Market Model Patterns of Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Market Model Patterns of Change - Essay Example Wal-Mart is a perfect example of a business operating in an oligopolistic market structure. This is because they have low prices in the market enabling them compete healthily with other businesses dealing in similar products/services. Secondly, Wal-Mart operates with fewer sellers in the market giving them mutual interdependence over the other firms in the business. The long term effect of Wal-Mart operating an oligopoly will result to rise of economies of scale. This is because they will take advantage of having been in the markets to put barriers to other business wishing to join the business. Secondly, Operating under oligopoly market structure, Wal-Mart may collude to form a monopoly form of market structure, therefore, dictating their terms in the market. As a short term effect, Wal-Mart will be forced to renew their strategies of working because they will be facing different competitors in the market (Roberts & Berg, 2012). Factors affecting Wal-Mart competitiveness is their capability in retailing. The business has various stores situated in various strategic places. These stores seek their profits by retailing their products through high volumes and using low mark-ups to give them a competitive advantage over other business dealing in the same line of products. Secondly, Wal-Mart achieves their competitiveness owing to their standardized pallets, tight delivery schedules and computerized tracking. This has given them an edge over many businesses dealing in the same line since they are not in a position to raise enough capitol to ensure efficiency in the systems. They are also able to use their technology as a source of marketing, therefore, minimize on their revenue spending. Thirdly, Wal-Mart prices play a significant role in influencing their activities and encouraging their competitiveness to other businesses. This is because it is an economy of scale, therefore, they purchase raw materials at a m uch cheaper price

Native american regional styles vocal and instrumental Essay

Native american regional styles vocal and instrumental - Essay Example Flutes are sometimes used for choral dances and songs but mostly they are brought into play for the creation of instrumentals and for providing music for solo songs. The Native American Flute is a special creation of the natives. According to legend, a woody wood pecker pecked the wood at different places and the passing wind created a beautiful melody. Since then the natives have been using this flute to provide relaxing music for their instrumentals and solo songs. The tribes promote inter-tribal relationships by using vocables in their songs. Vocables are meaningless syllables or words that are used so that the language difference between different tribes is abolished. The vocables can easily be used and pronounced by everyone hence they are very common in the Native American regional music. The songs sound like chanting due to the use of vocables in the lyrics. The natives have also specially designed dresses for different occasions. The most appealing dress is the ‘Native American regalia’ which is used in many ceremonies and rituals. The different designs, beadwork and the jewels worn distinguish people from the different tribes. This dress is particularly famous for its use as a dress code in the Powwow. There are different categories of songs classified according to the events in which they are performed.

The importance of enterprise computing to enhance business performance

The importance of enterprise computing to enhance business performance Introduction Nowadays Information technology has a rapid growth. Almost every day there are new ideas to improve the performance of technology. It cannot be denied that people who lives today unconsciously depends on technology. Each task did by the people gets many help from technology. For an instance, a hand phone that help us to communicate with our colleagues, the internet that serve certain time information for us and many more technology which made our daily activity become easier. At least we can follow the technology progress so that we dont left behind. Technology has an important role both in our lives and business. A company or organization need to know about the technology to help them to running their task in easier way. They must change their manual way to the automatic one. The automatic system will help finishing several tasks easier. There are several benefits if an organization or a company applying the automatic system. One of the benefits is reducing the production time. Time is an important aspect furthermore now. One second its look like very expensive. Customer wants a product or services which available in certain time. This condition forces a company to work harder for supplying customer requirements. Another benefit is reducing a cost to hire an employee. The automatic system doesnt need many resources to handle the task. For an instance is a telecommunication company. The company doesnt need require many operators to answer customer question about their products or services. The customer only needs to dial a partic ular number suitable to the call center provided by the provider and they will be served by a voice system that will give all the information suitable with the customer requirement. With a hand phone, a customer can get all the information regarding their requirements anytime, anywhere they want. This is a fact that enterprise computing is helping to run a business whatever its scale or to made our daily activity easier. Suitable to the benefits offered by enterprise computing, it can be a references or as a base to keep developing an enterprise computing in the company it selves. Adopting an automatic system is a brilliant way for a company to keep producing and inventing for their own customer satisfaction. See how it is important of enterprise computing for a company to grow up their business and get more rating from their customer. Enterprise computing shouldnt only for a big scale business but also for intermediate and small business too. Essentially an intermediate and small business are need to make an invention to grow their scale to be a greater company that follow the competition with another company. In this case is about customer satisfaction and the effectiveness of work. There is a chance to grow up the scale of business to be the greater on is they can see the opportunity and keep adapt the technology which always change every time. It is because the technology can be applied to all business sectors. For an instance are healthy, agronomic, trading, farming and many others. It is why a company required the technology and enterprise computing in particular. The Enterprise Computing A company has its vision and mission to keep growing. It was suitable with their target stated before. A company commonly wants an improvement at all business sectors. Begin with the essential aspect such as competent human resources, smooth production process and of course good result for its customer. There is no company who wants regression happen on their business. Both Production Company and Service Company want a real improvement for their business. They want increase the effectiveness in doing their tasks, reducing production cost and get a good result. Then when the time has coming to a company to step their business level to the higher one. This company is on transition phase between small business to the intermediate or to the higher level. This phase force a company to change their system in doing all tasks. They must keep an eye to the technology trends. This is related to the pattern or the way how they do all the tasks. Usually it was triggered by customer requirements regarding their success providing a product or services. From the above illustration, a company must have a planning to make a brand new system for improving their available system now. In this case an enterprise computing is the best solution for a company. Enterprise computing offering an easier way to solve a complex task and produce a better results in the end. Enterprise computing it selves is an integrated system that helps a complex task by applying an automatic system or a computer. Enterprise computing has a tight relation with information and technology. In the other side information and technology has a rapid development. Because of that a company requires to follow the development of information and technology for applying enterprise computing it selves. Enterprise computing has a various methodology. It might be too complex to explain. But the main idea is changing the manual system to the automatic one. Imagine the old way of hiring an employee to the company. The HRD staff urgently needs to publish the recruitment opportunity with an advertisement. Then when the employee candidate know about the advertisement, he must be go to the company and asking whether the job still available or not. This way is wasting too much time. Let we compare with the automatic system. The HRD only need to post the job at the internet and providing a form for the employee candidate then when the registrant is enough, the HRD just need to call a several candidates to the next interview process. See how it more effective than the old way. High analysis technique and right implementation of enterprise computing are required. Enterprise computing is not an easy method. A company required to prepare all the plans in a good form and deep analyzing to what their requirement and in where aspect they need to change. The transition phase looks like a challenge for a company to determine their futures. It might be success or failed depends on what their plans before. They must think and forecast what probably happen with their plan yet. Then the percentage of success is higher then failed. In the end there will be a great result of changing their system to be an enterprise computing. There are several benefits of enterprise computing. But it also has a weakness. These two aspects required to analyze before applying enterprise computing for the company suitable with their own condition yet. Advantage and Disadvantage of Enterprise Computing There are several reasons why the enterprise computing might be failed to construct. As mentioned above that an enterprise computing required a deep analysis before implementing it to the current system. The company required to see from many points of view and recognize the information technology development. Then after all carefully analysis the plan should be conducted in a good form. The plan must cover all company requirements. The most important aspect to analyze before all steps of conducting enterprise computing are the advantage and disadvantage of it selves. With these comparisons, the expertise in the company can determine the best way and look for good opportunity to implement enterprise computing. Here are several main points of advantage and disadvantage of enterprise computing in improving business process. Advantage 1. Increase productivity This is the main advantage of enterprise computing. With the enterprise computing applied, a company is able to increase their production. Then they will be generating a product or services suitable to their customer requirements. 2. Reduce operational cost Enterprise computing doesnt need many resource involved in the system. For an instance is a process of recruiting an employee. The old system might be requiring a two or more HRD to handle the task. With enterprise computing applied, it might be able to do with only one HRD. The HRD only sit at the front of his desk and wait the candidates fill the recruitment form online. 3. Reduce operational time An instants product or service became a main aspect today. The faster is better. Enterprise computing is offering a minimal production time. The main concept is the different of conventional system and the automatic one. Automatic system is offering a better production time than conventional way. Each complex task can be done by automatic system without a problem. 4. Gain more result Customer satisfaction is the good result parameter for a company. Customer doesnt care how the process, they only want their requirement provided by a company anytime they need. This condition forces company to gain more result. Again enterprise computing is offering this. Disadvantage 1. Required high problem analysis It might be hard in the beginning of enterprise computing. As mentioned above that high analysis is required before conduct the system. There are many aspects to be analyzing in the beginning. Then the company did not made any mistakes in their planning. 2. Complex at the beginning The complexity of enterprise computing might be hard enough to implement for the beginning but it will not be a trouble anymore in the future. The complexity happens if there are no deep analysis to the problem occurred. This aspect also needs to get attention for developing enterprise computing. 3. Threat from external resource External resource such as a virus needs to get particular attention. The integrated system has a rapid data exchange inside the network. It triggers a new thread of virus attack. The system must able to defense itself from external threat. Installing a suitable antivirus is a good idea to keep the system running healthy and free from virus attack. Implementing Enterprise Computing Planning something is easier than implementing it. There are several main steps that need an attention to implement an enterprise computing to the current system. Here are the steps required. 1. Identify This is the root step of implementing enterprise computing. The entire problem needs to be identifying first. Each company has their own profile, condition and goal. They must gather its carefully. Essentially a company has a challenge to work more maximal. This is related to customer requirement. Customer has a requirement and a company need to satisfy them. If a company doesnt indentify it carefully, customer might be changed their mind to move to another company which can provide an interesting product. In the end this condition would be affecting to company income. Customer satisfaction is an instance of identification required aspect. A company must be more carefully in this step. So that the entire required aspect for developing would be indicate in a good pattern for smoothing the next step. 2. Analysis After the entire factor has been identified, the company needs to analyze it one by one. At this analysis procedure, a company required an expert. A good expertise can analyze a complex problem and break it down in to a part. Then each part is able analyzed by them. The main goal is to determine a plan and solving the problem suitable to a company profile. If each factor analyzed in a good ways then it will be easier to determine the plan. In the end of this step is a planning together with its functional concept and technical field that will be applying for the future. The concept of analyzing it selves must be applied at all business sector without ignoring a little aspect. So that the entire process will be generating a good plan which suitable to company profile. 3. Planning The entire factors that has been analyzed needs to determine a plan. For an instance are the determining of who will handle each task in the process, how far the anticipation if there any problem and the availability of the resource. The right plan will make a company easier to run the system in the future. In a planning process a company needs to compare with their condition right now. The goal is to use all available resource maximally. Then when the implementation is running this problem will not contradict against the internal condition of the company. A good determination of a plan will make the process smoother. The plan to develop an enterprise computing is only the beginning of all steps. The company needs to run this process faster and to the point to reduce the time. There are several complex steps forward. 4. Implementation Implementation is the main step of all recommended stages. The implementation step essentially is applying all plans conducted before. In fact, implementation is the most complex step. However a company doesnt feel afraid to face it. The prerequisite are they already identified, analyzing and planning a good strategy for this. Then at the implementation step they will not face a big problem. The implementation step needs a tight attention so that each plan conducted can be doing smoothly. Diligence of all staff also required at this step to prevent any problem occur that can be disturbing when running the implementation it selves. 5. Running The next step after the implementation of enterprise computing is running the new system. This is the time for the new system to get tested. A good testing is a testing process that covering all details of the system. Then if there any defect found, it can revise faster. A good system is a system with a minimum defect but usually there is no perfect system. Suitable with the previous statement, a company should be investigating the system carefully for their own benefits in the future. A company needs to compare the new system with the old one so that if there is any useful part of old system, it can be applied to the new one to get supported. 6. Maintenance Maintenance phase is a right step to review the new system which has done. At this phase, it might be raising any unpredictable defect. The defect raised can be the bigger or just a little. If this thing happened, the company needs to make a right problem solving in a certain time so that the running system will not disturb with any revising system. A stability of a system is a dream for each company in the world and its might be a prestige to another company for them. A company may get an award if they invented a new system that running smoothly. When the system is running properly then a company will get benefit of doing the entire jobs. They are six steps that need to get special attention from the company in developing an enterprise computing system. A company required to run the entire steps in the right way, so the process of developing an enterprise computing system can be running smoothly and generate a good system in the end. When building the system all staff need to work together. The goal is to gather all information regarding to the current condition of a company. It was important because each staff have a different point of view that maybe conducted to be a good idea. Then when the system is ready to use, all staff will know how to run the system properly. In the end it might be not easy to develop an enterprise computing system but for the internal improvement of the company this method can be implementing to the current system. Conclusion Great improvement of doing all tasks means great result too. This is a dream for each company. Then how to turn the dream in to reality is depends on the system applied. The enterprise computing is the important method. Learning how to apply it might be not easy as the theory but at least the concept of it covered the main sector of a business. With enterprise computing all task done effective and produce a good result. Its only requires a few resources to run the system. It means that the company doesnt require pay too much for employees salary. At this point, it can be conclude that the company reduces the operational cost. There are other benefits of enterprise computing. They are figured that enterprise computing is very useful to improve the business performance. The main idea of enterprise computing is business agility. A business performance is very important in this case. The complexity of each task is needed to break into a part. It is why an enterprise computing is very important here. Enterprise computing is able to do each task effectively. With its capability of doing task effectively, an enterprise computing is suitable for any kind of business sector. Talking about business agility means that the company needs to always ready for the external changes. For an instance if there is any new technology which made their current system left behind, they must adapt the new system as soon as possible. It is because keep the system always update are necessary for the company so that the behavior of the system always adapt the new technology. Enterprise computing not only applicable for big scale business but also for small or intermediate business scale. The different might be only the form of a system development. It cant be denied that big scale business has more chance to develop an enterprise system in a good form. A big scale business has more resource and of course more expertise to analyze the problem occurred. However the smaller business scale has a chance too, even with their restricted resources. Both of them have a same opportunity to improve their business performance. The ideas of enterprise computing are applicable for them no matter about their level. It was their right to be more success on their business.

Legacy of Communist Leaders Essay -- Papers

Legacy of Communist Leaders The History of modern Russia (twentieth century) is the period of communist government. After the revolution in 1917 Russia became the first communist state, which survived until 1991. Seventy-four years of rapid changes left an enormous mark in the history of Russia. This period of history introduced us to the greatest communist leaders. History doesn't happen by itself. There must be Individuals who make it. And in our history those individuals are Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev and Yeltsin. To understand how this period of history affected the present and then future we must look at each leader at a time to see what were his purposes and actions and make an opinion. Before 1917 Russia was an empire with tsars from Romanov dynasty. It was a powerful Empire with some weaknesses, which each empire has. Before the revolution in 1917 there was the First Russian Revolution in 1905 knows as the Bloody Sunday. There were three parties - Social-Democratic Labour Party (1898), Party Socialist-Revolutionaries and the Constitutional-Democratic Party. The Social-Democratic Labour Party split into two half: The Bolsheviks (Majority) led by Vladimir Lenin and The Mensheviks (Minority) led by Martov. Vladimir Lenin (born in 1840) began his political career already in University from which he was expelled as a radical troublemaker. In 1890 he went abroad and joined The Marxists - Plekhanov and Martov. He traveled a lot and had a chance to talk to well educated people. Abroad he wrote his books and after he returned in 1917 he started to realize his ideas. He was the leader of the October revolution... ... happen next. Beginning from Khrushchev's Era and Brezhnev's the country started to move away from the communism system. It happened very slowly but the fact that it started is obvious. The mentality of Soviet people will remain for some time. Our country will not accept individualities because they are afraid of them. And I think it is not only in Russia. It is everywhere. The Communist system stopped the natural development of our country. We are far away behind the European countries. The Ideology of communism is amazing but it cannot work on such huge territory as Russia. Utopia is not possible in our world and it is strange how the communist leaders could even think of realizing their dreams. Individuals rule world and you cannot admit it. You cannot force history. No matter what it will go its own way, direction.

Studies in Professionalism in Education & Training

I am currently employed in the post 16 training sector as a tutor on the ‘entry to employment’ programme (e2e). The e2e programme is designed to be flexible and individual, with the aim of equipping young people with the necessary skills to become independent; self-motivated; informed and empowered to take control of their own lives. Learners work towards realistic but challenging targets that lead to progression onto suitable training or employment opportunities. There are 3 basic strands to the e2e programme; basic and key skills (literacy, numeracy, communication etc†¦); personal and social development and vocational development.The programme is tailored to suit the individual needs of a variety of young people who are engaged on it. All learners are aged between 16 and 18 years and are not participating in any form of post 16 learning, or in any form of employment. The programme itself is not qualification driven. However, opportunities for the achievement of ce rtificates are available throughout the course. There is no set time limit for the e2e programme ensuring that learners can work at a pace suited to their skills, needs and circumstances – learners can spend as little or as long (within reason) on the programme in order to successfully achieve their goals.The strand I teach is vocational development. This incorporates training sessions such as CV building; interview techniques; job searching and sustaining employment. Learning is individualised, thus meeting the needs across a range of age and ability. Professionalism to me is exceeding the standards as set by various government offices and ensuring that the service young people access at my organisation is a quality one. Further education has received its share of criticism over the last century and this has been reflected in the salaries of the tutors in this sector as opposed to those in the compulsory education sector.To me being a professional is about attitude, behaviou r, self presentation and having a commitment to improvement. How we conduct ourselves in our roles is paramount to earning the respect and appreciation of our fellow workers, managers and indeed the people accessing the services we offer. The learners that access our service are usually low level (below entry 1) and many lack motivation to learn. As the National Foundation for Educational Research conducted research on participants taking part in e2e, â€Å"Around one-third of young people interviewed reported negative school experiences.These related to problems with other students, negative relationships with teachers, lack of achievement and the perceived irrelevance of what they were taught. Many had been expelled from school or had excluded themselves. † (http://www. nfer. ac. uk/research-areas/pims-data/summaries/eet-entry-to-employment. cfm This gives some indication of the difficulties facing tutors in this sector and it is my belief that conducting a programme that r eflects school will only serve to discourage learners from accessing this course.Therefore, although we must be professional, we must also offer something different to the curriculum offered in compulsory education. Thus it is important to consider Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Basic Human Needs. The main points being; physical comfort, safety and shelter, love and belonging, self-esteem leading to self-actualisation. Further education in the UK has seen many changes during the last 10 years. Concerns were raised by the government that Further Education was not producing a skilled enough workforce in line with international standards, impacting upon Britain’s economical viability.Other EU countries were seen to be producing a much higher skilled and trained workforce. The belief was that a cause of this was a lack of suitably qualified teaching staff in FE. This propelled the notion that all teaching and training staff working in the FE sector should be qualified to th e standard set by mainstream schools. It was thought that by doing this, standards of the UK workforce would be raised. In 1999 FENTO (Further Education National Training Organisation) was launched. They were responsible for identifying needs within the FE sector.In 2000 FENTO proposed a set of standards, which addressed wider issues of professional development and considered a new teaching qualifications network. These standards consisted of three main elements: Professional knowledge and understanding, skills and attributes and key areas of teaching. In 2005 Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) was formed to manage the reform of teacher training. All FE teachers now have to register with the Institute for Learning (IfL) which is part of LLUK, and monitors training and records sector training needs.Since initial reforms, teaching standards in FE have further developed and progressed. In March 2006 the White Paper ‘Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' highlighted further needs to develop a much more highly skilled workforce. It states, â€Å"This is a huge challenge, because there are some deep-seated and long-standing weaknesses in our national skills. We have put in place major reform programmes for 14-19 year olds and adult skills, backed by substantial investment.Those reforms are bringing about real progress. But there is a long way to go to raise skills and qualification levels for young people and adults to world standards† (White Paper ‘Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances', 2006). It also goes on to say that FE establishments are central to achieving world standards in the UK workforce, but are currently not realising their full potential in being the driving force behind skills.The paper paints a grim picture in terms of skills levels of the UK in comparison to other developed countries, and with the Leitch report highlighting the skills need for 2020, it is clear that reform is necessary for the U K to compete in the global economic market. The economic mission is at the core of the proposals, with the focus of the FE sector to be equipping young people and adults with the skills and competences that meet the needs of employers. The proposals laid out in this white paper were implemented in the Further Education and Training Act 2007.Reforms such as the above have a resounding impact on organisations such as mine. We have to ensure that the government’s vision and targets for the future are embraced and taken forward in the most effective possible way, thus demanding that we, as FE employees, are professional in all aspects of our work. So how do we as an organisation ensure the commitment and quality of service that is expected by our government? Firstly it is imperative that we have systems in place that effectively transmit information to staff.Accurate and relevant information and communication are vital in order to transmit and effectively implement plans that wil l uphold the government’s wishes in regards proposals for FE. My organisation has a quality improvement department which continually monitors the performance of the company against standards set out by agencies such as the Office for Standards in Education (ofsted), Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and many more.FE establishments are now subject to inspection by ofsted of which their aim is toâ€Å"inspect and regulate to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages† (www. ofsted. gov. uk). This department is crucial for the continuation of improvements within educational settings. Although misinterpreted by many as ‘harrowing’ and ‘stressful’, the inspection process that this agency conducts is the platform for which FE providers need to build their provision.Ofsted inspections are designed to aid improvement in services, raise aspirations and assist in the achievement of higher standards within educational settings. The quality improvement team in my organisation follow the Common Inspection Framework as dictated by ofsted. This ensures we are providing the services and meeting the standards set by the government. In order to ascertain that teaching staff are in line with this framework, regular lesson observations take place by competent staff. By carrying out these observations, staff are able to use the feedback to continually improve their practice.It is also expected of teaching staff to self evaluate and reflect upon every lesson they teach. This is a key part of professionalism within teaching. I will discuss in more detail later in this essay the values and importance of reflection. The quality improvement team are also responsible for official documentation used by all staff. These are regularly reviewed and updated and communicated to all staff. This ensures that all staff are using the same doc uments and helps create seamless processes that are followed by all.As well as ofsted there are many other agencies that regulate the delivery of FE in the UK. One of these is the QCA. As a provider that delivers qualifications in a variety of subjects the QCA is an important source of information. The QCA maintain and develop the National Curriculum and accredit qualifications to appropriate levels in order to meet the needs of learners, employers and the economy. As we deliver accredited qualifications it is crucial that we follow the guidelines set out by the QCA to ensure we are teaching the correct knowledge and skills that learners need to achieve the standards set.We also have to adhere to awarding bodies such as Edexcel and City & Guilds who provide the qualifications which we deliver. As well as organisational procedures and external influences, it is crucially important that we, as teachers strive to continually improve our practice by self reflection. â€Å"Reflective Pr actice is a process of reviewing an experience from practice in order to describe, analyse and evaluate and so informs learning from practice† (Reece and Walker, 2006 p421). This involves using a selection of the models identified during the course of this programme.Donald Schon (1983) identified 2 sub categories of reflection, reflection on action and reflection in action. Reflection in action is often described as ‘thinking on ones feet’; this is done during the course of action and is one that I have had to use many times during the course of my career. Reflection on action occurs after the actual action and gives professionals the opportunity to develop theories and create knowledge. â€Å"Individuals, supported by others, constantly frame and reframe a problem, test it and reach solutions† (Schon, 1983).Another model of reflective practice is one proposed by David Boud. In the introduction to Understanding Learning from Experience, David Boud et al (19 93), present five propositions of experiential learning, the first of which is; experience is the foundation of and the stimulus for learning. â€Å"Learning always relates in one way or another, to what has gone before. There is never a clean slate on which to begin; unless new ideas and new experience link to previous experience, they exist as abstractions, isolated and without meaning† (Boud et al, 1993, p8).Building on previous learning and relating new learning concepts and topics to past experience has been essential in my teaching practice. Linking new experiences to past ones to create new meanings and insights in extremely constructive in reflective practice. â€Å"We attach our own meanings to events. While others may attempt to impose their meanings on us, we ultimately define our own experience. † (Boud et al, 1993, p10) Another important model of reflective practice is Jack Mezirow’s. His emphasis is on disorientating dilemmas, which he believed can be a slow transition rather than a sudden insight.Mezirow believes that, â€Å"learning is different when we learn to perform than when we understand what is being communicated to us. † (Mezirow, 1990) The belief is that questioning and reflective nature results in an altered and more beneficial learning process. â€Å"In reflective practice, practitioners engage in a continuous cycle of self-observation and self-evaluation in order to understand their own actions and reactions they prompt in themselves and in learners† (Brookfield, 1995) The diagram below illustrates Brookfields perspective of reflective practice.Reflecting upon my practice is something I need to be doing continuously to constantly develop in my role. This reflective process is an essential part of teaching, as Kolb’s Four Stage Model of Learning, demonstrates. Reid (1993) states â€Å"Reflective Practice is a process of reviewing an experience from practice in order to describe, analyse and evaluate and so informs learning from practice† (Reece and Walker, 2006 p421). Reflective practice is a vital part of teaching. Effective practice is a beneficial aspect of continuous professional development and without it progression in teaching would be extremely limited.By gaining a better understanding of their own individual teaching styles through reflective practice, teachers can improve their effectiveness in the classroom and strive to achieve the vision as set out by the government, as previously mentioned, for Further Education. Reflection of Learning – CertEd: During the 2 years I have undertaken learning on the CertEd course, I have learnt many underpinning theories that were previously unknown to me. Although I have worked in the industry for 8 years and learnt from experience and reflection, I have been unaware of the background as to why we do what we do and the reasons for it.It began with the first module which was preparation for teaching. In this mo dule we covered learning theories, learning styles, planning effective lessons, presentation of lessons and factors influencing learning. Before I began the module, I believed I had a sound understanding of the teaching process; however I discovered many more vital and useful tools that I now apply when delivering training sessions. Kolb’s theory was something that I was unaware of before this module. Learning theories was also a topic that I had very little knowledge on. This proved to be one of the most useful sections of this module.I did practice the different approaches beforehand but was unaware of the theories behind them. Now I am aware I believe I use them much more effectively in my day to day role and my planning of sessions. The next module was ‘Developing Personal Skills’, and I found this extremely useful. It enabled me to concentrate my efforts upon areas of my career that were not as strong as some of the others. By doing this I was able to improv e my performance at work a great deal. It was good to have agreed learning contract beforehand as this gave me a schedule to work towards.It was more beneficial negotiating with the tutor, what I wanted to develop, instead of being told what to work towards. In â€Å"Learner managed learning† Graves (1993) states the role of the learning contract in higher education takes on board the concept of our individual learning styles. It gives students the freedom to learn in a way they feel comfortable with. It has long been established that adult learners learn in different ways, and that they are self directing and defined in their experience, with the onus and effectiveness of this learning process primarily, on the learner.Upon reflection, I learnt much from this module, both my IT and networking skills have been improved, and this has had a positive impact on my job role. I feel much more comfortable using IT in teaching now than I did before, especially power point presentatio ns which I have used in a few sessions since my online tutorial. However I still have far more to learn, especially in IT as it is a fast changing concept that is constantly introducing new equipment and technologies into society and indeed teaching.The module on assessment was also beneficial as before this assessment was something that I did without really thinking of the underpinning theories to it. This module made me change my practice by ensuring assessment was valid, reliable and relevant and also prompted me to give more feedback to my learners and document this. The module of learning on curriculum studies was again one that developed my understanding of the subject. Designing a curriculum was a valuable learning experience for me and although a successful one, I have seen many opportunities for improvement along the way.In summary, teaching and learning is an ever changing industry and constant evaluation is necessary for the process to be continually successful and for on going improvement to take place. I found that the autonomy I was given helped tremendously as I was able to decide for myself what course of study the students would follow. Obviously I had to account for external influences such as the criteria of the awarding body and contractual requirements from the LSC, but nevertheless my organisation were prepared to allow me to choose the path students would follow to meet these.Kolb’s theory is foremost in my reflective practice as shown in the diagram below: By designing a curriculum and studying theories of curriculum, I gained a better understanding of the concept. I understand that influences such as organisational policies, government policies, awarding bodies and learning styles of learners, all have a bearing on how a curriculum is developed. I also learned much about the models of curriculum and in what context they are used. Many courses of study are designed to accommodate the product model; i. e.they are focused on achievi ng an end result, such as a recognized qualification; however I feel the process model can still be incorporated with better results, such as additional learning taking place and a more enjoyable learning experience for the student. The course I designed was a success. This was reflected in the achievement and retention figures that were collated at the conclusion of the course. I also believe that I added value to the curriculum by incorporating literacy and numeracy support throughout and designing learning to suit all students regardless of learning styles and abilities.I did have to change the course of study slightly of this curriculum, and so in future I hope to be able to build upon my experiences and design an even more effective course which incorporates the learning I have undertaken during this module. The final module on creativity was the one I felt most beneficial of the entire course. I realised during this module that I had always ‘played safe’ during my teaching and that fear of failure had prevented me from implementing ideas that could enhance my teaching and my student’s learning.During this module I researched creativity within an educational environment. I realised that being creative is sometimes about taking risks, and this was something I had previously been reluctant to do. Although I felt I was innovative in my lesson delivery, I now accept that a fear of ‘failure’ prevented me from fully committing myself to creativity. On the whole the CertEd course has been a valuable and worthwhile experience for me and I believe I have progressed professionally due to the modules I have undertaken.Following the course of study I believe I have made excellent progress professionally and feel much more knowledgeable in the sector than I did previously. I still have to continually improve as a professional and I am fortunate to work for a company that recognises this and encourages staff to undertake CPD. Continuous training and development for all staff is now an everyday part of the profession, not a training course that is ‘thrown in’ every few months with no clear structure.CPD must be strategically planned and embedded within the overall objectives of the organisation to ensure that staff are well prepared for any new developments that arise. At my organisation, staff are encouraged my management to take control of their development and inline with the Business Plan and the Self Assessment Report, are supported to undertake relevant, necessary CPD. I try and improve my practice in many ways. As well as the regular training courses I attend I also take responsibility and ensure that I continually strive to learn and become a more effective practitioner.Learning from other teachers is an important way for professional development. One of the most powerful ways to better your practice is to observe other teachers, ones that are experienced and confident in their roles. During th is course of study I have had a mentor and I have observed her on many occasions, as well as seeking advice and guidance on matters I am not confident in. I believe discussion with colleagues can be an important part of development. They can offer different views on situations and propose alternative methods of practice which might have previously not been considered.As well as using colleagues and mentors, learners are also a crucial part of continuing development. By gathering their thoughts and feedback on lessons I teach them, I am able to implement new strategies and adapt teaching methods to enhance the learning experience for my students. A written evaluation at the end of sessions is another useful way to reflect and enable improvements. â€Å"It is important to produce a written evaluation of the lesson which helps to reflect constructively upon practice.By reflecting on what went well and badly and evaluating what we would do differently we are developing professional pra ctice and evolving new ways to meet our learners’ needs (Wallace, 2001, p178). My organisation also conducts 6 monthly appraisals with all staff. During this process a development plan is also agreed and produced and this involves recording any learning that needs to be achieved, any courses that have to be undertaken and any other developmental requirements that staff feel they have. The appraisal process helps the employees to understand the company’s objectives.It helps them to set their goals and precisely know what role they play in their work to serve the organisation. This avoids frustration and gives job satisfaction to the employees. Performance appraisal benefits all parties and can serve to motivate and inspire employees to continuously develop and improve. My own development plan was agreed in February and runs until August. During this time my targets for achievement are Level 2 ICT qualification, Cert Ed qualification and to maintain my CPD file with all relevant learning.Beyond this time I am looking to achieve a business/management qualification during the next 2 years, and to develop my leadership skills due to a recent change in my job role. I will continue throughout my professional life to strive for improvement and new methods of working, which will enhance the experience of learners accessing our services. Professionalism is an ongoing process. It is commitment to self-improvement, competency in work, motivated in attitude and having respect for both colleagues and learners.

Bmw Research Paper Essay

BMW is enhancing the travel experience for drivers and passengers while also launching a series of new platforms The BMW Group – one of Germany’s largest industrial companies – is also one of the most successful car and motorcycle manufacturers in the world and 2011 was its best year to date. With almost 1. 7 million vehicles sold, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer in terms of sales volume. Its three automobile brands, BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, and the BMW and Husqvarna motorcycles brands led to record sales of â‚ ¬68. 8bn. During 2011, the company introduced five new BMW models across the 1,3,5 and 6 series as well as the Mini Coupe and the Rolls-Royce 102EX, the first electric vehicle in the ultra-luxury segment. In addition, the company also launched a new sub brand – BMW i – that includes the i3 all-electric and i8 plug-in hybrid concept cars due for launch in 2013. However, as well as selling more products than ever and expanding production capacity, especially for the all-important China market, the company also kicked off a number of strategic partnerships for the future. These included the start of the BMW Peugeot Citroen Electrification joint venture, the acquisition of a strategic investment in SGL Carbon SE and the cooperation with Toyota Motor Corporation in basic research for battery cell technology. Although a significant manufacturer, BMW is not part of a larger company like its main competitor Audi. As BMW invests heavily in innovation to continue to produce the ultimate driving experience, keeping its power options open is key, so as the shift towards electric continues to gather speed these development partnerships are vital elements in the company’s growth strategy.