Structure of descriptive essay: August 2019

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Group Development Model Essay

You are required to organize your company dinner. The company has chosen 20 people from various departments to be in the dinner committee. Using a group development model, discuss the stages that the group will go through from the beginning to the end of the task (organizing dinner). A group is defined as two or more interacting and interdependent individuals who come together to achieve specific goals. Formal groups are working groups defined by the organizational structure that have designated work assignment and task. Informal groups are groups that is independently formed to meet the social needs of their members. There are five stages in a group development model which are forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. The forming stage in which people join the group and then define the groupÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s purpose, structure and leadership. Team members tend to behave quite independently. The members of the team get to know one another, exchange some personal information, and make new friends. Supervisors of the team tend to need to be directive during this phase. From 20 people, I will decide who is going to be decorating sub committee, food sub committee, funding sub committee, marketing sub committee, program sub committee, and volunteer sub committee. Because of they are from different departments, they tend to know each other first before they start working. They have to determine what activities and programs are already in place and serving the needs of the community. Determine the need for the dinner and availability of resources. The next stage is storming. Storming stage characterizes by intragroup conflicts and disagreement among group members. Team members open up to each other and confront each otherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s ideas and perspective. Normally tension, struggle and sometimes arguments occur. Supervisors of the team during this phase may be more accessible, but tend to remain directive in their guidance of decision-making and professional behavior. All the subcommittee has to set goals for the dinner. They have to know their target population and their desired objective or outcome. They have to brainstorm ideas and at this stage all ideas are good ideas. They also can explore the idea of partnership to share the workload or get mileage out of the work they do. The third stage of group development is norming stage. It is characterized by close relationships and cohesiveness. The team manages to have one goal and come to a mutual plan for the team at this stage. Some may have to give up their own ideas and agree with others in order to make the team function. In this stage, all team members take the responsibility and have the ambition to work for the success of the teamÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s goals. The sub committee now able to find a leader among them and establish a small but effective working group with a broad range of skills that is able to function as a team. The subcommittee also has to compare the skills and abilities of the committee members against the task to be performed to determine what training is required. Besides that, they have to determine the actual fiscal resources necessary. The fourth stage of group development is performing stage when the group is fully functional and work on group tasks. The team members are now competent, autonomous and able to handle the decision-making process without supervision. Supervisors of the team during this phase are almost always participative. Even the most high-performing teams will revert to earlier stages in certain circumstances. At this stage, all sub committees implement what they plan before. They are co-operating together and help each other to succeed the dinner. Each member knows their responsibilities and tasks. The marketing subcommittee has to publicize to catch the attention of their target group and make them want to seek more information about the dinner. The program subcommittee has to make sure all needed material such as equipment is on hand and in good working order. The final stage of group development stage is adjourning stage which group members are concerned with wrapping up activities rather than task performance. This stage involves completing the task and breaking up the team.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Critique on Article Ã¢â‚¬Å“The Ends of HappinessÃ¢â‚¬Â Essay

Dr Karl Giberson is a professor at Eastern Nazarene College with a PHD in Physics from Rice University. A man approaching his fifties at the writing of this article, GibersonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s solution to his mid-life crisis was to write an article Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Ends of HappinessÃ¢â‚¬ . His article was well written and he tries to impart his experiences with happiness to young adults. In the article, Giberson claims that happiness should be the end result of our efforts and he provides a compelling argument why we should not get caught up in our pursuit of happiness through materialistic gains. However, his arguments to back his thesis are inadequate due to an inherent contradiction in his supporting point and one unproven assumption in his article. Giberson (2006) uses the Candy Experiment with children to prove his point that our ability to withhold satisfaction leads to a Ã¢â‚¬Å"life time of happinessÃ¢â‚¬ (para. 5). He further explains that Ã¢â‚¬Å"unpleasant means can yield satisfying endsÃ¢â‚¬ (2006). This implies that our happiness will increase if we are able to set aside the things that make us happy, and work towards our goal. However, in his later argument, the author seems to imply that the happiest moments in his life, were times when he did not work towards materialistic gains. For instance, he claims he Ã¢â‚¬Å"lived wellÃ¢â‚¬ , when he Ã¢â‚¬Å"left work earlyÃ¢â‚¬ and spent his time with his family (Giberson, 2006, para.12, 13 & 14). This illustrates his point that the most memorable moments in life comes from relationships as opposed to material gains (Giberson, 2006). While the latter argument supports his thesis, the former contradicts it by implying that happiness is something to be achieved through materialistic gains. This is shown in GibersonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s example about a student graduating with Ã¢â‚¬Å"greater earning powerÃ¢â‚¬ (2006) and how this ability Ã¢â‚¬Å"is the formula for a lifetime of happinessÃ¢â‚¬ (Giberson, 2006, para. 5). Furthermore, GibersonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s argument seems to be contingent on one major assumption. That happiness gained from acquiring things, is less meaningful than happiness gained from spending time with family and friends. To illustrate his point, he cites evidence from his own memories. He states that memories gained from family time are clearer than the memories of Ã¢â‚¬Å"buying his first carÃ¢â‚¬ and Ã¢â‚¬Å"cashing his first paycheckÃ¢â‚¬ (Giberson, 2006, para.14). Giberson then applies this line of reasoning to back his thesis by showing us how happiness from material gains alone reduces our overall happiness as our social interactions decrease (Giberson, 2006). However, such opinionated evidence provides weak support to his thesis and even though he did not plan on writing a scientific article, using personal memories to validate such a major assumption weakens his argument substantially. In conclusion, Giberson has indeed written a well-structured editorial with many coherent and interesting points. However, contradicting arguments and one unsupported assumption in the article has undermined his thesis and weakened his argument. GibersonÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s thesis would have fared much better had he quoted from valid sources instead of his own personal experiences. Reference Giberson, K. (2006, Mar. Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Apr.). The Ends Of Happiness. Science & Spirit, 17, 6-7.

Industrial Relation

O LYMPIA B USINESS S CHOOL Advanced Diploma In Business Administration F ILO -T EXT INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS October, 1998 R AFFLES E DUCATION G ROUP Kuala Lumpur w Petaling Jaya w Penang w Singapore w Jakarta w Bangkok w Beijing w London w New-York School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations T ABLE OF C ONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 INTRODUCTIONÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ HOW TO USE THE FILO-TEXT? Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 ASSESSMENT Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 Individual AssignmentÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 Mid-term ExaminationÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Team Project Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 FINAL E XAMINATIONÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 6 ATTENDANCEÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 FEESÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ CONTACT TIME Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 Full-time Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 Part-time Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 THE ACADEMIC TEAM Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. SUBJECT PLANNERÃ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 WEEK 1 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 WEEK 2 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12 WEEK 3 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 WEEK 4 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 16 WEEK 5 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 18 WEEK 6 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 20 WEEK 7 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 WEEK 8 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 24 WEEK 9 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 25 WEEK 10 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 27 WEEK 11 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 WEEK 12 Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 31 Olympia Business School Page 2 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations INTRODUCTION THE SUBJECT INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS Olympia Business School Page 3 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations HOW TO USE THE FILO-TEXT? The Filo-text is a tool to guide in this subject. It provides you general info rmation on the following: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Assessment Attendance Fees Contact time The academic team The academic plannerFor every week, it then provides you with the following information: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ The lecture Topic The objective(s) of the lecture The textbook and the chapter(s) and page(s) related to the given topic The other reference books available to you in the library Additional reference material for your own research The objective(s) of the tutorial Questions to prepare for discussion during the tutorial Questions for your personal assessment Use the Filo-text to prepare yourself prior to the lecture, between the lecture and the tutorial and after the tutorial.Olympia Business School Page 4 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations ASSESSMENT Student assessment will be evaluated based on the following: 1) 2) 3) 4) Individual Assignment Mid-Term Examination Team Project Fi nal Examination 15 % 15 % 20 % 50 % 100 % Total Individual Assignment An individual assignment will be given to the student on week 2 and will have to be returned no later than week 6. The marked assignment will be returned to the student by no later than week 8. The assignment will be related to the topics covered between week 1 and week 4 inclusive.It will comprise a written report of no more than 1000 words. Should the student fail to submit his/her assignment on week 6, the result will automatically be nil. Mid-term Examination A mid-term examination will be conducted during week 8. It will assess the studentsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ knowledge and understanding of the topics covered up to week 6. The results, together with the answer scripts, will be returned to the students no later than week 10. Should a student be absent without a valid apology, the result will automatically be nil.Team Project A specific team project will be assigned. Any one of the team projects submitted for any one of th e other subjects of the course will be assessed as a tool of Business Communication. Olympia Business School Page 5 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations FINAL EXAMINATION The final examination will be conducted week 13 or week 14 and its duration will be 3 hours. Registration for the examination is open from week 3 onwards and will close as per notification. Make sure you register on time. No late registration will be entertained.The format of the examination is as follows: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Section A Section B Total Short Essay Questions Essay-type Questions 5 * 4 Points Any 4 out of 6 *20 Points 100 Points ATTENDANCE Attendance for both the lectures and the tutorials is compulsory. Any student not attending a class should provide a medical certificate or a written justification (signed by a parent or guardian in the case of a full-time student). Should a student fail to do so, he / she will be considered truant. Should a studentÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s attendance for a given subject be lower than 80%, he / she will not be allowed to sit for the final examination.Punctuality is equally important. The lecturer is entitled to refuse entry into the classroom to any student who is late. FEES The registration fee is to be paid upon registration. The course fee is paid either in full, per semester or by installments. For payments made in full, the payment is due before the first lecture. For payments made by semester, the payment per semester is due on the first day of the semester. For monthly instalments, the first payment is due on the first day of classes while the subsequent payments are due on the first day of each subsequent month.Should any student have difficulty to pay his / her fees on time, he / she must meet with the (Deputy) Principal to arrange an alternative. Any student who has not settled his / her fees and did not met with the (Deputy) Principal will not be allowed to attend classes or sit for an examination. Olympia Business School Page 6 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations CONTACT TIME Full-time The duration of the classes on 12 weeks. Contact time consists of 1 1/2 hours of lecture and 1 1/2 hours of tutorial per week. Part-time The duration of the classes is 12 weeks. Contact time consists of 1 ? hours of lecture per week.For each hour of contact, the student is expected to spend at least 2 hours of unsupervised work, be it individually or in-group. Olympia Business School Page 7 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations THE ACADEMIC TEAM At the beginning of the first lecture, please fill-in the following: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Your Lecturer is The lecture takes place on the room . . between and in Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Your Tutor is The tutorial takes place on room . . between and in The lecturer and tutor are always there to help you. You are advised to consult them on a continuous basis. Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Your Class Lecturer is Your Class Lecturer consultations take place on in room Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ . betwee n and The Lecturer-in-Charge of the School of Business & Marketing in your centre is . Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ The (Deputy Principal is . Olympia Business School Page 8 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations SUBJECT PLANNER INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS WEEK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 DATE TOPIC An Overview of Malaysian Industrial Relations The Employment Laws I The Employment Laws II The Law on Occupational Safety & Health Trade Union I Trade Union II Collective Bargaining I Mid Semester Examination Collective Bargaining II Trade Dispute & Industrial Actions The Industrial Court Industrial Discipline FINAL EXAMOlympia Business School Page 9 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 1 Subject Objective : : Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ An Overview Of Malaysian Industrial Relations Understanding what is Industrial Relations; Describing the Industrial Relations System : Unilateral, Bilateral and Tripartite system; Identifying who needs to study Industrial Relation s; Realizing the influence of International bodies; Government departments and agencies; Industrial Court Textbook(s): Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relations by Maimunah Aminuddin, 2nd ed, 1990 Chapter 1 Page No. 1 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 15Reference Books & Journals 1. 2. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice by Dunston Ayadurai, 2nd Edition 1996 Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School Page 10 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. How far would it be correct to argue that the incidents of industrial conflicts is dependent on the presence of a positive legal framework assigned principally to regulate the actions of employers and trade unions. 2. Conflicts are not necessarily good or bad but must be evaluated in term of its individual and organizational function and dysfunction. Discuss. . Suppose youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re the HR Manager and are having the following problems. For each problem, which government agency would you turn to for assistance? a) An employee complains that the union will not allow members to speak up at the local unionÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s meeting. b) The company and the union are deadlocked over the term of a new labour agreement. Self Assessment Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. Who are the parties involved in the industrial relations system? Malaysia has a tripartite system of industrial relations. What does this mean? What is the role of the Ministry of Human Resources in the industrial relations system?List the major labour laws. What is the purpose of each? Which department of the Ministry of Human Resources is responsible for enforcing each of these laws? Olympia Business School Page 11 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 2 Subject : The Employment Laws I Objectives : Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Understanding the Malaysian Employment Act; The Enforcement of Employment Act; Describing the functions of Labour Court; Determining the issues covered by the Employment Act; Learning what is a Contract of service, Written and Oral Contracts; Duration of the Employment Contract;Textbook(s): Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relations by Maimunah Aminuddin, 2nd ed, 1990 Chapter 2 Page No. 18 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 27 Reference Books & Journals 1. 2. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice by Dunston Ayadurai, 2nd Edition 1996 Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School Page 12 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Should industry conflict be regarded as inevitable in an industry society? Why? What are the causes of industrial Conflicts? Evaluate the Contribution of the Human Relations school to an understanding of industrial Conflict. Over Ã¢â‚¬â€œ emphasis on strikes results in an inability to detect the symptoms of Conflict other than strike symptoms and inappropriate policy PrescriptionsÃ¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Discuss. Why are some industries more strike Ã¢â‚¬â€œ prone than others? Self Assessment Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. What is the main purpose for the existence of the Employment Act? Which workers are protected by the Employment Act? What are the main matters that can be settled by the Labour Court? What is Contract of service? Olympia Business School Page 13 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial RelationsWEEK 3 Subject : The Employment Laws II Objectives : Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Understanding the process of termination of contract, Notice; Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Realizing Payment of Wages: Wage periods, Advances deductions, Truck system; Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Explaining the employment of Women Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Describing the Children and Young Persons Act, 1966 Textbook(s): Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relations by Maimunah Aminuddin, 2nd ed, 1990 Chapter 2 Page No. 29 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 41 Reference Books & Journals 1. 2. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice by Dunston Ayadurai, 2nd Edition 1996 Malaysian NewspaperOlympia Business School Page 14 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. An industrial rel ations Professor once stated: Ã¢â‚¬Å" The Union business agent is the most important member of your personnel departmentÃ¢â‚¬ . Comment. 2. What is the proper role or first-line management in Contract administration? How can the first-line supervisor be made more effective in handling Grievance? 3. From the perspective of society, is there an argument to be made in favor of strikes? Is a strike ever in the publicÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s best interests? 4.Why should governments be regarded as important party to any system of industrial relations? 5. Explain the machinery, which the Federal Government has established for regulating the conditions of employment of its own employees? 6. Ã¢â‚¬Å"Public service employment can never be fully depoloticisedÃ¢â‚¬ . Discuss the industrial relations implications of this statement. Self Assessment Questions 1) 2) 3) Explain the process of Contract termination. Outline the termination benefits. Describe the Children and Young Persons Act Olympia Business Schoo l Page 15School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 4 Subject : The Law on Occupational Safety and Health. Objective : Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Describing the Factories and Machinery Act 1967; Identifying the Employees/Employers duties. Understanding the: Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Notification of Accident and Occupational Diseases; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Improvement and prohibition Notices; Describing the: Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Employees Social Security Act 1969; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ WorkmenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Compensation Act 1952; Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Textbook(s): Chapter Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relations Maimunah Aminuddin 3 Page No 43 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 55 Reference Books: 1. 2.Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice by Dunston Ayadurai Second Edition 1996 Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School Page 16 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. 2. What are the reasons behind its (Occupational Health and Safety) becoming a more prominent issue in the 1980Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s? In 1979, Gunningham and Creigh ton wrote that for Unions Ã¢â‚¬Å"Safety comes a good third behind wages and the maintenance of employment, and such attention as it does get is largely concentrated on compensation rather than prevention:.Is this still an accurate assessment of Union priorities? Do employees and their Unions have a role to play in promoting health and safety? 3. Olympia Business School Page 17 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 5 Subject: Objectives: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Introduction to Union Movement; Explaining the legal definition of trade union; Find out why do workers join trade union? Realizing the Trade Union objectives; Illustrating the right to form and join a trade union; Explaining the registration process of a trade union; Trade Union 1Textbook(s): Chapter Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relations Maimunah Aminuddin 4 Page No 57-76 Reference Books: 1. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice Dunston Ayadurai Second Edition 1 996 2. Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School Page 18 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. In your own words, explain why Unions usually file the most grievance? How are local and national unions effected by International Competition? When an employee has a Complaint about a Management action in a unionized operation, how does he or she go about resolving us?What factors have led to the formation of employer associations? Self Assesment Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Why do workers join trade unions? What are the main implications, which can be deduced from the legal definition of a trade union? What actions can employers take to discourage their employees from joining a trade union? Who can join a union? Who cannot join a union? Comment on the strength of the trade union movement today? Why do employers join unions? Olympia Business School Page 19 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 6 Subject: Objectives: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢T rade Union II Identifying the WorkerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Unions; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Number of Unions; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Size of Union; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Types of Unions: In-house Union, National Union and Public union; Explaining the EmployerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Associations; Describing the MTUC, its functions and objectives; Explaining other trade union; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Malaysian Employers Federation functions and objectives; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Malaysia Labor Organization Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Textbook(s): Chapter(s) Malaysian Employment Law And Maimunah Aminuddin Reference Book & Journals 1. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice Dunston Ayadurai, Second Edition1996 2. Malaysian Newspaper Industrial Relations 4 Pages 77-96Olympia Business School Page 20 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. What factors unite and divide the employer associations? Has there been any trend towards wider union involvement in social and political issues? Has the government any real business in interfering with t he internal decision making process of trade union? To what extent can government regulations be successful in guaranteeing democracy within unions? Self Assessment Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. What is an in-house Union? Outline the difference between National and Public Union.What are the functions of the Malaysian Trade Union Congress? Outline the Malaysian Employers Federation objectives. Olympia Business School Page 21 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 7 Subject: Lecture Objectives: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Understanding what is a Collective Bargaining; Find out the objectives in conducting a Collective Bargaining; Describing the Union Bargaining Strength: Recognition; Financial strength; Solidarity; Explaining the recognition and de-recognition procedures; Identifying the collective bargaining procedure and process; Collective Bargaining 1Textbook(s): Chapter Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relation Maimunah Aminuddin 5 Page No 99-111 Refe rence Books & Journals 1. 2. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice, Dunston Ayadurai Second Edition 1996 Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School Page 22 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. GPL is a company employing between 100 and 200 skilled engineers and electricians backed by about twice as many unskilled and semi Ã¢â‚¬â€œ skilled workers in each of 4 major urban areas. The head office employs about 300 clerks and threeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s a substantial transport section.About half the drivers and no craft workers are members of union called General Transport Union and similar proportion of all the other workers are member of other union. GPL has been growing fast. Its management has hitherto determined salaries and condition of work without actually involving union officials and although in the past, there have not been any labour problems. There have been a number of occasions in the last year or when a dispute has only just been avoide d. Recently management was approached by General Trade Union official with a view to obtaining sole negotiating rights.Assuming GPL grants sole negotiating to the GTU, youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re required to a) Give 4 benefits, which may result from such representative system. b) Give 4 benefits of collective bargaining in such a situation. 2. Outline and explain unfair labour practiced by: a) Unions; b) Management. 3. Explain the main industrial actions that can be taken by a trade union. 4. What are guidelines for an effective negotiation? Self Assessment Questions 1. What is a collective bargaining? 2. What are the different between unilateral and bilateral decision making? 3. Describe the step in the collective bargaining process? . What factors influence the outcome collective bargaining? Olympia Business School Page 23 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 8 MID SEMESTER EXAM Olympia Business School Page 24 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 9 Subjec t : Collective Bargaining I Objective : i Find out the characteristic of offective negotiators; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Communication skills; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ collections of information; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Deciding objective, strategies and tactic; i Understanding Collective Agreement; i Identifying Items Commonly Found in Collective Agreement; i Public Sector;Textbook(s): Chapter Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relation Maimunah Aminuddin 5 Page No 113 129 Reference Books & Journals 1. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice, Dunston Ayadurai Second Edition 1996 2. Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School Page 25 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. Since laborÃ¢â‚¬â€œmanagement coÃ¢â‚¬â€œoperation is important to the economic success of the business and eventually to the union ability to negotiate wage gains and other benefits for members, what are some of the ways you could recommend improving labor management co- opera 2.Describe the major incidences of st rike? 3. Assume your company has properly conducted compensation program. If several employees ask you why they receive different hourly pay rates even though they perform the same job, how will respond? Self Assessment Questions 1. What are the characteristics of an effective negotiators? 2. Describe the item commonly found in the collective agreements. 3. Why is the wage Ã¢â‚¬â€œ setting system in the sector public sector different from that in the private sector? Olympia Business School Page 26 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 10Subject : Trade Disputes and Industrial Action Objective : iUnderstanding the trade disputes; iFind out the different between Picketing , strike; iDescribing the industrial action could be taken by the employer; iExplaining the settlement of trade disputes: Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Direct negotiations; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Conciliation; Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Arbitration Textbook(s): Chapter Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relation Maimunah Aminuddin 6 Page No 131 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 154 Reference Books & Journals 1. 2. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice, Dunston Ayadurai Second Edition 1996 Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School Page 27School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. Should all workers have the right to strike? (Consider special groups such as doctors, post office staff and banking employees) 2. The Union of Transport Employees (UTE) had for the last six months been negotiating with XYZ Bus Company on proposals for their third collective agreement. However, after five meetings the company refused to continue negotiations. Advise the union representatives what actions they might take to solve this problem. Make sure you inform them of the possible consequence of their actions. 3.What are the economic consequences of strike action? 4. In case of impending strike action by employees what preparations might an employer make? Questions available for self-assessment: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) What is a trade dispute and what causes such disputes? List the types of industrial action that may be taken by workers Are a picket and a demonstration the same? What is a lock-out? How can an employer continue production once a strike has been called? Under what conditions would a strike be illegal? What is the role of the Ministry of Human Resources in setting labor disputes?Explain the difference between voluntary and compulsory arbitration. What are the differences between conciliation and arbitration? Olympia Business School Page 28 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 11 Subject: Objectives: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Understanding the structure and proceedings of the Court, Awards of the Court; Find out what is unfair dismissal claims; Explaining the code of conduct for Industrial Harmony Describing the cognizance of Collective Agreements. The Industrial Court Textbook(s): Chapter Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relation Maimunah Aminuddin 7 Page No 155 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 176Reference Books & Journals 3. 4. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice, Dunston Ayadurai Second Edition 1996 Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School Page 29 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations Tutorial Questions 1. For a trade dispute that will be settled by Industrial Court to exist, the employer or employee concerned must be represented by the union. However, there are two exceptions to this rule. What are those exceptions? Why has there been a recent trend towards co-operation between Union/Management? Outline the Industrial actions that can be taken by Employers. . 3. Questions for self-assessment: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What is the main purpose for having an arbitration system? What is the main function of the Industrial Court? Describe the structure of the Industrial Court? Who can represent the parties during Court proceedings? Can Court awards be appealed against? Describe the type of cases the Court has the jurisdiction to hear . What type of cases can be referred direct to the Court by the parties concerned? Olympia Business School Page 30 School Of Business & Marketing Industrial Relations WEEK 12Subject: Objectives: Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Find out the importance of Disciplinary Action Understanding the Disciplinary Actions, Disciplinary Action for Unsatisfactory Performance Illustrating the Guidelines for an effective Disciplinary Action Explaining Industrial court Award and unfair dismissal Misconduct / Industrial Discipline Textbook(s): Chapter Malaysian Employment Law and Industrial Relation Maimunah Aminuddin 8 Page No 177 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ 193 Reference Books & Journals 5. 6. Industrial Relations in Malaysia Law & Practice, Dunston Ayadurai Second Edition 1996 Malaysian Newspaper Olympia Business School

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Two One page orders for a discussion post - not a paper just to be Essay

Two One page orders for a discussion post - not a paper just to be done as a discussion board post - Essay Example have postulated theories of teaching methodologies that would influence the learning processes of the children. While Rousseau promoted the learning through interaction with the nature and experience, Pestalozzi asserted that children need activity based education so that they can come to their own conclusion, thus encouraging independent thoughts. Froebel, on the other hand, says that early education of children should take place in the home environment through educational games and object reality. MontessoriÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s educational process is the most popular teaching methodology that emphasizes learning Ã¢â‚¬Ëœfirst the education of the senses, then the education of the intellectÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ (Montessori, 1912). Indeed, the play-way methodology of Montessori education is the most widely acclaimed way of teaching young children the fundamental principles of interaction with living and non living organisms. Hence, Montessori education prepares young children to become responsible adults through application of knowledge gained through experience in their daily life. Education for all is the most relevant issue in the social fabric of society across the world. While it may be possible in under-developed countries and developing nations where there is rampant poverty, developed nations have progressed in the area by leaps and bound. The concept of Ã¢â‚¬Ëœpublic schoolÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ is most popular amongst the elite class that thrives on the class difference. It has especially become quite controversial in the contemporary times, when rapid globalization has brought in pluralistic society, comprising of people coming from different culture, race, color and nationality. Consequently, the academia across the world, especially the educational curriculum needs to undergo far-reaching transformation so that our children can effectively meet the needs of the changing times. Education serves as the most effective platform to introduce changes within the social fabric of

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Introduction To Leviticus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Introduction To Leviticus - Research Paper Example This has been the subject of controversy over years. To the proponents of documentary hypothesis, the book of Leviticus, which is also one of the Pentateuch books was not written by one person, Moses, but instead was a product of various others. Of course, there exists archeological and historical fabrications and evidence which explicitly supports this line of thought. While the debate about documentary evidence continues, there is also compelling evidence to believe the former. It is the intent of this paper to explore arguments against documentary evidence and to show MosesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ authenticity and single handedness in drafting Leviticus. The Hebrew derives the title of Leviticus from the initial word in it WayyiqraÃ¢â‚¬â„¢, which when translated implies Ã¢â‚¬Å"and He [the Lord] calledÃ¢â‚¬ (1:1). The use of the conjunction Ã¢â‚¬Å"andÃ¢â‚¬ describes that Leviticus is a continuation of the previous chapter, Exodus, the flow of thought in this case is continuous and there is no break.1 At the same time, the English title of the book is derived from the word Ã¢â‚¬Å"VulgateÃ¢â‚¬ which is a Latin version, which referred to this book as Liber Leviticus. This Latin title has been suggested as having the same meaning as Leuitikon, which implies Ã¢â‚¬Å"of relation to the Levites.Ã¢â‚¬ From the above analysis, it therefore seems quite correct that the title used in this book is appropriate, since the book has Mosaic Covenant that again relates to the Levites, or to be precise to the Israelites, delivered to them by Moses. The overriding theme contained in the book of Leviticus is worship. Moses later re-introduced the theme of worship in the later chapters of the bible in Exodus, but this theme was only concretized in Leviticus. The book illustrates how sinful redeemed Israelites could enjoy a new renewed spiritual relationship with their creator. It also shows how the Israelites could maintain this Holy relationship with God through worship. One of the main r evelations that are given in Leviticus is the nature of sin. From the analysis of other chapters, it can be seen that God under estimated manÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s ability to commit sin. God first initiated this in Genesis and Exodus, and thus used Leviticus to clarify this sinful nature of man. Additionally, God exposes the theme of atonement in Leviticus. Atonement can be understood as the price of manÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s sin. God in Leviticus removed the sins of Israelites until a final sacrifice was paid for sins. God continuously accepted the price of sin through sacrifice until a final atonement was made through Jesus Christ. Through atonement then man could be allowed to enter into a Covenant with God. For this situation, three things had to be given to justify manÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s sinful nature. This book has been written by Moses because it contains God revelations to Moses in which he recorded in Leviticus after he renewed the Covenant with Israel (Exod. 34:1-28). This book is solely unique as it contain s GodÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s instructions to Moses. Andrew A. Bonar in his Commentary on Leviticus thus argues, Ã¢â‚¬Å"There is no book in the whole compass of that inspired Volume which the Holy Spirit has given us, that contains more of the very words of God than Leviticus. It is God that is the direct speaker in almost all the pages; His gracious words are recorded in the most original manner that they were uttered.Ã¢â‚¬ 2 As seen in other similar literary analysis, Leviticus

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Strategic Marketing Plan for Pit Bull Pride of Delaware Term Paper

Strategic Marketing Plan for Pit Bull Pride of Delaware - Term Paper Example Further, the organization allows volunteers render their services in line with promoting positivity for pit bulls. Remarkably, the organization draws no profits from their operations hence explaining the reason as to why the organization relies on foster shelters to offer this service. In this regard, this essay will give a detailed strategic plan report on how Pit Bull pride of Delaware would become a better performing institution from the level that is in currently. Additionally, the planning process will include a marketing strategy to produce a customer centered strategic plan. Company operations Pit Bull Pride receives a substantial number of pit bulls through surrender by the owners and the other fraction from shelters with high-kill probability. As per their database, the organization rescued at least a hundred and ten dogs from within Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and also Maryland in the year 2013. The highest percentage of the rescued pit bulls came from high kill hold ing shelters hence assuring the company of the continued need to stay in operation. After rescuing, pit bulls receive temporary shelter at foster homes until a time when they would get permanent homes that would give love and care as intended. Therefore, this organization draws success from the relenting partnership that they have with foster shelters as they help them save more pit bulls. On the other hand, the organization also facilitates adoption of rescued pit bulls, but they subject possible candidates to thorough screening before qualifying to adopt the animals. The rigorous process includes a face to face interview, home inspection, personal veterinary reference, and lastly a written consent commitment to caring for a dog. However, the organization also performs a temperament check on the pit bulls before their enrollment into the core program. Further, the dogs also go through screening to ascertain their health status before adoption into an official member of their foreve r family. The medical procedures include up to date vaccinations, testing for heartworms, and dosage on fleas or ticks. The dosage acts as a preventive measure for these pest infestations to assure them of healthy lives during their stay at the shelter. Vision for the organization As earlier mentioned, Pit Bull pride Delaware principally relies on the services of foster shelters to provide animal holding facilities until they can give shelter to the rescued pit bulls. For them, this serves as a restriction to growth and stability as it restricts the number of pit bulls that the organization might save if they had their own shelters. In this regard, Pit Bull pride intends to create their own shelter possibly in 2014 as a way of increasing work output and impact. According to Pit Bull Pride founder, Lauren Verfaillie, the organization underwent successful official incorporation in April of 2012. After incorporation, the organization applied for the 501 (c) 3 tax exemption application to the IRS it sought recognition as a nonprofit entity (Herman & Associates, 2011). This will in turn facilitate the organization to make strides into being a large supporter of pit bulls. The labor force of Pit Bull Pride According to Lauren, the organization squarely depends on volunteers to help in the running of the operations

Monday, August 26, 2019

To what extent is creativity an essential aspect of morally fine Essay

To what extent is creativity an essential aspect of morally fine behaviour - Essay Example her, creativity is required in many other aspects of business, from policy creation to creating interpersonal social harmony within the business environment. With these notions in mind, creativity is an essential element of successful and ethical business practices. Creativity is evident in most contemporary businesses, from the marketing-focused organisation to the more abstract business type such as entrepreneurial art production. Hence, with the need for creativity in the workplace, issues of ethics are closely linked, as concepts of integrity in advertising and in providing fair and honest internal processes mandate morally fine behaviour on behalf of the leader or subordinate worker. In capitalistic economies, business practices are a common theme as the outcomes of performing profitable activities serves to sustain the regional economy. According to one professional author who explores the philosophical elements of business ethics, Ã¢â‚¬Å"the true moral strength of capitalism lies in its promotion of human creativityÃ¢â‚¬ (Novak, 977). The author is attempting to illustrate that the human contribution to business involves maintaining an adaptable and flexible mentality, which involves performing in competitive environments through the use of creative ingenuity. Such ingenuity takes shape in practices from human resources (people management) and in creating new and innovative marketing materials which are designed to appeal to the potential customer and the general public. Hence, if a business desires to act in a morally-sound fashion, all creative elements produced by the business participant involves ensuring that no unethical behaviours occur. For instance, consider an organisation which produces ongoing promotional and advertising literature. This organization must consider issues of copyright infringement, from a legal compliance perspective, and ensuring that no misleading or false advertising statements or phrases are produced (Boone & Kurtz, 552-553). To

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Business Financing and the Capital Structure Essay

Business Financing and the Capital Structure - Essay Example Financial planning of the corporation would include building a plan to meet the expenses of the future through its holdings on assets after considering the predicted future cash flows and plans for withdrawal or allocation of funds. Financial planning help the corporations to understand the changes required in the areas of investment and allocation of assets in order to meet their financial goals. Thus financial planning ensures smooth transition of the financial position of the companies to attain the long term goals in future and also to meet the short term operational need. The process of financial planning is significant for the companies to attain sustainability in a competitive market (Baker andÃ‚ Powell, 2009). Working capital of corporations is the difference between the current assets and current liabilities of the corporation. Working capital management involves maintenance of optimum levels of both the current liabilities and current assets of the corporation. Optimum lev el of current asset and current liabilities indicate maintenance of sufficient current assets and cash in hand in order to meet the short term liability and expenses for daily operation in an efficient manner. The important ratios that are useful for effective working capital management are inventory turnover, account payables and accounts receivables. The excess cash is parked by businesses through the marketable securities like debentures and bonds that could be converted into cash within a short period of time. The marketable securities for parking excess cash provide a source of high liquidity. The high liquidity requirement could be met by the corporations by use of marketable securities due to the presence of large number of buyers in the market. The financial instruments used to park excess cash are exposed to lesser market risk as these could be transformed into liquid cash at any point of time. 2. Assume that you are financial advisor to a business. Describe the advice that you would give to the client for raising business capital using both debt and equity options in todayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s economy. The valuation of companies had become vulnerable from the period of economic recession which turned into a global financial meltdown. Although the situation has recovered to an extent since last year which was backed by performance of the emerging economies, the investors are still circumspect on investing in equities of the companies without doing adequate research. Thus the raising of business capital through a mix of debt and equity options would be suitable for the companies. The equity financing option of raising capital would involve issue of shares to the public for raising funds. The companies would have to share the profits with the increased number of shareholders. The risk of investments, however, would also be shared with investors. The ownership structure of the company would get diluted and the control over business decision making would be reduced. The funds raised through debt financing option are also painful for the companies over a period of time due to the regular interest payments to be done by them. The cost of debt financing, however, would be reduce due to the tax deductibility feature. Due to the tax shields, the companies are in a position to reduce their interest payments. Thus a debt-equity mix strategy for raising business capital is suitable for the

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The movies Salt of the Earth and The Battle of Algiers Essay

The movies Salt of the Earth and The Battle of Algiers - Essay Example The strength of the women depicted in these films can only be said to be admirable because it shows that it is not only men who have the fortitude or capability of fighting for what they know to be their rights. It can be said that while women have increasingly taken up an active role in the societies that are depicted in the films, the bias and segregation against them is still an ongoing process, which need to be addressed. The roles that women lay in these films shows that they are an important part of the society, because they not only bring within it a different view of things, but they also bring the diversity needed to ensure that revolutions or social movements are successful. The films show that despite the fact that the men, who dominate the society, have denied these women the opportunity to take up their rightful position in society is quite unfortunate and that such discrimination should be remedied, to ensure that there is equality within the society. The films being analyzed provide a clear picture of how women are treated not only in the society as a whole but also in their personal lives as well. It is a fact that the films address instances concerning the gender differences and bias against women that take place within the society, and because of what can only be perceived as the menÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s emotional distance, there seems to be nothing that is being done by the men, in the societies depicted, to remedy this situation. The films therefore show that the matter of the discrimination against women in their respective societies should be addressed because this is the only way through which the issues involved can be understood and addressed (Nunes 9 16). The films which have been analyzed provide a small picture of the biases that women underwent in the society and one would state that the issues that these films address are only some of the cases that existed in the societies depicted and still continue to do so today. It is most likely that future research will make more revelations concerning the treatment of women in the societies, depicted in both Salt of the Earth and The Battle of Algiers, to demonstrate the prominent roles that these women played in the social movements of the said societies. These films seem to have been developed in part with the intention of sparking a movement towards a change in the attitudes that put women in such different situations from their male counterparts. In addition, it can be said that these films seem to be a challenge to the men who view them to take up the responsibility of showing more concern and consideration towards the women in their lives. It can further be said that the men in society should stop using women in their societies merely for the sake of sexual fulfillment, and should instead treat them with the respect that they deserve, since they are equal participants in the development of their societies. The films being analysed depict societies dominated by men and this has created a situation where women are not treated as equals and are instead relegated to the background (Pfaelzer 120). In the films, it can be seen that women, have yet to establish themselves well within the society to ensure that they excel on an equal basis as their male counterparts. Instead, women face many challenges in order to find success in an environment which can only be considered to be extremely hostile to them.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Blogs about Fashion designer's news and their brand Essay

Blogs about Fashion designer's news and their brand - Essay Example The paper "Blogs about Fashion designer's news and their brand" provides information about blogs in the fashion industry. The editor rightly observed that Lee McQueen could successfully integrate technology with that of the design and it was the differentiating factor which made him so successful in his regime. Lee, born in the year of 1970 at East End had his schooling Central State Martins. He had his professional training at Savile Row where he received the rare exposure of writing messages in the suits of The Prince of Wales. This talented designer had the great achievement of winning the prestigious award of Ã¢â‚¬ËœBritish Designer of the Year in 1997 (though jointly with John Galliano), 2001 and 2003. Lee, born in the year of 1970 at East End had his schooling Central State Martins. He had his professional training at Savile Row where he received the rare exposure of writing messages in the suits of The Prince of Wales. This talented designer had the great achievement of winnin g the prestigious award of Ã¢â‚¬ËœBritish Designer of the Year in 1997 (though jointly with John Galliano), 2001 and 2003. French designer Jean Paul GaultierÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s latest fashion campaign was a major hit. The cast for the campaign is highlighted which involves casting of plus-size model Crystal Renn for the campaign and as the face of the winter/autumn 2010-11. It is reported in The New York Magazine that Chinese model Ping Hue and Kelly Moreira are supposed to join the campaign with Crystal Renn. Also, it reports that Renn is to be part.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Ethnic American Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethnic American - Personal Statement Example The family values of our people are extremely strong and we have strong family bonds. Even in the time when we were slaves and the families were separated and sold as slaves, we still have strong family bonds. The old members of the family pass the cultural and social heritage to the young members of the family and in return the younger members take care of their old. Our families provide strength and support to each other and even in our communities. Spiritual values are considered important for our people. The elders and the parents develop emotional and spiritual values and needs in the young African American so that their transition into adulthood is easy and it would prepare them for it as well. With the help of these spiritual values the young ones learn to change and grow and develop in terms of emotions, morals etc. Gender roles, as you know means the attitude, behaviour, responsibilities and activities of a male and female in a society. When we talk about gender roles among African American people it is given that the financial provider in the family would be the male. But they also agree to the fact that male and the female should share the responsibility of raising a child together and sharing the duties of housework. And we also believe that there is a lot of female discrimination in the society. Even though the US claims to be a country of free thinkers and promotes free speech through out the world as their ultimate quality. We still see that they contain a certain amount of biasness towards us the African Americans. If our background is from the rougher part of society getting an education becomes practically impossible. Even though the US society says that they help out all kinds of people regardless of sect or culture we still have problem when we want to educate ourselves further and if we do not posses the financial backing or if we don't talk or sound or act or dress the way they think is right then they discriminate us in the basis that our society is filled with no do-gooders and that we do not deserve a chance to better ourselves with a good quality education. We are discriminated as a whole and nobody pays attention to our personal values and they do not even look at the fact whether we are capable of educating ourselves and that we do not posses the drive to rise higher than our immediate circumstances and our willing to work hard to achieve our goal and further improve ourselves. There is an income gap between the white families and black families. And if we look back and see that the African Americans earn only 65% of the wages when comparing to the wages of the white people. And if we go back in time and see when the country was facing economic problems the people who mostly suffered were; we the African Americans in regards of employment. And we still face the problem of unemployment or under-employment. We are considered as people who are lazy and no do-gooders. Generational differences play a vital role in changing the attitudes and behaviours of people. And we can see that it is happening in the African American society. As we can see this generation of African Americans is facing heir issues and problems related to racism and discrimination

Trip Report Essay Example for Free

Trip Report Essay INTRODUCTION Where: Tokyo Japan When: 23 January 2008-28 January 2008 Why: Communication Exhibition (Technology Scout) What Next: Company Application of the Learned Innovations The company RUNC TELCOM is a joint venture of network products in the field of information and communication technology. It specializes in producing and dealing with the quality products of telecommunication equipment accessories and network products. RUNC INC is committed to providing quality products and services to customers and is an ISO9001 quality accredited company. DISCUSSION During the conference, we have been able to observe how a state-of-the-art SONY P300 Cellular Phone works. Likely, the process of the production of the said piece of technological art has lead us to a conclusion that technology today is certainly not only catering to the needs of the society but also to the wants of the majority in the human population. The said communication gadget comprises of different features that suits the modernized human community today. It is primarily video conference capable, which could easily connect to the Internet for connection purposes. As the producer of the product, Miyoko Sony Company has mentioned that the said gadget is indeed one of a kind that could be well developed by other companies as they wish to do so. As for the expenses that were consumed during the exhibit, the breakdown shall be presented below: Rental Car 300.00, food and hotel 800.00 Conference room rental 400.00 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Ã‚ Ã‚ Ã‚ Ã‚ As noted earlier, the exhibit aimed to introduce a new way of treating modern systems of communication through introducing SONY P3500 Cellular Phone to the society. This is the primary reason why it is suggested that RUNC TELCOM be able to grasp the important implication of the said exhibit within its system so as to forward towards progression. As recommended, the RUNC TELECOM is proposed to consider following suggestions: Locate and Buy thin communicators [Cellular Phones] that are innovatively capable of VTC connection that is cheaper that any phone in the market today. Find and exhibit its features to the market and lure attract them in buying the product thus becoming one of the companies controlling the cellular industry today.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Home Homeless Housing

Home Homeless Housing This essay will begin by defining homelessness and who it affects. Following this will look at the National Assistance Act 1948 followed by The Housing (Homeless Persons Act) 1977 which imposed a duty on authorities to tackle the problem of homelessness. The Housing Act 1996 will be discussed and also various statistics given. The Homelessness Act 2002 will also be discussed and finally how the prevention of homelessness is seen as a priority for the government and the strategies which they have implemented to house the homeless. Most poor people live in some sort of home or permanent shelter. However, those who do not, the homeless, have become very visible in the streets of cities over the past twenty years (Giddens, 1997). According, to Giddens (1997), Ã¢â‚¬Å"Like poverty, homelessness isnt as easy to define as we might imagine. Two generations ago, most people still thought of Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhome as the family home. Homeless people were seen as individuals who lived in hostels on skid row. They were called homeless because they lived alone and rarely saw their families or kinÃ¢â‚¬ . Over the past 30 years, much more people have come to live alone by choice and therefore the homeless have become defined as people who have nowhere to sleep, and who either stay in free street shelters on a temporary basis or sleep in places not meant for habitation, such as doorways, on park benches, in railway stations or in derelict buildings (Giddens, 1997). Most of the homeless according to Giddens, (1997) Ã¢â‚¬Å"are people who find themselves on the streets because they have experienced personal disasters, such as parents or relatives and friends no longer able or willing to accommodate, breakdown of relationship with partner, mortgage default or rent arrears and loss of private rental dwellings and loss of service tenancy or other reasonsÃ¢â‚¬ . Meanwhile, according to the housing action group Shelter, homelessness had grown by 300 per cent between 1978 and 1992 (Giddens, 1997). Local authorities in England and Wales registered 450,000 people as living without a semi-permanent residence during 1995 (Haralambos et al; 1995). Furthermore, according to Haralambos et al; (1995), Ã¢â‚¬Å"Shelter estimated there were a further 1.7 million unofficial homeless. These consisted of about 8,000 people sleeping rough, approximately 50,000 unauthorised tenants and squatters, 137,000 single people in hostels or lodgings, 77,000 insecure private tenants and about 1,200,000 people living with friends or relatives who needed a home of their ownÃ¢â‚¬ . Although, not all of these groups would be left out from statistics on Low Income Families, but nevertheless, the rise in all types of homelessness would make a huge difference to the figures if the homeless were included. By this, it can be argued that some of the homeless are suffering from absolute poverty since they do not even have adequate shelter (Haralambos et al; 1995). The provision of more adequate forms of housing is of key importance in tackling homelessness, whether the housing is directly sponsored by the government or not (Giddens, 1997). According to Giddens, (1997) Ã¢â‚¬Å"regardless of why people are on the streets, giving them a place to live that offers a modicum of privacy and stability is usually the most important thing we can do to improve their lives. Without stable housing, nothing else is likely to workÃ¢â‚¬ . The National Assistance Act 1948 ended the Poor Law structure which supported the poor. However, it did not clearly deal with the homeless. For those who were without roofs over their heads they were dealt with by the social services departments (Walsh et al; 2000). As the housing departments felt they had no obligations to house homeless people, and with approximately 2 million people with inadequate or no housing at all after the Second World War (Walsh et al; 2000). By the late 1940s Britain witnessed some of the most serious civil disobedience towards the government, when thousands of people decided to squat on disused military bases and in empty properties (Walsh et al; 2000). Furthermore, the government ignored the problem of homelessness right through the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s (Walsh et al; 2000). Successive governments either denied there was an issue with homelessness, or they saw the homeless, as people who had brought this condition upon themselves (Walsh et al; 2000). Meanwhile, families who were taken as being homeless by the local authority social services department were housed in temporary or emergency accommodation until they could solve their own housing situations. Furthermore, after a period of time, if their situation had not improved and suitable accommodation found, children were at risk of being taken into care (Walsh et al; 2000). However, in 1977 a private members bill was passed by parliament which recognised homelessness, and set up a supporting structure for dealing with the problem. The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 was an important way forward to accepting the problems which poor people faced in obtaining housing (Walsh et al; 2000). According, to Carnwath, (1978), Ã¢â‚¬Å"The words Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhomeless and Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhomelessness, have been used in widely different contexts. They are sometimes used to include all those living in unsatisfactory conditions. Too wide a definition of homeless could tend to obscure the pressing needs of those who are literally without shelter, or are likely to lose in the immediate future what shelter they haveÃ¢â‚¬ . Furthermore, Carnwath, (1978), The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 Ã¢â‚¬Å"transfers statutory responsibility for the homeless from social services authorities to housing authorities. It has become widely accepted over recent years that homelessness is primarily a housing problem, and the primary responsibility for dealing with it should therefore lie with housing authorities, who are naturally better equipped than social services authorities to provide a permanent solution. The effect of the Act will be to ensure that dealing with the problems of homeless will rightly become a normal part of day-to-day housing activities of every housing authority in the countryÃ¢â‚¬ . The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 according to Walsh et al; (2000) Ã¢â‚¬Å"imposed a duty on local authorities to provide permanent accommodation for homeless families who were defined as belonging to Ã¢â‚¬Ëœpriority groups and to give Ã¢â‚¬Ëœadvice and assistance to other homeless people. A person or family was defined as homeless if they had no legal right to housing or if threats of violence prevented them from exercising that rightÃ¢â‚¬ . Furthermore, Walsh et al; (2000) Ã¢â‚¬Å"In defining homelessness, the quality of housing was not taken into account, so people living in overcrowded housing, or even accommodation that was injurious to health, were not counted as homeless. The priority groups that had to be provided with permanent housing were, families with children, pregnant women and people sharing their households which could include a male partner, disabled people and elderly peopleÃ¢â‚¬ . In order to obtain housing, the priority groups had to prove to the authorities that they were not deliberately homeless. There was also concern that the Act was being manipulated by people in order to be placed on the Ã¢â‚¬Ëœpriority list (Walsh et al; 2000). This affected the chances of people on the Ã¢â‚¬Ëœordinary waiting list and who were living in poor conditions from being considered for housing as their conditions were not grounds for obtaining housing (Walsh et al; 2000). As a consequence of this a tightening-up of the provision of housing for the homeless was introduced (Walsh et al; 2000). Although more attention was being directed towards the young, single mothers who were jumping the housing lists and given priority, less notice was given to the volume of council houses being purchased by existing tenants in the 1980s and the fall in local-authority house-building, resulting in less properties available for rent (Walsh et al; 2000). The properties which had not been purchased and available for rent were on less desirable estates, and often the homeless were placed there (Walsh et al; 2000). By 1996, over 42% of all new local authority tenants were being attracted from the priority homeless groups (Walsh et al; 2000). By the mid-1990s there was strong disagreements to the 1977 and 1985 Acts and the Conservative government introduced the Housing Act 1996 (Walsh et al; 2000). The new Act according to Walsh et al; (2000) Ã¢â‚¬Å"introduced some very significant changes which made it more difficult for the homeless to be housed permanently. The definitions of homelessness and priority groups were largely retained, but instead of permanent accommodation, local authorities were only obliged to provide temporary accommodation for two yearsÃ¢â‚¬ . During that period, the persons or families in question had to make satisfactory attempts to re-house themselves, as the local authority were not required to provide continuing accommodation (Walsh et al; 2000). Furthermore, according to Walsh et al; (2000), Ã¢â‚¬Å"the accommodation that the local authorities would provide on a temporary basis was largely to be outside the local authority housing stock. The homeless were therefore to be housed in the private for-rent market, if that was possible, or in hostels, or in housing association propertiesÃ¢â‚¬ . With the decrease in size of the local authority housing stock and the governments Homeless Initiative of 1989 which allocated an extra Ã‚ £250 million to reduce homelessness in England over a two year period, was directed at London and the South East, which were the main problem area (Balchin, 1995). Of this sum Ã‚ £177 million went to local authorities to repair their empty properties and lease houses in the private sector for short term housing, and Ã‚ £73 million to the housing associations for the same purpose (Balchin, 1995). Furthermore, voluntary groups were given grants to help the homeless, which totalled Ã‚ £2 million in 1990-91 and Ã‚ £6.1 million in 1992-93 (Balchin, 1995). A rough Sleepers initiative was started in June 1990 with an allocation of Ã‚ £96 million over a period of three years, with a further Ã‚ £86 million in 1992 to further the initiative until 1996 (Balchin, 1995). The funds provided hostel spaces and created more permanent move-on accommodation for peop le leaving hostel accommodation. More money was given to local authorities to increase the total number of places for former rough-sleepers in housing leased from private owners (Balchin, 1995). According to Balchin, (1995) Ã¢â‚¬Å"By mid-1992, the Rough Sleepers Initiative had provided about 850 places in hostels and over 1,200 in move-on accommodation, and a further 1,300 permanent places by December 1993. It is probable that the initiative was largely responsible for reducing the number of people sleeping rough in Central London from 1,046 in January 1991 to 440 in March 1992Ã¢â‚¬ . However, with the improvements success, the initiative had only a slight effect on the total problem of homelessness. At the time of its launch, Shelter, according to Balchin, (1995) dubbed it a Ã¢â‚¬Å"sticking plaster over the wound of Britains growing housing shortage, while the Institute of Housing said that the initiative was Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcalamine lotion to cover the spotsÃ¢â‚¬ . In December 1989 extra measures to tackle homelessness was announced in Wales. To use the Homelessness Reserve of over Ã‚ £4 million in an effective way, local authorities were encouraged to submit offers involving partnership schemes with housing associations, and support for voluntary organisations was increased to Ã‚ £580,000 in 1992-93 (Balchin, 1995). A three year programme to help young single homeless people in Cardiff to find and retain permanent accommodation was started worth Ã‚ £800, 000 (Balchin, 1995). Meanwhile, in Scotland Ã‚ £15 million was allocated in the early 1990s to fund projects to tackle homelessness (Balchin, 1995). In 1992-93, Ã‚ £7.5 billion was spent funding 44 projects which included the supply of emergency hostels, follow-on accommodation, and furnished tenancies in Edinburgh and other places, which provided accommodation for 700 homeless people. Other measures to deal with homelessness included the Flats over Shops Initiative and a system to use homes repossessed by mortgage lenders for accommodating homeless families (Balchin, 1995). However, according to Balchin, (1995), Ã¢â‚¬Å"The policy measures involved comparatively little public expenditure. The largest of these, the Homeless Initiative, involved expenditure of only Ã‚ £250 million Ã¢â‚¬Ëœa paltry sum when measured against the scale of the problem, it was clear that the government was Ã¢â‚¬Ëœskimming the surface of the problem, instead of tackling the root cause by investing more money in housingÃ¢â‚¬ . The Homelessness Act, (2002) which forms the main part of the governments plan for dealing with homelessness in England and Wales, gives more protection to those who are in priority need for housing, such as families, and gives people more choice in the housing they are allocated. The Act furthers the list to include 16 and 17 year olds and 18 to 21 years old who are care-leavers, as well as people who are vulnerable as a result of fleeing violence. Local authorities have a duty to carry out a homeless review, and develop a homeless strategy for the area to prevent homelessness, and provide accommodation and support to people who are or may find themselves homeless. Furthermore, the Homelessness Act, (2002) is considered to be the most important piece of government legislation introduced on housing and homelessness since the Housing Act 1996. Under the Housing Act 1996 (Part VII) and the Homelessness Act 2002 councils must make enquiries to decide what legal housing obligations they have towards a person, and what other help they are entitled to receive as a result of their homelessness application. According, to Communities and Local Government, (2008) Ã¢â‚¬Å"An extra Ã‚ £9.6 million to help rough sleepers make a permanent move away from the street was announced by Housing Minister Caroline Flint. The funding will support an additional 11 projects and 2 existing ones to improve and build new hostels and homelessness services across the country, helping homeless people back into independent living by giving them new skills and trainingÃ¢â‚¬ . Furthermore, according to Communities and Local Government, (2008), Ã¢â‚¬Å"It brings the total investment under the Governments Places of Change Programme to Ã‚ £80 million over the next three years which will deliver 80 schemes, transforming hostels and homelessness servicesÃ¢â‚¬ . The Housing Minister visited the newly refurbished St. Mungos Endell Street Homeless hostel, which was given Ã‚ £3.24 million under the previous round of programme, to find out from the residents how the centre had made a difference to their lives (Communities and Local Government, 2008). According to Balchin, (1995) Ã¢â‚¬Å"It is therefore important to increase the supply of low-cost housing by putting empty houses back into use and to embark upon new house building programmes. Outside of central government, there have been several initiatives taken to reduce the number of empty dwellings. Funded by voluntary organisations, the Empty Homes Agency was set up in 1991 in an attempt to accommodate homeless families in some of the countrys then, 760,000empty houses and flats. The agency aimed to put the owners of empty houses in touch with housing associations subsequently letting them to homeless people nominated by local authoritiesÃ¢â‚¬ . Homelessness acceptance figures show that they have gone down gradually from 35,770 in the third quarter of 2003 to 15,240 during October and December 2007. This is due to effective homelessness strategies and prevention methods implemented by Local Authorities in England (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Statutory Homeless Statistics for 0ctober to December 2007 were down 12 per cent in acceptances compared with the same period the previous year (Communities and Local Government, 2008) Furthermore, the number of people living in temporary accommodation has gone down since the end of 2005, after a time when the figure had stayed the same at around 101,000 and was below 80,000 at the end of December 2007 (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Other statistics show that 87 per cent of households were in self-contained accommodation, 66 per cent in private sector accommodation, 20 per cent in accommodation by social landlords and 9 per cent were in hostel accommodation and womens refuges. Just 5 per cent of households in temporary accommodation were in bed and breakfast accommodation (Communities and Local Government, 2008). And also, 76 per cent of households in temporary accommodation included dependent children and 92 per cent of these were in self-contained accommodation. (Communities and Local Government, 2008) As the prevention of homelessness is a priority for the government they aim to reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation to 50,500 by 2010 (Communities and Local Government, 2008). Since July to September 2003 the figure of households accepted as homeless under the homelessness legislation has gone down by 54 per cent and the number of households in temporary accommodation has fallen below 83,000, the lowest level since July 2002 (Communities and Local Government, 2008). These achievements are due to huge Government investment in services to prevent homelessness and also by continually supporting local authorities and voluntary sector agencies (Communities and Local Government, 2008). The Governments funding for local authority homelessness grants has increased by 23 per cent from Ã‚ £60 million in 2005-06 to Ã‚ £74 million in 2007-08, thus bringing the total investment in prevention to Ã‚ £200 million over three years (Communities and Local Government, 2008). In conclusion, there have been significant policies implemented across the UK to deal with homelessness in recent years, and with legislations from the government and strategies from authorities to tackle homelessness the governments target of reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation will be achieved by the date set. References Balchin, P. (1995). Housing Policy an introduction, Routledge, London Carnwath, R. (1978). A Guide to the HOUSING (Homeless Persons) ACT 1977. Charles Knight @ Company Ltd. London Communities and Local Government, (2008), Housing. Ã¢â‚¬ËœTackling and Preventing Homelessness. Available at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/homelessness/tacklingpreventing/ Communities and Local Government, (2008), Housing. Homelessness trends, Homelessness Ã¢â‚¬ËœAcceptances. Available at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/homelessness/homelessnesstrends/ Giddens, A. (1997). Sociology. Polity Press: Cambridge Haralambos, M; Holborn, M. and Heald, R. (1995). Sociology Themes and Perspectives, Collins Educational, London Homelessness Act, (2002). Available at: http://homelesspages.org.uk/kwds/keywords.asp?kwid=291 Walsh, M; Stephens, P. and Moore, S. (2000), Social Policy and Welfare. Stanley Thornes (Publishers) Ltd. Cheltenham

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Theoretical Approach To Innovation Business Essay

The Theoretical Approach To Innovation Business Essay It is difficult to imagine nowadays business world without innovation. Many enterprises simply depend on their ability to be innovative for achieving and sustaining competitive advantage (Frishammar, Parida, Westerberg, 2012). Moreover, it is important to note that not only theoretical but also conceptual understanding of innovation has developed significantly since the early 1980s (Hong, Oxley, McCann, 2012). Hence, it is essential to understand the importance of linking innovation to new markets. In this paper the following will be discussed: Models of innovation; Types of innovation; The importance of anticipating market needs and connecting them with a new technological capability in the cases of radical and incremental innovations; Ways to empower people to innovate. Theoretical Approach to Innovation Innovation undoubtedly became the engine of the progress, competitive ability and economic growth. Baumol (2002) even regards innovation as a life-and-death matter for a firm. However, paradox is that still some difficulties remain in understanding what exactly the innovation is and how important it is in nowadays world. Despite the fact that there are many definitions of processes of innovation, Gordon and McCann (2005) suggest that, generally, all innovations contain three underlying elements: newness (1), improvement (2) and the overcoming of uncertainty (3). Newness is probably one of the most important parts of innovation, although such newness could be understood as something novel to the form or industry as a whole (McCann, Oxley, 2013, p.54). Improvemet is related to the fact that firms need to find the superior quality to those products which currently exist in the market. Overcoming uncertainty means that such improvement is determined by the market and that market need have to be clarified. In addition, it is esential to remember that all these elements are driven by the technological advance. So it is clear that the process of innovation is complex, involving many different variables to consider. Models of Innovation When talking about innovation and its importance it is substancial to understand the models, concepts and types of innovation. Many models have been developed throughout all these years. However, no model appears to be capable to being utilized as a generalised model of innovation (Forrest, 1991). In this paper the following 5 models will be discussed: Linear model Technology push Linear model Market pull Interactive Network System Linear Models Technology Push and Maket Pull In 1960s and 1970s the new approach to the models of innovation has come. Concentration was focused on the idea that specific processes can generate new technologies and the learning involved in technological change (Shavinina, 2003). The first linear description of innovation was called technology push. The main idea of this model is that innovation is based on the advance in both science and techology because, at the same time, it can lead to the technological development and rise of new products in the market. The step sequence is as follows (Shavinina, 2003): Basic Science Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Applied Science and Engineering Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Manufacturing Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Marketing Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Sales Another linear model was developed afterwards the technology push model and was called market pull. The main focus in this model was orientated into the importance of marketplace and existing demand. Hence, innovation is the result of the demands of potential customers. The step sequence is as follows (Shavinina, 2003): Market Place Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Technology Development Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Manufacturing Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Sales Both linear models were comparatively simple and rational so they were widely adopted until 1980s. However, the growing compexity of innovations and market made both models hardly adaptable to the future innovations. Interactive Models After the linear models the need to create a more detailed model arose. Interactive model was very important step in the progress of conceptualizing innovation because it was an attempt to bring together the technology push and marketing pull approaches into a comprehensive model of innovation (Shavinina, 2003). Rothwell and Zegveld (1985, p.50) suggest that the overall pattern of innovation process can be thought of as a complex net of communication paths, both intra-organisational and extra-organisational, linking together the various in-house functions and linking the firm to the broader scientific and technological community and to the marketplace. The key fact in the interactive model is that the innovation is no longer the end product of a final stage of activity and the process is more circular then sequential. The interactive model is relevant even in nowadays as the original model has been extended to make it specific to particular situation. System and Network Models As the process of innovation is getting more complex in the course of time, the importance of systematic approach to the innovation is growing. In addition, such complexity requires interaction not only from agents within the firm but also from cooperation amongst firms (Shavinina, 2003). Synergy, interactions and crossing between organisational boundaries are the most descriptive features when talking about system and network models. All the models described above are very important in understanding the process of innovation and its importance. One models lack of some important elements, others are more elaborate but still lacking some important points (e.g. taking into account the post-innovation stage, including different environmental variables or such external factors like trade unions, goverments, social interest grouos, etc.). Hence, it is clear that it is impossible to adjust only one particular model as the best one. The research and understanding of the particular innovation have to be included in every innovative organisation. Types of Innovation The same important is to consider the different types of innovation. Generally, innovations are classified according to the market that the innovations are aimed at (product innovations; process innovations) or according to the technical knowledge and investment to the development. Mainly, there are 4 types of innovations: Type of Innovation Explanation Incremental innovation The intention of incremental innovation is to use the insights from customers or others to develop better solutions that are attractive and would add to the profits from the existing products (Pavitt 1998; Xin, Yeung, and Cheng 2008). Radical innovation The core idea of the radical innovation is the development of a completely new technology, which can provide a product which has never been available before (Nasirpourosgoei, Coles, 2006). Product innovation A product innovation is the introduction of a good or service that is new or significantly improved with respect to its characteristics or intended uses (OECD, 2005). Process innovation A process innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved production or delivery method (OECD, 2005). Table 1. The Types of Innovations. Source: Authors Consruction. The data was taken from OECD and research papers. In this paper the incremental and radical innovations will be discussed in greater detail. Radical and incremental innovations are fundamentally different. In the main, radical innovation represents the ability to develop products that are completely new to the world or particular industry, while incremental innovation refers to the ability to develop products that are new to the firm (Frishammar, Parida, Westerberg, 2012). In other words, incremental innovations are usually thought to enhance the capabilities of the firm, whereas radical ones are thought to undermine it (Holck, Mahnke, Zicari, 2008). Moreover, radical innovations are ground-breaking development that requires significant resources to materialize. For that reason, such innovation has longer time lags to profitability compared with incremental innovations (Chaney, Devinney, and Winer 1991; Veryzer 1998). Radical innovations, in comparison with incremental innovations, are more noticeable and visible. What is more, radical innovations are more likely to arise in large corporate or networked ventures. Hence, there is a long list of radical innovation examples that have changed the market, its structure and understanding: penicillin, X-rays, computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, personal computer, cell phones, laser, etc (Ruben, Slocum 2008). Example of Radical Innovation. The Case of Amazon.com One of the latest examples of radical innovation is the case of amazon.com and its approach to sell books via the Internet. Amazon successfully emerged from the dot-com bubble and demonstrated significant results of growth from $4 billion in 2002 to $20 billion in 2008. One of the main reason why Amazon successfully survived the Internet bubble was the firms ability to anticipate the changing market needs and customer values. Amazon started to sell wide range of books that upended the staid book industry that led to a number of the traditional book stores going out of business. A few years later, the company offered another completely new field a commission-based brokerage service to buyers and sellers of used books. Then Amazon moved forward again developing a model to serve an entirely different customer: third-party sellers (Johnson, 2010). Jeffrey Preston, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, Inc., says: If you want to continuously revitalize the service that you offer to your customers, you cannot stop at what you are good at. You have to ask what your customers need and want, and then, no matter how hard it is, you better get good at those things (Johnson, 2010). It is obvious, that Amazon.com, Inc. is one of the best examples how important is to understand and anticipate market needs and connect them with a new technological capability. Example of Incremental Innovation. The Case of MySQL All the differencies between radical and incremental innovations has shaped the common belief that only radical innovations can bring more tangible results and recognition. However, the following example of the incremental innovation can break that stereotype. Jesper Holck, Volker Mahnke, and Roberto Zicari (2008) presents the case of the MySQL AB as a proof that it is possible to win and succeed through the incremental innovation. MySQL is a SQLÃ‚ [1]Ã‚ database management system. Despite the fact that the genesis of this system is dated in the late 80s the most important advance has been made with the beginning of 21st century when www.MySQL.com was formed to maintain the database. MySQL gained a sound position in the Web service community. Another advantageous feature was the fact that MySQL understood and anticipated the market need in the late 1990s when business and new ventures were trying to join the Internet and exploit the WWW revolution. The key point why MySQL was successful in that was the firms strategy to to follow the 15 minute rule, stating that it should be possible to get MySQL up and running in less than 15 minutes (Holck, Mahnke, Zicari, 2008). This was very attractive, especially for the Internet start-ups, because it was simple, quick and reliable way to use Relational DataBase Management Systems. Moreover, MySQL databases did not require any specific IT eduction to install those system s, the users were less considered with the missing features of MySQL and they needed the basic functionality of MySQL as a data store for customers, goods, etc. MySQL was attractive even for the great enterprises, because of the free availability and possibility for the computer departments to test it without asking for financial resources to do this (Holck, Mahnke, Zicari, 2008). In addition, MySQL had a strong superiority in demanding comparatively very little computer resources and can run efficiently even on inexpensive PCs. After the burst of the Internet bubble, MySQL AB consisted of 20 people who were focusing on technology and the managerial issues played secondary role in the firm. To enhance organisational efficiency a number of highly professional people for the top management were recruited. Therefore, MySQL AB showed significant results in the growth of employees, operating income and profits (Holck, Mahnke, Zicari, 2008). Another important issue that was faced was the battle of the storage engines (Holck, Mahnke, Zicari, 2008). Storage engine is the program that handles how data are read from and written to the files etc. where the data are stored. MySQL AB chose the InnoDB as a promising and copetitive storage engine. However, afterwards one of the MySQL competitors, Oracle, made a strategically important movement and bought Innobase OY, the company behind InnoDB. My SQL felt a pressure and increasing competitors. In response, in 2007 MySQL released its first own open source storage engine: Fa lcon (Holck, Mahnke, Zicari, 2008). So what strategy has empowered MySQL AB to achieve significant results and become serious competitor to giant companies like IBM, Microsoft, Oracle? Jesper Holck, Volker Mahnke, and Roberto Zicari (2008) suggest that success was determined by small incremental innovations and ability to anticipate the market. The following 7 principles of MySQL strategy were the basis of the firms strategy (Holck, Mahnke, Zicari, 2008): Commitment to existing standarts. MySQL chose to rely on existing application programming interface and data storage technology. That enabled users of to easily switch to MySQL and so the switching costs were reduced. Ability to distinguish and prioritize must-to-have features from nice-to-have features. MySQL concentrated on a key features of the product, like speed, simplicity to install and size of the memory footprint. Ability to link the development of both commercial and non-commercial product versions. MySQL chose to let both the Community and the Enterprise version build on the same code base, i.e. the exact same source code files (Holck, Mahnke, Zicari, 2008). The most important thing by linking the development of both commercial and non-commercial product versions was the fact that it helped to realize the economies of scale. Upbringing and coordination of user communities. MySQL undertsand the importance of paying attention to various groups of users that are involved in the development process, e.g. MySQL employees, developer community (active users, contributing with interfaces, forum answers, blog entries, etc.), user community. MySQL created a coherent community that are interested in the product. Such cohesiveness enables not only to understand users, collect the feedback but also to motivate community members to develop the product. Product testing with communities. Despite the fact that majority of MySQLs open source development community do not generate revenue directly, community members are great supporters. In other words, they provide valuable testing, error-reporting, and bug-fixing information that allows to reduce the costs of testing and even marketing. Implementation of dual-licensing strategy. MySQL offers different licensing arrangements for different user groups. Jesper Holck, Volker Mahnke, and Roberto Zicari (2008) note that Dual licensing is an important element in benefiting from an incremental innovation based business model for software products that are embedded in other products. Linking the power of market and communities. One of the main reasons why MySQL was successful in incremental innovation is the fact that the firm was capable to combine community and markets. Important feature is that MySQL can offer enterprise customers extra value, like more functionality, better performance, new features and fewer errors, while community users provide very valuable testing and feedback that delivers error-reporting and bug-fixing. Empowering People to Innovate Talking about the need for innovation and the main drivers of innovation, there are many factors that can determine it. According to the Canadian Innovation Centre (Canadian Dairy Commission, 2010), these factors can be divided into both internal and external drivers: Internal Factors External Factors Competition Improve Profitability Lower Costs Improve Return on Investment New Entrants Improve the Cash Flow Market drivers: Demand Economic Forces Social Changes Demographics Improve Quality Table 2. External and Internal Drivers of Innovation Source: Authors Consruction. The data was taken from Canadian Dairy Commission However, this list of factors is not limited and could be expanded. For example, Canadian firms (Canadian Dairy Commission, 2010) from the food industry responded that they were engaging in innovation projects because they wanted: To introduce new products to the existing line of products; To increase market share; To meet buyers standarts and requirements; To improve productivity; To reduce production costs. Innovation seems to be an engine of every organisation and its progress. However, some companies are not successful in innovating. In 2010 Strategyn, an innovation management consulting firm, conducted an independent study to measure the success rate of traditional innovation processes. The study averaged the success rates cited in 12 sources, including the Harvard Business Review, the consulting firm Frost Sullivan, the professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Product Development Management Association and the Corporate Strategy Board. The results were surprinsingly low innovation success rate was calculated at only 17 percent (Strategyn, 2010). Hence, it is extremely imporant to know, how encourage people to participate in innovation. OECD (2010) suggests that there are 7 determinants which can influence peoples capabilities to innovate: Basic scientific skills. Education is very important factor in supporting innovation because knowledge-based societies rely on a highly qualified and flexible labour force in all sectors of the economy and society. Innovation requires the capacity to continually learn and upgrade skills (OECD, 2010, p.46). Tertiary education. Well-developed higher education system is another important factor. High graduation rates in universities can foster the development of a highly skilled workforce. Doctorate holders. Doctoral graduates are the most promising innovators. They have been specifically trained to conduct reasearch and are considered best qualified to create and diffuse knowledge (OECD, 2010, p.48). International mobility. It plays an important role in creating and diffusing knowledge, especially tacit knowledge. Entrepreneurial talent. It provides with a broader skill development, employment opportunities as well as greater possibility to innovate. Innovative workplace. Effective management is a crucial factor. It is highly important to ensure that the talents of individuals are being tapped. Ability to motivate and organisational culture can also determine the success of innovation. Consumers demand for innovation. Users and consumers play inevitable role in the innovation process. Hence, it is extremely important for companies to understand and anticipate market needs and connect them with a new technological capability. Users and consumers have a power to stimulate and encourage the process of development. It is visible that despite the list of benefits and drivers of innovation, some firms might be reluctant to innovate. For that reason, it is extremely important to know how to empower people to be more innovative. Considering the OECD research, it is obvious that probably the most important role goes to the educational system, consumers demand and workplace. Conclusion There are many different models of innovation (linear, interactive, network, system, etc.). However, the complexity of the process of innovation determines that it is impossible to adjust only one particular model as the best one. For that reason, the success of the firm highly depends on its ability to find and adapt the best model according to the nature of the company, its strategy, product, size, etc. The types of innovation can also vary. However, the general types are as follows: incremental innovation, radical innovation, product innovation and process innovation. The common belief that incremental innovation can be less tangible than radical innovation is disproved by the example of the case of MySQL AB. The set of incremental innovations became a reason of success and enabled company to gain a competitive advantage amongst the market leaders. The cases of Amazon.com and MySQL AB proved the importance of anticipating the market needs. Both companies were successful in understanding its costumers: Amazon.com found a completely new niche, while MySQL paid high attention to user communities, tried to gather feedback and nurture its potential customers. Understanding the market needs was successfully connected with the new technological capabilities in both Amazon.com and MySQL cases. Hence, despite the fact that both firms used different type of innovation, they achieved significant results by understanding the consumers need and developing new technological approach. Innovation is extremely important for every company that seeks to achieve the progress. Hence, there are list of external and internal drivers that have a power to motivate firms to innovate. However, even in nowadays business world, some companies remain reluctant to be innovative. For that reason Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development identified a need to give some indications about what can actually empower people to innovate. The most important factors that can determine peoples willingness to innovate are educational system, consumers demand and workplace. All in all, innovation is an endless process. Companies need to have a clear strategy and vision, undersand the market and pay attention to the processes of research and development. However, despite its complexity, innovation is the key to the success and continuous progress.