Mark Rydells On Golden Pond Essay Example for Free

Mark Rydells On Golden Pond Essay Mark Rydells On Golden Pond is a drama that emphasizes the stages people of various ages endures. Utilizing Erik Eriksons Psychosocial Stages as learned in class, each of the main characters can be placed within a stage and their age-related crises analyzed. The film being so close to a familys life, it becomes relatable to the audience, prompting personal reactions as well as implementing life examples of some of the theories studied in class. As there are plenty of characters that all develop changes throughout the movie, the most influential would be the main character, Norman Thayer. Throughout the movie Norman shows many prime examples or physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. All of these are tied into Normans challenge of accepting the fact of his own age and maybe the idea of death. On Golden Pond is based off of accepting the fact of age, family, and dying. With this being the main focus the story goes deep and wraps around Normans physical state. Norman is approaching his Eightieth birthday, and one can only imagine a persons physical appearance at this age. He is wrinkled all along his body, kind of like a shriveled up prune. Glasses rest upon his face, and he has very little hair, which he hides with a fisherman hat. Norman has many health problems such as arthritis and palpitations, but his most pressing health issue is his slow mental decline. He knows he is not at the top of his game anymore so grumpiness and a sharp tongue is his cover. According to Eriksons stages Norman would be considered in the Late Adulthood category. The physical state of people in this category is everything that Norman is facing. Vision becomes worse, hence why Norman wears glasses. The skin starts to become wrinkled and tough, hair loss occurs a lot faster. When this point in your life is reached the person is supposed to take the time and find meaning and satisfaction in their life  rather than to become bitter and not resolve the conflict of integrity versus despair. When a person is unsuccessful at doing so they tend to feel as if their life has been wasted and will go on with many regrets. They then will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair. Norman faces this problem because he cannot find it in him to love his life, or to accept what is happening to him as he ages. Along with physical changes throughout a persons life comes cognitive development. These are the strongest developments and changes a person goes through in their life because they affect the person the most, without us realizing whats actually happening. Throughout the movie Norman experiences cognitive development and it really shows through. When a person enters their Late Adulthood cognitive development includes many things. McGraw-Hill (2006) states the following: Some aspects of memory, such as sensory memory, semantic and procedural memory, and priming appear nearly as efficient in older adults as in younger people. Other aspects, mainly the capacity of working memory and the ability to recall specific events or recently learned information, are often less efficient. This information goes along perfectly with the character Norman. One of Normans toughest challenges is his loss of memory, and he is in denial about it. A scene in the movie where this is present is when Normal proceeds to tell his wife Ethel that he has gotten lost in the woods. While Norman is on his walk he becomes disoriented and scared, wandering off the trail and into the woods. After a short run that causes him to pant heavily, he finds his way back to the cottage without giving Ethel any suspicions of the incident. He then soon begins to confess to Ethel that he got lost on his walk and needed to rush back to her. She embraces him and reassures him they will go on that same walk together to regain his memory. He wonders why she loves him so much. Norman throughout the movie also has other incidents of decline in his memory. Throughout all the years he was known for taking his boat out on the pond and going fishing, this year when he tries its almost like he forgets how to steer it. It gets so bad that Billy takes over the boat, and Norman actually leads him into a patch full of rocks, which  damages the boat and throws Norman overboard. Womens childhood relationships with their fathers are important to them all their lives. Regardless of age or status, women who seem clearest about their goals and most satisfied with their lives and personal and family relationships usually remember that their fathers enjoyed them and were actively interested in their development. (Chess, Stella). Among from all the other twists and turns a person goes through in their lifetime, emotional development is by far the best and the worst. In this movie an emotional relationship is what its solely based off of. Norman has lived his whole entire life without having a relationship with his daughter Chelsea. In fact she hasnt seen him in years and for the first time she is coming to spend time for his big birthday. When Chelsea arrives the tension and resentment is so present with both the characters. Normans problem is that he doesnt realize his words and actions strongly affect Chelsea in more than one-way. One scene that really shows how Norman feels about life and that can really affect Chelsea is when they assemble for his birthday cake. He states that he has little to say for living for four score years. Instead of expressing his love to his daughter he makes her feel as if she has had no impact on him what so ever. That very next day Chelsea tells her mother Ethel that even though she is all the way in Los Angeles he makes her feel inadequate from a distance. Now every person knows that in order to build a relationship it takes two. Another relationship Norman builds throughout the movie is through Chelseas stepson Billy. Billy gives Norman a run for his money and shows him that not everyone will take his negativity. Norman and the boy slowly begin to bond and share laughs with each other. Their biggest bonding experience is when they go fishing out on the lake to catch the big fish they call Walter. These experiences that Norman shares with Billy make him realize all he has missed out on with his own daughter Chelsea. Rougemont-Bucking (2013) research states the following: In particular, it focuses on the fact that the limited capacity of the working memory to process now-relevant information can be turned into an advantage, when the individual is occupied by dealing with unpleasant emotion. Based on a  phenomenon known as dual-task interference (DTI), this emotion can be chased by intense arousal due to clearly identifiable external stressors. This research on emotional development fits perfectly with Late Adulthood and maybe as to why Norman is so distant with his daughter. Since his memory is going slowly declining, his mind doesnt find it hard to deal with unpleasant emotion. Norman is kind of like a rock he is just there and doesnt feel much. To go back to the quote from before Womens relationships with their fathers are important to them all their life†¦ This quote ties my paper together perfectly. As much as it is a quote more to Chelsea than Norman it strongly shows how a daughter can be so affected without a fathers love and support. This movie is not only based off of Normans aging and one of his last summers but it is about the growth of a daughter and fathers nonexistent relationship. Throughout the movie Norman shows many prime examples or physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. We as an audience go into the mind of Norman Thayer and learn that even as a grumpy old soul, somewhere deep down in there is a huge heart with lots of love to give. WORKS CITED Gilbert B. (Producer), Rydell M. (Director). (1981) _On Golden Pond_ (Motion Picture). United States: Universal Pictures Papalia, D. E. Olds. S. W. Feldman. R. D (2006). Physical and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood. _Higered.mcgraw-hill_. Retrieved November 28, 2013, http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com. Rougemont-Bucking, A: Grivel J. (2013). Risk Perception and Emotional Coping: A Pathway for Behavioral Addiction?. European Addiction Research (20.2), 49. (November 28, 2013) from Proquest on the World Wide Web: http://proquest.umi.com/pdqweb

Behaviours in English as a Second Language Learner

Behaviours in English as a Second Language Learner Hamayan et al. (2013) emphasize the importance of describing in details the actual behaviors displayed by ELL students before diagnosing and drawing conclusions about the causes of the ELLs difficulties and academic weaknesses. The authors contend that the first step of the ECOS diversity framework that needs to be taken, is to describe students observable behavior as specifically as possible without attributing the behavior to a specific cause (p. 36). This requires collecting work samples and sufficient accurate data, instead of drawing generalized statements based on the teachers perceptions or assumptions about a child. The authors explain that the language difficulties that ELLs experience are embedded in the process of learning English, and they are similar to the difficulties demonstrated by students with diagnosed learning disabilities, for example, forgetting words, language disfluencies, difficulty following oral directions, or distraction in an academic English setting. Wh en garnering the data, educators should obtain this information across different times, settings, and by different methods so that it can be examined, compared and contrasted. Another step of the process of the ECOS diversity framework is to explain the observed behaviors through the lenses of any of the seven integral factors described on page 44. Hamayan et al. (2013) explain that finding explanations for ELLs less than optimal performance in school begins by considering the seven extrinsic factors during the explanatory phase of the process before assuming the existence of intrinsic causes due to a disability (p. 44). Discussing possible explanations will be beneficial to not only members of the ECOS team, but first and foremost to the ELL student. During exploring diverse explanations educators learn from one another about different perspectives, cultural experiences, and areas of expertise. They also have an opportunity to clarify what they mean when using certain words or expressions. Finally, the explanation process may result in findings which will not affect future ELLs placement negatively. It is important to know that even though the disability is present, an ELL should still be supported with ELL services which will meet his/her language needs and maximize the academic achievement. Determining if an ELL students struggles with academic learning are due to language acquisition or a learning disability may be without doubt a challenging task requiring the experience, knowledge about the world, cultural awareness, and professional expertise. Most assessments of ELLs are done mainly in English, therefore the results may be interpreted incorrectly. Moreover, limiting a student to using only one language will hinder a more accurate picture of ELL skills and abilities. Educators seem to have a tendency to rather choose a disability than identify their own bias, lack of knowledge, or procedural errors. There are also many misconceptions about bilingualism, which affect the decisions made about the ELLs. Therefore, it is critical that educators understand the process of the second language acquisition, as well as are able to recognize possible characteristics associated with students with learning disabilities. They should also ask themselves if an ELLs culture may be t he possible explanation for the specific difficulties. In fact, there may be multiple possible reasons for students to exhibit a specific behavior. It truly takes a great amount of knowledge, understanding, humility and sensitivity to cease to guard against this tendency for intrinsic explanations, and stretch ones thinking in order to better serve English language learners. I truly like Hamayan et al. (2013) text because it provides concrete examples of probing questions, potential challenges that ELLs may demonstrate as well as possible explanations from different perspectives for typical language and academic difficulties experienced by ELLs. The article is an eye-opener, and it lays the foundations to how deep and extensive the process of diagnosing should be. I am certain, I will reach for this text, or even will buy a book in order to help me become a more reflective, better practitioner. The more knowledgeable I will become, the more successful my students will be. References Hamayan, Marler, Sanchez-Lopez, Damico (2013), Describing Before Diagnosing: Observation of Specific Behaviors That ELLs May Exhibit, Chapter 3 of Special Education Considerations for English language Learners. Philadelphia, PA: Carlson Publishing.

Analysis of Marks and Spencers Marketing Mix Executive Summary

Analysis of Marks and Spencers Marketing Mix Executive Summary Marks Spencer is one of the most renowned and oldest retailers of Britain. It was found in 1894 through the partnership of Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. The first store was opened in Manchester and the company was based on primary values emphasizing on high quality, value for money, service, innovation, and trust. Due to these corollaries, the organization experienced a great success which led to national and global expansions. Today, it is one of the largest clothing retailers with 895 stores in more than 40 countries around the world. Its also listed on the London stock Exchange and FTSE 100 index. The companys current main products include clothing range, home ware and food products with a supply chain of more than 2000 suppliers globally. Nevertheless, the company started facing problems due to the various reasons such as outdated fashion products that were not on par with the fashion trends. This was primarily due to the fact that it lost focus on their central business by introducing a wide range of products that were not compatible with their core competencies. This led rivals to steal the market share. In order to tackle these issues MS decided to move into the Chinese market where they saw better and wider opportunities. Why Chinese market? China is the worlds third largest economy (behind the USA and Japan in US$ terms) and the country has the largest population of 1.3 billion (in 2008) making it one of the fastest growing economies. When the recession hit the worlds economy and the leading retail markets like US and Europe the companies were looking for opportunities to expand and diversify the risk. China was one of these markets that were not affected by the economic downturn. In 2009 its retail sales hit  ¥12.5 trillion ($1.8 trillion), an increase of 15.5% from the previous year. This was due to the continuous rise in the same year of the per capita disposable income which amounted to  ¥17,175 ($2,515). http://chinabusinessreview.net/public/1005/lu.html In 2008, MS opened its flagship store in Nanjing Road, Shanghai. However, the outcome of this venture was not as successful as expected due to several problems ranging from product incompatibilities to superstitious beliefs. The first section of the paper highlights the current financial performance of the company. This is followed by an exploration of the problematic marketing mix that contributed to the failure of the firm in China. After which, recommendations will be provided for MS to use as a turn around strategy. othman Financial highlights: The financial and trading performance is the measurement of the results of a firms policies and operations in monetary terms. These results are reflected in the firms return on investment, debt to equity ratio and many other ratios (Dictionary, 2010). A ratio is one value divided by another. The result is representative of the value of one quantity in term of another (Ross, Westerfield, Jordan, 2006). During this section the light will be put on the financial aspect of Marks and Spencers business to assess whether its financial situation is adequate or if there is any loopholes that the company might have to consider in the future. For a matter of better understanding, the financial key performance indicators will be compared to TESCOs ratios. Income: From these figures, it can be seen that Marks and Spencer has be gradually increasing its net revenues. However, even if they increased, its net income and earnings per share decreased. This can be explained by the investments that have been carried out by the company to realize its internationalization strategy. Not all of these investments have been successful as some did not succeed like in France for instance where the company decided to close all its stores and exit the market. Indeed, they abandoned their opportunity to expand in France but the cost to exist was relatively expensive mainly because of the labor force protection by the French Government (Global Oneness, 2010). Revenue by region: Stock performance: Ratios: In short term solvency, it can be said that the company is managing normally its activities in an inefficient way. Indeed, if it was to pay its short term debt immediately, the company would just be able to cover around 80% of them. If Tesco is taken as an example, its current ratio is 345% (Yahoo Finance, 2010) which means that Tesco is more secure financially than Marks and Spencer. Thus, investors would be willing to invest more in Tesco. This situation also spread bad image for the company in its financial circle which can have the effect of reducing the investing power of the company. Regarding the long term situation, the level of Asset-to-equity and Debt-to-equity ratios show that the company have a large part of its assets financed by Debt. Consequently, it highlights a high level of financial leverage, approximately 64%; which is supported more by the debt ratio. Problematic areas of Business: nafisa Marketing mix Porduct: Clothing It is crucial in fashion industry to get the product right. In the past decade, MS had downturns of business and brand image related to its apparel getting old fashioned. Although analysts say they have recovered, they seem repeating product mistakes in Chinese market as well. Experts in fashion, have identified key issues that may lead a fashion product to fail. According to Jackson and Shaw (2009), here are the common reasons why fashion products fail: poor or outdated design; poor sizing or fit; unfashionable or irrelevant styles/prints/colours; poor positioning or in-store presentation; poor value or uncompetitive price; poor or non-existent consumer awareness of the product and/or its availability; hyper strong competitive offers elsewhere. Researches and analyses on the MS expansion to Chinese market indicate that all above points were relevant to their products. 4.1.2 Sizing Each clothing retail brand has its basic pattern block that probably has been made after studying target groups measurements and taking the average from that. Marks Spencers typical apparel customer is a woman after 40s who prefers comfortable fit and quality. This has affected MS fashion and sizing as well. Customers complain MS clothes and underwear are larger compared to the same sized item from another shops. In mass production of several thousands of pieces of garments, shrinking the measurement in to unnoticeable 1 cm may make noticeable reduction in cost. Therefore fashion is created according to feasibility, cost effectiveness of the designs and it is influencing the way clothes fit and the sizing as well. The reason why MS clothes seem greater compared to cheaper rivals is actually can be explained by the philosophy of not compromising on quality. Average size in Chinese apparel industry is smaller than European size in every dimensions. It is shorter; sleeves are 2 inches shorter, sizes up to 16-18. In Europe it is up to 26. When a fashion retailer enters a new market, it is important to research consumers sizes, body structure, and culture. Because these things influence peoples fashion tastes and clothing culture. Style and Fashion: In the Chinese market, MS offering large size garments that pleased expatriates who struggle to find their size in shops, which target average Chinese women. However, Chinese customers showed very low interest, as the clothes are too big and too simple. MS is a department store that tries to meet the needs of all age groups with different needs. Where as competitors try to focus on one segment and one fashion concept and therefore perform effectively. The brands failure of drawing young Chinese peoples attention could be due the failure of Everything for all positioning in general. Fast fashion requires the retailer to focus on certain, preferable well-specified segment (like Zaras, classy chic over 20s). May be it is time for MS to give in-house brands independence and expose number of different brands, keeping MS just a store name. Diversified products result in bigger and slower supply chain. Because competitors are adopting efficient and quick product turnover, smaller and faster batches, MS clothes, when arrived to stores cannot stand the competition. Costumers find them out of fashion. Brand value is a key for success in fashion industry. Fast moving, better-positioned and low price competitors are jeopardizing brand value of once famous clothing retailer with heritage. Celebrating its 125 birthday, MS resembles older generation fashion and in store brands and young celebrities used as brand ambassadors not helping to attract 20-25 year olds although they are helping to retain more customers whod switch to competitors otherwise. According to research by Datamonitor, more than 75% of shoppers in the food halls of MS, are over 45. In the fashion department the problem is worse: 65% of its main clothing shoppers were aged over 55, as were those who accounted for 48% of spending on MS clothing last year. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/nov/22/bolland-marks-spencer-problems ) hassan Food: Limited range and Long life food products: Marks and Spencer has been criticized by its Chinese customers that the food products in shelves were produced a long time ago from the date of purchase. So there is only a small portion of fresh products and also the range and variety is limited. Majority of products are approaching towards expiry date. The food items contain preservatives that effect taste of products. Further research shows that a large amount of products were destroyed due to expiry, spoilage and bad conditions. Almost all products are made in UK so this leads to customers perception of Marks Spencer as a British store. Research shows that the main reason for above mentioned problems is that Marks and Spencer imports its products from UK. It takes a significant time in shipment of goods from UK to China due to enlarged supply chain cycle involved. A portion of products is deteriorated due to inefficiencies in handling, storing and transportation procedures. Branding issue Marks and Spencer brands all its products under its trade name MS. this brand name appear strange to Chinese people and they have translated it into a Chinese term. Also this brand name has no direct linkage with products. This is due to company policy towards branding and trends in UK market as much of retailers such as Tesco brands their products under their trade name. 4.2.3 Packaging issue: Marks Spencer customers are finding product packs confusing and misleading. Research reveals a customer complains that he bought a packet assuming it to be biscuits but when he opened it were snacks. The above problem is a result of standardized strategy towards packaging and labeling. The labeling lacks Chinese description and also rich in text and without product images. othman Marketing Mix Price: When setting the price of a product, the company must understand perfectly its cost and the customer value perception for the product (Armstrong, Harker, Kotler, Brennan, 2009). Marks and Spencer did surely understand these points when operating in UK and in other successful countries but not when it came to China as the company failed to set the price correctly. Normally, the price the company charges will fall somewhere between one that is too high to produce any demand and one that is too low to generate any revenue (Armstrong, Harker, Kotler, Brennan, 2009). These are the extremes and Marks and Spencer leaned far too much to the high price end. As a result, the company found it very hard to sell its product and generate profit for a viable business in China. One example would be the cashmere scarves that Marks and Spencer was selling or pretending to sell, as no one bought them, at  £50 where it was possible to get them for far less at nearby stores (Moore, 2009). However, in some cases the prices of products were convenient but the customers still did not buy them. The reason is primarily that Marks and Spencer did come late. Indeed, Wal-Mart and Carrefour were there before and had more than enough time to impose their respective brands and enjoy the lions part (Crabbe, 2010). Marketing Mix Place: When entering a new market, one of the crucial decision that a company has to make is choosing the right location to open in. indeed, the location is one of the key factors to a business success firstly due to of being the least flexible of the strategic retailing issues and secondly, because the location set the geographical boundaries of the trading area from which the store draws its customers (William Ferrell, 2010). As a result, in the following paragraph will discuss the problems related to the Marks and Spencer stores in China. Marks and Spencer has opened since 2008 two stores in China, one in Huaihai Road in Shanghai, the equivalent of Londons Oxford Street (City Focus, 2010). And the other one is in Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai major attraction and commercial hub (City in pulse, 2010). These stored, especially the first one, has suffered poor trading in the last months. This was due to many factors but the discussion will only focus on location related issues. The first issue concerning the location was the first store opened. Marks and Spencer had chosen one of the most popular streets in Shanghai because it wanted to show its brand reputation and refined stores. But at the same time, the company wanted to expand quickly and as a result the store was not ready to welcome the new Chinese customers. Indeed the walls were scuffed and the paint job was poor (Moore, 2009). As the old adage confirm, the first impression is the last impression and by failing to make a good one in the Grand opening of its first store, Marks and Spencer condemned itself of having a bad image in China. The second issue was that the company underestimated the differences in operating in China and Hong Kong, therefore using the same strategy to find the store location in China. Indeed, Sir Stuart Rose admitted to the Financial Times during his visit to the Shanghai store that Marks and Spencer did misunderstood the Chinese mainland market, assuming that its experience in Hong Kong could be directly transferred to this market (News, 2009). vaishali Marketing Mix Promotion: Brand awareness: One of the major problems with Marks and Spencers (MS) venture into China is the fact that many local people were not aware of the brand. In fact, one of the articles regarding MS in China talks about local men saying weve never heard of this company. Many female shoppers also claimed to be unfamiliar with the brand. Although it is a well-known British company with many outlets overseas, it is fairly unknown amongst Chinas local public. This means that there is a lack of brand awareness and advertising as the locals do not have much knowledge of its history. As a result of this, many customers would not be instantly drawn to it as they do not recognize it. Lack of familiarity discourages people to enter the stores which will inherently affect sales. Other issues: teja Supply chain: Global supply chain management is an important area for MS in its expansion to China. Global supply chain management involves the companys worldwide interests. In Chinas expansion it is noticeable that the supply chain related issues are based on the following areas. Timing Proper timing in approaching a market gives advantages for a company. For example first movers in a market always have advantages in gaining profits. Chinas retail industry has grown rapidly during the recent history. The move of MS to China was taken during the recession. Even though China was less affected by recession due to its closed financial system, the worldwide demand for Chinese exports were decreasing. It was a time when cash strapped consumers were moving away from expensive ready cooked meals and thinking about buying the cheaper substitutes instead of the expensive. Luxury ready prepared meal that is the mainstay of Marks and Spencers offering. Marks and Spencer dont have enough flexibility to move  their offerings at the time of Moving to China.   The result is loss of customers to competitors and it will become difficult to recover them when economic times get better. Institutional Factors Product controls, government regulations, tariffs affects supply chains. When MS initially started the business in China the company had lots of difficulties in getting products into the country. Chinese custom officials blocked MS goods. This situation created empty shelves in the food department of the store. (http://www.jddchina.com, 2010) Corruption and government bureaucracy remain a major issue in China. Business activities and financial related activities can take a lot more time than comparing with UK and the administration costs remain extremely high. The higher amount of control in the economy by the government creates policy uncertainty. This uncertainty exists as a major challenge for businesses operating in China. Integration According to the experience of successful international businesses in China such as Sara, HM and Tesco, it is necessary to take a long view in China. Existing products should not be transplanted into Chinese markets without making them localized. In the localization process it is necessary to have a proper integration with the local talents that can create better customer links. Nilesh Superstitious beliefs: Although China is one of the big and a great country in all the aspects of the world but still they have lots of superstitious beliefs. Marks and Spencer in china has suffered from these kinds of beliefs. China has a main impact of Feng Shui. Feng Shui is widely used to orient buildings. According to the retail competitors of Marks Spencer the main store is at a cursed location of the city. This superstitious gossip was because just at the four days of opening of the Chinas main MS store there was a death of one of the man named Harshit Shah. He got killed accidently while leaning over the side of escalator (The Telegraph, 2010). As MS is in China we cant neglect these things that could have been one of the reasons of the failure for Marks Spencer in China. Most of the Chinese people have some traditional beliefs about the numbers. They consider no. 4 is associated with the death so most of the times they dont even buy products that price starting or ending by number 4. They consider number 8 for prosperity and good luck. They also skip the 4th floor in many of the buildings. Different styles forms of the Feng Shui are often used to block or reduce the negative energies that occur. According to some believers of the Feng Shui the structure of the Marks Spencers store was wrong and that led think of superstitions as one of the problems for MS in China. Recommendations: nafisa Marketing Mix Product: Clothing Researches show Chinese consumers are not familiar with MS brand. This gives an opportunity of positioning the brand differently than it is positioned in home country. The construction of store image, comprising both tangible and intangible dimensions, compounds problems of moving into international markets as consumers in the host environment are less familiar with the intangible dimensions of image, which have been built up over time with exposure to the retail company. Retail companies therefore need to fully understand the importance of image in competitive positioning and the components of store image before attempting to replicate this image and positioning overseas. Repositioning the brand can give a chance to reach the desired customer, 25-35 year old Chinese consumer with higher disposable income. With current strategy MS cannot be as successful in china as in the UK. Because older generation in China do not have high disposable income unlike their European peers. BCG researches indicated that Chinese consumer is very young. Although fashion has become global already, it still needs localization when entering a new market. Jessica Lo, of the China Market Research Group warns that western brands should not bank on Chinese consumers directly paralleling European and American shoppers when it comes to taste and aesthetic appetites. Many western companies forget to localise both their styles as well as advertising. They use celebrities and images that work in the UK and Europe, but that dont resonate with Chinese consumers. It is critical that companies get the right product selection and style and advertising image. (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6objectid=10650170 ) Marks Spencer can increase its Petite range products and bring it to Chinese market with different, localized brand. When petite sizes are average, its better to replace the name, because it may sound offensive rather than just size attribute. It is recommended that MS researches fashion preferences, consumer behaviour of Chinese people and then create an in-house brand customized for Chinese market. Similar brand should be created for menswear as well. hassan Food: Limited range and long life products: Chinese people are very conscious about their food selection because they link it directly to their good health and long life. So we recommend the following actions to be taken and implemented. Marks and Spencer should develop local production facilities so that products are produced and processed in china than importing from UK. So as a result people will get fresh products at best taste. This will also change its image from a British retailer to a local manufacturer. Develop methods and improve conditions so the preservatives are not added in the products. This can be achieved by improving packaging, storage conditions and efficient supply chain and product replacement cycle. Re-engineer the import process so the inefficiencies in handling, packaging, storing and transportation are removed to ensure minimum wastage. The freshness and pureness (no preservatives) features will be used for promotion of products as it is a successful practice now days used by high profile food manufacturers. The company executives can perceive local production as a costly operation when comparing to demand but it will increase demand in long term by bettering product image. We can also export our made in china products to other near locations like India and other markets. It will also lower the cost and will drive prices in a competitive range. Packaging: The packaging is a core area of concern as it acts in a multiple way by communicating product information and brand character. It is the first point of contact of product with customer so it should be attractive in terms of design and colour. The Chinese link longness to long life so package should be designed in long shapes and the colour are also important. As they will be attracted towards red packs which is a symbol of prosperity and avoid using black colour as it is for bad luck.( http://chinasearch.co.uk/buy/marks-and-spencer/) Package should be functional and clear so it shows the true picture and nature of product. It should be convenient for Chinese people to open as they avoid cutting things with scissors and knives. Package should be well labeled about product, brand and all relevant information. Marks and spencer should label products using a bilingual approach. Using both Chinese language and English so it will be useful for customers to read all information they need. The label can be made more attractive and functional by adding Chinese recipes. othman Marketing Mix Price: To make the prices of products more affordable and competitive, one solution would be that Marks and Spencer improves its supply chain to reduce cost: First, by exploiting the technology in its stores by introducing hand held communicators to track clothes from the distribution to the sales floor which helps to know exactly what is in the stores. The result would be a more efficient and cost effective delivery system Second, by introducing a technology that consists of counting the number of items sold by kind automatically when the transaction is handled; For clothes especially to know what items are better sold and what are the ones that have to be removed. Another suggestion would be to carry out a consumer shopping experience research to know what kind of design Chinese prefer, and what products should go together in order to get rid of unwanted products and consequently reducing the cost of unsold goods The last but not least is to make enough space between clothes and food so that the stores looks more attractive thus reducing the concern about price. Marketing Mix Place: As it was said at the beginning, the location is the less flexible asset. Consequently the suggested solution will focus more on upcoming stores. The ideal location for these future stores would be places that people can access more easily, also MS should think about starting to open small stores to catch also the low volume buyers as this type of potential customers are willing to become loyal clients but are not going to waste time in a supermarket just to buy few items. For future stores, Marks and Spencer should evaluate the relative ease if movement to and from the site, including factors such as pedestrian and vehicular traffic, parking and transportation (William Ferrell, 2010). The company should also evaluate the characteristics if the site itself: types of stores in the area and the visibility of the lot under consideration (William Ferrell, 2010). One last thing to do is to look for compatibility with neighboring stores merely because stores that complement one another d raw more customers for everyone (William Ferrell, 2010). vaishali Marketing Mix Promotion: Re-branding and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Due to the fact that the company has been battling with bad press and negative public views due to several reasons such as offering products that do not cater the needs of the market, lack of products, providing wrong sizes and superstitions due to the occurrence of a death during the opening week, MS needs to re-brand itself in order to move away from the negative connotations, erase the past image and start afresh. This can be done by changing the store look and layout. It should have colours and products that exude vibrancy and freshness. The MS logo should be re-designed in order to bring a sense of novelty. The focal signboard outside the store should grab attention and be vibrant. It can be designed with neon lights and a different shade of green, together with black in order to make it look noticeable. The window displays should also be creatively designed with mannequins dressed up in vibrant colours and innovative designs. The arrangement should grab hold of the passerbyà ¢ â‚ ¬Ã… ¸s interest, especially the female youth- which will be MSà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s new target market. Although this is an advertising technique, it primarily falls under re-branding the store and giving the brand a new image. All these efforts should be concentrated towards recreating a store that does not remind the customers of the old store or their views of it- it should feel new to the customers and help develop positive impressions. Another way of erasing bad memories and creating a positive image in the minds of the public is by engaging in CSR (corporate social responsibilities) activities. MS should consider taking up a project that can prove to be beneficial for Shanghai and its people. One such way is by engaging in charitable causes that help raise funds to help out some of Shanghaià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s poor population. Such activities should have proper news coverage so as to disseminate the message amongst the people about MSà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s good, unselfish deed. This will help change the minds of at least some of the people and help develop an optimistic view of the brand. Increasing brand awareness: Due to the fact that many people were unfamiliar with the brand, MS should engage in heavy advertising. It can include various mediums, some suggestions for MS are as follows:  · Television: This is the most successful way of reaching mass-market, especially in China where it is very popular. MS should consider buying slot times during programs that have the highest viewership. For example, the China Central Television (CCTV) claims to have 600 million viewers for its daily evening news- making it the most watched news program in the world. Adverts can also be shown during the running of popular programs like the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Spring Festival Galaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ (one of the highest rated show in China), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Fashion Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ (on Gungxi TV, which shows the highlight from fashion shows around the world- also one of the top-rated shows) or during famous soap operas like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Wo Juà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸. MS should create eye-catching ads with catchy tunes and cool graphics and also make use of famous local celebrities like Yao Ming, Zhang Ziyi and Jay Chou to establish a connection with the local people. Famous international celebri ties, like David Beckham or singer Rihanna, can also be used for TV ads to catch the attention of the expats, and these ads will still manage to get the attention of the Chinese people who also like and recognise them (celebrity branding).  · Print advertising: Newspapers are also Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s most popular advertising medium. Papers like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Jiefang Ribaoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ (Liberation Daily) and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Jingji Ribaoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ (Economic Daily) have high readership rates- nevertheless, these are mainly read by the working class people. In order to reach out to the youth market, MS can advertise in the popular Chinese Youth Magazine known as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Zhongguo Qing Nian Baoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸. Popular female magazines like à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Elle Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Harperà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s Bazaar Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ can also feature MS adverts and it will help reach out to middle-upper class women interested in fashion. Also, television-based brochures also have high circulation rates. MS can feature its ads in the Shanghai Weekly Radio Broadcasting and TV known as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Meizhou Guangbo Dianshià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸, which has a circulation of 2.8 million in Shanghai.  · Online advertising: This is the usage of the World Wide Web in order to get the message across and build interest for your brand. In China, 1/3 of the population is found online, this makes it the second largest à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾internet communityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ in the world. Internet is a good way of reaching out to young people, and this is important to note as they will be MSà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s target market for the clothing department. In China, Facebook is not as popular as websites called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾QQà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾360 Quanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ (Chinaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸s largest social networking sites). Whereby companies today are creating facebook pages to reach out to the youth market (e.g. Burberry), MS should try and join the aforementioned sites to create awareness, inform the youth about the brand and its products and encourage them to buy them. This is also a good way to connect with the

Atlantis :: essays research papers

Atlantis: We will never know Fantasy is a tough sell in the twentieth century. The world has been fully discovered and fully mapped. Popular media has effectively minimized the legend and the fantastic rumor, though to make up for this it has generated falsities not as lavish but just as interesting. Satellites have mapped and studied the earth, leaving only a space frontier that is as yet unreachable. But standing out is a charming fantasy the modern world has yet to verify or condemn: the lost continent of Atlantis. The father of the modern worlds perception of Atlantis is Plato (circa 428- circa 347 b.c.). (1) The Greek philosopher spoke in his works Timaeus and Critias of a continent in the Atlantic ocean larger than Africa and Asia Minor combined which rivaled Athens as the most advanced in the world. (2) According to the legend surrounding Platos dialogues, the island of Atlantis was violently thrown into the sea by the forces of nature, and its few survivors managed to swim ashore and relate their story. (3) There the legend was passed by word of mouth until an Egyptian priest related the story to Solon, a character in Timaeus. The priest admired the achievements of prehistoric Athenians, because when the rulers of Atlantis threatened to invade all of Europe and Asia the Athenians, on behalf of all Greeks, defeated the Atlanteans to avoid enslavement. (4) The works of Plato opened the floodgates to endless speculation on whether the continent described was fact or fiction. Atlantis has since been placed in Spain, Mongolia, Palestine, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Brazil, Sweden, Greenland and Yucatan. Every nook and cranny of the globe has been hypothesized; mountain peaks, desert lands, the ocean floor and even the barren wasteland of Antarctica have been mentioned in theories. (5) While some of these theories are compatible with Platos works and are within relative reason, numerous crackpot theories have been developed using the lost continent as a basis. One of these theories, posted on the computer internet where it has access to over fifteen million people, talks in twenty-one pages of pre-historical lands with names like Oz and Luxor. These world wide web pages list over two hundred separate articles of proof for the existence of Atlantis, as in the following: (6) Most all ancient civilizations believed in the TITANS, the race of giant humans that inhabited Earth long ago. Different races knew them by different names. These 7 to 12 foot humanoids were thought to be legendary until the excavation of over a dozen skeletons 8 to 12 feet tall, around the world, shocked archeologists. These skeletons were positively human.

Diabetes :: essays research papers

Diabetes   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This disease is caused by defective carbohydrate metabolism. It causes large amounts of sugar in the blood and urine. It can damage the kidneys, heart, eyes, limbs, and endanger pregnancy. About five percent of the United States population has it and about half are undiagnosed. A diabetic that is treated life span is lowered by one-third   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two types of diabetes. Type I, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). And type II, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Type I   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This type usually occurs in children and young adults, it is known as one of the autoimmune diseases. It is 10-15 percent of all cases. The pancreas lets out insulin that lets sugar glucose into all tissues in the body and in this type of diabetes most or all of this insulin is not made. So all the extra glucose is let out through urine. If untreated this type could be fatal quickly. The body cannot get enough energy from tissue glucose so it starts to break down stored fat. With this people loose a lot of weight and they have fatigue. Your blood becomes acidic and respiration becomes abnormal. People usually die from diabetic coma until they figured out how to use insulin therapy. In both forms it could cause a kidney disease from high blood sugar levels; bad sight from blood vessels in eyes rupturing, less blood going to the limbs could make them have to cut them off. They have high blood pressure which increases heart attacks and strokes in diabetes too. Type II   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This type is found in mostly in people over 40 it progresses slowly unlike type I. The insulin in the pancreas is produced in good levels but does not work right. It does not let the glucose in to the tissues just like in type I.

Influence Of Efl Students Oral Proficiency Education Essay

English is considered as most of import international linguistic communication. Institutes all over the universe in different states have to learn this linguistic communication in order to enable the pupils as this linguistic communication is treated as a planetary linguistic communication all over the universe. This piece of work will concentrate on the different ways in which College pupils that are larning English as a foreign linguistic communication influenced and hapless engagement in the category room or no engagement at all is reported from their instructors. This is a really huge subject and the issue is one of the serious 1s that have attracted attending of different research workers from clip to clip. This survey will supply reader with and in deepness cognition about the subject and the promotions that took over from clip to clip. After supplying an analysis of the work from different research workers and the earnestness of the subject this piece of work will foreground a nd concentrate on different countries related to the subject that can be improved. It is a good known fact among linguistic communication acquisition specializers that there is a disagreement between what schoolroom second/foreign linguistic communication scholars are taught, what they learn/acquire and what they can really bring forth. This incompatibility has prompted second/foreign linguistic communication research workers to look into the function of expressed grammar direction and whether, when and how focal point on signifier benefits classroom second/foreign linguistic communication scholars. This incompatibility seems to back up the premises underlying Krashen ( 1982 ) ‘s acquisition/learning hypothesis. Krashen argued that concentrating on lingual signifier was of limited value because it can merely lend to ‘learning ‘ and ne'er to ‘acquisition ‘ . So the Learners must besides get the cognition of how native talkers use the linguistic communication in the context of societal interactions. With the lifting value of communicating in the modern epoch, people tend to concentrate on the ability to talk a foreign linguistic communication fluently alternatively of merely reading or composing it. Yet, eloquence in a foreign linguistic communication requires more than larning grammatical and semantic regulations. This is particularly hard for EFL scholars because of the minimum usage of the mark linguistic communication and contact with native talkers. Consequently, EFL scholars, by and large, are comparatively hapless at spoken English, in peculiar sing eloquence and control of idiomatic looks. However, in pattern, it is excessively frequently assumed that scholar ‘s communicative proficiency can be developed merely by delegating pupils subjects to discourse and promoting them to take part in assorted talking undertakings. Largely, surveies in EFL larning have addressed the necessity of pupils ‘ schoolroom interaction or unwritten engagement in category for the development of communicative competency. Rubin ( 1975 ) , in ‘reporting on the properties of the good linguistic communication scholar ‘ , claims that the good linguistic communication scholar patterns and normally takes â€Å" advantage of every chance to talk in category†¦ † ( Robin, 1975:47 ) Holocene surveies have shown that formal direction can be good ( VanPatten and Cadierno, 1993 ; Long, 1983 ; Pica, 1983 ) , that exposure to input entirely is non sufficient ( Swain, 1985 ) , and that schoolroom acquisition, irrespective of the focal point of direction, consequences in â€Å" more acquisition † in scholars than non-classroom environments ( Pavesi, 1986 ) . However, acquiring pupils to take part in talking undertakings in conversation categories is a job that most EFL instructors face. Success in a conversation category may be defined as a scene in which pupils are able to pass on efficaciously in English. Therefore, heightening pupils ‘ communicative competency is the ultimate purpose of the sophomore college conversation category, which is considered as a needed class at Saudi colleges and universities for English big leagues. However, a job that most EFL pupils face in conversation categories is practical usage of the basic linguistic communication regulations they have learned. Even advanced pupils who have mastered signifier and vocabulary can frequently read and compose better than they can talk in a foreign linguistic communication. Using the informations collected from observations, pupils ‘ self-evaluation and class rating questionnaires, this paper explains the grounds why most college pupils may non be willing to take part in assorted talking undertakings in conversation categories. It besides explores how college pupils perceive and measure their English conversation categories and to what and to whom do they impute their troubles in bettering their English communicative proficiency. This introductory chapter encompasses the statement of the job, intents of the survey, subject choice, research inquiries, significance of the survey, restrictions of the survey every bit good as premises of the survey and organisation of the survey.1.1 Statement of the Problem:Surveies in linguistic communication acquisition have addressed the necessity of schoolroom interaction to the development of pupils ‘ communicative competency ; nevertheless, acquiring pupils to react in an EFL conversation category is a job that most instructors face. It is of import to indicate out here that in Saudi Arabia, English is learned as a foreign linguistic communication for at least six old ages in intermediate and secondary schools. So before their registration into colleges and universities, pupils have basic cognition of English grammar and vocabulary. Although much attempt has been made to better instruction of English in Saudi Arabia, the traditional grammar-translation method is still widely used by many instructors. This led to the fact that most English big leagues frequently find it difficult to take part in speech production undertakings because unwritten accomplishments were non focused in the schoolroom. Therefore, conversation categories for English big leagues at many colleges and universities are tough assignments. As a consequence their Oral English proficiency is far from satisfactory on graduation and the pupils themselves frequently voice dissatisfaction or defeat at their ain deficiency of advancement in speech production.1.2 The Purpose of the Survey:As old surveies have shown the importance of schoolroom interaction, this survey sought to reenforce these findings. The chief aim of the survey was to depict college degree conversation category in visible radiation of the relationship between sophomore English big leagues ‘ unwritten proficiency and their engagement in category and other possible factors that may impact schoolroom unwritten in teraction. Therefore, the initial hypothesis of this survey was: pupils ‘ communicative proficiency degree is the lone factor that influences their engagement in category. A 2nd intent was to measure the effectivity of the execution of my part to this class at misss module of Education during the first term of the twelvemonth 1429-1430 AH and to research the attitudes and penchants of my pupils towards the sorts of speech production activities that took topographic point during this 12 hebdomads class.1.3 Topic Choice:During the first term of the twelvemonth 1429-1430 AH, I was consigned as the teacher of sophomore English big leagues ‘ conversation category. In such a category, pupils are expected to take part actively in the assorted talking undertakings in order to better their unwritten proficiency degree. But I was surprised to cognize that the bulk of pupil ‘s are loath to take portion in schoolroom interaction which led to the malfunction of some of these ac tivities. This job has enforced me to choose this subject for my research and I decided to look into â€Å" the factors that led to my pupils ‘ general reserve to take part in the speech production undertakings during conversation categories †1.4 Research Questions:This survey addresses three chief inquiries: What affects sophomore English big leagues ‘ unwritten interaction in the conversation category? Is the unwritten proficiency degree the lone factor that influences pupils ‘ schoolroom engagement? How do pupils comprehend and measure their unwritten proficiency degree before and after taking the conversation categories? Would pupils ‘ schoolroom engagement be significantly related to their tonss in the concluding unwritten trial?1.5 Significance of the Survey:Communicative linguistic communication ability, as one of the productive accomplishments that linguistic communication scholars must develop, has been the focal point of linguistic communication scholars and instructors. However, an of import fact that needs to be given attending to is that most of the surveies on ESL/EFL unwritten English instruction and acquisition are conducted in English speech production states. So, consequences shown in these surveies may non stand for and work out some of the jobs that are confronting EFL pupils who are larning in non-native state of affairss. The consequences of this survey could good function as a footing for the betterment of unwritten pupil engagement in conversation categories where reserve and deficiency of chances to pattern English with native talkers outside the category are restricting fa ctors. Therefore, this survey is of significance to the sphere of EFL unwritten English instruction and acquisition as it extends the cognition base that presently exists in that field.1.6 Restrictions of the Survey:Generalization of consequences from the survey was limited by the undermentioned conditions: The participants in the survey were limited to sophomore English big leagues and their instructor at Girls ‘ module of instruction who participated in the English conversation class in the first term of the twelvemonth 1429-1430 AH. The pupils ‘ unwritten schoolroom interaction that the present survey focal points on was limited to take parting in a few types of speech production undertakings that were used in the conversation category for the first clip. It should be noted that the class is held merely two hours a hebdomad for 12 hebdomads.1.7 Premises of the Survey:The undermentioned premises were made for the intent of this survey to analyze pupils ‘ attitudes towards take parting in conversation category speech production undertakings: It was assumed that all participants of this survey clearly understood the points mentioned in the questionnaire and the written interview. It was besides assumed that all participants provided indifferent responses to the questionnaire and written interview to the best of their ability. It was assumed that few persons would hold a high unwritten proficiency degree.1.8 Organization of the Survey:This thesis is composed of 5 chapters. Each chapter provides an apprehension of assorted issues that are critical to this research. The construction of the survey is as follows ; Chapter I comprises the debut, statement of the job, intent of the survey, research inquiries, significance of the survey, restrictions of the survey, premises of the survey, and organisation of the survey. Chapter II provides a reappraisal of literature and research related to the background of communicative competency, importance of schoolroom interaction and the factors that influence EFL scholars ‘ engagement in conversation schoolroom speech production undertakings. Chapter III presents an overview of research methodological analysis ; the research design, the scheme, attack, and an account of the processs utilized in carry oning the survey. Chapter IV presents informations analysis utilizing SPSS ( Statistical Package for Social Sciences ) . Chapter V contains the sum-up, decisions, treatments and recommendations.Chapter 2: A Review of the Literature2.1 Introduction:Literature Review is one of the longest plus highly important chapters in a standard thesis. The grounds for sorting this chapter as one of the mainly important chapter is it ‘s in depth concentration on research carried out by dissimilar research workers in the yesteryear. This chapter in add-on will offer the readers by agencies of an in deepness cognition sing the positions as of dissimilar research workers every bit good as their recommended techniques to over come the issues of Students in add-on to their engagement in conversation schoolroom speech production undertakings.2.2 The significance of English Language:Presents, larning English has become a necessity all over the universe. English is the chiefly common linguistic communication that is widely used. No uncertainty, larning English requires get the hanging the four linguistic communication accomplishments ; listening, speech production, reading and composing. Learning English as a foreign linguistic communication is one characteristic of that wide procedure of larning. Therefore, non holding a balance flanked by those two spheres, English larning procedure will be negatively affected. Benson et al. , ( 1997 ) claims that linguistic communication acquisition is affected by both spheres which are the mental every bit good as emotional sides of human behavior ( Benson et al. , 1997 ) The affectional sphere comprises emotions and psychological aspects that the scholar holds sing larning. No admiration, perceptual experiences that the pupils bring to the acquisition fortunes have been recognized as a important causal facet to the acquisition procedure. Those aspects can be enthusiasm, attitudes, jitteriness or assurance. They can be positive or negative facets. In recent old ages, the significance of affectional facets like jitteriness, reserve, enthusiasm and assurance has been of involvement in the field of linguistic communication acquisition for the ground that of their high effects on larning a foreign or a 2nd linguistic communication. For this ground, Brintonet al. , ( 1989 ) name upon cut downing jitteriness and reserve and heightening scholar ‘s enthusiasm plus assurance in the schoolroom model. ( Brintonet al. , 1989 )2.3 Theoretical ModelEnglish linguistic communication is a universe broad linguistic communication. It is an international agencies o f communicating. The figure of second/foreign linguistic communication talkers is further than the figure of local talkers of English. Using a linguistic communication means pass oning through that linguistic communication every bit good as practising it. Bhatia, ( 1993 ) mentioned that â€Å" larning a linguistic communication is larning to pass on through it in all modes, all accomplishments and competences every bit good as through incorporating signifier, map and content † . Communication is an synergistic procedure that requires dissimilar constituents. These constituents comprise: lingual competency, textual competency, functional competency, socio-culture competency and strategic competency. However, competencies are gained through hearing, speech production, reading plus composing. The authorship accomplishment is the nucleus of this research. ( Bhatia, 1993 )2.4 Affectional AspectsCognitive sphere, affectional sphere and psychomotor sphere are indispensable issues in the linguistic communication larning procedure. The affectional sphere, as Bolinger, ( 1976 ) stated â€Å" refers to emotions in add-on to feelings † . It is considered the emotional side of human behavior. However, this sphere is non easy to be scientifically defined for the ground that several variables are implied into it. ( Bolinger, 1976 ) Affectional facets have an highly important influence on pupil ‘s EFL acquisition. Stern noted that â€Å" the affectional constituent contributes at least as much and often further to linguistic communication larning than cognitive accomplishments † . So that, it is important to understand pupil ‘s feelings and cognize farther sing these facets ; Communication in EFL is often associated by agencies of a figure of affectional facets such as apprehensiveness. Several surveies were conducted by the research worker to mensurate communicating apprehensiveness, whether spoken or written, among EFL scholars. In fact, apprehensiveness, fright, negative perceptual experiences of one ‘s abilities in add-on to other jobs are associated to affective facets such as jitteriness, reserve, low assurance etc. In this research, English composing attainment plus assurance were measured. ( Mustafa, 1995 )2.5 ReserveReserve is an affectional facet which is clearly associated to confidence. Persons develop a set of defense mechanisms to protect themselves as of either external or internal unfavorable judgment. Reserve prevents people as of showing themselves freely and comfortably. Learning a 2nd or foreign linguistic communication necessitates doing mistakes and larning often occur through doing mistakes. However if a scholar frights of doing mistakes every bit good as considers mistakes as a harmful consequence on his self-importance, he will fall into internal ( one ‘s ego ) every bit good as external ( others ‘ ) menaces. Both are barriers to larning. In fact, the non-threatening and relaxed environment can drop pupil ‘s reserve to the lowest grade. ( Benson et al. , 1997 )2.5.1 Risk-takingCommunication in a second/foreign linguistic communication requires some guessing plus viing. A figure of scholars fear to take the hazard and reply any inquiry unless they are wholly certain it is right. They choose to maintain quiet all the clip to avoid doing mistakes or fright of looking pathetic. Such fright of seeking or being capable to doing mistakes makes pupils lose several opportunities to pattern the mark linguistic communication. St. John, ( 1996 ) maintains that: The soundless pupil in the schoolroom is one who is unwilling to look foolish when mistakes are made. Assurance seems to be closely connected to a risk-taking facet: when those foolish mistakes are made, a individual by agencies of high planetary assurance is non daunted by the possible effects of being laughed at. However, EFL scholars have to be active and ready to do anticipations, conjecture and take the hazard of being incorrect. ( St. John, 1996 )2.5.2 JitterinessJitteriness is like any other affectional facets, it is non easy to be defined. Specifying Nervousness, St. John, ( 1996 ) in add-on provinces that â€Å" it is associated by agencies of feelings of disquiet, defeat, diffidence, apprehensiveness or concern † . Nervousness can be experienced in dissimilar degrees. It can be broken down into: ( St. John, 1996 ) Communication apprehensiveness Fear of negative communal rating Test Jitteriness Another classification of Nervousness was presented by Swales, ( 1990 ) : Mediated responses ; when a scholar plays with his pen or hair and non steady in his place or his voice quavers when he speaks. Unaffiliated behavior ; when a pupil avoids engagement in add-on to sits softly or is loath to reply or avoids eyes reach with the instructor. Image-protection ; when a pupil smiles or nods his caput devoid of involvement while listening, gives a brief reply or might express joy to demo others he is interested in the conversation. All these reactions to avoid communicating in the mark linguistic communication show dissimilar sides of Nervousness. Jitteriness can be harmful or helpful. It makes the pupil watchful asset does good in his research or it can be a barrier to acquisition. Further, excessively much or excessively small of Nervousness has a negative consequence on EFL acquisition. ( Swales, 1990 )2.5.3 EnthusiasmEnthusiasm is one of the affectional facets that have a strong influence on pupil ‘s success or failure. Wesche, ( 1993 ) considers enthusiasm a obscure term every bit good as a wide umbrella that comprises dissimilar significances under it. Enthusiasm is an interior thrust or emotions that move people to a peculiar action. A figure of pupils are enthusiastic sing acquisition every bit good as feel interested in larning activities. This feeling of enthusiasm depends chiefly on the instructor ‘s ability to keep the involvement in the schoolroom atmosphere. Enthusiasm is affected by s everal facets as Wesche, ( 1993 ) mentioned â€Å" involvement in the capable affair, perceptual experience of its utility, general desire to accomplish, assurance every bit good as forbearance and continuity † . ( Wesche, 1993 )2.5.4 AssuranceAssurance is a basic demand in human life. Tarnopolsky, ( 2000 ) defined it as â€Å" the experience of being competent to get by by agencies of the basic challenges of life and being worthy of felicity. It consists of efficiency and self-respect † . Assurance has multi-dimensions which are: planetary assurance which means general appraisal a individual makes of one ‘s ego, situational assurance which means a specific fortunes such as foreign linguistic communication model plus undertaking assurance that means a peculiar undertaking inside a fortunes for example, composing in an EFL model. ( Tarnopolsky, 2000 ) Furthermore, assurance contributes to all characteristics of one ‘s life. To populate psychologically healthy, assurance is indispensable. It is the chiefly critical characteristic of the affecting facets for the ground that all are associated or caused by assurance. ( Tarnopolsky, 2000 )2.6 EFL Teacher ‘s portion in building Students ‘ AssuranceThe instructor ‘s function in building assurance is built-in. EFL instructors have to make a clime where pupils can develop their assurance, do them see success and seek to augment their assurance. Mustafa, ( 1995 ) indicated that â€Å" success depends less on stuffs, techniques and lingual analysis and farther on what goes on inside flanked by the people in the schoolroom † . ( Mustafa, 1995 ) It is the EFL instructors ‘ duty to make a positive every bit good as supportive linguistic communication larning environment. They can augment pupils ‘ attainment through using dissimilar schemes that make pupils show themselves freely, experience comfy and believe that the instructor cares sing them. In this respect, Tarnopolsky, ( 2000 ) mentioned that â€Å" Warm-hearted interaction flanked by instructors plus scholars, every bit good as among scholars themselves, this friendly interaction is, in our sentiment, the chiefly indispensable facet in successful linguistic communication acquisition † . ( Tarnopolsky, 2000 ) Students can accomplish good and make their best if they feel safe. This occurs when the instructor behaves modestly, be a good hearer, attentions sing their engagement every bit good as makes them experience they are worthy and efficient. Littlejohn, ( 2005 ) suggested a figure of schemes for EFL instructors to make a supportive ambiance in the schoolroom: Establish a norm of tolerance. Promote risk-taking and have mistakes accepted as a natural portion of acquisition. Bring in and promote temper. Encourage scholars to personalise the schoolroom environment harmonizing to their gustatory sensation. Furthermore, Littlejohn, ( 2005 ) suggested farther schemes: Teachers should make a positive schoolroom environment Teachers should promote their scholars. Teachers should cognize their scholars. Teachers should promote interactions with other scholars. Teachers should construction larning to be flexible in add-on to supportive. Teachers should help their scholars acknowledge success. What EFL instructors have to believe in is that they can act upon pupils ‘ whole life plus might transform their hereafter. They have to let pupils to speak sing their involvements, feelings and do non see this as divergence as of the topic nevertheless it is to enrich the topic. When pupils believe that their feelings are important to their instructors, so teachers go important to them every bit good as they will non see school as a waste of clip. ( Littlejohn, 2005 ) Furthermore, besides heightening pupils ‘ assurance, instructors have the power to harm it. For case, knocking them or doing them experience inferior leads pupils to undervalue their abilities every bit good as be unable to win. In brief, EFL instructors have to promote their pupils and set up a positive environment non merely for low assurance pupils nevertheless in add-on for high assurance 1s to keep assurance. ( Mustafa, 1995 )2.7 Humanist ApproachIntegrating the cognitive and the affectional spheres in acquisition is the chief end of humanistic instruction. Abraham Maslow is one of the male parents of humanistic psychological science who foremost affirmed the function of schools and instructors in doing pupils experience sing themselves in the instructional model. After his age, several other research workers such as Dudley-Evans et al. , ( 1998 ) , called upon his position plus stressed the significance of humanising instruction. Dudley-Evans et al. , ( 1998 ) defined hum anistic attack and humanistic instruction further than others. She is one of the innovators in the field of humanistic instruction. ( Dudley-Evans et al. , 1998 ) The Humanistic Approach refers to humanising and personalising acquisition. Educationists who call upon affecting the humanistic attack into instruction emphasized that â€Å" affectional instruction is effectual instruction † . Humanist instruction attempts to unite both capable affair and personal growing into course of study. On one manus, Stanton, ( 2005 ) thinks that incorporating the undermentioned five constituents leads to a meaningful definition for humanitarianism ; feelings, communal dealingss, duty, mind every bit good as ego realization which are the full realisation of deepest qualities. On the other manus, Stanton, ( 2005 ) emphasized that â€Å" humanistic instruction starts by agencies of measuring the basic demands of worlds † . He categorized these basic demands into six countries: Physical security ; nutrient, vesture, wellness. Love-attention ; encouragement, congratulations, physical contact. Creative look ; advancing centripetal capacities, researching new manners of showing oneself. Cognitive command ; accomplishing comparative competence in basic accomplishments. Communal competence ; credence plus interaction with equals. Self-worth-strengths stressed every bit good as failings played down What is clearly presented and discussed through the Hagiographas of these research workers is that larning is strongly affected by one ‘s ego and how pupils feel sing themselves. Stanton, ( 2005 ) maintained that â€Å" humanistic instruction is a mode of associating that emphasizes self-discovery, self-contemplation, assurance and acquiring in touch by agencies of the strengths in add-on to positive qualities of ourselves every bit good as others † ( Stanton, 2005 )2.8 Hypothesis of humanistic acquisitionThe humanistic attack, humanising and personalising instruction is the mode for effectual instruction. It is in add-on the mode to accomplish the ends of instruction. Affective every bit good as cognitive growing has to travel side by side to acquire better acquisition. Educational transform for promotion occurs often in any institutionalised model, and further often than non this transform procedure is full of â€Å" jobs † . ( Benson et al. , 1997 ) A figure of the educational transforms produce desired results while others beginning annoyances amid the main stakeholders. Teachers along with scholars, peculiarly, happen it detering for the ground that of fickle every bit good as insurmountable obstructions that they observe difficult to crush. Based on the theoretical model of educational transform plus civilizations of learning by dissimilar research workers like Spanos, ( 1989 ) etc. , this piece of work divulges the demand for cosmopolitan prospectus restructuring in general instruction plus chiefly in the model of schooling English as a foreign linguistic communication ( EFL ) . ( Spanos, 1989 )2.8.1Cultures of Teaching plus Teachers ‘ duties in prospectus developmentThe consciousness of instructor mores can be outlined back to the early twentieth century, when McDonough, ( 1984 ) ab initio pointed out the segmented in add-on to remote disposition of teachers ‘ attempt in a schoolroom puting. Much shortly, dig in to teacher privacy augmented significantly in scope. However, a figure of important troubles in the probe of instructor backgrounds, which McDonough, ( 1984 ) disputed, at present stay unsettled. Since he set it, the cardinal issue was â€Å" whether there is a lone organic structure called the traditions of schooling that differentiates the profession wholly ; whether there is a diverseness of split every bit good as possibly even rival instructor traditions ; or whether the two one manner or another coexist side by side † . Furthermore, a figure of research workers like McDonough, ( 1984 ) etc. argued that a current religious order of uniqueness lives amid instructors. This is so across-the-board that it might be measured a exclusive characteristic of the whole instruction calling. ( McDonough, 1984 ) The facets that construct teacher mores varied are argued by ( Pally, M. , Bailey, N. , Camhi, P. J. , Bernard, R. W. , & A ; Carson, J. G. ) in their widespread reappraisal of North American literature on the traditions of learning. They portrayed the unsimilarities in age, accomplishment, sex, learning beliefs, capable issue, every bit good as place height amid instructors, in difference that the guess of a consistent instruction society is unsustainable. However, they appeared to overstate enlightening plus sub-cultural facets, hence overlooking a figure of â€Å" generic characteristics † ever there in the instruction atmosphere. ( Pally et al. , 2000 ) Johns, ( 2001 ) acknowledged the presence of those diverse civilizations nevertheless the absence of overall elucidation every bit good as agreement of instructor mores all through the line of work. He believed uniqueness plus conjunct civilisation as the chiefly widespread constructions of instructor imposts, holding that they were the beginning of accepting a figure of the bounds every bit good as possibilities of educational transform. ( Johns, 2001 ) Inside any civilisation of instruction, the map of instructors as the main stakeholders in informative restructuring has been the Centre of fragmental attending to prospectus research workers every bit good as argued at length in the literature every bit theoretically plus through empirical observation. To look into what is go oning in the public presentation section of any prospectus betterment, Snow et al. , ( 1997 ) used Pickett ‘s, ( 1989 ) impression of â€Å" platitudes † subject material, puting, pupil, plus instructors – to detect prospectus troubles. They asserted that the chiefly influential facet amid the platitudes is the teacher every bit such as in Pickett ‘s, ( 1989 ) certain assurance that programme growing is finally sing instructor growing. At the same clip as examining the instructor in relation to programme, Jordan ‘s ( 1997 ) and Mustafa, ( 1995 ) imagined that â€Å" the pedagogue is an indispensable fraction of the programme cre ated and enacted in schoolrooms † . Pickett ‘s, ( 1989 ) stressed the significance of instructors ‘ engagement in programme growing in add-on to direction in prospectus betterment. He recommended that overlooking instructors every bit good as rebuting their engagement in chance surveies was the cardinal motor national testing failed to be adequately executed in the schoolroom. ( Pickett ‘s, 1989 ) Teachers ‘ engagements every bit good as transform in instructors are both indispensable to the success of course of study reform. Mustafa, ( 1995 ) believed that â€Å" transform in the course of study is non effected devoid of some attendant transform in the instructor, † for the ground that it is the instructor who is responsible for presenting the course of study at the schoolroom degree. â€Å" What the instructor thinks, what the instructor believes, what the instructor assumes all these things have powerful deductions for the transform procedure, for the manners in which course of study policy is translated into course of study pattern † . Lewis, ( 2000 ) specifically claimed that instructor transform is non wholly an separately never-say-die fact. Rather, it is shaped by the communal model in which they work. ( Lewis, 2000 ) Littlejohn, ( 2005 ) pointed out the demand for instructors to hold a thorough apprehension of the rules every bit good as patterns of proposed transforms in order to accomplish successful execution. He emphasized that instructors need to understand plus value the theoretical underpinnings of the invention. Further significantly, instructors have to recognize how the invention can be applied inside their schoolrooms. In an geographic expedition of how a communicative instruction course of study was introduced and adopted in Grecian public secondary schools, Mustafa, ( 1995 ) discovered that instructors failed to derive a complete apprehension of the EFL invention at that place. Their misconceptions resulted in negative perceptual experiences of the course of study invention. ( Mustafa, 1995 ) Execution of any curriculum invention is closely connected by agencies of â€Å" civilizations of learning † as defined by Lewis, ( 2000 ) . Inside any teaching civilization, it is ever the instructors who play a determinant function in determining the nature and extent of execution. The success of course of study reform in add-on to its execution depends on whether instructors volitionally take part in and are valued every bit good as acknowledged in the procedure. Teachers ‘ apprehension of the invention is in add-on indispensable in lending to or hindering long-run success. ( Lewis, 2000 )2.8.2 The association with assurance and academic attainmentRefering the association flanked by assurance plus academic attainment, in their research, Jordan ‘s ( 1997 ) explored the correlativity among three variables ; efficiency, assurance every bit good as scholastic attainment. Participants were 151 pupils. Students ‘ attainment tonss were worn ; efficiency and assur ance graduated tables were administered to the participants, excessively. Findingss revealed that efficiency tonss had correlativity by agencies of attainment while assurance tonss had non. ( Jordan ‘s 1997 ) In Krueger et al. , ( 1993 ) research, the correlativity clearly appeared flanked by dissimilar characteristics of assurance plus academic attainment. The sample was 208 3rd, 4th and 5th graders ; regular and particular instruction pupils. A standardised attainment trial every bit good as Confidence Index was administered to the participants. The instrument of assurance comprised ; familial credence, academic competency, peer popularity in add-on to personal security. All subscale tonss linked significantly with pupils ‘ attainment nevertheless peer popularity did non. Krueger et al. , ( 1993 ) focused on the necessity of incorporating assurance and academic attainment inside larning experiences. Furthermore, in a study made by Jordan ‘s ( 1997 ) , several surveies were conducted to happen out the influence of efficiency on academic public presentation. The functions of efficiency plus motivational concepts in dissimilar academic countries were investigated. Outcomes reve aled that chiefly of those surveies indicated that efficiency had a strong influence on academic scenes. ( Krueger et al. , 1993 ) If assurance augments ; academic attainment augments and if it declines ; academic attainment diminutions. In add-on, they measured planetary assurance so that the results were dissimilar e.g. , in Jordan ‘s ( 1997 ) research, assurance linked by agencies of a figure of topics, while other topics showed no correlativities. In add-on, in Johns, ( 2001 ) study, a figure of surveies revealed a strong consequence of assurance on academic attainment while few of them did non. In fact, several surveies that measure general assurance or general efficiency failed to demo any correlativity. The two constructs, assurance every bit good as efficiency have to be specific in a certain capable affair or a certain undertaking when mensurating attainment for the ground that it is non necessary that planetary assurance appears in pupil ‘s public presentation in a certain undertaking nevertheless it is necessary for undertaking assurance to look in a specific undertaking. ( Johns, 2001 ) Consequently, chiefly of the surveies that worn general assurance graduated tables to happen its association to a certain undertaking are non reliable. In the present research the three dimensions of assurance were comprised and were measured to happen if there is any correlativity flanked by assurance and attainment in English. ( Johns, 2001 ) With mention to linguistic communication acquisition, the function of affectional variables, in general, and assurance, in peculiar, can non be neglected. The association flanked by assurance and linguistic communication acquisition has been explored. The correlativity was either positive or negative. For illustration, in his research, Hyland, ( 2000 ) investigated a figure of affectional facets ( consisting assurance ) that influence larning English as a 2nd linguistic communication. ( Hyland, 2000 )2.8.3 The Overall influence on the pupils ‘ Engagement in the Class:It can be observed after traveling through the work of different research workers that the overall influences on the pupils ‘ engagement in the Classroom is non positive. This non merely affects their engagement involvements but at the same clip makes them the back benchers. Students who face the linguistic communication issue and are non good in one or any signifier of linguistic communication that is compos ing, listening, reading and speech production starts wavering and this increasing degree of vacillation non merely kills their assurance but at the same clip a spread starts to construct up between these pupils and their co-workers every bit good as their instructors. ( Dudley-Evans et al. , 1998 ) Students with the linguistic communication issues concentrate more and more on the manner to articulate the words right and talk really much like the manner the native pupils do. This idea comes strictly in their head to avoid themselves and the manner they speak English merriment for others. They do n't desire to confront any embarrassment due to this linguistic communication issue. Teachers do hold to work truly difficult and at times it becomes truly impossible to agitate these pupils and convey their assurance back so that they can take part in the category on regular footing. A batch has been researched, said and done in this respect nevertheless one may still experience that there is a demand of a batch more to be done in order to salvage these pupils from sing themselves as failures or dull pupils merely because of the fact that they can non talk or understand the linguistic communication fluently. ( Benson et al. , 1997 )2.9 Drumhead and Reasoning comments:This chapter makes the Influences of EFL Students ‘ Oral Proficiency on their Engagement in Class. Different research workers have classified the serious manners in which this issue affects a pupil ‘s engagement in the category in their ain manner. But one point that can be found common in all the above mentioned work from different research worker is the fact that the influences are non positive on a pupil ‘s engagement and his acquisition procedure. Because the survey chiefly focuses on college pupils therefore the research worker would wish to do an of import point here that came to the research worker ‘s head after traveling through different researches carried out in the past by different research workers in the yesteryear. And that point is that the concerned organic structures and governments should seek to drive this issue in the early acquisition age of a pupil. This is because in the early age it is far much easier for a pupil to pick and larn what has been taught to him/her. While in the college age most of the pupils finds it hard to larn and pick what has been taught in a keener manner. The chapter compares and contrasts the work of over 20 research workers in order to do it easy for the reader to understand the significance of the subject and weak links that can be found in the instruction and acquisition procedure. The chapter in add-on high spots in brief the different functions that can be played by instructors in order to assist the pupils to come out this state of affairs and take part with assurance in all the acquisition activities that takes topographic point in the category room.

Outline and Evaluate the Reasons for the Growing Popularity Essay

Outline and evaluate the reasons for the growing popularity of alternative medicine Alternative medicine is a term that is used to describe medical practices that are different from accepted forms and is used instead of orthodox medicine (Hunt and Lightly, 1999). This term was given to these types of medical practices by the bio-medical model which reflects their power. However, recently it has been become ‘Complementary’ which shows the increasing acceptance of this type of medicine; this now marks a shift from seeing alternatives as in opposition to modern medicine to recognising that they can support orthodox treatment. This type of medicine has a Holistic approach, meaning that it treats the mind as well as the body, unlike the bio-medical model which could be a reason as to why more and more people use certain forms of complementary medicine. Alternative medicine has always been popular in Eastern societies; for example, treatments like Fire Cupping originate from China and over time have becoming increasingly popular in the West. According to a study in 2007, Britons spent ? 91 million on alternative medicine in that year alone and has been suggested that that figure has gone up by 32% in the past five years. Another reason as to why this form of medicine has become largely more popular in Western societies is that GPs and hospitals will often refer people to them if they feel that the bio-medical model can’t help them. Similarly, the NHS will refer to this form of medicine as ‘Complementary’, which shows that they no longer see it as a threat to their form of health care. According to Sharma (1992) the most popular forms on Complementary medicine are Herbalism, Osteopathy and Homeopathy. This could be down to the fact that these ones are the most successful in their treatment, or on the other hand it could be that celebrities have made it into some form of ‘Popular Culture’ in which the masses feel they should also try out. There are a significant amount of reasons as to why there has been a growth in the popularity of alternative/complementary medicine over the last decade. According to Bivins (2007) the popularity of bio-medicine suited a population under permanent threat of infectious diseases. Whereas today, patients’ needs have changed due to the fact that certain chronic conditions have risen which has in turn led to disappointment towards industrial medicine as it is shows that orthodox medicine doesn’t give people other options; it is limited in its treatments. Furthermore, industrial medicine is significantly impersonal compared to complementary medicine which could be another reasons as to why people are choosing alternate forms of health care. On the other hand, Hunt and Lightly (1999) suggest that it could be down to the fact that there are a growing number of people in the population which simply needs/wants to be different and experiment. Illich would put forward his theory of ‘iatrogenesis’ (when medicine does more harm than good), saying that people are concerned about the unpleasant side-effects of drugs and the interventionist nature of medical practice which has been proven by surveys taken out. Another minor issue could be that people now demand for patient input; regarding complementary medicine, the doctor and the patient talk and together come up with solutions; the patient isn’t treated passive and isn’t talked to. According to Bakx (1991) the decline in the cultural dominance of biomedicine and the medical profession has resulted in the re-emergence of the plurality of alternative approached to health. Stanway would refute this view and suggest that people ‘simply want to experiment’. He would also say that this could be down to philosophical/religious reservations about what is being offered. Orthodox medicine have a ‘body dualism’ approach instead of a Holistic approach in which alternative medicine does take; they take into account everything to do with the patients life, whether that be physical or emotional or psychological problems. However, Coward (1989) would refute both models of health saying that they ‘tend to stress that health problems are individual, both in terms of the causes and the cures’. He would say that this ignores the wider social factors that cause ill health, such as poverty, job-related stress and pollution. He would also say that many of the treatments haven’t been tested in the ways that conventional medicine has, so it hasn’t met the ‘Peer Review criteria’ which therefore brings into account the â€Å"Placebo Affect† suggesting that these treatments make people believe that they are feeling better when actually it is all fake. This suggests that the rising popularity of contemporary medicine is ‘fake’ and that the medicine doesn’t actually do anything, but because people think it does they are using it more and more. He would also state that if people on rely on alternative medicine it could be dangerous in the case of serious diseases like Cancer and AIDS where conventional treatments are more effective. Fulder would agree with Coward here and question whether alternative practitioners are prepared to take sole responsibility for their patients when regarding chronic diseases and whether they would refer them to the bio-medical models’ treatment or keep them in their own hands. According to a survey done by Fulder and Monro, it was suggested that the kind of people who use alternative medicine are more likely to be middle class, female and young to middle-aged. Some would argue that this is because alternative medicine can be expensive, and also because women often go to the doctors more than men they are now turning to complementary treatments in hope that (for example) their period pains, morning sickness etc will be sorted by other forms of medicine. To conclude, there are a number of reasons as to why there is a growing popularity of alternative medicine and there isn’t one clear cut answer.