Autism Spectrum and Encyclopedia Britannica Online

Children with Autism Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Effects of the Children and their Family University of Phoenix The topic that I have chosen to write about is Autism. Have you heard about it? I am sure you may know someone who suffers from this disease, but do you really know what it is, or its causes and effects? That is what I am going to explain to you. Autism is a disability that affect young children, and we need to understand the symptoms, treatments, and what it is like to live with this disorder. The symptoms of Autism. The behavior of children with this disorder has a wide range from mild to severe in nature. What we need to know is that there are three major†¦show more content†¦What researchers has discovered is the most effective approaches is to use highly structured environment with intensive single instruction and a high teacher to student ratio. To address specific deficits occupational and physical therapy should be used. The parents need to learn to give specific instruction in how to deal with tantrums and destructive behavior and in useful techniques for keeping their children organized and occupied so as minimize the detrimental effects on the family members. The counseling and support for the parents with a child diagnosed with autism. What parents need to do is learn to be the best advocate that you can be for their child. You always need to be informed. Always take advantage of the services that are available to you in your community. By doing this your will meet with medical staffed professionals that can help educate you and there to help you. From doing this you will gather strength from the people you meet. Most of all do not push your feelings away. You need to talk about them to someone. Most parents may feel both ambivalent and angry. This is to be expected emotions from a parent. Always try to and direct your anger to the disorder and not toward your family or loved ones. Try not to argue with your spouse over the autism related issues,Show MoreRelatedIssues, Trends and Historical Perspectives on Mental Issues1297 Words   |  6 Pagesproven incorrect. Developmental disability shows to be easier to define; it is ofte n mistaken for mental retardation. While mental retardation may be covered under the developmental disability spectrum, there are many other disabilities under the wide umbrella. These disabilities include, epilepsy, autism, fetal exposure to drugs, and hundreds more. Our knowledge and understanding of things such as developmental disabilities have come a long way since the beginning of human existence. The Ancient

How Individuals Can Better Improve Their Writing Skills Essay

Essays on How Individuals Can Better Improve Their Writing Skills Essay The paper "How Individuals Can Better Improve Their Writing Skills" is a great example of an essay on humanitarian. The purpose of this paper is to identify what steps would a prudent goes through in order to improve his or her writing skills. What this paper will try to accomplish is to provide some different methods that can be adopted by people who wish to improve their writing skills as espoused by the academic community.As with many different disciplines, there are three schools of thought in regards to gaining expertise in a given field. As will be highlighted in this paper the merits of direct education as a means of improving one's writing skills will be discussed. Furthermore, a discussion of the strengths of simply practicing as a means of improving one's writing skills will be covered. According to Kanelas et al (1998), it was proposed that performance problems in writing may not be directly related to any competencies such as the understanding of individuals, rather it is the case that individuals simply lack skills or the desire to improve skills. As such one could propose the argument that in order for a prudent writer to improve his or her writing skills would be through would be to be gain knowledge on various writing techniques. This action could theoretically be achieved through self-directed study or classroom instruction.According to Joseph (1998), it is through a process of frequent writing and rewriting with continual feedback that helps individuals improve their skills. As the old Latin adage suggests, discere faciendo or ‘To learn by doing’ is the best method for somebody to improve their writing skills. One could argue that through the constant process of writing and receiving feedback from one’s contemporaries, it would be the case that an individual would hone their skills as an effective writer and as such learn the skills that best suit their needs. In conclusion, it may be the case that there is no simple soluti on as to how an individual can better improve their writing skills, and it may be the case that it is through a combination of both practice and education that would best improve the chances of improving an individual’s writing skills.

President Roosevelt free essay sample

President Roosevelt was ill and weary indeed, but he did not let this affect his better Judgment. Many critics throughout history have stated that President Roosevelt was ill and too weak to stand up to Joseph Stalins cunningness, but in fact, he was more alert than ever before. Each of the allies at the Yalta Conference had their own goals. Britain sought to make France a partner in the postwar occupation of Germany, to curb Soviet influence in Poland, and to ensure protection for the vulnerable British Empire.Joseph Stalin had many demands that angered Winston Churchill; President Roosevelt became the rime negotiator in the disagreement. The Soviet Union wanted war reparations from Germany to rebuild their homeland and continue their influence in Poland. Stalin also wanted a massively hurt Germany so it would never attack mother Russia in the future. In return the United Nations Organizations, being represented by the United States exercised its influence for a Soviet declaration of war against Japan to aid in ending the war in the Pacific, for recognition of China as a major power; and for compromise between rival factions in Poland. If youre poor, that doesnt mean u cant make contributions in this world, money doesnt always solve all the worlds problems whether you are rich or poor.President Roosevelt also said You dont have to have money to be happy, happiness comes from achievement. When one works for something and successes in the long run, thats when the feeling of happiness is real. Many of us people in the world are not as fortunate as others are and we make think this as unfair or injustice. But its not about that, is it? Many people in the world fear of not being good enough, afraid to try because they might fail, fear of not being able to accomplish what they have dreamt about for years.Then what happens is the kids either drop out of high school or college, they dont get their high school diploma because they fear of trying and not making it while they watch other get what they want. But the whole thing is that they have fears to, they fear just as much as the ones who gave up did, they just didnt let it overcome them. President Obama said Pursing happiness requires living free from feat, and his is most definitely right. A arson cannot live their life in fear because then they are never really living but always hiding in the shadows.Fear is a very provoking thing and both presidents very much well agreed on the same thing that we should not let fear overcome us or let it dictate what we can and cannot do in life but embrace our fear and take it over. NO one should be afraid of failure, because eventually failure leads you to the right track. And you cant be a leader without knowing what its like to fall down and know how to get back up and keep moving forward. Calling back from my personal experiences, when you fall, get back up and keep going, you dont now what waits ahead of you. Nave stand together and we work together and we bleed together and we build together, in good times and in bad. In this quote, President Obama was speaking out of a true leader without fear of what anyone would have to say. He pursued and showed of great leadership and team work. President Roosevelt also said what he thought was right and whatever people wanted to say could wait till the end. Both Presidents dont like running away from their fears and hope to the world that we will all not run away from our fears but embrace it, tear it down, and change the world we live in today.

Is high culture by definition elitist Essay Example

Is high culture by definition elitist? Paper The term high culture is defined as meaning the works of writers, artists and composers who are considered by scholars and critics to be superior to others. High culture is associated with the educated and more affluent people because they are considered to be more able to understand it and afford to take part in it. As high culture is defined as the appreciation of works which are considered to be superior, it is generally considered to include the appreciation of writers, such as Shakespeare and Dickens, composers such as Purcell and Elgar and artists such as Constable and Gainsborough. This definition of high culture can mean that it is considered to be elitist, meaning that it is only available to a select class or group of members of society. The people who are in this group or class are the more affluent and powerful and upper class members of society. However, whether this definition makes high culture elitist is a matter of opinion. The definition of high culture can make some people think that high culture is a type of culture which is only available and made accessible to the upper classes and more affluent people in society only. As works that are deemed to be high culture are works that are considered by scholars and critics to be superior to others, many may consider that these works can only be fully understood and appreciated by people who are superior to others. Also, the fact that works of high culture are by definition works of writers, artists, and composers makes high culture seem inaccessible to some members of society as works of high culture do not tend to be forms of entertainment that have mass appeal, such as television. The definition of high culture considers it to be artwork, music which is generally not classed as popular of pop music, and books. These have a more limited appeal than forms of entertainment such as television and cinema, and therefore make high culture more elitist by making it something which is enjoyed by less people. For example, those who are less well-educated will not be able to appreciate the plays written by Shakespeare or novels written by Dickens. We will write a custom essay sample on Is high culture by definition elitist? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Is high culture by definition elitist? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Is high culture by definition elitist? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Books which are regarded to be high culture such as War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy cannot be appreciated fully by those who are less well-educated because they will not fully understand the language and therefore will gain less from the book than someone who is better-educated and can understand the book better. Yet, the definition of high culture also shows that high culture is not elitist and is available and accessible to all classes and groups of people in society. The definition of high culture states that it is only associated with the educated and more affluent people. This term means that it is usually only enjoyed by these people, however, it can also be accessed and enjoyed by others as well. The term associated does not make high culture seem elitist because it shows that it is available to all of society. For example, with music which is considered to be works of high culture. Simply because it is deemed to not be popular music and therefore is not designed to appeal to the masses does not make it any less available and accessible to all members of society. It can be enjoyed by anyone it is simply a matter of their tastes. In my opinion though, high culture is elitist. I think this because I deem that works of high culture are those which have an intellectual value and so require thought into their meaning. The members of society who are not educated (as I feel that whether they are affluent has no relevance), will not be able to appreciate this and gain from the works. However, high culture is available to everyone for them to enjoy and access as they wish. There is nothing which sets works of high culture aside and will not allow certain members of society to access it it is simply lack of knowledge that may prevent them from being able to fully understand it and therefore gain from it and appreciate it in any way. In conclusion, I think that high culture is by definition only, elitist, as the works which are considered to be of high culture are generally those which do not appeal to everyone and can only be fully understood and appreciated by those who are more educated and therefore more capable of being able to appreciate the intellectual and aesthetic value of the works.

Losing the Plot 5 Top Tips on Writing a Good Story

Losing the Plot 5 Top Tips on Writing a Good Story Losing the Plot? 5 Top Tips on Writing a Good Story In narrative writing, the term â€Å"plot† refers to the events that make up a story. But how do authors approach plotting a story? And what makes a good plot in the first place? We have a few helpful tips! 1. Plotting Your Plot Once you have a premise for your story, think about where it will go and create a plot outline. You might even want to come up with an end point and work backwards! This will help you get a sense of how the story will progress and how different events will be connected. Many story plots follow a classic three-act structure.(Image: Bratislav/wikimedia) You don’t have to stick to this outline as the story develops, so don’t worry if it isn’t perfect at first. The point is to give yourself a structure to work with so that your writing stays on track. 2. Build a Story Around Character Arcs Plot is important, but it needs to be supported by strong characters. After all, if the characters in your story don’t have believable goals and motivations, how will the story move forwards? One good tip is to make sure your main characters each have a character arc. This refers to how characters change or overcome challenges during the story. To get started on this, think about who they are, what happened in their pasts, and want they want to achieve. 3. Use Subplots (But Not Too Many!) The main plot in your story will be what drives everything forward (the ticking bomb that cannot be ignored or forgotten, perhaps literally if you’re writing a thriller). But subplots allow you to flesh out a story with smaller narrative arcs that develop characters or themes related to the main plot. Adding a few romantic entanglements or mysteries that need to be solved can therefore add an extra dimension to your writing. However, any subplots you include should help move the main plot forward in some way (e.g., by revealing important information). If you add too many unrelated subplots, on the other hand, your story may become difficult to follow. 4. A Twist in the Tale? While your overall story should be easy to follow, you also want to surprise your reader now and then! Think about where you could add a plot twist to complicate things. However, make sure any twists you add follow from the logic of the story up to that point. And it’s probably better to avoid any ending that can be summed up as â€Å"and it was all a dream.† And he was dead all along has been done, too.(Photo: Gage Skidmore/flickr) 5. Explain Your Story to a Friend Finally, don’t struggle alone! As with most things in life, writing a story is easier if you ask for help. Before you start writing a first draft in full, try explaining the plot of your story to a friend. If there is something they don’t understand, you may want to work on clarifying how that part of the story fits into the overall narrative. You can always ask for feedback on specific issues, too! And once you have a first draft, we can help with the editing process.

Definition of Adverb of Manner

Definition of Adverb of Manner In English grammar, an adverb of manner is an adverb (such as quickly or slowly) that describes how  and in what way the action of a verb is carried out. Also called a manner adverb and a  manner adverbial. Most adverbs of manner are formed by adding -ly to adjectives, but there are important exceptions (e.g., well). In most cases, the comparative and superlative of manner adverbs are formed with more (or less) and most (or least) respectively. Adverbs of manner most often appear  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹after a verb or at the end of a verb phrase  (but see the notes on positioning below).It is  adverbs of manner, says Rodney Huddleston, that are most freely modified by other adverbs (normally of degree):  She spoke very quietly (Introduction to the Grammar of English). Examples and Observations Fenweather spoke sharply, and brought his head around towards me.(Raymond Chandler, Finger Man. Trouble Is My Business, 1939)Mr. Legree walked slowly to the front of the room and spoke to the children softly but firmly.My grandmother complained loudly about the temperature of the room.When President Madison sent troops into West Florida in 1810, Federalists loudly complained about the expansive use of presidential power.Plantings that had been carefully arranged to frame natural or architectural features were carelessly cleared away.Cautiously, gently, I touch the slide.(Mary Ladd Gavell, The Rotifer. Psychiatry, 1968)She flushed and, as people will do who are unable, or are too young to discuss impersonally subjects on which they hold strong opinions, she spoke aggressively.​  (Alec Waugh, Kept: A Story of Post-War London, 1925)Here the excellent tenor player, Prince Robinson, holds forth for three-quarters of a chorus, easily demonstrating why Coleman Hawkins and other mus icians thought so highly of him. Not quite as consistently energetic as Hawkins, he could at times match him in inventiveness.(Gunther Schuller, The Swing Era: The Development of Jazz, 1930-1945. Oxford University Press, 1989) Positioning Manner Adverbs Certain types of adverbs are excluded from certain positions. For example, a manner adverb may immediately precede the main verb, following a nonfinite auxiliary (1.7a), but it cannot precede a finite or non-finite auxiliary (1.7b,c). (1.7a) The prisoner has been loudly proclaiming his innocence.(1.7b) *The prisoner has loudly been proclaiming his innocence.(1.7c) *The prisoner loudly has been proclaiming his innocence. . . . Nevertheless, a manner adverb may occur in a clause-initial position: (1.81) Loudly, the prisoner has been proclaiming his innocence. (Eva Engels, Optimizing Adverb Positions. John Benjamins, 2012) Adverbs can also modify clauses. Compare the two sentences in (61). (61a) He answered the question foolishly.(61b) Foolishly, he answered the question. In (61a), foolishly is a manner adverbial. It describes how he answered the question, that is, he gave a foolish answer. However, in (61b) foolishly is not a manner adverb. It is an evaluation of what he did. Answering the question was a foolish act. We do not know why it was foolish to do this, but the speaker feels that it was. Adverbs that make a comment about the entire sentence are called adjuncts.(Ron Cowan, The Teachers Grammar of English: A Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge University Press, 2008) If we all behaved rationally, presumably we would all reach similar conclusions on the basis of the same available information.(Jo Brunas-Wagstaff, Personality: A Cognitive Approach. Routledge, 1998)} A Warning Watch out for manner adverbs that add no solid information: extremely, very, really, incredibly, unbelievably, astonishingly, totally, truly, currently, presently, formerly, previously.Also watch out for ones that try too hard to add impact to actions: cruelly, happily, wantonly, angrily, sexily, alluringly, menacingly, blissfully.All these words have their place. They appear in the best writing, but more often theyre found in the worst writing. So consider them red flags and weigh their use carefully.(June Casagrande, It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences. Ten Speed Press, 2010) Classroom Activity With Manner Adverbs One student goes outside, and the others choose a manner adverb (for example, quickly or angrily). The student returns and orders one of the members of the class to do an action by saying, for example, Stand up! or Write your name on the board! or Open the door! The person addressed has to carry out the command according to the manner adverb chosen: to stand up quickly, or write their name angrily, for example. The student has to guess what the manner adverb was.(Penny Ur and Andrew Wright, Five-Minute Activities: A Resource Book of Short Activities. Cambridge University Press, 1992)

The connection between religion and contemporary politics ( both Assignment

The connection between religion and contemporary politics ( both public and private) in Indonesia - Assignment Example It also needs to be viewed from the historical perspective of the country itself and how the significant political changes affected the way religion influence the ordinary life. A closer look at the cultural history of the country also indicate that Indonesia remained under the occupation and as such this also affected the way its culture has developed over the period of time. Over the period of time, Indonesian society was developed and socially influenced based on the non-Islamic lines therefore in order to understand the influence of religion on Indonesian society, it is really important to carefully separate the different social and cultural elements in order to study the influence of religion on Indonesian society. (Suryadinata, 2003) This paper will therefore attempt to discuss the religion and contemporary politics in Indonesia and will offer insight into various political transitions which country made and how religion influenced the overall outcomes in the Indonesian society. Indonesia remained under four different occupations from different colonial powers including Dutch, Portuguese and Britain. It also remained under the occupation of Japan till its struggle for the independence was successful. Dutch occupation was probably the longest colonization of Indonesia as it lasted for more than 350 years. During these years, Indonesian society went through many changes and as such religious sentiments and values were mixed with the intrusion of new set of values implemented by Dutch during their occupation of the country. Dutch occupation however, also brought forward some critical policy changes in the way how the Indonesian government was run. From influencing the way how agriculture produce was to be distributed between rural and urban areas of the country to the establishment of solid economic administration, Dutch set up most of the physical infrastructure in the country and allowed it to develop a growing

Software Development Methodology Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Software Development Methodology - Coursework Example These three approaches would be separately be implemented on the project in question and then a conclusion would be drawn from the comparison of all of these approaches which would lead to the methodology that is the most befitting to the project in question.The project is the development of an electronic library for a client by the company Top Quality Tech Solutions, which is modifiable. The library needs to have a database of electronic documents which the client can change, copy and return to the library. This is the model which is already in use by Top Quality Tech Solutions and has proved to be a successful model for the development of the two projects, thus it would be a natural progression if the model is again used for the current project. The model, if used in the development of the software library, would have positive results because this is the simplest kind of software development methodology out there; it runs on basic common sense and uses orthodox ways to develop the software which would be beneficial in developing the electronic library as it does not involve very complex programming or development. When this model is applied to the electronic library project, the requirements of the client would be seen, the design of the library and the additional options which the client wants in it are chalked out, a software for the library is developed and then verified and then periodic checks are done to see that the project is working as desired. This is the kind of development methodology which makes a prototype or an example project in the beginning so that an idea can be achieved as to how the model would look like when completed (Miles & Pilone, 2008). When applied to the electronic library project, this model could be beneficial because it would be able to show the customer what his project would look like in the long run. To start off, a prototype of the electronic library would be developed on which the rest of the project would be based. Since there are many small requirements of the clients like the viewing of the data from a central repository, consolidation of the data, the checking and checking out of the documents etc, all these requirements can be tested and the best solution out forward. Â  

Strategic HUman Resource Management Essay Example for Free

Strategic HUman Resource Management Essay Defining SHRM The purpose of this portion of the paper is to provide an explanation into strategic human resource management (SHRM). This information will look at the ways that some scholars have defined the concept of SHRM, and the role that it serves within an organization. In addition, the first part of this research will examine how a human resource department can actually be called strategic in nature. This information will also be examined in relation to an actual organization. Various models of SHRM will be discussed, and the idea of how they compare to the organization in question will be presented. After reading this portion of the paper, it should become clear that SHRM is much more than simply hiring people. It is also much more than operating within a bubble. It is about actually helping the overall strategy and vision of a company. The first thing that needs to be done is to provide an actual definition and analysis to what it actually means to be SHRM. In order to define this concept, it is first important to actually explain what is meant by human resources in general. Appleby Mavin (2000) explain that Human resources are the efforts, skills, and capabilities that people contribute to an employing organization which enable it to continue in existence. Although difficult to define, SHRM is generally perceived as a distinctive approach to managing people which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic development of a highly committed and capable workforce (s555). The definition that is provided here explains that human resources is really about the skills that the people of an organization bring together in order to keep it alive. In addition, the authors explain that moving into the realm of SHRM is about managing the human capital of an organization in such a way as to achieve some type of competitive edge. Having not only a committed workforce, but also having a workforce that is highly trained for the job that must be performed achieves the competitive edge. Moving in this direction is where human resources becomes SHRM. Van Donk (2001) takes this idea one step further by explaining where in the planning process of a company the human resource management role must fit in  order to make it strategic in nature. He also explains how this role has evolved in the past twenty years or so: From the 80s onward there have been pleas for integrating human resource management and corporate strategy. A number of authors have been working on approaches to the achievement of what is called Strategic Human Resource Management. These approaches place the human resource management policy formulation at the strategic level. In these approaches to Strategic Human Resource Management it is claimed that: (1) human resource problems are problems solved by linking HRM and strategy formulation at an early stage; and (2) problems with strategy implementation are solved by early adjustment of the HRM to these strategies (299). In the end, what Van Donk adds to the definition of SHRM is that human resources cannot be called in at the last minute to fix a hiring problem. Instead, human resources must be involved from the very early planning stages in terms of the type of human resources that are needed. This early involvement allows human resources to understand exactly what is needed. It also allows human resources to be able to adjust so that the decisions that are made about the people that are needed can be adjusted immediately to fit new or changed strategies for the company. Finally, Mueller (1996) adds one additional piece to the information that helps us to formulate an overall definition for SHRM. He explains that: I propose to take the following as the defining features of the ‘orthodox notion of SHRM. According to this notion a strategic utilization of human resources means that: 1. Management is active, not reactive 2. There is high integration between policies 3. An orchestrational role is played by senior management 4. and there is articulation of policies by senior management (759). The information that is provided by these three scholars can help us to create on integrated definition of what is truly meant by SHRM. This concept really means that the human resource department and its leaders are not simply thought of as the people who are given the task of hiring employees. Instead, they are an important part of the strategy formation of a company. These people are a part of the process from the very beginning, and they are  given the authority by company management to be taken serious to provide ideas about the strategic planning of the company in terms of the role that employees will play, and the skills that need to help achieve those goals. The information that is provided should also make it clear that SHRM is more than just about the role that the human resource department of a company plays in the strategic vision of an organization. It is the role of senior management that helps to actually make SHRM work. Senior management must actually give the authority and respect that is needed to make the human resource department a vital part of any strategic vision. This must be more than simply saying that human resources are important for the company. Instead, it means that senior management must act upon it, and they must take an active approach to human resource needs to fulfill those strategic plans. They must communicate with human resource managers, and they must also listen to human resource managers. In the end, it could be easily explained that strategic human resource management is about adjusting the role of human resources. Rather than having a department that reacts to the needs of the company, SHRM is about ha ving a department that is on top of the planning that goes into deciding the human resource needs of the company (McMahan, Bell Virick 1998: 196). Evaluating SHRM in an organization In order to evaluate the extent to which human resource management in an organization can be termed strategic, we must first understand some of the basic models that apply to the organization that is being discussed. We must also have an organization that we can discuss in the first place. In order to choose an organization, it is easier, as an example, if an organization is chosen that is widely known by a lot of people. For this, we are going to turn to a description of large accounting firms and the role of human resources in their firms provided by Boxall Purcell (2000). To Illustrate what we mean about strategic choices in HRM, take the case of a management consulting firm that aims to join the elite cluster of firms that are transnational, if not ‘global’ in their reach (firms such as McKinsey, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Anderson Consulting). There is no doubt that such a firm must have highly selective recruitment and strong development of staff to ensure it can consistently offer clients high-quality service on  complex business problems. In this elite strategic group, a synergistic blend of certain human resource policies—such as proactive recruitement channels, high entry standards, high pay, employee ownership and extensive professional education—are critical prerequisites to a firm’s credibility in its sectoral labour market. On the other hand, it is unlikely that there is much handing on the firm’s choice of job evaluation systems. If any one o fa range of such systems supports its remuneration goals in recruiting and retaining highly qualified consultants, or doesn’t perversely undermine them, then the choice among different systems is not critical. Similarly, the contracting out of payroll or benefits administration in such a firm is not a strategic dimension of its HRM. It is not difficult to meet the requirements of employment contracts in these areas and elite firms are not differentiated from lesser firms on this basis. What is critical, however, is that they firm’s leaders put together and aply the system of broad-based HR policies that will help the firm to join the elite group of professional firms in its sector—although it would be unwise to think that this will happen quickly or be achieved solely through HR strategy (184-185). From the example that is given by major accounting firms, it is easy to see what makes human resource management strategic, and what does not. It all comes down to the notion of the decisions that are made in terms of moving the company forward in its goals and visions. On the other hand, decisions that really do not affect the visions of the company, such as choosing one piece of software over another to administer payroll, is not something that makes a human resource department strategic. With all of this in mind, the company that is going to be used as an example to determine how it has implemented, or needs to implement, SHRM is a small software company with which is I am familiar and have some working knowledge of the internal structure that sells communication software to physicians known as Televox Software. The software from the company helps companies immediately send recorded messages to customers to remind them of appointments or past-due bills. The software even allows customers to pay bills right over the internet without any work on the part of the company that wants the feature for its customers. In order to determine how the company’s human resources are already strategic in some ways, it is important to look at some of the models that explain SHRM. One of these models is known as the open systems theory. The open systems theory states that a company receives inputs from the environment, such as from customers and even other companies, and then uses that information to change how it operates. Wright Snell (2001) explain the concepts behind the open systems theory: It emphasizes two important characteristics of organizations: the system character, so that the movement in any part of the organization leads to movement in other parts, and the openness to environmental inputs (208). In terms of human resource management at Televox, the company is very much strategic in this regard. The company is constantly looking for feedback from customers. This feedback, unlike at some companies, is taken very seriously. When a customer complains about the way in which an employee has done his or her job, this information is analyzed to determine where the problem took place. If the problem lies with the employee’s training or motivation, human resources takes actions immediately to alleviate or correct the problem. A second theory that easily applies to Televox is the universalistic perspective. Colbert (2004) explains that Under a universalistic approach, strategic HR practices are those that are found to consistently lead to higher organizational performances, independent of an organization’s strategy. Examples are such practices as formal training systems, profit sharing, voice mechanisms, and job definition. One might argue that these are not strategic in the sense used elsewhere in the SHRM literature (i.e., contingent on strategy or explicitly aligned with specific strategy) and may simply be terms prudent in the sense that they have been shown to consistently enable a given firm to perform better than it might otherwise (344). Regardless of what some might think about the universalistic perspective, the ideas behind the theory can led a company to SHRM. In the case of the  company in question, Televox, the organization is very definite about defining job duties and providing formal training to employees. However, the company does lack in profit sharing as it is not a publicly traded company. In addition, the company also lacks in actually listening to its employees and giving them a voice in real decision-making. This shows that the company has moved from simple human resource management to strategic human resource management in some ways. However, it also shows that the company is not yet fully involved in the SHRM process. In terms of the information about Televox at this point in the analysis, it can only be deemed to have SHRM management in the way in which it takes information from the environment that it operates. When customers and others have issues with the services and support that are provided by employees, the company takes this information very seriously. The result is that training or even firings take place. In addition, when people are hired into the company, they learn very quickly that excellent customer service and attention to customer needs are the key to the vision and strategy of the company. This means that these ideas and objectives are going to be key to the way in which employees operate. At the same time, the company is very much about defining job duties and explaining the place that everyone holds in the company in relation to the vision of the company. However, the company, simply based on the information that we have discussed so far, lacks SHRM in other ways. For example, the company does not give employees a voice in helping to set strategy and goals for the company. In addition, communication between manager and employees is often very much one-sided. The company also does not give incentives that might keep the specialized and trained employees that they need to work in a skilled environment like a software company. In the next section of this analysis, information and research regarding HR Departments will be discussed. Once this literature review has been completed, we will return to Televox to determine what types of other improvements can be made to the company to move it closer to truly operating with the mindset of SHRM. This move closer to true SHRM can also be seen as  providing ways that Televox can actually move closer, as was explained earlier in this paper, to be an elite company in the sector in which it operates. Literature Review The purpose of this section of the report is to look at research and information regarding HR departments. The background information is being provided in the context of determining the problems and opportunities that exist for HR departments to transition from simply doing human resource management to handling strategic human resource management for the companies in which they operate. What should be taken from the background information that will be presented is that the difficulty that still exists in making that transition in one of understanding of SHRM and old ways of thinking about human resources in general. Before any background information can be provided, it is important to understand some of the key questions of SHRM so that we will know what to look for in the research that is available on this topic. Colbert (2004) explains that Research on the contribution of human resources (people) and HRM (practices) to organizational effectiveness has addressed a wide array of questions: what is the effect of HR practices on the development of the firm’s human resources? Which HR practices lead to greater organizational performance? To what degree does that depend on firm strategy? How does a firm ensure that its HR Practices ‘fit’ with its strategy? How does it ensure that its individual HR practices fit with one another, or does fit even matter in HR practices? Must the attributes of a firm’s base of human resources always align with an a priori strategy, or can its stock of skills, knowledge, and interactions drive strategic direction? (342). One of the ideas that exists about human resource management is that it was divided into its various parts in the past. This division of what constitutes human resource management is known as a subfunctional view. This view held that human resource departments actually had various separate roles, such as selecting employees, training employees, and even appraising employees. It has been argued, however, that the view that human resource departments have small functions that must come together for the sake of the  company has actually created problems for companies and HR departments. One of these problems is that the subfunctional view created problems for HR managers to try to understand how all of these functions actually came together. It was often the case that HR managers did not see them coming together. Instead, they were simply seen as separate tasks, such as selecting qualified candidates and then later on evaluating their performance. The end result has been that HR departments have not seen that all of the functions they perform actually do work together to accomplish the overall vision for the company (Wright Snell 2001: 206). In fact, Van Donk Esser (2001: 302) note that human resource managers often view the idea of managing human resources as lying within certain areas of concern and policy for the company and its employees. These areas concern the influence that a company may give to employees and even employee unions, the flow of human resources to various parts of the company, the rewards and benefits that are given to the employees, and the actual design of the work and the jobs that are performed. It is already clear that viewing each of these areas separately can certainly cause problems for human resource departments. If an HR manager thinks of hiring employees as a separate task from actually training employees or thinking about the jobs they will perform, confusion can easily be created when all of this is brought together when new employees are assigned to a department and told to get to work. There is clearly no harmony in the way that some HR managers think about the assets, that being the human assets, that they are supposed to be managing. Lundy (1994) also explains, as far as human resources goes in the United States, that their was an old system in place of managing employees. This was a system where those who oversaw personnel decisions really lacked any power or decision-making skills at all. However, she explains that this is changing in the United States, and that the role that human resource officials play within the companies for which they work is evolving. She explains this evolution: There are other issues worth consideration. It would seem that, from a US perspective, a good case can be made for  concluding that personnel management in its traditional form has been evolving to a process identified as human resource management (HRM). In particular, the Harvard model and writings demonstrate the nature of the evolution. It incorporates: a strategic orientation; standard personnel management practices, e.g. selection, appraisal; a philosophy and new practices geared towards employee motivation. It has a strong managerial perspective and, in many ways, the new practices have been managements pragmatic response to its changing environmental context. It is also worth noting that historical analysis has suggested five different HR management systems linked to environmental conditions. This gives strong emphasis to the contingency-based properties of the current commitment system. While the likely endurance of the commitment system is unknown it is important to take account of the probable strength of the educational and social changes within human resources which have influenced the development of the system. The historical analysis has also pointed up that the different HRM systems denote a shift in the balance of influence between employer and employed. There is a connection here with the literature on the changing face of American industrial relations and the phenomenon of the non-union firm. Certainly the analysis highlights certain extremes in behaviour and perspective, e. g. mutuality/adversarialism, control/commitment, specialization/flexibility, standardization/innovation, alienation/identification and so on (713). The reason for this evolution and changing dynamic between companies and human resource departments, as well as between human resource departments and employees may lie in the outcome of being more focused on employees and the planning of human resources. In fact, Appleby Mavin (2000) conducted research to determine what happens when there is an integration of human resource roles and ideas. The research looked at over 800 companies in the manufacturing industry in England. The authors used a self-assessment questionnaire that would report how well each company was achieving a world-class levels of performance, and what was helping to lead to that level of performance. The authors report that actually bringing together all of the roles and functions of HR departments was related to an organization actually attaining world-class level. The authors of the study  explain: The results show a positive association between the integration of HR strategy and the world-class status of orga nizations. Further, those organizations using an integrated HR strategy show better practice and performance with regard to: quality management, managing and developing their people, and their sustainability and innovation (s560). This study is not the only study to find that actually integrating the roles and duties of human resource departments actually lead to better overall results for the companies in question. Rodwell Teo (2004) conducted a study of for-profit and non-profit companies in Australia. The study consisted of 61 companies in Australia that operated in the medical industry. Questionnaires were given to company leaders asking about human resource practices. The results of the study found that regardless of whether a company was for-profit or non-profit, human resource practices that actually integrated people and their functions resulted in better performance for the company. As the authors of the study state: The evidence suggests that as the health sector experiences more global reform in terms of policy and managerial changes (EOHCS 2001) Australian HS firms emphasize the buying of skills, experience and knowledge through selective staffing and other human capital-enhancing practices. Researchers such as Snell and Dean (1992) conclude that the adoption of these strategic initiatives are related to the adoption of strategic HRM and those practices that focus on the creation of human capital required for mastering the new managerial and medical systems and techniques. In this instance, HRM has been used to ensure that human resources are selected to add value to the firms’ quest for efficiency, effectiveness and economy in the Australian health sector (325). Now, at this point, some might argue that about the ability to take research from one area of the world, or even in one sector, and generalize the findings to all companies and how human resources should be managed across the spectrum. The fact of the matter is that this is an important area of discussion. The research that has been presented clearly shows that the notion of human resource management in companies is changing because it is  good for the companies. In organizations where human resource departments are given the authority to integrate their tasks and to worry about the resources that they are supposed to be in charge of, the result has been companies with better levels of overall performance. Still, the argument remains as to the ability to generalize these findings. However, in light of the information that is available, it clearly seems that more research and even more practice is warranted. As Wright, Snell Dyer state quite clearly: The conference at Cornell was s uccessful in bringing together leading HR academics from around the globe to enhance the emerging international dialogue on SHRM theory and research. The resulting papers suggest general agreement on one point: that differences in institutional environments, and perhaps cultures, serve as boundary conditions with respect to the generalizability of our models and empirical results. Clearly, however, there is less agreement about the nature of these boundary conditions and the direction and magnitude of their effects, or on the stakeholder vs stockholder controversy. We hope that SHRM theorists and researchers in all corners of the globe will see this situation as a challenge. The papers in this volume represent a promising start. The task now is to build on this work by incorporating a fuller range of boundary conditions in our research, explicitly wrestling with the global universality vs local adaptability issue and experimenting with a wider range of outcomes in our models and studies preferably doing so through networks of international collaborations and consortiums. Ultimately, we must make absolutely certain that our field continues to hold its own in the ubiquitous drive to globalize (879). Based on the studies and opinions from scholars in the field of human resource management, it is clear that HR departments must change their focus on how they view people, and how those people fit into the organization. This change must come at the management level, and must actually see human resource departments as part of the management level, rather than as simply another part of the organization that can be ignored. Kazmi Ahmad (2001) explain the types of questions and focus that comes when human resources are seen as being part of the management level in a company. For example, in the personnel selection/placement area, operational-level activities include the  annual staffing and recruitment plans. The managerial-level is more concerned with staff planning for the intermediate-range future. A question posed at the managerial-level is, for instance, if the company is about to set up two plants in different parts of the country, what kind of people will be needed and how will they be found? Strategic-level activities look on the long-term future. Here a question such as this could be posed: what kind of people will be needed to manage and run the organization in the future? The implications of the long-run position are then retraced to guide current selection, placement, and training practices. If, say, a major oil company formulates a strategic plan for major diversification by the year 2005, a relevant question would be: what kind of people should it be recruiting now so that it will have employees capable of running the diversified company five years and beyond? (135). Of course, with all of this discussion about moving human resources to the role of being a strategic part of a company, Schuler (1992: 25) explains that human resource departments need to be part of the team that not only makes strategic decisions, but also helps to set some of the tone for the company. For example, he explains that human resources can take on three roles: a leadership role, a managerial role, and an operational role. In the leadership role, HR helps to steer the direction of the employees of the company. This can include attitudes and culture that exist in the way that employees approach their jobs and the people they serve. In the managerial role, HR acts to give employees the training and direction they need. HR also gives feedback to the work that is being done, and ways that employees can improve. HR can also help to direct how people work together to get tasks done efficiently. Finally, in the operational role, HR helps to set the function of certain roles. This can be as simple as telling employees that they must smile and greet customers by name. However, in the light of various functions, HR departments must see themselves as part of the company that actually helps to build profits and results. They can no longer see themselves as simply working for a company. They must see themselves as actually moving a company forward, and having to produce results to show that work and effort. Rogers Wright (1998) explain this idea. Universal application of macro HRM models of analysis  with dynamic constructs for performance may prove more achievable and useful than the search for a single universal linkage of micro HR to a particular measure of organizational performance. Just as happened with the field of economics, human resources management is developing a clearly distinguishable macro side. The HR field must face the questions of micro-macro linkage, bias in aggregation, and plausible mechanisms of action to connect individual human activity in the form of HRM with organizational performance. How these questions are answered will in large part determine the direction and utility of the filed in the next decade. A case has been made for expanding the concept of performance to enable establishment of a general construct for organizational performance through the adoption of a performance information market concept. The PIM concept needs to be equipped with variables and the model’s mechanism of interaction verified by empirical investigations (328). Problems and Opportunities of Becoming Strategic Based on the information that was provided in the literature review, it should become clearer that a transition from simple human resource management to strategic human resource management is not going to be something that is going to result in just opportunities for human resource departments. Instead, there are also going to be problems and areas of concern along the way. All of these areas must be addressed and dealt with my HR departments if they are going to be part of the strategic process in companies in the future. First, with the transition to strategic human resources, HR departments are going to be held accountable for the work that they perform. This means that they cannot simply sit on the sidelines and expect to reap the benefits of being treated like part of the management team without gaining some of the pressures and responsibilities that come with actually being part of the management. This is going to result in HR managers and departments having to actually justify their existence. They are going to have their own goals and objectives that will have to be met. Even more, they are going to have to answer to the senior management of the companies for which they work, as well as the investors of the companies, when the decisions they have  undertaken to obtain qualified employees or to hold on to employees do not go as planned. They are also going to be expected to communicate problems and concerns more openly, rather than lurking in the shadows waiting to be noticed by those in power . Another area of opportunity or problem, depending on where you stand, is going to be that human resource personnel can no longer be people who sit and shuffle paper. It will not matter if we are talking about the HR manager or the associate sitting in the office. The fact of the matter, everyone who works in the HR department is going to have to be trained not only in how to interview and hire employees, but also how to develop plans to deal with strategies that will move a company forward. In fact, it does not seem far-fetched at all to assume that more time will be spent by those in HR departments developing strategies and analyzing what is working and what is not as it relates to employee operation and performance. Of course, with all of these areas of concern will come many opportunities and benefits for HR departments to work toward SHRM. First, this is the chance for those who work in HR departments to truly be taken seriously as leaders and managers. They can come out of the shadows and stop being seen as employees who are removed from the actual work that is being done in the company. Instead, they can be viewed by employees as being relevant to the operations of the company. These individuals can also be seen as having the abilities to truly be effective leaders. At the same time, all of this promises success for more than just the companies or those who work in HR departments. The change from human resource management to SHRM will mean that employees will be recruited with the idea that they are truly valuable, and how they are treated is important for the future of individual companies. Of course, for employees and potential employees, this will also spell added responsibility. Employees will have to show that they have the skills and qualifications that are necessary for the specific job or function they will play within the company. However, they will also need to show that they can learn and expand as the strategic plans and goals for the company change. Just as HR  managers will have to adjust, the move to SHRM means employees will be affected, and they will have to change as well. However, if all of this comes together, the end result should be a great improvement in how companies operate. The research shows that companies that are involved with SHRM perform at a higher level. The research also shows that these companies are in a better place to provide world-class service. Application of SHRM to an Organization Now that we have analyzed the research leading to SHRM, it is time to turn back to Televox Software and the ways in which it can improve upon SHRM in its operation. First and foremost, the research shows that HR departments must communicate clearly and accurately the expectations to new employees. At Televox, new employees are not always give the full range of their duties until they have already been on the job. It is true that they are given the specific duties of the job for which they are hired. However, they are often not told that they will be cross-trained to handle duties of other employees with those employees are not available to help customers or are on vacation. This sometimes leads to employees who are not happy with the job once they are hired. A move to SHRM at the company will mean that the full range of expectations and duties will be provided to employees from the beginning. In fact, a move to SHRM would mean that he HR department would seek out employees who enjoy the challenge of actually having to take on duties that are outside of their specific roles within the company. Instead of hiring people who are only skilled at one job, and only want to be skilled in that job, those who make hiring decisions would work to gain employees that want to be well-versed in many duties within the organization. At the same time, a move to SHRM would make the company realize that having skilled employees who are motivated by the strategic plans for the company have to be compensated and treated with respect and dignity. Currently, the company shows its respect for employees in basic ways, such as to give away free lunch and other items. However, when it comes to listening to employee concerns about working conditions, the company is not always responsive,  either openly or in future moves of the company. The organization needs to show more openly that it takes employee concerns seriously, and that it realizes the employees are trained and skilled enough to know when to provide feedback about working conditions that should be taken seriously by management (McMahan, Bell Virick 1998: 198). Of course, it must be understood that moving closer to full SHRM is not going to be something that can occur in a short amount of time. The reason for this is that the company have dozens of employees that have been with the company for years. Adjusting to a way of doing business that focuses more on employee skills may be something that is not taken seriously by existing employees. The result is going to be some who are on board with the SHRM measures, and some who are not. All employees will have to be brought up to speed with the new plans, or some employees will have to be informed of the consequences of not getting on board with the new strategic plans for the company. In the end, the research and actual application of SHRM shows that moving in this direction is good for companies. However, the research should leave no doubt that the transition is difficult, and it does require changing well-established attitudes and roles. These are attitudes that have existed for decades, and they are not going to change quickly. On the other hand, as with many things that occur in the world of business, as companies realize that advantages that come with SHRM, more will move in that direction and require acceptance of the policies that come with it (Wright McMahan 1992: 316; Siddique 2004: 219). References Appleby, A. Mavin, S. 2000. ‘Innovation not imitation: Human Resource Strategy and the Impact on World-Class Status,’ Total Quality Management, vol. 11, no. 5, s554-s561. Boxall, P. Purcell, J. 2000. ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: Where Have we Come From and Where Should we be Going?’ International Journal of Management Reviews, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 183-203. Colbert, B. A. 2004. ‘The Complex Resource-Based View: Implications for Theory and Practice in Strategic Human Resource Management,’ Academy of  Management Review, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 341-356. Kazmi, A. Ahmad, F. 2001. ‘Differening Approaches to Strategic Human Resource Management,’ Journal of Management Research, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 133-140. Lundy, O. 1994. ‘From Personnel Management to Strategic Human Resource Management,’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 687-720. McMahan, G. C., Bell, M. P. Virick, M. 1998. ‘S trategic Human Resource Management: Employee Involvement, Diversity, and International Issues,’ Human Resource Management Review, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 193-214. Mueller, F. 1996. ‘Human Resources as Strategic Assets: An Evolutionary Resource-Based Theory,’ Journal of Management Studies, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 757-785. Rodwell, J. J. Teo, S. T. T. 2004. ‘Strategic HRM in For-Profit and Non-Profit Organizations in a Knowledge-Intensive Industry,’ Public Management Review, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 311-331. Rogers, E. W. Wright, P. M. 1998. ‘Measuring Organizational Performance in Strategic Human Resource Management; Problems, Prospects, and Performance Information Markets,’ Human Resource Management Review, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 311-331. Schuler, R. S. 1992. ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: Linking the People with the Strategic Needs of the Business,’ Organizational Dynamics, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 18-32. Siddique, C. M. 2004. ‘Job Analysis: A Strategic Human Resource Management Practice,’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 219-244. Van Donk, D. Esser, A. 1992. ‘Strategic Human Resource Management: A Role of the Human Resource Manager in the Process of Strategy Formation,’ Human Resource Management Review, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 299-315. Wright, P. M. McMahan, G. C. 2001. ‘Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Human Resource Management,’ Journal of Management, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 295-320. Wright, P. M. Snell, S. A. 1991. ‘Toward an Integrative View of Strategic Human Resource Management,’ Human Resource Management Review, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 203-225. Wright, P. M., Snell, S. A. Dyer, L. 2005. ‘New Models of Strategic HRM in a Global Context,’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 16, no. 6, pp. 875-881.

SUZUKI STYLE METHOD: BREAKING DOWN CULTURE BLOCKS :: essays research papers fc

Suzuki Style Method: Breaking Down Culture Blocks The topic I am choosing to write about is the Suzuki style of music education, or better known as the Suzuki method. It was brought to my attention by the lessons teacher the different methods of teaching flute and other instruments. She preferred to teach me music from the Suzuki method book and after doing some of my own research I realized what a good method the Suzuki style is for teaching children, especially children at a young age. The point I want to prove is the Suzuki style method is the best way of teaching a child how to play and understand music from modern times to early music and from all over the globe. This topic is important because I believe this is the best way to teach a child to not only learn to play an instrument, but to love to play their instrument and to love making music. Not only will they love the music but they will become more open to different kinds of music and cultures. I think every culture has its own music style, and most people become comfortable with what is around them so they don’t think to venture out. With this style more children will grow up to appreciate the classics of our country and other countries and to not be so closed minded. If I can prove this method to be the best way of learning/teaching, then I think we have found a solution to culture gaps all over the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have a few books and internet sources lined up for my paper. Many of the books I plan on getting soon and already have include parents speaking of their ways of training their children, and a hands on book from someone who has learned the Suzuki method. I have books from teachers and 1 book in particular is an observer of the style who travels the world seeing children playing in concerts and sees their lessons and practicing method. One novel I am reading is written by the creator of the style, Shin’ichi Suzuki, and explains how he made this method, his observations compared to other methods, and why he thinks this is a good way of learning. I only have a few internet sources, and I am using them to have an inside look on the world wide association for this method and to know a little more about what this method is about.

Cellbazaar, Burgeoning Mobile Marketplace of Bangladesh

CellBazaar, Burgeoning Mobile Marketplace of Bangladesh Abstract CellBazaar, MIT Media Lab project, is the biggest mobile based online marketplace in Bangladesh. It is nothing but a platform that contains the information of its customers who are willing to sell their products or services and buyers or people at large go through that information posted by the sellers to search out the product serve their interest best. Cellbazaar is in service industry as well as in IT industry.The main goal of providing service of this organization is to provide error free services to the customer and to fulfill that goal all the activities are run in the organization. Section One: Introduction CellBazaar, often called the Mobile Craigslist of Bangladesh, has provided a martketplace to buy and sell goods and service to Bangladeshis for three and a half years now. Since then, the service has grown and has now user base of just under 4 million. Cell Bazaar processes 1000 posts/day, and founder Kamal Qa dir was chosen by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2009.It started its operation in June 2006 that allows people to buy and sell over mobile phones. Nearly 23 million Grameenphone users can buy any agricultural product, such as rice, fish, or chicken, as well as large-scale purchases like an apartment, land, or car, and consumer goods such as a television or refrigerator. People can also offer services, like tutoring, house rent etc. The service is run by the customers: they post items for sale, delete items after they are sold, adjust prices if items fail to sell, and do much more besides.Initially started working in mobile phone platform now it has entered into the Web platform to reach the global audience. Section Two: Overview of Cellbazaar in Bangladesh 2. 1 Idea Generation Kamal Quadir, Bangladeshi by born, originally designed CellBazaar at MIT as a graduate student. In developing countries, the limits on communication technology hinder business. People mus t travel great distances to get market information. Isolated and uninformed, farmers, traders and business people have little information, and thus no power to bargain with middlemen.CellBazaar was devised to solve this problem. Using this platform, everyone gathers market information so they can make smart business decisions. In the process they provide a birds’ eye view of the entire market for both sellers and buyers (Qadir K. & Mohaiemen N. , 2009). 2. 2 Formation Kamal Quadir registered CellBazaar as a U. S. business and moved into rapid-action mode. He raised the necessary capital from Omidyar Network, Barred Rock Capital and Gray Matters Capital in the U. S.Soon, they had registered the company as a Foreign Direct Investor—a process which is normally quite byzantine in Bangladesh had filed a patent application with the Bangladesh patent office, and had signed an exclusive partnership with Grameenphone, the country’s largest mobile operator with 60% market share (Qadir K. & Mohaiemen N. , 2009). 2. 3 Growth of Cellbazaar Over the year 2010, Grameenphone is the largest mobile phone operator in Bangladesh with over 23 million subscribers.Dubbed the â€Å"Craigslist of Bangladesh†, it is a mobile application that brings buyers and sellers together in a mobile environment where they can publish and retrieve information on goods or services. 35,396 posts for multiple products in 141 categories are available for viewing, ranging from livestock to education services to agri-produce to electronics. Users pay standard SMS, WAP and voice rates to access the service. Accodring to the world’s number one web site rating organization Alexa the web page of the CellBazar is in the 53th position in Bangladesh and its 98. % of the browse are made from Bangladesh. According to the www. alexa. com (viewed 16 December 2010, at BDT 2:58 pm) daily page viewed of cellbazaar is 13,011 and its daily advertisement cost is $238. 12. The diversity of products posted has resulted in constant innovation and change. As the company grows and matures, it looks set to be the first Internet model startup in Bangladesh’s history, with global media interest, local imitators, overseas expansion plans, and international-standard management and staffing. 2. Platform of Operation (http://corp. cellbazaar. com/) Short Message Service (SMS): SMS has been phenomenally popular since its introduction in Bangladesh. CellBazaar leverages the simple, widespread power of SMS to bring the market to phone. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP): WAP is the next generation of mobile phone technology. 12% of all mobile sets in Bangladesh are already WAP-enabled, and this number is growing rapidly. WAP provides an even faster experience as you browse a simple graphic menu to access the entire market space.WEB: WEB version shows the entire market at a glance on computer screen. Anyone with internet access can browse the market, and post items for sa le. Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Any Grameenphone user can dial 3838 and listen to the latest items on the market in Bengali. After dialing 3838, users choose from 8 categories: Jobs, Mobile Phones, Agriculture, Motorcycle, Car, Electronics, Computers, and To-Let. Every few hours, users will hear new information through this service. 2. 5 Partners (http://corp. ellbazaar. com/) Grameenphone (GP): Grameenphone is the largest mobile telecommunication operator in Bangladesh by revenue and subscribers base. It incorporated on October 10, 1996 as a private limited company and commenced service on the independence day of Bangladesh- March 26, 1997. Grameenphone Community Information Centre (GP CIC): It is a shared premise for both Cellbazaar and GP. Katalyst: Katalyst aims at poverty reduction via private sector growth, mainly through small & medium enterprises (SME) development.KATALYST is funded by DFID, SDC, Swedish Sida and Canadian CIDA and is implemented by Swisscontact and GTZ International Services and works together with the Bangladesh Ministry of Commerce Thakral: It is a Joint Venture between the Thakral Group of Singapore (operating in 30 countries) and Esquire Group of Bangladesh. Thakral is IBM's exclusive representative in Bangladesh and works on software development on mainframes, data warehousing, etc. BracNet provides enterprise organizations with a high-speed dedicated Internet access via a Cisco Powered backbone engineered for mission critical data.It is an affiliation of Brac, the world’s largest non-government organization BRAC Bank Limited (BBL): BBL with institutional shareholdings by BRAC, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Shorecap International has been the fastest growing Bank in 2004 and 2005. The Bank operates under a â€Å"double bottom line† agenda where profit and social responsibility go hand in hand as it strives towards a poverty-free, enlightened Bangladesh. Prothom Alo: Bangla daily newspaper â€Å"P rothom Alo† is Bangladesh's largest circulation Bengali language newspaper and a key influence on cultural trends.CellBazaar provides Prothom Alo classifieds on the mobile phone. The Daily Star: English daily newspaper â€Å"The daily Star† is Bangladesh's largest circulation English language newspaper. CellBazaar provides Daily Star classifieds on the mobile phone. Section Three: Conclusion and Recommendation 3. 1 Conclusion CellBazaar is a virtual marketplace that allows buyers and sellers to connect with one another and buy and sell goods and services using their mobile phones.CellBazaar enables entrepreneurs and small businesses in Bangladesh to start and grow operations in a market that wouldn't otherwise be available in their local community, thereby creating jobs, stimulating the economy, and delivering products and services that improve the lives of millions of poor people. The service is not just mobile classified ads but a social development service. It cuts o uts the middlemen for buyers and sellers which means more profit and savings for them. 3. 2 Recommendation CellBazaar successfully provides over 3. million buyers and sellers in Bangladesh masses of market information at their fingertips, unlike similar environments in developing markets. However, CellBazaar is limited to search facilities only. Its effectiveness in providing users with the full potential of mCommerce is restricted by two key factors: 1. A lack of a secure and trusted payment method to complete transactions on the system; and 2. A lack of cost-effective, reliable infrastructure to permit delivery of goods to take place through the system.In addition, a critical success factor that is required in order to enable transactions to be completed on the system is trust between parties: trust that sellers will deliver goods that fit the description and quality standards previously communicated, and trust that the buyer will make the payment. In other more sophisticated cell bazaar trusts is ensured by feedback mechanisms; this includes buyer and seller ratings, comment facilities, etc. A lack of policies which offer some kind of safeguards, should there be a breach in trust by either party will deter parties from engaging in transactions in an eMarketplace.References 1. Qadir K. & Mohaiemen N. , â€Å"Cellbazar: A Market in your Packet†, innovation/mobile world congress, 2009, pp. 59-71 2. Stevenson. J. W. , â€Å"Operation Management†, McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2009, pp. 397-471 3. http://corp. cellbazaar. com/ 4. www. wikipedia. org 5. www. alexa. com 6. CB Amazon – lirneasia. net ———————– WEB IVR WAP SMS Platform GP BRAC Net Thakral Katalyst GPCIC Prothom Alo The Daily Star BRAC Bank Content Partners Technological Partners Educational Partners Core Partners Partners

Doing Your Homework Essay

You should do your own homework. Copying someone else is illegal, and you can get a failing grade or even be kicked out of school. If you cheat on your job, you can be fired or arrested and put into jail; the government will certainly find you if you cheat on your taxes! Copying someone else’s homework also means that you never learn how to do that work for yourself, so when you need the information later (let’s say the teacher actually gives you a test on it where you can’t copy! ) then you don’t know how to do it and you get another bad grade. Also, if you don’t do your homework, you never learn how to discipline yourself to do unpleasant things, and when you grow up you will always have trouble making yourself do things like your job, paying your bills, and saving money. In short, doing your own homework is the best way to go! ?You should do your own homework. Copying someone else is illegal, and you can get a failing grade or even be kicked out of school. If you cheat on your job, you can be fired or arrested and put into jail; the government will certainly find you if you cheat on your taxes! Copying someone else’s homework also means that you never learn how to do that work for yourself, so when you need the information later (let’s say the teacher actually gives you a test on it where you can’t copy! ) then you don’t know how to do it and you get another bad grade. Also, if you don’t do your homework, you never learn how to discipline yourself to do unpleasant things, and when you grow up you will always have trouble making yourself do things like your job, paying your bills, and saving money. In short, doing your own homework is the best way to go! ?You should do your own homework. Copying someone else is illegal, and you can get a failing grade or even be kicked out of school. If you cheat on your job, you can be fired or arrested and put into jail; the government will certainly find you if you cheat on your taxes! Copying someone else’s homework also means that you never learn how to do that work for yourself, so when you need the information later (let’s say the teacher actually gives you a test on it where you can’t copy! Then you don’t know how to do it and you get another bad grade. Also, if you don’t do your homework, you never learn how to discipline yourself to do unpleasant things, and when you grow up you will always have trouble making yourself do things like your job, paying your bills, and saving money. In short, doing your own homework is the best way to go! ?You should do your own homework.

Signing Miracles essays

Signing Miracles essays When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us. (Helen Keller) This is one of many quotes from the play The Miracle Worker, which was performed at Highlands Ranch High School on January 21, 2005. The play was a tragic story of a young girl growing up deaf and blind. It took place during the nineteenth century. The play story revolved around Helen Keller, the young girl, and the difficulties of learning without sight or sound. The production of The Miracle Worker seemed on average a pleasing experience for the audience. All lines by the cast were well memorized and hardly any mistakes were noticeable. Sound and music could not have been more appropriate. The only thing that seemed lacking was lighting and the over exaggeration of a particular character. This character talked as if she were a woman of little intelligence and disrupted the realization. All actors were taught very well on sign language and brought a certain recognition to the well know play. The actors reacted to each other very appropriately. In one scene an actress said her lines in the wrong order and the other actors played it off as if it was supposed to be this way. Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I learn, whatever state I may be in, therein to be content. (Helen Keller) The theme of this play was through darkness and silence learning is an adventure. Where darkness and silence are, happiness always prevails. ...

Curtain Call Dos and Donts for the Stage

Curtain Call Dos and Don'ts for the Stage For many actors, the curtain call makes all of the stressful auditions, tedious rehearsals, and manic performance schedules worth the experience. Most actors crave audience approval. In fact, I have yet to meet a thespian who has told me, You know what? I cant stand applause. But how does one accept the standing ovations? Is there an etiquette to curtain calls? Not exactly. Each show may have its own way of presenting the actors after the conclusion of a play or musical. Generally, the director decides which actors bow first, second, third, and all the way up until the starring members of the cast take their final bows. Its up to each individual actor as to how one behaves during the curtain call. Over the years, I have collected advice from both performers and audience members about what makes a good (and bad) curtain call. DO: Rehearse the Curtain Call Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Even if the director does not seem to care about it. Practice a few times so that the curtain call is a smooth process and everyone knows their entrances. A sloppy curtain call with confused actors bumping into one another is not how you want to conclude your opening night. DONT: Take Too Long Nothing sullies a good show like an excessively long curtain call. If the show consists of six or fewer actors, its fine for everyone to take an individual bow. But for medium to large casts, send out groups of actors based on the size of their role. The actors dont need to run, but they do need to be quick. They should bow, acknowledge the audience, and then make way for the next set of performers. DO: Connect with the Audience Normally, when an actor is performing they avoid breaking the fourth wall. Even when they look off stage, they do not look directly at the audience. Yet, during the curtain call, the actor is free to be him/herself. Make eye contact. Show your genuine feelings. Be yourself. DONT: Stay in Character Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Some actors feel more comfortable remaining in character while on stage. When I perform in a comedy, I often walk to center stage in character. But once I reach the center stage and take my bow, I shed my character and become myself. Generally, audiences appreciate getting a glimpse of the artist behind the character. DO: Acknowledge the Crew / Orchestra After the cast bows as a group, they should then gesture towards the orchestra pit (for musicals) or the lighting/sound operators at the back of the house (for stage plays). Some professional theaters forgo offering applause to the technical crew (perhaps because a steady paycheck is their reward). However, I highly recommend that non-profit theaters give their voluntary crew members their own taste of applause. DONT: Deliver Speeches after the Curtain Call Producers and directors might be tempted to thank the audience and discuss the creative process. Theater owners might seek a chance to plug season tickets. Dont give into that temptation. One: it spoils the theatrical experience. And two: Most of the audience wants to use the restroom and perhaps buy a souvenir. Let them. DO: Give the Audience a Chance to Meet the Cast Members Depending on the venue, it can be thrilling for audience members to meet the actors after the performance. During the original run of Into the Woods, audience members could enter a side-curtain and shake hands with their favorite performers. I fondly remember meeting the cast of the Los Angeles production of The Phantom of the Opera at the stage door. Giving fans an extra glimpse, a spare moment or even an autograph will add to the shows publicity.

Journals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journals - Essay Example Once arrested in 2000, his computer using rights were severely restricted and he was denied access to the Internet. Mafiaboy's motivation was nothing but entertainment for himself and a proof of his capability. The authorities later found that he didn't even have the genius skills that other hackers possess. But he was someone who wanted to prove to himself that he could pull off something major. Crime hurts society and while in some rare cases motivation for crime may find ethical justification, in most cases the societal and economic damage far outweigh any ethical justification. In this case for example the boy slowed down the website which is accessed by millions around the world every second. The website contains vital information on world affairs and by denying people a right to access the website in a timely fashion, this boy caused economic as well as societal damage with loss of time and money. It is amazing that in most computer crime cases, system managers fail to detect the crime because of their subtleness. A third-party or the offender normally reports these crimes. It is very likel y that the same thing happened with this case as well where users reported the slow respond they received when accessing the site instead of the system managers detecting it.

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY AND BUYING BEHAVIOR Research Paper

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY AND BUYING BEHAVIOR - Research Paper Example Research shows that the congruity between product image and self-image affects the product preference of a consumer and their intentions to buy an item. This congruence with self-image could also facilitate positive attitudes and behaviour towards products. The study conducted in â€Å"Consumers and brands a study of the impact of self-image congruence on brand preference and satisfaction†, was seeking to understand the consequences of congruity of self-image on brand preference and the consumer satisfaction in the UK’s precious jewellery sector. Results indicated that congruity of self-image acted as a vitally powerful predictor of brand preferences of consumers as well as acting as a suitable predictor for satisfaction of the consumer. The respondents with above average self-image, congruity levels were found to be more likely to enjoy higher satisfaction levels, as well as increased likelihood to buy the brand. This was when compared to those who had below average se lf-image congruity levels (Gordon, 2006 p140). For this case study, the consumers were found to be dissonance-reducing buyers (Gordon, 2006 p141). They were highly involved in the jewellery purchase since the product was expensive. There was minimal difference between the brands of jewelry that existed. The consumers were also found to be complex buyers as they were buying highly valued products, and they looked for detailed information before making the purchase.

Endangered and Threatened Species of Wyoming Essay

Endangered and Threatened Species of Wyoming - Essay Example All grizzly bears have thick fur that shields them from cold and moisture (Potts, 1997, pp. 7-8). Figure 1. The grizzly bear has fur that has grayish tips. From â€Å"Grizzly Bear,† by J. Eastcott and Y. Momatiuk, n.d., http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/grizzly-bear/. Copyright by J. Eastcott and Y. Momatiuk. Reprinted with permission. The adult grizzly bear has an average height of three to five feet when it is on all fours and six to 10 feet when standing. An adult grizzly may weigh from 600 pounds (Potts, 1997, p.4) to 800 pounds (â€Å"Grizzly Bear,† 2011), and even 1,400 pounds. When it comes to the physical description of the grizzly, it has flat feet and a muscular shoulder hump that powers the forelimbs for digging. Its head is round â€Å"with a concave facial profile† (â€Å"Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)†, 2011). According to the National Geographic, grizzly bears are â€Å"top-of-the-food-chain predators†. Alt hough they eat animals, surprisingly, grizzly bears are fond of fruits, berries, leaves and roots (â€Å"Grizzly Bear,† 2011). Potts (1997) reported that there are 40,000 to 50,000 grizzly bears living in the mountains and forests of Canada and Alaska. In the United States, particularly in the states of Montana, Washington, Wyoming and Idaho, the number of grizzlies is from 600 to 800 (p.5). In Wyoming, grizzly bears are recognized as threatened. Whitaker & Hamilton (1998) define threatened as the likelihood that a species become endangered in the future whereas an endangered species is in the danger of extinction throughout a part of its range (p.549). Due to burgeoning population, people occupy the territories of grizzly bears, driving them away from their home. When this happens, the food supply of these bears becomes limited; thus, grizzly bears go after the farm animals of the settlers. In turn, these settlers hunted the bears until they were almost extinct (Potts, 1997, p.13). Primarily, it was the dwindling number of existing grizzly bears that prompted their being threatened. In an article, it says that human activities that occur in the habitat of grizzlies also deprive these animals of territory and food supply. These activities include timber cutting, grazing, private land development and so on (Delvin, 1999). These grizzly bears have been recognized as threatened since 1967. Not surprisingly, humans bear greater responsibility in managing grizzly bears. It is the humans who pushed grizzly bears out of their territories. Due to growing population, some people settled in areas that are natural habitat to grizzly bears. Moreover, human influence has changed the bears’ natural ecosystems through the many activities such as timber cutting. Human contact has also led to some bears being hunted. For the past years, there were some debates whether grizzly bears should be delisted as threatened. Some experts disapproved, saying that bears are not ready yet to be delisted. However, there are some suggestions to improve the situation of grizzlies. First, there must be a law or policy that strictly prohibits the killing of bears. It is noteworthy that grizzlies were included in the threatened creatures list because of their dwindling number. Thus, for grizzlies to completely recover, humans must not kill them. Second, the government must provide a habitat with sufficient area where the bears are secured and have no way of venturing to where humans live. This is in relation to the fact that bears ventured out of Yellowstone that might â€Å"bring them into dangerous contact with humans† (Eilperin, 2005). Finally, the habitat of the grizzlies must be

Motivation to Learn: Teacher-Student Relationship

Motivation to Learn: Teacher-Student Relationship It is a generally accepted truth that the future lies in the hands of the next generation and that the success of the next generation is based largely on education. Increasing numbers of reports and articles in the media have been published over the last several years showing that education of the next generation in the U.S. is lacking. The long-standing super power stands to lose its status on the global playing field, threatening the way America has come to see itself and its role in the world. These trends have caused panic and politicians have claimed a rededication of their efforts in this arena because that is what the nation is crying for. However, while the belief that U.S. students are falling behind the world academically is wide-spread, and fact that this is an undesirable circumstance to be in is unanimous, no single concrete solution has emerged. The leading approach is currently raising standards as can be measured according to standardized tests. The idea is that without a quantifiable measure of progress schools cannot know whether they are improving and that by seeing how they are doing in comparison to other schools, they will be motivated to make even greater strides. It has been suggested that an emphasis on student motivation may be far more valuable than an emphasis on which specific facts theyve memorized from American history or which functions they can calculate in mathematics. While it may be somewhat counterintuitive to argue that education is best improved by focusing on something beside the material the students are expected to learn, many studies have shown that this very well might be the case. This is, in brief, due to the fact that motivated students learn more, learn better, and learn themselves. That is to say, the tradeoff is more than worth it: To dedicate some percentage of a teachers time and efforts to motivating students will translate at the end of the day to those students having learned a lot more than if that same time and effort was invested in conventional transfer of knowledge methods, or far worse, test preparation. Accordingly, many researchers have conducted a considerable number of studies on students academic motivation and students goal orientation, particularly those who concentrate on the dynamics of motivation within classroom settings, have started to emphasize the potential role of relational variables ( e.g., Davis, 2003; Pianta, 1999) and teacher behaviors (e.g., Skinner Belmont, 1993) in students academic engagement. In the last forty years, researches (e.g., Pintrich, 2001, Skinner, 1995, Stipek, 1988) have studied student motivation and, have found a great deal about: What moves students to learn and the quantity and quality of the effort they invest?, What choices students make?, What makes them persist in the face of hardship?, How student motivation is affected by their relationships with significant adults?, How motivation develops?, and How the school environment affects it?. Accordingly, educators, parents, and students have paid substantial attention to the importance of motivation in school because of significant contributions to students academic learning, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and school readiness. Motivation to learn is a competence acquired through general experience however, it is mostly stimulated through modeling, communication of expectations, and direct instruction or socialization by significant others (Brophy, 1987). Infants and young children appear to be mobilized by curiosity, driven by an intense need to explore, interact with, and discover their environment. In the classroom settings, the content covered and the social context can vary continuously. Therefore, children are frequently involved in unfamiliar learning environment. This can create ambiguity for some students; however can crate challenge for other students. Accordingly, students try to make sense of novel learning situations by referring to their motivational beliefs (Brophy, 1987). Motivational belief refers to the opinions, judgments, and values that students hold about objects, events, and learning process (Brophy, 1987). Motivational belief also refers to the students opinions of the efficacy or ef fectiveness of learning and teaching process. For example, childrens beliefs about their academic experiences have important implications for their school adjustment and academic achievement ( Mueller Dweck, 1998; Wigfield Eccles, 2002). Accordingly, expectancies and values are directly determined by other achievement related beliefs (e.g., achievement goals, self-schemata, beliefs about science (Wigfield, 1994). Similarly, motivational beliefs act as a frame of reference that guides students thinking, feelings, and actions in any subject area. For example, motivational beliefs about mathematics determine which strategies and motivational goals students develop. It is crucial that a students beliefs about a domain may be predominantly optimistic or pessimistic, thus providing a positive or negative context for learning ( Skinner, 1995; Stipek, 1988; Vermeer, Boekaerts, Seegers, 2000). Teacher-child relations play a prominent role in the development of competencies in early school-age years (Pianta, Steinberg, Rollins, 1995; Pianta Walsh, 1996) and transition to middle school (Davis. 2003; Pianta, 1999). Teacher may operate as social agents, and they can affect the students intellectual and sociemotional experiences by creating a classroom setting that stimulates both students motivation and learning. Moreover teacher-student relationships serve as a regulatory function for the development of social, emotional, and academic skills (Davis, 2006). Studies have shown that positive teacher-student relationships can lead to a warm classroom environment that facilitates successful adaptation in school and thereby increase students motivation to learn. On the other hand, conflictual teacher-student relationships are associated with lower achievement and self-esteem as well as ongoing relational conflict with both teachers and peers (Pianta Hamre, 2005; Buyse, Verschuere n, Doumen, Damme, Maes, 2008). Research has further indicated that children with whom teachers report positive relationships are outgoing and socially competent (Pianta, et. all., 1995; Birch Ladd, 1998). Moreover, the teachers believed that high quality relationships between teachers and their students enhanced classroom learning and motivation by building a safe and supportive classroom context for students to open up and listen to the teachers and take intellectual risks (Pianta, et al., 1995; Birch Ladd, 1998).Similarly, the beliefs teachers hold about teaching and learning, and the nature of expectations have about their students also exert a powerful influence (Stipek, 1988). These findings support the key role of teacher-student relationships on childrens motivation to learn and school adjustment. The various studies examined the influence of family, academic, and personal factors on the students academic failure and poor motivation to learn (e.g., Covington, 1992). Among personal variables most studied are self-concept, unfavorable motivational beliefs, low ability, and personal goal orientation (Ryan Deci, 2000; Stipek, 2002). For example, unfavorable beliefs impede the learning process because they direct the learners attention away from learning activity itself (Stipek, 1998; Ryan, Gheen, Midgley, 1998). Similarly, the students themselves attribute to poor performance to low ability and to luck (Stipek, 2002) and an improvement in performance to motivation (task-goal orientation), to self-regulating behaviors, and to competence as a function of task characteristics ( Stipek, 2002). Most students believe their ability and effort are the main reasons for school achievement. By the same token, if asked whether they would prefer to be called smart or hard-working, they will choose smart almost every time. Why? Because they believe that hard-working students risk being considered either excessively ambitious or of limited ability, both of which they would find embarrassing. The following literature review covers the significance of young childrens motivation to learn, the effects of the quality of teacher-student relationships on their motivation to learn, the implications of poorly motivated young students on their social and academic life. Firstly, two relevant theoretical frameworks are introduced: self-determination and expectancy and value theory. These theories provide the basis of the rationale for the present study and frame the possible bridging point from the problem to where the attempted solutions until this point failed, and what is worth trying next. Theoretical Considerations Further understanding of the topics of motivation and learning is facilitated through the lenses of various theoretical frameworks. These frameworks shed insight on the bigger picture of motivation and learning and are helpful guides in developing practical new approaches to the classroom. Three major relevant theories are discussed below: self-determination and value-expectancy for achievement motivation As children continue their social, emotional, and physical development during school years, they broaden their familial and extra-familial relationships (Marvin Stewart, 1990). Participation in family-child, teacher-child, and peer-child systems supports the development of play, social interaction, and conflict resolution skills for those children (Lynch Cicchetti, 1992; Pianta, 1999). Self-System and Self-Determination Theories Self-determination theorists (e.g., Ryan, Connell, Deci) claim that children start to value the behaviors for which they and significant others (i.e., teachers, families) in their social environments are reinforced. When these values are accepted as their own (internalization), students begin to choose to engage in activities that are consistent with their own feelings (Deci Ryan, 2001).Similarly, according to self-determination theory, children learn from their parents and other significant adults that achievement behaviors and motivation to learn are valued in the society. Some children internalize these values and behaviors as their own and begin to behave in ways that are consistent with them (Connell, 1990). Accordingly, Connell (1990) posits that the need for relatedness, the need for competence, and the need for autonomy are the most important psychological needs in the framework of self-system processes. The self-system theory of engagement assumes that human beings have bas ic psychological needs and can be motivated to engage in activities passionately and voluntarily when those needs are met (Connell Wellborn, 1991). In addition, in the self- system process, the self evaluates the degree to which psychological needs are met and this evaluation may affect relationships with others (Connell, 1990 ;). Self-determination theory shares this perspective (Davis, 2001; Deci Ryan, 1985) and has also contributed to the construct definition of relatedness by proposing that individuals innate needs (e.g., the need for competence, the need for relatedness, and the need for autonomy) must be fulfilled to achieve self-regulation, motivation, and personal well-being. Deci and Ryan (1985) defined the need for relatedness as feelings of security or belongingness in the social environment that motivate individuals to follow norms and rules. Moreover, all three needs are interrelated. For example, relatedness provides the security that is necessary for student initiat ive, independence, and autonomy in completing tasks that promote competence. Competence enables students to feel confident, accepted, and related to those around them. The healthy fulfillment of these basic needs provides a social environment that regulates the amount of acceptance and success (Urdan Schoenfelder, 2006; Deci Ryan, 2002). The teacher-student relationship is a very important and a powerful motivator for the development of the need for competence and autonomy within this social environment, because school as a complex and unique system asks students to accomplish various intellectual and social tasks. For example, a growing body of studies showed that students, who believed that they are competent academically, are more likely to be interested in academic and school tasks ( Stipek Daniels,1991; Skaalvik Rankin, 1995). Similarly, for teachers, supporting childrens basic psychological needs and provide a healthy classroom environment also promote more positive teacher-student relationships. Within this type of environment, students report grea ter levels of competence, autonomy, and positive relatedness (Connell Wellborn, 1991; Standage, Duda, Ntoumanis, 2005; Urdan Schoenfelder, 2006; Deci Ryan, 2002). Expectancy-Value Theory of Achievement Motivation Another important alternative and complementary theoretical view of students motivation to learn in educational settings is expectancy-value theory (Atkinson, 1957; Eccles, Adler, Goff, Kaczala, Meece, Midgley, 1983). Eccles and her colleagues (1983) studies values in the context of an expanded expectancy- value theory. This model is consisted of two components: a psychological component which focuses on cognitive factors such as expectations for success and the values placed on successful attainment, and a socialization component which explains individual differences that occur within the variables of the psychological component (Eccles et al., 1983). A major premise of this model involves the influence of parental socialization on childrens motivation ( Eccles et al., 1983; Wigfield, 1994). Like Atkinson (1957), they posited that people choose to engage in tasks that they value and in which they expect to be successful. However, Eccles et al. (1983) conceptualized and defined valu es more broadly than Atkinson (1957). Similarly, they proposed that there are three kinds of values (e.g., attainment value, utility value, intrinsic value) relevant to achievement ( Jacobs Eccles, 2000; Wigfield Eccles, 1992). Attainment value refers to the relevance of an activity to a persons actual or ideal self-concept, and it is determined by how tasks satisfy peoples needs (Eccles et al., 1983). Accordingly, attainment value is the most closely related to internalized motivation in self-determination theory. Utility value is related to the usefulness of a task as a means to accomplish goals that may not be linked to the task itself. Intrinsic value is defined as the immediate enjoyment people get from doing a task. In other words, as a task has intrinsic value , people engage in for its own sake, rather than for some other purpose (Wigfield Eccles, 1992). Furthermore, Eccles et al. (1983) pointed out that values need to be considered in the context of costs such as that hu miliation if failure occurs. Motivation for Academic Achievement If testing is not the way to get students to learn, what is? It has been proposed that the single factor with the greatest impact on whether a student learns is his or her motivation. As mentioned above, motivation is considered one of, if not the, most important factors influencing students learning. Qin Xiaoqing (2002) found that the presence of absence of motivation is in large part what determines success or failure in second language learning. This is because motivated students use learning strategies more frequently, have a stronger will to learn and so set more and higher goals for themselves, and they are more persistent in learning. Qin (2003) found that learning motivation influences the learners autonomous learning ability, and determines the learners confidence in overcoming learning difficulty. These theories on motivation demonstrate that motivation, as one of the crucial factors determining the success in language learning, attracts much attention of the researchers (L i Pan, 2009). What is motivation? While different theorists define motivation differently, motivation is commonly thought of as an inner state of need or desire that activates an individual to do something to satisfy them. In other words, motivation is the force that accounts for the arousal, selection, direction, and continuation of behavior (Li Pan, 2009). Williams and Burden (2000) proposed the definition of motivation as a state of cognitive and emotional arousal that leads to a conscious decision to act, and which causes the exertion of intellectual and physical effort towards reaching a previously set goal. In day to day language, motivation is why we do what we do. Therefore, it is clear why so much education research is focused on motivating students: If motivation is why we do what we do, only a motivated student will learn. It is increasingly accepted in the literature that motivation is more important to a childs education than any other single factor including the teachers skill/exper ience, classroom resources, etc. What role does motivation play in achievement? It has been argued that motivation is not only the key ingredient for outstanding work, but also in extraordinary achievement. The claim is that creative genius grows out of the ability to sustain intense commitment for very long periods in the face of obstacles-in other words, motivation (Runco, Nemiro, Walberg, 1998). However, on the other hand is the widespread believe that accomplishment, and especially outstanding accomplishment, is about innate talent. People who believe this somehow ignore the fact that Mozart, Darwin, Michal Jordan, and Tiger Woods practiced feverishly and single-mindedly for years, and instead believe that they were simply born with a talent that if one is not born with cannot not be achieved regardless of how motivation or any other factor controllable (Dwek, 2002). Proponents of the first belief however, that motivation and not talent is the core ingredient for success, have developed various ways to bring that motivation to the classroom towards students academic achievement. One major school of thought is called progressive education. This approach is centered on the importance of the genuine interest of the students (Simmons Page, 2010). A students interest or motivation can stem from innumerable factors and vary depending on the student, of course. Researchers in the field have categorized stuent motivations into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic. A student who is intrinsically motivated commits him or herself to a task for its own sake, that is, for the enjoyment of it, the learning it allows, and for a feeling of accomplishment. A student who is extrinsically motivated comits to a task in order to receive a reward from a source external to him or herself such as from the teacher (Macabudbud, Alba, Jestony, Dadis,Diaz, Realiza, Ven tura, 2009).Understanding these different motivations is important when translating the theoretical ideas of the importance of motivating students into practical ways to do so. The Implications of Young Childrens Motivation to Learn Many young children begin school with a thirst for learning. Similarly, Goldberg (1994) pointed out that young children enthusiastically seek novel and challenging school tasks and therefore, motivation is key to successful school adjustment. Motivation can be defined as the process that helps instigate goal directed activity, and enables that activity to be maintained (Pintrich Schunk, 1996). Positive motivational patterns are crucial for learning in early childhood as they are for later learning (Carlton Winsler, 1998). Intrinsic motivation refers to the desire to participate in a task only for the pleasure derived from a task itself, whereas extrinsic motivation refers to the desire to participate in a task for the sake of a desirable outcome such as teacher praise or a reward (Pintrich Schunk, 1996). Gottfried (1985) hypothesized that academic intrinsic motivation is positively and significantly related to school achievement. Gottfried (1985) found that children, who are more intrinsically motivated, are more successful learners than those with more extrinsically motivated. Accordingly, inhibiting the development of intrinsic motivation in early childhood education and schools have been criticized (Broophy, 1998). It is noteworthy to first understand how motivation relates to education and how motivation affects the childrens social and academic competence. Similarly, Fortier (1995) examined the effects of autonomous academic motivation on perceived academic self-competence and perceived academic self-determination. He showed that perceived academic competence and perceived academic self-determination positively influenced autonomous academic motivation, which in turn had a positive impact on school and the development of intrinsic motivation. Moreover, Boggiano, Shields, Barrett, Thompson, Simons, and Katz (1992) found that motivational orientation is significantly related to childrens standardized achievement scores. Specifically, young students with a n intrinsic motivational orientation got higher reading and math achievement scores than their classroom mates with extrinsic motivational orientation (Boggiano, et al., 1992). Together, this indicates that intrinsic motivational orientation contributes to a range of achievement-related behaviors and cognitions. School readiness as a multidimensional concept includes childrens approaches to learning (i.e., emergent literacy and math skills) (Kagan Neuman, 1997). Moreover, school readiness is a significant indication of a childs ability to be successful in school settings. In previous research with older children (e.g., Stipek, 1998; Ryan Connell, 1989; Harter, 1992), motivation has showed as an important factor for learning, academic success, and social development. Similarly, Carlton (1999) showed that childrens motivation to learn is an important predictor of school readiness and the development of social skills. Another important alternative and complementary theoretical view of students motivation to learn in educational settings is achievement goal theory (Miserandino, 1998). Achievement goal theory provided insights in order to examine students motivation and achievement-related outcomes (Ames, 1992 ; Walters, 2004). Achievement goals can be defined as the purposes and reasons for a persons pursuit in achievement situation. Different purposes and reasons lead to different emotional, cognitive, and affective patterns (Dweck Leggett, 1988 ; Urdan Midgley, 2003). There have been considerable amount of researches (e.g., Elliot McGregor, 2001; Elliot Thrash, 2001) that showed the effects of achievement goals on students motivation to learn. For example, Kaplan, Gheen, and Midgley (2002) examined the relationship between classroom goal structure and student disruptive behavior. They (2002) found that student perceptions of a mastery goal structure were related to lower incidence of behavior al problems and disruptive behaviors whereas student perceptions of a performance approach goal structure were related to higher incidence of behavioral problems and disruptive behaviors. Ames (1992) pointed out that mastery orientation is associated with depth engagement with the task and greater perseverance in the face of failure or barriers and thereby, mastery orientation increases the individuals intrinsic motivation, then in turn, motivation to learn. Previous researches examining childrens expectancy-related beliefs about different achievement tasks showed that childrens expectancy-related beliefs play a central role in their achievement motivation and contribute to their behavior and learning (Eccles et al., 1983; Meece Courtney, 1992). For example, young children who have positive ability beliefs and approach achievement tasks with a high expectancy of success, consistently show high levels of persistence and performance on achievement tasks (Eccles et al., 1983). Similarly, childrens expectancies and values themselves are most directly affected by childrens achievement goals, their self-schemata, and their task-specific beliefs. Values also influence students intentions and decisions about the course enrollment (Meece Courtney, 1992). Furthermore, values affect the perception of self-competence and self-esteem (Eccles et al.,1983). Accordingly, Dweck and Elliott (1983) posited that how learning and performance goals are dete rmined by childrens subjective values. For instance, the kind of achievement situation the child is in influence the childs subjective values. The child, who believes he or she is competent at a certain task, believes that achievement of similar tasks in the future is possible and easy and so competence belief and expectancy for success are directly related (Eccles et al., 1983; Wigfield Eccles, 1992). For examples, achievement values in school tasks (i.e., mathematic) can influence self-perceptions of competence (Covington, 1992). Previous research also suggested that early achievement and socialization experiences and cultural norms can influence how elementary and high-school students understand, interpret, and approach achievement (Eccles et al. 1983 ; Meece, Parsons, Kaczala, Goff, Futterman, 1982). Similarly, studies of junior and senior high school students demonstrated that the subjective task values adolescents attach to school subjects are related to their course plans, activity choices ( Eccles, Adler, Meece, 1984; Meece, Wigfleld, Eccles, 1990). For example, in their study of junior high school students, Meece and colleagues (1990) found that the importance students attached to mathematics predicted their intentions to continue taking mathematics. Eccles and Harold (1991) examined adolescents self-perceptions of ability, subjective task values, and activity choices in sports. They reported that adolescents self-reports of free time involvement in sports was significantly related to their subjective task values of sports. However, there is paucity of investigation of effects of motivation to learn on young childrens learning. Accordingly, focusing on young school childrens expectations and values using the expectancy-value model and the effects of may contribute to our understanding about childrens development of motivational values and expectancy and in early school years. A number of researchers (e.g., Stipek Mac Iver, 1989; Wigfield, Eccles, Mac Iver, Reuman, Midgley, 1991) also showed that young childrens beliefs about their ability and expectancies for success are overly optimistic and are not realistic. Young children perceive themselves as competent and they nearly always think that they will be successful on the upcoming tasks. However, as children progress through elementary school, their ability beliefs and expectancies for success may demonstrate a substantial change, and their beliefs about their ability and expectancies become more accurate and realistic (Stipek, 1984; Wigfleld Eccles, 1992). Although there can be age related differences in childrens motivational belief, perceived academic self-competence, perceived academic self-determination, the quality of teacher-student relationships, classroom achievement goal structure also play a significant role in young students motivation to learn and their motivational belief ( Eccles et al., 1983; Pianta, 1999; Stipek, 2002). Therefore, it is very crucial to further investigate and demonstrate the effects of aforementioned factors in young children motivation to learn, and in turn, how young childrens motivation to learn influence the development of social and academic competence. Teacher-Student Relationship and Young Childrens Motivation to Learn It is widely recognized that when children enter school or transient to next level, they encounter a variety of new challenges. These include creating positive relationships with peer groups and adults in the school environment as well as learning to meet the demands of a wide range of cognitive, social, and academic tasks (Pianta et al., 1995; Birch Ladd, 1997; Baker, 2006). Teacher-child relationships play a prominent role in the development of competencies in the preschool and early school years (Hamre Pianta, 2001; Pianta Walsh, 1996). Teacher may operate as social agents, and they can affect the students intellectual and sociemotional experiences by creating a classroom setting that stimulates both students motivation and learning. Moreover teacher-student relationships serve as a regulatory function for the development of social, emotional, and academic skills (Davis, 2006). Similarly, young children who enjoy taking positive supports from teachers and having warm and close relationships with them appear to demonstrate social and academic competence at school (Pianta, 1999). A growing body of research examined the effects of the quality of teacher-student dyadic interaction on students academic motivation (e.g., Davis Ashley, 2003; Pianta, 1999). In fact, the degree to which children develop social and academic competencies in their school lives is a good indicator of successful school adaptation and positive teacher as well as peer relationship (Birch Ladd, 1997; Pianta, et. all., 1995). For example, Davis and Ashley (2003) reported that positive teacher-student interaction enhanced classroom learning and students motivation by building a safe and supportive context for students to motivate for learning and take intellectual risks. In addition, teachers believed that students tended to work hard if they liked their teachers and had caring relations with their teachers. Therefore, teachers in Daviss and Ashleys study (David Ashley, 2003) preferred to invest the time and effort for the development of supportive relations with their students. In additio n, those positive and caring relations helped the teachers to be creative in their instruction. Accordingly, Davis (2006) found that middle school students and teachers, who perceived their relations as a supportive and positive, reported enhanced motivation, more facilitative classroom settings, and higher grades. Similarly, Birch and Ladd (1997) found that supportive teacher-student relationship plays an important role in developing school adjustment competencies including attention, motivation, problem-solving, and self esteem. Together, when teachers provided more autonomy and the instruction addressed students personal interest and personal relevance, they were more emotionally and behaviorally engaged in school works and they had more supportive relationships with their teachers. Similarly, those students, who reported higher levels of autonomy provided by their teacher, showed more adaptive patterns of learning (David Ashley, 2003; Stipek, 2002). Accordingly, previous researches (e.g., Patrick, Hicks, Ryan, 1997; Patrick, Ryan, Kaplan, 2007; Ryan Patrick, 2001) have indicated that there is a significant relationship between students adaptive motivation for academics and a number of social factors within the classroom. These include teacher-student relationship, teacher support ( Midgley, Feldlaufer, Ecles, 1988), and teacher practices that foster respect among students ( Ryan Patrick, 2001; Patrick, Ryan, Kaplan, 2007). Similarly, Patrick, Anderman, Ryan, Edelin, and Midgley (2001) examined how teacher-student interaction influences both students classrooms goal-orientation structure. They found that teachers apparent support and enthusiasm toward students progress and their confidence in students ability to learn were accompanied by teachers recognition practices and their teaching styles. Their relationships with students were characterized by supporting students academic engagement and giving warm praise. Teachers en couraged their students to focus on task and informational feedback. In mastery-approach classroom, all teachers perceived learning as active process in which classroom involvement, positive interactions, understanding (not memorization), student engagement are key requirements of student academic achievement and motivation. On the oth