Library classification Essay Example for Free

Library classification Essay This unit is concerned with the selection and purchase of reading material in what so ever from it may be. Books are accessioned in this section. It keeps a complete and up-to-date record of such books and other reading materials. Books are purchased keeping in view the requirements of the University Faculty, the Students and the Research Scholars. Books are generally selected from the local as well as foreign publishersï ¿ ½ catalogues, current lists and local book exhibitions/fairs, etc. These catalogues and lists are sent to the Heads of the concerned teaching departments for selection and approval of the reading material of their subjects. They select and approve the reading material for addition to the main library from these lists. After getting their approval, the titles approved are thoroughly checked with the library catalogue to avoid duplication. Special attention is paid to provide text books and research material to the library users. It also acquires rare manuscripts and microfilms, etc. CATALOGUING SECTION After purchasing, accessioning and labeling of the reading material in the Acquisition section, it is sent to the cataloguing section for technical processing. Main responsibility of this section is to classify and catalogue the reading material. The reading material is being classified according to Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme. Library of Congress Subject Headings List is used for assigning subject headings. Catalogue cards are prepared according to ALA Cataloguing Rules 1978. Catalogue cards are filed according to ALA Rules for Filing Catalogue Cards 1968.

Quantitative and Qualitative Comparative Approaches

Quantitative and Qualitative Comparative Approaches Comparative Education What Are the Strengths and Weaknesses of Quantitative and Qualitative Comparative Approaches? Introduction Virtually it is impossible for comparison not to exist, since it is a major part of human nature. Anything that exists and can be thought about has the potential to be compared. Swansen (1971: 145) stated that THINKING WITHOUT comparison is unthinkable, so is all scientific thought and scientific research. When the term comparative approach is used in the general sense it is a vital attribute in the field of social scientific methodology. In the general sense it may be assumed that all social scientific methods are comparative. However, in the field of sociology the term is more restricted to the explicit study and comparison of different societies; in an effort to determine the alike and different attributes of the societies (Eastthope 1974). However, some researches in this field of study have developed the position over the years that there is no uniqueness about this field of inquiry. One such researcher is Smelser (1976) who indicated that there is no separate goal recognised by comparative and non comparative researcher because they both describe societal trends by creating limitations over situations and case variants that occur in those trends. Ragin (1989), however, maintained that the comparative approach is a distinctive field because it can be characterised as having an undeviating experiential functioning of the nonfigurative notion of society that has a high level of notions. Based on this, Ragin stated that this is what differentiates compartivists and non- comparativits. Therefore it may be assumed that the comparative approach involves the studying of one society and comparing it to more than one case (society) based on their societal factors such as culture, politics, etc., and determining their similari ties and differences and attributing them to why phenomenon exists in the society being analysed. There are two major methods that researchers can apply when they conduct comparative research. These two approaches are called the comparative quantitative and comparative qualitative approaches. Therefore, in this essay I will be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of quantitative and qualitative comparative approaches. However, firstly I will conceptualise the term comparative approach within the tradition of social science and then I will define discuss the consequences this has for education. Reference will then be made the three stages the comparative approach evolved in education and the major principles that the comparative approach is hinged on. The qualitative and quantitative comparative approaches will then be defined; their features and functions, advantages and disadvantages will be discussed. I will then discuss what the best approach the comparative approach is; then I will finally be discussing the consequences that the comparative approach has for education. Conceptualising the Comparative Approach In the broad field of sociology the comparative approach may be defined as relating to a type of evaluation that contrasts one ideology or investigative plan aligned with others. It may have a possibility of being replaced by another one that can be used to explicate the same others that would explain the same common trend (Gerring 2008). Furthermore, Keaty (2008) stated that the comparative approach is the primary scientific process existing, that an individual can utilise to control theories and analyse the correlations of more than one variable, while maintaining all invariance that can latently alter factors. The main purpose of the comparative approach in this field of study is to construct a justification of worldwide trends that are common to these societies but also allows researchers to analyse the more intricate trends of a society Ragain (1987). Therefore, it may be assumed that through the use of the comparative approach researches are capable of distinguishing that a sou nd empirical elucidation is pertinent to a diverse number of situations, however it still provides the researcher the opportunity to identify that societal trends are multifaceted and that a broad rationalisation is an incomplete rationalisation. Ragin (1989) further purported that the comparative approach is a rational approach and as a result it is hinged on John Stuart Mills (1888) principles of inductive inquiry. John Stuart Mills (1888) as cited in Etzioni and Du Bow (1970) called these three principles are called method of agreement, method of difference and the indirect method of difference. The method of agreement may be explained as if two or more cases of the occurrence that is being examined have one condition that is similar, it is assumed that this condition in which all the occurrence concur, is the origin of the specified trend. Therefore in order for an occurrence to be necessary it must occur in each situation (206-208). Furthermore, it may be assumed that in this instance the comparativits would be concerned with investigating situations where the condition can be identified and therefore by default conditions that are not recorded would not be necessary for the occurrence(s) to transpire. The method of agreement that Mills (1888), as noted in Etzioni and Du Bow (1970), formulated may be explained as if an occurrence in which the trend under analysis takes place, and an occurrence in which it does not transpire, and the occurrence is the equivalent one should be reserved, that one taking place before; the condition(s) and the two cases that are different may be termed as the effect or a vital aspect of what caused the trend to take place. The final method that Mill (1888) defined, that the comparative approach is grounded on, is the indirect method of agreement. This method Mills indirect method of difference is the use of the method of agreement twice (208-210). Researchers draft cross tabulations in an effort to establish if trends are existent and if the result present/present or absent/absent then the notion can be maintained. When compartivists apply this method it has three major steps these are: the dual employment of the indirect method of difference and the step which is related to the elimination of challenging single elements of clarification through opposite comparisons. However, when the comparative approach is applied in education it may be defined as being a combination of pedagogy and the social sciences. The comparative approach in education deals with the structure and purpose a school serves. It is suggested by Noah and Eckstein (1969) that the field of education and the social sciences have merged because researches have focused on analogous types of statistics and congruent subject matters. Furthermore, the other reason for this merger between fields is the noticeable interest in quantitative and experiential and approaches of investigation (Noah and Eckstein 1969). The application of the comparative approach in education is purposeful for four main reasons. Crossley and Watson (2004) have tried to identify these purposes. Firstly, it allows stakeholders to comprehend their own educational structure. Secondly, it provides individuals with the opportunity to also be able to comprehend other peoples educational structures, their cultures and i ts societal interactions. Thirdly, individuals would be able to recognise contrast educational structures, procedures and effects as a means of recording and comprehending the issues in education, and assistance to the development of educational guiding principles and traditions. Fourthly and finally it supports enhanced global comprehending and collaboration owing to augmented understanding to various beliefs and traditions of the world. When the comparative approach is applied in the field of education it is hinged on the various stages that evolved from. They are two major theories that are used to explain this process. According to Bereday (1964) as noted in Bray, Adamson and Mason (2007) the development of the comparative approach in education went through three steps. The first step he insinuated occurred during the 19th century and was established by Marc- Antonie Jullien the first known methodically, academic comparative educationalist. This period was referred to as borrowing. Bereday (1964) stated that during this phase great importance was focused on the categorisation of explanatory facts. After that emphasis was placed on contrasting the information collected in an effort to determine the preeminent traditions that a country was using with the purpose of implementing them in other countries. Beredays (1964) second step in the development of the comparative approach in education transpired within the firs t 50 years of the 20th century. This phase, he contended was pioneered by Sir Michael Sadler in the United Kingdom and it emphasised that educational structures are interlinked complicatedly to the nation that maintains them. Beredeys (1964) last step involved interpretation which stresses the development of the evolving of hypothesis and approaches and the apparent creation of the stages of comparative processes and strategies to assist the improvement of ideologies. According to Bereday (1964) as noted in Bray et al (2007) this modern new historical era that examined was a extension of the conventions of the phases of guessing, but it proposed that preceding guessing and ultimate borrowing is endeavoured it is essential that the subject is methodically implemented and applied to the educational policies. Comparative social science is also important in the field of comparative education. The process of borrowing and analysing educational systems across countries are very important for the existence of this field. As such, the use of the quantitative and qualitative approach is also important in comparative education research. The general field of comparative research is generally associated with applying the qualitative approach because cases have to be analysed. However, when applied in education there is a greater need for compartivists to apply the quantitative approach. This demand was brought about because of the move in focus contained in the discipline of comparative education from chronological, descriptive investigations in the direction of investigations applying arithmetical data and quantitative data analysis methods (Bray et. al 2007). The Two Approaches to Comparative Research As previously mentioned they are two major means by which researchers approach their investigations, through the application of either the quantitative or qualitative approach. In this section I will be discussing these both approaches in the broad social science field and then I will be discussing them as they are applied to the field of comparative education. According to Picciano (2004) the major differences between the both approaches when applied in education are based on the rationale of the investigation, the type of information to be collected, the method by which the collected information would be scrutinised, and how conclusions will drawn based on the findings of the collected data. For example, if a researcher wanted to investigate and understand trend that was occurring in a society the researcher may apply the qualitative approach. However, if another researcher was desirous of conducting a correlation study on students performance, they may apply the quantitative approach Quantitative Comparative Approach When the qualitative approach is applied generally, Bryman (2004) defined it as an investigative approach that typically stressed on words as opposed to the computations involved the gathering and interpretation of information. He further stated that this approach has three major features. The first feature is that it involves a deductive methodology towards the interaction connecting assumptions and investigation, in which the emphasis is situated on the examination of these assumptions. The second feature is that it integrates the systems and standards of positivism and of the natural empirical model. And thirdly it exemplifies an analysis of societal veracity as a peripheral authentic purpose Bryman (2004). The application of the qualitative approach in the social sciences is generally advantageous for four major reasons. Bryman (2004) stated that these reasons are measurement, causality, generalization and replication. Measurement is essential because it allows the researcher to define fine disparities between the cases, it is a reliable mechanism for shaping dissimilarities and it provides the foundation for further accurate educated conjectures of the level of association between notions. When the quantitative researcher is investigating a trend he or she is not interested in explaining the trend but rather in determining why the trend is occurring. When the researcher has made their final findings and conclusions there results may be able to be generalised to the whole population being researched. And finally, because of generally steps that are followed, and this method of research is void of personal biases it is objective, therefore if the researcher or any other researcher cond ucted the same research following the same steps the results yielded should be similar. Therefore this would give an indication that this approach to the social science is reliable and valid (Bryman 2004). However, they are also some disadvantageous which occur from applying the quantitative approach. Bryman (2004) has identified four major disadvantages that are generally associated with the application of this approach. Firstly he stated that researches of this approach are unsuccessful in discriminating individuals and societal organisation from the way by which people construe the world. Secondly, some individuals are of the opinion that the means by which the data is measured false belief that it is exactitude. For example, if a researcher distributed questionnaires, it is likely that some individuals may misinterpret the questions, and the answers may not be accurate. Thirdly, sometimes, the respondents may not have enough knowledge to answer the questionnaire adequately, which will result in the data not reflecting the current trend. And finally the investigation of interaction among variables produces an inert perspective of societal that is mutually dependent of individuals l ives (Bryman 2004). An example of how the quantitative approach was applied in mainstream social science was the study conducted by Chin, Fisak and Sims (2002). This study was termed Developing a Likert Scale: the case of attitudes to vegetarians. This study was used to investigate the behaviours of vegetarians who were said to be abnormal and as a consequence were considered with scepticism and resentment. As a result, the study conducted on a sample of undergraduate students of a university from the United States. There scale sought to answer four major questions. These questions were based on the type (s) of behaviours that vegetarians exhibited that was seen as offensive, discrepancy with their vegetarians ideologies, health concerns of vegetarians and how to treat them aptly. The researchers of the comparative quantitative approach also refer to this approach as the variable approach. Ragain (1989) defined this approach as being established on theory. Furthermore he opined that the qualitative comparative approach seeks to determine and analyse the association among perceptible interactions throughout various nations, and extensive hypothetically established descriptions of worldwide societal trends, as opposed to trying to comprehend explicit results. However, it must be noted that the main purpose of the quantitative comparative approach is based on establishing theories which are formulated from common assumptions as opposed to analysing historical conditions, in an attempt to create various historically results. This approach, the quantitative comparative approach has been famous for more than 25 years and its fame because there was a revamping in the concern of researching global societal phenomenon. This revamping of the field prompted researchers to inculcate the quantitative procedures from the conventional social sciences, which led to the application of the social science procedures to analyse hypotheses. The application of the quantitative approach in comparative social science has been beneficial because compartivists now have and increased authenticity and a renewed association with conventional social science (Ragin 1989). The use of the quantitative comparative approach is advantageous obviously for the same reasons mentioned for the use of the quantitative approach in mainstream social science, however Ragin (1989) has presented seven advantages that compartivists derive when they apply the quantitative comparative approach. Firstly, comparitivts are now equipped with an approach that allows them to study a large number of cases at an instant. Furthermore, it allows these researchers to increase the quantity the amount of scrutiny which does not require a great amount of knowledge of the field; despite having knowledge of the field would improve the quality of this approach. Secondly, it has stimulated a novel awareness in consistent quantitative cross-national data. This awareness is valuable because measuring permits more precise examination of the hypothesis to be achieved. Quantification of description of societal composition presents a foundation for analysing a wide range of conjectures concern ing the interaction among cases. Thirdly, it allows investigators to consider alternative explanations more carefully when testing a theory. Fourthly, comparativists now have access to information from various a large cross sections of countries data bases. Fifthly, through the application of the quantitative comparative approach, researchers have now when creating scientific generalisations; since the quantitative procedures that have been introduced are conventional like the traditional design in mainstream social science. Sixthly, it has reduced the inclination between some comparativits to appreciate specific elucidations when confronted with several contradictory situations. And finally it has given researches the opportunity to use procedures of statistical control (Ragin 1989). An example of a quantitative comparative study would be Bronschier and others (1978) study of developed countries that had an advanced level of local investment economies grew quicker. However, some individuals have criticised the quantitative comparative approach of these comparativists. Picciano (2004) has identified some major criticisms. Firstly, individuals have stated that comparativits who apply this approach has not given their subjects the opportunity to express their genuine perceptions, unlike the researchers who use the qualitative comparative approach. The quantitative comparative approach is also said to be criticised because findings from this approach tend to be void of significance. Researchers of the qualitative comparative approach also are condemned because they tend to be concerned with hypothesises which are unrelated to cases being examined, therefore this results in findings which are not truly linked to the instigative enquiries. As such, statistics are produced which is fictitious and inappropriate to distinct situations (Picciano 2004). According to Bryman (1988) and Smith (1983) as noted in Bray et al (2007) the use of quantitative comparative education in education is purposeful for the formation of principles which provide some form of clarification and forecasting of educational trends Principles of relationship maintain a practical reliance among objects, while principles that seek to determine reasons (qualitative comparative approach) entail an unchanging series of procedures. Observing this approach to the nomothetic form of analysis entails that investigators contemplate such principles to be worldwide, despite of dissimilarities that exist. Principles increases potentiality to explicate and forecast interactions among trends across circumstances. The quantitative approach is also imperative in education. These comparative educational investigators are interested in analysing in a fashion that their results would be generalised and pertinent to all the trends regardless of the nation our culture. Concurrently, there are feasible assumptions, systems, and strategies across the globe, and an aspiration to get worldwide explanations to worldwide phenomena. Major records from worldwide researches of educational accomplishment, and educational statistics collected by global organisation, can be appealing to knowledgeable and apprentice investigators similarly as a result of its accessibility. Ultimately, if the government indicates that they require the educational system a worldwide group to carry out an investigation they may require that researchers apply a more quantitative comparative approach (Bray et al 2007). Qualitative Comparative Approach When the qualitative approach is defined in mainstream social science Creswell (1998) stated that it is an investigative procedure of comprehending rooted on clear customs of inquisition that investigates a societal or human dilemma. The investigator creates a multifaceted, whole depiction, evaluates words, reports comprehensive ideologies of subjects, and performs the research in a real situation. However, he maintained that researchers who use this approach ought to conduct a quantitative research preceding it. Lincoln (1995) stated that this approach is procedure has a large concern of integrating and deducing the real subject with an effort to explain and understand trends of people. Furthermore this type of investigations uses diverse types experimental resources e.g. interview, case study, etc. When researches use the qualitative approach to conduct their investigations they are six steps that they must follow. Bryman (2001) has identified these six steps. The first step involves formulating broad investigative enquiries. The next step involves the choosing of the pertinent cases to be investigated. Thirdly, these researchers should seek to gather their pertinent information that will answer their research questions. Fourthly, the researcher has to construe the gathered information and afterwards they should seek to do some theorising. At this point the researcher has to redefine the research question, gather more information and re-interrupt the gathered information. Finally, the research can then construct their findings and conclusions. An example of the application of the qualitative approach to investigation is Taylors (1993:8) study cited in Byman (2004). This research involved the investigation of female drug users who used needles. In her study she showed that thes e women were rational active individuals who were capable of making choices rooted on the eventualities of both their drug abuse and the roles they play in society collectively. The qualitative approach in mainstream social science is advantageous. Burns (2000) has identified some advantageous of applying this approach when conducting research. Firstly, because the basis of research in this approach is not established on testing a hypothesis the investigator is provided with the opportunity to have a more intimate relationship with the subjects, and therefore a better understanding of the phenomenon being investigated. Researchers of this approach can also have a better opportunity in developing causations as it relates to trends that are occurring. Ultimately, when the findings are prepared they are not represented with numerical summaries; therefore the average person can understand the results presented (Burns 2000). However, they are four major disadvantages which can be associated with the application of the qualitative approach in mainstream social science. Firstly, the approach is too subjective, as such the results are too reliant on the investigators disorganised perceptions about what they view consequential. This approach to investigation is impossible to reproduce because it does not have any formal structure. Another criticism of this approach it that the results yielded cannot be generalised and can only be applicable to the small number of cases that were researched. Finally the whole procedure that is carried out in this approach does not clearly depict what the investigator procedures and how they made their deductions (Bryman 2001). The qualitative comparative approach is defined as an approach that compartavists use to create chronological clarification of detailed past results or previously distinct grouping of observed trends. This approach is also referred to as the case-orientated comparative method. The objective of this methodology is equally past construe and fundamental rational. Therefore, comparativits who use this method attempts to comprehend or infer explicit cases based on their inherent values. Thus the general aim is to create restricted generalisations regarding the subjects of tentatively distinct groups of experiential trends universal to a small group (Ragin 1987). They are some advantageous which can be derived from utilising the qualitative comparative approach. Ragin (1989) identified some of these advantages. Firstly, it is feasible to focus on fundamental difficulty involved in studying the cases based on attributes that create the significant societal transformation and trends that concern social scientists. Also this methodology necessitates that the researcher defers suppositions concerning the similarity of subjects and situations. This accommodation enhances the interactions between ideologies and findings. The research sample is manageable since the cases are few. Therefore these compartivists will be able to contrast the differences, and have a personal understanding of pertinent subjects (Ragin 1987). A good example of a qualitative comparative study is Marvin Harris (1978) study of sociocultural puzzles This study entailed him to studying the various views people had regarding meat from various parts of the world. He was able to explain these different ideologies of meat eating for the various regions based on cultural elucidations. They are also some disadvantages in applying the qualitative comparative approach. Picciano (2004) identified four disadvantages. Firstly, the analysis of the information is too dependent on the researcher. Furthermore, when the researcher has completed their investigation the study cannot be reproduced nor can the results be generalised for any other cases. And ultimately, since the results are not presented statistically some researchers will view the results as insufficient to provide valuable proof and furthermore being an assault to the truth. Since the qualitative approach to social to comparative method involves determining causation compartivists tend to apply comparative historical research when investigating. Mahooney and Ruechemeyer (2003) noted that this approach is a primary type of investigation that is applied in the social science. The comparative historical researchers primary interest is in enquiries which are precise to specific chronological cases. As a result of the desire to explicate these cases, frequently may result in additional research which extends beyond the initial subjects. Comparative historical analysis also involves explicating and recognising of fundamental configurations that create significant outcomes Furthermore investigators clearly examine past trends and obtains the changes over a time frame. And ultimately because comparative historical researchers typically are acquainted with all cases, they are able to they can assess variables based on theoretical analysis and legitimacy is achiev able when a reasonable number of cases are chosen (Mahooney and Ruechemeyer 2003). An example of a comparative historical study in the field of education would be Green and Wiborg (2004) study on Comprehensive Schooling and Educational Inequality: An International Perspective. Skopol and Somers (1980) have identified three approaches that can be used in comparative historical analysis. The first one is called Parallel Demonstration of Theory. The chief principle of this approach was for contrasting situations/countries past to convince the reader that a specified and described assumption can frequently reveal its effectiveness. An example of this approach is Jeffery M. Paiges study on the Agrarian Revolution. The second approach is contrasting on contexts by putting cases beside each other and more or less has a differing purpose than parallel comparative history. An example of this approach is Reinhard Bendix investigation of nation building and citizenship. Generally comparison is done between separate subjects. Typically contrasts are advanced by of the direction of assumptions. The third approach is the Macro-social Analysis. These investigators employ this style chiefly to determine causation about macro-level methods and systems. An example of this approach is Barrington Moores research on Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy (Skopol and Somers 1980). Mahooney (2000) also identified another approach that may be used in comparative historical analysis as path dependency. Through this approach researchers indistinctively conceptualise the past that is significant and the impacts it will have on the future. This form of investigation essentially analyses the association between sequential variables are considered, however it does not essentially scrutinise path-dependent progression of transform. However, it proposes an account for specific results of occurrences of exceptions. An example of the path-dependency approach to comparative historical analysis is Jack Goldstones Revolution and Rebellion in the Early Modern World (Mahooney 2000). However within comparative education they are some researchers who prefer to adopt the qualitative comparative approach, and therefore insist that this method is applied. They prefer this method because they opine that it will eliminate the inadequacies that are associated with the quantitative approach to comparative education. Qualitative investigators within the field of comparative education also view that there is a sound conviction in the significance of traditional, political and societal framework and the opinion that education cannot be unrelated from its indigenous customs. Qualitative investigation is also supported through a great quantity of worldwide numerical statistics, frequently insignificantly engaged devoid of reflection of impending preconceptions. And also by means of elements of investigation contrasted which not only include native circumstances and societal difference, with consideration to the enquiry of the objectivity or importance of the investigators un dertaking. The qualitative comparative investigators in education focus on the necessitatity to the immensely prospective for partiality and difficult conjectures when investigators act externally from their personal intellectual circumstances. They opine that effort ought to be present in order to become cognisant of such partialities and furthermore to enquiry individual postulations although attempting to comprehend the postulations fundamental to the nations and traditions which are aims of investigations. An example of the use of the qualitative comparative approach in education is Margaret Archers (1979) as noted in Green (1990) study on The Social Origins of Education Systems. Her study was conducted in Russia, England, France and Denmark. This research was also the basis for Green (1990) study on Education and State Formation. Another example is Ramierz and Boli (1987) study on The political Construction of Mass Schooling: European Origins and Worldwide Institutionalization Mixed Methods Combing the qualitative and quantitative approaches to the comparative approach is beneficial when considering the many advantages and disadvantages t

Concepts of Business Communication

Concepts of Business Communication RITU MUDLIAR Active listening skills are ways to become a good listener. It basically means that listeners are hearing various messages, understands its meaning and verifies the feedback. Characteristics of active listeners are that more time is spent listening than talking. Five active listening skills in making your communication with your trainees are attending, encouraging, reflecting, interpreting or questioning. Attending- this makes the speaker aware whether the staffs are active listeners or not. This also implements that staffs will be taking precautions measures to resolve anything discussed in the meeting. Encouraging- shows what the speaker is saying and discussing. Reflecting- it shows that you are listening and understanding whatever the speaker is saying. Interpreting- analyzing whatever the speaker has said and summarizing it to be put into practice into their own words Questioning- shows that the staff were attentive and by asking questions they are really attentive and aware of all the happenings. Interpersonal skills are the skills we are using every day for communication and mixing around with other people. This is done either individually or in groups. Many people have worked really hard in their professional and personal lives. Four interpersonal communication skills are: Being optimistic- where people make opinions about the work done or to be done so that when launching a new product everyone’s opinion is taken into account. Patient- patience is very important in any organization as with this person can be in total control of the work pressure and staffs pressure. Confidence- doing anything or any project in any organization is very important and with total confidence anyone can do anything impossible into possibility. With that belief staffs and employers tend to move forward their business. Charming- this is very interesting character as whoever is charming can work their ways into anything. This interesting character has the charms to work things out. Assertiveness means where one person stands ground for another and standing up for that person. This normally is called bullies. Many people seek to be assertive through using methods and techniques that can be achieved. Those whom seek can dramatically can increase their effective influence and strength by using these methods. Some methods and techniques used in this process are: Have faith as this normally can lead to progressive reports. Prepare questions and ask to whom it is suitable to and this will in return than will prove worthy or not. Read inspirational things that reinforce your faith in proper values-this will always give good examples and ideas towards business minded people and strategy. Negotiation is where two parties come to a mutual agreement to any issue. This however will than become the mutual agreement between them. This resolution always tends to work in any organizations to resolve company issues related to workers or management. Feedback is very important in any organization as this is the only way any company can get feedbacks about their products being sold out in the market. This way the company can always have a fair idea as to where they stand and can than intent to launch other products. This is important as constructive measures can be taken in accordance to improve anything. Clarification is what we don’t understand and ask questions to clarify the doubts anyone has in their minds. This is helpful to managers as this gives both the interviewee and the manager a fair idea as to whether that particular person has understood or not. Question and discussion makes it easier as this way all clarifications are out from both parties and whatever questions are there are cleared before proceeding to another process. Feedback is a very important factor in any organization. This gives the whole progress report as to where the company stands and if it’s safe to launch new products into the market or to grow the existing one. Customer’s point of view gives the result of the market value and this decides the company’s outcomes towards the profit. Follow up gives proper record of the sales market and makes you keep product market value at high level. For example since Alliance Leicester is dealing with banking, insurance and this all are rel ated to money. If the company decides to launch more investments, it will apply all the theory of feedback, follow up, clarification, question and answers as this will give the correct figure as to where the company’s status stands and whether the company is liable to precede this product in the market. Also using rapport can be a solution too. Finding common grounds of communication to support your theory also portrays a huge role n the stock market. Displaying respect and empathy is also another one of the methods. Chairperson Build a team of your committee by bringing people along with you, working with them Interpret the purpose and programs of the organization to the committee Understand and interpret the community to the organization an committee members Be knowledgeable about services of other organizations Use skills in human relations and knowledge of your committee members to help each attain the peak of performance Accept and understand your committees goals and objectives as they come to you from the planning process Guide your committee in long and short range planning In the budget process, have your committee estimate costs of objectives and identify any income Monitor implementation of committee objectives When appropriate, decide with committee to take part in implementing objectives Delegate responsibilities to committee members Recognize conflicts and disagreements and use problem-solving skills to deal with them. Participants Rights and Responsibilities Have certain responsibilities which include: Making every effort to gather sufficient information that will allow them to make an informed decision about their participation, in good faith .While participating, they should also make every reasonable effort to comply with protocol requirements and inform the investigators of unanticipated problems. Participants always have the right to withdraw from their participation in research at any time and for any reason without penalty or loss of benefits to which they would otherwise be entitled. Minute recorder A minute recorder or secretary is the person who takes notes of all the meetings and makes it into a proper report for both the parties to keep. Their duties include keeping all records of conversations done between the two parties and then conveying the message to a full report made into written or verbal communication. This way a record is made as to what has happened during the meetings and what the outcomes are. Traditional views of the communication process in school organizations have been dominated by downward communication flows. Such flows transmit information from higher to lower levels of the school organization. School leaders, from central office administrators to building-level administrators, communicate downward to group members through speeches, messages in school bulletins, school board policy manuals, and school procedure handbooks. Information passed from the top managers or executives to the middle and low managers are called downward communication. For example executive manager passes a message that a new product has to be launched in Alliance Leicester and this message has to be passed on from one stage to another. The downward flow of communication provides a channel for directives, instructions, and information to organizational members. However, much information gets lost as it is passed from one person to another. Moreover, the message can be distorted if it travels a great distance from its sender to the ultimate receiver down through the formal school organization hierarchy Implementation of goals, strategies, and objectives. Communicating new strategies and goals provides information about specific targets and expected behaviors. It gives direction for lower levels of the school/school district, community college, or university. For example: The new reform mandate is for real. We must improve the quality of products in order to succeed further in the market and increase our sales value:† Implementation of goals, strategies, and objectives. Communicating new strategies and goals provides information about specific targets and expected behaviors. It gives direction for lower levels of the school/school district, community college, or university. For example: The new reform mandate is for real. We must improve the quality of student learning if we are to succeed. Supervisors are invested with decision making powers or increasingly complex decision making powers they farther you to go up the hierarchy chain of command. People in a hierarchy know who is to make the decision on a particular issue or at the very least, which is ultimately responsible for the decision (the top person in the hierarchy). Advantage of this is often more efficient than other methods such as group decision making. At the same time preventing those on the bottom of the hierarchy from making or participating in a decision. Structures are always centralized and decentralized in hierarchy chains. It defines the nature of the relationship with other employees with narrow control which gets under them more. Two communication technologies used by Alliance Leicester are electronic and oral communication. Electronic communication is done by telephone for internal external communication, email, internet, fax and computers. This is required for making reports in the finance department where all records are kept. It keeps people connected regardless of their locations instantly. Some advantages are: Messages passed on are fast and efficient. It is delivered and reply comes back as soon as the receiver receives it. Disadvantages of electronic communication are: Everyone is relying on electronic devices rather than their own minds as it used to happen in the old days. It seems businesses are running and depending more on these than the book records. Oral communication is another source of technology of communication. Some advantages of oral communication are: It is time saving as action is required to be taken immediately into account. It is always best to transmit a message orally. If the executives workload is high than they stop writing and by oral instructions they complete their message transmission. Some disadvantages of oral communication are: There are no records of instructions passed on. Messages are difficult to record. Sorting out becomes impossible to preserve the message for future purpose. This creates issues amongst the management where all records are to be kept safe for future purpose use.

PIE CHART - Data Visualization for Businesses Essay examples -- essays

Pie Chart Data Visualization for Businesses A picture is worth a thousand words. The ability to graphically represent your business data gives you the power to make informed business decisions quickly. (Microsoft.com, 2002) This representation must be visually appealing and easy to understand. By keeping it simple, it allows the broadest number of users to interpret the data, gain insights as to its meaning and facilitate communication on the data ultimately to solve the company ¡Ã‚ ¦s problem. Data visualization is the use of interactive, sensory representations, typically visual, of abstract data to reinforce cognition. (Wikipedia.org, 2005) That in itself is a method or technique of decision-making. To further break it down, the most popular and widely used tool of data visualization is the Pie Chart. There are two types of pie charts. The first type is your standard Pie Chart and the second is the Exploded Pie Chart. The standard pie chart shows parts and their relationship to the whole. Pie charts are always based on a circle, since the circle provides a true visual concept of the whole hundred percent. The parts or  ¡Ã‚ §pies ¡Ã‚ ¨ of the chart represent percentages of the whole. The Exploded Pie Chart is nearly identical to the standard with the exception that one  ¡Ã‚ §pie ¡Ã‚ ¨ is visually separated from the rest for emphasis. Pie charts are created with the help of a compass, protractor, circle stencil, can or jar and a ruler for drawing in the segmented pies. A pie chart should alwa...

Interactive Cable Archives and Videoconferencing :: Technology Education Curriculum Essays

Interactive Cable Archives and Videoconferencing The integration of technology into curriculum and instructional practices in P-12 education has been gaining momentum in classroom reform across the nation (Mowre-Popiel, Pollard, & Pollard, 1994). Interactive and digital technologies are now recognized as tools by which educators can bring unique resources into the classroom (Schutte, 1998; Wise, 2002) and engage students in dynamic, self-constructed learning (Branzburg, 2001). The use of technology as a tool that supports instruction and learning is transforming the traditional way of teaching; both digital and geographically located resources now offer an enriched content that was not available to earlier generations (Branzburg, 2001). As a result, many authors and researchers believe that the use of technology within educational settings will serve to motivate students to learn more, both with and without teacher assistance, effectively promoting increased cognitive development (Gernstein, 2000; Wise, 2002). While there are many projects involving the utilization of interactive and digital technologies in classroom instruction (Buckle, 1995; Gernstein, 2000; Warner, 1999; Petersen, 1998), there is limited scientific evidence of its effectiveness in improving teaching and learning when compared to traditional instruction. In addition, there exists almost no literature that illustrates the impact of the combined effect of both digital and video resources. Purpose of the paper The purpose of this paper is to describe the developmental process used to create technology-infused curriculum and the methodology used to document the combined impact of the enriched curriculum and instruction on students’ affective and cognitive domains. In addition, preliminary findings of pilot studies, conducted during the summer and fall of 2003 will be presented. The curriculum unit under study consisted of a civics education unit on the â€Å"Power of the Presidency† prepared for use in grades 7-12 (AP). Technological resources included interactive cable archives and point-to-point videoconferencing. Review of Literature The late 1980’s ushered in a period of change in the American educational context, with a major focus on integrating technology in P-12 classrooms (Dwyer, Ringstaff, & Sandholtz, 1990). Several authors credit this continued use to the belief that technology integration supports philosophies of instruction that perceive each student as a unique learner, thereby aiding in the transformation of teacher-centered classrooms into student-centered settings (Mowre-Popiel, Pollard, & Pollard, 1994; Bork, 1997). Research has provided at least partial support for this belief. Multiple studies have shown that instructional technology enhances learning (e.g. Clouse, 1991-1992; Phillips & Soule, 1992). An early study of technology-supported instruction, conducted by the Educational Testing Service, found that students learned more quickly in a web-based environment, compared to traditional classroom settings (Ragosta, 1982).

El Chapo Biography Essay

El Chapo was born in the small Sinaloa town of La Tuna and is the oldest of seven children. Guzmà ¡n grew up surrounded by marijuana and poppy crops — plants that were cultivated by his father, Emilio Guzmà ¡n Bustillo. The elder Guzmà ¡n was a violent man who beat his children. El Chapo likely earned the ire of his father by trying to stop him from hitting his siblings. Whereas his father was a source of punishment, his mother Consuelo Loera served as his fountain of emotional support. She still lives in La Tuna and is said to be the only person in the world who can change her son’s mind on anything. Guzmà ¡n entered the narcotics industry at the age of 15 when, along with his cousins, he planted his own marijuana. It was during his adolescence that he was given the nickname of â€Å"El Chapo,† a reference to his miniscule stature he was a farmer growing beans and corn  when he escaped prison in 2001 he is to said to walked out in a wig a skirt and high heels As a child, Guzmà ¡n sold oranges, and dropped out of school in six grade to work with his father early life Joaquà ­n Archivaldo Guzmà ¡n Loera was born into a poor family in the rural community of La Tuna, Badiraguato, Sinaloa, Mexico.[21][22]Sources disagree on the date of his birth, with some stating he was born on 25 December 1954,[23] while others report he was born on 4 April 1957.[24] His parents were Emilio Guzmà ¡n Bustillos and Marà ­a Consuelo Loera Pà ©rez.[25] His paternal grandparents were Juan Guzmà ¡n and Otilia Bustillos, and his maternal grandparents were Ovidio Loera Cobret and Pomposa Pà ©rez Uriarte. For many generations, his family lived and died at La Tuna.[26] His father was officially a cattle rancher, as were most in the area where Guzmà ¡n grew up; according to some sources, however, he may have possibly also been a gomero, a Sinaloan word for opium poppy farmer.[27] Guzmà ¡n has two younger sisters, Armida and Bernarda, and four younger brothers: Miguel à ngel, Aureliano, Arturo and Emilio. He had three unnamed older brothers who reportedly died of natural causes when he was very young.[26] Few details are known of Guzmà ¡n’s upbringing. As a child, Guzmà ¡n sold oranges, and dropped out of school in third grade to work with his father.[17] Guzmà ¡n was  regularly beaten and sometimes fled to his maternal grandmother’s house to escape such treatment. However, when he was home, Guzmà ¡n stood up to his father to protect his younger siblings from being beaten.[28][29] It is possible that Guzmà ¡n incurred his father’s wrath for trying to stop him from beating them. His mother, however, was the â€Å"foundation of [his] emotional support†.[30] As the nearest school to his home was about 60 mi (95.6 km) away, Guzmà ¡n was taught by traveling teachers during his early years, just like the rest of his brothers. The teachers stayed for a few months before moving to other areas.[29] With few opportunities for employment in his hometown, he tu rned to the cultivation of opium poppy, a common practice among local residents.[31] During harvest season, Guzmà ¡n and his brothers hiked the hills of Badiraguato to cut the bud of the poppy. Once the plant was stacked in kilos, his father sold the harvest to other suppliers in Culiacà ¡n and Guamà ºchil.[32] He sold marijuana at commercial centers near the area while accompanied by Guzmà ¡n. His father spent most of the profits on liquor and women and often returned home with no money. Tired of his mismanagement, Guzmà ¡n, at the age of 15, cultivated his own marijuana plantation with four distant cousins (Arturo, Alfredo, Carlos, and Hà ©ctor), who lived nearby. With his first marijuana productions, Guzmà ¡n supported his family financially.[28] When he was a teenager, however, his father kicked him out of his house, and he went to live with his grandfather.[33] It was during his adolescence that Guzmà ¡n earned the nickname El Chapo, Mexican slang for â€Å"Shorty†, for his 1.68 m (5 ft., 6 in.) stature and stocky physical appearance.[34][35] Though most people in Badiraguato worked in the poppy fields of the Sierra Madre Occidental throughout most of their lives, Guzmà ¡n left his hometown in search of greater opportunities; through his uncle Pedro Avilà ©s Pà ©rez, one of the pioneers of Mexican drug trafficking, he left Badiraguato in his 20s and joined organized crime Guzmà ¡n was captured in 1993 in Guatemala, extradited and sentenced to 20 years in prison in Mexico for murder and drug trafficking.[1][17] After bribing prison guards, he was able to escape from a federal maximum-security prison in 2001.[1] He was wanted by the governments of Mexico, the United States and by INTERPOL.[18] The U.S. offered a US$5 million reward for information leading to his capture, and the Mexican government offered a  reward of 30 million pesos (approximately US$2 million) for information on Guzmà ¡n.[1] Guzmà ¡n was arrested again by Mexican authorities in Mexico on February 22, 2014. He was found inside his 4th floor condo at 608 Av del Mar in the beachfront Miramar condominium in Mazatlà ¡n, Sinaloa,[19] and was captured without a gunshot being fired.

Deception & Ethics in Mediation

One of the basic tenets of the mediation process is that, as far as possible, everything that is said is truthful. Under this assumption, the mediation process will be an attempt to resolve two different views of the truth. However, what happens when there is intent to deceive on the part of one of the participants, or worse yet on the part of the mediator? This is a complex issue that cannot be determined solely by considering the foundations of ethics or of the practice of mediation. Instead, the issue must be understood from a dual perspective of the ethical appropriateness of deception and its potential usefulness within mediation. Ethically, there can be no question – neither a Kantian nor a utilitarian ethical approach allow for the use of commonplace lies in mediation. However, from the perspective of human relationships, it must be accounted for that people do deceive, and that it is part of our communications and social fabric. Thus, there is a dual ethical position for deception in the mediation process – while morally it is wrong, pragmatically it is commonly used and may be useful for helping negotiating parties to come to a decision. In order to clearly understand this argument, it is important to understand what deception is. A naive understanding of deception is that it is simply lying, which is certainly included. However, there are a number of other elements of deception, as well. One formal definition of deception that could be used is â€Å"a successful or unsuccessful deliberate attempt, without forewarning, to create in another a belief that the communicator considers to be untrue in order to increase the communicator’s payoff at the expense of the other side (Gneezy 386). This definition is useful because it includes a number of key characteristics for understanding deception. First, it is deliberate – that is, the deceiver is not simply misinformed or lacking in information. Second, is an attempt to create a belief in the other person; without this intent, it is difficult to say whether something is truly an expanse at deception. Third, it is an attempt to influence the outcomes of the decision, rather than simply being for no purpose or for some other purpose. Finally, the attempt at deception may be either successful or unsuccessful, and thus even if the negotiation partner figures out what information is being withheld, it is still incorrect. This definition can be extended by common knowledge examples of deception, such as lying actively; lying by omission; and manipulation of data and statistics. Krivis (1) identified a spectrum of deceptive practices that can be further used to understand this concept, including: â€Å"Honesty, Exaggeration, White lies, Partial Disclosure, Silence As to Other Party’s Mistake, False Excuses, [and] Fraud. These types of deception are of course not mutually exclusive, but may be seen in combination with each other. Also, as Krivis (1) noted, many of these behaviors are common within our society and do not even pose a significant moral quandary for the majority of those that undertake them. There are also distinct philosophical approaches to deception that address the ethical approaches and considerations. The two main ethical approaches to deception can be characterized as Kantian, or virtue-based, and utilitarian. In the Kantian view, lying is always wrong, because it violates the moral imperative (Alexander and Sherwin 396-397). That is, â€Å"lying is an offense to all humanity, and, most importantly, to the liar himself (Alexander and Sherwin 397)† because it promotes falsehood and uses the liar’s intellect in a debased manner. The utilitarian view is not as absolute, but it still does not cede that lying is an acceptable moral choice most of the time (Alexander and Sherwin 398). Specifically, the potential gain from the lie must be greater than the harm caused to society from the lie in order to be morally defensible. However, given that lies â€Å"degrade the background trust that supports human interaction (Alexander and Sherwin 398),† this is a very high bar for the benefits of lying to overcome its consequences, even under the utilitarian ethical structure. Thus, it is clear from a pure ethical analysis that the use of deception in negotiation is wrong. However, it should be noted â€Å"professional rules of ethics simply require negotiators to abide by the morality of the marketplace, rather than the rules of law (Krivis 3). † Thus, neither a strictly legalistic nor a strictly legalistic approach to deception is demanded. It should be noted that not all fields of study take an ethical approach to deception, but sometimes use a more pragmatic approach. For example, in classical economics deception is often seen as an attempt to increase the payout from n economic transaction, in which individuals will engage if the incentive is high enough to do so (Gneezy 384). This approach could best be described as a utilitarian or consequentialist approach, in which what is most important is the outcome, rather than the intent of the lie (Gneezy 384). This approach is similar to many such approaches used in mediation analysis, in which rather than taking a normative view regarding what people should do, theoretical and pragmatic approaches to deception deal with what people do – that is, they use deception routinely (Krivis 1). The use of deception is highly context-dependent and may not always occur, but it should always be considered in the range of possibilities for how a negotiation will occur (Krivis 2). The question of whether deception is ethical in a mediation context should be asked not only within the context of a philosophical framework that is applied generally, but also within the framework of mediation itself. Given the nature of mediation, it is natural that considerable research has been done into the area of deception and its effects. There is no question that deception is a commonly used tactic in mediation, and that it works. One study compared the uses of deception in negotiating dyads, comparing its use in competitive and less competitive negotiation frames (Schweitzer, DeChurch and Gibson 2123). The researchers found that competitive negotiators, or those that engaged in highly aggressive tactics intended to promote their own point of view, used both deceptive and non-deceptive negotiating tactics in order to achieve their goals. In particular, they were found to use deception both more aggressively and to a greater degree than cooperative negotiators (Schweitzer, DeChurch and Gibson 2137). Thus, this cannot be questioned. However, this finding does not make a clear statement regarding why this would be undesirable; there is nothing inherently wrong with one side or another prevailing in a mediation discussion, and so the evidence against deception must be stronger than it simply being a path to winning a negotiation. This evidence can be found in the effects of the deceptive behavior on perceptions and outcomes also found by this study. The study found evidence that the use of deception influenced the other party’s beliefs about the negotiating situation, leading to an estimation of the deceiver’s situation that was significantly different from reality (Schweitzer, DeChurch and Gibson 2137-38). Significantly, the researchers found that even though the negotiators paired with a competitive negotiator were disbelieving regarding the claims made, they still were not able to determine what the actual situation of the negotiation was. Finally, the use of deception on the part of one negotiator resulted in a less positive outcome for the other participant. Specifically, it resulted in a change in the ultimate decision of the non-deceiving negotiator, a transfer in the surplus received from the non-deceiving negotiator to the deceiving negotiator, and an increase in the amount of profit received by deceivers as compared to those that did not use a deceptive strategy (Schweitzer, DeChurch and Gibson 2139). This clearly demonstrates the shift in value that is seen in cases where mediation and negotiation is accompanied by deception. While one party has benefited, the other party, which has been exposed to deception without warning beforehand, has been harmed. Thus, there is a distinctly negative outcome that can be seen from the use of negotiation in this context. There are certainly problems in implementing an ethical prohibition against lying in the mediation context. This is not unique to mediation, however. In the legal context, deception is not treated as strictly as it could be. It is generally considered under a utilitarian ethic, rather than a Kantian ethic (Alexander and Sherwin 394); that is, there may be considered to be some justification for lying if the greater number of people is served. However, as Alexander and Sherwin (394) noted, the penalties for lying in a legal context are not commonly as strict as those that would be promoted by a pure utilitarian philosophy. Although there are a number of potential reasons for this, such as the cost and infeasibility of enforcement, Alexander and Sherwin (394) posited that this might also be because of the recognition that lying may at times be beneficial in a legal context. However, this does not mean that in an ethical sense, this position has to be accepted in mediation. In fact, if it is accepted that one of the purposes of mediation is to come to effective solutions without involvement of the legal system, and then this calls for a noticeably different approach to the use of deception. However, the legal approach to deception is actually highly relevant to mediation, because of the frequent use of lawyers by parties in the mediation process. As Krivis (2) notes, there are a number of specific approaches that lawyers use in order to achieve their negotiation goals, although these approaches need to be carefully managed in order not to venture into fraud. Some of the potential deceptions that may be found in this context include exaggeration (for example, exaggerating the strength of the case); being deceptive about intent to settle; and inflating the settlement expectation in order to achieve a better outcome (Krivis 2). It is clear that currently mediation practices and ethics do not prohibit the use of deception, as long as it does not venture into specific areas such as fraud. However, should this be prohibited? Evidence discussed above indicates that deception can be used to unfairly rich one party at the expense of another, offering one reason why this should be the case. Another reason for a stronger prohibition against deception is the cross-professional nature of many mediators, who also play roles as lawyers, social workers, and other professions (Laflin 479). Given that these professions have vastly different ethical standards and practices, it would be to the benefit of the mediation profession to have a specific set of ethical expectations that could be promoted. Laflin (480) notes that lawyer-mediators may have particular difficulty with the ethical concerns inherent in mediation, given the relative focus on adversarial rather than cooperative outcomes. The implementation of stronger prohibition against deception would certainly be one way in which the norms of mediation, rather than the norms of courtroom argumentation, could be enforced. However, this does raise the question of how this prohibition against deception could be implemented and enforced. Given the relatively accepted nature of deception in many of its more subtle forms, it would be difficult to determine how this could be implement with any great degree of success. Deception, commonly understood as lying, can be understood as a range of more subtle behaviors that reflect a range of potential manipulations of implementation. Deception is commonly accepted from an economic point of view and routinely engaged in, even though using a strict ethical evaluation it cannot be defended except under very severe circumstances. However, the mediation environment must deal not only with the philosophical question of correctness, but in the outcomes of mediation and the effects that are seen from deception. Research has shown that the use of deception in negotiation leads to a transfer of surplus from the non-deceptive party to the deceptive party, which provides a clear rationale for why, under a pragmatic viewpoint, deception would also be a negative activity. However, in practice deception is commonly accepted both within the legal system and within mediation practices, as long as this deception does not venture into fraud. There are a number of potential reasons for this, including the acceptability of deceptive practices such as exaggeration and white lies within the wider society and the requirement that lawyers should protect the interests of their client. There is certainly justification for reform of mediation norms and ethics in order to prevent the use of deception. However, given the difficulty that is involved in detecting fraud, this may be a very difficult reform to make. Deception is not acceptable in every situation. Deception in negotiation can provide a bargaining advantage. Deception in negotiation can also come at a cost.