Le Petit Chef Case Study Essay Example

Le Petit Chef Case Study Paper Le Petit Chef Case 1) What should Gagne do? Specifically, which projects should she fund and why? How should she handle the executive meeting? A fair assessment of the situation at Le Petit Chef is that there are far too many projects on the table. This overflow has led to missed deadlines and therefore missed profit. The gap between LPC and other microwave manufacturers is closing fast and action is required. Essentially, Le Petit Chef needs a cornerstone development. There are five proposed projects: A new intelligent (fuzzy logic) line of microwaves, a low-cost version of an existing microwave line, an entirely new low-cost line, a quick heating model, and a larger cavity Liberte. When choosing which projects to fund, Gagne must evaluate them on three basic criteria: will this project differentiate one product from the next? Will this project spread the rd team too thin? , and will this project provide a competitive advantage? For the short term, LPC should not attempt to enter the low-cost microwave market. Le Petit Chef is correlated with high end, high performance appliances and trying to tackle a low cost market that is dominated by large companies such as Samsung and GE would not be appropriate. Because of this, both projects associated with a low end line should be crossed off Gagne’s list. However, perhaps in the future when the company is on more solid footing a low-end line can be attempted. Adding a larger cavity to the Liberte should also be cut because this just adds another component into the mix. We will write a custom essay sample on Le Petit Chef Case Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Le Petit Chef Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Le Petit Chef Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Too many components that don’t overlap from one product to the next increases total cost and adaptability. Another reason to cut the larger cavity is because it really does nothing major to differentiate the product. Next, LPC should fund the implementation of a Fuzzy Logic microwave line. This would differentiate the product among high-end competitors, not put too much strain on rd according to a senior design engineer, and promote the high-class label associated with Le Petit Chef. This project is absolutely necessary to undertake. Another project that should be funded is the development of a â€Å"Liberte-express† with a more powerful magnetron. This adds another vital differentiating feature, will be easy to develop, and be finished relatively quickly (6 months). At the meeting, Gagne simply needs to list the facts to the executives since there shouldn’t be too much convincing to do. She needs to present her product choices listed above rationally and stress the need for the company to stay true to its reputation by focusing on high-end appliances. She needs to alert the execs about how thin rd is spread and she should probably prepare a list of projects that could be easily axed. She needs to stress the importance of allowing rd to focus on less projects. The primary theme of her presentation should be realigning Le Petit Chef as the frontrunner in the microwave business. She also needs to outline the current financial issues and how the proposed projects will affect them. 2) What factors explain Le Petit Chef’s poor performance? What actions would you recommend to remedy the situation? Le Petit Chef’s poor performance can be largely attributed to the recent influx of competition from abroad. Essentially, the Asian manufacturers such as Samsung and Sharp infiltrated the low-end market which in turn forced European microwave companies to move into the previously Le Petit Chef dominated high end market. One statistic that basically tells the entire story is that the price of the microwave oven had dropped by 10% each year from 1996 to 2000. In an attempt to ward off competition, LPC spent hefty sums in advertising. This was overkill and caused financial issues. Another key factor was the rd team being spread so thinly across so many products. Exhibit 9 highlights this by showing the products branching out in an almost ridiculous manner. Quite frankly, LPC needs to reduce its projects. In order to remedy the situation, LPC needs to do a handful of things. First, they need to realize that they cannot compete with the large foreign companies. Therefore, any thoughts of entering the low-cost market should be heavily discouraged. LPC has a niche in the high end market and they need to stick to their guns. By focusing on the high end marked, RD is also not as overextended. Next, LPC needs to differentiate their products from the competition. They need to give the buyer some incentive to fork over more cash for their expensive microwaves. Another thing that LPC should try to do is to make more components that are interchangeable between models in order to lower costs. LPC should also focus on the appearance of their microwaves, because to sell a high-end product it has to appear that way. Essentially, the appearance is the ultimate differentiating factor.

I Got the Blues

I Got the Blues I Got the Blues I Got the Blues By Maeve Maddox Blue is not only a favorite color for a lot of people, it is a word that occurs in many English expressions, some of them oddly contradictory. Obscene language is said to be blue, yet blue laws are those that forbid activities considered irreligious to take place on Sunday. A common blue law in the United States forbids the sale of liquor on Sundays. The sky is blue but the gray coats of some dogs are also called blue. A blue mood is a sad mood. To have the blues is to be sad, and the Blues refers to a type of music about unhappy love. People who talk so much that others can hardly get a word in edgewise are said to talk a blue streak. (One can also cuss a blue streak.) Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is a species of grass that is not native to the United States, but is closely associated with Kentucky, which is known as the Bluegrass State. Bluegrass music is a sub-genre of country music which relies mostly on stringed instruments such as acoustic guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and banjo. A bluebird is what the name implies, a bird with blue feathers. Some have red breast feathers. The Eastern Bluebird is New Yorks state bird. In literature and art, the bluebird is a symbol of happiness. Blue chip stocks are Wall Street investments considered to be safe because they are issued by the most successful, most profitable companies. When the expression was coined, casino poker chips with the highest value were the blue ones. A blue blood is a person of aristocratic lineage. The expression is from Spanish sangre azul. It was coined to distinguish families of Castile that did not have Moorish or Jewish ancestors from those who did. The underlying idea is that blood veins are blue and the lighter the skin, the bluer the veins look. The term Bluestocking was coined in the 18th century. At first it was applied in a derogatory sense to both men and women who attended Elizabeth Montagus fashionable London literary salon. It was the men who wore the blue stockings, but the term quickly became a common tag for a woman who likes to discuss literature. To say that something happens in a blue moon is to say that it rarely happens. Then theres Ol Blue Eyes, a common epithet for singer Frank Sinatra. How many more blue expressions can you think of? More about Blue as color of dogs coat Kentucky bluegrass Bluegrass music Eastern bluebird blue moon Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Meaning of "To a T"The Difference Between "will" and "shall"Plurals of Proper Names

Fixes for Ambiguous Headlines

Fixes for Ambiguous Headlines Fixes for Ambiguous Headlines Fixes for Ambiguous Headlines By Mark Nichol Headlines that can be read more than one way, or that contain a confusing or erroneous element, have been a source of amusement for journalists and newshounds and of consternation for the perpetrators since the dawn of written mass communication, but anyone who writes or edits should be aware of the dangers of careless headline writing. Here are several headlines that prompt a double take. 1. â€Å"Gadhafi Forces Retreat† This could be interpreted as meaning â€Å"Gadhafi compelled rebels to retreat† or â€Å"Gadhafi’s military units were compelled to retreat† two readings about as diametrically opposed as possible. Space is often a consideration in print publications, requiring verbal shortcuts and curt words, but â€Å"Gadhafi’s Forces Retreat† or â€Å"Gadhafi Forces Foes to Retreat,† depending on the intended message, adds no more than a few characters. 2. â€Å"Second Toddler Found in Pool Also Dies at Hospital† This headline reads as if the toddler died twice once in the pool, and then again at the hospital. The explanation that two toddlers had been retrieved from a pool, and that one had already died at the hospital, should be introduced in the article, not in the headline. The solution is to not attempt to make a reference to the first toddler at all: â€Å"Second Toddler Found in Pool Dies at Hospital.† 3. â€Å"Retiring Police Officer’s Novel Tactics† This headline can be read three ways, listed in increasing order of likelihood: 1) â€Å"A shy police officer’s unusual tactics,† 2) â€Å"A police department is ceasing to use a police officer’s unusual tactics,† and 3) â€Å"Unusual tactics of a police officer about to retire.† (The headline could also be referring to a full-length work of fiction perhaps the officer, now retired from law enforcement, is applying his or her knowledge of police tactics to the plot of a novel but that misreading is unlikely.) The headline’s intended meaning is the third one, and though no one is likely to assume otherwise, the ambiguity is nevertheless distracting. â€Å"Novel Tactics of a Retiring Police Officer† has only three more characters and spaces than the original headline, and although retiring could still be misconstrued as referring to a personality trait rather than cessation of a career, that’s a stretch; the inverted word order makes the context clearer, diminishing the probability of initial confusion. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Great Similes from Literature to Inspire YouFive Spelling Rules for "Silent Final E"Drama vs. Melodrama

Media and climategate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media and climategate - Research Paper Example Climatic Research Unit (CRU) is an internationally renowned research institution for climate change and global warming. The research done at CRU is globally accepted and practiced, for instance, global temperature record and other data sets.CRU was the key contributor of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report in 2007.It was a   collaboration between World Meteorological Organization(WMO) and United Nations Environment Program and considered to be the most authoritative of the likes(CNN). According to Seymour, climategate proved to be the starting point of a series of leaks that shook scientists’ long held and advocated belief that â€Å"the science is settled†. However, despite the authoritative position of CRU and far reaching impact of the leaked information, news media networks played soft on the whole incident. They seemed unshaken by the unethical course of action taken by the scientists whose claims were promoted by these networks over the years and gradually shaped public opinion. Surprisingly, since November 20, 2009, less than 10 percent of the global warming and climate change related news stories pointed towards any of the climate related scandals. The most disturbing email communication was among CRU Director Phil Jones and Penn State Scientist Michael Mann. The later is internationally renowned for his hockey stick graph of global warming which was the main feature of IPCC’s report in 2001.In e-mail Jones informed Mann that he worked on a trick to make addition in real temperature record of last 20 years in order to hide the decline. Other e-mails encourage criminal act of destroying information rather than passing them on to Freedom of Information requests(Seymour).Daily Mail(UK) reported on January 28,2010 that Information Commissioner discovered that ERU scientists are violating FOI law, but he couldn’t take legal action because of the statute of limitation(qtd. in

Is female genital mutilation a religious requirementbelief in Islam Research Proposal

Is female genital mutilation a religious requirementbelief in Islam - Research Proposal Example Women who did not undergo the procedure may have a hard time looking for a partner. This implies that women who failed to meet the expectation of men will have to suffer perpetual wretchedness. FGM was practiced in some African nations where it had originated and soon adapted by other followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The concoction of these religions who believe in this procedure raised a question on other ardent followers why had these been enjoined in their faith which is very superfluous when basing it in the Holy Book everyone is adhering to. Neither there is a clear substantial basis why this mutilating process occurred. Male circumcision is long been practiced since the time of Abraham. It is to promote cleanliness among male individuals. However, there was no established rationale whatsoever that circumcision binds men to God although Christ himself was also circumcised and several notable apostles have undergone the same. In the contemporary life, this practiced is warranted since it has to do with hygienic condition. Male circumcision is widely accepted and is never being questioned. ... Female circumcision was practiced prior to the birth of Islam which precisely implies that it was not stated therein in the book of Qur'an that circumcision is also through with females. However some FGM advocates quoted this weak proposition: "Um Atiyyat al-Ansariyyah said: A woman used to perform circumcision in Medina. The Prophet (pbuh) said to her: Do not cut too severely as that is better for a woman and more desirable for a husband".1. It is in this text lies the foundation of FGM wherein it is deem important in Sunnah or Tradition of the Prophet to follow the custom of women's circumcision. Several sayings from the prophet Muhammad also surface concurring the FGM practice. However there was no clear statement to confirm the situation as it only states the correct derivation of pleasure. It was on the interpretation surmise the event of female circumcision. Thus there was no authenticity to validate such practice. Part of those who practice female circumcision are Muslims but some religions practice the same. It is part of their tradition to conduct this act without any luminous reason. Cultural reasons dominate over religious traditions although some fervent believers are most likely to adhere on the tradition; it is still an immense question as to what is the point behind the unrelenting practice that until now millions of women are mutilated. Several indicators include: "That female circumcision is rampant in Christian nations such as Kenya and Ethiopia". "That forced female circumcisions are true in all faiths abovementioned. It is a common practice in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sierra Leone and Sudan". "That FGM was once practiced by Ethiopian Jews known as that Falashas. However

Robotic Surgery Disposal Essay Example for Free

Robotic Surgery Disposal Essay What is the Environmental Collateral Effects of Minimally Robotic Surgery? Two small studies have looked specifically at differences in communication between laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Both studies found a significant increase in oral communication between the surgeon and the rest of the team in robotic surgery, particularly in relation to the orientation and localization of organs and the manipulation of instruments, with the effect found to be more pronounced in teams that have less experience in robotic surgery. If use of robotic surgery interferes with standard practices of coordination among the OT team, the achievement of seamless, efficient, and timely teamwork may be hampered. It is important to understand any change in communication patterns because of the well-documented relationship between communication and patient safety, with failures in communication and teamwork being identified as key factors in adverse events in the OT. Communication and teamwork around robotic surgery are likely to be influenced by processes associated with the introduction of robotic surgery, such as training and changes in team structure, but equally the integration of robotic surgery in surgical practice may be dependent on the extent to which it is consistent with existing practices for coordination. How is Robotic Surgery Disposal conducted? For robotic surgery to provide the most benefit for patients, it is first necessary to understand the organizational and social factors that support the successful integration of robotic surgery, by which we mean that it becomes embedded into surgical practice, being used routinely and successfully for surgical operations where it offers advantages to the patient. It is also necessary to understand the impacts of robotic surgery on communication, teamwork, and decision making in the OT and how OT teams manage those impacts. Robotic-assisted surgery has evolved over the past two decades with constantly improving technology, assisting surgeons in multiple subspecialty disciplines. Patient positioning requirements can cause significant physiologic effects and may result in many complications. Good communication among team members and knowledge of the nuances of robotic surgery have the potential to improve patient outcomes, increase efficiency,  and reduce surgical and anesthetic comp lications. Robotic surgeries of long duration are associated with both increased risks to patients as well as distinct challenges for care providers As robotic surgery is increasingly utilized, operations with long surgical times may become more common due to increased case complexity and surgeons overcoming the learning curve.

Rebecca Wests The Return of the Soldier and Virginia Woolfs Jacobs R

Rebecca West's The Return of the Soldier and Virginia Woolf's Jacob's Room Rebecca West and Virginia Woolf give great significance to the families of their respective main characters in The Return of the Soldier and Jacob’s Room because it gives the reader a greater insight to the formation of and reasoning for both Chris and Jacob’s nature. Each of these characters have multiple families to deal with: Chris has Kitty and Jenny on the one hand, and Margaret on the other, while Jacob deals with his mother and brother as well as his connections to society and academia. The distinctions between each character’s multiple families cause them to behave differently in various situations, and provide reasons for their actions. It is said that we are shaped by our surroundings and molded by our families, and Woolf and West’s male protagonists prove to be no exception to this rule. The opening scene of Jacob’s Room depicts Mrs. Flanders and Archer searching for a young Jacob along the beach, already showing that the titular character is detached and separate from those around him. Instead of walking with his mother and brother on the shore, Jacob is more interested in the escapades of a crab in a tidal pool, an early indication of his future pursuit of knowledge and his penchant for isolation. Aside from this first mention, Jacob’s biological family is mentioned very rarely throughout the remainder of the novel, as Woolf focuses on his social and academic family instead. However, Jacob’s tendency to distance himself from many of his friends probably stems from the slightly distracted air of his mother, who seems to love and care for him but at the same time is scatter-brained and somewhat unaware of her surroundings. Jacob i... ...e complete without the care and heartache handed them by the families they gain and lose throughout the courses of their short lives. Woolf states it perfectly, realizing that â€Å"life is but a procession of shadows, and God knows why it is that we embrace them so eagerly, and see them depart with such anguish, being shadows... Such is the manner of our seeing. Such the conditions of our love† (Woolf, 96). Jacob is only partially loved and cared for by his mother, and therefore carries this half-affection into his social interactions, eventually regretting the supremely human act of falling in love. Likewise, Chris is two completely different people between Margaret and Kitty– loving and content with Margaret, once he is returned to reality he becomes one of the â€Å"brittle beautiful things† that Kitty so loves to have in her presence, a mere shadow of his soul (West, 6).

Research methods in education Essay

This topic will give you the overview of a research report and an example of a research report. After completing this topic, you should be able to explain the chapter contents of: (a) Research Problem; (b) Review of the Literature; (c) Research Method; (d) Research Findings; and (e) Conclusions (Figure 2. 1). Figure 2. 1: Topic Contents 2. 2 EXAMPLE OF A RESEARCH REPORT â€Å"THE EFFECTS OF PREREQUISITE MATHEMATICS ABILITY, TEACHING METHOD AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS ON MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT† CHAPTER 1 RESEARCH PROBLEM 1. 1 Introduction State the purpose of research and explain the brief contents/subtopics of section/ chapter. The purpose of this research was to determine whether prerequisite mathematics ability, teaching method and English language skills affect mathematics achievement. This chapter will explain the background of research, statement of the research problem, purpose of research, importance of research, limitations of research, definition of terms, and summary. 1. 2Background of Research Explain the motivation for carrying out this research in terms of theoretical issues or practical problems. Lately, mathematics achievement of most students in both the primary and secondary schools is deteriorating. The teaching of mathematics in English does affect mathematics learning for some students, but it creates significant problems for others. Schools had tried to solve some of these problems, but still could not improve mathematics achievement of these students. 1. 3 Statement of Research Problem Explain the factors/variables to be included in this research, show the conceptual/theoretical framework of research, and state the research problem. The literature on teaching and learning mathematics indicated that prerequisite mathematics ability is necessary for students to understand any new mathematics content. Beside prerequisite mathematics, most of past research showed that proper teaching mathematics can improve students’ performance in mathematics. Lately, research on mathematics learning discovered that English language skills facilitate mathematics learning. The theoretical framework of the research is given in Figure 1. 1. This research attempted to determine whether prerequisite mathematics ability, English language skills, and teaching method affect mathematics achievement. Figure 1. 1 Theoretical Framework of the Research 1. 4Purpose of Research Explain the purpose of research, research objectives, research questions and research hypotheses (if any). The purpose of this research was to determine whether prerequisite mathematics ability, teaching method and English language skills affect mathematics achievement. The objectives of this research were: 1. 4. 1 Research Objectives This research was carried out with the following objectives: (a) To determine the effect of prerequisite mathematics ability on mathematics achievement. (b) To determine the effect of teaching method on mathematics achievement. (c) To determine the effect of English language skills on mathematics achievement. 1. 4. 2 Research Questions This research was carried out to answer the following research questions: (a) What is the effect of prerequisite mathematics ability on mathematics achievement? (b) What is the effect of teaching method on mathematics achievement? (c) What is the effect of English language skills on mathematics achievement? 1. 4. 3 Research Hypotheses The following null hypotheses were formulated to answer the research questions: (a) There is no difference in mathematics achievement between students with low and high prerequisite mathematics abilities. (b) There is no difference in mathematics achievement between students who are taught using direct instruction and cooperative learning. (c) There is no difference in mathematics achievement between students with low and high English language skills. 1.5Importance of Research Explain the importance of research findings in terms of theory confirmation/building or their implications to practitioners. The findings of this research hopefully will create awareness among school administrators and mathematics teachers of the necessity to prepare students with English language skills and prerequisite mathematics knowledge before teaching new mathematics content. The findings also will h elp mathematics teachers to choose appropriate mathematics teaching method to improve students’ mathematics achievement. 1. 6Limitations of Research Explain the limitations of this research in terms of population, sample, instruments, data analyses or other related problems to the research. This research was carried out in two secondary schools in Petaling Jaya area with a sample of 120 students. The prerequisite mathematics ability, teaching method and English language skills were classified into only two categories each. The instruments were limited to prerequisite mathematics test, English language test, and mathematics post-test. Interaction effects of prerequisite mathematics ability and English language skills with teaching method were not investigated in this research. 1. 7Definition of Terms Give the constitutive (conceptual) and operational (measurement) definitions of the terms/variables used in the research. The followings were the key terms used in this research and their constitutive and operational definitions: (a) Mathematics achievement Mathematics achievement can be defined as the ability of a person to solve mathematical problems at a difficulty level that is appropriate to the person. In this research, mathematics achievement was measured using a mathematics post-test that covered the syllabus on area of triangle,rectangle, and circle. (b) Prerequisite mathematics ability †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 1. 8Summary Give a summary of important aspects explained in this section/chapter. This research was carried out to improve students’ mathematics achievement. The purpose of this research was to determine whether prerequisite mathematics ability, teaching method and English language skills affect mathema tics achievement. The research, which was conducted in two secondary schools in Petaling Jaya area, used teacher-made tests to collect the required research data. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE RREVIEW 2. 1 Introduction Explain the brief contents of section/chapter. This chapter presents the Literature Review which is divided into Related Literature and Related Research. The Related Literature explains prerequisite mathematics, language skills, direct instruction and cooperative learning. The Related Research presents some research on the effects of prerequisite mathematics ability, language skills and teaching method on mathematics achievement. 2. 2 Related Literature Explain concepts, theories, principles or models that are related to the research problem. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of prerequisite mathematics ability, teaching method and English language skills on mathematics achievement. This section will explain the two teaching methods that were used in this research, namely, direct instruction and cooperative learning; and also the roles of prerequisite knowledge and language skills in teaching and learning. 2. 2. 1 Direct Instruction Slavin (2006) defined â€Å"direct instruction† as â€Å"an approach to teaching in which lessons are goal-oriented and structured by the teacher†. The teacher transmits information directly to students by structuring class time so that the students achieve the clearly stated objectives as efficient as possible. It is efficient for teaching a well-defined body of knowledge or skills such as mathematics. Direct Instruction comprises of the following seven (7) steps of activities: (a) State Learning Objectives and Orient Students to Lesson; (b) Review Prerequisites; (c) Present New Materials; (d) Conduct Learning Probes; (e) Provide Independent Practice; (f) Assess Performance and Provide Feedback; and (g) Provide Distributed Practice and Review. 2. 2. 2 Cooperative Learning Slavin (2006) defined â€Å"cooperative learning† as â€Å"instructional methods in which students work together in small groups to help each other learn†. The students are prepared with specific skills that will help them work better in a group. These skills include active listening, giving clear explanations, avoiding negative comments, etc. An effective cooperative learning model is called Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD). STAD comprises of the following four (4) steps of activities: (a) Teach – the teacher present the lesson; (b) Team Study – students work on worksheets in their teams to master the material; (c) Test – students take individual tests; and (d) Team Recognition – team scores are computed based on team members’ improvement scores and class newsletter recognizes high-scoring teams. 2. 3 Related Research Explain and comment about previous research/ studies that are related to the research problem in terms of population, sample, instruments, analyses, findings and limitations. Based on the research framework, this section will present the previous research/ studies related to the effects of prerequisite mathematics ability, teaching method and English language skills on mathematics achievement. Specifically, this section will present the research on direct instruction (Systematic Instruction) and cooperative learning (Student Teams-Achievement Divisions – STAD). 2. 3. 1 Research on Direct Instruction The Systematic Instruction (SI) is one form/model of Direct Instruction. SI is a comprehensive Direct Instruction approach with a high degree of structure. Studies on the evaluation of nine programmes using Direct Instruction were carried out (in Slavin, 2006). DISTAR and Behaviour Analysis, the two highly structured Direct Instruction programmes, were found most successful in improving students’ reading and mathematics achievement. Of the nine programmes, only DISTAR was successful in improving low-achieving disadvantaged students close to the national average achievement. DISTAR and Behaviour Analysis students were also highest in self-esteem. About 60% of DISTAR students graduated from high school, compared to only 38% of other students in the same school. 2. 3. 2 Research on Cooperative Learning Slavin (1986) had done a research on Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD). The research found that students learn substantially more in cooperative learning than in traditional/direct instruction, if two conditions are made. First, there must be some reward or recognition given to students, such as certificates. Second, each group must make sure that all of their members are learning, not just the good ones. When these conditions are met, cooperative learning is effective in grades 2 through 12, in all subjects and in many types of schools. Other than academic achievement, cooperative learning had positive effect on race relations, self-esteem, and attitudes toward school (Slavin, 1990). 2. 4 Summary Give a summary of important aspects explained in this section/chapter. This chapter presented the Literature Review for this research. The Related Literature discussed about direct instruction, cooperative learning, and the roles of prerequisite knowledge and skills and language skills in teaching and learning. The Related Research discussed about the research on direct instruction, namely, Systematic Instruction, and cooperative learning, namely, Student Teams-Achievement Divisions. CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHOD 3. 1 Introduction Introduction Explain the brief contents of section/chapter. This chapter presents the Research Method which is divided into Research Design, Population and Sample, Research Instruments, Procedure for Data Collection, Procedure for Data Analyses, Pilot Study, and Summary. This research used experimental design to investigate the effects of prerequisite mathematics ability, English language skills, and teaching method on mathematics achievement. 3. 2 Research Design A factorial experimental design was used to investigate the effects of three independent variables; namely, prerequisite mathematics ability, English language skills, and teaching method; on the dependent variable of mathematics achievement. This section will explain the factorial design with each of the independent variable having two levels. The two levels of prerequisite mathematics ability were low and high; the two levels of English language skills were low and high; and the two levels of teaching method were direct instruction and cooperative learning. A (2x2x2) factorial design was used in this research with a total of eight groups/cells. The factorial design is shown in Table 3. 1. Table 3. 1: (2x2x2) Factorial Design on Mathematics Achievement Prerequisite Mathematics Ability Low High English Language Skills: Low Direct Instruction Direct Instruction English Language Skills: High Direct Instruction Direct Instruction Prerequisite Mathematics Ability Low High English Language Skills: Low Cooperative Learning Cooperative Learning English Language Skills: High Cooperative Learning Cooperative Learning 3. 3 Population and Sample Explain the scope/limitation of research in terms of population and sample & how respondents are selected. This was a part of an action research planned for a public secondary school in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. The research population comprised of all the Form 4 students in the school for the school year of 2009. A total of 240 Form 4 students were randomly selected as research sample. Other population and sample were not considered in this research, since it was an action research for the school. 3. 4 Research Instruments Explain research instruments to be used and how they are developed/ constructed. There were four instruments used in this research, namely: (a) Backgrounds Questionnaire to collect data on backgrounds of respondents; (b) Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest to measure students’ prerequisite mathematics ability; (c) English Language Pretest to measure students’ English language skills; and (d) Mathematics Posttest to measure students’ mathematics achievement. The four research instruments were developed by two mathematics teachers and two English Language teachers from the school. The Backgrounds Questionnaire was focused on students’ gender, ethnic, stream, and PMR Mathematics grade. The Mathematics Pretest and Posttest were developed based on the topic of Probability and Statistics, while the English Language Pretest was developed based on Form 4 syllabus. 3. 5 Procedure for Data Collection Explain step-by-step of the procedure for data collection from obtaining the permission to do research to how the data were collected. The 240 Form 4 students were called to meet the School Principal and researchers at the school’s hall. They were briefed about the research and were given the Backgrounds Questionnaire, Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest, and English Language Pretest. After the results of the Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest and English Language Pretest were obtained, the students were classified into four groups of 60 students each, namely: (a) studentswith â€Å"low† Prerequisite Mathematics scores and â€Å"low† in English Language scores; (b) students with â€Å"low† Prerequisite Mathematics scores and â€Å"high† in English Language scores; (c) students with â€Å"high† Prerequisite Mathematics scores and â€Å"low† in English Language scores; and (d) students with â€Å"high† Prerequisite Mathematics scores a nd â€Å"high† in English Language scores. Each of the four groups of students was later assigned randomly to two groups of 30 students each to form a total of eight groups. One mathematics teacher was trained on how to teach mathematics using Direct Instruction, and another mathematics teacher was trained to teach mathematics using Cooperative Learning. After the training, one of the mathematics teachers taught four of groups of students on the topic of Probability and Statistics for a period of three weeks using Direct Instruction. The other four groups of students were taught by the other mathematics teacher on the topic of Probability and Statistics also for a period of three weeks using Cooperative Learning. At the end of three weeks, all students were given the Mathematics Posttest. 3. 6 Procedure for Data Analyses Explain step-by-step of the procedure for data analyses from marking the test(s) to how the data were analyzed to answer each research question. One English language teacher was asked to mark the English Language Pretest answer scripts, one mathematics teacher was asked to mark the Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest answer scripts, and another mathematics teacher was asked to mark the Mathematics Posttest answer scripts, based on the marking schemes provided by the researcher. The backgrounds information of the students and their Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest scores, English Language Pretest scores, and Mathematics Posttest scores were entered into a computer file for analyses. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the research data. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the backgrounds of students who participated in the research. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the following null hypotheses on the main effects of the independent variables investigated at 0. 05 level of significant. The following null hypotheses were formulated to answer the research questions: (a) There is no difference in mathematics achievement between students with low and high prerequisite mathematics abilities. (b) There is no difference in mathematics achievement between students who are taught using lecture method and cooperative method. (c) There is no difference in mathematics achievement between students with low and high English language skills. 3. 7 Pilot Study 4 Explain how you carried out the pilot study and improvements you made on your research after the pilot study. A pilot study for the research was carried out in the same school when the two mathematics teachers were given the training on how to teach mathematics using Direct Instruction and Cooperative Learning. A small sample of 20 students was used in the pilot study, whereby the students were given the Backgrounds Questionnaire, English Language Pretest, Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest, and Mathematics Posttest. The students were interviewed by the researcher on their understanding of the Questionnaire, Pretests, and Posttest. The researcher had refined the Questionnaire, and a new set of equivalent English Language Pretest, Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest, and Mathematics Posttest were developed by the same two mathematics teachers and two English Language teachers based on the comments from students. 3. 8 Summary Give a summary of important aspects explained in this section/chapter. This chapter presented the Research Method that was focused on the Research Design, Population and Sample, Research Instruments, Procedure for Data Collection, Procedure for Data Analyses and Pilot Study. The research was carried out on 240 Form 4 students from a public secondary school in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. A Backgrounds Questionnaire, an English Language Pretest, a Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest, and a Mathematics Posttest were used as research instruments. A pilot study was carried out at the same school and the instruments were refined based on students’ comments. Descriptive statistics were used to explain the backgrounds of respondents, while ANOVA was used to test the null hypotheses of the research. CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH FINDINGS 4. 1 Introduction Explain the brief contents of section/chapter. This chapter presents the Research Findings which is divided into the Backgrounds of Respondents and the Results of Data Analyses and Research Findings. The Backgrounds of Respondents discuss the composition of respondents by gender and ethnic. The Results of Data Analyses and Research Findings explain the results of Analysis of Variance on Mathematics Achievement and the hypothesis tests on the effects of Prerequisite Mathematics, Teaching Method, and English Language Skills on Mathematics Achievement. 4. Backgrounds of Respondents Explain the backgrounds of the research respondents, e. g. their gender, age, family income, etc. This research was carried out at a public secondary school in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 240 Form 4 students were randomly selected as research sample. These students were assigned to four groups based on the results of Prerequisite Mathematics Pretest and English Language Skills Pretest. The background of respondents in terms of gender, ethnic, mean score and standard deviation (SD) of Prerequisite Mathematics, and mean  score and standard deviation (SD) of English Language Skills are given in Table 4. 1. The respondents comprised of 120 male students (50%), 120 female students (50%); which were made up of 120 Malay students (50%), 96 Chinese students (40%), and 24 Indian students (10%). In terms of Prerequisite Mathematics and English Language Skills, Group 1 (Low Math & English) comprised of 60 students with mean of 31. 8% in Prerequisit e Mathematics and 42. 6% in English Language Skills. Group 2 (Low Math & High English) comprised of 60 students with mean of 32. 1% in Prerequisite Mathematics and 72.

Compare the advertising campaigns for Benetton and Barnardos Essay

â€Å"Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service.† 1 Advertising is used to either attract an audience’s attention, an audience to a product or cause or to persuade the audience the merit or desirability of the product or cause. Advertisers do this by defining the qualities of a product, highlighting the difference to other products or by using emotional appeal, stressing peer pressure, using aspiration, fear or stressing the benefits to the consumer’s lifestyle. The main focus of this essay is to compare advertising methods and campaigns employed by Benetton and Bernardos, one for selling clothes and the other trying to help children in need. Bernardos’ campaign is trying to achieve an awareness of child abuse, giving an image of a child in the place of an adult in situations ranging from standing on top of a large building to being about to use heroin or some other form of drug. By using these emotional images of children in an adult situation it emotionally blackmails us into donating to their cause because adults are accountable for their mistakes, which children are basked in innocence, to have this ripped from under them is like defiling the greatest gift and because Bernardo’s uses children instead of adults in these situations makes us even more emotional even though they are the fake pictures, while they can be considered more shocking than images used by Benetton. Text used with each image is also emotionally moving and makes the audience want to help. The image of â€Å"Martin Ward age 29† shows a young boy standing atop a handrail on a large building looking down against a background of dull, grey and large buildings. The background is almost colourless except the very top right corner, with the Bernardos advert on top of the only sky in the image, which is a grey-blue. This represents a bleak life for the persona in the image, except one small part which seems to be being almost guarded by the Bernardos logo. Also the use of colourful clothing on the child shows us that though he is put into an adult situation and his life is bleak, childishness remains and isn’t completely destroyed. The use of yellow on the clothing can seem to represent hope due to yellow being the perceived colour of light. â€Å"Made to feel worthless as a child, it was hardly surprising that Martin could see no other way out† by using this text they highlight on how the bleak landscape may be that of his own mind and what he believes, and though a child is being used to stand on the handrail it could infact either be the last of Martin’s childhood and innocence or that Martin, aged 29 had jumped off a rooftop to his death because of his childhood and so, the child in him is the one who committed suicide. By using and giving a name to the image, it creates a link to reality. An ordinary picture could be fake, it isn’t alive and can’t affect most people yet you give that persona in the picture a name and all of a sudden it’s like it’s alive and people either shy away and ignore it, or get up and believe in a cause and by doing so, this adds even more power to the extremely power of the image and text. Benetton’s campaign is trying to sell a product by using racial stereotypes to highlight our own stereotypes and stereotypical views in their first campaign, then going on to use real extreme or violent images to ask us why we accept how violent the world in whole is and why we do nothing to stop such atrocities. Benetton’s â€Å"Rice in hand† ad is black to cause the audience to be alerted to the advertisement, while making the audience think about the poorest people in the eastern world and how little they have. The open palm can be interpreted as a hand asking for help because of so little they have. The â€Å"Rice in hand† ad is focusing on our essential needs, thus the use of a plain background, only an open palm which can symbolize friendship or peace, and the bare essential food we need, cutting out the luxuries that the west can afford. However the white background could also present the idea that white people in history have been seen as a â€Å"superior† race and so have encroached on black people’s lands and taken it from them until they are left with their own bare minimums. Both of these make people want to break the stereotype of the hoarding white man and the poor black man. Where as the â€Å"Handcuffs† ad is showing a white man and black man connected at the wrist by hand cuffs, they also appear to be wearing blue prison overalls. The handcuff around the black man’s wrist appears to be tighter because of the veins being more visible but this may be coincidence. This ad draws the audience to think about cultural stereotypes of black males as trouble makers where as white people are seen as average; normal and yet the handcuffs may be seen as a link between races, that we are both on the Earth together yet we are separated, thus the only link is the handcuffs which are forcefully put there. The purpose of this advert is to show the links between the races and how we racially or culturally stereotype each other and though we may not want to be with the other race, we have to. The target audience is everyone who is able to consider these ideas as sooner or later lots of people are subjected to racism, be it causing it or fighting it. Both these adverts are trying to raise awareness of the way different races come into contact with each other and have racial or cultural stereotypes. Benetton have exploited this to sell their products. They have no intention of giving their profits to starving people in Africa with less than the minimum needed, or to make bridges between white and black communities, instead they use these images to make the potential customer think about the advert and this causes it to become stuck in their head which is known to increase chances of buying the product. The slogan of â€Å"United colors by Benetton† also factors into this because it almost tricks the buyer into thinking that their money is going to a good cause. The images used are from real situations are intended to shock by means of style, layout, central focus or colour. They also raise awareness of issues while selling a product and I believe it is right to use real images of human suffering in this way because it brings the troubles of the world into the fuzzy pink clouds that are our norm and by interrupting that normality people complain, to which you can reply â€Å"Then why aren’t you doing anything?† If it takes a clothing company to exploit these images to make people believe in helping and becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy then images of real human suffering should definitely be used. The general style for the second campaign is much more extreme and violent than the first which originally prayed on stereotypes; the second campaign used shock to instill care into people. â€Å"We need to have images that will make people think and discuss. Ad agencies are obsolete, they’re out of touch with the times; they’re far too comfortable. When the client is happy, they stop trying. They don’t want to know what’s going on in the world. They create a false reality and want people to believe in it. We show reality and we’re criticized for it.†2 The second campaigns images forced people to examine their reactions to violent images outside of the TV where they were accepted as normal, and not realized how truly horrific they were until now. The â€Å"Death of AIDS Victim† or â€Å"La Pietà  Ã¢â‚¬  ad is extremely moving because the settings, the people in the image are like that of Jesus and yet this is an AIDS victim being compared to the son of God and yet the grief is the same, loved ones and a priest. The image of the wasted corpse, ravaged by disease is enough to burn into someone’s memory without the loved ones crying and it also gives it a sense of reality and despair and it is because of this reality that people block it because they aren’t strong enough to have their safe world penetrated by the reality of the world and it’s violent nature. â€Å"Michelangelo’s Pietà   during the Renaissance might be fake, Jesus Christ may never have existed. That was real promotion. But we know this death has happened. This is the thing. And the more real the thing is, the less people want to see it.†2 Bernardo’s uses fake images of children in the place of adults in extreme adult situations to make us more emotional and likely to donate to their cause, yet this is seen as acceptable while people should be angry they are effectively being blackmailed emotionally and yet Benetton uses real life images and is criticized. â€Å"Shocking violence in the news is normal, but when you take the same photo out of the news and put a Benetton logo on it, people pause and reflect on their position on the problem. When they can’t come to terms with it, they get mad at us.†2 and yet it is these images that we should be happier about compared to the fakes supplied by Bernardo’s. â€Å"It seems that an advertisement which misleads the consumer with deception and lies is considered more correct†2 and this is true with life, because people don’t want reality, they want their perfect worlds where bad things happen to other people far, far away with no consequences on them, yet when the bad things happen to other people far, far away and are brought to them they are outraged. â€Å"people don’t want news, they want olds†3 â€Å"It has always intrigued me how fakes have been accepted and reality is rejected.†2 After analysis, the Bernardo’s campaign seems better equipped to achieve its purpose because it uses image which though still troubling, is deemed less so than that of Benetton’s. Also because it uses fake images instead of real ones, context is added and so people are able to keep their bubbles of saneness that the world’s violence desperately wants to burst. Although Barnardos seeks to get its audience to give for a good cause, it does it through deceit, lies and emotional blackmail though the end justifies the means and it is seen as acceptable while Benetton’s campaign images gives real life at its core it does so for what is seen as the wrong reasons and so is shunned and criticized. Bibliography: 1 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising 2 – Oliviero Toscani 3 – â€Å"The Truth: A Novel of Discworld† http://www.amazon.com/review/R3LV503LWFE65Z

A Near Death Experience Essays

A Near Death Experience Essays A Near Death Experience Essay A Near Death Experience Essay How near have you come to deceasing? What value do you put on your ain life? Mary Oliver poses these really deep and challenging inquiries to the reader in her short verse form. ?Alligator Poem. ?In the verse form. the character has an experience in which she comes really close to decease: an alligator walks by her as she drank some H2O out of a river while sitting on a riverside. Oliver describes it in this manner: ?I didn’t understand/I drank up to the really minute it came/crashing toward me/its tail flailing/like a package of swords/slashing the grass/and the interior of its cradle-shaped mouth/gaping/and rimmed with dentitions and/that’s how I about died/of foolishness/in beautiful Florida. ?Clearly she has had a near-death experience. The linguistic communication used in depicting that transition shows true fright: ? tail flailing/like a package of swords/slashing the grass. ? This experience has exposed the character to the really existent possibilities of deceas e. This experience besides was most likely the persona?s foremost near-death experience. Oliver indicates this with the statement ? that?s how I about died/of foolishness/in beautiful Florida. ? People who have many near-death experiences normally ever exercising cautiousness in state of affairss that could be fatal. In this state of affairs. she walked straight up to the river bank and stuck her olfactory organ in. and started imbibing ( ? I didn?t understand/I drank up to the really minute it came? ) . The remainder of the verse form goes on to demo how the character changed and reacted from this near-death experience. She clearly takes a new value for life off from her first near-death experience: ? but about how I rose from the ground/and saw the universe as if for the 2nd time/the manner it truly is. ? The transmutation that she shows after the experience can be attributed to the new value that she places on life. which before the near-death experience was much lower. Most likely. she will exert cautiousness further in the hereafter. Another facet that the character takes off from this experience is her recognition of the life qualities of nature. Oliver explains this with the transition straight after the description of the metempsychosis: ? The H2O. that circle of shattered glass/healed itself with a slow whisper/and lay back/with the back-lit visible radiation of polished steel/and the birds. in the eternal waterfalls of the trees/shook open the snowy plaits of their wings. and drifted off. ?The character now sees populating value of nature. and how it is non simply inanimate objects. but a being merely like us. Before the near-death experience. the character of the verse form was blind to this truism. Unfortunately. it took a turn with decease to expose these facts. but it is every bit of import that she now understands this. This newfound value is already apparent in the persona?s life. Oliver makes certain to demo the persona?s transmutation in concrete inside informations: ? I reached out/I picked the wild flowers from the grass around me/blue stars/and reddish trumpets/on long green stems/for hours in my trembling custodies they glittered/like fire. ? The character picks the flowers and recognize their life qualities. hence the simile to fire in the last line of the verse form. The verse form contains many literary devices that Oliver uses to convey her message in the verse form. The full verse form is a amour propre. or drawn-out metaphor. for a rebirthing procedure. Oliver gives us the sightlessness in the beginning of the verse form ? when the character unwisely walks up to the riverside without any respect for the home ground of the animate beings that live in and around the river ( e. g. the alligator ) . and the possible hazards of an alligator brush ( e. g. decease ) . Next was the near-death experience. as the alligator crossed waies with the character. which caused the transmutation. Finally. the metempsychosis occurs. and the alterations in her life are happening every bit shortly as the metempsychosis happens. Clearly. Mary Oliver illustrates the rebirthing procedure in her verse form Alligator Poem. She attractively demonstrates this procedure with personification. amour propre. and metaphors. She is a great poet. and ?Alligator Poem? is a great illustration of her enormous organic structure of work. Plants Cited Oliver. Mary. Alligator Poem. 50 Great Poems and Short Stories. Random House. 1990.

Acid Rain Essays (1959 words) - Inorganic Solvents, Acid Rain

Acid Rain INTRODUCTION: Acid rain is a great problem in our world. It causes fish and plants to die in our waters. As well it causes harm to our own race as well, because we eat these fish, drink this water and eat these plants. It is a problem that we must all face together and try to get rid of. However acid rain on it's own is not the biggest problem. It cause many other problems such as aluminum poisoning. Acid Rain is deadly. WHAT IS ACID RAIN? Acid rain is all the rain, snow, mist etc that falls from the sky onto our planet that contains an unnatural acidic. It is not to be confused with uncontaminated rain that falls, for that rain is naturally slightly acidic. It is caused by today's industry. When products are manufactured many chemicals are used to create it. However because of the difficulty and cost of properly disposing of these products they are often emitted into the atmosphere with little or no treatment. The term was first considered to be important about 20 years ago when scientists in Sweden and Norway first believed that acidic rain may be causing great ecological damage to the planet. The problem was that by the time that the scientist found the problem it was already very large. Detecting an acid lake is often quite difficult. A lake does not become acid over night. It happens over a period of many years, some times decades. The changes are usually to gradual for them to be noticed early. At the beginning of the 20th century most rivers/lakes like the river Tovdal in Norway had not yet begun to die. However by 1926 local inspectors were noticing that many of the lakes were beginning to show signs of death. Fish were found dead along the banks of many rivers. As the winters ice began to melt off more and more hundreds upon hundreds more dead fish (trout in particular) were being found. It was at this time that scientist began to search for the reason. As the scientists continued to work they found many piles of dead fish, up to 5000 in one pile, further up the river. Divers were sent in to examine the bottom of the rivers. What they found were many more dead fish. Many live and dead specimens were taken back to labs across Norway. When the live specimens were examined they were found to have very little sodium in their blood. This is typical a typical symptom of acid poisoning. The acid had entered the gills of the fish and poisoned them so that they were unable to ext ract salt from the water to maintain their bodies sodium levels. Many scientist said that this acid poising was due to the fact that it was just after the winter and that all the snow and ice was running down into the streams and lakes. They believed that the snow had been exposed to many natural phenomena that gave the snow it's high acid content. Other scientists were not sure that this theory was correct because at the time that the snow was added to the lakes and streams the Ph levels would change from around 5.2 to 4.6. They believed that such a high jump could not be attributed to natural causes. They believed that it was due to air pollution. They were right. Since the beginning of the Industrial revolution in England pollution had been affecting all the trees,soil and rivers in Europe and North America. However until recently the loses of fish was contained to the southern parts of Europe. Because of the constant onslaught of acid rain lakes and rivers began to lose their ability to counter act their affects. Much of the alkaline elements; such as calcium and limestone; in the soil had been washed away. It is these lakes that we must be worried about for they will soon become extinct. A fact that may please fishermen is that in lakes/rivers they tend to catch older and larger fish. This may please them in the short run however they will soon have to change lakes for the fish supply will die quickly in these lakes. The problem is that acid

Economic Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economic Growth - Essay Example The economic growth of Singapore is not that strong and sustaining. This is because, Singapore’s population is growing at a slow rate that the current economic plan cannot sustain. The available productive population is not enough to produce goods and services that can support the large old and unproductive population. More to that is Singapore had is limited in terms of land availability and has limited supply of water. This makes it hard to sustain its economy as a lot revenue earned is spend in purchasing this resources rather than developing the economy of that nation (Abeysinghe & Choy, 7). However, it has to be concluded that, though Singapore’s economic growth has not attained a level in which it can be referred to us strong and sustaining, its economy has grown tremendously since 2013. The Economic Development Board of Singapore is committed to achieve better and better investment strategies every year while striving to generate jobs for citizens of Singapore. In order for Singapore to grow economically, it should focus on ensuring that it records a high level of GDP and GNI. This is because these are the indicators of performance of a nation. Therefore, in order for Singapore to increase its GDP per capita. This is well attained by ensuring that Singaporeans are advised to consume the locally produced commodities. Consumption of foreign commodities should be limited since purchase involving such commodities lead to loss of local income. Moreover, Singaporeans should be encouraged to make investments. Investments are a way of ensuring that the local currency circulates appropriately within the economy and therefore reduces the imbalance between the poor and the rich (Koh, 2). In addition to that, government of Singapore is advised to increases its expenditure in generating job opportunities and establishment of social amenities like hospitals, schools, road networks, that will