Overview of Learning Styles Essay

Learning is a very personal experience for every person individually, However, I had not realized the extent of how personal, learning actually is in reality. I was amazed each week as I learned about learning with personal Learning Patterns, how each pattern works, and how my use of each pattern affects not only the way I learn; but the way I work, perform tasks, and interact with others. I was blown away by the profound effects these Learning Patterns can have, both positively and negatively, if not used properly. Before this course, my definition of learning was very generic, stating that learning is integral to success and that one should strive to learn as much as possible. While I know that those statements and beliefs are true, I would now define learning as a very personal and individual process of acquiring information based on an individual’s personal learning patterns and how they obtain, retain, and apply that information. To someone who has not taken this course, I would explain that learning is actually easier, when they know how they learn as an individual. I would explain the 4 learning patterns with brief descriptions of each and a short example of how each one works, why they are important, and how they help in regards to learning and interacting with others, or performing specific tasks. I would let them know that when you learn using these patterns, you are learning with Intention, and Intentional learning brings out the best in them and in the successful completion of their goals and dreams! I have always loved learning and embrace it with an open mind and a willingness to absorb as much knowledge as I possibly can! My Learning Pattern scores are as follows†¦ Sequence- 26 Precision-31 Technical Reasoning-19 and Confluence-26 Typically, I have used Sequence, Precision, and Confluence frequently in my life in everything from being a parent, to work related issues and achieving goals. Although, until now, I did not realize my frequent use of these patterns. I have used Technical Reasoning at certain times as well, because these 4 patterns are actually meant to work together as a team, for individuals to achieve success in all that they do. However, most people use one or more patterns to a higher degree than others and avoid some patterns altogether; therein lies the problem of not knowing  about these patterns and how they work for you personally. When you know of these patterns and know your personal use of each pattern, you can direct them, or FIT them to work as the team they are meant to be! I have benefited greatly from this course. Some of the benefits I have realized are as follows†¦ I have learned to FIT, which is to Forge, Intensify, or Tether my learning patterns, in order to get the most beneficial, maximum result from my patterns. I have learned to Forge my Technical Reasoning, so that when working with computer tech type projects, that normall y would have highly frustrated me, now has become just another step toward the completion, and I am able to follow through with ease! I have also better developed my Sequence and Precision in the way that I approach and complete assignments. Before this course, I would just sit down and write the assignment, without consciously using my learning patterns. Now, I use Sequence and Precision to pre-write a draft, edit, and review my writing, as well as critically re-reading the assignment instructions, decoding it, and double checking to ensure that I have completed all the requirements, which also requires Technical Reasoning, I also use Confluence in a better, more intentional manner as well, by brainstorming topics and looking at the â€Å"Big Picture†. After reviewing my work piece by piece, I now look at the overall presentation to ensure that my assignment is connected properly and that each part ties to the other, and the complete picture is balanced. Although, I have enjoyed it, this course has also been challenging for me and these challenges have impacted me in a very profound way. One major challenge for me was learning to FIT my learning patterns. Because I am a Strong-willed Learner, with 3 Use First lea rning patterns, it is a challenge to Tether dominant patterns when needed. For instance, I need to consciously practice Tethering my Precision because I tend to be overly descriptive, as you might have noticed! Also, Forging my Technical Reasoning remains a challenge as well. But, I now have the strategies to be able to accomplish what challenges me. I now have the help of Decoding, Word Walls, and Personal Strategy Cards to help with challenges as well. And these strategies allow me to move forward with a strong confidence, which is backed by quality resources that help to propel my achievements toward success, without frustration, and I can progress smoothly and efficiently. As I write this last paragraph, and this course comes to it’s end, I  realize how much I have really enjoyed this course, and find myself a bit sad that is already over. I really enjoyed learning about myself and how I learn as an individual, and how others learn individually. I enjoyed how each week connected to the week before and brought you to the next, as the Course’s Confluence blossomed to the Big Picture like a beautiful lotus flower , opening to showcase it’s subtle perfection, this course quietly, yet greatly makes its profound impact upon me and has made positive changes in me that I will carry with me forever; and for that, I am extremely grateful and even more proud of my decision to obtain my degree. I had expected this course to be a good course and I was confident about learning in an online platform, However, this course has greatly exceeded my expectations in every way. From getting to know my fellow classmates as they shared their lives, challenges, and dreams; to our dedicated and knowledgeable instructor who gives feedback in a very positive, understanding, and nonjudgmental way, to the confidence I have now because of the strategies I now have the option to use. I am very happy to have taken this course and I will use the beneficial knowledge I have gained from it, to obtain my degree, have success in my career, and live my life†¦ With Focused Intention!!!!

Comparing Othello by William Shakespeare and the Film Othello Essay

An update of Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’ with a young cast, set in a high school and centered around basketball player Odin. Director: Tim Blake Nelson Writers: William Shakespeare (play), Brad Kaaya (screenplay) Stars: Mekhi Phifer, Josh Hartnett, Andrew Keegan The film starts during a basketball game. At the last minute Odin scores the basket that wins the game for his team. Later at an awards ceremony Duke presents the MVP award to Odin for his efforts, an award he shares with Michael. At a party celebrating the victory, Hugo plans with Roger to tell Desi’s father that Odin raped her in order to split them up so that Roger can woo her. Roger, however, is only a pawn in Hugo’s ultimate plan to destroy Odin. Later in another game Odin’s team wins once again. At the celebration party, Hugo engineers a fight between Roger and a very drunk Michael, who is temporarily suspended from the team. Hugo tells Michael to ingratiate himself with Desi so that she will talk to Odin on his behalf. Soon afterward, Hugo tells Odin that Desi and Michael have been spending a lot of time together, and that she may be cheating on him. Odin doesn’t believe this at first, but gradually comes to suspect them. Odin questions Desi, but she calms him down and he believes her. In the meantime, Hugo manipulates Emily into stealing a scarf for him that Odin had given to Desi. Hugo, in turn, gives it to Michael in hopes that Odin will believe that Desi gave Michael the scarf, and so is cheating on him. Meanwhile, Desi and Odin are having passionate sex at a motel. During their lovemaking, Odin sees an image of Michael on top of Desi in the mirror; angered, he becomes very rough with Desi, to the point that she cries out for him to stop, a plea he ignores. Afterward, they lie together staring in opposite directions. After a dunk contest in which Odin himself performs a dunk that pulls the rim and breaks the glass backboard and assaults a ball boy, Hugo tells Odin about the scarf, convincing him that Desi is cheating on him. Enraged, Odin vows to kill her; Hugo then promises to kill Michael. Hugo, with Odin and Roger, plans to kill Michael and Desi. Hugo and Roger attempt to kill Michael in a carjacking, but it does not go as planned: Roger and Michael struggle, Hugo hits Michael with a crowbar, knocking him unconscious. Roger shoots Michael in the leg, and then Hugo turns the gun on Roger and makes him shoot himself after telling him that Desi is dead. Odin and Desi are in Desi’s room talking and Odin is pretending to make up with her. They are making out on the bed when suddenly Odin attacks her; she fights back, but he finally strangles her. Emily rushes into the room and sees Desi’s body; she soon finds out what Hugo has done. She begins telling Odin that Hugo told her to steal the scarf and exposes his plot. Hugo tells her to shut up, but she refuses, so he shoots and kills her. Odin finally realizes that Hugo has been manipulating him the entire time, and demands to know why; Hugo refuses to answer. When the police arrive, Odin tells them what happened, and commits suicide, shooting himself in the heart. The story ends with Hugo being taken into police custody, saying (in voice over) that he will have his day in the spotlight. Mekhi Phifer as Odin James The star basketball player, who gets more attention from Hugo’s dad than Hugo. He is also dating Desi. Josh Hartnett as Hugo Goulding The son of coach Duke Goulding, and jealous of Odin’s attention from his father. Julia Stiles as Desi Brable Odin’s girlfriend Andrew Keegan as Michael Cassio The overshadowed star on the basketball team because of Odin. Rain Phoenix as Emily Friend of Desi. Elden Henson as Roger Calhoun A kid bullied at school who is picked on by Michael. Martin Sheen as Coach Duke Goulding, the coach of the Hawks. Father of Hugo. John Heard as Dean Bob Brable Father of Desi. Rachel Shumate as Brandy Michael’s love interest. Box office

Leadership Styles in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership Styles in Nursing - Essay Example This paper approves that considering the observations gathered from the nurse leader described in this context and the supporting literature, it can be concluded that leadership is an essential element and the essence of management. Like in many other professions, in nursing practice also leadership role is highly complex and challenging one owing to the complexities involved in nursing profession itself. However, these challenges can be effectively tackled through team work and appropriate direction. Innovation, creativity, support, commitment and trust are extremely important for team to sustain performance. Each of these factors requires involvement and contribution from every team member, and cannot be achieved or directed by one formal leader. This essay makes a cocnlusion that democratic leadership style is highly effective for nursing staff groups because they work for extended periods; leaders can empower their members to take autonomous decisions according to situations and emergencies and avoid waiting for formal approval and/or guidance from higher levels. Considering the multi-professional nature of nursing practice, this style supports and also reinforces cooperation and coordination between different members and groups. The most important learning derived from this discussion is that democratic leadership style is particularly focused on motivating people through involvement, accountability, fostering belongingness and trust, and providing equal opportunity to all members of the group.

Proposal for Organizational Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proposal for Organizational Change - Essay Example It has been estimated that over 5.5 million healthcare service provider are exposed to the risk of contacting blood borne pathogens. Most of these blood borne pathogens cause serious health diseases and therefore reducing this health risk is very critical measure in medical service industry. Examples of blood borne pathogens include; Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Both Hepatitis B and C viruses among others plus other potentially infectious materials (OPIM). The Needle Stick Safety and Prevention Act was enacted due to increased cases of needle stick injuries that were becoming a serious health hazard. It was establish in 2000 by congress and it mandated the maintenance of sharps injury log and participation of all healthcare service providers in evaluation and making the choice of devices to be used. In response to the Needle stick Safety act establishment, OSHA in 2001 revised the Blood Borne pathogens Standard in order to comply with the act. Another campaign was initiated by National alliance for Primary Prevention of Sharps Injuries (NAPPSI) to protect medical providers and medical interns from accidental injuries that occurred in the course of their duty. The campaign focused on educating workers and interns on the prevention of all avoidable risks from sharp objects at work. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was established in 1970 by congress in the U.S.'s department of labor. The mission of this body was to protect employees from workplace injuries, illness or deaths (Rabinowitz, 2002). This regulatory body uses rules enforceable by the law and these rules are referred to as standards. The Revised OSHA's Blood Borne Standard Research has shown that many healthcare service providers who have been exposed to blood borne pathogens have been infected with deadly and other dangerous viruses and disease conditions. Contraction of the diseases is usually through needle stick injuries i.e. wounds that are caused needles if they accidentally puncture the skin (Carter 2007). The most serious problems are the infections from the deadly viruses namely Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C viruses. Conformity with the new Blood borne standard has notably decreased risk of medical service providers to contract blood borne diseases at work. Still the problem of health workers contracting blood borne diseased from sharp tools accidents continues to be a serious problem. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that over 380 000 injuries were recorded, Most them being contaminated. Since the establishment of the Blood borne Pathogens Standard, most concerned parties have responded pos itively and have taken steps towards reducing health hazards (Carter 2007). One of the requirements was an OSHA's request for Information on engineering and work performance controls that would be used to alleviate risk of exposure (Mason et al, 2002). Recommendations were made available to health care providers, organizations representing medical care workers, researchers, education institutions, expert and industry associations, and medical devices manufacturers. The use of safer medical apparatus such as non invasive systems and sharp instruments with modified protectors to

Risk and return, portfolio diversification and the Capital Asset Essay

Risk and return, portfolio diversification and the Capital Asset Pricing Model; The cost of equity (Starbucks Co.) - Essay Example (Valuebasedmanagement.net, 2011) This paper will therefore provide computation and will also discuss the cost of equity of Starbucks besides computing the cost of equity for Nestle and McDonalds to make a comparison. Further, cost of equity will also be calculated by using dividend discount model as well as arbitrage pricing theory. The above calculations show that the overall cost of equity for Starbucks is 11.82% based on the data provided. This value is higher than the cost of equity of an average firm on the S&P 500 index thus indicating that the overall risk profile of Starbucks may be higher than an average firm. It may be due to the fact that the investors, considering the dynamics of the industry and particular performance of the firm in the industry, may not be willing to put their bets on Starbucks. The cost of equity should have been lower than an average firm on the S&P considering the overall market strength of Starbucks and brand power. The above comparison between McDonalds, Nestle as well as Starbucks shows that the return on equity for other two firms is lower as compared to Starbucks. The lower cost of equity of these firms suggests that these firms have relatively stable risk profile due to their stronger financial performance as well as fundamentals. What is also important to note that these firms are diversified in nature whereas Starbucks is only relatively focused on the sale of coffee only? It is therefore of no surprise that the cost of equity of such firms is relatively lower than Starbucks Dividend discount model is another important model to find out the fair values of the stock based on the dividends. (Investopedia.com, 2011 ). This model considers dividends as the future cash flows to be received and accordingly the price of the stock is calculated by using following formula: Thus the expected rate of return is obtained by considering a linear combination of different macroeconomic factors combined with

Hydrosphere, Biosphere & Lithosphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hydrosphere, Biosphere & Lithosphere - Essay Example Explain the relationship between the saturated zone, the water table, a ground water well and the cone of depression, all within the sub-surface. In the hydrological cycle, the water circulates between the oceans, the atmosphere and the continents. The water can exist in any of the three states during the transportation, i.e. as vapor expressed as humidity, as liquid in the form of droplets or as solid such as in the form of ice crystals or snowflakes. During the various process involved in the hydrological cycle, the quantity of water or 'water balance' that changes between inflow and outflow can be estimated based on the principle of conservation of mass. The movement of the water including the formation of water vapor is driven mainly by solar energy although other forces are also involved. The water evaporates from the surface of the ocean during the vapor phase. It then usually either falls as rain onto the surface of the earth (liquid phase) or as snowfall (solid phase) under t he process of precipitation, and on land a large portion of it usually flows in rivulets and rivers from the mountain tops to the seas in liquid form under the influence of gravity (surface runoff). Some of the water reaching land surfaces is also absorbed by the soil (infiltration) which can then follow one of several paths such as directly to the atmosphere by plants through transpiration. Within the sub-surface, a 'saturated zone' develops near the water table which is the surface that separates this zone from the zone of aeration (Monroe et al., 2006: 524). The saturated zone develops from the capillary rise of water in the pores of the soil, sediments and rocks. When a water well is used to pump the groundwater, the lowering of the water table in the area of the well can create a 'cone of depression', which refers to the loss of water having exceeded its inflow. 2.The food chain is a valuable concept in biogeography. Give an example of a specific food chain, labeling the variou s levels of the food chain. After looking at characteristics of food chains, explain how a geographer’s approach to the study of organisms might be different than biologist’s study of organisms; what would each try to emphasize more than the other? What exactly is a biome? Compare/contrast the concept of the biome with that of the zoogeographic region. Compare/contrast the floral characteristics of 2 of the following biomes: Desert, Tundra, Midlatitude Grassland and Boreal Forest. An example of a simple three-step specific food chain is given below with the deer as the herbivore and the lion as the carnivore. Food chains indicate a unidirectional transfer of energy beginning with the producers (as autotrophs) and ending with the topmost carnivores. Knowing the food chains help in identifying the interactions and interdependence between living organisms. The distributions of the energies and biomasses in each food chain are typically though not always pyramidal. In real ity, many food chains have at least four steps and several are intricately linked forming food webs. Grass (producer) > Deer (herbivore) > Lion (carnivore) In studying the characteristics of food chains, a geographer would be more interested in the wider ecosystems; in how the components of the chain are interdependent, in the flow of energy through the whole system between the different trophic levels, in examining the levels of biomass, and so on. A biome is a natural ecological grouping of animals and plants on the basis of climates, i.e. â€Å"all the ecosystems taken together in a given geographical area having the same type of climate† (Bharatdwaj, 2006: 100). Other environmental factors could also differentiate biomes but they are

Analysis of the Silicon Valley Context for Entrepreneursip and Essay

Analysis of the Silicon Valley Context for Entrepreneursip and Innovation - Essay Example High-tech giants such as Microsoft, Google, Cisco, eBay, Pixar, and many other commonly known technology-based companies all call Silicon Valley home. In recent years, such groundbreaking advances as digital video recording and high speed wireless internet have been part of a non-stop stream of innovations that have facilitated a new way of life based on mobile and on-demand telecommunications capabilities. Other important advances have reshaped the way we utilize the internet, further integrating it into the normal course of our day-to-day existence. This extraordinary success not only devising hi-tech advances, but also bringing them to market in a wildly successful way, has rendered the Silicon Valley economy the envy of the world. Web innovations have been the latest hot developments to come out of Silicon Valley. Levy and Stone (2006) maintain that innovative new websites such as MySpace and Flickr â€Å"are milestones in a new high-tech wave reminiscent of the craziness of the early dot-com days. This rebooting owes everything to the enhanced power and pervasiveness of the Web, which has finally matured to the point where it can fulfill some of the outlandish promises that we heard in the ‘90s.† Some refer to this latest phase in the evolution of the internet as â€Å"Web 2.0.† This new web generation holds great promise for a stream of innovative new solutions that will redefine the extent to which the internet is integrated into daily life. â€Å"Aided by faster broadband connections, consumers are using the web more than ever and are publishing their own content to it in droves. At the same time, the web is morphing into a platform for applications that once existed only on computers – such as marketing and customer support tools for businesses – and providing a new distribution for products† (Bazeley 2005). The exuberance resulting from this success has certainly not come without cost. The 1990s produced a glut of dot-com

Parable of the Talents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Parable of the Talents - Essay Example 25. so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.' 26. But his master answered him: You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sowed, and gather where I have not winnowed 27. Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received my own with interest. 28. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.' 29. For to everyone who has it will be given and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.' " A similar parable, called "The Parable of the Minas" or "The Parable of the Pounds" is found in the Gospel of Luke (19:12-27). 12. He said therefore: "A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13. Calling ten of his servants and gave them ten pounds, and said to them: 'Trade with these till I come.' 14. But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying: ' We do not want this man to reign over us.' 15. When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16. The first came before him, saying: 'Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.' 17. And he said to him: 'Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful over very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.' 18. And the second came, saying: 'Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' 19. And he said to him: 'And you are to be over five cities.' 20. Then another came, saying: 'Lord,... Similarities and differences. There are examples of similarities, which are inevitable because of the common subject of the parables, these include, for example, such words as servants, say (said to him), came, man, money. But there are constructions which are too complex to repeat accidentally: from him and give it to him who has the ten, to everyone who has it will be given but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This raises the problem of relations between the two sources. Before turning our attention to this example, it is important to recall that there exists the Synoptic Problem, which is connected with the literary relationships between and among the Synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke). Numerous hypotheses try to explain similarities and differences, which occur in the Gospels; some scientists explore the idea of the so-called Q-source (a lost source on Jesus' teachings). It can be reconstructed from the gospels of Matthew and Luke, which are based on two earlier sources: the gospel of Mark and Q. Stated differently, Q is by definition the material that Luke and Matthew have in common but is not dependent on Mark. In our case, when only t

Science fiction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Science fiction - Essay Example However there was one catch, the replicants had a four year life span. But in that four year life span some of the replicants were beginning to develop underlying human emotions. It is these human emotions which led to the revolts of many a replicants making them illegal to be on Earth. Thus, special replicants hunter units, called Blade Runners, were formed to eliminate the illegal replicants. â€Å"Burning Chrome† by William Gibson is a predecessor to many novels he wrote characters from this short story mad their way into other sci-fi novels written by Gibson, such as Neuromancer and the Sprawl series of novels. â€Å"Burning Chrome† shows a computer cowboy, named Bobby Quine jacking into cyberspace, reminiscent of the movie Johnny Mnemonic, based on one of Gibson’s short stories of the same name, and his partner, Automatic Jack. The story is set in the point of view of Automatic Jack. This part of the paper will compare the tone and the settings of the movie Blade Runner with the cyberpunk short story, â€Å"Burning Chrome.† Both are set within the city in which they inhabit, but both there is a time in each story where one loft is the center of attention. Both â€Å"Burning Chrome† and Blade Runner are set in the future with technological advancements beyond our wildest dreams. Furthermore, both are set in differing urban settings, in the streets of a city. However, where the setting in Blade Runner shows are more even playing field for the inhabitants of the city of Los Angeles, â€Å"Burning Chrome† shows that the city, in which the story is set, has a very big discrepancy on those who have it and those who don’t. Blade Runner is set in the city of Los Angeles in the year 2019. The setting allows the viewer to see that this is a bustling metropolis with millions of different things going on all the time. There are several specific

A Foreign artist in Paris - Pablo Picasso Research Paper

A Foreign artist in Paris - Pablo Picasso - Research Paper Example The research paper "A Foreign artist in Paris - Pablo Picasso" discover one of the most incredible artists of modern era. Pablo Picasso is a famous artist from Spain. Artistic impression may have been passed onto the young Picasso, as his father practiced his specialty of painting especially of naturalistic depictions. This gene was passed from the father, as he proved to be an illustrious professor and curator; this in the city’s School of Crafts and a local museum respectively. This artistic capacity was evident from a young age, to be trained henceforth from the young age of seven years. His father was responsible for his early learning, especially in oil painting and figure drawing. As a traditional instructor and academic artist, his father was of the belief that proper training necessitated the disciplined learning from existing art masters. In addition was the need for skill in drawing the human body from both live models and plaster casts, with Picasso becoming engross ed in art; to the detriment of his schooling. It is after the tragic death of his sister that the family moved to Barcelona. Later, he was admitted in the city’s School of Fine Arts at the age of just 13 years. But his conduct could not sustain him in the center, instead transferring to Madrid’s Royal Academy, which is the nation’s foremost art center. However, his spirit was wild, being unable to sustain his schooling, to later on stop class attendance at the age of 16 years. His focus was henceforth shifted to other areas of interest.

Comparing Schools Essay Example for Free

Comparing Schools Essay This report provides advice on the collection and reporting of information about the performances of Australian schools. The focus is on the collection of nationally comparable data. Two purposes are envisaged: use by education authorities and governments to monitor school performances and, in particular, to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances; and use by parents/caregivers and the public to make informed judgements about, and meaningful comparisons of, schools and their offerings. Our advice is based on a review of recent Australian and international research and experience in reporting on the performances of schools. This is an area of educational practice in which there have been many recent developments, much debate and a growing body of relevant research. Our work is framed by recent agreements of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), in particular, at its meeting on 29 November 2008: C OAG agreed that the new Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority will be supplied with the information necessary to enable it to publish relevant, nationally-comparable information on all schools to support accountability, school evaluation, collaborative policy development and resource allocation. The Authority will provide the public with information on each school in Australia that includes data on each school’s performance, including national testing results and school attainment rates, the indicators relevant to the needs of the student population and the school’s capacity including the numbers and qualifications of its teaching staff and its resources. The publication of this information will allow comparison of like schools (that is, schools with similar student populations across the nation) and comparison of a school with other schools in their local community. (COAG Meeting Outcomes) Our work also has been framed by the recently endorsed MCEETYA Principles for Reporting Information on Schooling (see Section 1. 4). Before summarising our specific recommendations, there are some general conclusions that we have reached from our review of international research and experience. The specific recommendations that follow are best understood in the context of these general conclusions: †¢ Vigilance is required to ensure that nationally comparable data on individual schools does not have the unintended consequence of focusing attention on some aspects of the purposes of schooling at the expense of other outcomes that are as important but not as easily measurable. Parents/caregivers and the public are interested in a broad range of information about schools, and nationally comparable data should be reported in the context of this broader information. †¢ Although it has become popular in education systems in some other parts of the world to use statistical models to develop ‘measures’ of school performance and to report these measures publicly in league tables, we believe that there are very v Reporting and Comparing School Performances  sound technical and educational reasons why school measures of this kind should not be used for public reporting and school comparisons. †¢ Related to this point, we are not convinced of the value of reporting ‘adjusted’ measures of student outcomes publicly. Measures of student outcomes should be reported without adjustment. †¢ To enable the comparison of unadjusted student outcomes across schools, we believe that a ‘like-schools’ methodology should be used. This methodology would allow parents/caregivers, the public, and education systems to compare outcomes for schools in similar circumstances. †¢ While point-in-time measures of student outcomes often are useful, it is difficult to establish the contributions that teachers and schools make to point-in-time outcomes. In general, measures of student gain/growth across the years of school provide a more useful basis for making judgements about the value that schools are adding. †¢ Measures of gain/growth are most appropriately based on measurement scales that can be used to monitor student progress across the years of school. The NAPLAN measurement scales are an example and provide educational data superior to that available in most other countries. Consideration should be given to developing national measurement scales for early literacy learning and in some subjects of the national curriculum. †¢ Initially reporting should build on the understandings that parents and the public have already developed. For example a school’s NAPLAN results should be reported in forms that are consistent with current NAPLAN reports for students. Although much work needs to be done in defining the most appropriate measures, the principle should be to build on the representations of data that are already familiar to people. Recommendations Our report makes the following specific recommendations: student outcome measures †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the literacy and numeracy skills of students in each school, using NAPLAN (Years 3, 5, 7 and 9). †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the tertiary entrance results of students in each senior secondary school. These data could be reported as the percentage of students achieving tertiary entrance ranks of 60 or above, 70 or above, 80 or above, and 90 or above (calculated as a percentage of the students achieving tertiary entrance ranks). †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each senior secondary school completing Year 12 or equivalent; the percentage of students applying to all forms of post-school education; and the percentage of students completing VET studies. vi Reporting and Comparing School Performances †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the achievements of students in core national curriculum subjects (English, mathematics, science and history), beginning in 2010. National assessments could be developed initially at Year 10. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the early literacy learning of children in each primary school. These assessments will need to be developed and should be administered upon entry to school and used as a baseline for monitoring progress across the first few years of school. physical and human resources †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected about sources and amounts of funding received by each school, including all income to the school from State and Commonwealth governments, as well as details of fees payable by parents, including those that are mandatory and any voluntary levies that parents are expected to pay. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the numbers and qualifications of teaching staff in each school. Basic data would include academic qualifications, details of pre-service teacher education, and details of any advanced certification (eg, Advanced Skills Teacher; Level 3 Teacher). student intake characteristics †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the socio-economic backgrounds of students in each school. Data should be based on information collected at the individual student level, using at least parental occupation and, possibly, parental education levels, under the agreed MCEETYA definitions. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background under the agreed MCEETYA definition. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school identified as having a language background other than English (LBOTE) under the agreed MCEETYA definition. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the geo-location of each school using a 3-category scale: metropolitan, provincial, and remote. †¢ Nationally comparable data should be collected on the percentage of students in each school with special educational needs. A nationally agreed definition of this category will need to be developed. like-school comparisons †¢ In reporting student outcome data for a school, data for like-schools should be provided as a point of comparison. Like-schools will be schools in similar circumstances and facing similar challenges. †¢ In determining ‘like-schools’, account should be taken of the percentage of students with Indigenous backgrounds, the socio-economic backgrounds of the students in the school, and the percentage of students from language backgrounds other than English. vii Reporting and Comparing School Performances †¢ For each school separately, like-schools should be identified as the schools most similar to that school on the above characteristics (rather than pre-defining a limited number of like-school categories). †¢ Work should commence as soon as possible on the development of an appropriate like-schools methodology. public reporting †¢ For the purpose of providing public information about schools, a common national website should be used to provide parents/caregivers and the public with access to rich information about individual schools. †¢ The national website should provide information about each school’s programs, philosophies, values and purposes, provided by the school itself, as well as nationally comparable data, provided centrally. †¢ Nationally comparable student outcome data should, wherever possible, provide information about current levels of attainment (ie, status), gain/growth across the years of school, and improvement in a school over time. †¢ The complete database for each state/territory should be made available to the relevant state/territory departments of education and other employing authorities, enabling them to interrogate data for their schools and to make judgments about school performances using aggregated data and national summary statistics. We believe that almost all nationally comparable data collected centrally could be reported publicly. The exceptions would arise when the public reporting of data may have negative and unintended consequences for schools. For example, we can envisage negative consequences arising from the reporting of the socio-economic backgrounds of students in a school, or of the financial circumstances of struggling, small schools (both government and non-government). We also believe that data reported publicly should be factual data about a school, and not the results of secondary analyses and interpretations that are open to debate (eg, value-added measures). viii Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. INTRODUCTION In education, good decision making is facilitated by access to relevant, reliable and timely information. Dependable information is required at all levels of educational decision making to identify areas of deficiency and special need, to monitor progress towards goals, to evaluate the effectiveness of special interventions and initiatives, and to make decisions in the best interests of individual learners. The focus of this  paper is on the provision and use of information about individual schools. The starting point is the observation that relevant and reliable information about schools is required by a range of decision makers – including parents and caregivers, school principals and school leadership teams, system managers and governments, and the general public – all of whom require dependable information that they can use to maximise opportunities and outcomes for students. 1. 1 Audiences and Purposes  Parents and caregivers require valid and reliable information to evaluate the quality of the education their children are receiving, to make informed decisions in the best interests of individual students, and to become active partners in their children’s learning. They require dependable information about the progress individuals have made (the knowledge, skills and understandings developed through instruction), about teachers’ plans for future learning, and about what they can do to assist. There is also considerable evidence that parents and caregivers want information about how their children are performing in comparison with other children of the same age. And, if they are to make judgements about the quality of the education their children are receiving, they require information that enables meaningful comparisons across schools. School leaders require reliable information on student and school performances for effective school management. Research into factors underpinning school  effectiveness highlights the importance of the school leader’s role in establishing an environment in which student learning is accorded a central focus, and goals for improved performance are developed collaboratively by staff with a commitment to achieving them. School managers require dependable pictures of how well students in a school are performing, both with respect to school goals for improvement and with respect to past achievements and achievements in other, comparable schools. Governments and system managers require dependable information on the performance and progress of individual schools if they are to exercise their responsibilities for the delivery of quality education to all students. Effective management depends on an ability to monitor system-wide and school performances over time, to gauge the effectiveness of special programs and targeted resource allocations, to monitor the impact of policies, and to evaluate the success of initiatives aimed at traditionally disadvantaged and underachieving sections of the student population. Accurate, reliable information allows system managers to measure progress against past performances, to identify schools and issues requiring special attention, to target resources appropriately, and to set goals for future improvement. 1 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. 2 Forms of Information Because there are multiple audiences and purposes for information about schools, the forms of information required for effective decision making are different for different stakeholders. Parents and caregivers require a wide range of information, including information relating to their immediate needs (eg, Is the school easily accessible by public transport? Does it have an after-school program? What fees and/or levies does it charge? ); the ethos of the school (eg, What evidence is there of bullying/harassment? What are the espoused values of the school? Do students wear uniforms? What level of discipline is imposed? Who is the principal? ); their child’s likely educational experience (eg, Who will be my child’s teacher next year? Will they be in a composite class? How large will the class be? Does the school have a literacy intervention program? What extra-curricular activities are provided? ); and the school’s educational results (eg, Does the school achieve outstanding Year 12 results? ). School leaders require other forms of information, including information relating to staffing and resources (eg, What resources are available for music next year? How many beginning children have special learning needs? ); the effectiveness of initiatives (eg, Is there any evidence that the extra class time allocated to literacy this year made a difference?); and academic results (eg, How many Year 5 students did not meet the minimum performance standard in Reading? Have our results improved since last year? Are we still below the state average? How did last year’s Year 12 results compare with those of the neighbouring school? ). System managers and governments require still other forms of information, including information to monitor system-wide trends over time, to evaluate the effectiveness of attempts to raise standards and close gaps, and to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances. In general, the schoollevel information required by system managers and governments is less fine-grained than the information required by parents, teachers and school leaders. Figure 1 displays schematically various forms of information that could be made available about a school, either publicly or to specific audiences (eg, system managers). The forms of evidence represented in Figure 1 are: A: student outcome measures that a school could choose to report Most schools report a wide range of information about the achievements of their students to their school communities. This information is reported in school newsletters, local and community newspapers, school websites, and at school events. The information includes details of Year 12 results, analyses of postschool destinations, results in national mathematics and science competitions, language certificates, awards, prizes, extra-curricular achievements, community recognition, and so on. Most schools take every opportunity to celebrate the achievements of their students and to announce these achievements publicly. 2 Reporting and Comparing School Performances Figure 1. Forms of information that could be made available about a school B:a sub-set of student outcome measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data Within the set of student outcome information that might be reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of outcomes on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. A reason for identifying such a sub-set would be to ensure some common measures to facilitate school comparisons – within a local geographical area, across an entire education system, nationally, or within a group of ‘like’ schools. Inevitably, nationally comparable data would be collected for only some of the outcomes that schools, parents and communities value. Performances on common literacy and numeracy tests in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are an example of nationally comparable data currently in this category. C. physical and human resources measures that a school could choose to report Schools provide information in various forms and to various audiences about their physical and human resources. Information of this kind includes details of staff qualifications and teaching experience, staff turnover rates, school global budgets, computers and other technology, newly constructed facilities, bequests, results of fundraising drives, and so on. Some of this information may be reported to the school community; some may be kept confidential to the school, education system or government departments. D: a sub-set of physical and human resources measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data Within the set of physical and human resources measures reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of measures on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. For example, there have been recent calls for greater consistency and transparency in the reporting of school funding arrangements (Dowling, 2007; 2008) and for more consistent national approaches to assessing and recognising teacher quality (Dinham, et al, 2008). 3 Reporting and Comparing School Performances E. student intake measures that a school could choose to report Most schools have considerable information about their students. For example, they may have information about students’ language backgrounds, Indigenous status, socio-economic backgrounds, learning difficulties and disabilities. This information usually is reported only within education systems or to governments and is not reported publicly, although schools sometimes provide information to their communities about the range of languages spoken by students in the school, the countries from which they come, the percentage of Indigenous students in the school and the school’s special Indigenous programs, or the number of severely disabled students and the facilities and support provided for these students. F: a sub-set of student intake measures on which it is agreed to collect nationally comparable data. Within the set of student intake characteristics reported for a school, there could be a sub-set of measures on which it was agreed to collect nationally comparable data. Some progress has been made toward nationally consistent definitions and nationally consistent data collections on student background characteristics. G. all other information that a school could choose to make available Beyond information about student outcomes, student backgrounds and their physical and human resources, schools provide a range of other information to the communities they serve. 1. 3 Nationally Comparable Data Acknowledging the many purposes and audiences for information about schools, and the various forms that this information can take, the specific focus of this paper is on the collection and reporting of nationally comparable data for the purposes of evaluating and comparing school performances. In other words, the focus is on categories B, D and F in Figure 1. We envisage three broad uses of such data: †¢ use by parents and caregivers in judging the quality of educational provision and in making informed decisions in the best interests of individual students; †¢ use by school leaders in monitoring a school’s improvement and benchmarking the school’s performance against other, comparable schools; and †¢ use by education systems and governments in identifying schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances. As noted above, these three stakeholder groups are likely to have different needs. The ways in which nationally comparable data are analysed, combined and reported may be different for different purposes. We see the process of reaching agreement on the core data that should be available about a school as a national collaborative process, and see little value in arriving at different conclusions about these data for different parts of the country. 4 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 1. 4 Principles for Reporting The Principles for Reporting Information on Schooling (see pages 6-7) adopted by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCCETYA) provide an important point of reference for any proposed collection and use of nationally comparable data on schools. These principles recognise the multiple audiences and purposes for information about schools, the need to collect broad evidence about student and school performances, and the desirability of monitoring intended and unintended consequences of reporting information on schools. Australian governments have undertaken to ensure that data provided for the purposes of comparing schools are reliable and fair and take into account the contexts in which schools work. Governments also have undertaken not to develop simplistic league tables of school performances. 1. 5 Structure of Paper This paper first considers the kinds of nationally comparable data that might be collected about schools for the purposes outlined above. We draw on national and international research and experience, attempt to anticipate the likely requirements of different audiences, and take into account what measures currently exist and what additional measures might be desirable in the future. Each of the three data categories in Figure 1 is considered in turn: †¢ †¢ †¢ student outcome measures physical and human resources measures student intake measures (sections 2-3) (section 4) (section 5) We then consider alternative ways of evaluating and comparing school performances. Two broad methodologies are discussed: †¢ †¢ the direct comparison of student outcomes the construction of measures of school performance (section 6) (section 7) Finally, we consider issues in reporting publicly on the performances of schools: †¢ †¢ audiences and purposes for reporting options for public reporting on schools (section 8) (section 9) 5 Reporting and Comparing School Performances MCEETYA PRINCIPLES FOR REPORTING INFORMATION ON SCHOOLING There is a vast amount of information on Australian schooling and individual schools. This includes information about the educational approach of schools, their enrolment profile, staffing, facilities and programs, and the education environment they offer, as well as information on the performance of students, schools and systems. Different groups, including schools and their students, parents and families, the community and governments, have different information needs. The following principles provide guidance on requirements for information on schooling, including the types of information that should be made readily available to each of the groups noted above. These principles will be supported by an agreed set of national protocols on the access to and use of information on schooling. Good quality information on schooling is important: FOR SCHOOLS AND THEIR STUDENTS. Principle 1: Schools need reliable, rich data on the performance of their students because they have the primary accountability for improving student outcomes. Good quality data supports each school to improve outcomes for all of their students. It supports effective diagnosis of student progress and the design of quality learning programs. It also informs schools’ approaches to provision of programs, school policies, pursuit and allocation of resources, relationships with parents and partnerships with community and business. Schools should have access to: †¢ Comprehensive data on the performance of their own students that uses a broad set of indicators †¢ Data that enables each school to compare its own performance against all schools and with schools of similar characteristics †¢ Data demonstrating improvements of the school over time †¢ Data enabling the school to benchmark its own performance against that of the bestperforming schools in their jurisdiction and nationally FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES. Principle 2: Information about schooling, including data on the performance of individuals, schools and systems, helps parents and families to make informed choices and to engage with their children’s education and the school community. Parents and families should have access to: †¢ Information about the philosophy and educational approach of schools, and their staffing, facilities, programs and extra-curricular activities that enables parents and families to compare the education environment offered by schools †¢ Information about a school’s enrolment profile, taking care not to use data on student 1  characteristics in a way that may stigmatise schools or undermine social inclusion. †¢ Data on student outcomes that enables them to monitor the individual performance of their child, including what their child knows and is able to do and how this relates to what is expected for their age group, and how they can contribute to their child’s progress †¢ Information that allows them to assess a school’s performance overall and in improving student outcomes, including in relation to other schools with similar characteristics in their jurisdiction and nationally. 1 Any use or publication of information relating to a school’s enrolment profile should ensure that the privacy of individual students is protected. For example, where the small size of a school population or of a specific student cohort may enable identification of individual students, publication of this information should be avoided. 6 Reporting and Comparing School Performances FOR THE COMMUNITY. Principle 3: The community should have access to information that enables an understanding of the decisions taken by governments and the status and performance of schooling in Australia, to ensure schools are accountable for the results they achieve with the public funding they receive, and governments are accountable for the decisions they take. Students are an important part of our society and take up a variety of roles within it after leaving school. The community is therefore a direct and indirect consumer of the product of our schools, as well as providing the means of public funding. Information about schools in the public domain fulfils the requirement that schools be accountable for the results they achieve with the public funding they receive, including relative to other ‘like’ schools; it should also give the community a broad picture of school performance and a sense of confidence in our school systems. The community should have access to: †¢ Information about the philosophy and educational approach of schools, and their staffing, facilities, programs and extra-curricular activities that enables the community to compare the education environment offered by schools. †¢ Information about individual schools’ enrolment profile, taking care not to use data on student characteristics in a way that may stigmatise schools or undermine social inclusion †¢ National reporting on the performance of all schools with data that allows them to view a school’s performance overall and in improving student outcomes, including in relation to other schools with similar characteristics RESPONSIBLE PROVISION OF SCHOOLING INFORMATION Australian Governments will ensure that school-based information is published responsibly so that: †¢ any public comparisons of schools will be fair, contain accurate and verified data, contextual information and a range of indicators to provide a more reliable and complete view of performance (for example, information on income, student body characteristics, the spread of student outcomes and information on the value added by schools) †¢ governments will not devise simplistic league tables or rankings and will put in place strategies to manage the risk that third parties may seek to produce such tables or rankings, and will ensure that privacy will be protected. †¢ reports providing information on schooling for parents and families and the community will be developed based on research on what these groups want to know and the most effective ways the information can be presented and communicated. FOR GOVERNMENTS Principle 4: Governments need sound information on school performance to support ongoing improvement for students, schools and systems. Government also need to monitor and evaluate the impacts (intended and unintended) of the use and release of this information to improve its application over time. Good quality information on schooling enables governments to: †¢ analyse how well schools are performing †¢ identify schools with particular needs †¢ determine where resources are most needed to lift attainment †¢ identify best practice and innovation in high-performing schools that can be mainstreamed and used to support improvements in schools with poorer performance †¢ conduct national and international comparisons of approaches and performance †¢ develop a substantive evidence base on what works. This will enable future improvements in school performance that support the achievement of the agreed education outcomes of both the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs and the Council of Australian Governments. 7 Reporting and Comparing School Performances 2. STUDENT OUTCOMES Information about the outcomes of a school’s efforts is key information for parents and caregivers if they are to judge the quality of educational provision; for school leaders to monitor a school’s performance and improvement; and for education systems and governments to identify schools in need of additional support. However, schools work to promote many different kinds of outcomes for their students. For some schools, an important objective is to improve school attendance rates. For others, assisting students to make successful transitions into the workforce is a high priority. Some schools are more focused than others on supporting the social, spiritual and emotional development of students. Still others measure their success in terms of entry rates into highly sought-after university courses. Decisions about the outcomes to be reported publicly for schools are important because they influence judgements about how well individual schools are performing. This is particularly true when education systems and governments attempt to construct ‘measures’ of school performance: Perverse incentives can arise when the [school] performance measure has both a large impact upon actors and focuses on an aspect of schooling that does not reflect the true or overall purpose and objectives of schools. Unfortunately, this can be common in school performance measures if the performance measure is too narrowly defined. (OECD, 2008, 26).

Review of Literature Essay Example for Free

Review of Literature Essay Dear client, please fill in the dates in the submissions and the blanks. thank you. Key milestones have already been established for this project, as recommended by the KBS’s PLS FILL UP PROGRAMME NAME. : Interim Project Submission 12 July 2006 Draft Project Submission 1 September 2006 Final Project Submission 30 September 2006 Through these dates, a draft of the programme has been formulated in addition to the enumeration of the additional milestones. At this point the framework is an estimation of the dates of deliverables of the objects in the milestones as these depend on the coordination and the cooperation of the identified proponents of this proposed research. At this point the research aims to get the appropriate permissions and letters needed that requests for the formalisation of the participation, especially as this requires working with bars and clubs. DEAR CLIENT, PLEASE FILL UP THE APPROPRIATE DATES FOR YOUR RESEARCH PROGRAMME IN THIS TABLE, THANK YOU. Activity No of Days Start Date Finish Date. Project Proposal Submission 0 Thu 04/05/06 Thu 04/05/06 Literature Review 90 Mon 01/05/06 Fri 01/09/06 Refine Methodology 31 Thu 04/05/06 Thu 15/06/06 Meet with potential project sponsor(s) 3 Thu 01/06/06 Mon 05/06/06 First Draft of Questionnaire 10 Thu 01/06/06 Wed 14/06/06 Identify Questionnaire Addressees 10 Thu 01/06/06 Wed 14/06/06 Identify and contact potential interviewees 10 Thu 01/06/06 Wed 14/06/06 Meet with Supervisor 0 Mon 19/06/06 Mon 19/06/06 Final Questionnaire 5 Tue 20/06/06 Mon 26/06/06 Pre-test questionnaire 3 Tue 27/06/06 Thu 29/06/06 Contact Interviewees 10 Tue 20/06/06 Mon 03/07/06. Send out questionnaire 1 Fri 30/06/06 Fri 30/06/06 Interim Project Submission 0 Wed 12/07/06 Wed 12/07/06 Follow-up to questionnaire 5 Wed 12/07/06 Tue 18/07/06 Interviews 10 Mon 17/07/06 Fri 28/07/06 Meet with Supervisor 0 Mon 31/07/06 Mon 31/07/06 Analysis of Primary Research 20 Mon 31/07/06 Fri 25/08/06 Telephone follow-up/interview as required 25 Mon 07/08/06 Fri 08/09/06 Meet with Supervisor 0 Wed 23/08/06 Wed 23/08/06 Draft Project Submission 0 Fri 01/09/06 Fri 01/09/06 Meet with Supervisor 0 Mon 11/09/06 Mon 11/09/06 Refine and amend Submission 19 Mon 04/09/06 Thu 28/09/06. Final Project Submission 0 Fri 29/09/06 Fri 29/09/06 Contingency As previously mentioned, one of the challenges of this paper is the lack of accessible scholarly and academic studies concerning events management in the bar and club businesses. In this regard, this research aims to utilise of the available literature and studies from similar sources such as case studies on certain events and similar operations such as restaurants. This study therefore relies on direct primary data which will be gathered depending on the degree of participation of identified club and bar owners. A contingency is that this paper goes on ahead with the research activity and source information from secondary sources as the foundations of this study; there will be therefore a heavier approach to analysis and the research framework is most likely modified should problems in resources come up. Cited Works and Bibliography Bowdin, Glenn, Harris, Johnny, OToole, William, Harris, Rob, McDonnel, Ian. Events Management, 2nd Ed. London: Elsevier, 2006. Brown, Douglas Robert Miron, Amanda. The Professional Bar Beverage Managers Handbook: How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Bar, Tavern and Night Club. Florida: Atlantic Publishing Company, 2005. Chatterton, Paul Hollands, Robert. Urban Nightscapes: Youth Cultures, Pleasure Spaces and Corporate Power. New York: Routledge, 2003. Craven, Robin. The Complete Idiots Guide to Meeting Event Planning, 2nd Edition. Exton, PA: Alpha, 2006. Culp, Christopher. The Risk Management Process: Business Strategy and Tactics. New York: Wiley, 2001. Dommermuth W. P. Promotion: Analysis, creativity, and strategy, 2nd ed. Boston: PWS- Kent, 1989. Goldblatt, J. Special Events: Best Practices in Modern Event Management, new York: van Nostrand Reinhold, 1997. Henderson, Karla. â€Å"Marketing Recreation and Physical Activity Programs for Females†. JOPERDThe Journal of Physical Education, Recreation Dance, 66(1995): 53+. Hormozi, Amir Dube, Leon. â€Å"Establishing Project Control: Schedule, Cost, and Quality†. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 64(1999): 32+. Jones, K. S. Night club promotions manual source list: How to create exciting, profitable event calendars for your bar. Hughes Company, 1993. Mack, Rhonda W. â€Å"Event Sponsorship: An Exploratory Study of Small Business Objectives, Practices, and Perceptions†. Journal of Small Business Management, 37(1999): 25+. Michman, Ronald. Lifestyle Market Segmentation. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1991. Roche, Maurice. Mega-Events and Modernity: Olympics and Expos in the Growth of Global Culture. New York: Routledge. Soares, Eric. Promotional Feats: The Role of Planned Events in the Marketing Communications Mix. New York: Quorum Books, 1991. Shore, Anton Parry, Brynn. Successful Event Management. London: Thomson, 2004. Silvers, Julia. Event Management Body of Knowledge. 2009. Julia Rutherford Silvers. 16 June 2009. http://www. juliasilvers. com/embok. htm. Professional Event Coordination (The Wiley Event Management Series). New Jersey: Wiley, 2003. Smith, Robert. An Entrepreneurs Guide to Running a Profitable Club Operation. Fairfax, Vermont: Upland Publications, 2001. Webster, Francis Knutson, Joanne. What is Project Management? Project Management Concepts and Methodologies. The AMA Handbook of Project Management, P. Dinsmore J. Cabanis-Brewin, Eds. New York: AMACOM, 2006. Westerbeek, Hans, Smith, Aaron, Turner, Paul, Emery, Paul, Green, Christine, van Leeuwen, Linda. Managing Sport Facilities and Major Events. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen Unwin, 2005.

Benefits of Strategic Management Models

Benefits of Strategic Management Models Nowadays, strategic management models are importance to senior executives that they need to evaluate battle management systems as well as science is always changing and improving all the things necessary to effect efficient organizations. Management strategies are important to all organizations and countries that are developing or developed to meet the objectives of each organization (Bahareh Khanali 2008). Meanwhile, the objective of strategic management models is to help their performance of corporation and learn how to create value from the use of learning strategies. Thus, the company will collect information and expectations regarding competition in the industry are important to define strategies after that managers need to measure performance using data appropriate to the management of strategic management process. In addition, the strategic competition will receive a higher return than the average when companies use the strategic management process. Therefore, successful busin ess still is not easy to perform. Those providing or participating in the strategic decision to bring the strategies used must be consistent and important factors such as basic knowledge of managers. Porters generic strategies1 model is commonly used to analyse in Japan. Porters generic strategies are widely used in America and Europe, but while Japan has not shown a case study on Porters generic strategies. This research study about the Japanese strategy of Porters generic or continued under the management of tanditional Japanese strategy by using Porters generic strategy to process. Japans experience economy in the industry was resembles economic crisis and lower management and economic distress in Japan owning to lack of analysis of long-term business plan, layoffs and non-profit. The system industry is the interdependent relationship between community organizations and private sector. According to Ishikawa (1988) observes that Japan can not meet rapidly changing demand of the market is entrenched group decision making and the formalized systems likely to slow down. After Japan was experiencing economic distress after the company began to find ways to cut out the bad decade an d their commitment to the Japanese management system and discovered Michael Porters (1980, 1985) generic strategies, which is the most important organization and renews the organization. The research sample used in this study consists of case management staff from large companies. The test survey of 101 samples from Japanese companies operating in the Tokyo show in Japans four strategies may begin to change the strategy of the Porter-based strategies, but traditional Japanese strategies2 abide. One example is the per cent of Japan uses frequency of strategic by product differentiation strategy, cost leadership strategy, supply chain and training (see Table1). Moreover, since the use of strategic Porter occurs then the article called Can Japan compete? (Porter Takeuchi, 2000) Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan has established a reward Porter Prize for Japanese companies to succeed and maintain profitability in the industry, especially the strategy and methodology of the process, innovation in products. Porter award is intended only to improve the competitiveness of Japanese companies. Recently, bring to generic strategies get attention in public debate in Japan after that change the key policy and strategic changes necessary to achieve the systems traditional Japanese companies increasingly use the strategy of Porter. According to Porters and Takeuchi (2000) explains that decades Japanese economic recession, especially in the case of Japanese companies increased competition in global markets. Meanwhile, Porters diamond model is the model used in the decision of the operators in the business extensively instance evaluate the success of the Indian shrimp industry in Thailand and international competition and the environment of the country. The keywords of this case are shrimp industry, competitiveness, flexibility3. Shrimp industry and exports in India and Thailand which the two species of shrimp has growth in the global shrimp market and industry they are P. vannamei and P. Monodon4. In addition, the suppliers of cephalopods are the most in India to Europe by 83 per cent volume of exports. In Thailand have many industries about aquaculture related and services such as chemicals and fertilizers. While P. vannamei is more delicious than P. Monodon. On the other hand, P. Monodon commands a special price. As a result, the global markets have exploded in demand. It is need to understand the competitive environment in the shrimp industry in India and Thailand. This means that Po rters diamond model can be analysed to help the case of this industry (Porter, 1990). According to Porter states that the national environment composing of four factors: internal rivalries, related industries, and firm strategy structure and factor conditions these are created from Porters diamond model. An additional, government is mainly played role in national competitive environment of an industry (Silpa, Yadav et al 2007). Nominal Group Technique used the diamond model for analysis Indian and Thai shrimp industry due to it can help flexibility theory. The Indias shrimp industry on Porters structure, India is the five points in the shrimp production. The shrimp farms are owned by small farmers to 90 per cent. The P. monodon is the main of species in shrimp culture. And India is the biggest frozen shrimp in the export which share of culture is about 80 per cent (MPEDA, 2006). The Indian shrimp industry and national competitive environment is used Porters diamond model to help and evaluate. However, India needs to develop infrastructure and also the foreign has not been to India for investment in shrimp industry owning to many business companies comes from family owned inherited that was happened over the decade. A part of Thai shrimp industry on Porters structure, since 1993 Thailand is the producers in farmed shrimp in the world where has successful of transform shrimp for a high cost product. Thai shrimp industry entries toward low cost competition product for change direction from a high cost product result of a successful in shrimp exports industry. External factors mean trade policy and elasticity of demand is domestic support export competitiveness in Thai shrimp sector those factors affect the efficiency of product growth (Ongsritrakul and Hubbard, 1996). The market share belonged to Thailand around 27 per cent which export frozen shrimps more than 1.5 billion bath per year. The overview and the conditions and factors such as factor conditions, demand conditions and role of national government cause by Thailand gained advantages more than India, overall from these differences that contribute success in supporting the global market. Moreover, Porters Diamond has presented the rating about panel of respondents on flexibility of competitive elements that India has negative rating higher than Thailand because of India lack of flexibility in shrimp industry scenario. It describes about how to respond to new threats and to arrange situation in the industry (see Table 2). Porters diamond is the elements of the competitive conditions within the country to facilitate international success. The operations of the diamond model show flexibility and support to enable the company to leverage competitive advantage environment. This research has identified factors that can lead role industry to competition by diamond model analysis (Silpa, Yadav et al 2007). Not only Porters diamond model and generic strategies model only widely used, but SWOT analysis5 model influence in performing analysis of business success. One of example is SWOT analysis applied to micro enterprises (MEs), small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs), and large software enterprises (LEs)6: an Austrian study which interviewed random sample of 174 executives from Austrian Software Company. Most managers of Austrias largest software face significant obstacles in the growth of the business community because the nature of the software industry has globalised, high performance can also be used for other countries in the European Union. Research reviewed problems from software entrepreneurs with small-to-medium and micro Software Company which software innovation, investment and areas of collaboration between companies and joint ventures. Current models of collaboration between companies which factors affecting the scope of work and its impact on business success to determine the i mportance of cooperation between companies, especially SMEs. For the study on the experimental nature of the business of micro and small to medium enterprises contribute to its high-performance software for benchmarking. These results will be combined for special features and needs of micro, small-to-medium and large enterprise software to help professional managers, especially from young companies to develop market entry strategies of successful organizations survives in a dynamic business environment. Thus, implementation of the SWOT analysis, micro enterprise (ME), small-to-medium (SME) and large organisations (LE) are factors that can influence different strategies to isolate and identify the organization, which means the key of the most successful. The result from the analysis of factors that must be considered by managers as part of the strategic planning process prior to the scheduled corporate strategy because of high globalised nature of the software industry to make availa ble in other countries in the European Union. SWOT analysis also led the development of successful corporate strategies to survive in a dynamic business environment for Europes young into the market (Edward, October 2002). Obviously, models as a pattern often depends upon the managers to apply these strategies are how to be successful. Strategic management models are set to show action in helping to make decisions about allocation of resources to meet corporate goals of bodies. Managers in many industries have led some strategic management models used in their business, which is a help in decision analysis and business problems. The decision-making is important and has influenced many leaders and managers. Models are the technical advantages as the face of competition and the decisions and it can also increase as the decision in the case of the initial models to take part in educational and research issues in economic or competitive in global market and will appear when analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the business to bring these things to change and develop on the spot. In this section awareness and focus on Porters Diamond Model. Maxoulis, Kalogirou et.al (June 2007) observes that Michael E. Porter (1990) states that The competitive advantage of Nations suggest a new theory of competitiveness it is called diamond model its as a system such as the ceramic tile industry in Italy. The model illustrates why some industries in nations are more rival than others. The model argued that national home stand by the organization played a key role in creating opportunities to benefit the global level. The diamond model stands for four factors, which impact companies of the specified group. The four factors are in brief below: Context for firm strategy and rivalry: company directs competition will increase efficiency and innovation Strategy: Domestic capital markets impact the companys strategy. Because some countries capital markets are long-run outlook, while other countries are short-run outlook. America is likely to increase competition in the industry as short-term investments. At the same time, Switzerland is likely to increase competition in the industry to invest long term (Krishnamurthi, 18 November 2007). Rivalry: Porter says that Competition is intense in Japan; many companies are diligent company that will compete in most industries (Krishnamurthi, 18 November 2007). The competition of international cannot drastic and with environmental and adequacy of the differences between companies that can provide a useful excuse for managers who exceed performance with their competitors. (forumuz.biz, 28 January 2009). Demand conditions: If customers are demanding in the economy resulted in increased pressure on the company so it will always be forced to improve their competitiveness such as French wine industry is the country that experienced wine consumers. These consumers can help to produce high quality wine (Krishnamurthi, 18 November 2007). Factor (input) conditions: Skilled labour and capital structure in the factors of production. Porter suggests that countries that lack resources to allow them to compete in the industry, also known as one of the disadvantages that a change advantages. Therefore, these countries will struggle to overcome the problem of resources. For example Switzerland was the first country experiencing labour shortages. They dismiss workers turned to focus on innovative clock / high-end watches (Krishnamurthi, 18 November 2007). Related and supporting industries: Industry support is critical to the competitiveness of companies including frequency of partners and related industries are often in conflict, regional, national. For instance, Leather footwear industry and other leather products in Italy and U.S. car industry in Silicon Valley Detroit (Krishnamurthi, 18 November 2007). The government of role in the diamond model will act as a catalyst to increase its demand for advanced products with an emphasis on creating special factors to stimulate local competition is limited to work directly and anti-trust regulatory enforcement (Maxoulis and Kalogirou et al, June 2007). At forumuz.biz (28 January 2009) reports that large textile industry in India can be supported multi-directional and the local economy. Account the total production of most industrial countries over 20 per cent and employment has more than 15 million people and exports account for more than 30 per cent making India a net foreign exchange industry, the largest (Dalmia, 1994). The Government of India the economic reforms in the new format in 1991 made the economic situation of India is continuously improving due to the government to focus on the liberalization policy. It seems that benefits of Porters diamond model resulted in large companies bring to the widespread use in countries like America or even Europe. That bringing the Porter diamond model used in the process of organization and the national competition is an indication that the Porter diamond is a dynamic relationship between the four factors. According to Porter suggests that when he has been building diamond model by four years, it apply approximately a hundred industries and ten nations. This situation is supported by The Competitive Advantage of Nations, page 855 in 1990 (Dong and Hwy, November 2000). Furthermore, Porters diamond has become a strength benefit of implement. The evidence shows that Puerto Rico of the international competitiveness by using Porters diamond. The ten industries maintain competitiveness in Puerto Rico during the take the principles of Porters diamond in five years time7. Puerto Rico is a small industrial country in the Caribbean. Puerto Rico would like to know the potential of countries in global competition has led to the Porter diamond framework and apply in Puerto Rico Puerto Rico in the industry can increase opportunities to compete on health sector opportunities because of Puerto Ricos exports merchandise and services can also link industry to promote exports and benefit other industries such as tourism. Puerto Rico also shows that competition in the food sector can be competitive against the competition in its health sector since the expertise of local engineers and specialists with knowledge and technical work. About the chemical formula of these local companies because of they have expertise that comes from betting the Federal Drug Administration Puerto Rico can be shown effective in the development of this sector, both foreign and domestic. But Rico Puerto Rico should focus on to determine which company to a member of the competition because of external factors cause by the Porter diamond and local governments. These are nec essary to promote new industries and increased competition on international markets level. Strengths of the Porter diamond allow increased competition in the countrys exports (Luz Leyda, 2006). And other industries have used Porters diamond weakness resulted from the strength to compete with competitors in the same industry is aerospace industry to the Porter diamond framework is a specific factor to strengthen Hong Kong as a hub for air transport industry and transport, international and Hong Kong has also estimate that natural resources can increase the ability the same level to compete with neighbouring countries. Hong Kong application using Porters strategy, as Porters diamond competitive business aviation industry and the intense competition that Cathay Pacific has made more than HK$4.8 billions budget to create independent cargo terminal building and cargo because terminal will bring the race because of strong intensity at the airline will have more options to benefit from reduced costs of freight and more than that can increase capacity to manage demand in the future. Therefore, Hong Kongs aviation industry attempted to find strategic ways to cope with competitive bu siness. After using the Porters diamond analysis principles and then acquired ideas that are way to maintain Hong Kong as a hub for air transport might be done by creating a free trade city or bilateral agreement with the mainland (Yui-yip Lau, 25 May 2009). Additionally, this case involved the theory and Porters diamond, clustering and Performance Matrix (Martilla and James, 1997) as a tool for critical help in better management framework through the complexities of social phenomena, including thirty-three Singaporean financial clusters to introduce the main benefit of clustering the interaction between companies, which the matrix shows strength and weaknesses, to evaluate excellence in the industry maintain national competition and depth information. According to Singapore is a country example of the power in overcoming weaknesses into strengths, which makes factors in creating national advantage. Singapore is a small island and strategic geographical location, natural harbour good centrally located between the West and East, a location for the address of a development bank and international financial centre8. Singapore has a strong group of banks with 107 banks (www.mas.gov.sg) in order to have the worlds seventh largest holder of for eign currency reserves US 85.8 billions (May 2003). Money market in Singapore is the trading and short-term instruments such as money treasury securities. In addition, In August 1999, Singapore rank among the country was successful in most financial markets of the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report (Kuah and Day, November 2005). Porter (1990) stated that clusters in the Competitive Advantage of Nations as being: the connection between suppliers and related industries, Institutions specialized in limited locations. Innovation, improvement and change is seen to be central to creating competitive advantage. Arthur (1990) argues that strength of clusters can lead to attracting more of these regions and with the innovation will bring success to more innovation. Swann (1999) and Baptista et al (1996) noted that region not just to accumulate knowledge and human capital increase information exchange matures, but that does not comply with regulatory and imprecise means of spreading the knowledge is limited to areas outside clusters is a dynamic course of business associated with certain production companies and expansion of manufacturing in the cluster. Research results from the thirty-three respondents found that Singapore supported the financial industries that are necessary conditions of the cluster. For these rea son is Singapore was identified key terms correctly and maintenance industry as well. On the other hand, seven manager groups who answered the comments do not match; they thought that Singapore lack of skilled labour and environmental provisions in the good work. The researchers in this case said that we believer in the Porter diamond that it obtains two advantages. The first is Porters diamond that shows the actions to make real what happens within the suitable for article of analysis. And the second is the expression of Matrix applying Porters diamond potential in the organization has added more confidence in decision making and appropriate conditions and incentives for their manufacturers and workers of the company (Adrian and John, November 2005). In particular, the strengths of the work to Porters overall competitiveness in the industry from global competition and has identified many interesting things in the countrys major industrial nations. (Bruce and Eamonn, 1998). Robert (2004) says that factors in the Porters diamond will support it with its own, such as deterioration or improvement in one factor will affect the next one factor. This will highlight the natural characteristics of the micro economic power in the country: the link between these growth factors, strengths and weaknesses of the industry. Allows the strengths of Porters work occur because the client shared technology resources, distribution channels and suppliers and industry groups have occurred in geographic trends. Nevertheless, diamond is a good principle to benefit many industries, whether with you, but it must have criteria set geographical different (Dunning, 1993), especially in small related Porters single diamond related with those countries are limited number of variables. They must use variables of different countries to add the ability to compete on international markets for this reason Porter accepted variables are important to the international competitiveness of the country or the world for diamond version, but he clearly does not include these variables. Unfortunately, these variables were not clearly disclosed in his diamond model (Dong and Hwy, November 2000). Rugman says that Porter began training in the study of conditions in the countrys largest and most wealthy in America and very little Canadians. But in Canadians have been affected adversely by Porters diamond due to be limited by geographic labour and location (Eden, August 2004). From Dong and Hwy book (November 2000), according to Rugman (1991) argues that Porters single diamond weakness has two defected that the first is the role of government cannot be true to all unfold and the second is multinational activity inappropriate was established. For example, Porter analyzed and revises the international competition of Canadians. Canadians are just one in ten of the economic scale in America. Canada is relatively small and relies on the sales market in America. In fact, assumptions made that the U.S. diamond has been involved with Canadians diamond industry in Canada industrial multinationals due to sales of more than 70 per cent of their. The alliance of American-Canada fortify free trade this point. The weakness of Porters diamond is not just a case of the Canadians, but more than 90 per cent of the worlds countries by multinational industry of small open economies can not use the porter diamond. Moreover, other comments that critics Porters diamond from Dong and Hwy (November 2000) explains Porter that attempt to enter into new factors like those described, which is not identical to original. In contrast, at forumuz.biz (28 January 2009) reports that Porters diamond more concentrated with developed countries and the role of government is both positive and negative. Sometimes good intentions of the government make non-competitive impact on international and domestic industry. Porters lack of bringing core modem that led to the application in Canada. Porter focused on the home diamond in Canada that cannot identify the competitiveness of Canadian, but Canada is a successful cluster use of resources-based. They can add value in itself. Besides, Porter said in his book that Canadians affected Canadians are the only thing is factor driven. Discrepancy is the basis of industry and the dangers of misleading the wrong way, such as policy advice to Canadians. An aspect of the role of natural resources of the Porter is old fashioned9 and has been used in the wrong way. He said that dependence on natural resources bad as they dependence on technology standard or unskilled labour that is common these changes by comparative advantage in natural resources to the specific advantages in the process of resources, which can confirm that these sources of sustainable competitive advantage. For example, Alcan, Noranda and Nova are successful multinationals in Canada, which demonstrates how to add value by managing the introduction of these resources. But the idea of Rugman said if Porter crosses a border, he changes the mistake (Dong and Hwy, November 2000). Dong and Hwy (November 2000) observes that the discussion in the case of Canada and the defects of the diamond that is called when a very attractive industry and business, because Porter Rugman two people who have a reputation and expertise in the business community of the world. Porter is in the field of strategic management while Rugman is in the business community abroad. For the reason, Porters focused on competitive strategy national and corporate, but on the other hand Rugmans focused to precede realities of multinational companies than just beat the competition business. Thain (Dialogue, 1992) recommends that the discussion should focus on the practical fact of the introduction of good features that can be used Porter real treat because of the most important. Rugman is currently building another important point that makes policy recommendations on the basis of Porter might sound, but they do not correspond with the analysis of Porter (Rugman, 1992, p.59). Conclusion The evidence from several cases demonstrates that the model is that business and industry recognized in many countries and many leading companies. To be successful in that model to bring in the business process or the industry itself to develop a step to compete with national and global level that may be considered as a tool and model important mechanism to drive the process and industrial movement continued. Those executives should be aware of how strategic management is a process in place to adapt management strategies to broaden. Operating divisions are also improving and personnel and, importantly, to increase its competitive ability in organization and capabilities of each employee to promote a professional approach, we can make the company a leader in the industry. The popularity of the model are whether SWOT, Diamond or Generic resulting executives are confident and effective business decisions more because these are the cornerstones in the management strategy. Administrators can select a model in their competency and meet all environmental factors within and outside the mind. This model can help these executives with strategic change and resolve the problem on the spot. However, these executives should have a good basic knowledge of operating systems and vision in the work of the model chosen, however, have good management skills in the use of a single model may not achieve the organization. The successful of companies and industries will achieve, thus the management and staff should cooperate in order to perform. But while the model may be used with both strengths and weaknesses in the model, each have it that the conditions will be factors internal to the case analysis of Porters diamond model is known and famous throughout the world and has been used widely. Porter suggests that when he has been building diamond model by four years, it apply approximately 100 industries and 10 nations. The diamond model is a good principle to benefit many industries resulted in large companies bring to the widespread use in countries like America or even Europe. At the same time, critics have come to this model the well-known in business circles as Rugman argues that Porters single diamond has two defected that the first is the role of government cannot be true to all unfold and the second is multinational activity inappropriate was established and he focused to precede realities of multinational companies than just beat the competition business whereas Porters focused on competitive strategy national and c orporate. Eventually, the dispute between Alan Rugman and Michael Porter on the diamond model in its opinion may be different, whether because of several factors that makes either the aspects or different perspectives. But no one can rapidly identify who someone is wrong because the business strategy and management strategies to modify at any time. So what should realize is bringing experts to comment on each application and change the power of ideas to improve the system and how the same level of business to competitors and to compete successfully. This report is the first report on the basic knowledge in strategic management models widely used business from past until present and to bring more information in this report to know and find ways to develop a good knowledge in the future. Bibliography Book Baptista, R. and Swann, G.M.P. (1999), A comparison of clustering dynamics in the US and UK computer industries, Journal of Evolutionary Economics, 9(3): 373-399. Bruce Traill and Eamonn Pitts, Competitiveness in the food industry (Springer, 1998). Dialogue. 1992. Canada at the crossroads. Business Quarterly (Winter, Spring, and Summer). Dong-Sung Cho and Hwy-Chang Moon, From Adam Smith to Michael Porter (World Scientific, 2000), 95-100 Ishikawa, H. (1988). Kaizen. New York: Penguin Books. Jack Rabin, Gerald Miller, and W. 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