Intelligence Testing for Special Education

Individualized intelligence tests are usually part of the battery of tests a school psychologist will use to evaluate students when referred for evaluation. Intelligence Testing The two most commonly used are the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and the Stanford-Binet. For many years the WISC has been considered the most valid measure of intelligence because it had both language and symbol based items and performance-based items. The WISC also provided diagnostic information, because the verbal part of the test could be compared to the performance items, to show a disparity between language and spatial intelligence. The Stanford Binet-Intelligence Scale, originally the Binet-Simon Test, was designed to identify students with cognitive disabilities. The scales focus on language narrowed the definition of intelligence, which has been to some extent broadened in the most recent form, the SB5. Both the Stanford-Binet and WISC are normed, comparing samples from each age group. In both cases, we have seen intelligence scores going up.  Research shows the mean increasing somewhere between 3 and 5 percent a decade.  Ã‚  It is believed the fact that the way instruction is mediated is directly related to how intelligence is measured.  We dont necessarily teach to the test so much as structure information that way the test scores.  It also means that children with severe apraxia or language difficulties because of autism may score very poorly on the Standford-Binet because of its focus on language.  They may have intellectually disabled or retarded in their diagnosis, whereas, in reality, they may really be Intellectually different, since their intelligence is not truly being evaluated. The Reynolds Intellectual Assessment Scales, or RAIS, takes 35 minutes to administer and covers 2 verbal intelligence indexes, 2 non-verbal indexes and a comprehensive intelligence index, which measures reasoning ability and the ability to learn, among other cognitive skills. Best Known Intelligence Test The best-known product of Intelligence testing is the IQ, or Intelligence Quotient. An IQ score of 100 is meant to reflect the average (mean) score for children the same age as the child being tested. A score over 100 implies better than average intelligence, and scores below 100 (actually, 90) implies some level of cognitive difference. Group Tests Group Tests prefer to bill themselves as ability rather than intelligence tests and are usually used to identify children for gifted programs.  These are generally used for screening to identify children with either high or low intelligence.  Children who are identified for gifted programs or IEPs are often re-tested with an individual test, either the WISC or Standford Binet intelligence tests, to have a clearer picture of a childs challenges or gifts.   The CogAT or Cognitive Abilities Test consists of several sessions, from 30 minutes (kindergarten) to 60 minutes (higher levels.) The MAB or Multidimensional Aptitude Battery consists of 10 subtests scores and can be grouped in verbal and performance areas. The MAB can be administered to individuals, groups, or on the computer. It yields standard scores, percentiles or IQs. With the emphasis on state assessments and achievement, few districts are regularly administering group tests. Psychologists usually prefer one of the individual tests of intelligence to identify children for special education services.

Achievement Gaps, Access, Quality And Floridas Vpk Program

Achievement Gaps, Access, Quality and Florida’s VPK Program Achievement Gaps Each year in the United States four million eager young children walk into a kindergarten classroom with big hopes and dreams of success both academically and socially (U.S. DOE, 2015). But the stark reality facing many of these children is that they are several steps behind their classmates on the journey to success. Even as early as the first grade, 30% - 50% of the black-white achievement gap is already present. (Mead, 2012). Similar size gaps also exist when considering socio-economic levels. â€Å"Before even entering kindergarten, the average cognitive score of children in the highest SES group are 60% above the scores of the lowest SES group† (Mead, 2012). These children are beginning their journey without the reading, math and social–emotional skills necessary for their success. The â€Å"average math achievement is 21% lower for black than for whites, and 19% lower for Hisp anics† (Mead, 2012). These gaps are looming large in the lives of young children. Access/Quality â€Å"Research shows that young children’s earliest learning experiences can have powerful long-term effects on their cognitive and emotional development, school achievement, and later life outcomes† (Mead, 2012). The literature reveals that a strong collection of research exists that indicates children who attend high-quality preschool programs have better health, social-emotional, and cognitive outcomes than those who do not

Accounting and Financial Reporting-Free-Samples-Myassignmenthelp

Question: Clarify the relationship between the various components of the AASB/IASB conceptual framework. Answer: Introduction: This report briefs the user about the objectives, characteristics, financial statement elements and measurement of financial statement elements. In this report AASB/IASB conceptual framework has been concerned to perform this study. AASB/IASB relationship: AASB/IASB is an accounting board which briefs the professionals about the preparation of financial statement and also depict that how must the financial statement must be presented. Map: Explanation: The above map depict about the objectives, characteristics, financial statement elements and measurement of financial statement elements. In this report, objectives of general purpose financial reporting, qualitative characteristics of financial information, elements of financial statements and recognition and measurement of financial statement elements have been studied. While conducting this research, IASB and AASB framework has been considered. Objective of general purpose financial reporting: General purpose financial reporting has come into consideration to provide financial reporting and presentation standards to the professionals as the professionals were using their own standards and knowledge to prepare and present the final financial statement. More, the objective of this is to make decisions about the financial statement in a better manner by the internal and external stakeholder of the company. More, it becomes easy to the stakeholder to collect the information (Kothari, Ramanna Skinner, 2010). Thus it could be said that the main objective of the company is to offer financial information in a good manner to the stakeholders. Qualitative characteristics of financial information: This concept of IASB and FASB depict about the Relevance of the financial statement, Materiality concept which depict that irrelevant information must not be shown in the final statements, faithful representation depict that the statements must be faithful and relevant for the stakeholders, comparability describe about the competence of the final statements, verifiability depict that the statements must be verified and must offer the true knowledge and information about the company (Schrand Zechman, 2012). Elements of financial statements: Financial statements are essential for every public limited company to manage to offer a true, faithful and relevant information to the stakeholders. Assets, Liabilities, Equity, Income, Performance, Expenses, Capital maintenance adjustments etc are the main elements of the company which must be described and presented into the final statements of the company. It depict about the true information of the company and a better decision could be made by the internal and external stakeholders through it (Bohusova Nerudova, 2009). Recognition and measurement of financial statement elements: It is required by the company to recognize and measure the following elements and concept of the company to make a better final financial statement so that the true information of the company get by the internal and external stakeholders and a better decision could be made by the internal and external stakeholders through it (Deegan, 2012). Probability of future economic benefits must be measured in a proper manner, measurements must be reliable, assets must be recognized in a proper manner, liabilities must be recognized in a proper manner, income must be recognized in a proper manner, expenses must be recognized in a proper manner, historical cost measurement must be done in a proper manner etc. Conclusion: Thus through this study, it could be concluded that the statements must be prepared in such a manner that a better decision could be made by the stakeholders of the company References: Bohusova, H., Nerudova, D. (2009). US GAAP and IFRS convergence in the area of revenue recognition. Economics and Management, (14), 12-19. Deegan, C. (2012). Australian financial accounting. McGraw-Hill Education Australia. Kothari, S. P., Ramanna, K., Skinner, D. J. (2010). Implications for GAAP from an analysis of positive research in accounting. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 50(2), 246-286. Schrand, C. M., Zechman, S. L. (2012). Executive overconfidence and the slippery slope to financial misreporting. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 53(1), 311-329

Managing the Transition

Introduction Change in normally brought about by globalization and advancing technology, as the organizations try to fit in the competing market by attaining a market share and a competitive advantage. However, change may not be appreciated by employees, as some view it as a threat to their jobs due to the expectations that accompany change.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing the Transition specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Employees find it hard to adapt to change especially when change is forced on them other than discussed with them. In addition, employees may resist change if it has unrealistic expectations and is threatening to their jobs. However, for change to be acceptable, it has to be healthy and has employees interest at heart, otherwise change may contribute to decrease in employee’s morale and performance (Houdmont and Leka, 2010 pp 125). Job demand should be realistic; otherwise, it may be a source of stress to the employees, which may also contribute to absenteeism. If your organization were planning a major change, such as a merger, what steps would be necessary to manage the transition? Change in an organization should be aimed at improving the organization’s performance and it should not be aimed at meeting a manager’s personal interests. According to Piederit (2000, pp 795), sometimes, opposition to change may be aimed at protecting the organization’s interests. When implementing change, for instance a merger, the managers should be able to communicate with the employees about this change before it is implemented. This way, employees will not acquire negative ideas about the change; instead, they will get to understand the importance of a merger to the organization. The management should engage the staff in the implementation; hence, they would be in a position to manage change. In addition, effective communication is important between the management and the staff regarding the change in mergers. A well-elaborated plan should be created, which should involve the employees, as they will be affected by this change. Even if the management may not consider the employees’ opinions in the final decision-making, it is important that the employees feel that their views are considered, hence avoiding resistance.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The management should also support employees with full support in regard to their opinions by ensuring that effective communication exists in both teams. In most cases, employees fear change due to its uncertainties, however, the managers may give room for employees’ views and establish forums in which employees can learn more on the proposed change. In this case, the management should be able to provide the employees with relevant information on the importance of mergers and how they will impact on the organization and the staff. According to Kerfoot (2005 pp 271), â€Å"effective change must be built on the foundation that is already in the organization; diffusion of changes are only effective when the seeds of change are planted in people throughout the organization.† Employees have to own the change first, hence adapting to it and being able to operate under a new change. In case an organization decides to merge with another organization for a profit making purpose, it should inform employees about the plan and the benefits to it. It is obvious that employees may fear the uncertainties of being part of another company or even leadership; however, if this idea is communicated well to the employees and they are allowed to air their views, it will be an easy task. Piederit (2000, pp 786) proposes multi-dimensional attitudes as responses to organizational changes in employees, which portray both emotions and feelings that could either be negative or positive regarding the proposed change. Conclusion Change in an organization proves to be necessary due to the technology advances and it may be of use to the organization; however, change is not always welcomed with open arms especially by employees, as they fear the uncertainties associated with it. It is however the duty of management to implement change effectively by also engaging employees in the implementation process, ensuring effective communication of the proposed change, and informing employees on the impacts of the change, for instance, rewards may be inclusive in the new change. Therefore, employees may learn to appreciate and embrace change, as it is also beneficial to them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managing the Transition specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Houdmont, J. and Leka, S. (2010). Contemporary Occupational Health Psychology: Global Perspectives on Research a nd Practice. NJ: John Wiley and Sons Publisher. Kerfoot, K. (2005). Leadership; the jonny apple seeds of organizational change. Web. Piderit, S. (2007). Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence: a multidimensional view of attitudes toward an organizational change. NY: Academy of management publisher. This essay on Managing the Transition was written and submitted by user Samson Barton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Agar Cube Lab Report Essay Example

Agar Cube Lab Report Essay Example Agar Cube Lab Report Paper Agar Cube Lab Report Paper Hypothesis: I expect to find that when the surface area o volume of a cell reaches a certain level, diffusion alone wont be able to supply the cell materials needed, and as single-celled organisms take in and release substances by means of diffusion across the cell membrane, this process limits cell size. I predict that as the rate of diffusion will be too slow to deliver materials to the center of the cell in the larger cells, it could result in cell malfunction. Variables: The independent variables are the dimensions of surface area to volume ratio of the agar cube. (1 CM, 1. CM,CM) The dependent variable, the variable am observing/recording, is the time of diffusion (Noah turns the agar cube pink as it disperses into it). The controlled variables will be keeping the concentrations of the Sodium Hydroxide constant, to use agar jelly from the same batch. Also, theres the room temperature which is kept constant and the room pressure. Materials: 250 ml beaker Measuring tape Dull knife Stirring rod Phenolphthalein agar cubes (xx CM, 1. CM,1 CM) Hydrochloric acid (1 m) Paper towel Ruler Procedure: 1- Obtain agar cubes and hydrochloric acid from your lab instructor. Cut the bubs so that one has a length of 1. 00Â ±0. 05 CM, another 1. 50Â ±0. 05 CM, and the 3rd 2. 00Â ±0. 05 CM. 3- Examine the cubes closely and then place them in the ml beaker. As we can see the cube with the largest surface area and volume has the smallest surface area to volume ratio. If the surface area to volume ratio gets too small, then the substances wont be able to enter the cell fast enough to fuel the reactions, because the surface area controls the rate of the exchange of materials while as the volume grows larger it will need more materials to enter and exit, in a more quicker rate, therefore waste products will start to accumulate within the cell as they will be produced faster than they can be excreted. In addition, the cells will not be able to lose heat fast enough and so may overheat. This was concluded from the experiment, where as the Agar cube dimension were larger, the rate of diffusion was much mallet from the Agar cube with the smaller dimension, where the last had a larger V: AS ratio than the larger cube. Errors and Improvements: Error Improvement Parallax error, resulting in a misreading in volume. This is caused by reading the volume readings from an angle, thus to solve this error, readings must be read at the human eye level, where the meniscus being measured at and the eye, are at the same horizontal level for accurate reading intakes. The measuring cylinders that were used for the HCI were not divided by the same rate of division. Use the same type of cylinders for all trials, like a limerick cylinder to measure the amount of aqueous (HCI ) more accurately. The sizes of the cubes were not exact as mentioned ( Ex: 1 CM is not exact ) and as a result the results obtained may not be very accurate. When cutting, a more precise instrument must be used. If no other instrument is found, a more sharper knife can be used accompanied with a more specific ruler. Injury of the surface of the cubes due to hard stirring by the rod. Stir at a slower rate for a longer time than stirring hard for a little time, in addition to that a thinner rod can be used for stirring.

Filtering the Net essays

Filtering the Net essays Over the last several years many attempts have been made to put a limit on what can be viewed on the Internet. In 1996, it was the Communications Decency Act and in 1999 the Child Online Protection Act. Both were shot down because they were said to violate the first amendment right to free speech. Should the government have the right to limit what children view on the Internet? The government does this in places like schools and libraries. Filtering the Internet has become commonplace in most schools and libraries. Internet filters are software that puts restrictions on what can be viewed by using a vocabulary list. If a word on a website is in this list than the filter kicks in and the site cannot be seen. This has caught the eye of many different groups of people, such as the Family Research Council. This is what the Family Research Council has to say about Internet filters software that filters out objectionable Internet content will save public libraries from becoming sex havens where children and adults routinely go for pornography. Then there are groups with totally opposite views, such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation. When asked about Internet filters they said filters are imperfect and can harm children by creating a false sense of security and censoring some important information. The alliance just feels that if you deny children access to certain things, it will hurt them in the long run. Some teachers in New York City are also against the Internet filters because they said the filters would not allow access to many educational sites. There are also people who think the Internet filters are just a violation of free speech. Most people think that libraries and librarians were the ones that brought about these filters, but that is just not true. The American Library Association released this statement on internet filters it does not endo ...

Mass Media paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mass Media paper - Essay Example Living room has the television, outer lawn has the newspaper, car has the radio, mailboxes are full of mailers and journals while office table has the Internet and computer. The penetration is so deep that it won't be an exaggeration to say that no citizen can escape the news, views, and opinions, in different forms from the media. Political field is one such field which encompasses all aspects of our social life. So it is affected the most by media. Media has become an integral part of our lives and therefore they generate popular interest and debate about any social problem that we can think of. Media prospers and becomes more meaningful in a democratic environment like USA, India etc. It provides information: Media provides an access to government decisions and the decision taking process. Media also provides a scope for the public to know as to why the decision taker has taken such a decision. Accountability: Media has the ability to hold government officials accountable - either to the legal system or to public opinion - when they violate the law or when they act in ways that adversely affect people's interests. 3. At times shrewd political parties and politicians manipulate the media to serve their own interests. In fact now there are media channels/ newspapers set up by political parties/ leaders to influence the public opinion.

BUSINESS - It's Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment Essay

BUSINESS - It's Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment - Essay Example Since men were able to express their ideas, religion had been the cause of fighting for example, the Crusades. Unfortunately people had used religion as a justification for fighting. Therefore the men who interpret the religion states, that killing innocent lives and looting is all justified and legal, as long as they are doing it for their religion, but in all other cases its a crime against humanity. Religious beliefs and principles do not justify war, just because one-person states that God had told them to fight and fight they shall is conspicuously unintelligent. Warfare destroys lives, using religion, as an excuse to murder countless victims is a mind-boggling question because violence should not be administered because of a religious conflict. War does not solve anything, only the cause of destruction. The Crusades is a shining example of a conflict that flourished from a difference in religions. The Europeans had called their Christian army more civilized then to the so-called infidels they are fighting. An army of being more civilized then the enemy can also be state as propaganda. No religion has a right to declare war on each other just because of "holy" land. The Pope had asked the people to fight in an unknown territory to regain the holy lands, in which if one does so, his sins will be forgiven. People left their wives, children, parents, family, and friends to fight in this "Holy War" just because the Pope had declared that fighting is forgivable and will enter heaven after death. People die in wars, there is no way that can be undone, or in another term, just. Sure the Crusades had brought Europe out of the Dark Ages but at what cost, the lives perished by the sword can never be healed. Due to lies, soldiers march proudly onto the battlefield awaiting a glorious victory i n the name of their holy God, having no doubts on where they goes in the afterlife.

Farewell to Manzanar Essay Example for Free

Farewell to Manzanar Essay On December 7, 1941 there was a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by Japan. The attack came from the Japanese, yet it caused unfounded fear in this country toward Japanese Americans. The book Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston depicts the reactions of the government and the American public toward Japanese Americans after the attack on Pearl Harbor. So why were they the ones punished for it? We still see examples of inaccurate assumptions, hypocrisy, and discrimination during this time in our nation’s history that can be related to our own community since we continue to categorize, generalize and overreact. The fear, hatred and racism directed toward Japanese Americans came out in different ways. A primary example was that Americans assumed the Nisei (people of Japanese descent who were born, raised and were living in the U. S. ), Issei (Japanese who were born in Japan, but were living in the U. S. ), and the enemy Japanese were all the same with respect to their loyalty for the U.  S. Many saw no differences between these three groups. This is shown in the book when Mr. Wakatsuki (the father of author and main character Jeanne Wakatsuki) was interviewed by the Justice Department. The interview focused on a picture of Mr. Wakatsuki’s commercial fishing boat, which had two fifty-gallon drums attached. The Justice Department assumed he was using the drums to deliver oil to Japanese submarines off the coast of California. Mr. Wakatsuki was a commercial fisherman, and the drums were actually used to carry chum, which is fishing bait made of ground-up fish heads. Even though Mr. Wakatsuki had received his American citizenship, the Justice Department wrongfully assumed that he was using his boat illegally simply because he was of Japanese descent. They questioned his loyalty to America. This was very hypocritical of the government because in America, as citizens, we supposedly all have equal rights and freedoms. When the government questioned Mr. Wakatsuki in this assumptious manner, they took away his rights and freedoms. In many communities today, an example of making assumptions would be the way people view carnival workers as potential troublemakers. Another challenge Japanese Americans had to deal with was discrimination. They experienced this when only Japanese Americans were targeted and forced to move into internment camps. Jeanne and her family lived in one called Manzanar, near Independence, California. They stayed there for almost three years. Whenever a Japanese family boarded a bus headed for one of the camps, they were given a family number. This number was used by the camp officials to refer to the families. They weren’t even called by their names. This is an example of discrimination. When the buses arrived at the camps, they were forced to live in barracks. These barracks were virtually paper-thin shacks put together with the least amount of effort possible, in order to finish them in time for the arrival of the Japanese Americans. Most barracks had very little living space. In the case of Jeanne’s family, there were sixteen people in a space about the size of a living room. They ate in mess halls and used latrines with no partitions. The American government treated the Japanese Americans as though they were prisoners of war in their own country. The lack of minority residents in Livingston County would make it appear that minorities are discriminated against. The high cost of living means few minority residents can afford to live here. This could be described as passive discrimination. When Jeanne and her family finally do make it out of Manzanar, she was in the sixth grade and in a classroom of predominately white students. In the beginning, the teacher had simple expectations of her. Later, the teacher asked Jeanne if she wanted to read aloud for their reading lesson. She agreed. After she was done, a little girl, quite innocently, said, â€Å"Gee, I didn’t know you could speak English. † This was what the war, and being in internment camps did to the Japanese Americans. In spite of being American citizens, it made them look like foreigners in their own country. In the community of Fowlerville, there are people discriminated against. An example would be the community’s attitude toward people who live in mobile home parks. These individuals are often called â€Å"trailer trash†. They are looked down upon because people think they’re from a low-income level and often thought to be involved in illegal activities. Some people may argue that The Japanese Americans deserved to be treated the way they did. This, however, is not true at all. They were Americans just like the rest of us, and if the constitution was really what we governed ourselves by, other Americans should have been ripped from their homes as well. The Japanese American’s mistreatment wasn’t fair, just, or called for by any means, and it should not have happened. Although what the Japanese Americans went through was years ago, we still see examples of inaccurate attitudes of discrimination, and assumptions based on fear and outdated concerns today. It’s sad to say that even after having fought two world wars, this country still cannot overcome these issues. The First and Second World Wars were won, but the war against misunderstanding is still being fought. Maybe someday, when this war has been won, we can truly be considered the greatest country on earth.

Anthropology - Lucy in Hadar :: Anthropology

Anthropology - Lucy in Hadar In a search to find our ancestors, several anthropologists have found evidence to support their conclusions. In the films about Don Johanson's discovery of Lucy in Hadar, one may be very intrigued by the first film but very disturbed by the second film. I was very intrigued by the findings of the Australopithecines. The idea that Lucy, the skeleton found in Hadar, Africa, was closely related to the human species was amazing. Lucy was bipedal and her brain was smaller than that of modern humans. Lucy resembled an ape and was able to make tools to find food and weapons. Hadar, Africa was believed to be a heavily vegetated area but had evolved into a dry and desolate desert. After Lucy died, it was difficult to find her remains due to erosion and sediment in the body of water in which she died. Johanson and his team worked were able to use the advancement of technology to calculate about how old Lucy's remains were. The second film by Johanson seemed to disturb me because it discussed how some believe that all primates are killers and it portrayed this idea in film and in television. I disagree with the idea that all primates are predators and are always hunting harmless animals and destroying things. I understand that some primates must rely on hunting as a source of survival but I believe the portrayal of primates as barbaric in the film was unnecessary. In the second film, the primates were shown destroying piles of bones and throwing large objects. Johanson's film disturbed me in others parts. For example, when Lucy was killed by a lion and dragged into a tree. It seemed almost as if Lucy's hearing was not keen enough and therefore she was unable to escape the lion. It is a very crucial portion of the circle of life but the idea of Lucy being killed and dragged into a tree to become dinner for a hungry lion bothers me because of the direct link of Lucy to humans. I believe that Lucy is one of the first Australopithecines closely related to the human species for several reasons. Although she had a small brain, Lucy could make tools, use a fire for heat, and use sticks to gather termites for food.

Department Store Marketing Comparison

1. I have chosen to discuss and compare the department store industry. I have chosen this industry because I live in Southern California where the retail sector is a major part of business. Shopping malls are prevalent everywhere. I have seen and experienced all the differences among class and status. With a wide variety of demographics in Southern California, there are a number of shops and stores to choose from. Department stores range from discount warehouses such as Wal-Mart, mid-range stores such as JC Penney, and high-end stores like Nordstrom.I am going to discuss the department store industry specifically for Wal-Mart, JC Penny, and Nordstrom. Coming from a middle-class family, I have experienced shops at all ends of the department store spectrum. When it comes to the amount of department stores located throughout the United States, businesses are placed accordingly. High-end stores are placed in wealthy areas; where as low-end stores are placed in a suitable region. The amou nts of department stores, specifically for each status, are generally appropriate as well. 2. GeographicDemographicPsychographicBenefits SoughtJC PenneyJC Penney’s are located in most major shopping malls in a variety of communities. JC Penney has over 1,100 locations around the United StatesJC Penney tends to focus on the female demographic. More specifically mothers and middle-age womenTries to sell quality items at a low cost. Their new slogan is â€Å"fair and square pricing. † They try to emphasize that their prices are fair at market values. JC Penney is telling customers that they can benefit from their low prices. Don’t go to Nordstrom where everything is expensive or Wal-Mart where the quality is low Wal-MartWal-Marts are often located in low-income areas.Wal-Mart has over 7,000 locations in 15 countries. Wal-Mart targets people of all ages to shop at their stores. They offer children’s, women’s, and men’s clothing. Usually, familie s shop at Wal-Mart. The average annual income for a Wal-Mart shopper is $35,000-$45,000. Many minorities, as well as white decent are what make up the ethnicity of shoppers. Wal-Mart’s main goal is to provide a wide variety of discount priced items for their customers. Their slogans have included â€Å"Always low prices. Always. † and â€Å"Save money. Live better. † Rock bottom pricing and price match guarantees are the norm. Wal-Mart is here consumers go for the absolute lowest prices. If a price isn’t as low as another location, Wal-Mart will match it. NordstromNordstrom stores are much less common than Wal-Mart and JC Penney stores. They are placed in areas where the company knows there are enough individuals that want high end items. Nordstrom caters to the professional who is looking for higher end clothing that is made of quality materials. Nordstrom emphasizes quality and customer service. They pride themselves on offering the â€Å"best customer service of any retailer in America. Nordstrom offers quality items at a decent price.Customers don’t go to Nordstrom for rock-bottom pricing. They go for personal selling and upscale items. These three companies have very different approaches to retail. Wal-Mart is the one-stop shop that people go to for the lowest prices. JC Penney offers quality products at a low price. They usually have similar styles as places like Nordstrom but with lesser-known brands. Nordstrom carries high-end products and they stress customer service and quality. They each take up their own segment of the retail business. 3. Marketing Mix: The Four P’s ProductThe product is seen as satisfying what a consumer needs.It is a tangible good or intangible service. Intangible services are industries such as tourism. Tangible products are cars, razors, etc. PriceThe amount a customer pays for the product. Price determines a company’s profit and has an impact on marketing strategy. Marketers mu st be aware of the perceived value of a product when setting prices. PromotionThis represents the methods of communication that a marketer uses to provide information about their products. Promotion consists of advertising, public relations, etc. PlaceProviding the product at a place that is convenient for consumers. Place is the distribution aspect.JC Penney: Product: Like its two competitors, JC Penney offers a variety of tangible goods for sale. JC Penney caters to its customers with higher end products at an affordable price. It is similar to Nordstrom’s in the types of goods offered. It differs from Wal-Mart because it has less variety. JC Penney offers clothing, bed and bath products, home items, clothing accessories, and patio furniture. Clothing is the main area of production for JC Penney and accounts for more than 50% of sales. Price: JC Penney has recently decided to move to three kinds of prices: everyday, monthly specials, and clearances.They came to this strateg y through a variety of studies. First, using past sales data, the company looked at consumers' actual purchasing behavior, and came up with what it terms â€Å"Fair and Square† pricing, which means shoppers can expect lower prices in stores at all times. To reach this conclusion, research showed 72% of JC Penney's revenue came from selling items priced at least 50% off. Thus, in the example cited in most recent news stories about the â€Å"Fair and Square† strategy, a T-shirt that had retailed for US$14 but typically sold — after markdowns — at US$6, would now be priced at a US$7 every day.Part two of â€Å"Fair and Square† means monthly deals, and in the T-shirt example, the garment would now be marked US$6. The final piece of â€Å"Fair and Square† is called â€Å"best price,† which happens on the first and third Fridays of the month. Said T-shirt would now be marked $4, to clear out seasonal colors and bring in new merchandise. Bas ically, JC Penney focuses on â€Å"sale† items. They use sales to manipulate prices. A â€Å"sale† is really what price the marketer decides to sell an item for to continue making a profit. These sales are based upon how well certain items sell and their perceived â€Å"market values. Promotion: JC Penney focuses its advertisements around the four seasons and its holidays. For example, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc are when JC Penney promotes its items through television and print advertisements. JC Penney is also making a push towards â€Å"smart advertising. † Their promotions now appear in digital magazines, websites, mobile phone apps, etc. Place: JC Penney has more than 1,100 locations across the United States. Many of these locations are at large shopping malls where people go to buy clothes. There is easy access to JC Penney’s product.In addition to the stores, most of JC Penney’s clothing can be purchased from the official website. This gives customers two ways to purchase items on sale at JCP. Wal- Mart: Product: Wal-Mart markets itself as a store where one can walk in and literally purchase anything they need. They offer clothes, sporting goods, food, jewelry, electronics, patio furniture, toys, home improvement, music and movies, automobile parts, etc. The idea is for Wal-Mart to be a one-stop shop for anything a family needs. Price: Wal-Mart’s motto is â€Å"always low prices. † They aim to sell their products at a lower price than nearly every competitor.They usually stock lower quality versions of items at the cheapest price and they even offer a price-match guarantee. If another store is selling the same item for cheaper than Wal-Mart says they will match it. A new part of this guarantee is that customer’s do not have to have the information on hand. They merely need to ask for a price match and the associates should know through prior research. Wal-Mart also does not focus as much on sales but rather on â€Å"everyday† low prices. Promotion: Wal-Mart television advertisements focus on their price match guarantees and everyday low prices.A new Wal-Mart ad campaign bears the slogan â€Å"Low Prices. Every Day. On Everything† and features five 30-second commercials, including ads featuring an Easter egg hunt and a customer asking for a price match. The changes are bringing back local food favorites and national brands in household basics and general merchandise like consumer electronics. Some changes are tailored to local markets. In Phoenix, for example, shoppers will find pool supplies and lawn and garden items year-round. Place: Wal-Mart has 8,500 stores in 55 countries. It is the most recognizable one-stop shop in the world.Wal-Mart is present in many places around the United States that do not have other major retail outlets. For many communities, Wal-Mart is the place to go to find everything one needs to live. Nordstrom: Product: Nordstrom i s a large department store that focuses on upscale items. They carry items from mostly luxury clothing companies such as Hugo Boss, Chanel, etc. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings. Price: Nordstrom’s customers care less about price and more about quality.The goods offered are not a bargain. They are meant for those in need of upscale items. Luxury products are defined in part by their price. Nordstrom is seeking to appeal to those people that want department store prices but not necessarily large sales and discounts. Promotion: Nordstrom's does not use a low price tag to attract customers; instead they use quality. While it is pricier to shop for clothes and home decor at Nordstrom's; most designer labels prove to be of better quality, uniqueness, and durability. Many of Nordstrom’s television ad campaigns focus on â€Å"re-defining† one. Their marketing strategy focuses on how people can approve their lives with quality clothing and accessories. Place: Nordstrom has 225 stores operating in 29 states. Nordstrom is much less ubiquitous than Wal-Mart and JC Penney. They are located mostly in shopping malls but the company makes sure to build their stores only where there are enough people that can afford luxury items. 4. JC Penney: The JC Penney website has a clean and easy layout. The top of the site has a search bar and then a number of tabs representing each department available to browse through.The website also uses color-coding. Anything representing the values and sales for May is written in purple. There are products on the front page with prices listed underneath. These prices are each in a purple box to show that the sale price is for May. There is one large picture that dominates the home page. It has the letters MOM with â€Å"it’s mother’s may† written above it. As I said before, JC Pe nney focuses its advertising on holidays. The site is user-friendly. Everything is easy to read and it is not too cluttered. The site has areas to find a store and a â€Å"best prices† section.On the upper right there are four logos: a cell phone, envelope, facebook, and twitter. JC Penney is keeping up with the times by including other types of websites and embracing social media. Wal-Mart: The Wal-Mart website is more cluttered than the JC Penney one. On the top there are 5 buttons that read: Value of the day, local ad, store finder, registry, and gift cards. To the right of this is an area to log into a Wal-Mart account and track your orders. On the left of the page is a column showing the major departments available on walmart. com. Under this are two more columns showing savings as well as new products.In the middle of the page there are color advertisements very similar to what one would find in print circulation ads from the mail. There are â€Å"specials† all o ver the front page. Under the advertisements there are two rows titled â€Å"more great ways to save† and â€Å"shop Wal-Mart best sellers. † The Wal-Mart website is cluttered and it is difficult to find what you’re looking for. There is an overload of information. Nordstrom: Nordstrom has the most simple website of the three. The top has tabs for Women, Men, Juniors, and Kids as well as all the brands offered at the store. There is also a sale tab.After hovering over each tab a pop-up appears. Under the of tabs is a large advertisement called the â€Å"perfect 10. † It is a list of Nordstrom’s 10 warm-weather essentials. Nordstrom’s seasonal advertising is apparent. They are in the midst of promoting the Summer line of clothing. Under the advertisements are links to connect the Nordstrom facebook and twitter pages. There is also a handy store and event locator at the top of the page. The website follows a mostly black and white theme with t he only color being on the clothing pictured. This makes the clothing pop on the page and offers good contrast. . JC Penney has positioned itself as a mid to high-end retailer with excellent sale prices. Wal-Mart is positioned as the one-stop shop with the lowest prices of any retailed. Nordstrom is the high-end retailer that pushes the quality of its clothing over cheap prices. Survey: 5 Questions, 20 people surveyed. Where are you most likely to shop: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom †¢JCP: 11 people, Wal-Mart: 3 people, Nordstrom: 6 people Which has the best prices: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom †¢JCP: 5 people, Wal-Mart: 13 people, Nordstrom: 2 people Which has the best quality: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom JCP: 6 people, Wal-Mart: 1 person, Nordstrom: 13 people Which has the best products: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom †¢JCP 8 people, Wal-Mart: 3 people, Nordstrom: 9 people Which is the best at advertising: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom †¢JCP: 9 people, W al-Mart: 7 people, Nordstrom: 4 people In the college student demographic, most people are likely to shop at JC Penney. I conclude that this is because JC Penney positions itself as offering â€Å"stylish† clothing at good prices. Wal-Mart is seen as the bargain bin and Nordstrom is too expensive for most students.It is evidenced through this survey that each company has a very differentiated place in the consumers’ minds. Wal-mart is seen as the price leader, Nordstrom’s as quality, and JC Penney as good quality at a low price. The consumer impressions of each company match how each of the competitors have positioned themselves in the marketplace. 6. SWOT AnalysisWal-Mart StrengthsWal-Mart’s strengths are centered on its â€Å"always low prices† motto. Wal-Mart positions itself as having the lowest prices of any competitor. They even guarantee to match any competitor’s price.The survey shows that people are getting this message and know tha t Wal-Mart is the cheapest. WeaknessesWal-Mart has a problem when it comes to the perception of the quality of their products. People see Wal-Mart as cheap but low quality. Good in the short-run but not long-lasting. OpportunitiesTo improve performance, Wal-Mart could create an advertising campaign to show how they have low prices AND quality products. They could possible create departments with higher-end goods. ThreatsCompetitors such as Costco and other one-stop shows are external elements that could threaten Wal-Mart.Other companies can also attack the quality of products and the methods Wal-Mart uses to get these prices. 7. Wal-Mart has new CRM strategies in place for the new decade. Wal-Mart president Lee Scott Jr. has addressed how he is trying to make Wal-Mart the â€Å"company of the future. † They are seeking to gain new clients while still keeping old ones. Wal-Mart’s CRM strategy stresses â€Å"corporate responsibility† and its five factors: ethical consumerism, risk management, transparency, accountability, and responsibility. Scott had detailed his company's approach to the social component of retail.Executives, he said, meet regularly with a panel of 50 young consumers, many of whom have cut their personal spending — at restaurants, movies, or shopping in general — and say they feel good about the money they're saving. That sentiment, Scott noted, will likely remain with this generation of consumers even after the economy bounces back, a factor that retailers have to be cognizant of. Despite the consumer preference for multiple touch points, each shopper still expects recognition as a single individual, which means retailers must create a seamless multichannel experience.A rising number of consumers are using two or more channels to research, evaluate, purchase, and return products, Janiak said, a phenomenon that has been made possible by the Internet. According to Forrester Research, by 2012, 49 percent of Uni ted States retail sales will be online or cross-channel sales. Even today, the importance of the online channel is significant, Janiak said, citing a recent Deloitte survey of retail executives that indicated every dollar of merchandise sold online influences as much as $3 in the store. Wal-Mart is committed to covering the Internet aspect of retail in the future.They know that mobile phones, tablets, and laptops are the consumer devices of the future. In addition, Walmart. com, the online division of Wal-Mart, has leveraged its consumer tracking tools to work out even more precisely what the value of each of its customers is. â€Å"They (Walmart. com) know when they put Valentine's Day flowers on sale how much it costs to send that message, what percentage of customers end up on that site because of that message, how much money they will spend, and what is the likelihood of that customer coming back and buying other things,† says Wharton marketing professor David Reibstein.T hey don't simply look at one-time purchases, but at all the purchases afterwards, and use that information to calculate the value of spending advertising dollars. â€Å"They have that down to a science for almost all of their advertising. † Wal-Mart is adept at tracking purchasing patterns and catering their advertising to specific consumers. Nordstrom is also adept at customer relationship management. They stress that they are the leaders in customer service excellence. They state â€Å"the company with the greatest reputation for customer service in the United States continues to be Nordstrom.One of Nordstrom’s leaders states: What that takes is courage, dedication, and the fact that customer service isn't a strategy, but rather a way of life. A couple of years ago a company called me to speak to the organization because [that year] they were focusing on customer service. That [begs] the question: What were you emphasizing last year and what are you going to emphasi ze next year? At Nordstrom, it's a realization that they're not in the apparel business, shoe business, or cosmetic business, they're in the customer business. JC Penney and its new CEO are also at the forefront of CRM.He says that â€Å"a greater impact may come from information systems the customer rarely sees, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software. â€Å"Apple reshaped the retail landscape and combined technology with customer know-how to change the customer experience,† Fader notes. â€Å"Now, every retailer wants to do that. Using technology and social media to enhance the shopping experience is all well and good, but there is lower hanging fruit by using technology to better target buyers. † Nordstrom and JC Penney department stores also have cards such as a â€Å"Nordstrom card† that offer sales and deals to those that shop at Nordstrom frequently.These cards are the company’s way of rewarding those that are frequent purchasers t hat offer a â€Å"lifetime value† to the company. The retailers also offer credit cards to purchase their items that can be paid off with payments instead of all at once. 8. The societal marketing concept holds that a company should make marketing decisions based on what the customer wants. It is closely linked with corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Companies of the future are focusing on environmental concerns because this is what people care about.Hybrid cars and alternative fuels are hot topics in the modern political arena and corporations must address this. Wal-Mart has begun a food-labeling program that will add â€Å"great for you† to many of its products on the fruit counters. Wal-Mart is trying to stress that its fruits do not include harmful pesticides or fertilizers. Wal-Mart has had environmental problems in the past. They recently had to pay a $1 million dollar fine and develop and environmental management plans because they viol ated storm water requirements under the Clean Water Act. Wal-Mart has created a plan to cut 2. million metric tons of CO2 emissions by 2013 by making stores more efficient. They have also said that Wal-Mart now reuses or recycles more than 80 percent of the waste produced in its United States operations. Since 2005, the company has reduced greenhouse gases by 12 percent and increased its trucks’ fuel efficiency by 65%. It is evident that Wal-Mart is making a concerted effort to be more environmentally responsible. In terms of charity, the Wal-Mart foundation has worked for global women’s economic empowerment, hunger relief, education, military support, and disaster relief.They also have many scholarship programs. JC Penney has committed to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent per gross square foot by 2014 by increasing energy-efficiency improvements and implementing conservation practices. In 2009, the retailer prevented about 80 million pounds of greenhouse gas emi ssions due to its new energy-efficiency measures. The retailer has invested millions of dollars to install advanced metering technology, lighting retrofits, and high-efficiency HVAC systems in its stores. JC Penney was the first retailer to earn the Energy Star Award for sustained energy management.JC Penney has been a member of the ENERGY STAR program since 1999 and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2007 and 2008. In addition, when the new ENERGY STAR efficiency benchmark for retail stores was introduced in October 2007, four JC Penney stores in Washington State became the first buildings to earn the Energy Star label for energy efficiency. Currently, 52 JC Penney stores, as well as the home office in Plano, Texas, have qualified for the ENERGY STAR Building Label. The retailer has set a goal to achieve ENERGY STAR certification for at least 200 stores across the country.Last year, JC Penney began using social media for charitable giving. They released several new digital initiatives. They also announced that since 1999, they have raised more than $100 million in scholarships and grants through its charity JC Penney Afterschool. Nordstrom is also committed to â€Å"sustaining the environment. They are working on resource conservation, recycling and waste management, packaging innovations, and organic cotton development. They have used 100% recycled bags and boxes since 2008. Nordstrom has perhaps the more radical approach to charity.They have opened a store in New York City at which all the profits have been committed to charity. Other than this, Nordstrom has the least about charity out of the three companies. Each of these three companies has been committed to environmental change. They have demonstrated a commitment to reducing waste and pollution. JC Penney is the most environmentally conscious of the three and was awarded an Energy Star. In terms of charity, Wal-Mart has the most charitable donations of the three. Based on these fi ndings all of the companies are focused on the â€Å"societal marketing concept. 9. With the economic collapse of 2008, the retail sector was one of the hardest hit. However, JC Penney, Nordstrom, and Wal-Mart have recovered remarkably. All three companies recently produced increased profit margins. Wal-Mart is #2 on the Fortune 500 list and isn’t in any foreseeable danger. I would say that of the three, Nordstrom is most in danger of hitting tough times. Although profits rose, Nordstrom caters to high-end retailers. If there is another economic collapse then Nordstrom may face danger. One retail giant that wasn’t so lucky was Mervyn’s.At its peak Mervyn’s had nearly 200 stores in 10 states. However in 2008, Mervyn’s began the process of liquidating its entire inventory and all stores were closed. Their liquidation shows the fragile nature of the retail business. If I could choose any product in this industry to close down I might have to go with Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is known for exploiting poor nations for resources and cheap labor. Additionally, employees get very few benefits and most are on minimum wage. I think they are too focused on low prices at the expense of quality and fair business practices.They also have a monopoly on the U. S. retail sector. In 2010 they had over $300 billion in sales. The next highest was Kroger at nearly $80 billion. The difference between Wal-Mart and its competitors is staggering. 10. Personal selling involves face-to-face interaction in which a seller persuades the customers to buy products or services. Wal-Mart has over 57,000 suppliers that use personal selling to get their products on Wal-Mart shelves. Wal-Mart has an online step-by-step process to become a supplier to the company.If Wal-Mart is interested in a supplier then they will try to meet the leaders of the supply business to see if they are capable. Suppliers must then sign a contract with Wal-Mart. The contract, commonly known as the vendor agreement, outlines the mechanics of how the supplier and retailer will work together. The agreement generally addresses sales and delivery timeframe, arbitration, and termination rights, and liability. As a rule, Wal-Mart uses a non-negotiable boilerplate. Charley Moore, CEO and founder of legal service RocketLawyer. om, says this means potential suppliers can study similar contracts online before meeting with the buyer. Wal-Mart generally starts out smaller suppliers in a local market, delivering goods to up to 50 stores, as a test run. If the supplier provides a high-selling product and proves reliable, it might be considered for national distribution. Bruce Zutler, CEO and co-founder of MCI Products Group, a New York-based company that specializes in new product development and overseas sourcing, recommends small suppliers think of the test-run as the time to prove they are capable. If you have a good product and you strengthen their sales, then the buyer will stay with you,† says Zutler. The test run is the time when suppliers must â€Å"sell† Wal-Mart on carrying a product. After all these efforts then the product may be picked up nationally and customers can find them at â€Å"everyday low prices† around the nation. 11. If I were the CEO of Nordstrom, I would get my best customers to order more by selectively having sales on items that were popular in the past. I would bring these items back in different styles and colors and place a seasonal sale on the items.This would encourage old customers to reacquire items that they previously liked, but that have acquired wear and tear over the years. I would also offer deals to frequent customers such as â€Å"Spend $200 and get 10% off. † This usually makes people spend more than they are planning on in order to get a deal. In addition to displaying similar clothes to what people ordered, I would follow the Land’s End method and offer matching accessories such as wallets, belts, shoes, watches, etc that go well with items that customers purchased.I would place these accessories close by to the clothing in the store so that people would be more likely to associate the accessories with products that they had already purchased. I would also offer incentives to frequent buyers. The more a person buys, the more â€Å"special† sales and opportunities they are offered. Nordstrom is one of the most successful retailers in terms of data analysis. They have updated their technology to bring SKU information much faster. The new technology also helps to analyze customer patterns and helped bring Nordstrom out it its slump. 12. The three companies have very different advertising efforts.JC Penney has released a new ad campaign called â€Å"say no to the status quo. † The ad campaign includes tv and outdoor ads as well as a Facebook page where visitors can scream their frustration at old types of advertisements. My favorite advertisement ou t of these three companies is the new JCP television ad shows people screaming at sales that ended early. They are overwhelmed at all the different numbers of sales and prices. JC Penney is saying that they are simplifying their sale structures. The campaign paves the way for the company’s new â€Å"fair & square† price structure.The ad is effective in because it has a comedic effect and addresses a legitimate concern for customers that are overwhelmed by the number of sales at retail outlets. Wal-Mart has recently committed to spending more on television advertising. In addition, Wal-Mart added thousands of screens in its retail locations that constantly show advertisements in different areas of the store. Wal-Mart is also trying to focus more on other aspects besides prices. They are beginning to advertise well-known national brands. Nordstrom’s advertising focuses on the quality of their product.Nordstrom's strives to meet customer satisfaction through offeri ng an array of products. â€Å"Our goal is to offer a well-edited range of products for a variety of lifestyles. â€Å". While they don't offer common, everyday needs like toiletries, groceries or cat litter; they do offer more upscale products such as apparel and home decor. Nordstrom, like Walmart, offer a private label–but without the notable discount. Nordstrom’s newest advertisement shows a woman opening the door to a man. The man drops his umbrella and looks at the girl in disbelief. The screen then shows the words â€Å"reinvent the complement. The advertisement is saying that by wearing Nordstrom clothes, people don’t even need to say anything. You can simply tell you are wearing quality clothing by their reaction to seeing you. 13. Retailers have to deal with a variety of factors in their supply chain management process. JC Penney is committed to offering merchandise and services that reflect the full range of their customers’ lifestyle prefer ences. To help them deliver on their brand promise of offering style and quality at a smart price, they pursue relationships with minority and women-owned suppliers that help provide for the needs of its diverse customers.They state that that sustaining a strong supplier base requires building relationships with suppliers they trust. That’s why, for more than 30 years, jcpenney has considered its Supplier Diversity program integral to business success. This program fosters relationships with qualified minority and women-owned suppliers, reflecting the diversity of associates, customers and community. Since its inception, the jcpenney Supplier Diversity Program has realized substantial growth in the purchases of merchandise, goods and services from minority and women-owned suppliers.JC Penney must deal with a variety of other things in its supply change management program. They have a US logistics operation that focuses on developing environmentally sound packaging, utilizing alternative energy sources and conservation to reduce cost and carbon footprint, and continued expansion of recycling and reuse projects. Wal-Mart is noted for the incredible speed of their supply chain. Wal-Mart’s legendary supply chain technology has allowed them to break the three-day barrier that some economists in the eighties felt was largely unbreakable.In other words, Wal-Mart is often able to replenish items on the Wal-Mart shelf in less than three days – not from the central warehouse to the shelf, but from the manufacturer to the shelf. With quick and reliable 2-day turn around, Wal-Mart is able to maintain lower levels of inventory and still meet customer demand. These lower inventory levels result in either a reduced floor plan with lower carrying costs and lower interest expense – or a greater diversity of products on the store shelves. Wal-Mart has over 7,000 factories worldwide that supply their products.Regulating these factories is an enormous practice. In the past, Wal-Mart has come under intense scrutiny because of working conditions in their factories as well as the presence of underage workers. Wal-Mart must deal with these challenges on a regular basis. Nordstrom’s supply chain starts with its vendors that they buy directly from. Once the regional buyers find out what products are needed to reach the target market, they go to the showrooms and order in bulk. The vendors then ship the products to warehouses across the country.They use a system called Accenture to determine their inventory. The inventory of each store is determined by Accenture, sent to each retail store, and purchased by customers. Accenture figures out which products are needed at each store. Nordstrom also uses the supply chain management software called SynQuest. SynQuest markets itself as a tool that facilitates planning, execution, and control on all orders. SynQuest uses financial optimization and real-time management. As it can be seen, Nordstrom and other companies use cutting-edge software to manage their supply chains.

Effects of Alcohol Abuse Essay

Alcoholism means addiction of alcohol; it could explain as a person who could not stop to drink and craving for it. In fact, alcohol abuse can damage a person’s health and life. Alcohol would affect a person’s mind and body that causes the person did wrong thing. Besides, when a person drunk, he or she might not know what they had done. Which mean, when they are drunk, they could not judge what are right and wrong. Consequences, there are many cases happened because of alcohol abuse since alcohol would impact a person’s mind and cause them loss of control and do wrong things. Signs and symptoms of alcohol abuse: †¢Slurred or incoherent speech. †¢Poor balance and clumsiness †¢Delayed reflexes †¢Stomach pain, vomiting and nausea †¢Blacking-out †¢Redness of the face during or after periods of consumption Slurred or incoherent speech When a person is drunk, he or she might not be able to speak fluently. In the other words, the person who is drunk might not know what they are talking about because the impact of alcohol. Thus, those people who are drunk are usually slurred or incoherent speech. Poor balance and clumsiness The person who is drunk will get injured easily. It is because alcohol would affect our brain and cause us become clumsiness that we could not balance our body. Furthermore, when we could not control our mind and balance our body, we might fall down or bang the wall easily. As a result, the effect of alcohol abuse will cause us become poor balance and clumsiness. Delayed reflexes Alcohol will make people blur and delayed reflexes action since it impairs our brain driver. Therefore, those people who are drunk might not be able to give respond immediately since the alcohol effects. Hence, alcohol abuse could cause a person delayed reflexes action. Stomach pain, vomiting and nausea The other obvious signs of alcohol abuse are stomach pain, vomiting and nausea. Stomach pain might a sign of stomach cancer which cause by alcohol abuse. When this sign occur, it means the cancer already progressed. It is impossible to get cancer easily, only if the person is an alcoholism victim. Alcohol abuse might cause gastritis which is an inflammation of the stomach lining. In a long run, it will become stomach cancer if the person who ignores the sign. Moreover, drinking too much might also lead to serious effect like vomiting blood. As a result, alcohol is harmful to our health. Blacking-out Black-out happened when an alcoholism victim consumed a large amount of alcohol in a long period. Black out is a serious â€Å"disease† in biological that we categories as brain damage. There are 2 types of blackouts. First of all, inability to recall any memories from the period of intoxication is called â€Å"en bloc blackout†. Which mean, the person who could not remember at all what he or she had done when they drunk. In addition, the second type of blackout is called â€Å"fragmentary blackout† which has ability to recall certain part of intoxication period. It means the person who just can remember certain part of his or her memories when they took a large amount of alcohol. Redness of the face during or after periods of consumption Why people who drunk their face will red? It is because alcohol will enlarge the blood vessels whenever we drink. In addition, alcohol will enlarge the blood vessels until they lose their quality or tone then caused those people who drunk will get a redness face. Furthermore, water in our body and skin will evaporate after a long period of alcohol abuse that cause skin wrinkles. Besides that, alcohol abuse will also reduce the level of vitamin A in our body which is an important vitamin can support skin health.

About Presidential Pardons

About Presidential Pardons Not even President Gerald Fords pardon of Richard Nixon caused as much political and legal flak as former President Bill Clintons pardon of Marc Rich, indicted in 1983 on charges of racketeering and mail and wire fraud, arising out of his oil business. And then, before the Rich stew had reached a rolling boil, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) disclosed that her lawyer brother Hugh Rodham had accepted some $400,000 in fees to help two other felons get pardons from President Clinton. The two pardoned were Glen Braswell, who had served three years for a 1983 mail fraud conviction, and Carlos Vignali, who had served six years of a 15 year sentence for cocaine trafficking in Los Angeles. Sen. Clinton said she was very disappointed and saddened, and told her brother to give the money back and he did, but the damage had been done. Except to Braswell and Vignalie, who ended up drawing Get Out of Jail Free cards, after all. Now, President Bush has stated, Should I decide to grant pardons, I will do so in a fair way. I will have the highest of high standards. [From: Press Conference - Feb. 22, 2001] What are those high standards? Are they written down, and what gives the President of the United States the power to pardon anybody? Constitutional Authority for Presidential Pardons The power to grant pardons is given to the President of the United States by  Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, which states in part:   The President ... shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. No standards, and only one limitation no pardons for the impeached. Can Presidents Pardon Their Relatives The Constitution places few restrictions on who presidents can pardon, including their relatives or spouses. Historically, the courts have interpreted the Constitution as giving the president virtually unlimited power to issue pardons to individuals or groups. However, presidents can only grant pardons for violations of federal laws. In addition, a presidential pardon only provides immunity from federal prosecution. It does provide protection from civil lawsuits. What the Founding Fathers Said The whole subject of presidential pardons stirred little debate at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. No less estimable Founding Father than Alexander Hamilton, writing in Federalist No. 74, suggests that, ... in seasons of insurrection or rebellion, there are often critical moments, when a well-timed offer of pardon to the insurgents or rebels may restore the tranquility of the commonwealth. While a few Founders suggested involving Congress in the pardons business, Hamilton remained certain the power should rest solely with the president. It is not to be doubted, that a single man of prudence and good sense is better fitted, in delicate conjunctures, to balance the motives which may plead for and against the remission of the punishment, than any numerous body [Congress] whatever, he wrote  in Federalist 74.. So, except for impeachment, the Constitution places no restrictions whatsoever on the president in granting pardons. But what about those standards President Bush has promised to apply to any pardons he may grant? Where and what are they? Loose Legal Standards for Presidential Pardons While the Constitution places no significant limitations on them in granting pardons, we have certainly now witnessed the grief that can come to presidents or former presidents who appear to grant them haphazardly, or show favoritism in the act. Surely, presidents have some legal resources to draw upon when saying, I granted the pardon because... Operating under the guidelines of Title 28 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Sections 1.1 - 1.10, the U.S. Pardon Attorney, of the Justice Departments Office of Pardon Attorney assists the president by reviewing and investigating all requests for pardons. For each request considered, the Pardon Attorney prepares the Justice Departments recommendation to the president for the final granting or denial of the pardon. Besides pardons, the president may also grant commutations (reductions) of sentences, remissions of fines, and reprieves. For the exact wording of the guidelines used by the Pardon Attorney in reviewing requests for pardons, see: Presidential Pardons: Legal Guidelines. Keep in mind that the recommendations of the Pardon Attorney to the president are just that recommendations and nothing more. The president, bound by no higher authority than Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, is in no way required to follow them and retains the ultimate power to grant or deny clemency. Should This Presidential Power be Limited? At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates easily defeated proposals to make presidential pardons subject to the approval of the Senate, and to limit pardons to persons actually convicted of crimes. Proposals for constitutional amendments limiting the presidents pardoning power have been offered in Congress. A 1993 resolution in the House suggested that, The President shall only have the power to grant a reprieve or a pardon for an offense against the United States to an individual who has been convicted of such an offense. Basically, the same idea proposed in 1787, the resolution was never acted on by the House Judiciary Committee, where it slowly died. As recently as 2000, a Senate joint resolution proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would have allowed crime victims the right to reasonable notice of and an opportunity to submit a statement concerning any proposed pardon or commutation of a sentence. After officers of the Justice Department testified against the amendment, it was withdrawn from consideration in April of 2000. Finally, keep in mind that any limitation or change to the presidents power to grant pardons will require an amendment to the Constitution. And those, are hard to come by.

Descriptive Essay on My Pet

Descriptive Essay on My Pet Descriptive Essay on My Pet My pet is a dog named Tipsy. Tipsy is an adorable brown dog that has a few black spots spread across his body and tail. Tipsy is a kelpie crossed with a border collie, and he has fluffy velvety ears. Even though Tipsy has a very strong body frame, he has a very gentle face and is always a friendly dog to those whom he knows. If a stranger approaches out house, however, Tipsy can get very aggressive. He always barks loudly to attract our attention to the approaching stranger. Tipsy loves many things. Among these is to nuzzle his wet nose in my hands and in the hands on my parents and siblings. He craves attention most of the time because he is scared of being abandoned or ignored. I actually came across Tipsy while he was still a puppy. It appears his owner had abandoned him on the road. I found him wondering in our neighborhood. I informed my parents about the puppy. I wanted to keep him. They communicated with the local authorities so the authorities could allow us to adopt the pet. Tipsy loves food, especially bones. Once we have fed him his regular food, we always give him a few bones on which to chew. Tipsy can actually spend whole afternoons chewing bones because he loves them so much. Whenever Tipsy is worried, he looks at us with desperate eyes that appear like he is sad. He does so while wagging his tail from one side to the other. Whenever we see him exhibiting these signs, we immediately prepare him a quick meal and some bones for him to eat. Tipsy has also made it a habit to play with our cat, Toppy. Sometimes, Tipsy plays with and pours out the cat’s water, something that always leaves the cat giving him a vicious glare. Sometimes, the cat even meows as if to let Tipsy know that he is not very impressed with Tipsy for pouring out his water. Whenever, my dog plays with the cat’s water, I see him lifting his head as some of the cat’s water pours out from his tongue, like the way water drops from a waterfall. Tipsy also likes the chipping sound made by the birds that reside on the trees in our compound. Whenever Tipsy hears these sounds, he raises his ears and points them towards the direction where the chirping sound is originating. One can always observe the way his eyes light up with excitement whenever the birds begin making their soothing noises. My Pet descriptive essay writing tips: Since this is a description essay, one is supposed to describe the unique characteristics of one’s favorite pet which in this case is a dog. Since most dogs have a name, it is prudent that one begins this description by providing the name of the dog followed by the species to which the dog belongs. Once this is done, one can begin describing the things that the dog likes and those that it does not appreciate. For instance in this essay, the writer has described the way the dog loves food and what it does whenever it needs to eat some food. Ready to pay for essay help online? Dont hesitate to contact writing service now!

Work within a Legal and Ethical Framework Assignment

Work within a Legal and Ethical Framework - Assignment Example She is telling Scott that when she last had her hair done, Eleni’s mother had told her that all was not well between her and Eleni’s father, and that a possible separation was being discussed. 1.Is this ethical behaviour? Which Code of Ethics guidelines would assist you in ?this decision and how? 5 marks ?2.What will you do in the short-term? What would be your longer term team ?strategy? 5 marks What is going on now is not ethical behaviour. Usually, most basic Codes of Ethics focus on human dignity and the respect for human dignity. Belinda talking about what Eleni had told her about possibly splitting up from Scott (the father)—was not only unethical, but even moreso if it occurred in front of the children. Even if these comments by Belinda were not made in front of the children, such behaviour still shows a great lack of respect on the part of Belinda for discussing a personal matter between the parents in front of other parties. In the short-term, it would b e advisable to let Belinda know that it is not acceptable behaviour to discuss such a topic without Eleni’s knowledge. Belinda should be alerted that this is unethical behavior. As a longer-term strategy, Belinda should be alerted also to the fact that the relationship between Eleni and Scott is delicate and that it is really none of her business to discuss the couple’s private business, especially if children are present. That is really none of Belinda’s business and someone should definitely let her know her place. She could severely damage the relationship between Scott and Eleni by spreading such malicious gossip. It is against several different codes of ethics to slander people in such a manner. In this way, Belinda should be warned that this is not ethical behaviour—at any rate—and that it should be stopped immediately or told that she will face charges of ethics violations. Task 2: Work within the roles and responsibilities of a childcare ?w orker (10 marks) The room leader is going on holidays and Nikki has asked you to be responsible for the ?children’s program whilst she is away. The room leader will be absent for a month. 1 How does this request fit within your job description as an untrained child carer? 5 marks 2. Based upon this, what would be your response to Nikki? What issues would you need to discuss and agree upon? 5 marks As an untrained child carer, being the children’s program room leader would not be a job that I could responsibly complete. Based upon this, my response to Nikki would be that I could not take on the role or responsibility that she has as room leader at the daycare center. The issues that would need to be discussed and agreed upon is how I could feasibly be the room leader. One way to possibly substitute for Nikki would be if I were to be supervised by someone who had the appropriate educational degree and/or experience comparable to that of someone who is a room leader at th e children’s daycare center. It is important that these issues be addressed because Nikki cannot simply go on vacation and leave the children hanging in the balance. She must make appropriate plans as to how the children will be cared for—and if she cannot make plans for who will supervise the children while they are being cared for, the facility should either be shut down for the month that she is gone—or she should effectively find someone else who can take over her position, either temporarily or permanently. This is her responsibility and she must make the appropriate arrangements or else close the school. The children are her first priority. In the event that she does not want to close the school, Nikki should make arrangements to hire a suitable replacement either on a temporary, contingency basis—

The War on Drugs and the War on Terrorism Research Paper

The War on Drugs and the War on Terrorism - Research Paper Example Some scholars perceive these two issues as results of poor leadership styles and poor leadership characters, suggesting eradication may be possible with quality and ideal leadership. This paper seeks to examine the war on terrorism and the war on drugs, as well as analyze the importance of leadership in avoiding these issues. Introduction Terrorism and drugs are among the social issues that negatively affects a nation and the universal society as a whole. The two issues destroy the pillars of the society, potentially destroying inter community and intra community relations. For several decades, the fight against these two issues has been of concern to media. This war on drugs and terrorism began actively in the twentieth century when the two issues began significantly affecting the societal setup in various communities (Richman, 2002). Some scholars perceive these two issues as results of poor leadership styles and poor leadership characters, suggesting eradication may be possible with quality and ideal leadership. Essentially, societal problems such as use of drugs within a community or involvement in terror attacks often occur because of poor leadership or the exclusion of these groups from leadership decisions. In societies experiencing terrorism and drug issues, the leaders of that society have the responsibilitie s to ensure that these issues diminish from these issues. The challenges facing these leaders including designing strategies, and implementing them, as well as enforcing them to advocate for drug and terrorism eradication from the society. Regardless of the capabilities of leaders, they need a team to lead a society against such wars. The problem is designing a team and administration that is competent enough (Schopp and Hill, 2009). Additionally, an effective communication system flowing mutually within the administration is a great challenge. Great leaders have strong personalities, policies, will, and vision that promote the general good of the society. The war on both drugs and terrorism is far from over, at least with the current leaders occupying the relevant offices that combat these issues. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of leadership in the global society, especially on the war against terrorism and drugs. Drug Abuse History and Legislations Terrorism and drugs have been a persistent issue in countries all over the world, especially in Western nations such as the United States of America. The war on drugs, a term coined in 1971 by US President Richard Nixon, in the US is a controversial policy seeking to define and reduce illegal drug trade. At the frontline of the war are policies that discourage consumption, production, and distribution of illegal psychoactive drugs in the US and the rest of the world. In the early years of the twentieth century, most of the drug market was significantly unregulated. Medication remedies containing derivatives of heroin and cocaine were distributed freely without awareness or prescription, thus majority of consumers were unaware of the potent of the drugs (Lal, 2008). In 1886, the Supreme Court ruled against regulation of commerce by state governments, unfortunately leaving the skimpy federal government to enforce existing drug

P&G Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

P&G - Essay Example It is equally important, if not more so, that innovation is cost-effective, aligned with consumer demands and addresses a perceived gap in the market. In other words, not only is the strategy for corporate survival continued product development and innovation, but the cost-effective development of innovative products which market research indicates will attract the consumer market. Proctor and Gamble has resolved the seemingly complex equation of cost-effective continued product development and equation through its "connect and develop" strategy. Indeed, P&G's approach to product development and innovation has the potential to serve as a critically valuable lesson to corporations across the world. The hurdles to new product development are cost and innovation. As Huston and Sakkab (2006, p. 60) write, "Most companies are still clinging to what we call the invention model, centered on a bricks-and-mortar R&D infrastructure and the idea that their innovation must principally reside within their own four walls." Confining product development to the company and to individuals working in the company often means that development will be a costly and time-consuming process. The reason, as Huston and Sakkab (2006) illustrate through reference to a case study, is that when a company begins the R&D process with an idea for a new product or an innovation to an existing product, it may not have the technology to translate the idea into a reality. The company's in-house Research and Development team will then have to experiment with several technologies to bring the idea to life and, of course, may and may not succeed. Even if they succeed, success comes at high financial cost. Furthermor e, as Brown and Eisenhardt (1995) argue, because the process is often a length one, there is always the risk that a competitor may beat them to the market with the technology and product. In this case, the return on the new product research and development investment may not be realized. Hence, a financial risk factor enters into the equation. Proctor and Gamble stumbled across a high radical approach for new product development and innovation when it found itself confronting numerous technological obstacles to the manufacturing of their innovative Pringle line of imprinted chips. Initially relying on in-house talent for the development of the required technology, Proctor and Gamble soon found the process excessively costly, unrealistic and unfeasible in terms of implementation. It was at this point that P&G decided to look outside its walls for a solution and, with that in mind, developed and circulated a technology brief which outlined the problem. The response was positive and the company was approach by a baker in Italy who had already developed the technology in question. Proctor and gamble obtained the rights to the use of the technology, developed it to suit their specific needs and were, as a result, able to successfully produce their new line of Pringle chips at a fraction of the cost they would have otherwise run into. Huston and Sakkab (2006) concede to the fact that the approach adopted by Procter and Gamble is a radical one. As new product development, inclusive of research and development, often functions as a firm's competitive edge, corporations generally tend to prefer to keep all research, development and product

The ideal teacher Essay Example for Free

The ideal teacher Essay What characteristics should a teacher possess? What Makes a Good Teacher? Video – Effective Teacher †¢ An effective teacher can be seen in the following video: Introduction What does being a teacher mean? †¢ Having a vocation for the teaching profession. †¢ Being dedicated. †¢ Being surrounded by a large number of diverse students, each with their own baggage and unique character. Knowledge 1st Characteristic of an effective teacher †¢ Should be transmitted in a unique and fun manner. †¢ One should move from the known to the unknown. †¢ It is not how much one knows, but how much one can deliver. Knowledge Observation 1 †¢ At a particular Boys’ Area Secondary School, it was noticed that the boys had a low IQ. †¢ A highly motivated Maltese teacher used a practical example to help them learn. †¢ He compared the Maltese language to a cocktail. – The different drinks symbolized Italian, Arabic and English. †¢ As a result the children remembered the example more. Adaptation 2nd Characteristic of an effective teacher †¢ One should get to know one’s students to cater for them accordingly. †¢ Scaffolding activities accordingly, ensures maximum learning. â€Å"The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water  moulds itself to the pitcher† – Chinese Proverb Environment 3rd Characteristic of an effective teacher †¢ Creates a non-threatening and welcoming environment. Environment – Observation 1 †¢ A Maths lesson in a Boys’ Area Secondary School – The teacher greeted the students by the words ‘hurry up because you are wasting precious time’. – The students were not very friendly towards her and imitated her. – Whilst going out for recreation these students were heard echoing the teacher’s words to their peers who dawdled on their way out. Theory of Observational Learning †¢ The students’ picked up the  teacher’s habit and used it to their advantage. †¢ This can be applied to Albert Bandura’s theory of observational learning. Theory of Observational Learning †¢ Bandura established 4 steps – Attention – characteristics instilled within a person that will affect the way in which he is influenced. – Retention – the ability to remember what one sees and transforms it into visualizations or verbal expressions. – Reproduction – the ability to transform what one has retained into definite behaviour. – Motivation – one has to be given a reason or incentive to reproduce what he has observed and retained. Organisation Good Organisation 4th Characteristic of being an effective teacher †¢ Having good organisational skills. †¢ In order to keep the students focused, the explanation should be sequential to avoid confusion. †¢ The teacher should always follow a lesson plan. Bloom’s Taxonomy for Learning Domain †¢ The last two domains – Synthesis – Evaluation focus on the importance of having a lesson plan as a guidance for the lesson. Importance of a Lesson Plan †¢ A lesson plan is important – to make the lesson sequential. – to ensure the objectives devised were reached. – to assess whether students understood  or not. Conducting a Lesson †¢ The teacher starts off the lesson by correcting the home work, – the students participate and say their answers. †¢ Introduces the topic that will be tackled. †¢ The teacher may write down some notes on the whiteboard. †¢ Class work is given so as to make sure that the students understood the topic. Organisation – Observation 1 †¢ A particular maths teacher at a girl’s school, applied very good organisational skills in her lesson. †¢ She stated the aims of the lesson at the beginning of the lesson in a very clear way. †¢ She managed to do all the things she had  planned. †¢ On repeated observations, it was noted that she always had a well-planned lesson. †¢ Students were always motivated to learn. Organisation – Observation 2 †¢ Another class that was observed in the same school was a Maltese literacy class. – It aids students who find it difficult when it comes to reading and writing. †¢ She involved the students by asking them to continue reading from where she stopped and corrected them wherever they made a mistake. †¢ At the end, she gave them some pages to read at home. Classroom Layout 1 †¢ In the previous incidents mentioned, the desks were  neatly placed and organised in twos. – Students can help each other with any difficulties they might have. †¢ The teacher’s desk was facing the student’s desks. †¢ On some occasions, the teacher may still need to separate desks to avoid misbehaviour and interruptions before starting the lesson. Classroom Environment †¢ When students are already inside the classroom, the teacher should make his / her presence felt. †¢ On the contrary, when students change class, the teacher can alter the classroom layout to suit his/her approach to teaching. Disorganisation †¢ When the teacher is disorganized he/she will  not be able to deliver a well-balanced lesson. – This was noticed in an observation where the class only managed to read a small paragraph from a textbook throughout two whole double lessons. – The rest was random, out of point discussions. †¢ There was poor classroom management together with a lack of discipline. Observation Disorganisation †¢ During a Home-Economics practical session a disorganised teacher was observed. †¢ The teacher did not guide and assess the students. †¢ They ended up asking each other what to do next and did not learn any skills. Discipline Behaviourism †¢ Constant motivation is  compared to behaviourism – researched by B. F. Skinner. †¢ He called his research ‘The Operant Conditioning Theory’. †¢ Theory states that a particular behaviour can be increased by positive / negative reinforcements (praise / punishments). Bad Discipline Observation Ineffective Teacher †¢ Observation A particular teacher, instead of correcting the students in a gentle manner and explaining what was wrong, the teacher sent the students out of class together with their desk and chair. †¢ It was observed that most of the teachers reprimanded the students whenever they got something wrong. †¢ Students are demoralized and in consequence show no interest in learning. Albert Bandura †¢ Throughout our observations, one thing was particularly noticed. †¢ When a teacher scolds students, their actions turn out to be counterproductive as that same action is repeated by the students. †¢ This is backed up by the Social Cognitive Theory researched by Albert Bandura. †¢ The Bobo-Doll experiment – Children imitated what was seen both verbally and physically. Influential Teachers †¢ A teacher’s behaviour contributes to classroom management . Henry Adams once stated: â€Å"A teacher affects eternity; one can never tell  were the influence stops. † Good Discipline Observation – Effective Teacher 5th characteristic of being an effective teacher †¢ Keeps the same discipline methods with all students regardless of their gender, race, ability or religion. †¢ Positive reinforcement: praises students and corrects their mistakes. †¢ Greets the students. †¢ Prepares the things needed for the lesson beforehand and waits for the students to settle down. †¢ Goes around the students to check whether everyone is paying attention. †¢ Removes distracting materials such as any irrelevant writing on the board will be rubbed off. Communication of Ideas 6th Characteristic of being an effective teacher †¢ Ability to communicate ideas effectively. †¢ This is done through the use of a variety of resources. †¢ This is explained in Benjamin Bloom’s book – Taxonomy of Learning Domains. Resources Motivation †¢ A teacher should always motivate students in a fun way – that is what keeps them going; Albert Einstein once said: â€Å"It is the supreme art of a teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. † Observation †¢ During a science lesson, one of us observed one such characteristic, †¢ The science teacher used a variety of interesting  resources such as: – – – – PowerPoint presentations Worksheets Information handouts Textbooks †¢ These resources enabled students to be enthusiastic and motivated. Importance of Resources Something commonly observed: †¢ Very few teachers made use of resources, †¢ Most of them used the traditional resources; white board and textbooks, †¢ Students ended up bored and disinterested throughout the lesson. Edgar Dale †¢ In the 1960’s he put forward the theory: †¢ Students retain more information by what they â€Å"do† as opposed to what they â€Å"hear†, â€Å"see† or â€Å"observe†. †¢ He devised the ‘Cone of Experience. ’ †¢ â€Å"Learning by doing† is nowadays known as â€Å"experiential learning†. Cone of Experience Ineffective Resource 1 Textbooks †¢ By time, textbooks become outdated. This means that more money has to be forked out by the school and parents to update them. †¢ Textbooks should be used as a reference for studying, revising or even further notes. Ineffective Resource 2 Whiteboard †¢ Teachers still rely on such a sole type of pedagogy application, †¢ Disadvantage: The teacher may not write clear and big enough for the students to read, †¢ There can be cases of impairment; eyesight problems. Positive Environment  7th Characteristic of being an effective teacher †¢ The ability to create a positive classroom environment. †¢ A positive classroom environment is boosted further by using: – the appropriate type of humour – at the appropriate time. Humour †¢ Teachers should foster the praxis of using humour as it is an effective technique. – This removes any tension in the relationship between the teacher and the student. – This leads to a better performance in the students’ academic life. Negative Attitude †¢ Students will learn less if the teacher uses a negative attitude towards them. †¢ This includes factors such as  sarcasm. Sarcasm †¢ Sometimes teachers confuse good humor with sarcasm. – The use of sarcasm may harm the teacherstudent relationship since what some think as funny others may find to be offensive. – Sarcasm is humiliating for students. What makes a bad teacher? Video – Ineffective Teacher †¢ An ineffective teacher can be seen in the following video: Conclusion †¢ A teacher should be a life-long learner which is committed to the teaching profession striving to reach and teach’ students. Plato claimed that â€Å" The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life†.