Consumer Frugality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer Frugality - Essay Example According to a survey study conducted by Booz & Company on 2,000 consumers in the U.S., there is an emergence of frugal consumers. This is mainly because of the recent recession that has shaped their consumption behavior. It is expected that such consumption behavior will persist in the future even as there are reports that the U.S. is recovering from the recession (Zavestoski, 2002). Therefore, marketers have identified a market segment consisting of frugal consumers and are making efforts to attract such customers. The frugal consumer has unique characteristics including a strong consciousness on a value which determines the level of trade -off in price and convenience. Research studies on consumption patterns among U.S. consumers indicate that almost 67 percent of customers are purchasing low priced products in order to reduce spending while improving on saving (Craig-Lees & Hill, 2002). This is evident from the decrease in the Per capita consumption expenditure across almost all demographic groups. Additionally, customers have maintained a weak sentiment which has influenced their low expenditure on consumption. The target market segment of frugal consumers can be described using a number of demographic factors that define their unique features. The demographic factors include household income and age. First, the target market segment consisting of frugal consumers is made up of middle-income households. They have an annual income between $20,000 and $50,000 and are very mindful when it comes to spending their income. They are very selective and often plan in advance before going for shopping at discount stores rather than high-end stores. Second, the target market consists of individuals aged between 35 and 40 years. This is the age gap within which people have families, are in employment, and are working hard to save for their retirement. They are very keen with their spending habits and they always ensure that they are buying goods at low prices so that they can save a significant part of their income (Zavestoski, 2002). Third, the target market consists of home owners who have a high demand for household products to use in their homes. However, they are also very frugal and have a habit of shopping from discount stores. The multiple demographics of frugal consumers make it very difficult to market products. Discount retail shops including target, Costco, and Sam's Club have developed a number of marketing mixes in attracting frugal consumers. Let us recall that frugal consumers buy less and price conscious. Therefore it is evident that any marketing mix targeting frugal consumers should heavily rely on price. However, the other 3 P’s are equally important because they complement price. It is an obvious fact that consumers are becoming very frugal these days and that businesses need to differentiate their products in order to remain competitive (Craig-Lees & Hill, 2002). The frugal consumer is looking for products that will deliver the best value for their dollar. This implies that businesses need to provide the best value to its client in order to attract a significant number of frugal consumers. The most common marketing mix among companies targeting frugal customers is that there is always a price discount. This is mainly because such consumers a re very sensitive to changes in prices. A significant decrease in

Analizing film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analizing film - Essay Example This historical period fills the gap between Civil War reconstruction and Martin Luther King. The film just featured the actual suffering of black men in the hands of Whites. There was no exaggeration. 4. What interferences were made in the film? Were there parts of the film that that filmmakers must have made up because they couldn’t have known this from the available evidence? Answer: The film revealed that slavery in a different form was enacted even after the Civil Wars and continued till World War II. The movie is based on the 2008 published book- Slavery by Another Name. The book is a result of extensive research done by the author Douglas A. Blackmon; as such this movie is entirely based on facts. There is no amount of fabrication in it. Douglas himself is the Co-executive producer of the film. 5. What techniques are used in the film to persuade the audience to the filmmaker’s point of view? Note music, camera angle, character portrayal, etc. Answer: The film use d various techniques to establish its points but most important of all is the story line. The movie is based on a book with the same title and follows close to the original writing. The character portrayal is quite strong and the individual incidents of black men’s agonies are quite heart rending in nature. ... Blackmon. Sheila has used several sources to authenticate the reality of the story line. Sheila's sources vary from business records to one "Sheriff's Feeding Account, 1899-1907." She also uses government documents and articles by an assortment of various academics, some of whom are included in the movie. She also looked into newspapers of that era and web based resources. 7. What relevant information do I know? Does it contradict or support the theory presented in the film? Answer: I had always thought that Civil War was the ending of slavery system. The war put an end to the Black’s miseries and the black populations were able to lead a better life. Of course I knew that racial discrimination continued to flourish in the country and still the American society witness one or the other form of racial discriminations. However, I was completely unaware that Blacks suffered a different kind of slavery and that it continued for so long a period. The movie contradicts the theory I was holding about Black people’s lives and acted as an eye opener. 8. Overall how strong are the historical arguments in this film? Is it historically accurate? Answer 8: Samuel D. Pollard’s movie, Slavery by Another Name is based on historical facts. Dr. Sharon Malone, wife of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in the PBS portion of the 2012 Winter TCA Tour reinforces the fact that â€Å"this is American history.† (January 4, 2012). The movie concerns not only South American history but entire America for the North Americans were as guilty of the crime as the Southerners. Slavery in different forms continued to be practice even after it was officially abolished in the

Muriel Tipalet Cigar Advertisement

Muriel Tipalet Cigar Advertisement This Examined essay analyzes an advertisement of Muriel Tiplat Cigar , with the use of semiotics and stereotyping , the start of this analysis will emphasis on semiotics by showing the process of connotation in the advertisement leading to the identifying of the signs used ( indexical , arbitrary , iconic ) and by connecting them to Barthes mythologies further to how combining these signs creates a cultural paradigm , in addition to this analysis will show how syntagmatic relations in an advertisement have a significant role in invoking the audience. subsequently an analysis on the same advertisement by the use of stereo typing will be conducted relating both on how they affect the consumer visual abstract of the product with the conclusion of how booth aspects have positively and negatively affected the foreplay of the advertisement not to mention the cultural significant role of the timeline which the advertisement was produced at â€Å"1970† .Books and journals are the primary sources of this coursework essay where as Internet is a secondary source, this essay is a research essay relying on accurate facts with adequate referencing. Introduction: â€Å"Advertisers in general bear a large part of the responsibility for the deep feelings of inadequacy that drive women to psychiatrists, pills, or the bottle. (Marya Mannes,But Will It Sell?: 1964) If a woman is reading the above statement she couldnt agree any less, the shrewd words of the American writer and critic Mannes have ironically drawn how media affects our lives, critics and commenters from every discipline have seized with advertisings potential power. It has been called â€Å" the most potent influence in adapting and changing habits and modes of life , affecting what we eat and the work and play for the whole nation. â€Å"(Fox, 1984, p.97) particularly women and especially through advertisement. advertising are predisposed to follow basic format: a slogan, striking image, drawing. Anything that would grasp peoples attention, the body of an advertisement contains factual information about the product or the purpose of the ad where as the logo reinforces the brand /companies identity, even though we may look at an advertisement for two seconds it leaves a mark in our minds and attaches us somehow to the brand or the product. But when analyzing on a much deeper visual level, an analyses must use a deeper perspective and in this analysis Semiotic and stereotype approach is going to be applied. â€Å"Semiotics; Semiology is the study of signs, or of the social production of meaning by sign systems, of how things come to significance† Semiotics, or semiology, is usually traced back to Swiss linguistFerdinand de Saussure, American philosopherCharles Sanders Peirce and French linguist Roland Barthes.† (TMSB, 2006, P: 12) All signs have two aspects: thesignifierand thesignified. The signifier is any material thing that signifies, for example words on a page, a facial expression, a picture, a bit of graffiti. The signified is the concept that a signifier refers to (Kevelson;1977,72 ). The basic, most essential form of sign, that is, of the relation of signifier to signified, isdenotation nearly, the factual meaning of a sign. But semiotics starts to get appealing when it exploresconnotation which involve signifying signs, signs that become the signifier for a second signified, and this is how advertising appeal to us. Using the below advertising a semiotic and stereotyping analysis is going to undertake; this advertisement is the publication of Muriel Tipalet cigar. Date of Publishing: 1970.[1] Semiotic Approach: This advertisement rather playfully foregrounds the process of connotation. One of the first things that catch many peoples eyes when they look at this ad is the smoke which is an indexical sign (a sign where the signifier is caused by the signified) which is the cigar. This image, combined with the words (arbitrary sign) on it,denotes, a sexual indication between the man smoking the cigar and the women, this way to attract â€Å"male audience† and using that when the women inhales the smoke of the Tipalet cigar shell follow him anywhere. In addition to the use of the iconic signs the photos of both the man and women resembling and combing it with â€Å"Barthes Mythologies: that every man should be with a glamorous woman and every woman should be glamorous.† (TMSB, 2006, P: 22) In addition to that the rich attractive description of the cigar at the right bottom of the ad attracts audience especially in using words like â€Å"Delicious in taste, in aroma â€Å"(symbolic signs).The use of colors as well is eye catching the yellow background with the colorful cigar packs; this definitely draws more attention to the advertisement and works as a foreplay of convincing the consumer to buy this product. Jointly, all these signs suggesting cigar, sexual relationships form a cultural paradigm, collection of signs which appeal to each other because they are culturally, or paradigmatically, related; Actually putting together two or more elements from a paradigm normally invokes, in the viewers mind. â€Å"With the exception of advertisements that actually give us factual information about a product that we dont already know plugging a product into culturally desirable paradigms, encouraging us to connotatively associate a product with other things we value, is the basic strategy of almost all brand-name product advertising today†(Jones,1999,115).As its shown in this ad the combining of the iconic, arbitrary and indexical signs is a way of persuasiveness, and this is why the ad must rely on another kind of semiotic structure besides paradigmatic relations to make its message work, using syntagmatic relations, If paradigmatic relations make meaning by way of shared cultural associations, women à   men à   relationships then syntagmatic relations are those in which the sequence of signs creates meaning. The cleverness in this ad is the establishment of avisualsequence that builds a clear relationship to reality and connects a pack of cigars to a lifetime situation but yet with their â€Å"product† the man is assured to get what he wants (the women), And thus, the advertisers are capable to relate their Cigars, not only with paradigms of relationships, life, sex, but with amazingly taste and satisfaction as well. Stereotype approach: Visual representation of reality, as seen through mass media, is accredited by sociologists to be significant in shaping peoples views of the world. Our everyday realities are expressed mostly by what we see in the media. The role of advertising in this construal of reality is crucial. The target audiences self-identification with the images being a basic condition for an advertisements effectiveness, makes advertising one of the most important factors in the building of behavior models and values systems. â€Å"Media stereotypes are inevitable, especially in the advertising, entertainment and news industries, which need as wide an audience as possible to quickly understand information. Stereotypes act like codes that give audiences a quick, common understanding of a person or group of people ;usually relating to their class, ethnicity or race, gender, sexual orientation, social role or occupation† ( Media Awerness:2009) Gender stereotypes in society, reflected in advertising, are so familiar we hardly notice them: v The male ‘hunk, pursuer of women v The female ‘babe, seductress v The father wage earner head of the household v The housewife/mother figure protector of home and children The following table shows how common stereotypes relate and affect to Muriel Tipalet Cigars Ad/Consumer: Common and Related Stereotype. Relation to the Muriel Ad and Advertisement Generally. Influence on the consumer. Women are dependent on men. In the advertisement you can see by the use of the quote â€Å"blow in her face and shell follow you anywhere â€Å"that the man is holding the dominant role and upon his order, shell follow. â€Å"Its like women are treated like children; In 1973-1974 study by Erving goffman he concludes that women are weekend by advertising portrayals in the 1970s, ads are highly ritualized versions of the parent-child relationship, with women treated largely as children and that is diminishment damaging† (Goffman:1979,27) It creates a dilemma of temptation to the Male consumer, since every man wants women to follow his lead and demands. A good way to attract the male consumer rather than the female consumer. Women are beautiful and are sex objects. In the advertisement the female used in the image is a beautiful brunette with the perfect â€Å"media† image: In more sense â€Å"Portrayals of women in advertising are not potentially debilitating and demanding, they are also inaccurate. We dont have demography of demigoddesses. Women today (and during the time frame of many of the research studies) are considerably more than flawless decorative objects , depended upon or defined by men† (Creedon:1993,201) A good way to attract male consumers and convince where as it creates a social conflict to the female society and their need to be appealing to me, living up to the standards of these beautiful women in advertisements. Cigarettes make you â€Å"Hip† or â€Å" Interesting â€Å" â€Å"Within two avenues of advertising, tobacco and alcohol product marketing, there are a variety of layered issues surfaced in ad imagery. Gender representation and roles, values of age and class, representations of race, political and sexual orientation, fashion, sexuality, health and disease, drugs, fetishism, exoticism and colonialism are but a smattering of issues raised in these two categories of advertising. Not surprisingly, these advertisements are targeted towards a large consumer group, one might say toward society at large, since their effect is to teach children how to be as adults, to suggest to adults how to be hip, and to show seniors how hip they once were and could still be. This is not to say that all groups are pictured in these advertisements. But all groups can have associations through them, wanting to be like those consuming glamorously, even though reality may be that the purchasing consumer may not be of the same ethnic type, physical build, gender, or so cial status of the figure experiencing pleasure in the advertisement.†( Gender Issues in Visual Media : David Jacobs) Everyone is craving for the long lasting young hip life , so by giving the assumption that the Muriel Cigarette will grant that in a way , it will attract consumers on a wider range and age group. Every man should be masculine. The look on the man face in the Muriel advertising indicates, the mysterious , attractive guy: A way of suggesting that not only women should be attractive but men as well.† The Traditional role as ‘a man as masculine and the women as feminine is constantly reinforced in Advertising. To attract consumers as the cigar will make them more attractive to women , and that these cigars will enhance his look-wise role in the society. Men are dominant over women. Males are depicted as ‘authority figures in 60% of commercials. Women were used in 21% of Radio Advertising for voice overs.(Ref) In this Cigar the dominance of the male character is shown by the use of the slogan â€Å"blow in her face and shell follow you anywhere â€Å" its giving the male the suggestion of empowerment over the women and by that its combing both the stereotype of the dominance of the male and the sexual aspect of female , concluding by the abidance of the female to the male . Not to mention the cultural paradigm this advertising was published at 1970, where women still didnt have their voice empowered over the media . A way to attract male consumer into giving them the suggestion that these cigar will give you the dominance over women , and that will follow you around . Conclusion: â€Å"It must be said that without advertising we would have a far different nation, and one that would be much the poorer-not merely in material commodities, but in the life of the spirit.† (Leo Burnett on the American Association or Advertising Agencies 50th anniversary, April 20,1967) To conclude, media analysis is systematic and objective, it begins by defining a set of signs and decode them to a cultural system and interpret them to how the audience is addressed particularly in advertising (Grossberg: 1998, 156), in addition to that semiotic emphasizes that our perception of reality itself is constructed and shaped by the words and the signs we use, We are nurtured daily with the male and female stereotype so it is no wonder that we react with fear or shock or disbelief or unacceptance when we dont see the typical male or female stereotype. The Advertising Industry continues to follow rigid stereotypes because we are brought up with them and it is too difficult to exert something different than the accepted stereotype. whether we admit it or not we re using semiotics and stereotyping in every second that is passing. In addition to the fact that â€Å" There is a constant presence of media in our everyday lives , as we switch in and out , on and off , from one media space to one media connection to another , from radio , to newspaper , to telephone . From television, to Hi-fi, to Internet, in pubic, in private, alone and with others† (Silverstone, 1999, P: 6). â€Å"We cannot evade media presence, media representation. We have come to depend on our media , both printed and electronic , for pleasures and information , for comfort and security , for some sense of the continuities of experience and from time to time also for the intensities of experience†(Silverstone,1999,P:1/2) Bibliography: Books: 1. Branston, G / Stafford, R. 2006, The Medias Student Book, 4th edition, originally published on 1996, London and New York, Routledge. 2. Grossberg, L/ Wartella, E / Whitney, D, 1998, Media Making: Mass Media in a Popular Culture, London, Sage. 3. Silverstone R, 1999, Why Study the Media, London, Sage. Internet: 4. Quote Garden, Quotes about Advertising, Marya Mannes, 1964. http://www.quotegarden.com/advertising.html 5. Streeter T , University of Vermont ( 18th april/2005) http://www.uvm.edu/~tstreete/semiotics_and_ads/the_sign.html 6. Alouette, Amazing old fashioned advertisement, June 26th /2007. http://www.unsoughtinput.com/index.php/2007/06/26/amusing-old-fashioned- advertisements-cigarette-ads/ [1] Alouette, Amazing old fashioned advertisement, June 26th /2007.(Date Accessed : 31st Oct /2009) http://www.unsoughtinput.com/index.php/2007/06/26/amusing-old-fashioned-advertisements-cigarette-ads/

Canvas of War :: essays research papers

The Canvas of War exhibit exemplifies the various sides of life during the war. The layout of the works alone was very effective in the sense that one led into the next as you moved along looking at them. The styles implemented range from a stylistic approach, mainly surreal in nature, and many were highly detailed realistic paintings. The paintings themselves speak volumes for the hardships the soldiers faced as well as the hardships of life for those at home trying to make ends meet while their family members were out fighting. It was a very difficult time for many, and the exhibit communicates this very well to the public, especially the younger generation which are not too familiar with the past history of war. The First World War images of battle, hospital corps, heroic portraits and gathering soldiers take the visitor through the confused emotions of life in wartime. One image that truly has expression to it in my opinion is that of Ablain-St. Nazaire by J.W. Beatty. It depict s a war torn land with dead and broken trees, only their stumps remaining. In the distant background there is a church which has also been destroyed during the war. The destruction of the church is symbolic of religion being tossed aside during war, a time were instinct is your only chance of survival. The painting uses very cool colours which gives a sense of relief to the viewer. It signifies that its all over, and the green grass and shrubs that are now growing symbolize a new life or rebirth. After a war is over most people have to start at square one again, which is what this image shows, so for that reason I believe it is truly effective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Through examining the various artworks in this exhibit I have found many styles never known to me in the past. Through looking at the paintings I begin to realize that the artists that created these images are also the heroes in the sense that they risked their lives in the heat of battle, all in an attempt to illustrate what was happening. I can only imagine how many innocent artists lost their lives as well in the process.

Digital Fortress Chapter 1

They were in the smoky mountains at their favorite bed-and-breakfast. David was smiling down at her. â€Å"What do you say, gorgeous? Marry me?† Looking up from their canopy bed, she knew he was the one. Forever. As she stared into his deep-green eyes, somewhere in the distance a deafening bell began to ring. It was pulling him away. She reached for him, but her arms clutched empty air. It was the sound of the phone that fully awoke Susan Fletcher from her dream. She gasped, sat up in bed, and fumbled for the receiver. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Susan, it's David. Did I wake you?† She smiled, rolling over in bed. â€Å"I was just dreaming of you. Come over and play.† He laughed. â€Å"It's still dark out.† â€Å"Mmm.† She moaned sensuously. â€Å"Then definitely come over and play. We can sleep in before we head north.† David let out a frustrated sigh. â€Å"That's why I'm calling. It's about our trip. I've got to postpone.† Susan was suddenly wide awake. â€Å"What!† â€Å"I'm sorry. I've got to leave town. I'll be back by tomorrow. We can head up first thing in the morning. We'll still have two days.† â€Å"But I made reservations,† Susan said, hurt. â€Å"I got our old room at Stone Manor.† â€Å"I know, but-â€Å" â€Å"Tonight was supposed to be special-to celebrate six months. You do remember we're engaged, don't you?† â€Å"Susan.† He sighed. â€Å"I really can't go into it now, they've got a car waiting. I'll call you from the plane and explain everything.† â€Å"Plane?† she repeated. â€Å"What's going on? Why would the university†¦?† â€Å"It's not the university. I'll phone and explain later. I've really got to go; they're calling for me. I'll be in touch. I promise.† â€Å"David!† she cried. â€Å"What's-† But it was too late. David had hung up. Susan Fletcher lay awake for hours waiting for him to call back. The phone never rang. Later that afternoon Susan sat dejected in the tub. She submerged herself in the soapy water and tried to forget Stone Manor and the Smoky Mountains. Where could he be? she wondered. Why hasn't he called? Gradually the water around her went from hot to lukewarm and finally to cold. She was about to get out when her cordless phone buzzed to life. Susan bolted upright, sloshing water on the floor as she grappled for the receiver she'd left on the sink. â€Å"David?† â€Å"It's Strathmore,† the voice replied. Susan slumped. â€Å"Oh.† She was unable to hide her disappointment. â€Å"Good afternoon, Commander.† â€Å"Hoping for a younger man?† The voice chuckled. â€Å"No, sir,† Susan said, embarrassed. â€Å"It's not how it-â€Å" â€Å"Sure it is.† He laughed. â€Å"David Becker's a good man. Don't ever lose him.† â€Å"Thank you, sir.† The commander's voice turned suddenly stern. â€Å"Susan, I'm calling because I need you in here. Pronto.† She tried to focus. â€Å"It's Saturday, sir. We don't usually-â€Å" â€Å"I know,† he said calmly. â€Å"It's an emergency.† Susan sat up. Emergency? She had never heard the word cross Commander Strathmore's lips. An emergency? In Crypto? She couldn't imagine. â€Å"Y-yes, sir.† She paused. â€Å"I'll be there as soon as I can.† â€Å"Make it sooner.† Strathmore hung up. Susan Fletcher stood wrapped in a towel and dripped on the neatly folded clothes she'd set out the night before-hiking shorts, a sweater for the cool mountain evenings, and the new lingerie she'd bought for the nights. Depressed, she went to her closet for a clean blouse and skirt. An emergency? In Crypto? As she went downstairs, Susan wondered how the day could get much worse. She was about to find out.

Information Technology Management-Case 8

Opening Case Questions â€Å"Application: Demonstrate why Zappos would need to implement SCM, CRM, and ERP for a connected corporation? † based on the case Zappos Is Passionate for Customers. Zappos would need to implement SCM, CRM, and ERP for a connected corporation because these are all important part of business. SCM is the management of information flows between and among activities in a supply chain to maximize total supply chain effectiveness and corporate profitability. SCM systems create the integrations or tight process and information linkages between all participants in the supply chains.Zappos would need to implement SCM because even though they have built an extranet that provides its vendors with all kinds if product information, the SCM would bring it all together and join all members of the supply chain, instead of Zappos trying to link them together one by one. CRM is a means if managing all aspects of a customer’s relationship with an organization to increase customer loyalty, retention and profitability. There are many benefits of CRM and if Zappos was to implement CRM they would be better able to treat customers as individuals by gaining important insights into their shopping preferences and shopping behaviors.Furthermore Zappos could ensure that these customers receive the highest levels of customer service and are offered the opportunity to purchase new products. Finally, ERP integrates all departments and functions throughout an organization into a single IT system ( or integrates set of IT systems), so that employees can make decisions by viewing enterprise wide information about all business operations. This could help Zappos maintain a level of consistency between all departments and would allow employees to make decisions based on that consistency throughout the company.

Depreciation of Rupee Essay Example

Depreciation of Rupee Essay Example Depreciation of Rupee Essay Depreciation of Rupee Essay Kumar exhibited his profound creativity in designing a new symbol for an Indian Rupee but it failed to ignite any excitement, either in India or abroad for the simple reason that Indian Rupee is a beleaguered currency now, for it has lost its sheen over the years. A rich title for a poor currency! The value of Indian Rupee has devalued greatly since independence, notwithstanding some small measly upswings against dollar sometimes which is touted as a strengthening Rupee.The fact is that the real value of rupee has touched its nadir With every passing day Rupee is making new lows but for a common person it is not easy to understand the reason behind this steep fall and he keeps on asking himself a question Why is rupee depreciating? why indian currency is weak,  why indian currency is falling down, why indian currency is depreciating? , Dollar after being stable for a long time now is climbing back up against the rupee. What do you think? Is it the right time that politicians money from Swiss banks should be taken out or will it be really late for us?Or we start depending on our own oil resources and stop importing the yellow metal from outside? Recession is less in India, then why dollar is moving up when rupee must be strong. We all know about recession and it is worse in US and better in India, then how come dollar is appreciating with respect to Indian rupee? Dont you think that Indian rupee should go up and US dollar should move down? There are so many reasons of depreciating rupee Why dollar is moving up and rupee is going down?There has been a recent fall in rupee since some days ago and a dramatic increase in dollar. It was 49. 50, then 50. 12, 51. 10, 52. 60, 53. 54, 54. 40 and stable, and now What is the current rate of dollar? 1 US dollar = 61. 65 Indian rupees. The oil minister is going to raise petrol prices by the third quarter of this year as rupee is down again. RBI is always trying to protect rupee by selling off dollars but still has been una ble to hold rupee from falling at a rapid pace. Due to rise in dollar, gold prices have slashed down.The last resort of controlling rupee fall is issuing bonds by Reserve Bank of India. To prevent further downfall of Indian rupee, RBI is considering selling dollars directly to oil marketing firms. BODY causes Why is this happening? THE CHANGING FACE Money is not an organic creature but its value keeps changing with the society and its economic conditions. One rupee in 1947 is not the same as one rupee today, both in terms of appearance and purchasing power. The value of a countrys currency is linked with its economic conditions and policies. The value of a currency depends on factors that affect the economy such as imports and exports, inflation, employment, interest rates, growth rate, trade deficit, performance of equity markets, foreign exchange reserves, macroeconomic policies, foreign investment inflows, banking capital, commodity prices and geopolitical conditions, says Pramit Brahmbhatt, chief executive officer, Alpari Financial Services (India), a foreign exchange brokerage. Income levels influence currencies through consumer spending. When incomes increase, people spend more.Higher demand for imported goods increases demand for foreign currencies and, thus, weakens the local currency. First Reason Dollar is in Demand BRIC countries like India have emerging economy, so a huge percentage of investment in India is from outside the country, especially from US but due to recession in US, big institutions are collapsing and many of them are on the verge of breakdown. They are suffering huge losses in their country. They have to maintain their balance sheets and look strong on all statements, so to recover losses in their country, they are pulling out their investments from India.Due to this pulling out of investment by these big companies from India or in other terms disinvestment, demand of dollar is raising up and rupee is depreciating. . 2. Foreign Inve stors snatching their investment out of India Foreign investors play a important in providing liquidity to capital market and boosting the economy of any country, it is similar for India also as our economy depends largely on them but foreign investment in India has decreased steeply in last year due to which value of Rupee decreases. Second reason Collapse of International TradeIf you observe in terms of international trade, commodity prices are crashing at international level. Importers are trying to accumulate dollars, as they have to pay in terms of dollars and at the end demand is increasing against the rupee. This has not happened yet due to lack of confidence in all kind of markets. Exporters have a very few orders from outside countries, so there is no matter of converting dollar into rupee thereby decreasing demand for rupee. Fiscal Deficit – How would others feel of your financial position if you earn Rs. 100,000 a year, but end up spending Rs. 10,000 ? The excess of your expenditures over your total income is called Fiscal Deficit. In order to bridge a Fiscal Deficit, you may end up taking a loan of Rs. 10,000. The more loan you take, the more riskier you would become in the eyes of lenders. This is exactly the case in India. India is currently spending more than it earns via taxes resulting in a mounting fiscal deficit. The major brunt of this spending is going into subsidies. With mounting fiscal deficit, foreign investors start feeling uncomfortable and pull their money out of India resulting in rupee depreciation.Oil Prices – are another significant factor in putting pressure on the Rupee. Oil import contributes as the biggest percentage of India’s import. By quantity, the oil demand is increasing year on year. By prices, Oil is quoted in International Markets in US Dollars. Oil prices are current over $100 a barrel and have significantly jumped up from sub $40 levels in 2002. With the increasing price of Oil in internatio nal markets, India has to pay an increased amount of dollars to import the same quantity of oil.Further more, with an increase in the quantity of oil imported into India, a further pressure is imposed on the demand of dollars to pay to our suppliers from whom we import Oil. This increase in demand for dollars depreciates the Rupee further. 1. Difference in the demand and supply of Rupee in currency market Understanding currency market is not a rocket science, here only simple economic law works, more demand means more price for the product and less demand means less price. According to that law the demand of Rupee is decreasing hence the price of Rupee is also decreasing. Simple isnt. 2. It is a simple DEMAND-SUPPLY Phenomena.Today the demand for Dollar is higher than Indian Currency (INR). With Supply remaining the same, when demand rises, the Value also increases. Increase in Dollar value is attributed to the ongoing Crisis in US. Also USD being a prime currency for many trading commodities, the value of USD is rising. As far as decreasing value of Rupee is concerned, given the present state of Dollar Value Increase, every other currency looks weak against it, and INR is no exception. 3. Lots of scams which faded the image of India in the world    Country has seen lots of scams revealed in recent times which decreased the reputation  of the country in the world.Corruption in the country is increasing, huge negativity among the people for the Govt   has reduced the trust of Foreign Investors in India. All the bills are hanging in the Parliament. Govt is not stronge enough to take bold steps for the growth of the economy. 4. Decreasing GDP growth reduce the investment opportunities in India Before the Recession of 2008 India has maintained GDP growth rate of close to 9% for many years but things have changed now IIP numbers are lowering and even showing negative growth also the inflation numbers are scaring the growth but Govt is not able to bring any policies to restore the growth.Rising Fiscal deficit makes future more gloomy. Investors are not seeing their investment growing much here. 5. Economic problems in different countries make Dollar a better Investment Many countries are facing huge economic problems and facing financial crisis, countries like Greece, Spain are breaking. Investing in US is better option in compared to emerging markets like India where growth is slowed down which increases the demand for Dollars making then more pricey. Year| Exchange rate (rupees per US$)g| 1913| 0. 08692307692| 1925| 0. 10| 1947| 1| 1952| 5| 1966| 7. 55| 1975| 10. 409| 1980| 7. 887| 1985| 12. 69| 1990 1990-1995 This is the period when Indian economy was opened up but rupee still continued depreciating from 17 to 32. | 17. 504| 1995| 32. 427| 2000| 45. 000| 2006| 48. 336| 2007 (Oct)| 38. 48| 2008 (June)| 42. 51| 2008 (October)| 48. 88| 2009 (October)| 46. 37| 2010 (January 22)| 46. 21| 2011 (April)| 44. 17| 2011 (September 21)| 48. 24 | 2011 (November 17)| 55. 3950| 2012 (May 23)| 56. 25| 2012 (June 22)| 57. 15| 2013 (May 15)| 54. 73| 2013 (June 12)| 58. 500| 2013 (June 27)| 60. 73| 2013 (Jul 08)| 61. 21| 2013 (Aug 08)| 61. 80| Effects There was a huge interest rate differential between India and US.Now RBI is reducing all kind of rates to increase money supply in market, so deposit rates will also move downwards. It will reduce the rate differential between two countries and affect the fixed investment in India in a negative manner Current account deficit (CAD): CAD is the result of country’s higher imports than exports or where payment is higher than receipts. Gold and crude oil are the two major items In India’s import list. The more you spend on these two, the more we need to import these and more will be the demand of dollars and thus more depreciation in rupee. . Capital Account flows: Capital account flows comes in the shape of FIIs (foreign Institutional Investors) and FDI (Foreign direct In vestments). FIIs invest in Stock market or bonds and FDIs come in with Business opportunities. Looking at the country’s weak growth outlook, high inflation, high current account deficit etc. FIIs are taking their money back to their country where they are seeing more growth opportunities and also no currency risk. And FDIs are getting impacted by weak government policies, Red tapism and less parliamentary action.If both these investors come in India then demand for rupee will increase as they will bring in dollars to convert into rupees which provide stability to rupee. 3. Interest rate and inflation: High interest rates (as in India) attract foreign investors as they get less rate of interest in their own country , but high interest rates hit local industry and their cost of capital increases. High inflation and interest rates makes our export costlier and thus reducing the demand of our products outside which means less exports. This in turn increases the Current Account de ficit and thus rupee depreciation.The unstable currency movements make foreign investors wary of their decision and they prefer to move out of such country. GROCERY BILL High inflation has been pinching you for more than a year now. Now, the weakening rupee has made crude oil, fertilisers, medicines and iron ore, which India imports in large quantities, costlier. Though these items are not for your daily consumption, they impact your finances indirectly. For instance, since India depends on imports for a large part of crude oil it consumes, a weak rupee will influence petrol and diesel prices. Fuel being directly connected with the cost of transportation, prices of goods that are transported from one part of the country to another, such as food, are bound to rise. This will have a direct impact on the household budget, says Paresh Parekh, Tax Partner, Ernst amp; Young. Fund Manager, Fixed Income, Quantum Asset Management FMCG, or fast moving consumer goods , such as soaps, detergent s, deodorants and shampoos, of which crude oil is an input, are likely to become more expensive. The impact of rupee depreciation on the FMCG sector will be due to higher cost of imported raw materials.The companies were already facing cost pressures. The rupee depreciation has added to their woes. Pulses and oil, which account for a large part of Indias imports, will also be affected. Crude palm oil prices set the pace for prices of other edible oils. It is imported in large quantities and any rise in its price will add to the inflationary pressure, says Arvind Chari, fund manager, fixed income, Quantum Asset Management. FOREIGN EDUCATION For Abin Biswas (21), a B. Tech in biotechnology, an opportunity to work as a trainee intern in a Harvard-MIT joint venture project was a dream come true and a proud moment for his parents.The cost was high but Dr Anup Biswas, Abins father, decided to bear the expenses. The institute is providing him just a daily travel allowance. So, nearly all e xpenses have to be borne by us. Though the amount was huge for us, we agreed to send him as the platform he was getting was big as well, says Rinijhini Biswas, Abins mother. With the rupee weakening, the burden has increased. The rent ($378) of a room he shares with friends was Rs 17,000 (at Rs 45/$) in mid-August 2011 when he went. Now, it is Rs 19,500 (Rs 51. 52/$). A meal ($6) which cost him Rs 270 then now costs Rs 300.This means an additional food expense of Rs 1,800 per month. Abins monthly budget, roughly $1,000, has risen from Rs 45,000 to Rs 53,000, the last instalment we paid. It will be difficult for us to bear his expenses if the trend continues, says Rinijhini Biswas. Students who have taken loans to fund their foreign degree are also bearing the brunt. Education loans are usually in rupees, but as students pay their expenses in a foreign currency, the cost of education and stay has increased. For $100,000, a student had to pay Rs 45 lakh. Now, he has to shell out Rs 52 -54 lakh, depending upon the exchange rate. The cost is in a foreign currency while the borrowing is in rupees. So, the students may fall short of funds as the loan would have been taken according to the initial requirements. In such a scenario, either the students personal contribution will have to increase or he will have to ask the bank to increase the loan amount, says Ashutosh Khajuria, president, treasury, Federal Bank. JOBS AND REMUNERATION Not only is the rupee falling, for some, the pay cheque may shrink as well. Every industry which is dependent on imports will have to face an increase in cost of production and operations. In order to nullify the increase, these companies will have to rationalise costs within their control. One of this will be human resources. So, either lesser number of people will be hired or the salary bill will be kept constant or reduced, says Rituparna Chakraborty, co-founder and senior vice president, TeamLease Services. However, it is a good time f or industries which earn in dollars. The information technology sector stands to gain, but global recessionary conditions may set off the impact, says Chakraborty. VACATIONSThe falling rupee is bad news for itinerant Indians and vacationers to a foreign country. Air fares are going up due to an increase in fuel surcharge. The stay will be costlier by at least 3-5%. Also, shopping can become expensive by 5%. Eating out will also be costlier by the same percentage, says Karan Anand, head, relationships, Cox amp; Kings India. BUYING A CAR The depreciation of rupee has impacted the automobile sector in three ways. First, input costs have risen as these companies use imported components. Second, some companies will have to pay higher royalty to foreign parent firms.Third, many have foreign currency loans in the form of external commercial borrowings and foreign currency convertible bonds. Therefore, more or less all auto companies will have to increase prices. We expect at least a furthe r 2% increase in prices. Maruti has already revised prices twice in last two months. Others like Hyundai, Honda and Ford that have large import content in their cars will have to soon increase prices to protect margins, says Deepak Jain, assistant VP and research analyst, Sharekhan Institutional Research. ENTERTAINMENTThe imported paperback, your favourite pizza and the latest laptop will also become more expensive. There is an increase in the cost of imported books as well as the cost of sourcing them. In most cases we are trying to absorb the increased cost, but there may be scenarios where the end-user will get impacted, says Ankit Nagori, VP, categories, Flipkart. com. Electronic consumer goods such as computers, televisions, mobile phones, etc, with imported components will also become costlier. International food chains which run outlets in India are not denying the impact on profitability. The depreciating rupee has had a significant impact on our capital expenditure as we im port a lot of special kitchen equipment. There has been an indirect impact too as a small part of inputs are imported by our suppliers. If the trend continues, we will be forced to pass on some burden to customers, says Vikram Bakshi, managing director and JV Partner, McDonalds India (North amp; East). Steps Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed confidence that some measures being taken to tackle fiscal management will help return the Indian currency to a more stable path. The decision by the government to allow foreign investors to directly invest in Indian equity could bring some capital flows and have a positive impact on the economy and the rupee, adds Narne. The government is continuously monitoring the emerging external sector developments leading to higher CAD and rupee depreciation. (The government) has taken a slew of initiatives to boost exports and reduce imports, encourage capital flows to facilitate financing of CAD and stem the volatility in the exchange rate of the rupee

Ongoing Formative Assessment Improves Student Learning

Ongoing Formative Assessment Improves Student Learning What is a Formative Assessment? A formative assessment can be defined as a variety of mini-assessments that allow a teacher to adjust instruction on a frequent basis. These continuous assessments allow teachers to use a variety of instructional strategies to help students reach instructional goals. A formative assessment is quick and easy to administrator and provides both the teacher and student with quick data that ultimately drives instruction and learning. Formative assessments focus on an individual skill or a subset of skills within a curriculum instead of the entire curriculum. These assessments are intended to measure progress towards a specific goal. They also provide students with a deeper understanding of skills they have mastered as well as skills they struggle with. There are many different types of formative assessments that can be used in any classroom. Some of the more popular ones include direct questioning, learning/response logs, graphic organizers, think pair share, and four corners. Every situation is unique. Teachers have to create and utilize the types of formative assessments that will be the most beneficial for their students and learning activities. The Benefits of Ongoing Formative Assessment Teachers who utilize regular, ongoing formative assessment in their classroom find that student engagement and learning increases.   Teachers are able to use the data generated from formative assessment to drive instructional changes for both whole group and individual instruction.   Students find value in formative assessments in that they always know where they stand and are increasingly aware of their own strengths and weaknesses.   Formative assessments are easy to create, easy to take, easy to score, and easy to use the results. In addition, they only require a limited amount of time to complete.   Formative assessments aid in setting individualized goals for students and monitoring progress on a daily basis.   The Best Type of Formative Assessment? One of the most advantageous components of formative assessment is that there is no single style of formative assessment.   Instead, there are hundreds of different types of available formative assessments. Each teacher can develop a deep repertoire of potential formative assessments. Furthermore, teachers can adapt and change a formative assessment to fit the needs of their students. This is important as variance helps keep students engaged and ensures that the teacher can match the proper assessment of the concepts being learned. Having options also helps ensure that students will most likely see several assessment types throughout the year that naturally aligns to their individual preferences or strengths as well as their weaknesses.   The best type of formative assessment is engaging, aligns with student strengths, and identifies areas in which additional instruction or assistance is needed. Formative Assessments vs. Summative Assessments Teachers who only utilize summative assessments to evaluate student learning is doing their students a disservice.   A summative assessment is designed to evaluate learning over an extended period of time.   A formative assessment gauges learning on a regular and often daily basis. Students are given immediate feedback that allows them to correct the mistakes they are making. A summative assessment limits this because of the longer time frame. Many teachers use a summative assessment to wrap up a unit and rarely revisit those concepts even when students do not perform well.   Summative assessments offer value, but in conjunction or in partnership with formative assessments. Formative assessments should build to an eventual summative assessment. Progressing this way ensures that teachers are able to assess parts to the whole.   It is a more natural progression than simply throwing up a summative assessment at the end of a two-week unit. Wrapping It Up Formative assessments are a proven educational tools offering value a lot of value for teachers and students.   Teachers can develop and use formative assessments to guide future instruction, develop individual learning goals for students, and obtain valuable information about the quality of the lessons being presented to students.   Students benefit because they receive immediate, ongoing feedback that can help them know where they stand academically at any given point.   In conclusion, formative assessments should be a regular component of any classroom assessment routine.

Alien

The airport seemed like a morgue in the Dark Ages through my toddler eyes. Everyone looked ill with excess travel, sick from impatience. Menacing towers, which looked to be in fact, men, glared at me as if I were someone to suspect. As if I didn’t belong. The expansive line of Immigrations painfully edged forward, but my mind scampered away to curiosity. What was India like? Was I going to enjoy it? What was I going to do there? We finally reached the stern officer in sky blue, equipped with a stately handlebar moustache. He and my dad exchanged sympathetic glances and polite greetings, as if they were old friends, seeing each other for the first time in years. He did the same for my mother and sister, but stopped at me. â€Å"Born in the USA? What is this boy doing in an airport in India?† Everyone laughed, but I didn’t. Regardless of what he meant, it hurt my toddler mind deeply. For the first time in my life, I felt different. I felt guilty of my presence, guilty to be who I was. As I walked into the streets of India, the kids stared at me for quite some time, and chattered accusingly amongst themselves. I did not dress like them. I did not act like them. I did not talk like them. I felt like the aliens I had read about so avidly from the comics back home. I tried fervently to make myself the epitome of a native Indian boy, but my relatives constantly hindered my progress. Cricket is like baseball. Flats are apartments. Auto-rickshaws are like taxies. I constantly reminded myself these things, but no matter how hard I tried, these concepts would not stick. Language became a ruthless and unforgiving adversary. My parents had prepped me well prior to the trip, yet still I was hit with unfamiliar phrases. While my accent was consistent, constructing the words proved to be a grueling task. I realized any slight mistake could question the quality of my parents’ teaching, and slowly I stopped talking. I was limited to a stubborn shake of the head for no, and an eager nod for yes. I was always the quiet one, the one who said very little, but they didn’t know why. I wouldn’t let them know, for my alien nature would be exposed. Years come and go with new perspectives. The toddler state of mind was black and white, frank and simplistic. I was so driven by stubborn anger and frustration that I never really tried or wanted to search for the answers I needed. Questions of doubt and difference gradually became answered by my friends, schoolmates, and teachers. We all realized our experiences were not so seclusive, and countless stories met laughs of recognition and understanding. Time allowed for me to accumulate the points that define who I am, whether it is by a distressing day at Immigrations, or the inability to master a language. By birth and by residency, I am an American. But, by the principals I abide to and the traditions I willfully obey, I am an Indian. I don’t feel different anymore. Rather, I feel honored to have the opportunity to share and experience two cultures simultaneously. The polarity of the two nations sometimes proves to be troublesome, but also adds a contrast that intrigues me t o the point of enlightenment. It now seems amusing to imagine a confused little boy, paranoid of his imminent transformation into an unknown being. Paranoid of becoming an unfamiliar creature in unfamiliar territory; not able to identify with his environment. I was once an alien.

Core competency questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Core competency questions - Essay Example The most challenging experience concerned my friend, who thought that his sexual orientation is not normal. This challenge was solved through giving him appropriate counseling, and making him understand that millions of homosexuals are happy with their sexual orientation. Perseverance is important because it ensures awareness on a national problem is adequately created. For example, fundraising awareness and project for the organizations taking care of children with disabilities. The fundraising campaign was a success due to the folk music group which raised money through performances in charity events. The fundraising awareness was a success due to proper management of the campaign. My leadership practices entailed leading my group members through examples, by working hard in meeting the campaign targets. The idea of raising money through folk song performances was most effective for the campaign, because my family members always sung folk songs at home. The most challenging part of the fundraising campaign entailed keeping the folk dance group focused during rehearsals. This challenge was overcome through motivating the group members by reminding them of our ultimate aim of providing finances to the disabled children. A challenging situation occurred when a college had an accident at the workplace. The situation was difficult because she fell down the stairs and hurt her knee. I responded to this situation by immediately making her comfortable, and then taking her to the health facility. The reaction was effective because, the patient got medical attention in time. The most important consideration during the accident was proper emergency planning. This involved conducting first aid to monitor seriousness of the accident and the timely arrangement of transport to the hospital. The challenging experience during the accident is that I was tired already from the day’s work. I overcome this

Case scenerio 3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case scenerio 3 - Coursework Example When an organization provides below standard working conditions, employees can join unions that would bargain for better working conditions. The same applies when the payment is discriminating since some employers could be desperately attempting to cut operational costs, which lead to reducing salaries and certain incentives (Todd, 2012). Physician and nursing unions represent the employees in improving their working conditions. This implies that without unions, the employer is free to dictate how much a physician’s or a nurse’s services are worth or the type of working conditions that they should be working in (Wolper, 2013). The employees who join unions have higher salaries and have other benefits that include insurance and job security in that they cannot be dismissed without proper reasons. However, there are some areas of concern with respect to unions for both physicians and for nurses. Here, high salaries may be offered to lazy nurses for the mere fact that they belong to a union. Were it not for some employers offering low salaries while attempting to cut costs, it would have been better to pay the employees according to productivity but not have the rules dictated by

The Education Systems of England and Saudi Arabia Essay - 1

The Education Systems of England and Saudi Arabia - Essay Example Education in England is compulsory under the law. Similarly in Saudi Arabia, education is strongly stressed in the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith [teachings and practices of the Prophet Muhammad] which requires education for every Muslim. In England, the law under Section 7 of the 1996 Education Act states: 'The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable- (a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and (b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.' (Barrow, 2007). A large portion of students in England receive support for their education from public funds. Similarly in Saudi Arabia the government extends support towards education to the extent of providing monthly stipend for deserving students. 'The total budget for higher education (universities, women's colleges and the Ministry of Higher Education) was US$2.5 billion in 1985. This amount constitutes 3.6 percent of the total budget for Saudi Arabia, and 34 percent of the total education budget. All university students also receive a monthly stipend of $300 (all figures for 1985).' (Sedgwick, Ed., 2001). Education system in England is structured in 6 different levels. ... All university students also receive a monthly stipend of $300 (all figures for 1985).' (Sedgwick, Ed., 2001). Education system in England is structured in 6 different levels. In Saudi Arabia, the education system is similarly structured by level although with certain apparent disparity with how the system is constituted. 'Over hundred years old, the UK education system is basically structured in six different levels. They are: Pre-school or pre-preparatory education, Preparatory education, Primary education, Secondary education, Post-sixteen education, and Post-eighteen education.' (Indobase Ltd.). Sedgewick (2001) disclosed that primary education consists of primary school and intermediate school; secondary education consists of general secondary education, religious secondary education, technical secondary school and further technical and vocational training; Higher Education; University Higher Education consists of baccaloreus (four year course), darajat al majisteer (master's degree) and doctoorah (doctorate). Educational System in England requires an examination to test the knowledge of students. In Saudi Arabia such an examination is also required. In England, 'At the age of 16, students write an examination called the GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education). All students are tested in Mathematics, English Literature, English composition, chemistry, biology, physics, history or the Classics, one modern language, and one other subject, such as art or computer studies.' (Barrow, 2007). Additionally, the British Council affirmed and posted 'After five years of secondary education, students take examinations in a range of subjects at the level of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). The GCSE is a single-subject examination set and

Memphis Design-Michele De Lucchi and Ettore Sottsass Essay

Memphis Design-Michele De Lucchi and Ettore Sottsass - Essay Example The paper "Memphis Design-Michele De Lucchi and Ettore Sottsass" discovers postmodernism and Memphis design group. With inspirations derived from earlier movements such as Pop Art and Art Deco, the colors were used in both a graphic and dynamic way. The use of history in the Memphis post modernist furniture is particularly evidenced by the way their colorful designs that were reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s ‘op’ art movement. The use of history and drawing of inspirations from the past in post modernism was particularly meant to counter the modernist concepts of writing history or starting from scratch after all was lost during the war. The social and cultural changes in 1970 led to the reaction against modernism. Designers embraced popular consumerism and culture. The modernistic principle required all objects to functional. Radical designers started to define a new language for design and moved away from functional well-designed goods. Ettore sottsass and De Lucchi were particularly frustrated by the rigid attitudes of the international design community. The post modernist artists were inspired by cultural, emotional philosophical, ancient, and contemporary influences. Together with De Lucchi and other designers, he founded Memphis to explore a visual language for design based on the popular culture and kitsch. The group wanted to experiment with new designs and materials. Ettore wanted to discover new and unique ways of using materials to bring a wealth of artistic influences.

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Exam - Essay Example It is a fact that the communication hierarchies within the organizations are comprised of long-lasting issues which might not be that strong in depth but consume a large amount of time on the part of the employees, the managers and indeed the entire organization. This is one of the main reasons why long meetings and debates are continuously held over a period of time, which essentially ransacks the entire fabric of the organization and is therefore a deterrent towards the work ethos which is spoken of highly within any organization in this day and age. What is even more interesting is the ideology that surrounds the ramifications and consequences of the manager-employee linkages, the team dynamics and lastly the communication issues within the cultural variances that exist within the workplace domains. An example that could be provided here within the communication of technical information is the one that spans a manager which is at odds with detailing an employee as per his respecti ve work regimes but the employee simply does not understand the nuances behind the technical jargon or lingo (Laroche, 2003). The employee ends up wasting a lot of time which could have been utilized somewhere else and in a better way nonetheless. Therefore such issues consume a lot of time and are wide in nature than being deep at all. 4.

World Health Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World Health Organization - Essay Example ves of WHO is â€Å"To reduce morbidity and mortality and improve health during key stages of life, including pregnancy, childbirth, the neonatal period, childhood and adolescence, and improve sexual and reproductive health and promote active and healthy ageing for all individuals† (WHO, 2012). The target population of WHO are all people in the world in general and the poor people in the underdeveloped countries in particular, which do not have adequate resources to ensure the health and safety of their citizens. UN has introduced a lot of vaccines for the prevention of different kinds of diseases in such countries as India, Pakistan, Sudan, and Ethiopia. â€Å"WHO was on the alert in those parts of the world experiencing humanitarian crises, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Horn of Africa, Iraq, Sudan and in particular Darfur, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and elsewhere† (Chaib, 2006). WHO has an operational history full of successes and few failures since its establishment. In the year 1947, WHO created an epidemiological service of information through telex and launched the programme for the eradication of malaria in the year 1955. Ten years later, WHO created the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In 1966, WHO shifted in its headquarters building. In 1974, WHO started the Expanded Programme on Immunization. In 1975, WHO launched the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. Between 1986 and 1996, WHO was actively involved in creating awareness about the causes, risks, and prevention of HIV/AIDS and Polio. It took several measures to providing the patients of HIV/AIDS with medical attention without discrimination on the basis of race or region. In 1988, WHO established the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Smallpox was a major health issue in 31 countries of the world in the year 1967. The victims of smallpox in 1967 was from 10 to 15 million, out of which 2 million patients died while millions got

Final Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Final Exam - Essay Example It is a fact that the communication hierarchies within the organizations are comprised of long-lasting issues which might not be that strong in depth but consume a large amount of time on the part of the employees, the managers and indeed the entire organization. This is one of the main reasons why long meetings and debates are continuously held over a period of time, which essentially ransacks the entire fabric of the organization and is therefore a deterrent towards the work ethos which is spoken of highly within any organization in this day and age. What is even more interesting is the ideology that surrounds the ramifications and consequences of the manager-employee linkages, the team dynamics and lastly the communication issues within the cultural variances that exist within the workplace domains. An example that could be provided here within the communication of technical information is the one that spans a manager which is at odds with detailing an employee as per his respecti ve work regimes but the employee simply does not understand the nuances behind the technical jargon or lingo (Laroche, 2003). The employee ends up wasting a lot of time which could have been utilized somewhere else and in a better way nonetheless. Therefore such issues consume a lot of time and are wide in nature than being deep at all. 4.

Performance management or performance evaluation Essay Example for Free

Performance management or performance evaluation Essay The basic aim of performance management is to create an environment for the employees where they can work at their best. It begins when a particular job is defined whereas it ends when the employee quits from the organization and performance management basically serves as a replacement of the traditional appraisal system. There are certain advantages of performance management and the most important one is the goal of developing clear job descriptions for the employees that can be easily comprehended by them. The second advantage is that it helps the employer to hire the best candidates for the job that suits them and at the same time, performance management helps them to negotiate with the employees on various issues. When the employee is finally hired, he can be provided with necessary training followed by the feedback of the coach that enable organization to develop sessions in which issues regarding performance development can be discussed and according to the results of the performance of the employees, the remuneration package can be designed. Moreover, performance management also provides various career opportunities for the employees and can also provide assistance when conducting exit interviews to know why the employees choose to leave the organization. The concept of annual performance is a bit different from that of performance management. When managing other people, the manager has to conduct performance appraisals in order to know how the employees are performing and this can help motivate the employees to work well in future. Annual performance is basically done to evaluate the performance of the employee and to know how well they have worked throughout the year and the contributions that they have made for the progress of the organization. It not only helps in the development of the staff but it also improves the communication between the staff and the managers, however annual performance has some disadvantages as well. When conducting performance appraisals, employees might ask for feedbacks from their friends in the organization who are more likely to give positive feedbacks and may avoid any negative comments of the employee. Moreover, when conducting appraisals the companies often send evaluations to the raters without telling them how to accurately do the appraisal and without advance notice. (Leat, 2001). Reference Leat,M. (2001). Exploring Employee Relations. Butterworth-Heinemann.

Investigation of outdoor play in early years

Investigation of outdoor play in early years Outdoor Play in Early Years In whose best interest? This review examines the definition of play and outdoor play as well as the perspectives of the early years pioneers spanning over two centuries who has shaped our understanding of outdoor play such as Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, Margaret McMillan, Susan Isaacs and Majorie Allen, better Known as Lady Allen of Hurtswood. It will also seek to address how outdoor play can be optimised in early years setting to improve childrens learning and development outcomes. The scope of this review includes debates surrounding outdoor play, concerns and the advantages of using the outdoor environment. This review would also analysis previous researches on outdoor play and evidence which suggests that outdoor play improves childrens development and well-being. Play is a difficult concept, and by its very nature cannot be pinned down or precisely defined. There is nothing tangible, predictable or certain about childrens play, and this makes thinking about play more difficult and sometimes uncomfortable for those who like things neat and orderly. Play sits uneasily in a culture of standards, measurable outcomes, testing targets and quality control. While most of us know play when we see it, academics have had trouble defining it (Johnson, Christie, Yawkey, 1999). Play involves a free choice activity that is non-literal, self-motivated, enjoyable and process oriented. Critical to this definition is the non-literal, non-realistic aspect. This means external aspects of time, use of materials, the environment, rules of the play activity, and roles of the participants are all made up by the children playing. They are based on the childs sense of reality (Wardle, 1987, p. 27). Children do not play for a reward-praise, money, or food. They play because they like it.(p. 28). Children who compete to make the best wooden ship are not playing. Children who are told they must use the block with an A on it to create a word are not playing, and children who are asked to label the colours of their paints, instead of using them to create a picture, are not playing. Article 31 in the United Nation Convention on the rights of the Child stipulates that play is a fundamental right of all children (Human Rights Directorate, 1991 cited in Steampfli 2008) and that play is essential for children to develop intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. Through play children learn to express their thoughts and feelings, develop language and social skills and become aware of cultural diversity in their community. Filer, (2008), describes creative outdoor play as play which gives children the opportunity to use their imaginations, helps promote original thinking, flexibility, adaptability, empathy and the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem. She express play as the most important activity that children will take part in outside as it is a means through which they find stimulation, well-being and happiness in order to grow physically, emotionally and intellectually. She express that the outdoor environment is well suited to meeting childrens needs for all aspects of play and is the most relevant way of offering learning based upon first-hand experiences and individual interests. Waite et al. (2006) cited in Waller, T (2007) journal article point out, outdoor learning is not a single entity but comprises many different sorts of activity with distinct purposes. Outdoor environments afford opportunities for a balance between adult-led structured activities and giving children access to interesting outdoor spaces. Friedrich Froebel(1782-1852) emphasised the importance of the garden and the educational importance of learning out of doors more than a century ago. To Froebel, the garden was both literal and metaphorical. He used the word kindergarten, a garden for children, rather than the word school and saw the kindergarten as a place where the child could develop in harmony with nature. Educators would provide a rich environment for growth, and would tend, nurture and cultivate each child just as a good gardener would tend a young plant. Froebel believed in a divine unity and connectedness between all living things, and it was therefore important for children to be close to nature in the outdoor environment. Through gardening and play outdoors children learnt about nature and about the growth of plants and animals, but they also learnt to care for and take responsibility for nature, and gradually to recognise their own place in the natural world. Childrens freely chosen game games outdoors wer e a source of fascination to Froebel. He saw in such games evidence of childrens growing sense of justice, self- control, comradeship and fairness. (Tovey, 2008). Forest Schools which are closely associated with the Danish early years programme is inspired by the ideas of Froebel, traditionally favoured play, movement and fresh air (Stigsgaard, 1978, cited in Maynard, 2007), while a sense of connection with nature and the environment has been linked to the Danish notion of an ideal childhood (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 2001 cited in Maynard, 2007). The development of young childrens understanding about the natural environment is seen as being an important aim of all day-care facilities (OECD, 2000 cited in Maynard, 2007). For Maria Montessori (1869 -1952), working in a poor inner city community in Rome, Italy it was not the garden, but the house that was the enduring metaphor for her approach to early childhood. The environment, she argued, should allow children to be like the masters in their own houses, that is it should be child-sized, offer independent movement and be well organised with everything in its place. It was not nature, but science and her notion of scientific pedagogy, which was a guiding principle. Using Froebels metaphor of the gardener she argued that behind the good cultivatorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.stands the scientist. This is a very different philosophy from Froebels garden where weeds were valued as much as the flowers. It was Montessori, who pioneered the idea of open access from indoors to outdoors and free choice and self direction, but choice was restricted. Unlike Froebel, Montessori did not believe the natural materials were educative and, therefore, she made no provision for pla y materials like sand and water. Rather she argued that structured materials, which had been subject to the perfecting hand of a higher intelligence (Montessori 1983 cited in Tovey 2008), were necessary to identify the real or true nature of the child. Margaret McMillan (1860-1931) was a socialist politician. Her experience of running an open air camp for children in the slums of Deptford, South of London, where disease was rife, convinced her that time spent outdoors could dramatically improve childrens health and that the youngest children should be the focus of attention. She developed an open air nursery school for children, and literally designed and built a garden for children. The garden was central and the indoor spaces were merely shelters for use in very bad weather. Everything, she argued could take place outdoors, play, sleep, meals, stories and games. She argued that there was no need for artificial didactic apparatus to stimulate childrens senses in isolation when real first-hand experience offered richer and more meaningful opportunities. A nursery garden must have a free and rich place, a great rubbish heap, stones, and flints, bits of can, and old iron and pots. Here every healthy child will want to go, taking out things of his own choosing to build with. (McMillan 1919 cited in Tovey 2008). Susan Isaacs (1885-1948) worked in a very different social context from McMillan. She opened the malting House School in Cambridge in 1924, a school for highly advantaged children of professional parents. It was an experimental school that had two aims: to stimulate the active enquiry of the children themselves rather than to teach them and to bring within their immediate experience every range of fact to which their interests reached out (Issacs 1930 cited in Tovey 2008:46). Children were given considerable freedom for Isaacs argued that play has the greatest value for the child when it is really free and his own (Isaacs 1929 cited in Tovey 2008:46). The garden included grass, fruit trees, a climbing frame, slides, movable ladders, trees for climbing, flower and vegetable garden with individual plots for each child and a range of animals. The garden provoked childrens curiosity and enquiry. It offered challenge and risk and children had considerable freedom to try things out, to question, to experiment and to follow wherever their curiosity led. However, this freedom also had constraints. Eg. Children were allowed to climb on the summer house roof, but only one child at a time was allowed. Like Froebel and Montessori before her she argued that freedom brought responsibility, but it also empowered the children to develop skills to be safe. Isaac view of childhood is one of passion. Young children had a pas sion for finding out about and striving to understand the world. Although she tried to observe children in free conditions she also recognised, unlike Montessori, that it was impossible to discover the natural child. Marjorie Allen (Lady Allen of Hurtwood) 1897-1976 featured less in education literature but nevertheless deserves an important place as a pioneer of outdoor play areas for young children. She was active in campaigning for better provision for young children and became president of the nursery school association, and a founder member of the worldwide organisation Mondiale Pour LEducation Prescolaire (OMEP). She designed play areas for many nursery schools including gardens with sand pits and paddling pools on roof tops of blocks of flats in Camden, London. She is associated most for bringing the idea of adventure or junk playgrounds to Britain. She argued that children seek access to a place where they can dig in the earth, build huts and dens with timber, use real tools, experiment with fire and water, take really great risks and learn to overcome themà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.(Allen cited in Rich et al 2005:46) She was damning in her criticisms of conventional playgrounds that are static, dull, unchallenging, and which do not account for young childrens drive to explore, imagine, create and to seek companionship. The tendency for ordering a complete playground from a catalogue is greatly to be deployed: this lack of enterprise spells dullness and monotony and only the manufacturers benefit (Allen 1968 cited in Tovey 2008:50). Lady Allens vision for challenging outdoor play environments, her belief that children with disabilities were entitled to equally rich and exciting environments, and her knowledge, from careful observation, of the impact of design on childrens play is still influential today particularly in the playwork field. These developmental emphasis on play and playgrounds for nursery school playgrounds and kindergartens was later reinforced by the work of early 20th century child research centres and figures such as Piaget (1951), Vygotsky (1978) Bruner, et al (1976), and Huizinga (1950). The developmental emphasis continues in the early 21st century. Until recently, preschools were relatively unaffected by contemporary high stakes testing and continued to focus on play as a primary vehicle for learning and development.(Frost 2006). A research study by Clements (2004) reveals that children today spend considerably less time playing outdoors than their mothers did as children. The study reveals several fundamental reasons for this decline, including dependence on television, digital media, and concerns about crime and safety. The study also conveys findings related to the frequent use of electronic diversions. Maynard (2007) also linked the growing interest in Forest School to a concern that childrens outdoor play is in decline. Parents, it is suggested, are reluctant to let their children play outside as they once did for fear of strangers, traffic or violence and as a result, it is also suggested, childrens play revolves around organized recreational activities or is home-centred and focused on computers, video games and television. This, it is maintained is having a negative impact on childrens social and emotional competence while also contributing to an epidemic of child obesity. Maynard Waters (2007), in their journal also identified recent years reports about the use and abuse of the outdoor environment have rarely been out of the media. These reports, often backed by the latest research findings, have focused on concerns about environmental damage as well as issues such as stranger danger, childrens lack of physical activity, the rising levels of childhood obesity, as well as a more general lack of connectedness with nature. A view which agrees with Froebel who sees garden as a spiritual place where children could grow and develop in harmony with nature, and begin to sense their own place in the natural world. It was a place for creative and imaginative play. There is growing public policy interest in childrens play. Politicians and opinion formers are interested in exploring how good play opportunities can help improve quality of life and safety in neighbourhoods, tackle obesity and promote childrens well being, support children development and build community cohesion. Alongside, there is a growing view that good play experiences are not only an essential part of every childhood, but also a key public responsibility and an expression of our social obligations towards children. (Filer, 2008:14). Dr Aric Sigman, of British Psychological Society, recommends that children under three should be banned from watching TV, and older children, aged 3-5, should be restricted to viewing one hour a day of good quality programmes. Children spend more time looking at the screens than they do outside doing real things, which is detrimental to their health and well being, particularly in the long term. He recommends that children should be outside experiencing real life and real things (Sigman, 2005 cited in Filer 2008). One way in which government has attempted to address these concerns has been to raise awareness of, for example Healthy Schools programme, Food in Schoool programme, School Fruit and Vegetable scheme, Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links programme (DSCF, 2008) The introduction of Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS) in September 2008 in England for children from birth to five (DSCF, 2008) emphasise the need for the provision of regular outdoor experience. However, Waller (2007), in his article identified that a clear pedagogy for the use of the outdoors as a site for learning has not been established and, as (Fjortoft, 2001 cited in Waller 2007) and (Waite et al.2006 cited in Waller 2007) point out, there has been relatively little research on what actually happens in outdoor environments. The EYFS now recognises that the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending childrens development and learning under theme 3: enabling environments which is line with the Macmillans theory which allowed children free access to play areas and gardens and was not predicated upon a fixed time schedule. The importance of outdoor learning is also emphasised in the effective practice: outdoor learning as below: Past generations of children benefited from extended amounts of unsupervised time outdoors, and as adults they look back fondly at these early experiences. Indeed it is widely recognised that such experiences make a positive impact and as adults we are aware that it shaped many aspects of our own development and healthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Despite this cultural shift away from outdoor play and learning, it remains essential to childrens health, development and well-being. Consequently, it is vital that early years settings maximise childrens opportunities to be outdoors: for some it may be their only opportunity to play freely and safely outsideà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Outdoor learning encompasses all that children do, see, hear or feel in their outdoor space. This includes the experiences that practitioners create and plan for, the spontaneous activities that children initiate, and the naturally occurring cyclical opportunities linked to the seasons, weather and nature. (DCSF, 2007) It is evidenced that a lot of recent and old research into outdoor play are in agreement that it is beneficial for children to be outside experiencing real life, real things, in order to grow and develop holistically. Most of the researches also concluded outdoor is a place where the child could develop in harmony with nature, a place to begin to sense their own place in the natural world and a place for creative and imaginative play. Good play experiences are seen as an essential part of every childhood which would lead to improve quality of life, tackle obesity and promote childrens well being. However, Majorie Allen criticized the conventional playgrounds seen at majority of the nursery and pre school these days as static, dull, unchallenging, and which do not account for young childrens drive to explore, imagine, create and to seek companionship. Finally, according to the literatures, one of the main advantages of using the outdoor environment is that it provides children with th e space to move freely. (Fjortoft 2001, 2004 cited in T.Maynard et al 2007) report on research from Scandinavia, which demonstrates that children who play in flexible, natural landscapes appear to be healthier, have improved motor fitness, balance and co-ordination, and demonstrate more creativity in their play. It can be concluded based on the literature review above that experiences of the outdoor play and learning suggests that early years practitioners should recognise the significant potentials of outdoor learning highlighted above, in addition to developing outside play opportunities within their gardens; they should also consider giving children regular opportunities to experience wild natural environments. CONTENT Page No ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION 2-3 LITERATURE REVIEW 4-14 METHODOLOGY/RESEARCH DESIGN 15-16 ANALYSIS/FINDINGS 17-20 CONCLUSION 21-22 REFERENCES 23-25 APPENDICES NARRATIVE OBSERVATION A-C TRACKING OBSERVATION D-E SANDRINGHAM SCHOOL PICTURES F-J BLOOMING GARDEN PICTURES K-M ABSTRACT: I have worked in different setting during my course and I have noticed that outdoor play is not particularly well planned by the practitioners. It seems to be seen as an opportunity for the staff have a break and for the children to let off steam. Play is childrens natural way of doing stuff to build for children to build self-esteem and social skills and the philosophy behind the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum supported this very much. The aim of my study is to look at how children participate in outdoor play in Sandringham school environment compared with regular setting with limited outdoor space with fixed and movable apparatus such as climbing frames, slides and bikes etc as well as to encourage practitioners to reflect on their practices. My research draws on observation (both narrative and tracking method) of one nursery located in London borough of Newham- Sandringham Schools nursery in London and a regular nursery with fixed garden apparatus in Redbridge b orough, Uphall School. My observation was used to find out how children attending both school nurseries react during outdoor session and how practitioners assist the children in extending and stimulating their learning and development. The play experiences of children at my own school Sandringham School nursery in comparison with the children at Uphall Schools nursery clearly indicate that children at Uphall school nursery spend less time playing outdoors than those at Sandringham schools nursery. The study reveals that children at my school at Sandringham schools nursery are engaged in depth active learning with their peers and practitioners, objects, allowing the children to use their imagination more creatively. For example, during my observation, a child uses a tree branch to sweep an area under a large tree, which she described as Goldilocks grandmas house. INTRODUCTION In searching for my research topic, I have drawn on my experiences and interest during my placements. It struck me fairly quickly from observations in my various placement that outdoor play space in most of the settings is still just about physical development and not given the equal status to indoor play it deserves in terms of the planned experiences that are provided for young children. Majority of the settings outside play area are small with static, dull, and unchallenging equipments, and do not allow young childrens drive to explore, imagine, create and to seek companionship. Practitioners should promote and enhance the development of playground that offer a rich, multi sensory environment that is meaningful, imaginative and stimulating for all young children, providing them with real experiences that help embed their early learning and holistic development and not just their physical development. Parents and practitioners agree from conversation with them that outdoor play is a natural and critical part of childs well being, health and development and the importance of outdoor play is also reflected in recent government policies such as the Every Child Matters agenda (2003) and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2008) curriculum embraces outdoor learning as it enables the children to follow their interest, make choices, forge links between their learning and develop ideas over time. This study will evaluate the effectiveness of opportunities provided for children under five to learn in the outdoors, in a garden, or other open air space e.g. in Sandringham school nursery environment and a regular day nursery setting. The research aimed to investigate the impact that the type of outdoor play experiences in the two settings has on all areas of learning and development for children under five. In this study I will use (Filer, 2008) definition of outdoor play a creative outdoor play as play which gives children the opportunity to use their imaginations, helps promote original thinking, flexibility, adaptability, empathy and the ability to generate multiple solutions to a problem. She expresses play as the most important activity that children will take part in outside as it is a means through which they find stimulation, well-being and happiness in order to grow physically, emotionally and intellectually. Outdoor play also offers play spaces that enable children to create play spaces themselves and to exercise greater choice over materials, location and playmates. Being outdoorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..offers opportunities for doing things in different ways and on different scales than when indoors. It gives children first-hand contact with weather, seasons and the natural world and offers children freedom to explore, use their senses, and be physically active and exuberant. (EYFS card 3.3 cited in Hitchin, 2007) METHODOLOGY The research takes place in two different borough schools nursery in their early years settings in England over a period of 4 months. Setting 1: This is my own schools nursery based separate building for the infants school building, this is located in a most multicultural state in town in Forestage, London area of the UK. Children aged 3 years to 5 years old attending the nursery on a half day and the next lot come for the afternoon session. The garden is a large part of it concrete and the other part was gated and covered with tree barks, with plastic climbing frame and slide, large tree on the other end of the gated part end bench under the tree and a large plastic turtle shape sand and water tray. On the paved area, there is a large wind chime resting on the fence and the other areas are left free for obstacle activity, easel, construction blocks, bicycles etc. Setting 2: This is a school based in borough of Redbridge, In order to establish childrens involvement levels in the two settings, I considered issuing questionnaires to both parents and practitioners. On discussing this with my School mentor, it transpires that the result will only give parents/ practitioners view on outdoor play and not necessarily give an answer to childrens level of learning and development physically, emotionally, imaginatively, and creatively through outdoor play. In conjunction with the setting staffs, I have collected data using participant observations in the form of tracking observation method which was handed out to the practitioners to follow selected children during outdoor play at each of the setting to find out the childrens interest while outdoor as well as direct observation method conducted by myself in the form of narrative observation to assess childrens involvement levels in two different outdoor environments. Observation is an important, if underrated, form of assessment. It may seem subjective, but it has a great deal of potential. Assessments can be made when the children are actively engaged in outdoor play and therefore the process on interaction with other children and adult can be observed. According to Creswell (2002) observations in a setting requires good listening skills and careful attention to visual detail. It also required management of issues such as the potential deception by people being observed and the initial awkwardness of being an outsider without initial personal support in a setting (Hammersley Atkinson, 1995). ANALYSIS/FINDINGS The results indicates that there is quality adult-child verbal interactions at the sandhringham school than the other setting which was my main concern and according to EPPE (2004) and REPEY (2002) research findings which identified that more sustained shared thinking was observed in settings where children made the most progress. Sustained shared thinking occurs when two or more individuals work together in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity, extend a narrative etc. For example, a child sat under a large tree with few other children with an adult and she told the adult this is a forest, where the wolf is hiding and waiting me, Ill be the goldilocks and you can be the bad wolf and the adult engaged the child in open-ended questioning which is associated with better cognitive achievement according to the EPPE research findings. The forest was later turned into grandmas house they used drapes and plastic cover and securely pinned and another child sweeping off the dry leaves I am sweeping my grandmas room, because she is unwell and I need to help keep it clean. Where as at my other setting, the adults intervened mainly to ensure the safety of the children by encouraging a child to participate in an activity. For example, during an obstacle activity, the adult encouraged the child to walk on the blocks and offered a hand to boost the childs confidence. An interesting observation is that there are a lot of initiated activities at the Sandringham school with interventions by practitioners when invited by the child to extend the child/rens thinking. Opportunities are provided for adult initiated group activities which according to EPPE (2004) research findings are most effective vehicles for learning. For example, a game of silence ball? hide and seek game where the children have to listen to where the voices responding to their call is coming from to help them locate the people hiding. This game promotes listening skills. However, majority of the activities at the other setting is usually free play with mainly fixed climbing frames and slides, large wind chime, and selection of choices made available by the adult such as sand and water tray, lego blocks on a carpet or tray, writing materials, dressing up clothes, balls and books which is alternated on a daily basis. There is mostly child to child verbal interaction. The children in Sandringham school are engaged in more creative and imaginative play such as finding treasures, digging, treasure hunting lifting logs to look for worms which was in line with Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) who described garden then as a spiritual place where children could grow and develop in harmony with nature, and begin to sense their own place in the natural world. It was a place for creative and imaginative play for investigation and discovery for songs, music and ring games. Froebel was perhaps unique in amongst the pioneers in linking garden design to his philosophy of childrens learning and in recognising the holistic nature of young childrens learning. He saw in such games evidence of childrens growing sense of justice, self- control, comradeship and fairness which I also noticed during my observation at the sandringham, school setting. For example, each child is given opportunity to lead with an adult when doing the head count before entering and leaving the forest school. A child was upset because she wanted to lead on this occasion and the adult explained to her that she has had a turn last week and that everyone has to have a go before it could be her turn again and this helps the children to develop sense of fairness and justice. The staff leading at the sandringham school seemed to have good knowledge and understanding of the curriculum as well as knowledge of child development and they have gained additional training on forest school approach, which I assume has helped the adult in facilitating childrens learning. For example, the children learn to use natural materials such as sticks to make a shelter, two other children uses large paint brushes with water to paint the wooden fence. Another girl went to paint a tree, which a boy was climbing on and he said no Amisha, its going to be slippery. Other activities observed at Sandringham school arethey are climbing, move over obstacles, carrying logs from one area to the other, eating outdoors, getting dirty while digging or hiding, opportunity to wander freely without constant adult supervision in a large space with lots of nature to see and explore at their own pace. All these will support the childrens emotional, social development, environmental awareness a nd spiritual wellbeing. It also encourages active learning, improve creativity and critical thinking. From my observation of children at the other setting with garden equipment from a sale, the older children mostly run around the small garden or climb on the plastic frame and slide which I agree with Allen, M (1897-1976) spells dullness and monotony and only the manufacturers benefit. Marjorie Allen 1897-1976 also criticized the conventional playgrounds seen at majority of the nursery and pre-school these days as static, dull, unchallenging, and do not account for young childrens drive to explore, imagine, create and to seek companionship. However it is interesting to note during each observation at the other school that the tree bark that covers the garden floor offered scope for children with learning difficulty. For example, the children use the tree bark to represent food served by one child to the other children and as they received each said thank you. While at the sandrigham school, a space under the tree was transformed into a Grandmas house, Vygosky (1978) cited in Tovey 2007 argued that such play leads to higher level thinking because children are using objects symbolically. The act of transformatio