Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resources or Learning and Development Practitioner Essay Example for Free

Developing Yourself as an Effective Human Resources or Learning and Development Practitioner Essay Today’s human resources department are in each and every company, one of the important aspect for human resources is to develop an emphasis and educate their human capital, in order for more efficiency and effectiveness for the company. The Charted Institute Personal Development â€Å"CIPD† covers the implication of profession map which assists for better results in companies. The profession map captures the knowledge and behaviors that human resources need to improves and sustain the value for the organization to meet its requirements, the professional map is divided into three segment where each segment defines. First segment Profession areas: contains ten activities that human resources apply for the employee to gain knowledge. Performance and reward: Assist in create and sustain a high achieving organization culture environment by carrying programs that prize and recognize the productivity and capabilities of the employee. Through motivation, employee enhances their skills and performances and experience to receive a reward for an outstanding performance. For example; American Express Company, any agent who meet the quality of the call center and deliver the message in a professional way, by having high quality and quantity calls, the agent will be recognized and rewarded for this outstanding performance. Another example; in Ithamar Bank any employee who has a creative and innovative idea will get rewarded, this is an appreciation from the bank to encourage the behavior of brainstorming, which might lead the company to huge success. Learning and development: Learning and development is a subdivision of human resources department, which objects to develop and to educate group and individual performance by increasing and enhancing knowledge and skills. For example; Direct English institution provided me for a course in human resources course â€Å"CIPD† in order to have improved effect company by applying the benefited knowledge from the course. Developing the human capital to have a better outcome performance and experience and knowledge helps the company to have improved outcome. Learning and development is part of an organization’s management strategy which is designed to align with the organization’s general vision and goals. Organization design: confirms the company’s structure design is according to company’s goals for both the long run and for the short. Organization development: ensures that human resources applies its strength and improving its weakness to develop the organization by changing its activities through align strategies with the company’s objective. Resourcing and talent planning: ensure that the human resources the use its assets in useful and efficient and productive approach for achieving company’s objective. Employee engagement: ensures that to improve the communication skills in the work environment for greater productivity and greater contribution toward the company’s objective through leadership Employee relations: enhance the relationship between the employees and manage it through the company’s structure through policies and code of conduct and rules and by relevant law. Service delivery and information: Ensures the quality and informatio n of the customer through human resources by applying project management to enable effective and cost-efficient service delivery throughout the company. Learning and managing human resources function: Ensures that the leadership is to hence the maximizing the contribution by supporting and developing others, by acting as a role model in the organization. Strategy insight and solutions: develop a strategy that aligns with the company’s vision by improving the understanding of the organization. Second segment behaviors: The Profession Map Behaviors define the capabilities for human resources profession. Human resources need to carry and achieve related role to reach the level of professionalism, the role requires specific competencies to be proven at each band level throughout the human resources path. Courage to challenge: Shows courage and confidence to speak up skillfully and to challenge others, even when challenged with resistance or unfamiliar circumstances. For example; you have to prepare a presentation for an important meeting for the first time, the person needs to overcome this challenge and break their fear of a failure, by putting the trust in their self for this accomplishment. Role model: Regularly leads by example. Acts with honesty, A role model is a person other individuals look up to in order to help define appropriate behaviors. Role models can be either positive or negative. For example, positive role models offer a variety of supportive or valuable behaviors and actions. On the other hand, the negative role models offer examples of injurious or troublesome failure behaviors and actions. Curious: Future concentration, create an evolving and innovative ways to add value to the organization. Decisive thinker: Establishes the ability to investigate and understand data and information. Using knowledge and information in a structured way to recognize opportunities. Skilled influencer: Reveals the ability to inspire and to gain the necessary commitment and support from the organization. Personally credible: create professionalism through joining commercial and human resources expertise to add value to the organization. Collaborative: Works effectively and inclusively with a variety of employees, both within and outside of the organization. Driven to deliver: Establishes determination, creativity, and persistence to carry the finest outcome for the organization and its people.Third segment bands: The four bands of professional competencies define, the contribution that human resources professionals mark at every stage of their profession. It aids to give a clear path and em phasis to all human resource professionals progress planning and behaviors. At Band 1: the role would be a human resource consultant, whose role would be to focus on consumer support and direct and ongoing problems, spend time providing information, handling data and serve the consumer with facts and evidence and peace of mind. They must also be well-organized, flexible and give client satisfaction. Band 2: the role would a human resource advisor who counsels and manages human resource related matters and linking to the individual or a team. Human resource advisor has an understanding of the estimated process and solutions available. Assists the consumer with flexible selections and recommendations and allow frequent business. Band 3. Leads a professional range acting as an advisor or partner, reports the key human resource challenges at an organizational level for the average and long-term. Band 4. Leads and accomplishes professional areas in the organization. Responsible for devel oping and carrying organizational and human resource strategy.Activity 2 2.1 In order to priorities the conflicts within the company and to manage the customer’s priority, each matter needs to be adjusted to either imported or urgent. Upon this, a decision can be made whichever is important or urgent, and the matrix describes it into four categories, 1. Important and Urgent: There are two different types of urgent and important activities: ones that you could not have expected and others that you have left until the last minute. 2. Important but Not Urgent: These are the activities that support you to achieve your personal and professional goals for the long run and complete important work. 3. Not Important but Urgent: Urgent but not important tasks are things that prevent you from accomplishing your goals always try to reschedule or delegate them. 4. Not Important and Not Urgent: These activities are just a disruption, avoid them if possible. An external customer is someone who consumes your businesss products but is not part of your company. For example, an external customer is an individual who enters your store and buys merchandise or service. An internal customer is any member of your company who trusts on support from another to their job responsibilities, for example; sales representative who needs help from a customer service representative to complete an order. Another example for an internal customer; a customer calls on the call center to ask about his credit balance, the customer service agent calls the credit department to assist him to pass on the information to the end customer. And lastly, we have end users customer, business to business; which is a business that emphasis on marketing and selling products and services to other companies; for example in our direct English institution, we have other institutions that request to purchase our particular education course. Dealing with different customers the org anization must priorities for each, which mainly depends on its importance and its urgency for each situation and condition. 2.2 Effective communication is important to the company and it can be improved in many ways. In truth, communication act as a role in product development and customer relations also employee management and almost every aspect of a business operations process. Employees are a key audience because they often serve as the conduit to other audiences. If employees are knowledgeable, communications with other communities are likely to be strong as well. Effective structural communication will create a strong communication and the teamwork for employees to achieve company goals. There are mainly three types of communication, Verbal Communication which can be through a telephone or internet Skype, which is only through a voice channel, and Nonverbal Communication like emails, fax, SMS, test and lastly we have, Visual Communication which is mainly faced to face or meetings. Each has its own advantages and disadvantage for example; Verbal Communication you can communicate with a large number of cu stomers in short time, on the other hand, customer won’t be able to fully understand everything as the visual communication, and for Nonverbal Communication for example; customer has a reminder and a proof of the text which is reliable, on the other hand, some messages might be sent incorrectly and cause a large damage, Visual Communication is what customers prefer as so that they can express their emotions in better way, the disadvantage that this process takes lots of time to deal with each customer. 2.3 Effective service delivery, There are several overall points to think about when managing and planning the delivery of your services and products to be measured. There are also some particular aspects and methods that you may find helpful if you have limited time or resources. Within the framework of planning the business some aspects should be considered in order to improve the quality and the trust relationship with the community: Delivering service on time Time is limited. You cannot buy more time, but there are several things you can do to manage your time more efficiently. Plans rarely show up to be accomplished in the best way, and even the finest managers have to deal with unpredictable matters like suppliers not delivering on time, one of the employee members getting ill or trains are being delayed, equipment breaks, etc. Nevertheless, if you plan sufficiently you are more likely to deliver on time. When business starts deliver on time the business will start to be trusted and dependable, and this will attract lots of customers due to its timely delivery quality. Delivery service on a budget Planning a strategy based on a budget will enable you to identify the resources needed accurately before you start a project. Try to mark the things that may cost additional money. You should also make sure you are not forgetting anything that could end up costing you additional cost. Some practical preparation tools can be used to assist you to approximate how much resources will be needed at each stage of the process and how much will it cost and how long will it take. By then the business will start to reduce cost and be more efficient and effective in dealing the on a budget. Dealing with difficult customers First of all the one who deals with the customer needs to adjust his mindset once he/she is aware that the client is unhappy then the first priority is to have a customer service mindset. Secondly listen actively which is the most important phase of the whole dealing process is listening actively to what your client or customer is saying. Repeat the customers concerns to make sure that addressing the right issue, ask questions to make sure that youve identified the problem correctly. These matters should be considered when dealing with difficult customers, and it helps to solve future problems. Handling and resolving complaints Be Empathic and Apologize for example; I understand why youre upset. I would be too. Im very sorry that we didnt get the samples to you on time, especially since its caused these problems. And then to find or suggest the solution to his problem, if the suggested solution didn’t please the customer try to hear his perspective suggestion for the solution. Once you have both decided on a solution, you need to take action straight away. Explain every process to fix the problem to your customer Take Action and Follow-up to show your customer that you care. And lastly, use the Feedback from the complaints to decrease the risk of the condition happening again. References BIBLIOGRAPHY Eisenhower. (August 19, 1954). Eisenhowers Urgent/Important Principle. Address at the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches, Evanston, Illinois: The American Presidency Project. Steven Edwards, K. J. (n.d.). Turning a Challenge into an Opportunity. Retrieved from www.mindtools.com: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/unhappy-customers.htm

Assessment on English for Cambodian Textbook Uses

Assessment on English for Cambodian Textbook Uses The fall of the Pol Pot regime in 1979 contributed to a new step toward introducing new foreign languages-Vietnamese, and Russian, in Cambodian education system. However, at the end of cold war in late 1989, French and English were reintroduced once again at lower secondary school education after a long period of prohibition of teaching the two languages toward the end of Lon Nol regime in 1975 (Igawa, 2008). Although French and English have been taught ever since that time, English has become the first foreign language owing to the fact that there has been a switching allocation of language resources from French to English (Clayton, 2006). Since English becomes more and more influential language in Cambodia, high attention has been drawn to make this language more and more communicable among school girls and boys at basic education level from grade 7 to grade 12. Meanwhile, the main the purpose of Lower Secondary School (LSS) is to have students fully participate in the society and become a productive citizen. In this regard, the objective of teaching foreign language at that level is set to serve basic communicative competence for the students (MoYES, 2004). To serve the above objective, in Lower and Upper Secondary school levels from grade 7 to grade 12, MoEYS employs the book series named English for Cambodia to teach students, which was initially piloted in 1996-1997 academic year (MoEYS, 1999). Before the publication of English for Cambodia (EFC) series, many textbook series such as Headway, English for Today, and streamline, to name but a few, were utilized to teach Cambodian Secondary School students. Shortly after several projects had been conducted to develop an appropriate English textbook for Cambodia, EFC textbook series were published with six levels in which one level is confined for the whole academic year of each grade at both Lower and Upper Secondary schools in Cambodia (Vira, 2002). In grade 7, students are to take the first level of the book named English for Cambodia: Book 1. The book is written in English including the explanatory part in the first section. The textbook content is organized on the grammar basis containing a number of chapters which each is subdivided into 4 or 3 units to explain the target grammar, some drills using the grammar, short dialogues with questions to check for comprehension, and reading texts. From the content, each chapter subsequently orientates students towards communicative goal (MoEYS, 1999). English for Cambodia, book one, was developed in forms of teachers guide and student book in respect to MoEYS Textbook Master Plan (1996) and cooperated with Cambodian research institutions. This textbook was designed on the basis of MoEYS English Syllabus for grade 7 students and accompanied by the teaching methodology developed by teacher trainers during training course for Lower Secondary English trainees. In particular, the main features of teaching methodology in this book is characterized as: enhancing 4 language skill practices namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing; practicing grammatical structure and vocabulary and introducing systematic and appropriate means of communicative language function; various effective teaching and learning technique presented in each unit; and regular interaction between students and teachers (MoEYS, 1999). 1.2 Research Problem Three tables below show that teaching English is started at lower secondary school from grade 7. This means that from grade 1 to grade 6 Cambodian students who solely take primary education at state schools are not familiar with any of Basic English Alphabets. Table1: (Curriculum for grade 1-3) Table2: (Curriculum for grade 4-6) Table3: (Curriculum for grade 7-9) (MoEYS, 2004) On the other hand, from observation on teachers and students, the majority of them seem to be out of their interests in the learning and teaching English due to the fact that content of textbook does not suit well with students language learning ability. As demonstrated in three tables above, teaching foreign language begins in grade 7. However, the textbook that is used for grade 7 students tends to be higher in language introduction than real students language learning abilities are. For instance, in the first chapter of ECF1 textbook, it begins with short dialogue and straight away gets students to introduce themselves to their friends in the classroom (English for Cambodia: Book1, chpt: 1). This significantly drives grade 7 students attention away from learning English at school. Paul Morris suggested that the best criteria for content selection shall respect to learners ability. However, this criterion is not carefully considered (Morris, 1996). Particularly, Cunningsworth (1995) proposed that best criteria for selecting a good textbook is to analyze if the textbook content responds to learners needs and also the objective of language program (Cited in Richards, 2001). In this regard, there comes the question, Does English for Cambodia book 1 fit well with and correspond to grade 7 students needs and their learning abilities? 1.3 Objectives of the Study (Research objectives) To refine the current EFC textbook content, this study aims at evaluating both strengths and weaknesses of the existing textbook and shed light on how to improve the textbook contents by employing some theories of textbook evaluation from previous studies abroad to build up logical frameworks for the research findings. Moreover, this study will compare textbook content used in Cambodian lower secondary school to some other English textbooks used in some other private institutions-whether the textbooks contain the element of communicative language teaching objective set by the Cambodian Ministry of Education. In this regard, the refined qualities of textbook can be developed to help grade 7 students who learn English to improve their language performance in Cambodian high schools. 1.4 Research Questions What are the strengths and weaknesses of EFC 1 textbook perceived by teachers and students in grade 7 English classes? Are there any significant differences of English textbook content used in Cambodian secondary school and those used in private schools? 1.5 Hypotheses Strengths and weaknesses of EFC 1 textbook are perceived by teachers and students in grade 7 English classes. There are significant differences of English textbook contents used in Cambodian secondary school and those used in private schools. 1.6 Significance of the Study This study will contribute to establishing guideline for grade 7 textbook review aiming at enhancing qualities of the existing EFC textbook series. This study will serve as a tool to facilitate grade 7 students with appropriate learning English as second language materials at Cambodian lower secondary school. The result from this study will offer recommendation to curriculum developer to reconsider the current textbook content in the view to making it relevant to the Cambodian grade 7 students and adherent to general objectives of foreign language teaching curriculum set by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports in Cambodia. 1.7 Definition of Key Terms The assessment on EFC1 textbook will be done through examining the internal features and external features of the book. The term internal features refer to physical appearance, layout, pictures, and printing quality, while external features specify the language contents and skill development of the book. 1.8 Proposed Chapter Organization This research study is organized in five chapters. Chapter 1 is introduction dealing with background information of the study, problem statement, research objective, research question, significance of the study, and proposed chapter organization. Chapter 2 is literature review which makes use of many studies oversea to construct a logical framework for textbook evaluation. This review of literature will lead to structural features of textbook evaluation consisting of internal and external features, and draw up some characteristics to achieve the goal of communicative language teaching. Chapter 3 is research methodology which deal with research design, instruments for data collection, setting, data collection procedures, plan for data analysis, ethical considerations, and limitation of the study. Chapter 4, finding and discussion, will present the findings related to the strengths and weaknesses of EFC1 textbook, and pose recommendation for textbook review to make it an appropriate material for grade 7 students in Cambodian lower secondary school. Chapter 5 is conclusion. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Since there are limited previous studies concerning textbook evaluation in Cambodian context, this study will base largely on related studies oversea to draw the theoretical framework to textbook assessment. And the review of literature begins with the description of general features of textbook evaluation, and is followed by textbook content evaluation for communicative purposes, related study in EFC textbook evaluation, and finally conclusion. 2.1 General Feature of Textbook Design Evaluation Textbooks are teaching materials generally used in many teaching programs. In order to measure the strengths and weaknesses of any textbooks used in Second Language Teaching program many criteria have been set to carry out the framework of evaluation. In 1982, David William in his position as Senior Lecturer and the head of Language Art Section at Ahmadu Bello Unversity of Nigeria proposed the evaluative scheme through his work: Developing Criteria for Textbook Evaluation. His evaluative scheme is based on four criteria namely linguistic, pedagogical, general, and technical principles. These principles provide up-to-date teaching methodology to teachers, especially those whose native languages are not English, to benefit from appropriate guidelines introduced by a particularly chosen textbook. Moreover, the needs of second language learners shall be carefully considered especially when pupils in the same class have many different backgrounds of English capacity. Whats more, introduci ng vocabulary and grammar shall be conducted in respect to students socio-cultural norms so as to relate students native language with the introduced target language. As the result of these principles, David William suggested a checklist in which ESL textbook should be included such as guideline for teaching language items and skills, supplementary materials for pronunciation, provision of variable techniques for teaching grammar and vocabulary, guideline for teaching reading comprehension and writing, and technical aspects of language presentation textbook should have such as appropriate pictures, diagrams, table (William, 1983) Cunningworth (1995), on the other hand, proposed four criteria for textbook evaluation. First, textbook should correspond to the need of learners and fit well with the aims and objectives of the programs. Secondly, textbook shall shape students learning purposes for effective language learning outcome. Thirdly, they should facilitate students with learning process, hence increasing a good flow of learning-teaching activities. Fourth, textbooks should serve as a supporting tool to accommodate students learning and target language. In addition, Cunningsworth also recommended a checklist for textbook evaluation which bases on 9 categories: aims and approaches, design and organization, language content, skills, topic, methodology, teachers guide, and practical consideration (Cited in Richards, 2001). Another systematic evaluation proposed by Byrd (2000) also recommended practical textbook analysis before putting it into use for English class. He addressed the three fits that can be the keys to assessing an effective textbook use in general: the Fit between curriculum and text, the Fit between students and text, and the Fit between teacher and text. The first fit analyzed the consistency between curriculum set and materials used in order to reach the commonly achievable goals. The second fit served as a link between students needs and textbook. For this purpose, textbook should combine three key elements including content explanation, examples, and exercise or tasks. The three keys should be of students interest and use, of appropriateness to target students to be explained, and of help in explaining to them about what they need to know in order to learn. More, different kinds of students should get benefit from varied activities the book presents in order to meet their own needs. And of course, to enhance the three key elements textbook should employ physical make up including graphics, arts, print size, as well as attractive illustration. Last but not least, the third fit provides benefit to teachers in which he/she can make use the teaching textbook to help them solve problem related to teaching language within their classrooms. From the textbook teachers should be equipped with guidelines, extra materials, activities, and methods to extend their language teaching in their assigned classroom (cited in Celce-Murcia, 2001). Although no textbook is perfect in language teaching class, there are universal characteristics of textbook that can be used as format for textbook reviews. In a journal article by Hansan Asary and Esmat (2002), they drew up universal features of textbook analysis by selecting 10 ESL/EFL textbook evaluation schemes and 10 ESL/EFL reviews as collections to develop their study. From their analysis, the authors come up with universal characteristics of EFL/ESL textbooks which are outlined as: 1) approach which is related to theory of nature of language and learning; 2) content presentation referring to purpose and objective as well as sequences of presentation and consideration on students part as well as teaching syllabus; 3) physical make-up which refers to the appropriate layout, pictures, and publishing quality; and 4) administrative concern which involves cultural and social aspects of the texts (Ansary Babii, 2002). To assess the quality of textbook of grade 6 English Language class in Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Ali M. Alamri (2008) conducted one research study to evaluate the newly published textbook, named Sixth Grade English Language, which was used in Saudi Boys Schools. The selected criteria to evaluate the textbook in question was similar to what have been mentioned in the above theories of textbook evaluation including the general appearance, design and illustration, accompanying materials, objectives, topic appropriateness, learning components, socio-cultural contexts, skills development, teachability, flexibility, teaching methods, and practice and testing. The result from this study showed that Sixth Grade English Language Text really satisfied all 104 participants, but there were some comments suggested by the author in order to improve quality of textbook include adding appropriate glossary to facilitate teachers and learners, incorporating attractive illustration to encourage more cr eativity, encouraging more critical thinking through interesting topics, introducing more authentic themes to get students more active in class, including life-like interaction to encourage more flexibility of language practices, and finally providing more effective teaching methods that make students more communicative in class (Abdulrhman, 2008). 2.2 Textbook Content for Communicative Goals In general principle, Communicative Language Teaching consists of two key components. The first component is based on the idea that language is not solely pieces of grammars, but is involved with language functions. Therefore, students should learn how to use language appropriately in a context of (formal, informal, tentative, technical) writing and speaking. Second component stems from the idea that learning language can take place only if students have adequate chance to expose to language use (Compiled by Rath Hok, 2002). In this regard, textbook shall integrate skill development, language function, and appropriate topic for authentic language use (Cunningsworth, 1995; Sharma, 2005; Madhi, 2006; Abdulranhman, 2008) To assess if textbooks serve as communicative language teaching tools in junior high school of Japan, one research study conducted in Japan by Bal Krishna Sharma (2005) attempted to analyze textbooks series used in Japanese junior high school on two broad criteria: physical feature and internal feature. From internal feature, Bal Krishna Sharma posted criticism on textbook design for Japanese junior high school that the textbook emphasized more on grammar, hence lacking of communication skills, various tasks and activities (Sharma, 2005). Similarly, in order for the textbook content become more communicative in lower secondary school, textbook content shall emphasize more on communicative role of language rather than more on structural methods. In a research report conducted in 2006 by Mahdi Dahmardeh in an effort to expand the constructive change in communicative textbook design in Iranian Lower Secondary school and to carter for teachers and students needs and expectation, he analyzed the current textbook use in Iran by categorizing it into 7 aspects: teaching vocabulary, reading comprehension, speaking out and write it down, language function, pronunciation practice, teaching listening and writing, and teaching culture. From these categories the author found that Iranian textbook design for lower secondary school cannot meet learners and teachers needs owing to the fact that the textbook still emphasized more on structural methods and ignored communicative roles of language (Madhi, 2006). Social cultural aspect of language also plays important role in extending the authentic language function. In Cunningsworth checklist of textbook evaluation, topic selection for textbook design shall be various to expand students awareness and experiences, meet the students language level, and represent the socio-cultural context which related to students way of life (cited in Richards, 2001). Moreover, Abdulranhman (2008) also stressed the importance of socio-cultural aspect which is familiar by students. Students are likely to instill positive attitude with the language they learn. In this case the term lingua franca starts to take its effect in teaching language, which means that language is adopted widely to make its communicable among the speakers whose native languages are different from each other. It is, therefore, concluded that foreign language taught in a particular country shall insure its variety to make it learnable and teachable. 2.3 EFC textbook evaluation in Cambodian Secondary School Though there have not been many studies concerning Cambodian textbook evaluation, Neau Vira (2002) conducted his study on English Language Teaching in Cambodian Secondary school in his effort to seek significant domain in renovating successful teaching profession. However, one section of his study covered EFC textbook evaluation which he sought the answer to the quality of EFC textbook through questionnaire, and in-person interview. 39 participants were selected to express their judgments on the currently used textbook quality. Surprisingly, all the respondents expressed their satisfaction on the EFC textbook because this textbook series was interesting, appropriate to students levels, relevant to Cambodian daily lives, and various in activities for students to practice in their class (Vira, 2002). 2.4 Theoretical Framework From frameworks found in the above articles, it can be concluded that two broad criteria should be categorized to measure the strengths and weaknesses of EFC textbooks: external features and internal features. External features refer specifically to physical make-up of textbook including font size, layout, quality of printing, weight and size, and illustration. On the other hand, internal features take underlying teaching approach and language content into consideration. The latter features examine the language skills, presentation of grammar and vocabulary, language function, teachable language activities, teaching methods and objectives, and topic appropriateness. Moreover, the previous finding concerning EFC Textbook evaluation cannot cover broad array of textbook evaluation criteria mentioned above. Therefore, further study need to be analyzed to assure more valid result. CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Design To discover general perceptions of teachers and students on the strengths and weaknesses of EFC textbook, as well as comparing EFC textbook content with those of textbooks used in private language school, this study will use quantitative method. Since the purpose of this study intends to assess the perception of students and teachers on strengths and weaknesses of textbook contents in question, this type of research is classified as survey research (Gay, Geoffrey, Peter, 2009). In this regard, a number of teachers and students will be allowed to voice their personal judgment on the targeted areas of textbook qualities the study focuses on. 3.2 Research Instrument This research study will employ checklists of textbook evaluation from previous studies. These checklists are incorporated into a single questionnaire which categorized into 2 major areas of textbook evaluation: internal and external qualities. In external quality evaluation, 7 items of statements will be included to measure overall appearance of textbook design such as quality of cover page, pictures, table of contents, layout, and printing. Anyway, to assess external quality, 20 items of statements under the internal quality are used to get general perceptions of teachers and students on textbooks aims and objectives, content organization, language content, skills, topics, and teaching methodology. All items in questionnaire are organized in Likert-like scale in which all participants are to respond to a number of statements on scale values ranking from: 1) strongly agree, 2) disagree, 3) agree, and 4) strongly agree. In addition, to ensure clear content of questions and to be easily answerable by participants, questionnaire needs to be translated into Khmer to suit grade 7 students learning competence, while teacher can answer the questionnaire with their own choice in Khmer or in English version. Moreover, pilot testing needs to be carried out one month before the real survey begins to guarantee the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. From this pilot testing, it can help improve questionnaire contents and its prospective score results. 3.3 Population and Sample Site of this study is small, which cover only on the target area of Phnom Penh where a number of both state and private schools are located. Questionnaire will be used as a survey to get personal judgment from target population of 60 Grade 7 students and 40 teachers of English who teach them in 10 different secondary schools. Other 20 teachers from 5 different private language schools will be also invited to answer the questions related to the features of beginner textbook content used in their institutions. The sampling design for this population follows clustering procedure in which 60 students and 40 teachers will be randomly selected from 10 secondary schools where EFC1 textbooks are used in Phnom Penh, and 5 private language schools where their particularly chosen textbooks are used. First among each 10 secondary schools, all number of grade 7 classes are selected. Then only 2 or 3 classes will be selected for the questionnaire participation. Teachers who teach in those classes are asked for answering the questionnaires. Meanwhile, around 6 to 10 students of those teachers classes are also selected to answer the questionnaires. For private language schools, all number of beginner classes are selected. Then only 1 or 2 teachers who teach beginner classes are requested for their participation. 3.4 Description of Variables Derived from the Research Tools EFC textbook content is judged through the teachers and students perception with questionnaires. The participants involved will rate a series of statements in scale value ranking from number one (the most disagree) to number four (the most agree). To seek the answer to the first question of this research, students and teachers perception on strengths and weakness of textbook contents are assessed with each statement in the questionnaire. Item 1 to 7 under external quality section are used to evaluate the overall textbook appearances, while item 1 to 20 under internal quality section are used to evaluate textbook content organization, language content, skills, topics, and teaching methodology. To find the differences of textbook contents employed by some private schools and those used in Cambodian secondary school, the answers from questionnaires that will have been given by all participants are compared and contrasted to discover commonalities and differences of all textbook contents being assessed. Therefore, from the survey, if higher percentage of participants rate on the higher scale of each statement, this will tell that textbook contents being assessed have their strengths. In contrast, if higher percentage of participants rate on the lower scale, it will interpret that textbook contents have their weaknesses. 3.5 Data Collection Procedure In order to have access to the target population, permission need to be sought from school principles for a number of available grade 7 teachers and students at each school. After having accessibility to the school, all grade 7 classes will be selected. But we need to limit the number of students to get involved in answering the questionnaires. This means that only roughly 2 to 3 students that represent the whole class will be chosen to answer the questions. Meanwhile, to assess the qualities of textbook used in private language schools, permission is also sought for one beginner teacher from several private schools. This means that 5 different textbooks from 5 different private schools will be assessed. Additionally, the detail explanation needs to be made at the target areas just in case the participants have any misunderstanding over the questions. We will keep doing with this procedure until 25 target participants can be assessed. 3.6 Plan for Data Analysis Data analysis is conducted in the follow steps: First step: collect all answers from the participants involved in answering the distributed questionnaires. Second step: analyze respondents answers if their answer is bias or non-bias on the ground of textbook contents. Third step: prepare for data entry Fourth step: the data will be analyzed using SPSS to see the percentage of respondents who agree or disagree on the EFC 1 textbook design quality. Fifth step: present the result and discussion. 3.7 Ethical Consideration All participants will be informed in advance that schools, teachers, and students names will not be revealed to ensure validity and reliability of their answers. Before conducting the survey, the participants need to be ascertained that their answers do not harmfully affects their current teaching careers, their school reputations, or students learning process. The participants should be clearly informed that their answers will be kept confidential and will not be used for other purposes. All data collected will be used for the purpose of this research finding only. Moreover, their contribution of answers will be worthwhile to the development of effective teaching materials for beginner language learners. 3.8 Limitation This study will target at the population in Phnom Penh where all selected private language schools and public high school are located. With time and financial limit this research can not reach the target population in the rural area, hence having difficulty getting the answer that represent the whole country demand for EFC 1 textbook evaluation as needed.

Role Of Social Networking In Education Systems Information Technology Essay

Role Of Social Networking In Education Systems Information Technology Essay In current days the usage of social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on is very common. These social networking sites are used by millions of people throughout the world. The emergence of social networking creates a revolution among people for easy communication and knowledge sharing. In this essay we are going to discuss about the usage of social media in modernization of education system and the advantage of implementing social networking in modernization of education system in India. Modernization of education system: In India, education system currently present is mostly based on books and paper. I have a business idea regarding modernization of education system in India. Nowadays the lecturers in colleges teach using board and books for taking classes. According to my idea the concept of book based teaching is modified to e-resource usage in teaching and testing students. This process of conversion of books into e-resource will help the student to learn easily and quickly. This a powerful tool to disseminate the theories and formulas in books to students with proper examples. Current system: In India, all the colleges must be affiliated to some university. In that manner a single university controls over many colleges with same syllabus. All colleges under same university will follow the same syllabus for same subject. So all the students from different colleges have the same syllabus. But the way of teaching is different from college to college for the same subject. There is no common method of teaching for all colleges under same university. There is no communication among the students of different colleges. So socialization among the students gets affected. Assessment system: The syllabus for all colleges being same the exams are also conducted at same day in colleges with same questions to all students taking that subject. But the way of teaching and learning differs. They follow different materials for preparation for exams. As the core material would be text book prescribed by university, but the reference material will be entirely different. So the way of presenting answers different from student of one college to other college. Likewise the assignment also varies from college to college for same subject. There is no particular assessment for assignment. To neutralize this problem, our proposed system will be much better option. In our system the assessment will have common criteria and assignment must be framed by university which should be assessed properly as like exam. Proposed system: To establish a communication medium between students and enhance their opportunity of knowledge sharing we are planning a system. In our system, we need to convert all the teaching hints into PowerPoint presentations. We are going to prepare a general presentation for each subject which will be based on prescribed text book recommended by the university. All the students will be given handouts of teaching materials which will enhance their observation capacity and improve the understandability of concepts. For preparing that presentation we are going to hire professors from many universities. Each topic must have presentation which will be prepared by group of professors and approved by some experts in that area. All the student in all colleges must given access to all materials related to their subject (similar to Moodle in our university).The main thing is many colleges affiliated to same university must be connected under a network which will be maintained by our system. Because o f this connectivity all the students are able to communicate with one another to share their knowledge. Usage of software in the proposed system: The proposed system for universities in India will requires a good software system to run this system. The basic idea for this software is implementing social networking among the colleges which are come under same university. This also unique for all the colleges under same university. The basic reason behind this is just to connect student among different colleges who all are studying the same subject can share their ideas and knowledge learned in the subject. To get some practical ideas related to subject, students will use our system as medium of communication with external system which means students from other colleges. The reason which forces me to think in bringing social networking among students is increase in usage of social media websites by university students. As per the result of survey conducted by university students in social media usage shows that in overall 93% of college students are using social networking sites. Among the social networking sites, Facebook users are majority which occupies 96% of students, You Tube holds second among them which comprises of 84% of students. Blogs (14%), Twitter (14%), MySpace (12%), and LinkedIn (10%) respectively. In initial dayà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s students who used the social networking sites just for entertainment purpose. But in current situation the awareness of social media to the students is bit higher, so the usage of social networking sites by the students for education purpose gets increased. So in future the rate will get increased further so that knowledge sharing will get expanded in student level. General use of implementing social networking in business: The main advantage of using social networking in any business are listed Establish communication among the employees at all levels which makes the degree of transparency between management and employees to become high Easy and cost effective tool for marketing a product Possibility to attract people of a particular group Effective and efficient way to improve the contacts around the world Faster way to reach people in cheapest way Easy to know about consumer realistic reviews by joining in consumer community Helps to analyze about competitors currently available in the market Advantages of social networking sites: Most of the students in the educational institution have been using the internet quite often. Social networking has become a revelation among the young generations by which it is easier for them to communicate between each other. Will social networking sites will be helpful if it is implemented along with educational forum like Moodle? There has been a big debate over this topic in the past. Many educational experts express their interest in changing current education system in India. Many researches are going on in the current system of education in universities. The advantages of implementing social media in modernization of education system are as follows Role of social networking sites in education: Social networking sites are related to web-based services that offer us an opportunity to socialize with others peers in the network It will be helpful in making new friends and importantly to meet new people through their general interest The new development in social networking sites are the developed and sustainable relationship between teachers and students in learning and sharing content Most of the students studying in colleges communicate to their peers regarding education through text messages or phone calls, nowadays mobile phones are prohibited in many colleges by the management. So they are in need for some other mode of communication. With the introduction of the social networking sites the students can have live interactions and chats to their peers which will largely benefit the students How the students will be benefitted out of this Social networking sites are web-based services that offer us an opportunity to socialize with others Increased exposure to varied views Utilizing all the study resources properly Increased skill in technology Development of communication skills Increased talent to work on group projects Many students already use these forms of technology, so they may be more engaged in learning if they utilize it They will get chance to share the ideas which they have learned in their subject How it is benefitted for the teachers Increased access to resources Can form partnerships with lecturers in other states or countries Exchange lesson plans and information with students Cheap and effective way to convey details to students Easy to give lecturers in class by having proper resource Organized structure of classes will help them to plan accordingly to cover syllabus in particular period of time Easy to clear doubts of students by creating a forum to their subject Role of social networking in staff recruitment: As per our idea, for the preparation of common materials we need to recruit experts for each subject. For selecting experts from all areas social networking plays a major role. LinkedIn is a major social networking site contains profiles of millions of experts which allow the recruiter to choose the effective and suitable person for each subject. LinkedIn proves to be first social networking sites with lot of profiles with experience in all areas. It paves way for searching experts for all the subjects. Overall benefits of social networking to our system: In overall, the benefits of implementing social networking in our system are as follows Cheap and effective ways of communication from different level of users like students, lecturers, and so on Improve the socialization among students as well as other users of the system Tend to increase the knowledge of students by improve the knowledge sharing Fast method to convey message to all students Improvise the standard of student in whole country Creates opportunity to know about latest technology and current events To get quick access to study resources any time and any where Lot of time consumed by preparing common material Lecturers will maintain records of all the students easily It will reduce the cost of communication to colleges It improves the result of students by having proper material which suits for students at all level Examples with Facebooks, blogs and forums: At Penn State University the library service has been using Facebook as one method of allowing students to contact the librarians with enquiries A survey conducted in 2006 found that more students were using Facebook to contact the librarians than any other method Forums are also a part of Social Software that can be a useful tool in education Forums are also related to Blogs, though a blog is centered around an individual, whereas a forum is centered more around an area of interest The major usage of the forum and blogs are the students can post their blogs and works so that others can comment and advise on it There may be a positive impact on climate within the classroom when students see staff as approachable

MusiciansFriend.Com Essay -- Business and Management Studies:

MusiciansFriend.Com Mission Statement The mission statement for Musician’s Friend has always been "The Best for Less Shipped to Your Door." This is still their company slogan but their mission includes a lot of customer service emphasis as well. The company believes that the key to their success started with their mission statement, commitment to customers, dedicated employees that share the vision, forming partnerships and the growth of the business. Overview Musician’s Friend is an authorized dealer of thousands of products from more than 900 different manufacturers such as Fender, Gibson, Roland, and Pearl. They are the industry leader in musical equipment, information and customer service. They are open twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week, and have been providing the best products for less money to millions of musicians for more than 20 years. Musician's Friend offers over 36,000 products in its mail order catalogs and on its website. Some of the products include guitars, basses, keyboards, percussion, and amps, as well as recording, mixing, lighting, and Disc Jockey equipment. Hundreds of new products add to the company’s monthly supply chain as the company continues to expand its range of product inventory. In addition to their expansive inventory supply, Musician's Friend offers a money-back satisfaction and a price guaranty on every purchase. Musician’s Friend prides itself on having a top-notch staff of customer service people who are not only knowledgeable, but they also live and breathe the products in which they sell. History Musician’s Friend started out as a mail order catalog company in 1983 by Robert and Deanna Eastman, mostly carrying reusable items such as guitar strings, guitar picks, polish and polish cloths among other things. In addition, the catalog advertised some basic accessories like instrument tuners, string winders, guitar stands, music sheet stands and tuning forks. The catalog company started in the Eastman’s home in southern California with a couple of desks in their living room for the call center and order entry, which they later moved to their garage and converted it into mini warehouse of products. The company began expanding both in size and with more products and eventually relocated their business to a dairy barn in southern Oregon. The company ke... ... The Musician’s Friend is a very good example of a small business developing into a successful company that now includes large business partners. From the garage of their home, the Eastman’s were able to build their business by combining their business models, applications and services on the Internet. Thus, creating a good business model for electronic business solutions that other businesses can follow. They also became successful by utilizing their management resources such as supply chain management and customer relationship management. Musician’s Friend took their business concepts, applied it to technology and e-business and gained a rapid change, diversity and a solid foundation of managers and employees. Works Cited Cavanaugh, William. â€Å"New Definition of Diversity.† Executive Excellence, Jan 2001, Vol. 18 Issue 1, p5, 1p. Master FILE Premier on-line. EBSCO Publishing. 02/19/02 Myron, David. â€Å"Workforce Optimization.† Destination CRM, July 2002 Negri, Richard A. â€Å"Companies Link Diversity to Business Strategies.† Sept. 1999 Rabiee, Hamid, Dr. â€Å"AICTC E-Business.† July 2001. Salter, Trent. â€Å"Robert Eastman.† Musician’s Hotline. Jan./Feb. 2002.

Viet Nam Essay -- essays research papers

Tactics in Vietnam were an important factor in the victory of the Vietcong over the U.S. There were fundamental differences in their fighting methods, which the Vietcong were able to take full advantage of. The Vietcong used Guerrilla warfare, this meant that they used their knowledge of the area they were fighting in to hinder the U.S. The U.S army had been used to conventional warfare, in the form of bouts of fighting. Guerrilla warfare meant that they had to be constantly alert and Booby traps meant that many soldiers died and witnessed horrific deaths. This was naturally unnerving for the soldiers concerned, particularly so because many of the soldiers were young and inexperienced. The technology of the U.S was far superior to that of the Vietcong and yet it was ultimately ineffectual. One weapon, which the U.S thought would be important, was Bombs. At first the U.S bombed specific targets. When they realized that had little effect, they began blanket bombing, this was known as ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’. Massive amounts of explosives were dropped on Vietnam, three times as much explosives was dropped than on Germany and Japan put together during World War 2. However, the Vietcong countered this with anti-aircraft guns, surface to air missiles, aid from soviet planes, and a network of tunnels. The U.S believed these to be simply to take cover from the bombing, in-fact they were also effectively used to ambush the U.S. Bombing had very little effect on the Vietcong ...

Canada Goose

Canada Goose has shown excellent performance and numbers ever since Dani Reiss took over as CEO of the company in 2001. In the decade since, the company has registered an astounding 4000% growth leading many in the industry to deem Reiss as a visionary. Canada Goose has established strong markets in many European countries, especially the Scandinavian ones in addition to its home base in Canada.What is more surprising is that the company has been able to achieve such phenomenal success at the most meagre of marketing budgets – marketing including salaries accounted for 10% of Canada Goose’s total revenue. Organic marketing, including word of mouth marketing were the company’s biggest draws and speak volumes about the well-established brand’s loyalty and value amongst its customers. I would give the brand an excellent score of 9 on a 1 to 10 scale of brand strength.Through proper brand management, the company has been able to establish an aura of exclusivit y around the brand – this is even more impressive when you consider that the brand had initially started out as a utilitarian brand, nowhere close to high end, luxury jacket manufacturers out there. By effectively using marketing tools, Canada Goose has indeed now become more of a status symbol for many and the demand for these sought after products has always outstripped supply by a mile.An example of how the management effectively were able to establish Canada Goose as a high-end, authentic brand is as follows – before Dani took over the company utilized product placement and would give bouncers outside bars who had to stand in the extreme cold all night their jackets but now the company has signed a sponsorship deal with Fairmont Hotels and outfits all the bellhops, greeters and doormen at every Fairmont Hotel in Canada Goose jackets. Not only does it help to strengthen the brand’s association with exclusivity but it also bolsters the association that Canada Goose has with Canadian Heritage and History.The fact that Canada Goose jackets never go on sale, even during big shopping events during Christmas, is proof of the brand’s tenacity. Like other luxury brands, for example Louis Vuitton – who has famously never gone on sale – Canada Goose jackets as well have never been sold for a discount. They are instead often sold at a premium by many of its retailers. The fact that there have been numerous attempts by large national retailers to order the company’s jackets, which were all turned down by the company is testament to the brand’s forte.Consistently good sales and a general increase in brand awareness has led the management to rethink its strategy and start stocking at national retailers as well. Canada Goose’s ability to combine jackets that were chic yet fully functional is the company’s differential advantage. The industry has many competitors, both high end brands which sell jackets at higher price points than Canada Goose and others that were driven by functionality and sold for lower prices. However the company felt unthreatened by both.An unlikely indicator of brand strength for Canada Goose would be the fact that the company is plagued by piracy and counterfeit issues. Although by itself it is a bad thing but it speaks volumes about the fact that the brand is popular and has a high enough demand that pirates want to mint money by using Canada Goose’s iconic brand.   The fact that these jackets are made in Canada are another aspect that add to the brand’s strength. This appeals to the locals by inciting patriotism and for international customers it adds to the products authenticity – who would no winter outerwear better than Canadians?Once a brand has orders coming in, products being sold at higher prices than the MSRP, repeat orders during one season and organic band expansion to international markets it means that the brand is fully developed on a sound and stable footing. Canada Goose has achieved just that. Brand loyalty is at an all-time high, people think it’s chic and fashionable to wear the company’s jackets and even the company’s round logo with a map of the Arctic is extremely popular.Reiss and his team have indeed developed an enviable brand in Canada Goose and from here there is only one way to go to – forward. Question 2 Canada Goose is truly at an enviable position at this point in time. The brand commands excellent sales, has immense awareness and demand for its products actually is far more than the supply. There are certain advantages that come along with such brand strength, I’ll discuss three of these in what follows.Ability to Innovate The company has shown excellent numbers ever since Reiss took over as CEO and  is financially in a position to reinvest profits into developing new product lines. Indeed innovation has been the hallmark for the brand and the company has consistently developed products that are not only technologically at the cutting edge but also are up to date in terms of fashion as well. Premium Pricing Since the demand for the brand has traditionally outstripped supply, the company can easily and without loss charge a premium from its customers. As mentioned the company sells its products at a 100% markup and which in turn translate into increased revenues.Selection of Distribution Channels Canada Goose’s impressive numbers lend to it a semblance of autonomy. The company is in a position to dictate its terms and conditions to distributors, rather than the other way round. Traditionally the company has used only curated small independent retailers, which helped the company establish the brand’s exclusivity but is now in a position to leverage the Canada Goose brand to nationwide retailers and reap the benefits of increased research.Increased Brand Awareness  Brand awareness is at an all-time high. The brand is usually assumed to be synonymous with Canadian heritage and culture and at a 2010 G8 conference the then Finance Minister present Canada Goose jackets as souvenirs to visiting delegates from member countries. Owning a Canada Goose is considered to be a privilege by its customers and loyalty translates into increased brand awareness. This added flexibility can help the company cut down marketing costs and hence focus on product development.Question 3The company is at a juncture where it has to decide to either go forward with nationwide sales or stick to its current strategy of local retailers, which has brought the company so far. However saying no to either of the two orders would be suicidal for the company. Stagnation The company has a potential to use the brand’s current standing to lure more sales and increase its customer base widely. However if they continue to do business as usual, there is a risk of the company peaking out sooner and dying down. Increasing C ompetitionExtreme weather outerwear is a very fiercely competitive industry. If the company refuses to expand, there is a very strong risk of some of its closest competitors, most likely The North Face to overtake Canada Goose and gain some of its market share. Increasing competition translates into decreasing market share. Promote Counterfeits Expansion of the company’s sales net is one way to rid Canada Goose of the menace of piracy. When there is only a limited number of retailers, currently localized by geography, customers who want their products but can’t find them will be easier to con by pirates.This is especially true for online retails because currently the company just has two third party retailers online and unsuspecting customers can be easily lured to buy counterfeit products. In essence, changing the way the company does its business can be an indirect solution to the company’s piracy issues. Question 4 Canada Goose has a number of options which i t can avail if it chooses to expand. However there is always the risk of brand dilution due to saturation of the market with Canada Goose products, which obviously would be detrimental to what the company desires.However saying no to any of these opportunities is like rejecting growth. In addition, the company had recently had its first experience at retail chain distribution by stocking at Ontario-based Atheltic Legends. This experience had been very successful and Atheltic Legends had placed larger reorders. In what follows, I will discuss and compare all of the possible expansion opportunities that the company has based on market breadth, depth and share criteria. Option 1: Asmun’s Menswear Asmun’s Menswear has approached the company with the offer of a long term contract.Asmun’s is a 170 year old Canadian retail store with 10 branches nationwide, it stocks several of the best high end brands and is usually frequented by affluent women and men. It is perfectl y suited to the aspirations that Canada Goose has of becoming into a full-fledged luxury goods manufacturer. However that being said the current order by Canada Goose raises certain concerns, in my opinion, which should at least be evaluated before making a decision. Asmun’s has placed an order for four or five women’s jackets only and that too in their choice of colors and styles.I think this foretells the rigidity that the established retail giant has or will have once Canada Goose gets into relationship with them. No company wants an over bearing distributor. To make matters more difficult, Asmun’s had requested Reiss that they be allowed to use Canada Goose’s products in store’s print advertisements. Since these advertisements went out to almost anyone who signs up with them and also since Canada Goose had as a principle never used advertising as a marketing tool, went against Canada Goose’s current marketing strategy.There is always the chance that this increased used of advertisements and other variations in the marketing mix, could lead to brand dilution – something that the company so dearly wants to avoid. Freedman, Asmun’s representative has also told Reiss that if they stock men’s products in the future – Canada Goose will have to be exclusive to them. I would consider this to be a veiled threat, since what they are doing is that not only are they dictating terms of this contract but also of future contracts.If Asmun’s offer to eventually begin stocking men’s merchandise as well does materialize, Asmun’s would be a good alternative in terms of market breadth. The retailer is frequented by affluent women over the weekdays and has an equal split between men and women over the weekends. These customers have the budgets to afford Canada Goose jackets. Also since the store has a veritable history stretching 170 years, they certainly will have loyal customers who pr efer to shop only at Asmun’s.This means that repeat purchases (market depth) will be most likely possible here, provided Canada Goose gives the customers monetary incentives as well to come back and buy again. However market share is where this option seems to lack. Because currently they’ll only stock women’s clothing and also because the average customer for Canada Goose is anywhere from 18 to 60 years of age, the younger lot wouldn’t frequent the shop very often. Also the company’s 10 outlets pale in comparison to the other option 20. Upfront however both the options will represent 5% market share of Canada Goose’s business.Option 2: Levine’s Menswear Levine’s Menswear like the other option, is an established retail chain specializing in the ultimate high end premium men’s brands. It too has a heritage associated with its 50 years history and has 20 retail locations across Canada – and they also have plans to e xpand by 20 more in the near future. Levine’s was synonymous with high quality menswear and stocked the best luxury brands from across the world. It is well suited with the company’s plans of furthering strengthening its status as a premium brand.This order, in my opinion offered Canada Goose a lot more flexibility. Unlike Asmun’s, they weren’t overbearing on ordering decisions and placed a larger upfront order of 8 to 10 different jacket styles, with the possibility to increase the number in subsequent orders. Also the average customer at Levine’s was a working male, who had enough disposable income and didn’t necessarily care about cost when making a buying decision. In addition to being exposed to these affluent customers, Levine’s had given the go ahead to Canada Goose that they’ll stock the company’s newer prototype models as well.This was the first time any distributor had favorably responded to prototypes the comp any developed. The biggest drawback in terms of market breadth that this offer has is that the retailer is completely men-centric. This means that although the number of male customers would definetly rise, women’s sales won’t be growing at much the same rate. Again since these store were frequented by affluent males, Canada Goose might be missing out on its younger customers. Another advantage that this option offered is that they are a much larger chain of stores then Asmun.40 stores in the near future means that there will be 3 times as many customers to serve as Asmun’s. If managed effectively, the greater number of stores can translate into increased sales. Like Asmun’s, the store has a veritable history and loyal clients. In addition, these clients have the ability to pay a premium for the same products sold at another competing stores just because of its excellent customer service and brand reputation. Market depth will be maximized by going for th is option.Market share is bound to increase as well because these stores will offer Canada Goose a much larger client base, in addition this client base has the capacity to pay for these products. Option 3: Going for Both If the company is able to strike out a deal with Asmun’s to accept men’s products even when the company is stocking at Levine’s Menswear or if they divide their men and women product lines between these two stores, the company can achieve maximum benefit. In terms of market breadth, the company will now have the most varying type of customers and the numbers for both the stores will definitely add up.However there is a chance that repeat purchases (or market depth) might suffer as a result of going for both the options. There is a chance that the market may become saturated by the sudden influx of Canada Goose products at two giant national retailers leading retailers to make less frequent purchases because they aren’t able to get their existing inventory out of the stores. In the off chance that this does happen, Canada Goose needs to devise an effective strategy to tackle this – which can probably mean allowing discounts, something that is against the nature of the company.However by stocking at two national retailers with their own set of loyal customers, market share would definitely increase. These stores with their extensive network of retail outlets and efficient supply chain systems will be able to sell more products quickly than say for instance, the small independent retailers. The common threat from the first three expansion strategies is that of brand dilution. Since the brand will now be sold it more locations, if not managed well, there is a chance of it loosing that brand exclusivity that the company has nurtured so far.Also to successfully go and tap international markets, the company needs to carry out extensive market research that will aid in product development. The product will need to b e modified for regions, for instance, where the winters may not be as severe as they are in Canada. Option 4: International Expansion/Buying back Distribution Rights Canada Goose already has established sales in 28 countries. In fact, Scandinavian countries were the ‘early adopters’ of the brand as a high end, chic and fashionable product rather than the home base in Canada.The company’s success in the European market proves that a market for Canada Goose exists internationally and that the company can effectively manage international distribution by giving distributor’s in the new countries full autonomy over product placement. This will not only increase sales and revenues but provide the company with valuable market research. For instance, Canada Goose’s distributor in Japan – Empire of the Sun Distribution Company Limited used its extensive knowledge about Asian tastes to guide the company to modify their products to suit local tastes.The Chilliwack bomber with its fitted design was an outcome of this collaboration and has gone on to become a market leader for the company in not only in Japan, but in other countries including Canada as well. Market breadth, depth and share all will definitely increase as a result of this expansion. The company’s already burdened supply chain will need to be upgraded to support this international expansion. A marketing department which can coordinate all these international ventures will be needed, as well as opening satellite offices in countries where sales are going really well (for instance, in Sweden).The risk associated with this move will be that there is a possibility that the over-reliance on third party distributors might lead them to become too powerful so as to pose a significant threat to company policy. A company wants to keep control of how its products reach the end user. To mitigate this risk, Canada Goose might consider Buying Back Distribution Rights in coun tries where sales are really well. So for instance in the Scandinavian countries the company can buy out the third party distributors and hence gain the maximum benefit from that market.This will also be a way to curb the threat posed by exceedingly autonomous distributors. Option 5: Increased Online Presence Canada Goose’s closest competitor, The North Face, has a much more wider audience online. Canada Goose can reach to a much wider customer base by selling its products to a greater number of third party retailers. However, there is a risk to doing this. Stores selling counterfeit jackets will become harder to discriminate by the customer – this threat is also posed by international expansion.Increasing piracy, an issue which underscores the fact that the brand is doing well, is a menace for the company and increased online sellers make it easier for pirates to con people. To mitigate this, the company can adopt a two pronged approach. Start a campaign to effectivel y teach customers on how to differentiate between genuine and fake products and second to file high profile public law suits to deter any potential pirates from copying your products. Question 5 If I were lucky enough to be in Dani Reiss’s place, I would start a tactical program to expand into new markets.Brand awareness and recognition is at an all-time high and the company has raked in enormous profits over the last decade. It is in a position of strength and has the ability to expand its business, in an effective way all the while maintaining its image of exclusivity and high-end fashion. Considering all the options discussed above, I suggest the company to deliver products to both the nationwide retailers Asmun’s and Levine’ Menswear. A good strategy would be to revise the contracts by talking to both the retailers and giving them incentives to do business on Canada Goose’s terms.To placate Asmun’s demand for exclusivity in the men’s bus iness, an appropriate strategy for the company would be to give the two stores distinct product lines. The company is in a position of strength and has exceptional innovation capabilities and coming out for distinctive product lines shouldn’t be too hard. By stocking at both the nationwide retailers, the company’s market share is bound to increase however this new development will definitely draw some ire from its current small independent retailers. These larger nationwide retailers can use their economies of scale to effectively price out the small retailers out of business.Canada Goose, as a socially responsible company, and also since these small retailers grouped together had significant bargaining power wouldn’t want to disappoint them. Multiple channel distribution is one of the most discussed topics in Marketing Strategy. While it is usually necessary and beneficial for a company to have multiple channels for distributing its products to the end customer ; it is at the same time tricky to manage this situation in a way where all the parties get along harmoniously. Canada Goose currently relies only on small independent retailers to deliver its  products and selects them after a thorough investigation to ensure that the retailer matches the brand’s persona.The company’s strategy to start stocking its product at national chains is bound to draw ire from its current customers, as is already visible in the email from Westboro Downtown’s owner. However it is not uncommon for companies to do business with both small retailers as well as retail chains; North Face as has been mentioned in the case is effectively harvesting both these channels. In the MM Micromotors Simulation as well we learned on how to balance multiple distribution channels.To allay concerns by small retailers, which when combined can pose a potent threat to the company’s sales, communication can be the most effective weapon in Canada Gooseâ €™s arsenal. A good idea will be to bring together all the small business owners, or at least the most prominent amongst them, and have them meet with Dani Reiss so that their concerns about being priced out can be addressed. Canada Goose can give them guarantees that they won’t do business with large retailers who engage in unfair discounting or using the economies of scale card in any harmful way.Effective, clear communication can go a long way in solving many of the conflicts with smaller retail stores. Another common way to manage conflicts between large and small distribution channels is to use pricing effectively. Marketers can use implements such as discounting from the ‘pricing toolkit’ to offer, for instance, bigger discounts to smaller retailers so that they can charge a higher markup and still sell at a price that is competitive with what the big national retailers are offering.What it means is that Canada Goose sells its products at a lower price to small retailers, so that they can earn larger profit per jacket. The big retailers can use the volume of sails to their advantage. Also since the company has already shown immense potential in international markets, a very potent part of the strategy would be to further develop international sales. The US, despite its geographical closeness, accounts for only 10% of all sales of the company – compared with Europe’s 40%!Adapting products for less severe winters, while still maintaining its prestige and roots can spell guaranteed success for the company. Product development will be key here. The company has to continue to evolve their designs to adapt to local tastes in these new markets because, for example, bulky winter wear isn’t necessarily the first choice for many in Asia where the climate is much warmer. Company owned retail stores can be a great asset for Canada Goose. A trend started very successfully by Apple, is now being replicated by any brand that wants to expand sales yet keep that feeling of exclusivity and class.The North Face has 28 company operated retail locations in the US that stock North Face outlets exclusively. These stores can be used as a tool to add to the brand’s premium feel. Louis Vuitton, for example, only follows this business model and sells only through its own stores. That being said, retail is a whole new ballgame unlike anything Canada Goose has done before. They’ll need to hire a new team to manage these operations, implement a revamped supply chain strategy and otherwise is very resource intensive.

Whichever definition one may opt to use, it is clear that a crime is a vice

A crime is an act or an omission which contravenes the laid down rules of a given country. (Jones, 2008) This then follows a punishment imposed by the same law which has been contravened. Crime can also be defined as a disruption of the normal social order in the society. (David, 2005)Whichever definition one may opt to use, it is clear that a crime is a vice in the society and all measures must be taken to contain the same.   Having defined what constitutes a crime, the next question that comes into our minds is, why do people engage in crime?   Of what benefits is it to be involved in criminal activities?   This paper takes an in-depth look as to the various reasons why people involve themselves in crime.   Most importantly this paper shall focus on how exactly an individual gets into crime and basically the pathway to crime.A random survey was taken in 1997 from the streets and separate criminals were asked why they opted to engage themselves in criminal activities.   So me said they did it due to desperation and lack of money, others said they found it being an easy way of getting money without tiring.To others criminal activities were a means by which they earned their living while to others they did it out of stress and depression.   To some others they were pressured and influenced by their peers and before they realized it they were already in crime.   To some people crime was a way of avenging themselves against people who have wronged them. (David, 2005)As already mentioned individuals engage in crime for several reasons.   Some individuals will therefore get out of crime if the factor that is catalyzing their involvement in criminal activities ceases to exist.For instance if a person engages in crime due to stress and depression, if the depression is dealt with medically or otherwise it consequently mean that the particular individual will no longer continue in crime as the factor that was influencing his/her involvement in crime no lo nger exists.It is surprising however to note that not every criminal will get out of criminal activities even when the factor that was influencing his criminal activities ceases to exist.   This one therefore means that there are people who are life course offenders and will always be involved in crime regardless of their situation.This in essence means that there are two categories of people. These are the desisters also known as adolescent-limited offenders and persisters also known as life course persistent offenders.   It is important to differentiate these two groups so as to know how to deal with each. Adolescent limited offenders as the phrase suggests have their criminal activities limited to the adolescent age.This is the age bracket after which they quite engagement in criminal activities.   Adolescent limited offenders do not extend their criminal activities into adulthood. (Jones, 2008) Psychologists have confirmed that most youth engage in a lot of antisocial beha vior during their adolescence.   This however fades as they continue to mature.On the other hand life course persistent offenders demonstrate antisocial behavior however mild from childhood all the way to adulthood. (Jones, 2008) These two groups must therefore be dealt with differently. In dealing with desisters it is important that they are made aware of the consequences of their actions and guided so that they may reform.Psychologists also indicate that parents of desisters and the society at large should be cautious so as not to brand them as criminals as this may have a psychological impact on them. It is also important to keep warning them and eventually they will become law abiding citizens.It is very vital to identify the life course offenders or the persisters early enough so as to be able to deal with them effectively. There are various ways of dealing with this group which include: institutional training, finding a job for them to do so that they may not be idle. Occasi onally these offenders may go for counseling or be put on probation as a correctional method.In conclusion therefore it is important to identify and differentiate the two types of criminals that there are in order to deal with them effectively.BibliographyFarrington David P (2005) Integrated Development and Life Course Theories of Offending London, Transaction PublishersJones David (2008) Understanding criminal behavior: Psychosocial approaches to criminality, New York, William Publishing