though the demand for education has risen tremendously in the recent past in Australia, the allocation of resources to education relative to the country’s GDP has not risen accordingly. In Australia, there have been seen changing and volatile policies towards the education. People in Australia are very much aware of what a good and proper educational system should be and regarding this, there are common as well as conflict views among the residents of Australia.  

Lifestyle of blackfoot Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lifestyle of blackfoot - Essay Example Buffalo hunting is their major hunting activity. â€Å"The Blackfoot Indian tribe displayed agility in hunting buffalo that outranked other tribes. Their nomadic lifestyle was aided by dogs and later horses. They seldom fought over land but were great warriors in their own right† (Blackfoot Indian Tribe). This paper analyses different aspects of Blackfoot’s life styles. Because of huge diversity in culture, the life styles of Blackfoot (Also known as Blackfeet) people are different. Different languages, clothing, hunting methods, worshipping methods, food habits and hobbies are prevailing among the Blackfoot community because of the differences in their ethnicity. â€Å"Mi'kmaq, Cree, Ojibwa, Arapaho, Shawnee, Fox, Algonquin† etc are some of the major languages in the Blackfoot community (Tribal Lifestyle, Gender Roles, Elders). â€Å"The members of a Blackfoot Indian tribe spoke a language called Pikunii. This is language was lyrical and musical to the ear with complex word formations. The language was learned by word of mouth and there was no written language† (Blackfoot Indian Tribe). ... In other words, inter-tribal marital relationship is also possible among some of the tribal groups of the Blackfoot community. â€Å"There are three main clans in the Blackfoot community: The Kainai (Many Leaders, also called the Blood); The Piikani (Amsskaapipiikani in Montana and Apatohsipiikani in southern Alberta also called the Peigan ); The Siksika (Blackfoot, also called northern Blackfoot)† (Tribal Lifestyle, Gender Roles, Elders). Even though, these clans have lot of differences in their life styles, the elements of a common culture can be seen in the life styles of these people. â€Å"Each tribe in Blackfoot community consisted of a number of hunting bands, which were the primary political units of the tribe† (Hanes & Pifer). Each hunting band may have two leaders; one for leading the group for hunting activities and the other for leading the group in other social and political activities. The hunting leader would be an expert hunter whereas the other leader w ould be a person with immense capabilities in solving the social problems. In case of any disputes occur, the final word comes from either the hunting leader or the civilian leader. During ancient period, arrows and lances were the major war weapons of the Blackfoot community. Blackfoot community had no hesitation in engaging in war with other tribal groups. They were clever warriors and their fighting spirit and better war strategy helped them to expand their territories. The Blackfoot or Siksikas were one of the most famous of the northern tribes, largely due to the fact that they were among the first to encounter and form relationships with European fur traders. Through this contact, the people of the Siksika nation became familiar with the objects, inventions and animals brought by these

Science in the community-Morrisons Essay Example for Free

Science in the community-Morrisons Essay A bit about Morrisions Morrisons is the UK’s fourth largest food retailer with over over 450 stores. The products sold are mainly groceries and food a unique point is that they source and process most of the fresh food that they sell though their own manufacturing facilities; in fact they have the most people preparing food in their stores than any other supermarket. The business started in 1899 as market stall by Bradford Morrison and has gradually expanded to be what it is now in 2011. How Morrison’s Contributes to the economy Morrisons does a lot of things which contribute to the economy. One of this is that it creates 124,000 jobs all around the country. It has provided over 1 million training days and provides skills for its workers if they wish to move up they professional ladder as 30% of senior management started on the shop floor. This contributes massively to the economy as it causes a multiplier affect; if people have jobs then they have money to spend on other businesses which benefits these other businesses. The fact that they have money now means they can pay more tax which is also inclusive of businesses who pay more tax if they make more profits. This tax can then be used of critical services such as education and health and the boost in successful business lead to a better economic growth which is something this economy needs right now due to the depression and job cuts. Morrisons are also encouraging healthy, balanced lifestyles by labelling products with nutritional information and giving tips on healthy eating This is important to the economy as healthy eating reduces the chances of health problems in the future which saves our more of our tax money which means the money could be going to something which would be more beneficial to the economy. How Morrisons manages its waste material Morrions actively watches its energy consumption and make sure it promotes efficient energy measures. In regards to waste they monitor chain waste from cradle to death to make sure it meets duty of care responsibilities. Morrisons like to make sure they have a little waste as possible so they have a lot of rules and targets regarding their waste one of them being to produce zero waste direct to landfill from stores by 2013 and another one being to have 10% package reduction on own brand packaging by 2012. They also have their own bags for life to reduce the need of new plastic bags being used which reduces the amount of plastic bags needed to be made. In fact as a result of this 631 million carrier bags have been saved. Use of ICT in data management A lot of ICT is used in Morrisons for all sorts of functions some of them being: Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) Bar codes Self scanning stores Electronic funds transfer at point of sale Energy management systems Electronic Point of Sale EPOS is a self contained, computerized equipment which undertakes all the task of a store checkout counter. It allows payments by bank and credit cards. It verifies transactions, it can provide sales reports, it coordinates inventory data and performs many other services which were normally provided by employees in the earlier years. Bar Codes A barcode is a series of vertical bars of varying widths, in which each of the digits zero through nine are represented by a different pattern of bars that can be read by a laser scanner. This is found on every product at morrsion and is what the EPOS scans. Self scanning stores Self-scanning checkout, also known as self checkouts is an automated process that enables shoppers to scan, bag, and pay for their purchases without the need for human assistance. Electronic funds transfer at point of scale EFTAPOS allows customers to pay for their shopping using a debit or credit card instead of cash. The money is taken electronically from the customers bank account and paid to the supermarkets account. Energy management systems An energy management system (EMS) is a system which uses computer-aided tools to monitor, control, optimize performance and conserve energy around Morrisons. Technological Development Costs to the retailer Benefits to the retailer EPOS Expensive to set up and maintain Staff need to be trained- costly and time consuming More efficient- more customers can be served whilst customer service is improved because things like more eye contact and friendly can be used Better accuracy with adding up totals Bar Codes Scanners cannot read barcodes which are crumpled sometimes making the work harder. Employees have to be trained on how to work barcodes which takes time More efficient, lots of products can be scanned in little time. Self scanning Stores ICT is prone to issues especially with self checkouts. They can sometimes end up being more time confusion than advertised Reduces the amount of jobs available which is bad for the economy More time efficient for both customers and employees as more can be done in a shorter period of time Gives customers more options which could attract them to Morrison even more EFTPOS Lots of money has to be spent on the security of networks Expensive to set up Customers don’t have to carry lots of money around which would be more prone to being lost Energy Management Systems Expensive to set up and train staff Expensive to maintain Reduces cost for Morrisons as it saves money on energy Better business reputation as people will know Morrisons is being energy effieicnt which could increase overall business Demand on transport and communication systems Morrisons has 455 stores nationwide so deliveries are made all around the UK to these superstores mainly by lorries which travel along all the main motorways such as the A14 and the M11. Lots of key products such as produce are delieved to many different stores everyday so this puts a lot of demand on lorries as the main transport system. Planes and ships are also used for many items brought oversees such as bananas and this too is a regular occurance which put strain on those transport systems. Morrison also has a lot of demand with communication systems as they use all forms of communications including phones, email and letters which it uses for its customers, suppliers and shareholders. This is because things like shopping can now be done online, or through the phone so there is no need to always go to a store. Shareholders can also be far off making it hard to communicate face to face which is which there is such demand with phones and letters. Effects on the community and the environment The main effect Morrisons has had on the economy and the effect they pry themselves one is their encouragement of healthy fresh foods. They promote at 50 fresh foods every week as well as labelling nutritional information and giving information on healthy eating. This has helped to make the community a lot more healthy which leads to less health problems. Every year they also support a national charity, this year they are supporting Help the Hospices and they managed to raise  £3.1 million. The chief executive said â€Å"The partnership with Morrisons has been a huge success and we are absolutely delighted to have raised over  £1.3 million for hospice care. This is a fantastic achievement and is testament to the dedication of Morrisons colleagues, who have really taken the hospice cause to their hearts.† Morrisons has also affected the wider community by linking up with one foundation and stocking its products of which 100% of profits go towards building vegetable gardens, sanitation blocks and water pumps in places like Africa and Asia. Morrisons are very concerned about the environment so to a lot of things to minimise their effect on it. They try to minimise their emissions and carbon footprints and they also recycle as much as they can encouraging their customers to do so also. They are the first supermarket to be awarded the carbon trust standard. Bibliography Date Website Used for 18.11.11 http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Corporate-Old2/Corporate-Social-Responsibility/Environment/Preventing-waste/ How Morrison’s prevent waste 18.11.11 http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/electronic-point-of-sale-EPOS.html Definition for EPOS 21.11.11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_management_system Definition of energy management system 22.11.11 http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Corporate/Corporate-responsibility-2011/Society/Good-neighbours/Supporting-the-local-community/ How morrisons supports the community Having finished it yet high but ill finish it by the weekend and reupload it in a workshop lesson if that’s ok.

Research Methods Into Positivism And Social Constructivism

Research Methods Into Positivism And Social Constructivism There has been heated discussion over the use of positivism and social constructivism in management research over the past few decades. And one can find that most of the theorists take a neutral view with regard to this situation. After the 1980s there has been a trend towards social constructivism but even then no one is sticking completely to the principles of one single philosophy. The main idea behind positivism is that society is an external agent and hence its properties or characteristics must be measured objectively rather than by any subjective means like intuition, sensation etc. This view was first proposed by French theorist Auguste Comte (1853) according to whom All good intellects have repeated, since Bacons time, that there can be no real knowledge but that which is based on observable facts. Hence his view has two main assumptions i.e. reality is external and objective and knowledge is based upon observations of this reality. Thus there are certain postulates of this philosophy: Independence: The researcher must be independent in his thoughts and is not influenced by any factors while observing the reality. Value-freedom: This involves deciding upon the area to be studied and how to study it. Positivism suggests doing this on the basis of objective research and not on human beliefs. Causality: The main objective of social and behavioral sciences is to evaluate the causes and fundamental laws behind the fluctuations in the behavioral pattern of people. Hypothesis and deduction: every research will be based on certain hypothesis and the observations will be made to either prove or disprove this hypothesis statement. Operationalization: The research concepts must be formulated in such a way that the facts obtained from observations can be measured empirically. Reductionism: This concept believes that a bigger problem will be easy to solve if it is divided into smaller elements which can be separately solved. Generalization: In order to make general conclusions on fluctuations in human behavior, it is essential that the research must be conducted among samples of appropriate size. On the basis of results obtained from the sample size, the researcher can make wider judgments on the whole population. Cross-sectional analysis: This kind of regularities can be easily identified by comparing the differences in the samples. All the above given implications are the collective view points of different theorists of positivism. But there were many theorists who were having contrasting opinions on these postulates too. Even Comte was not supporting the reductionism concept. Wittgenstein proposed in his past studies that all factual intentions can be broken down into smaller elementary propositions that were entirely independent from each other. He himself later challenged this theory arguing that elementary propositions can be logically related to each other (Pears, 1971). Thus this philosophy is under an unending debate among the theorists. Aiken (1956) came up with the view that positivism is the best way to find out the behavioral patterns in human beings which may be originated as a result of metaphysical speculation. The concept of social constructivism on the other hand was developed based on the works of Berger and Luckman (1966), Watzlawick (1984) and Shotter (1993). This philosophy is based upon idea that people use language as a medium for sharing their experiences and it is through this way, they make sense of the world. Hence this theory suggests that people form, create and make themselves and their worlds by means of the verbal skills. It is more concerned about the process and product peoples way of interacting with each other (Leeds-Hurwitz, 1995). It is considered as social because it focuses on the interaction rather than the individual. Hence even though there exist a clear dichotomy between the two philosophies, there exists a high difference in opinion among the researchers about the selection of methods. Therefore a number of compromising has to be done between these two philosophies in order to conduct a research. Figure: Matrix of research designs Detached Survey research Case method (Yin) Quasi-experimental design Ethnography Positivist Social Grounded theory Experimental Design design constructionist Co-operative enquiry Action research Involved The following are pure researches mentioned in the figure above: Action research: Action research cannot completely belong to pure research as it contains certain elements of applied research too. In this research, the researcher tries to be as much close to the research area or subject. This is because the researcher intends to make a direct influence for which he may make certain alterations even in the research process. The ground concept behind this research was that if one wants to know a subject well he must try to change it. This theory was widely accepted in Organizational Development where the trainers use it for enhancing the team effectiveness (French Bell, 1978; Homan, 1979). Survey Research: This is a kind of research process which requires direct interaction with the samples. If done properly, this research can give accurate information which can be highly useful in solving the research problem. Survey research gives much importance to primary data and involves systematic observation (Sapsford, 2007). Therefore this research helps to take better business decisions by which way the business activities can be handles much more effectively. Experimental design: In this research, the experimenter assigns subjects at random to a test or control group. The test group conditions are then manipulated by the researcher so as to evaluate their effect with regard to the control group who are in a normal setting. But this kind of study is quite difficult to conduct in real organizations since its not easy to obtain a captive population for the research. Quasi-experimental designs: This was developed when the researchers found it difficult to create pure experimental designs under the positivist concept. This was clearly explained by Campell and Stanley (1963), who assessed a number of designs which made use of multiple scales so as to minimize the impact caused by incomplete matching of control and test groups. Ethnography: This is a theory based on social constructivist principle where the experimenter will try to be a part of the research so as to understand the mindset of the experimental group and the meanings and significances that the samples bring in their behavior of themselves and others. Case Method: There are several research designs at present and some of them are similar to fieldwork methods while some others fall in the intermediate position. Case study method is the kind of research design which comes under the latter category. The most important deliberations to this topic were made by Robert Yin (1993). The other popular contributors to this method are Stake (1995), Eisenhardt (1989), and Hamel et.al (1993). Grounded theory: This theory is based on constructivist principles and helps the researcher to understand how he will proceed with the research. This concept got worldwide attention from the studies of Glaser and Strauss (1967). In this method, the researcher mainly has to develop a theory by means of comparative method, i.e. viewing the same event in different situations and analyzing the difference. Co-operative enquiry: This is a type of action research where all the participants of the research contribute equally to the development of enquire and show active participation in the research process (Heron, 1996; Reason, 2003). Apart from the above research designs, there exist certain other designs which can be used for management researches. The most important ones among them are critical inquiry, participant observation and narrative methods. All these methods have certain similarities with the above mentioned designs as well as certain unique features of their own. Hence they are also widely accepted in business research and used according to the requirements. 2. The different areas of research that holds high significance are: a) Research topic: Finalizing the research topic is the first and most important part of a research since it is based on the depth of title that the research proceeds (Kumar, 2005). In the broad sense, research title can be any question or problem that you need to answer or any assumption that needs to be challenged. As per the words of Powers, Meenaghan Twoomey (1985), Potential research questions may occur to us on a regular basis, but the process of formulating them in a meaningful way is not at all an easy task. In order to frame a research title, it is essential to have a thorough knowledge of research methodology as well as on the theoretical aspects of the topic. The research title can be formulated based upon four sources namely daily life, practical issues, past research and theory (Johnson Christensen, 2010). They form the initial base for the structuring of research title. Thus the research topic serves as a foundation to the research and hence if it is framed properly, the study will also move in the right direction. The research problem can vary in complexity and hence the way it is formulated determines the research approach, study design, sampling strategy, research instrument as well as many other factors. Therefore there must be certain considerations while selecting a research topic. The main considerations are interest, magnitude, measurement concepts, expertise level, relevance, ethical issues etc. (Kumar, 2005). If the research topic fulfills most of these considerations, then it can be regarded as a suitable one. b) Research question: A research question refers to the problem that the experimenter seeks to answer through the research. The research question is an essential element of every research despite of the fact that it is qualitative and quantitative. But they will vary according to the nature of research. If the research question is qualitative, then it will be intended for finding out the relationship between two variables. A variable is something which has more than one value (Vaus, 2002). Hence research questions for these kinds of researches are not much specific. While on the hand, a quantitative research question tends to more precise as it will be based on mathematical results. Business research usually applies qualitative research questions since they ask more general questions which can be used for exploring the samples views or responses on a particular phenomenon. It is usually an interrogative sentence which aims to relate two or more variables. It can be of three types nam ely: descriptive, predictive and causal. The researcher must have thorough understanding of the variables that are related in the research. These questions are open-ended, general, and over-reaching regarding an issue, problem or phenomenon. c) Research hypothesis (es): They can be referred to as tentative answers to the research questions. This is because the solution to them can be found out after statistical analysis only and hence it forms a critical step in the evidence-gathering process of a research (Guerrero Nachmias, 2010). There will be two hypotheses while conducting this process. The first hypotheses will be referred to as research hypotheses (H1) and the other one will be termed as null hypothesis (H0). The research hypotheses are formulated based upon the parameters of population but its form is different from research to research. Null hypothesis is the one set as a counter the research hypothesis. It is because every research hypothesis is set in order to prove a relationship. Hence it is necessary to set an alternate hypothesis that could disprove the relationship. For hypothesis testing, the researcher aims to disprove the null hypothesis in order to provide support to the research hypothesis. Therefor e research hypotheses are oriented towards a particular direction. This means it states whether a population mean is greater than or lesser than a particular value. d) Research objectives: A researcher intends to summarize what must be achieved by means of the research. The objectives of the study must be in alignment with the problem statement. There are mainly two types of objectives set for a research- general objective and specific objective. General objective states what the researcher intends to achieve in general terms through conducting this study. This general objective when broken down to smaller parts for better solving becomes specific objectives. Research objectives are better than research questions since they lead to higher specificity in the research (Saunders et.al. 2003). 3. A research design process that could be adopted in business researches is as follows: Web 01: An overview of the research design process This research design can be used in most management studies with little variations. This process starts with identification of research problem. Every research must have a problem which needs to be solved through the research process. Business researches usually intend to find answers to some social issues, business problem or a phenomenon. After identifying the research problem, the next step is determining the research objectives and questions. A research question is the problem or issue that the research intends to solve while research objectives tend to summarize the area that is to be achieved by the study. Hence both these factors lie in close relation to each other. The next task in the research design process is conducting the secondary research. This is done by means of an extensive literature study. This way the researcher gathers details on the theoretical aspects of the research. Hence the researcher will be searching in books, journals, articles, online databases, websit es etc for collecting the data. An appropriate methodology for conducting the research must be developed by this time. Research methodology helps in determining the research philosophy, approach, method, study design etc. All these factors are highly important for the successful completion of research. After collecting the secondary data, the researcher will look out for methods for collecting the primary data. There exist several research methods for data collection. The research instrument will be decided based upon the literature study (Taylor et.al. 2006). The most common research instruments include surveys, interviews, questionnaires, etc. In some cases, the researcher conducts a pilot study in order to obtain responses from a small portion of the population. These research instruments help to gain valid data from the samples. After collecting the primary and secondary information, the researcher decides upon the methods for their analysis. Literature review analysis is quite critical for researches as they would help in gaining insights on the core issues and provide suitable recommendations. The analysis of primary data is done by means of certain analysis techniques. The most common methods include percentage analysis, chi-square test, ANOVA, z-test etc. They help in providing empirical findings for the research which are most accurate. After obtaining the findings, they are interpreted to reach at final judgments and conclusion. On the basis of these interpretations, the researcher could provide suitable suggestions or recommendations for solving the research problem. 4. a) A survey is used for describing a population and it usually involves systematic observation or interviewing. Surveys involve what the researcher wants to find out and the answers also will be defined under a specific range (Sapsford, 2007). The most common survey instruments used in management and social researches are questionnaires and interviews. For constructing a questionnaire, the responses must be provided in a range. Hence it must have certain measurement scales. There are mainly four types of measurement scales used in surveys. They are: Nominal Scale: This is a kind of measurement scale where the objects are assigned to categories without any numerical properties. These scales have definite identity of their own but have no other characteristics (Jackson, 2007). Those variables which are measured using these scales are named as categorical variables since they try to classify the information collected. But these variables have no empirical value. Examples of variables measured through nominal scales are ethnicity, gender etc. These variables cannot be hence used in mathematical analysis. Hence these scales are considered as the lowest level of measurement since the variables are different by means of quality rather than quantity in this (Bordens Abbott, 2006). Ordinal Scale: They form the next level of measurement used in surveys. They constitute numbers which are in a predetermined order so that there will be certain relationships which can be inferred from them (Sapsford, 2007). Hence the objectives are classified into certain categories which form a rank order through a range. The data in this scale do have certain identity and properties but they dont have equal unit size and absolute zero. Interval Scale: In this scale, the measurement units are all of equal size. Therefore it fulfills the three main criteria of an ideal scale i.e. identity, magnitude and equal unit size. It forms the third level of measurement used in surveys. Hence this scale contains the characteristics of both nominal and ordinal scale but is much more effective than the other two (Malhotra Dash, 2008). Fahrenheit scale is the most prominent interval scale used. Ratio scale: This forms the highest measurement scale and has all the characteristics of nominal, ordinal and interval scale. It is the most complicated scale since it allows the researcher to identify the absolute differences between scale points as well as helps him in comparing the responses obtained (Hair et.al. 2007). This scale possesses an absolute zero which indicates the absence of variables in measurement. b. Questionnaire is the most commonly used research instrument. The main characteristics of a good questionnaire are as follows: It must be short and precise. So while framing a questionnaire, ensure that the research objectives will be met from the analysis of responses of the questionnaire. Usage of simple language: The questionnaire must be framed in such a way that the respondents find it easy to understand. Start with interesting questions: The questionnaire will include questions that will generate interest in the samples to answer and encourage them to fill out the complete form. Absence of leading questions: If there are leading questions in the form, it will encourage the respondents to answer in a particular way. But this is not considered as a good practice since the sample must not be influenced by any means in writing an answer. The number of choices wont be too long because the respondents will find it difficult to assess all of them. Hence the choice list must be small. Include simple concepts which the samples could understand. Including complicated concepts will make it a tough task for the respondents to answer the questions properly. The elements of a bad questionnaire are included below. It will have more open-ended questions than close-ended ones. This will make it difficult for the respondents to answer the questions and also their answers wont be similar. The analysis of these responses is not possible through any statistical method. The questions will be vague. The respondents will not be able to understand the real meaning of this question and this will influence their answer. The research questions are not communicated through this questionnaire. This way the questionnaire fails to serve its purpose.