Language Learning

IntroductionA foreign language is the language that people from another specific country/nation speak. Why should we learn foreign languages? As Frank Smith (Voxy, 2011) stated: â€Å"One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way†. Learning a foreign language is a fundamental way to broaden one's horizon, to find a job, to communicate with people from all over the world, to understand and respect other civilizations, to study or work abroad, to consume knowledge from the foreign media and others. The list of the gains of speaking a foreign language is endless. It is not only about having the skills to speak a language; it also serves personal potential to grow and to improve oneself. In the era of globalization and massive migration, language learning is more needed than ever before. The last decades, millions of people have been moving from one place to another (for various reasons such as political, economical, cultural reasons) in order to ameliorate their lives and get more opportunities to develop themselves. This situation sets the language learning inevitable because without it people could simply not communicate. As education has been always the most shaping mechanism, foreign language teaching is a main purpose in nowadays' schooling. A key note of UNESCO's proposes in the  «Guidelines on Intercultural Education » is that  «the role of language is a basic tool through education to arise understanding among people's cultures » (Cowen, 2009, p. 1019). The primary education level is considered one of the most important periods in a child's life. It is a core-stage that comes after pre-schooling, where children get the basic knowledge in order to evolve themselves and to build later a personal cognitive system where they can add all the following knowledge they are going to face during education (either formal or informal). School curriculums worldwide include teaching students at least one compulsory foreign language as they start primary school. Regularly, those school curricula in each country form the way of language teaching and they are continuously looking for the best methods and policies in order to achieve the greatest cognitive result. Education should prioritize and support the language teaching in favor of students to have access to a very broad information/knowledge area.  English as a foreign language in EuropeHaving a global language makes our lives much simpler and our communication attainable. The selection of English language benefits people from different national contexts to connect and interact in several levels (for example: educational, professional, political, social level). In fact, without having a common language as a means of communication, the struggle of it would be noticeable everywhere in our lives. According to Collins Dictionary for the definition â€Å"English as a foreign language† is: â€Å"the practice and theory of learning and teaching English for use in countries where it is not an official medium† (English as a Foreign Language definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary†). The heads of European Union in 2002, focused on a two foreign language teaching from a very early age. This process would develop children's tolerance to deal with the different cultures and/or languages. The positive outcomes of this action would also benefit children in cognitive and academic level as they would be more effective in all other areas (Dedrinou, 2013, p.46). Therefore, the urgent need of foreign language acquisition is a vital matter in recent years' schooling and its position becomes stronger and stronger. Reviewing the â€Å"Key data of teaching languages at schools in Europe† the most common foreign language that students learn in primary and secondary school, is English. English is a mandatory foreign language in nearly all education systems that stipulate a particular foreign language that all students must study, that is, in almost half of the European countries studied (Union, 2018, p.13). The percentage of European students learning English during the whole process of education is 97.3%. In Primary schools it is lower (79.4%) due to the non-compulsory character of English teaching at the first years (grades) of Primary education in several countries. The last ten years 18.7% more primary school students were learning English compared to 2005. The reason is that the starting point of English teaching moved in lower grades of schooling (Union, 2018).Aim and significanceThe present exam paper points to reflect the importance of learning the first foreign language from the very early age of Primary school. Moreover, it aims to add knowledge to the existent information in language learning generally and particularly in these two countries, in order to promote international overview understanding of educational methods and policies. The cases of Greece and Sweden are compared as a means to review the similarities and the differences of language teaching practices in each educational system. The Swedes are highly motivated to learn English and their rankings are on the top of the list of non-native English speakers (Number 2 among 80 countries/regions)(â€Å"EF EPI 2017 – Sweden,†). Greek people spent a fortune in additional English teaching outside school and they hardly achieve proficiency in English as they finish their education (Number 23 among 80 countries/regions) (â€Å"EF EPI 2017 – Greece,†). These rankings above inspired the author of the present paper to examine the process of English language teaching in these two specific primary school systems. Featured information within this paper could help to point out and explain each system's weaknesses and also, to highlight good quality methods or/and results. The two –country selection is also, author's high-interest topic. Specifically, Sweden is often used as a â€Å"great example† of educating students with innovative techniques and considerable results. Greece is the author's country of origin. As a result of personal experience as a student and as an English language private teacher in six-year old children, this paper aims to examine the teaching process and efficiency in Greece. It is considerable to examine the whole process of English learning in Greece because it is not only about schooling but also, a matter of external factors. The analysis of Greece is a slightly more extended by the case of the explanation of these external factors mentioned above. Of special concern is to pose some basic questions that are going to be investigated within this paper:Which age is the most suitable to start learning a first foreign language?Who supposes to teach the foreign language?How children that are taught English perform in two different countries?How the teaching process is accomplished in Greece and Sweden?What the current data state about total student assessment in English?Which country's method seems to be more efficient?  MethodFirstly, as far as the comparative part within this paper, it is based on the famous cube by Bray and Thomas. The chosen dimensions/ levels of comparison are the following: age groups (primary school children), countries (Sweden and Greece) and teaching methods (first foreign language teaching) (Bray, Adamson & Mason, 2014, p. 9). This multilevel analysis gives comparative approach to an international issue, the one of teaching the first foreign language. The aspects of comparison are three so this cube is a perfect model of comparative usage because it makes it more comprehensible and accessible. The specific comparison constitutes an indisputable piece of International and Comparative Education and as Marshall reports: â€Å"Comparisons enable us to view education from alternative perspectives, potentially leading to a greater understanding of the world, the people who live in it, and the issues they may face.† (Marshall, 2014, p.61-62). Furthermore, the main material information for the two comparing countries is collected from the Eurydice Report of EU Publications: â€Å"Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe†. This report contains information and statistics in language teaching from 42 countries/regions in Europe. Due to the broad character of the report, the chosen level is primary schools and English language teaching in both Greece and Sweden. However, the report includes data for second language teaching in each country or minority language teaching (Union, 2018). Research in journal articles, academic papers and web pages contributed to indentify the process of learning English as the first foreign language and both the similarities and differences in the countries of question. International and Comparative education's literature is also used to examine paper's topic through the lens of the field.LimitationsAs already mentioned above, the main material within this paper comes from a European Report found on Eurydice, where the phenomenon of language teaching is examined in 42 European countries/regions. It was not possible to compare all these countries/regions, the levels of education or several languages provided during education and come to conclusions, so the selected areas are just two countries (Greece and Sweden), one foreign language (English) and one level ( Primary education). Therefore the language teaching in secondary education and the learning outcomes of both countries are not examined and well-explained in the present paper. As it is expected in every national context, social, historical, economical and lingual reasons shape a different reality in each country. In this paper those reasons are not analyzed due to paper's formation. For instance, Swedish language structure is closer (comparing to Greek) to the English one, so the Swedes are way more familiar with the English alphabet, grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure . Therefore it is expected that the Swedes are more likely able to conquer the target language rather than anyone else whose native language is quite different (Igawa & Yagi, 2011, p. 106). Probably, it is an interesting perspective for future academic research and analysis. Moreover, the following analysis of Greece is going to reveal the situation of additional English classes that Greek students are encouraged to take in order to ameliorate their English status. These classes divide into two categories: Foreign Language Schools (Frontistiria) and private lessons at home (Idietera mathimata). As it comes to the second option (private lessons at home) data is limited owing to the informal character of these lessons.

Acc/230 Week 2 Assignment Lucent Technologies Case

Week 2 Individual: Lucent Technologies Case Assignment: Read Case 2. 1: Lucent Technologies on pp. 79 and 80 (Ch. 2) of the text. Compose a 500- to 750-word paper that includes your answers to questions 2-4 on p. 79. Question #2: Evalutat the asset, debt, and equity structure of Lucent Technologies, as well as trends and changes found on the common-size balance sheet. After reviewing the case of Lucent Technologies, we discover that the assets for Lucent Technologies suffered a decline between 2003 and 2004.According to the information provided in the case revealing, the current assets in 2003 was 49. 4% of Lucent Technologies total assets, whereas the current assets in 2004 decreased to 48. 5%. Although, after reviewing the case the percentage of inventory rose from 4. 0% in 2003 to 4. 8% in 2004. We can then calculate there is about a 20% increase in the total inventory holdings. Also it is apparent that Lucent Technologies entire assets in 2003 was 24% and had a decrease in 2004 t o about 20%. This can be measured by the company's cash equivalents and cash.The total debt structure of Lucent Technologies decreased between 2003 and 2004. Lucent Technologies had a decrease in their current liability. In 2003 their current liability was 25. 6% and decreased to 24. 3% during 2004. According to the debts that increased from 23% in 2003 to 26. 4% a year later in the company's total liability, the debts of Lucent Technologies would be considered long term. In 2003, Lucent Technologies had decreased in the representation of total liabilities and shareholders equity on the equity side for Lucent Technologies when compared to a year later.Improvements can happen and the situation of the company now can improve as the year progresses so the company won't look deficit. Question #3: What concerns would investors and creditors have based on only this information? Based on only this information for Lucent Technologies, a concern investors and creditors would have when lookin g at this balance sheet would be the debt structure. When looking at the given information we see a decrease in the total liability, but an increase in the long term liabilities.This could caurse harm to the company since the current liabilities are decreasing from one year to the next. Although, since there is an increase shown for the long term liabilities it balances out to prevent showing a loss. The equity portion is in a superior position for the company. In conclusion, with the given information, Lucent Technologies has been improving looking at 2003 and 2004 and will continue to improve steadily. Question #4: What additional financial and non financial information would investors and creditors need to make investing and lending decision for Lucent Technologies?Some additional financial information that investors and creditors would need in order to make investing and lending decisions for Lucent Technologies would be the company's financial statements. Investors and creditor s would need financial statements for Lucent Technologies because the financial statements contain all the financial information that the investors and creditors would need to make sound investing and lending decisions for Lucent Technologies. The financial statements are the inner workings in a company.The financial statements of a company can be looked at and compared with previous years, in order to find trends in the financial statements and guide investors and creditors to figure out where the company stands and what direction the company may have facing them. Some nonfinancial information that investors and lending decisions for Lucent Technologies would be to know the operating units were created to work together in order to provide cost-efficient solutions and innovative for customers. The business structure can sometimes play a key roll in financial decisions.

World view paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

World view paper - Essay Example The work groups may have a local set of values that significantly differ from the dominant culture. Many organizations related to health care, engineering, artists, and researchers have adopted the heterogeneity assumptions. The distinctive work paradigms and the demands of the occupations can easily marginalize the employees from the central organization. As a result, the workers try to cope with everyday frustrations and preserve their distinctive identity. They do so by working intensively together under a subculture (Bratton et al., 2010). The cultural heterogeneity affected my behavior as a doctor with a certain health organization. For example, we could collectively interpret the dominant value of providing the best possible care service to patients. However, the various professional groups frequently delivered care in a way different from the espoused value. Each group had a different interpretation from others of what best care means. For doctors, for instance, we interpreted it as eradicating the cause of the disease. On the other hand, occupational workers believed that it delivering care is helping patients to achieve improved life quality and greater mobility. These differing subcultures frequently clashed with one another and the central culture. Another theory, the symbolic- interactionist perspective, views organizational world as the all its members’ interactions put together. It assumes that culture is a vehicle that carries shared meaning (hence symbolic). It is brought about by the face-to-face encounters (hence inter-actionist) of workers and managers as they engage in daily workplace activities (Bratton et al., 2010). Thus, the organizational actors construct the culture, and then the networks of symbols and meanings among workers and managers reproduce it. Studying language, space, action, observable artifacts, beliefs, and values of the organization can thus help in

The Heart Symbol Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Heart Symbol - Essay Example As a religious symbol, it entails a powerful tug to express and convey a message to the observer the greatness of God’s love for his children. In the Christian religion, the symbol of the Sacred Heart stands for the three trilogies; faith, hope and charity. It conveys four great messages; God’s movement towards humankind through Jesus’ pure heart, the movement of the human hearts toward God, the joining together of human heart with God, and the joining together of human hearts in sacred friendship and brotherhood. Ancient Egyptians called the heart symbol Ieb (â€Å"Heart†), believing it was the center of all consciousness, the center of life itself. The heart religion is also used as an icon in other religions like Buddhism, Islam, Taoism and etc. Generally, the heart was depicted and understood as the center of a human’s being and consciousness. In more realistic depictions of the human heart though, morbid messages of death and violence are conveyed, which is in contrast to the usual messages associated with the symbolic heart. Unusual presentations of the heart symbol also exist. For example, people from Sweden associate the heart symbol to restrooms or toilets and defecation. The heart symbol has evolved from being religious icons. The heart symbol has also evolved in its use of slang language, the slang expression â€Å"I â™ ¥ U† (I love you or I heart you) is gaining popularity today in expressing love or affection with occasionally an implication that the feeling is shallow or immature. The slogan "I NY" (I love New York), is a well known pop-style icon that directly promotes the urban pride of New York. No matter how the heart symbol is depicted or illustrated, its impact and power on religion and contemporary views is undeniable. A brief look at a heart symbol brings an unmistakable instant message of affection, totaling to love. For that, it is continually used over time, slowly evolving and taking different forms, bringing with them new ideas. List of References "Symbols 20:18". Online Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms. 7 May 2006.

Boston Matrix Tool with Product Life Cycle Management Assignment

Boston Matrix Tool with Product Life Cycle Management - Assignment Example It will manage to impact on its ten years strategic market share plan for the system since it will incorporate mature market. This means that the company is not a new entrant in the market, and it can only move on without challenges that can hinder it to develop the strategic market plan for the next ten years. The company has the opportunities of using drones and Geographic Information System for managing oil, gas theft and spillage along the pipelines and their goals is likely to be achieved within the specified timeline. Since the company has been operational for a longer time, challenges are solved when they emerge and thus the ten-year strategic plan being obtained by the specified deadline. Since the enterprise has established a strategy to deal with theft and spillage of the pipes, prevention of environment degradation is one of the impacts that are going to be achieved. For example, air and water pollutions are going to be minimized since the industries can embark on the stra tegies set. For example, pollution will be controlled through immersion of carbon (Henderson, 2004). Water is polluted due to spillage of oil, and this can only be curbed if pipes that transport oil are going to be lick proof and use the synchronization mode of oil transportation.

The British invasion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The British invasion - Essay Example According to Curtis (1987), rock music is a common name of many musical styles that emerged in the mid 50s. Rock is not just music; rock became a global cultural phenomenon and formed the basis of many subcultures. The origins of rock music are blues, but rather, in rhythm and blues - a synthetic genre of popular music, primarily African-American musicians performed elements of jazz, blues and gospel in it. In continuation it is necessary to add that American rock and roll is the earliest genre of rock music, which combined the features of blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, boogie-woogie and country music in it. Naturally, America, being a home to all of these genres, was the most successful in promoting rock and roll, and the most famous ‘pioneers’ of rock and roll came from the United States too. The United States occupied a dominant position in rock music until the early 60s, when in England began to appear the bands playing a new style of dance music – bits under the influence of folk music. Then appeared merseybeat style of music, which was among the bits subgenres and was presented by Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Searchers, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, as well as early The Beatles recordings were made in this style. It was The Beatles who were able to press American artists in the charts with their single â€Å"I Want To Hold Your Hand†, and begun the British invasion. Observing the British invasion it becomes obvious that the British rock groups, famous rhythm-and-blues teams, began a rapid rise in their activities. Their hits were as popular as it was possible and even in American charts they have occupied leading places; the glory of the British rock groups flew in a few seconds all over the world. Records and tapes were swept from the shelves as fast as possible, they were overwritten by fans, and resell for big money. In general, it was a real feast of Rock. Musical groups included in the wave of the British invasion were divi ded into different areas of rock music. The most successful with a more melodic and soft merseybeat were Herman's Hermits, Manfred Mann, The Hollies, The Searchers, while easy beat with elements of folk music was played by The Zombies. Analyzing the British invasion, Curtis (1987) stated that â€Å"though not all of the bands sounded similar -- they ranged from the hard rock of the Rolling Stones and the Kinks to the sweet pop of Gerry & the Pacemakers and Herman's Hermits - each group was heavily influenced by American rock & roll, blues, and R&B.† Many groups have been actively influenced by rhythm and blues, for example, The Yardbirds, as well as The Animals, famous for the use of organ music. According to Friedlander (1996), exactly legendary The Rolling Stones achieved the greatest success and undeniable popularity. Their image was much more aggressive in comparison with the performers of merseybeat, and songs, such as the famous â€Å"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction†, sounded much heavier. The Rolling Stones were perceived by the American public as more "acute" and even a dangerous group. They positioned their music, as closer to the traditional "black" rhythm and blues. They created a specific image which separated them from the environment of beat artists such as The Beatles, who were harmless pop band on their background, more acceptable by the

Goals of Hinduism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Goals of Hinduism - Essay Example The Vedic texts of Hinduism, also known as the Vedas, are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism and are essential to the practicing of Hinduism. The Vedic texts make up the four Saá ¹Æ'hitÄ s: the Rigveda contains hymns and songs that are meant to be recited by a designated priest; the Yajurveda has various formulas that are also to be recited by a specific priest; the Samaveda also contains formulas, but instead of being recited, these are to be sung by the designated priest; the fourth and final text is the Atharvaveda, which is a collection of spells, incantations, charms, and hymns. In the songs and hymns, each individual verse is also known as a mantra, which can be recited for certain needs or occasions, much as a prayer would be recited in other religions. These various texts are said to have been passed down from numerous gods and goddesses, as it is believed that humans had no part in their creation. Furthermore, they did not originate as texts, but as words that were heard and then written down. Many practitioners of Hinduism preferred, and still do, to memorize the Vedic texts rather than write them down or keep them as a book because they believe there is an importance of remembering sacred words as opposed to looking them up when they are needed. Since there are no direct origins of the texts, there are many branches of Hinduism that do not trust them, and therefore do not use them in their practices. In orthodox branches of Hinduism, the Vedic texts are regarded as their main spiritual authority. ... Ritual is a very important part of Tantra, and is often seen in the form of yoga, which is a sacred practice in Hinduism. The implementing of ritual in the practices of Hinduism allow practitioners to become closer with their gods and goddesses, bringing them closer through a spiritual exercise. By using the divine power, which is also known as prana, that can be found in the Earth and in the bodies of human beings, Hindus are able to use the energy to achieve certain spiritual or physical goals. During these rituals to access the divine energy, it is common for practitioners to use yoga, as previously mentioned, as well as visualizations of specific deities and mantras. All of these tools are used to help center and focus the attention of the practitioner on the goal that they wish to achieve. The sole purpose of tantric exercises and worship is to help a person attain complete control over themselves, as well as every force of nature, to become one with the divine rulers. Tantric exercises must be taught to followers of Hinduism, and their training usually begins with being taught how to meditate, which is often taught and overseen by a guru. Meditation will teach the practitioners how to control their breathing, their thoughts, and the ability to shut themselves off from their surroundings, allowing them to completely focus. After learning how to meditate, practitioners are taught yoga, which teaches how to exercise will over one’s body. From there, the practitioner is able to implement everything into a tantric worship ritual, bringing forth the energy from the Earth and their own body.

Transition Periods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Transition Periods - Essay Example How children react to transiting situations and how their teachers deal with them at such situations. According to the example in the article, the teacher feels helpless when he is unable to change children from playing to cleaning. These children would not listen to the clean up time voice from the keyboard because according to them their play time should continue endlessly. The reason as to why they feel that way is because they have recognized and adapted to the game time. The author states that children should be left alone to deal with transition periods so as to grow up only after ensuring that the classrooms activities are satisfying and age appropriate. The reason as to why children feel stressed up during transition period is because they feel uneasy, anxious and threatened by unpredictable situations. They feel more comfortable when faced with a predictable situation that they can quickly determine the outcome. Teachers also feel anxious when faced with transitional situations. They also prefer ongoing situations than unlikely situations that keep them worrying if everything is okay. The report also states various factors that lead to transitional anxiety including boredom. Waiting builds up anxiety, even the most composed children with good manners gets anxious when they are forced to wait. Insistence on uniformity, when children are forced to move uniformly, they get anxious and mostly they act in accordance with the way their teachers did when they were anxious. Unclear future also causes anxiety because children get scared to perform a task they are not familiar with or are not sure of its outcome. Most children fear failure. They get scared of a task if there is a probability of failure especially if the teacher has to be using praise on those children who do well. Clarification of tasks helps to reduce stress during the transition. When children know exactly what they are expected to do and the results that will come out of such a task,

Qualitative Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Qualitative Studies - Essay Example Therefore, the discussions and observations are structured loosely, thus allowing for the expression of a "full range of beliefs, feelings, and behaviours" (Polit and Beck, 2007, 57). However, in contrast to quantitative studies, analysis and interpretation are ongoing and concurrent activities that will continue to guide choices about the next sample with concurrent modifications of the types of questions or necessary observations. Thus with the goal of clustering together of related types of narrative information into a coherent scheme of time consuming and intensive data analysis, the sample needs to be determined. The aim of most qualitative studies is to discover meaning and to uncover multiple realities, and so generalizability is not a guiding criterion as in quantitative studies. Thus probability sampling is not necessary. Randomly selected population may not necessarily be good informants, and thus the sampling method must be one of nonprobability methods. These include: extreme or deviant case sampling, typical case sampling, and snowball sampling (Cochran, 1977, 13-47). This means, there must be a purpose for any particular sampling method. In probability sampling, elements are selected by nonrandom methods. ... These are convenience, quota, and purposive (Polit and Beck, 2007, 292). Convenience Sampling A convenience sample can be defined as a sample in which research subjects are recruited based on their ease of availability, or in other words, the sample comprises of the most conveniently available subjects. Essentially, individuals who are the most ready, willing, and able to participate in the study are the ones who are selected to participate. In qualitative research, it may be helpful to use a convenience sample to test the appropriateness of interview questions. This is an inexpensive and quick way to test the design of the study by approaching an interested group of people first before embarking on a larger, longer, and more expensive study (Diekmann & Smith, 1989, 418-430). The main problem with such sampling is that the available subjects might be atypical of the population of interest with regard to critical variables. It has been argued that convenience samples can lack transferability or external validity in qualitative research. Thus although this is simple and more co st-effective, it is important to remember that the participants recruited are not necessarily reflective of the population being studied, and they may not necessarily be reflective of all view points, and thus the research may be criticized to be biased (Polit and Beck, 2007, 292). Quota Sampling (Stratified Purposeful) This is also known as quota sampling in which the researcher identifies population strata and also determines the number of participants needed from each stratum. To be able to determine this, the information about the population characteristics is necessary, since it should represent diverse segments preferable in a representative

Using examples, discuss the ways in which any one of the genres Essay

Using examples, discuss the ways in which any one of the genres explored on the module can be analysed either in ideological terms or in terms of the construction of gender or race - Essay Example This is further depicted with the passage of equality laws, and the existence of civil rights groups, whose intentions is to promote human rights. This includes equal representation of both genders. The major interest of this paper is on the media industry. This paper seeks to examine the manner which the sitcom genre, is able to construct the concept of gender and race, within the society. Sitcom as a genre of comedy constantly features characters sharing the same universal setting, for example residence or place of work, with time after time comic conversation. Sitcom is the abbreviation of situation comedy (Morreale, 2003). Programs like these originated from radio, however these days, sitcoms are found frequently on television as one of its prevailing story forms. A situation comedy television program may possibly be created in frontage of studio viewers, depending on the programs creation set-up. The use of laugh trucks imitates the sound effects of a live studio audience. The usage of these laugh trucks is one of the major characteristics of the sitcom genre movies. Situation comedy contrasts with the other types of comedy like the sketch comedy and stand-up comedy as it has a plot and ongoing characters in, basically a comedic narrative plot. The situation is often made up of comedic sequences lay down within a family unit; place of work, or amongst a set of associates (Eduardo, 2011). Before and during the 20th century, comedy sketches were offered within a series of shows and assorted with tuneful presentations, as in vaudeville. The growing mass medium of radio allowed audiences to often return to the programs, so programs could display the same characters and situations in each and every episode and look forward to audiences to be well-known with them (Eduardo, 2011). Friend, aired for ten full seasons in 1994, is a renowned comedy show in the United

The childrens hospital impatient pharmacy Essay Example for Free

The childrens hospital impatient pharmacy Essay My next site visit was in the childrens hospital impatient pharmacy . It was so exciting for me since it was my first hospital visit . It was so exciting to experience a different type of pharmacy practice since I am considering that my future job be at a hospital pharmacy. I showed more interest here compared to the other practices that I have attended. I started my first visit to the site on the 13th which is a Thursday. The first day, I was taken by my GPS to a totally different address. Lucky for me that I exited the school a little sooner than usual so I had enough time to look for the hospital. It was not fun looking for the right way to the hospital fro m my lost location especially that I am not a good driver under stress. To put the story, I got to my site visi on time. Thank God! It was totally new work, yes—I mean the hospital . Wow! All the doors to the pharmacy needs a special pass code. After I entered the pharmacy, I introduced myself with the preceptor who was not the same person that was introduced to me from the school. She explained how the whole fully automated pharmacy system functions. I should admit that I did not understand half of the things she said. It was like I was in a totally new world. A world that is half free of human help—distributing medication was through the help of an automated machine. My preceptor introduced me with the staff in the pharmacy. It was such a big pharmacy that was combined with parental and compounding pharmacy which provided the need of the hospital for any medication . Karen, my preceptor showed me the actual work around the pharmacy. She explained to me the system of drug delivery around the hospital. For each section of the hospital, a machine for dispensing drugs is mounted. It is equipped with a computer that is accessible for all hospital personnel. The pharmacist would enter the prescription on the computer system and the nurse would get the medication directly from the machine. This machine, the Medline also allow the nurse to return the medication if necessary. These machine are being refilled by the technicians 2 times every 24 hours. The pharmacy also designed a delivery tube that could deliver the prescription to and from any place in hospital. The delivery system is fast, free and accurate. After my brief introduction to the hospital and the medication delivery system, my preceptor assigned me to look for the expired medicines from the stock. It was much more medication than what the other pharmacies have on their shelves. I basically spent the rest of my first visit and second visit identifying the expired medication. It allowed me to see the individual medication through my own eyes and it helped me learn faster. On my third day, I was introduce to the out patient pharmacy of the hospital. It runs basically the same way as any other retail pharmacy that provided the out patient with their medication. It was so interesting for me to try different types of pharmacy experience. I always pictured myself with a pharmacy where the technicians count the pills and the pharmacists that check them. But now, I could see a whole new feature. A feature that is faster and a lot more accurate in dispensing medication. The best system that I experienced in this hospital would be the feature of the pharmacy . Looking at the whole system one more time, this system could be convenient for city .The automated dispensing machine replaces the retail stores.

Parental Awareness of Educational Play

Parental Awareness of Educational Play Introduction This study will be looking at how parents of children in a foundation stage setting understand and value play based activities to aid their childs learning and to consider their views on play as an integral part of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Many policies have been introduced in the last few years concerning the education of young children. Through the implementation of policies which concentrate on supporting families, alongside initiatives like Surestart; childrens welfare and education have been united as well as support being offered for parents, families and the community. The idea of the family is now seen as an important part of early years education and parents should be encouraged and valued as they are important to the well being of their children and their educational benefits. Aubrey (2000) suggests that early education does not happen in a void and notably, we must remember that development begins with the family and reminds us that parents are a childs first educator. The EYFS tries to include all that is needed to ensure a child thrives in a EYFS setting, including children learn through play and parents work in partnership with settings. Although the EYFS is not without its critics. This study will seek to establish the extent of parental awareness of the educational value of play in the EYFS classroom. I have been employed in the early years sector for over fourteen years and have helped with the transition from nursery to primary school for many children, including three children of my own. During this time, I have experienced many parents whom are very happy for their child to be involved in a play based curriculum whilst in nursery education, but become concerned and surprised that children when entering school do not participate in a more structured and traditional curriculum and that the EYFS is continued into school. The next chapter will review the literature in the area of early years education, and will begin by considering some of the many definitions of play. Literature review This literature review, will discuss the many definitions of play. Major learning theories with reference to play, will be considered and how they have influenced education of today. It will also look at how policy has changed and developed, what has defined the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and discuss whether parents are aware of the benefits of a play based curriculum or not. What is play? An early definition of play comes from Isaacs (1999) who viewed play as the work of children. Montessori (2005) believed that children preferred to work whilst playing. Her teaching focused on children developing basic skills, skills could include button and fastening equipment to promote independence in dressing. Though Montessori did not promote learning through play, she did value individual effort as well as working as part of a group. (Lindon, 2001). Lindon (2001) believes play is a range of activities which are undertaken for their own enjoyment, satisfaction and interest. Play is not essential for survival although these activities support psychological wellbeing, learning physical skills and intellectual stimulation. Whereas Moyles (1989) comments on how play is valuable as an excellent learning tool, he also notes the difficulties in finding a definite, precise and conclusive definition of play. He continues by saying there is a need for a different terminology to be used, as the idea of play can be interpreted as something trivial, instead of being seen as play being serious and important to learning. Wood and Attfield (2005) agree by suggesting play cannot easily be defined or grouped as it is always dependant on circumstance and context, which can vary greatly. It has become apparent that although there is no clear definition of play, play is considered to be important by researchers in the field, although Peacocke (1987) argues that the lack of definition causes parents to be suspicious of play as a true learning activity. Child development and play Roussou as far back as 1700 challenged the idea that children were naturally sinful with the opposing idea that children were naturally innocent (Oates et al, date) Roussou as cited in Wood and Attfield (2005) used his knowledge to think practically on how children should be raised and determined that children from birth to twelve, should have their natural innocence appreciated and should be free, to run, jump and play all day. Ideas through the years have often challenged the current thinking of the time and childhood and play has developed and changed because of differing new ideas, to how we define it today. Child development ideas continue to be discussed and challenged with innovative and profound ideas having a large impact on how childhood has been conceptualized and children treated in society. Whilst others asked what do children know Piaget as cited in Garhart Mooney, (2000) suggests that Piagets work was about how children arrived on what they know? Piaget claimed that children construct their own comprehension by giving meaning to their surroundings and the people they meet. Piaget (1967) noted how all children of the same age appeared to think in similar ways, and how they would also make similar mistakes. From the observations Piaget noted the changes in the childrens thinking; this led him to believe that the child was an isolated individual, who adapts to the environment they are in (Smith et el, 1998). Gerhard Mooney, (2000) suggests Piagets theory has created the most comprehensive over view of young children and how they think, although practitioners of today can see some of Piagets theories are not as purposeful as once thought, the basic ideas of his theory still helps practitioners to plan a focused and challenging curriculum for young children. Lindon (2001) continues by suggesting that it is through Piagets beliefs that children create their own understanding of the world, which led him to highlight that adults should create environments which children can discover and learn by themselves. Cadwell (2003) suggests an example of this is the preschools of northern Italy, Reggio Emilia which are strongly influenced by the theories of Piaget. Vygotsky as cited in Garhart Mooney (2000) agreed with Piaget that childrens knowledge was created from personal experiences; although Vygotsky suggests that personal and social experiences can not be separated and that children learn from each other every day, their language develops and they grasp new ideas as they speak to each other, listen to each other and play together. Daniels (1996) proposes that Vygotsky saw play as an important activity to aid learning and development. Vygotsky as cited in Garhart Mooney (2000) suggests play combines time and opportunity for activities in social interaction, language and the use of symbols. He believed that this would empower the childs own interests and operate problem creating and problem solving. As cited in Brock et el (2008) Vygotsky believed these were the tools needed to work within the childs zone of proximal development and that when children are learning, they learn best when what they are learning is just outside their grasp. Th is means that practitioners should know what the child is capable of and what they are capable of understanding. The childs development should then be aided by adult guidance and teamwork with peers. Bruner (1977) continued to develop the ideas and theories of Vygotsky. He believed that children had an in built desire to learn. Bruner, like Vygotsky suggested that it is the work of the practitioner to know where the childs development is at and how they can carry forward the childs development to the next stage, he called this scaffolding. Broadhead (2006) suggests that Vygotsky and Bruners view is that the child and adult will work together, and through this they will develop new schemas. This idea has become increasingly popular, and its relevance to todays education. Development and play Froebel as cited in Macvanel (2009) believed that childhood was a stage in its own right and children were not mini adults. He felt children should learn through play, experience life first hand, self choose activities and use natural motivation. Froebel felt that play was a spiritual activity which reflected deep inner processes and change (Wood and Attfield, 2005). Montessori (2005) believed in an environment which is planned and learning activities supported training. She disregarded fantasy play stating it as insignificant and demeaning to the child, although she provided a child sized setting in which children could learn and rehearse life skills without the adult intervening. Montessori placed less emphasis on free play and fantasy play than Froebel (Montessori and Gutek, 2004). Where Montessori disregarded fantasy play, Isaacs (1995) saw the value of play especially spontaneous, imaginative and manipulative play. She saw that play could be used as a way to gratify frustrated n eeds, work through inner discord and gather understanding of the world in which children live and the relationships they have with people. Play was central to Isaacs curriculum and invited the children to adapt problem solving techniques and develop number, mark making and reading skills (Palmer, Cooper and Bresler, 2001). Current research carried out by Play England entitled Play for a change, revealed that playing had effects on areas of the brain controlling emotion, motivation and reward. The researchers continued by suggesting that play helps children to develop a range of responses to differing situations, experiences and relationships. To conclude it states playing aids children in developing flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing situations (Quarell et el, 2008). Leong (2009) agrees by saying the research into the links between play and cognitive and social skills is apparent and that play is the first stepping stone to children learning more complex ideas as they get older. This research raises new questions for those who view play as a trivial, simple, frivolous, unimportant, and purposeless behaviour and challenges them to recognize play for the important factor it is and the effect it has on childrens learning (Christie, 2001). Smith (2000) categorised play into five areas. He believed that children were active players, learners, social and emotional beings and autonomous players, and their play fitted into each of these areas. Lindon (2001) disagrees saying that researchers must be aware that although they desire areas of play to be clearly defined into categories, that these clear categories can restrict the view of play and when children play normally, they move between areas of play and adult defined areas of development with ease. A child, who is active in play, should not always be seen as just the child engrossed in physically active play (Lindon, 2001). Fisher (1996) agrees and points out that a child engaged in an intellectual activity is just as active as the child pedalling a bicycle. Eden (2008) says that children engrossed in play with others, learn how to work together and live together, that play is a valuable resource to promote equality and cultural awareness in young children. Smith (2000) agrees by saying that children establish healthy relationships with their peers and through play children have to learn to accept others. Bruce (2001) acknowledges that it is this enjoyment of all types of play that aids the children in play. Children reflect on what they have learnt, reproduce their experiences and through this cycle of everyday learning the children consolidate their experiences. Curriculum and play Since the 1944 Education Act, primary teachers and staff were given considerable freedom to teach what they believed to be educationally relevant to the children within their care (Cox and Sanders, 1994). Change was bought about after the Education Reform Act (1988), namely with the introduction of the National Curriculum (Cox, 1996). The national curriculum was introduced in September 1989 and is a framework used by all maintained schools to ensure that teaching and learning is well structured, balanced and sound (directgov, 2010). After the implementation of the national curriculum, it was soon thought that the children under five would also benefit from a curriculum. The Rumbold report (1990) was influential in developing recommendations for provision for these young children. Play and talk were recommended as key approaches. The first attempt to define a curriculum was called desirable outcomes for childrens learning (1996) and included six areas of learning. (Wood and Attfield, 2005). Play in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) The EYFS was implemented in 2007 and brings together the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage and Birth to Three Matters. The Effective provision of pre school education (EPPE) project, informed part of the EYFS and among other things showed that the experiences provided for young children in the Foundation Stage and early years settings have a strong impact on childrens learning and social development (DCFS, 2008). All schools and early years settings caring for children under five years have to implement the EYFS programme and the programme ends at the end of the academic year the child turns five (Pugh and Duffy, 2010). The EYFS sets out legal requirements and direction to help practitioners in settings meet the varied developmental and learning needs of all children under five years (Bruce, 2008). The EYFS proposes that flexible plans are used by practitioners to adapt ideas and that carers use observations to link play situations to learning outcomes. The main premise of the EYFS is that play is the central aspect and can support each of the six areas of learning (Canning and Read, 2010). For example, Pimentel (2007) suggests that to develop problem solving reasoning and numeracy in young children, practitioners should be providing mathematical opportunities through play based, open ended and challenging activities like imaginative play, songs and stories. Current research from Bergen (2002) agrees concluding there is a relationship between problem solving and pretend play and that social play has a great influence on problem solving of all kinds. Worthington and Caruthers (2010) continue by suggesting that parents should been shown how children explore mathematical meaning through play, to fully understand the concept. Riley (2003) suggests that play opportunities offer chil dren the chance to acquire knowledge and understanding of the world in which they live and that play has the potential to be the major approach to childrens learning. The EYFS, promotes parents as partners as it recognises that young children whose parents are involved in their early learning make notably better progress (Evangelou, 2004). The child and the family is now recognised as a whole, each able to benefit the other. Initiatives such as Sure Start believe in educating parents in order to educate the child. (Kurtz, 2003). Although Wiltshire (2002) argues that the whole idea of the foundation stage is confusing to parents as they do not know anything about its aims and outcomes. Petrie and Hollaway, (2006) suggest some parents may not be aware of the opportunities for learning that are embedded in a play-oriented curriculum, whilst Brotherson (2009) reminds us that at times, parents have concerns that their child is just playing and not learning what they need to learn and parents must be made aware that play is learning for children. Elkind (2007) continues by saying that parents are concerned their child is at a disadvantage if they are no t constantly engaged in high level learning and educational games, and is of the opinion that parents need to be alerted and reassured of the learning benefits of unscheduled imaginative play situations which will help develop their academic and social abilities. Since the EYFS has been implemented, there has been some who have criticised the initiative. There are fears that a single framework will result in a checklist style curriculum, with practitioners being overwhelmed with the framework (Thompson, 2006). Whitebread and Whitebread (2008) agree by continuing that although concerns over the expanse of the curriculum are minimal, there are serious concerns that in some areas the capabilities of the children are under estimated. Brock et el suggests that practitioners must be fully aware of the breadth and depth of play and a play based curriculum to be able to implement the EYFS effectively and with worthwhile outcomes. Key points As far back as 1929 Isaac defined play as childrens work, now over eighty years later the EYFS is based upon children learning through play. The EYFS principles are based on research and theory of the early years pioneers of education, although it is argued that parents are critical and confused by it. Policy and early years initiatives are encouraging parents to become involved in their childs care, but it is unlikely they will become involved and embrace the EYFS if they do not understand the ideas and concepts which it is built around. I am interested to see if parents understand the benefits of play, or like Peacocke (1978) suggests parents do not see the benefits of play and like Whitebread (2002) states they are confused by the foundation stage. Research Aims To find out what knowledge parents have of the Early Years Foundation stage. To gather information on what parents understand are the benefits of play as a learning tool in the foundation stage classroom. To gain insight into what parents views are of a play based curriculum compared with a more traditional curriculum. Methodology This chapter will look at how the research for this study has been approached, how I have designed the research and how it will help to answer the question Do parents of school age children value play as a learning tool to support the Early Years Foundation Stage? I will look at which methods of research have been chosen and why, highlighting the benefits and problems surrounding the chosen methods. Validity and reliability of the research will be discussed as well as discussing ethical issues which may arise whilst carrying out the study. Method and Approach This piece of research is focused upon parental views and awareness of the educational value of play, it will use qualitative methods during which personal opinions will be sought. As the parents views are paramount within the research the methodology used will be an interpretive approach. Robert Holmes (2005) suggests that qualitative researchers believe that the social world is created by the shared understanding of situations. Cresswell (2003) continues by saying that qualitative methods bring peoples personal views into the study. Peat (2002) suggests that the strengths of qualitative research include being able to gather information on the views of the participant and this in turn can help us gain insight and ideas. However, Silverman (2005) suggests that there can be limitations to qualitative research such as a hypothesis cannot be tested and that more ethical issues relating to qualitative studies can be noted as participants are giving personal viewpoints and opinions. Validity Hughes (2001) suggests that interpretive research is valid as long as it is true and notes the genuine voice of the participant. This is demonstrated through the research as the parents are active people whose understandings and actions are paramount and the intricacy and diversity of these opinions are respected. Robert- Holmes (2005) suggests that multiple understanding of the research is all equally important and the range of interpretations gives the research validity. Although Robson (2002) suggests validy is rarely recognised within a single study, but is built up over time during various research. Silverman (2005) suggests that validity can be affected in qualitative research, if the researcher uses second hand knowledge rather than first hand research. I feel that I must make note of this and be assure that I remain aware of as I feel it would be easy to allow my own thoughts, views and opinions affect the research. Robson (2002) continues by suggesting further concerns with validity can arise with concern to whether the sample of people within the study is representative of the population and this must be questioned. To acknowledge this I am aware that the sample of people I am using for my research are not representative of the population as a whole but is rather focused on a small group of parents within a small community, although these parents come from differing social backgrounds. As Bell (1999) points out researchers are dependent on the amity and availability of subjects, and it can be difficult to achieve a true random sample. Focus group My research will be focusing on the parents of a class of thirty children who have all started at primary school in September 2009. The primary school is set on the edge of the Cotswolds and is the only school in a small town. The children are from mainly white British heritage and the school admits pupils from a wide variety of social backgrounds (Ofsted, 2007). Prior knowledge of the class suggests that majority of the children have attended at least one of three pre school settings in the town including two private day nurseries and a charitable preschool. I decided to research this subject after a discussion with a small group of parents who were concerned that there children were still just playing now they were at school rather than participating in the more traditional curriculum, that they were expecting. This made me realise that some parents still did not view play as a significant learning tool to support the EYFS. I also began to question what parents really felt about pl ay as a learning tool, their views of the benefits or criticisms of a play based curriculum and if they even realised that there children would be taught within the EYFS when they began at primary school. Method To find out the views and knowledge that the parents have of both the EYFS and how they view play, I will be using questionnaires and interviews. I have decided to use questionnaires as they are ideal if you are trying to gather a large amount of primary information from a group of people, as suggested by Green (2000). A pilot questionnaire has been designed and given out to a selection of people who are similar to the people I will be giving my final questionnaire to. Once I have collected the draft questionnaires from my pilot group, I will be able to draw up my final questionnaire using any criticisms and suggestions that my pilot group give me. Green (2000) suggests that piloting your research questionnaire allows for the researcher to get rid of any uncertainty or vagueness that your questionnaire raises. The questions I am asking within my questionnaire are a mixture of differing sorts including open ended and closed questions. Green (2000) suggests that a combination of question types should be used when designing questionnaires, whilst Hucker (2001) reminds us that we should ensure that questions are relevant, using straight forward language avoiding assumptions and using a mixture of question types and avoiding leading questions. I feel that since I will have sent a first draft questionnaire to a pilot group of people, that the finished questionnaire I am sending to the parents will have hopefully been changed and rethought if needed, with questions altered or added and that they will meet all the suggestions of Hucker (2001) and Green (2000). Permission will be gained from the head teacher of the school. If the head teacher is happy with the questionnaire content and the proposed methodology for the research, the questionnaire will be issued to all thirty families within the EYFS classroom. Ethical considerations and confidentiality Aubrey (2000) reminds us that researchers have a duty to ensure that their research will do no harm to their participants and that participants will be treated with respect and their answers treated with anonymity and confidentially. The ethics of this research include ensuring the anonymity of all the participants and to present the information they share with me in a true light and to ensure the information remains confidential. Hucker (2001) reminds us that people who are involved in research have a fundamental right to know how the information collected about them will be used. To ensure that all parents know what my research is about I will enclosed a covering letter with my questionnaire outlining my intentions and the aims of the research, my details in case they wish to contact me to discuss anything regarding the research, alongside a brief paragraph outlining who I am and why I am carrying out this research. I will state within this letter that all questionnaires will be ke pt confidential and at no point will anyone be able to identify parents answers. Arrangements will be made to return all questionnaires in a sealed envelope to the class teacher and then passed onto myself. At no point will I know who has returned their questionnaire and who has not. I will suggest to the parents that the questionnaires are returned to the teacher in a sealed envelope, so that they will also not be able to view the answers given by the parents. Hucker (2001) suggests that it is an important idea to ensure triangulation in the research to show similarities across the range of methods used and to support validity and reliability in the research. Questionnaires are my first research tool and as another method to ensure triangulation, I will ask on my questionnaires if any parent would like to meet with me and participate in an interview. By using more than one method of research, I can hopefully show a fully rounded view of the research topic and as suggested by Robert-Holmes (2005) the different evidence produced can be combined and compared to provide a triangulated analysis. To prepare for the interview with any parent who would like to take part, I have decided to do an unstructured interview rather a structured interview and have decided on a list of questions to prompt me to ensure the interview flows and to aid me in doing this. I have chosen to complete unstructured interviews as Robert-Holmes (2005) suggests that structured interviews are very similar to questionnaires where as unstructured interviews shifts the focus away from the researcher and towards the issues and the true feelings of the participant. Bell (1999) suggests that during questionnaire the responses given by participants have to be taken at face value, where as during an interview rich material can be gathered, he likens this to putting flesh on the bones of any possible questionnaire responses. Robert-Holmes (2005) suggests it is an interviewers job to courteously listen to the responses made and to remain non judgemental at all times, this will be easier to do in a relaxed atmosp here. The prompts I will use will be open ended questions, similar to some of the questions asked within my questionnaire but in a much loser context with the aim to allow me more in-depth information on my research topic and parents views on play as a learning tool and gain an insight into their knowledge of the EYFS. An open ended question is a question in which the respondent is requested to provide their own opinion or ideas (Babbie, 2009). The responses my participant gives will be recorded by me in note form, but if I feel that I am missing out on significant information or not giving the participant my full attention, I may use a Dictaphone. This will be discussed with the participant and if they are not comfortable with this I will remain with note taking only. I will need to address the fact that the participants anonymity will have been compromised when doing the interview as I will obviously know whom they are, but I am aware I must ensure that they realise I will remain a confidant at all times and when quoting them or discussing there interview within this study, I will use a codename for each participant. Participants will also be made aware that they are free to withdraw from the study at any time. Hucker (2001) reminds us that there are many advantages of interviews including that they allow researchers to gain more in-depth information from the participants, but that disadvantages of interviews can be that the researcher can affect the research and that the interviewer can often influence the participants answers. Green (2000) agrees suggesting that interviewers should be aware that asking leading questions can be problematic and personal bias can make the research one sided rather than purposeful. Conclusion To summarise this piece of research seeks personal opinions, therefore will be a qualitative study. Aspects of validity, reliability and ethical issues have been discussed and will be maintained throughout. Questionnaires and Semi-structured interviews will be used to collect data from a sample population of parents with children in a EYFS classroom. Though this is a small study, responses will be interesting with regard to parental views towards views on play as a learning tool and the EYFS. Now that the method of data collection has been established, it is now possible to commence with the data collection. N.B After discussions with the Head teacher of the primary school regarding the content of the questionnaires, she has asked that I include two further questions in my questionnaire, the first being Where parents received their information of the EYFS and If parents would like further information on the EYFS and how they would like to receive this information The head teacher felt on a personal level for the school, that she would be able to use all the research to show how effectively the school is working in partnership with parents and where if at all they need to extend the parents knowledge of the EYFS. If the research shows that the school needed to support the parents further how they needed to improve and how parents would like to receive information was also important to her. I have agreed to this as I feel it could benefit all the parents, the children and the school. Hucker (2001) reminds us that carrying out research helps us analyse how we might do something better or mo re effectively, and the head teacher of the school wanted to be able to do this from my research. Data Collection and Analysis This chapter will discuss the data, how it was collected, analysed and interpreted. It will initially discuss the data collection process, any problems which I experienced and the successes I had. Specific themes will be identified and acknowledged alongside a brief description on the analysis of the data and how this data links to current literature. Once the main themes have been acknowledged, they will be examined and discussed in greater detail, which will lead towards the conclusion of the data and the summarisation of the main themes. Data collection Permission was granted by the head teacher of a primary school for me to carry out this research within the school, she agreed as the results would be beneficial to parents, children and staff. A letter of introduction was then distributed to the foundation stage class parents alongside a questionnaire. The letter outlined the research, and the parents were asked if they would complete the questionnaire and additionally participate in an interview. In total, thirty parents were invited to participate in the study. Problems with data collection On sending out the questionnaires, the initial response was low and after the first week only five parents had returned their questionnaire

Change Management And Leadership

Change Management And Leadership INTRODUCTION The present age of business is extremely competitive and the only tool for survival is adaptability which comes through constant change. Vested deeply in leadership styles, culture and communication, successful change is vital and yet hard to describe. The role of human resource as an active partner, focusing on the companys vision and ensuring open communication channels is fundamental for change in the organization. Change in any organization may be a result of a combination of elements; social, cultural, economic and/or environmental (Beer, 2002). Also, a lot of companies indulge in the change process to improve their overall efficiency. It is quite established that any kind of change in the organization, triggers emotions as the employees face the effects and end results of the transformation. The way and extent to which employees may experience emotions is largely shaped and influenced by the culture of the organization (Beer, 2002). Research suggests that when the employees val ues were consistent with the organization, they embrace the changes more easily (Beardwell, 2004). However, the emotional response to cultural change is usually of a severe nature. It is known that when emotions were taken into account and respected the employees positively adapt to the change. SCOPE OF THE PAPER The paper is an effort to understand organizational change in the global economy. In this paper I shall attempt to explain the importance of mission command as a driving agent for change. Furthermore, I shall also discuss the roles of leaders in order to bring about successful change and lastly, the role model of a successful organization for the global age. DEFINING CHANGE MANAGEMENT Change management, which is the recognized method for bringing about any change in the organization, is defined as the procedural manner and implementation of skills and knowledge, resources and tools to control the outcomes of change (Beer, 2002). It implies defining and embracing corporate plans, procedures, technologies and configurations to handle the change which results from both internal and external events. More and more, change management is perceived as a vital part of every business to boost productivity and maximize profits by ensuring that the organization remains at par with the changes in the surroundings (Beer, 2002). Nonetheless, to bring about an all-encompassing and manageable change, there are usually few barriers that have to be overcome. Usually, these barriers surface because of the organizations failure to address the vital elements of change management, which includes intelligent planning, proper communication and cooperation, often on many lines and varying cultures (Beer, 2002). To carry out the responsibility of a strategic business partner, human resources must be incorporated in the change management process from the very first step. After a thorough understanding of change, from employee perspective to novel tools and techniques, human resources play a very significant role to bring about change in any organization successfully. DISCUSSION Sudden shifts, authentic and drastic revolutions are the forces that are changing the nature and environment of businesses in the current age of globalization. The business arena is getting tougher and the competitors too resourceful as organizations are liberated from the traditional ways of operating (Machin, 2003). The old notions for conducting business no longer hold true in the era of globalization. Globalization is a term with no specific definition and is often used interchangeably with the term internationalization. As mission command explains, global leaders are those who have the potential to steer through the intricacies of the transactional business world. (Kanter, 2003) They express the vision and plan in a multi-environment from a multiple functionality perspective so that they are able to pull along the entire team. This requires setting up examples thorough determined leadership and sharing the views of the team members. This implies fast paced development for individuals with potential along with a multi-cultural exposure, performance appraisals and developmental opportunities to keep them motivated. The teams led by global managers need a vision and a global fellow feeling (Kanter, 2003). This means that high performance global organizations should create an all-encompassing culture where people feel that their interests match with those of the organization and hence they remain self-challenged in accordance with the mission dashboard. In such an environment, a sense of belonging preva ils and motivation stems from common values and ideals, being involved in work that is both challenging and has meaning too. (Millward, 2007) Such organizations are not distracted by inward issues. They have a clear agenda and focus on competition, consumers and communities. Both the commercial and the large-firm divisions of the financial structure are experiencing a transformation in UK, stemming from a system which was egalitarian, had low affinity between work endeavor and incentive to more market-driven preparations. This development creates a necessity for management methods that twist the relation linking an individual employees efforts and the monetary outcomes associated with it (London, 2001) Nonetheless, the speed with which the change occurs is very different for both segments. Influenced by political factors, local groups exercising control or even due to links with the government, a lot of big organizations enjoy better and protected positions. It is not rare to come across companies which are inefficient but have been given favors due to their connections. In such scenarios, mission leadership provides the missing link between the desired strategies and the processes required for their implementation and execution. However, with mission le adership things have become more transparent. An inefficient favor may acquire undue favors but when it comes to success, only real potential wins the show in the tough competitive global arena (Coram, Burnes, 2006). When managing changes in organizations, the role of a leader is extremely crucial. It draws on one of the key notions of leadership literature, on interpersonal influences and also as the significant role that managers assume in the business as change agents. Their influence is reflected in the change process as they catalyze it. Leaders today must make decisions in highly complex, competitive and dynamic environments (Gilbert, 2007). This makes effective decision-making more difficult as well as more critical than in the past. Research has found that managers frequently plan, solve problems and make decisions based upon incomplete and sometimes inaccurate information. At worst, this may result in dire consequences for their organization. At best, this can cause less than optimal decisions to be made, placing the organization in a less effective and competitive position than it would otherwise be. Ineffective use of information is often due to the following factors: Managers may make incorrect assumptions about or lack knowledge of, available information. They may lack the comfort, ability or inclination to access critical information because of chain of command or networking issues. Staff may be unequipped to adequately interpret existing information. Critical internal and external information and the abilit y to access it may be absent. Communication promotes changes and broadens support for the companys goals. Communication has been emphasized throughout research as a key to successful leadership roles. Effective leaders understand the importance of communicating the company values and making sure that these values connects with followers and their needs. The management of change process also depends upon the type of organization under review. Different change management procedures are successful in different settings. In other words, success can be determined in terms of the organizations capacity to fit and adjust well in its changing environment. (Kotter, 2005) An innovative organization is one in which forces of change such as learning is truly reflected, whereas the force of direction results from its environment, In order to keep up to date with the fast paced global business environment, it has now become a necessity to properly manage employees in the workplace. In efforts to excel in the global economy, organizations have evolved from personnel to human resource to finally human capital management (Pettigrew, 2000). Efficient organizations are those who strive to formulate productive and positive relations with employees globally. This ultimately becomes visible in the policies that demand full cooperation of the employees through using better proper performance and organizational change strategies (Kouzes et al, 2005). As technology continues to invade every aspect of our personal and business lives, it is predicted that the economic pressures will increase and will raise a demand for custom-tailored services transformations. It is therefore important for employee relations to stress on knowledge management and individuals at a personal level to gain competitive advantage (Burnes, 2000). The evolving model of industrial relations therefore, acknowledges that companies will be successful in any competitive situation only if they are able to raise the employees skills through a structured method which ensures sustainable benefit and as a result, establishes a safe future for all the employees. When translated, it broadly means that efficient, mutually consented functioning and a basic understanding of workers ambitions should be kept in mind. Overall, it emphasizes on recognizing employees voice (Knights, 2002). Employee voice is described in various manners and is expressed through diverse paths. Another very frequently used way for employee voice is attitude surveys, which provide a flexible but not an interactive route. A few categories of employee voice encompass direct contribution in the organization and structuring of work and an indirect affect on major decisions which have an influence on the organization in the wider perspective via mutual committees or job c ouncils. Like the work environment, leadership style and culture all have a huge impact on the performance and efficiency output of any organization, in the same manner; employee relations too, greatly affect the performance of any organization (Kouzes et al, 2005). One way of leadership is transformational leadership where the leaders act beyond their agendas as emotions steer them to and another is transactional leadership where the leaders map efforts with proper rewards. Nonetheless, the basic constituents that make up good practice are proper skill training and development, job design, continuing consultation and guidance and involvement (Kotter, 2005). Along with this approach is the practice of fair and good management which promotes a positive self worth based on unbiased decisions and mutual trust incorporated into the organizations culture. The outcome of this approach is directly connected to companys performance as it affects the dedication level of employees, besides their motiva tion to perform and excel. For all these reasons it is very significant to maintain healthy employee relations. In UK, in any organization, from the employees viewpoint of their agreement, their individual evaluations of success at work are influenced by a range of elements which encompasses the type of wok assigned, social incorporation in the work environment, involvement in decisions and most of all job security (Burnes, 2000). All these collectively make the understanding of any given job. Even though the contract is for individuals, it has aspects involved that are important to the entire workgroup, at the department level or even throughout the organization. One can say that the nature of employee relations in UK has undergone a lot of significant changes in idea as well as in procedure, leaving widespread impacts. Once, what were considered just unions grew to a level of social participation with constituents of unitarist and pluralist models combined to create a mediatory third approach? (Taylor, 2003)The rebirth of the role of union involvement as partners in organizations, along with the widening of the previously strict concept of voluntarism, to entail an extensive and general approach which had the tendency to embrace economic facts, has depicted that voluntarism in the UK work environment still remains a founding standard in employee relations. (Taylor, 2003) Moreover, the paradigm shift promoting employee involvement has added a new meaning to the employee-manager relationship which has caused a deep change of culture in many business organizations. This also means that the paternalistic and technical beliefs that were prevalent have to be abandoned. With time the reality and presence of the change is felt throughout the organization and the manager should be prepared to deal with any resistance to the change. Employees who continue to resist, remain agitated are often categorized as difficult ones (Pettigrew, 2000). But the truth remains that they feel more vulnerable and may need individual counseling or assurance from the manager to discuss the change and how it affects his performance expectations. It is also important to realize that change can be triggered from both internal and external elements. External triggers encompass developments in materials or technology, shift in consumer needs and demands, actions and innovations from the competitors, new regulations and laws, shifting local or global trade scenarios, political changes and/or changes in cultural and social values. Internal triggers can be innovations in service/product design, ideas to boost performance and morale, job restructuring, change in senior management, insufficient knowledge base, innovations due to training workshops, business relocation, identification of issues, better process of manufacturing and/or improved ideas for service delivery to the customers. Usually the actions of the top management are a reaction to some external agent; tougher competition, shifting market trends or better technology (Pettigrew, 2000). It is vital to realize the importance of change as the key to survival and growth in todays fast paced global economy. Reluctance to change poses the threat of becoming stale and unresponsive. The main challenge is to remain alive and move swiftly and easily. Organizations that are able to embrace and adjust successfully to the change process are the ones who involve their people in it. It is an undeniable fact that the employees of the organization have to face and adhere to the change process and they are crucial in bringing about change. Proper management of the human aspect of change has multifold benefits. Not only does it guarantee successful execution and proper utilization of the technical solutions, it also sets the perfect ground for implementation of future solutions. (Burnes, 2000) CONCLUSION The rate of organizational change has not declined in the past years and with the current pace of economy, it not likely to decline in the near future also. This leaves the organizations with only one option; to adapt and embrace change as efficiently as possible. The swift and continuous developments in technology are leading organizations to change their systems and procedures. (Stickland, 2005) A lot of organizations take a lot of time to embrace and adjust to new economic trends while some implement them without difficulty. New trade ways require new ways for organizations to conduct business (Kotter, 2005). Globalization has shrunk distances and has eliminated the former obstacles in the market. In such a situation, unremitting change has become the soul of organizational life. The irony is that in most of the organizations, despite the ever changing economic scenario and the thrift competition, the operational plans and structures still reflect upon the previous ideals and real ities, making the inertia of the organization the most critical barrier to change (Beardwell, 2004). This failure is a result of a variety of factors, like the absence of a change custodian or the fact that the person trying to initiate change is at a junior position, poor support from the management, lack of appropriate project management skills, all hopes pinned to one solution, lamely or loosely defined objectives and/or the focus of the change unit on a lot of projects instead of the key project. (Knights, 2002)

The Minimum Wage Must Be Increased Essay -- Federal Minimum Wage

"No family gets rich from earning the minimum wage. In fact, the current minimum wage does not even lift a family out of poverty." -- Jon Corzine Many people can think back and remember what it was like to put in an application for that first job and be presented with a position. Taking that position represents adulthood and is a very exciting time for a young person. All first jobs usually start with a minimum wage. Minimum wage is the minimum an employer has to pay an unskilled worker based on the regulations set forth by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) that was originally established in 1938. As people think back about their first jobs they can also remember what the minimum wage was when they took that position. Minimum wage is only increased based on the cost of living from the prior year. If the previous year shows an increase then the minimum wage will increase in the coming new year. Sinegal (2009) stated "The increase in the minimum wage is long overdue. Paying your employees well is not only the right thing to do but it makes for good business". Based on the cost of living we show for the year of 2009 minimum wage will not increase for 2010. Minimum wage is currently at $7.25 per hour. Most people who start at this rate are young people who are in high school or college and are working a few hours to help pay for school. After they graduate they can apply for better jobs and move on. People who live in areas without growth, single mothers trying to raise their children, and uneducated people are working more than one minimum wage job to make enough money to pay their financial obligations. While the cost of living did not increase, minimum wage is low because no increase is planned for 2010 a... ...year’s cost of living. What constitutes cost of living to the federal government and it that assessment being addressed fairly? Minimum wage is too low. The federal government must raise the minimum wage so that the average American will not need to continue to work multiple jobs. References The Department of Labor. (2010). Compliance Assistance - Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/index.htm The Department of Labor. (2010). [Graph Table State Minimum Wage] Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm About.com US Government Info. (2009). The Federal Minimum Wage. Retrieved from http://usgovinfo.about.com/blminimumwage.htm Sinegal, J. (2009). Business for Fair Minimum Wage. Quotable Quotes. Retrieved from http://www.businessforafairminimumwage.org/Quotes

Mexico City Essay example -- History Geography Mexico Essays

Mexico City Like an enormous living museum, Mexico City provides an extraordinary showplace for the thousands of years of human cultural achievement that Mexico has attained. It ranks as one of the world's great capitals and is a must for anyone craving to understand Mexico's complex past, its fast-paced present, and its ever challenging future. The size and grandeur of the city are staggering. It is not only the oldest continuously inhabited city in the Western Hemisphere, but, by some accounts, has also become the largest city in the world. Before we look at present day Mexico City, let us look into it deep and storied past. La Ciudad de los Palacios   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mexico City was founded over 700 years ago by the Aztecs. Instructed by their god of war, Huitzilopochtli, they journeyed to Lake Texcoco, where they were to look for an eagle eating a snake perched on a cactus growing from a rock or cave surrounded by water. They found this in 1325, and so began the city of Tenochtitlan. Although the land surrounding them was marshy and snake infested, the Aztecs came up with an ingenious way a planting crops. They created chinampas, or floating gardens, by bunching twigs together and stacking mud on top. These gardens were placed in shallow lake areas and rooted down by the crops or small trees planted in the middle. The Aztecs were a very religious people, as well, and built many temples, including the great Templo Mayor. Cannibalism was a key element of their religion, as they believed that it was necessary to feed human hearts to the gods to ensure that the sun would rise everyday. The Aztecs would find these less than willin g human hosts in the numerous battles they fought. Due to an increasing population, estimated to be at 250,000 in the late 1400’s, the Aztecs were forced to expand their empire well beyond the cities original boundaries. As the Aztec warriors conquered these other outlying tribes, tribute payments were gained, leading to the cities massive wealth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Aztecs lived like this for 200 years until Spanish settlers, under Hernan Cortes, came and conquered the Aztecs in 1521. The Spanish were in awe of the cities tremendous wealth, and, thanks to superior weapons and tactics, easily defeated the Aztecs. Upon victory, the Spanish were quick to raze the entire city. The city was rapidly reconstructed as a Spanish city, and in the 15... .... There are small salsa clubs and crowded discos, as well as live concerts featuring the world's most popular stars. Ballet, theatre, folkloric shows, opera and philharmonic orchestras are also common. Boxing and wrestling events are held on most weekend nights. At Garibaldi Plaza the numerous Mariachi bands often play into the wee hours of the morning. Mexico City is very old, the worlds largest city, the financial, political and cultural center of Mà ©xico, the nightlife capital of Mexico, one of the worlds great cities, one of the world's most difficult cities to drive in, filled with exciting things to see and do, and an energetic metropolis as well as an incredible place to visit. This is truly one of the most interesting and diverse cities in the world. Bibliography http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569238/Mexico_City.html http://www.allaboutmexicocity.com/allaboutmexicocity.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_City http://www.tourbymexico.com/df/df.htm http://www.mexicocity.com.mx/mexcity.html http://www.go2mexicocity.com/ www.wikitravel.org/article/Mexico_City http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults.cfm?destination=mexico_city%401

Mobile Technology in Higher Education

THE IMPACT OF MOBILE INFORMATION COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY ON STUDENT’S ATTITUDES AND PERCEPTIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION The use of the mobile technologies gives an excellent opportunity to connect the digital division that has an effect on so many students. At University of the Western Cape, we proudly possess leadership that leads underrepresented students. This article will show the efforts made to: change and construct positive attitudes toward the use of Mobile Information Communications (ICT), understand habits in computer usage, and do experiments to show which methods are more effective in usage of mobile technologies to improve academic performance. Our way was to make use of mobile technologies with differing form factors into the learning environment and find their impact on student insight and performance. Results, ways and evaluation tools were developed within a general framework to gauge the effectiveness of our approach.The results on hand in this article will sho w how technology factor, use and student categorization has a positive impact on student’s attitudes and views as well as their academic performances. Introduction When students’ access to computers is limited outside of computer lab available, there was need that existed to promote the use of technology as an essential instrument that could be used as an integral part of the curriculum. For some a smaller group of students, studies showed that gaining access to computers and technology as a child growing up was not as vast as the other students. Hence, it was realised that there may be the fear factor at the introduction of technology to students 2. Enhanced understandings of computers and how they work and how information is exchanged was an important concern toward using technology effectively. Our attempt addressed the need to correct and construct positive attitudes toward mobile technology and heavily promote the need to understand habits of computer usage by the underrepresented categories and which methods were most effective in using mobile technologies.The approach we used was to highlight the neccessity to improve the students’ awareness of how technological tools ( mobile tools in particular) can have impact on their academic efficiency and performance. As a result we developed a short course module that could be used in any discipline to gauge and positively strengthen the productive aspects of mobile technology. The idea was to give a certain group of student’s mobile technology in various forms that they could take with them once the period class in this course ended (mobile class) period has ended.Our enthusiasm drove us to make use of this opportunity to further study the impact of mobile computer ownership on user views and performance within the academic framework in that effort. First year student matriculation as a whole was relatively low and unbalanced where close to 50% of students left university before rece iving a degree. Students go into the university with very little understanding as to: * What tasks a student accomplishes, the courses involved, and the technical aspects required. First semester is important in shaping if the student finishes as well as the pace in which the student finishes.However, it was shown that educational understanding and construction has a larger effect on attrition than complexity of the subject or ability * . The preceding factors make first year students interesting candidates for the mobile technology incorporation studies. The Technology The introduction of local and personal area networks such as Wi-Fi provided an affordable mobile solution to broaden learning and collaborating capabilities outside the classroom. Wi-Fi provided a platform that allowed the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets and wireless capable laptops by connectivity to the internet.It also enabled students to create peer networks that made information shared and deb ated in groups Students that took part in the mobile course modules had three mobile gadgets to choose from: COMPAQ/HP Tablet PC TC1000, the Gateway notebook PC and HP IPAQ 5450 POCKET PC. These mobile devices had a customized version of the Microsoft Windows Platform made to processing power and memory allocations available. The Windows CE incorporated built-in a platform for the pocket touch screen, recognition of handwriting, file transfers via infrared, Bluetooth connection, and biometric security.The Windows XP Tablet PC edition incorporated a system for the pen stylus, handwriting recognition, and remote presentation displays. All devices were capable of Wi-Fi connectivity. The device a particular student received was based on likes and availability. Preference depended on the main five categories: shape factor or size, processing power, memory space, data entry, and network connectivity. We classed the mobile devices in factors below to quantify which device the student would prefer if all devices were available.They had to rate wither it was best, worst or intermediate. It was in terms of the shape, processing ability, memory availability, data entry ease and network connectivity. The result was that the Table PC was the best trade off between sizes, data entry, processing power, memory, and connectivity. Students were most likely to take the tablet PC first. It also showed that the students who had tablet PC responded much positively to the mobile computing modules exercises. The wireless notebook was best described as a replacement for the desktop class machine.The students got the devices at the start of the course and were allowed to maintain ownership till the end of the module. Ownership was a vital characteristic to give students freedom to discover the capability of the device and roam within the wireless factor outside the classroom. The convenience of the device depended on the application and type of projects. Assessment and Attitudes of Mob ile Technology Module Design Incorporating mobile technology into the classroom needed a clearly distinct educational goal for the student to gain anything valuable.The overall goal for this course module was to restrain the anxiety associated with introduction to new technology. This expectation was to allow the students with the technology to enhance investigative skills and collaborative skills. Students were originally advised to try the material individually to acquire core competency and ease with the technology. Afterwards, students were placed into groups to work together on complex tasks using the mobile technology. Designing of the course module, emphasis was ought to be placed on all aspects of learning.According to Marzano and Pickering an excellent way was to follow the dimensions of learning structure. The model illustrated five dimensions of learning: * Positive attitudes and views about Learning * Processes involved in getting and incorporating knowledge * Processes involved in extending and enlightening knowledge * Processes involved in using knowledge significantly * Efficient behaviour of the mind Dimension one affected students’ effort put in the course. The attitude and view of course material upon getting into the classroom may have had a dramatic impact on overall performance of the student.Second dimension involved the students’ capability to incorporate the knowledge into long-term memory. Therefore the student acquired the skills to use what they had learned to future courses or assignments. Extension of the incorporated knowledge encompassed the third dimension. The student applied reasoning processes to help them grow and improve the material. Fourth dimension involved the use of the acquired knowledge for solving problems, making decisions and analysis. The final one focused on traits development for the student that allowed critical thinking, creativity, and ability to regulate themselves.After establishing the frame , strategies must be in place to blend in technology successfully into the course, record outcomes, and report results. The main focus in the design of this course module was to cover the first two dimensions. We wanted to avoid the fear, and encourage healthy attitudes and views that first year students have about technology and their curriculum over the long run. While students completed assignments, conducted research and worked together in teams, integrating and using the acquired knowledge is required.The 3 objectives that were common in all activities that involved mobile usage technology: * Promoted an environment that allowed the student to judge the weaknesses and strength of computer ownership and impact of ownership on performance. Student appraised advantages and disadvantages of different mobile platforms in a classroom environment. The student learnt about computer/network organization. * Issued assignments that required extended hours to complete * Evaluated and asses sed the most effective form of ownership that impacted the student’s ability to complete an assignment.BEFORE AND AFTER SURVEY * Had the students do an interactive recreational activity during off hours. * Encouraged students to find other areas that would encourage them to consider private ownership * Monitored usage statistics THE METHODS OR METRICS USED 1. Divided the students into teams that have mobile computational systems with varying types 2. Distinguish strengths and weaknesses of each platform in implementing a task. The students had to learn about computer/network organization and set-up different of simple wireless connections. THE METHODS OR METRICS USED . Had the students arrange simple fixed and wireless networks 2. Developed an initial level understanding of network protocol stack and connectionless networks Written Report 1. Had the students construct pages for peer to-peer and structure networking 2. Familiarized students with mobile computing skills and inf ormation sharing. The aims, outcomes and assessment methods shown in gave a high-level sight of material taught in the module. The tasks were made interactive in which the students had the ability to investigate capabilities of the technology further.In class works were carried out in a co-operative learning style environment where the team size varied between 2 to 4 students. Outside class students were encouraged to work together but all written assignments were collected individually. The students had to research and report on technology, implementation of the technology, and show its usefulness. The student learnt the complexities of the computer networking, device and wireless networks. Projects ranged from the use of pocket pc and/or laptops to create peer-to-peer networks over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. An exampleThe students are investigated a mobile application by examining how one used a pocket PC device. An in class demonstration was done where teams of students were to explore the major components of a web based application. Afterwards they had to complete this task and report on advantages and disadvantages of the different forms . Also they were required to find these components, on the internet, and write a short report that had to be handed in electronically before the next class. Students also used applications e. g. virtual network computing to handle servers and desktops remotely .Also some applications contained servers that allowed complex computation on the server to be reported on the device The survey analysis was divided into three categories: * Perception of students on mobile technology * Usage of mobile technology * Effect of mobile on retention Targeted Programs and Course Some first year courses had been designed to familiarize students with the faculty, our facilities and resources and projects that required group work. Four three-week sections of the courses involved 118 first year students.Addition to using that course module to inves tigate some of their main curriculum courses, were made to infuse mobile technology into the different research organizations within the university. Thirty-six foundation students in the Law faculty used notebook and tablet PCs for six weeks to help in their research t. These students studied various topics such as basic laws, family, corporate and ethics. Ten students, including 3 from Zimbabwe, in the Science faculty used tablet PCs for eight weeks to discover knowledge fusion and acquisition techniques.The usage of the mobile technology to students in the different research groups varied depending on the nature of the research. For example, teams may deal closely with mobile technology using remote procedures needed technology or application development. Whereas, other teams may not use e-mobility technology for research but instead use them for information communication among members or work division. Perception on Mobile Technology * The most frequent trend in the analysis was that students felt mobile technology had higher relevance after having ownership and using the device than before. Ownership and using the device allowed the student to find relevance and apply the device to his/her environment. * Another trend taken note of is the relationship between time of ownership and the change that actually comes in student’s perception. The Science and Law students’ ownership period was close to three times longer than that of the other faculites’students. Therefore, in the end positive perceptions of students others faculties changed approximately higher on average. However the perceptions of students in Law and Science changed more dramatically.Positive perceptions for Science increased close to 60% and students participating in Law increased about 15% on average. Mobile Technology Usage While finishing interactive tasks with the mobile device and discovering its capabilities, most students gained a sense for the usefulness of the dev ice and mobile networking. For instance, while gaining knowledge about the technology and finishing a task using Bluetooth technology, the student found out that their cell-phone was also able to communicate via Bluetooth. The students were able to finish the tasks by joining his cell phone to network with other students using PDA’s.This technology raised the student’s interest and they showed initiative to use the technology further. Focusing on the aspect of ownership students’ views changed on buying a device for fun and convenience to that of buying for information access and research. Students who had longer ownership found means to use technology and contemplated more about using computational tools in their studies. STUDENT MAINTENANCE Attrition in faculties was discussed earlier in this paper. Theories within department’s research indicated that more exposure to technology made the curriculum more interesting.The prospect was to enhance the studen ts, increase probability of finishing through their degrees. It was discovered that even limited use of Mobile Technology raised the students’ interest in the more technological advancements to come. OTHER FACULTIES IN THE RESEARCH A modified questionnaire on computer attitude was developed to gauge on attitudes about computer value, enjoyment of the computer, studying habits, empathy, persistence and motivation, tendencies to be creative, school, mobile ownership, knowledge and importance for the first year courses. Results indicated fair amount of anxiety over all platforms.Also in views and acquired knowledge showed that technology ownership had a direct effect on the first two scopes of learning in the presence of technological combination. Most frequent were the fluctuating results in enjoyment of computer, email usage, e-classroom application and usage of computers. Tablet PC users exhibited constant satisfaction across the board. We hypothesize that the tablet PC strik es the balance in portability, performance and functionality that the user used it more and was more productive with it compared to the rest used in the study.This was especially applicable in urban areas where the student was tasked with selecting mobile computational devices to help counterbalance the many demanding situations placed by the bulk of communications, transportation, and social networks that surround them. Conclusion In this article, we showed a course specifically customised to introduce mobile technology to first year students. First year students were given a wide indication of device usage, connecting to the network, and low-level network design.Our attempt to instil mobile technology into the module was highly successful in raising the student curiosity, view, usage, and interest in the curriculum. Results revealed that the prolonged time of ownership and student categorisation or maturity has a positive impact on our student’s attitudes and views on mobil e technology. In addition mobile forms that offer a balance between size, weight, system and performance seem to have the greatest effect on student attitude and academic performance