The Effects of Missing Letters to the Reading Comprehension

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY (CvSU) DON SEVERINO DE LAS ALAS CAMPUS Indang, Cavite ( (046) 415-0021 ( (046) 415-0012 E-mail: [email  protected] com â€Å"The Effects of Missing Letters to the Reading Comprehension of 2nd year IT Students of Cavite State University† In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Subject Experimental Psychology Prepared By: Ersando, Shalom G. Suansing, Glenda Mae E. March 2012 BIOGRAPHICAL DATA Shalom G. Ersando was born in J. P Rizal Memorial Hospital Dasmarinas Cavite on January 15, 1994. She is now residing at Brgy. Cabezas, Trece Martires City,Cavite.She is the eldest among the two siblings of late Mr. Carlito B. Ersando and Mrs. Victoria G. Ersando. She finished her elementary at Palawit Elementary School at Brgy. Cabezas Trece Martires City,Cavite in 2006. She completed her secondary at Tanza National Trade School at Paradahan I Tanza Cavite. At Present she is now taking up Bachelor of Science in Psychology at Cavite State University Inda ng Cavite. BIOGRAPHICAL DATA Glenda Mae Suansing was born on August 23, 1994. She is the second child of Nerissa and Alexander Suansing. She is currently residing at St. Michael Village, Sungay East, Tagaytay City.She has two siblings, Glen Mark and Gladys Suansing. She graduated her elementary at Tagaytay Elementary School. She was a consistent character awardee. She finished her secondary education at Tagaytay City Science National High School. She is currently studying at Cavite State University taking up Bachelor of Science in Psychology. After graduating college she is planning to pursue Industrial Pschology. She wants to become a Human Resource Practitioner. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This experimental research will not be complete without encouragement,assistance,support and inspiration proved by several people.The authors wish to express their sincerest appreciation and gratitude to the following persons who helped in the realization of this piece of work; To Ms. Alodia Mercado, our adv iser for her sound academic guidance and moral support which enabled her to pursue this study; To Ms. Alma Fatima Reyes, for her useful comments and suggestions that improved the study; To Ms. Ivy Valerie Garcia for letting the researchers use her laptop; To To the family of the researchers,for their love and support they gave me throughout the study; My greatest praise and honor to our Lord Almighty who guided me through my most difficult moments and problems.ABSTRACT SUANSING GLENDA MAE, ERSANDO SHALOM â€Å"The Effects of Missing Letter to the Reading Comprehension of 2nd year IT Students of Cavite State University. † Experimental Research. Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Cavite State University. March 2012, under the supervision of Ms. Alma Fatima Reyes. As reading plays an important role in our lives, reading comprehension is important for human progress. This experimental research proposes to investigate the effects of missing letters to the reading comprehension of students. The research is conducted at Cavite State University, Indang, Cavite.Fifteen respondents were needed for the Pre-test and the Post-test. Same person will be taking the Pre-test and Post-test. All fifteen respondents are 2nd year BS IT students of Cavite State University. The general objective of the study was to determine the Reading Comprehension of Students with missing letters. Specifically, the study aimed to determine if there was a difference between the scores obtained in the Pre-test and the scores obtained in the Post- Test. Data and information were gathered through the help of the respondents by answering the questionnaires regarding to their Reading Comprehension Skills provided by the researchers.TABLE OF CONTENTS APPROVAL SHEET. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIOGRAPHICAL DATA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ACKNOWLEDGM ENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABSTRACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LIST OF TABLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LIST OF FIGURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LIST OF APPENDICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Statement of the Problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hypotheses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Significance of the Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scope and Limitation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Definition of Terms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Theoretical Framework. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conceptual Framework. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . METHODOLOGY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Research Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Design Notation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sampling Technique. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Respondents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Research Instrument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data Gathering Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Statistical Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . APPENDICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LIST OF TABLES †¢ Table 1. A Distribution Table of the Pre-test Scores †¢ Table 2. A Distribution Table of the Post-test Scores †¢ Table 3. Difference of Pre-test and Post-test Scores LIST OF FIGURES †¢ Figure 1. Parallel Letter Recognition †¢ Figure 2. Research Paradigm †¢ Figure 3. Graphic Representation of Pre-test Scores †¢ Figure 4. Graphic Representation of Post-test Scores LIST OF APPENDICES †¢ Budgetary Estimates (Appendix A) †¢ Calendar of Activities (Appendix B) †¢ Instrument (Appendix C) †¢ Statistical Analysis of Data (Appendix D) †¢ Curriculum Vitae (Appendix E) THE EFFECTS OF MISSING LETTERS TO THE READING COMPREHENSION OF 2nd YEAR IT STUDENTS OF CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY† Glenda Mae Suansing Shalom Ersando | An experimental research prepared to the faculty of the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, College of | |Arts and Sciences, Cavite State University, Indang Cavite in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Experimental Psychology| |with Contribution No. ER1. Prepared under the supervision of Ms. Alma Fatima Reyes. | INTRODUCTION Reading is a cognitive process of decoding characters or symbols in order to create a meaning.It is a means of communicating and sharing of information. We do it automatically. It requires development, practice and understanding. When we read, we use our eyes to receive written symbols such as letters and we use our brain to convert them into words, sentences and paragraphs that communicate something to us. Many people read books, newspapers, magazines, comic books, etc. It is considered as a daily routine of other people who loved to read. Readers integrate the words they have read into their existing framework of knowledge or schema.Reading helps a lot in our vocabulary. It wi dens our knowledge about words. Sometimes when we encountered unfamiliar words we can’t understand it, but when we encountered the same word we already knew what its meaning because we’ve read it already read it in the past. Reading also helps us in communicating in many way for example say, your job or any job for that matter, and you need to read a contract for business purposes or even if you work at a supermarket, don’t you need to know how to read in order to send the food that a person get to the right address.So as you see reading is just an element we need for day to day life. Statement of the Problem The study aimed to determine the reading comprehension of students with missing letters. 1. What is the highest rating of the scores obtained in the Pre-test by the 2nd year BS IT students of Cavite State University? 2. What is the highest rating of the scores obtained in the Post-test by the 2nd year BS IT students of Cavite State University? 3. Is there a significant difference between the scores obtained in the Pre-test and the scores obtained in the Post-test? . Do the missing letters affect the reading comprehension of students? Objectives Generally, the study aimed to determine if there is a significant difference between reading with missing letters and reading with complete letters. Specifically, the study aimed to: 1. to determine the highest rating of the scores obtained in the Pre-test by the 2nd year BS IT students of Cavite State University. 2. to determine the highest rating of the scores obtained in the Post-test by the 2nd year BS IT students of Cavite State University. 3. o determine if there is a significant difference between the scores obtained in the Pre-test and the scores obtained in the Post-test. 4. to determine the effects of missing letters to the reading comprehension of students. Hypotheses Ha: There is a significant difference between reading the words with missing letters and reading with complete letter s in the comprehension of the students. Ho: There is no significant difference between reading the words with missing letters and reading with complete letters in the comprehension of the students. Significance of the StudyThis study will benefit the following beneficiaries: Respondents This study will help the respondents to be familiarized in this type of reading. The respondents will also enhance their vocabulary. Community This study will be a great help for the community in order for the people to be aware in this style of reading. School This study will benefit the school by teaching this style of reading not only for students but also for the teachers. Future Researchers This study will be a guide for the future researchers in order for them to have a background regarding to this study.This will also serve as their related literature. Scope and Limitation This study is about on how the students read and understand the meaning of a word if there is a missing letter on the word . This study will also test the vocabulary of the students. This study only involves 2nd year IT students of Cavite State University. It is composed of 15 respondents from IT students. The study also limits the short period time given to conduct this research. Definition of Terms These are some terms used in the study: Cognitive Psychology – it is the study of internal and external processes of the brainWord Superiority Effect – refers to the increase in efficiency of letter identification within words Reading Comprehension – level of understanding when reading Pattern Recognition – organization of stimuli Pre-Test – test given before the Post-test Post-Test – test given after the Pre- test Schema – past experiences Treatment – levels of the independent variable Theoretical Framework This study justified the Parallel Letter Recognition. It is the model that most psychologists currently accept as most accurate is the parallel le tter recognition model.This model says that the letters within a word are recognized simultaneously, and the letter information is used to recognize the words. This is a very active area of research and there are many specific models that fit into this general category. The figure below is one popular formulation of this model. [pic] Figure 1: Parallel Letter Recognition Figure 1 shows a generic activation based parallel letter recognition model. In this example, the reader is seeing the word  work. Each of the stimulus letters are processed simultaneously.The first step of processing is recognizing the features of the individual letters, such as horizontal lines, diagonal lines, and curves. The details of this level are not critical for our purposes. These features are then sent to the letter detector level, where each of the letters in the stimulus word are recognized simultaneously. The letter level then sends activation to the word detector level. The  W  in the first lett er detector position sends activation to all the words that have a  W  in the first position (WORD  and  WORK).The  O  in the second letter detector position sends activation to all the words that have an  O  in the second position (FORK,  WORD, and  WORK). While  FORK  and  WORD  have activation from three of the four letters,  WORK  has the most activation because it has all four letters activated, and is thus the recognized word. Conceptual Framework Fig. 2 This study aimed to know the difference between the Pre-test and Post-test scores of the students in their reading comprehension. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This chapter presents the related topics and studies regarding this study. It also presents the synthesis of all the topics.Pattern Recognition Our ability to recognize familiar types of things is a spectacular human characteristic. This attribute allows us to recognize an old friend in a sea of faces, to identify an entire musical theme f rom a few notes, to read words, to enjoy the taste of a vintage wine, or to appreciate the smell of a rose. It is a cognitive endowment that we mostly perform seamlessly, rapidly, and without much effort. In our everyday life, we use pattern recognition all the time, yet the cognitive structures which support pattern recognition are only recently understood. Cognitive Psychology, 6th edition, Robert Solso, p. 109) Researchers have discovered that top-down processing can influence our ability to recognize a variety of objects. It also influences our ability to recognize letters during reading. Most of the research on this topic examines how context helps us recognize letters of the alphabet. Psychologists who study reading have realized for decades that a theory of recognition would be inadequate if it were based only as the information in the stimulus. (Cognition, 5th edition, Margaret Mathin, p. 42) Immediacy of InterpretationOne of the important principles to emerge in studied of language processing is called the principle of immediacy of interpretation. Basically this principle says that people try to extract as much meaning out of each word as it arrives, and they do not wait until the end of sentences or even the ends of phrases to decide or how to interpret a word. For instance, Just and Carpenter (1980) studied the eye movements of subjects as they read a sentence. While reading a sentence, subjects will typically fixate or almost every word. Just and Carpenter find that the time subjects spend fixating or word is basically proportional to the amount of information provided by a word. Thus, if a sentence contain or relatively unfamiliar or a surprising word, they pause in that word. (Cognitive Psychology & Its Interpretation,John R. Anderson) Reading Comprehension Reading comprehension is a complex undertaking that involves many levels of processing. One of the most fundamental aspects of comprehension is the ability to deal with unfamiliar words encoun tered in text. Readers who struggle with word-level tasks use up valuable cognitive space that could be allotted to deeper levels of text analysis.It is not enough to rely on context cues to predict the meaning of new words, since this strategy often results in erroneous or superficial understandings of key terms, especially in content-area reading (Paynter, Bodrova, & Doty, 2005). Mature readers need to possess a basic knowledge of â€Å"how words work† and a set of strategies for approaching new words encountered throughout the day. (http://www. edu. gov. on. ca/eng/research/mcquirter. pdf) How word knowledge affects reading comprehension Vocabulary knowledge is one of the best predictors of reading achievement (Richek, 2005).Bromley (2004), in a comprehensive review of research on vocabulary development, concludes that vocabulary knowledge promotes reading fluency, boosts reading comprehension, improves academic achievement, and enhances thinking and communication. Spellin g is also an important consideration in reading comprehension. The concepts about sound patterns that children learn in the early years through invented spelling and direct spelling instruction help them to decode new words in their reading. As they mature and begin to spell longer and more complex words, children apply the concepts of base words, prefixes, and suffixes to their spelling.This knowledge of morphology, in turn, helps them to deconstruct longer words encountered in their reading. Templeton (2004) argues that spelling knowledge provides the basis for explicit awareness and understanding of morphology, which, in turn, may guide the systematic growth of vocabulary knowledge. Considering the strength of vocabulary knowledge in predicting reading achievement, the complex interrelationships among these areas are significant. (http://www. edu. gov. on. ca/eng/research/mcquirter. pdf) Missing letter effectIn cognitive psychology, the missing letter effect refers to the finding that, when people are asked to consciously detect target letters while reading text, they miss more letters in frequent, function words (e. g. the letter â€Å"t† in â€Å"the†) than in less frequent, content words. The missing letter effect has also been referred to as the reverse word superiority effect, since it describes a phenomenon where letters in more frequent words fail to be identified, instead of letter identification benefitting from increased word frequency.The effect is usually measured using a paper-and-pencil procedure, where readers are asked to circle a target letter every time they come across it while reading a short passage. The missing letter effect is more likely to appear when reading words that are part of a normal sequence, than when words are embedded in a mixed-up sequence (e. g. readers asked to read backwards). The missing-letter effect for common function words It has been proposed that function words such as for and on conceal their let ters because their higher familiarity allows fast access to their unitized representations.However, this study shows that letter detection in function words varies with their linguistic role in text. When such words were embedded in a phrase where they were forced into a content role by the surrounding context (e. g. , for or against or on switch ), letter detection improved markedly and did not differ from that of matched content words. The result was replicated when the context preceding the function word and the overall sentential meaning were equated for both function and content usages.The results support a late-stage structural account of the function-disadvantage effect, where the syntactic units that support the structural frame of a sentence are lost in the transition from structure to meaning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) Word superiority effect In cognitive psychology, the word superiority effect (WSE) refers to the phenomenon that people a re more accurate in recognizing a letter in the context of a word than they are when a letter is presented in isolation, or when a letter is presented within a nonword (e. g. â€Å"WXRG†).Studies have also found a WSE when letter identification within words is compared to letter identification within pseudowords. (e. g. â€Å"WOSK†) and (e. g. â€Å"WERK†). The effect was first described by Cattell (1886), and important contributions came from Reicher (1969) and Wheeler (1970) . The WSE has since been exhaustively studied in the context of cognitive processes involved during reading. Large amounts of research have also been done to try to model the effect using connectionist networks. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Word_superiority_effect) Several studies have shown a correlation between working memory and reading comprehension.Daneman and Carpenter (1980) used a dine-task procedure in which both tasks (reading and remembering) use a single verbal memory state. A compromise position suggests that the phonological component of working memory acts as a sort of back-up memory. When sentences are short or easily comprehended it is not needed with syntactically more complex or lengthy sentences processing may lay behind the input and so the representation in the phonological store needs to be consulted. (McCarthy and Worrington, 1990) Transfer to Long Term MemoryVerbal rehearsals may be necessary in acquiring some kinds of knowledge such as learning new vocabulary words. New words need to be first remembered by sound like a representation cannot be retrieved to long term memory. Ebbinghaus discovered another unique findings the serial position effect. It can be found in memory for lists even when serial anticipation is not required. Working Memory Working memory  has been defined as the system which actively holds information in the mind to do verbal and nonverbal tasks such as reasoning and comprehension, and to make it available for furthe r information processing.Working memory tasks are those that require the goal-oriented active monitoring or manipulation of information or behaviors in the face of interfering processes and distractions. The cognitive processes involved include the  executive  and  attention  control of  short-term memory  which provide for the interim integration, processing, disposal, and retrieval of information. Working memory is a theoretical concept central both to  cognitive psychology  and  neuroscience. Synthesis We use pattern recognition in our daily lives, most likely in reading in how we recognize letters.It is an ability where only humans can do. One of the most widely demonstrated phenomena in the research on recognition is the Word Superiority Effect. According to the word superiority effect, we can identify a single letter more accurately and more rapidly when it appears in a word that it appears alone by itself or in a string or same letter. As we are reading a bo ok or any reading material, our brain process the meaning of a word. It is naturally done by our brain. By the help of our schema or past experiences, when we encountered a familiar word, we can easily recognize it.But it's quite difficult for us to understand the meaning of a word if we never encountered it in our past. METHODOLOGY In this chapter, the researchers will describe the research design, sampling technique, respondents, research instrument, data gathering procedure and the statistical analysis that they used. Research Design The research design that the researchers used was the Within Subject Design. A within-subjects design is a type of experimental design in which all participants are exposed to every treatment or condition. For the Pre-test, the respondents we’ll be not exposed to treatment.For the Post-test, the students will be now exposed to the treatment which is the missing letters in the passage. Psychologists often use them to test the relative effective ness of a new treatment, often a difficult proposition. One of the greatest advantages of a within-subjects design is that it does not require a large pool of participants. Generally, a similar experiment in a between-subjects design would require twice as many participants as a within-subjects design. A within-subjects design can also help reduce errors associated with individual differences.In a between-subjects design where individuals are randomly assigned to a treatment condition, there is still a possibility that there may be fundamental differences between the groups that might impact the results. In a within-subjects design, individuals are exposed to all levels of a condition, so the results will not be distorted by individual differences. Each participant serves as his or her own baseline. Design Notation O1XO2 O1 = Pre-test O2 = Post-test X = Treatment (Missing Letters) Sampling Technique Random sampling method was used.The researchers used the table of random sampling fo r choosing the respondents. The respondents were 2nd year IT students of Cavite State University. In random sample, each individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected. If more than one individual is to be selected for the sample, there must be constant probability for each and every selection. Respondents The researchers need 15 students for pre-test and post-test. Same person were taking the pre-test and post-test. Research Instrument The instrument that the researchers used was a test questionnaire. The est questionnaire is composed of a short passage or story and then it is followed by a 10 item question. Treatment For the first passage in the pre-test, a normal passage with complete letters is given. For the post-test, the passage contains words with missing letters. This treatment will be given to 15 respondents. This will tests if it is good or effective to use. Data Gathering Procedure The researchers need to provide questionnaires for the respondents reg arding to their Reading Comprehension skills. The researchers need to provide questionnaires until they meet the minimum ( 15) respondents.After that Pre-test will be given in the respondents. And the post-test will be given to know if missing letters will affect the Reading Comprehension of the respondents. Statistical Analysis The researchers used the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test is a non-parametric statistical test for testing hypothesis on median. It is used when we wish to compare two sets of scores that come from the same participants. This can occur when we wish to investigate any change in scores from one time point to another or individuals are subjected to more than one condition.As the Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test does not assume normality in the data it can be used when this assumption has been violated and the use of the  dependent t-test  is inappropriate. The advantage with Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test is that it neither depends on the form of the parent distribution nor on its parameters. It does not require any assumptions about the shape of the distribution. For computing the mean, the researchers used the formula below. The researchers summed up all the scores and divided the total by the number of scores. [pic] Where: [pic] is the symbol for the mean [pic] is the symbol for summationX is the symbol for the scores N is the symbol for the number of scores For computing the standard deviation, the researchers used the formula: [pic] Where: S is the symbol for standard deviation [pic] is the value of the mean [pic] is the symbol for summation Xi represents each data value from i=1 to i=N.. N is the sample size RESULTS and DISCUSSION This chapter contains the analysis and interpretation of the results that we have gathered. The results gathered were organized, tabularized, discussed and analyzed in this section. The table contains the scores obtained by the students in the Pre-test and Post-Test.Table 1. A Distribution table of the Pre-test scores |Rating |Frequency(f) |Percentage(%) | |Excellent |0 |0 | |Very Good |4 |26. 7 | |Good |8 |46. 7 | |Poor 3 |26. 7 | |Total |15 |100 | |Mean |2. 0 | | |Standard Deviation |0. 75593 | | |Verbal Interpretation |Poor | | Legend: Poor 0-3; Good 4-5; Very Good 6-7; Excellent 8-10. Table one shows the pre-test scores by 2nd year IT students of Cavite State University. Out of fifteen students, 3 or 26. 7% of the students got Poor rating; 8 or 46. 7% of the students got Good rating; 4 or 26. 7% of the students got Very Good rating; and no one got Excellent rating. According to Anderson and Freebody (1981), it is well established that good comprehenders tend to have good vocabularies. This correlation, however, does not mean that teaching vocabulary will increase readers’ comprehension, for that is a causal conclusion.As it turns out, however, when reading educators conducted experiments in which vocabulary was either taught to students or not, compre hension improved as a function of vocabulary instruction. In the pre-test, the researchers included some difficult or unfamiliar words that the researchers think the students didn’t encounter before. As shown in the pre-test scores, the respondents tend to have poor reading comprehension and vocabulary. The low scores they got was a proof that if a word is unfamiliar and unrecognizable you can’t easily understand it. Table 2. A Distribution table of Post-Test Scores Rating |Frequency(f) |Percentage(%) | |Excellent |4 |26. 7 | |Very Good |3 |20 | |Good |4 |26. 7 | |Poor |4 |26. | |Total |15 |100 | |Mean |2. 5 | | |Standard Deviation |1. 18723 | | |Verbal Interpretation |Poor | | Legend: Poor 0-3; Good 4-5; Very Good 6-7; Excellent 8-10. Table 2 shows the post-test scores from the same students who took the pre-test. Out of fifteen students, 4 or 26. 7% of the students got Poor rating; 4 or 26. 7% of the students got Good rating; 3 or 20% of the students got Very Goo d rating; and 4 or 26. 7% of the students got Excellent rating. According to a research study, there are much more effective ways to teach comprehension. Much work has been done in the area of teaching novice readers a bank of â€Å"reading strategies,† or tools to interpret and analyze text.There is not a definitive set of strategies, but common ones include summarizing what you have read, monitoring your reading to make sure it is still making sense, and analyzing the structure of the text. Some texts, like in philosophy, literature or scientific research, may appear more difficult to read because of the prior knowledge they assume. Because the texts were unfamiliar, readers don’t understand it. Analysis of research findings reveal that if a reader is to become very good at comprehending what he reads he must meet two principal learning requirements. They must: (1. know words; and (2. ) be able to reason with physical text. In the post-test, the treatment was adminis tered. Some words in the passage have missing letters. According to Just and Carpenter (1980), who studied the eye movements when reading, if a sentence contains unfamiliar words, the reader will pause in that word. Thus, when the respondents were reading the passage, whey saw the words with missing letters, they paused as their brain processed to recognize that word. The respondents extract meaning to that word as they read it. Table 3. Difference of Pre-test and Post-Test Scores Rating |Pre test frequency |Post-test frequency | |Excellent |0 |4 | |Very Good |4 |4 | |Good |8 |3 | |Poor |3 |4 | |Total Mean |2. 0 |2. 5 | *Legend: Poor 0-3; Good 4-5; Very Good 6-7; Excellent 8-10. Table 3 shows the difference of pre-test and post-test scores. As a whole, it shows that most of the students got high scores in the post-test. The total mean scores of the students in the pre-test is 2. 0 which is equivalent to Poor rating. The total mean of scores of students in the post-test is 2. wh ich is equivalent to Poor rating also. Thus, there is a 0. 5 difference in the mean scores. After computing the difference of the pre-test and post-test scores using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, the result of the asymptotic significance is 0. 01. Thus, the researchers should reject Ho because the result of asymptotic significance of the study is less than 0. 050. The results have showed that the students were more capable in answering the passage with missing letters. The results gathered by the researchers showed that the missing letters affect the reading comprehension of the students. It positively helped the students to understand well the passage.According to Paynter, Bodrova and Doty (2005), one of the most fundamental aspects of comprehension is the ability to deal with unfamiliar words encountered in text. In the passage, maybe the students have encountered it before so that they understand the passage. Readers who struggle with word-level tasks use up valuable cognitive space that could be allotted to deeper levels of text analysis. SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS The summary provides comprehensible summary on how the study was conducted. It also presents the list of findings, state the conclusion and some of the recommendations. Summary The study aimed to determine whether there are differences between reading with complete letters and reading with missing letters.Specifically, the study aimed to 1) determine the rating of IT students in the Pre-test; 2) determine the rating of IT students in the Post-test; 3) determine the significant difference between the scores obtained in the Pre-test and the scores obtained in the Post-test; 4) determine the effect of missing letters to the reading comprehension of the students. The researcher conducted their study at Cavite State University from February 17 to March 8, 2012. The researcher used the within subject design for their study. The researcher used random sampling method where they used the table of random numbers to choose their respondents. Their respondents were 2nd year BS IT students, 15 students in pre-test and another 15 students in post-test. The researchers used a survey test questionnaire that was composed of a short passage and followed by 10 questions.The formula to determine the level of students in Pre-test was frequency tallies and percentage. The formula used to determine the level of reading comprehension in Post-test was also frequency tallies and percentage. In determining the significant difference between the Pre-test and Post-test scores, the formula that the researchers used was Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. The findings resolved that there is a significant difference between reading with complete letters and reading with missing letters. From the asymptotic significance obtained from the pre-test and post-test we should reject Ho and accept Ha. Conclusions Based on the findings and the data gathered the following conclusions were drawn: 1. Based on the scores of the respondents in the pre-test, the respondents got the highest rating of Very Good which ranges from 0-7. The students were not familiar to the words in the passage. The researchers conclude that those words were not in their long term memory so it was hard for the respondents to understand the passage; 2. )Based on the scores of the respondents in the post-test, the respondents got the highest rating of Excellent which ranges from 8-10. Thus, the student’s performance was excellent and they meet the highest rating compared to the pre-test. The respondents could really read fairly well even if only half of the letters are present; 3. )Based on the mean scores of the students, there is a 0. difference between reading with complete letters and reading with missing letters. The researchers conclude that the treatment, which is the missing letters, is effective in reading comprehension. As the results showed, post-test is higher than the pre-test. Thus, there is a sig nificant difference between reading with complete letters and reading with missing letters; 4. )Missing Letters affect the reading comprehension of the students. The researchers conclude that it is effective to use. Based on the scores the respondents achieved, post-test scores were higher than the pre-test scores. Thus, the students understood the passage with missing letters. RecommendationsBased on the results of the study, the researchers highly recommend the following: Students. To the students, they should use this type of reading as a practice for them in reading comprehension and for their vocabulary. Teachers. To the teachers, the researchers recommend to use this type of reading to increase their inferential comprehension. Future Researchers. To anybody who wants to pursue the same study or related to this study this will help to improve the student’s style of reading. The researchers also recommend having further study regarding this study and they should also use larger amount of participants/respondents to show the comparison in our study. APPENDICES Budgetary Estimates (Appendix A) |Cost | |Print |100 | |Computer Rent |250 | |Transportation |100 | |Total |450 Php | Calendar of Activities (Appendix B) February 13 – Chapters 1,2,3February 13,14,15 Instrumentation February 17 to March 8 – Conducting of experimental research Data Gathering March 15 – Data Analysis March 19 – Chapter 4,5 March 21 – Chapter 1,2,3,4,5 March 26,27 – Poster Presentation April 10 – Soft Bound Statistical Analysis of Data (Appendix D) Frequencies pre test level |Statistics | |Level | |N |Valid |15 | | |Missing |0 | | |Mean |2. 0000 | | |Std. Error of Mean |. 19518 | | |Std.Deviation |. 75593 | | |Minimum |1. 00 | | |Maximum |3. 00 | |level | | | |Level | |N |Valid |15 | | |Missing |0 | | |Mean |2. 5333 | | |Std. Error of Mean |. 30654 | | |Std. Deviation |1. 18723 | | |Minimum |1. 0 | | |Maximum |4. 00 | |le vel | | | | | | | |N |Mean Rank |Sum of Ranks | |level – group |Negative Ranks |4a |8. 00 |32. 00 | | |Positive Ranks |19b |12. 84 |244. 0 | | |Ties |7c | | | | |Total |30 | | | |a. level ; group | |b. level ; group | |c. level = group | |Test Statisticsb | | |level – group | | Z |-3. 351a | |Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) |. 001 | |a. Based on negative ranks. | |b.Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test | Curriculum Vitae ( Appendix F ) Contact Information Name: Glenda Mae Suansing Address: St. Michael Village, Sungay East, Tagaytay City Contact Number: 09159727469 E-mail Address: [email  protected] com Personal Information Date of Birth: August 23, 1994 Place of Birth: Indang, Cavite Citizenship: Filipino Gender: Female Educational Attainment Primary Tagaytay Elementary School Secondary Tagaytay City Science National High School College Cavite State University Bachelor of Science in Psychology Interests: Playing guitar, Reading books, Watching films Contact Information Name: Shalom E rsando Address: Brgy.Cabezas Trece Martires City Contact Number: 09107232128 E-mail Address: [email  protected] com Personal Information Date of Birth: January 15 1994 Place of Birth: Dasmarinas Cavite Citizenship: Filipino Gender: Female Educational Attainment Primary Palawit Elementary School Secondary Tanza National Trade School College Cavite State University Bachelor of Science in Psychology Interests: Reading books, watching movie, Hanging with friends and playing badminton INSTRUMENT (Pre-test) INSTRUMENT (Post-test) ———————– Reading Comprehension of 2nd year BS IT students of Cavite State University Post-test Scores Missing Letters (treatment) Pre-test Scores

Shallow

Students will appreciate the multi-disciplinary nature of societal issues such as technology, communication, the internet. Students will explore the scientific, social, economic, political and artistic nature of technology-related challenges facing society. Finally, students will continue to take charge of your own liberal arts education. This ours requires a significant amount of self-discipline and independent motivation. To get the most out of this course, students must put their own best effort into the course.The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think-? rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with the thoughts of other men. John Dewey â€Å"We should never lose our zest for living, our excitement and enthusiasm, our curiosity, our desire to know. The person who does is certainly blind to the world, its miracles and possibilities, and one's own possibilities. Earl Nightingale Academic Integrity Policy Students of the university must conduct themselves in accordance with the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity.Failure to maintain academic integrity will not be tolerated. The following definitions are provided for understanding and clarity. Definitions of Plagiarism, Cheating and Academic Dishonesty Student plagiarism is the deliberate presentation of the writing or thinking of another as the student's own. In written or oral work a student may make fair use of quotations, ideas, images, etc. , that appear in others' work only if the student gives appropriate credit to the original authors, thinkers, owners or creators of that work. This includes material found on the internet and in electronic databases.Cheating entails the use of unauthorized or prohibited aid in accomplishing assigned academic tasks. Obtaining unauthorized help on examinations, using prohibited notes on closed-note examinations, and depending on others for writing of essays or t he creation of other assigned work are all forms of cheating. Academic dishonesty may also include other acts intended to misrepresent the authorship of academic work. Deliberate acts threatening the integrity of library materials or the smooth operation of laboratories are among possible acts of academic dishonesty.Sanctions for Violations of Academic Integrity If an instructor determines that a student has violated the academic integrity policy, the instructor may choose to impose a sanction, ranging from refusal to accept a work product to a grade â€Å"F† for the assignment to a grade â€Å"F† for the course. When a sanction has been imposed, the instructor will inform the student in writing. The instructor must also inform the student that she/he has the right to appeal this inaction, and refer the student to the Academic Appeals Process described in the Bulletin of the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences.The instructor will send a copy of this letter to the Dean of the Rosary College of Arts and Sciences. The Dean will note whether a student has committed multiple violations of the academic integrity policy over time, and in such cases the Dean may institute a process leading to possible further sanctions, including suspension or expulsion from the university†¦ Mutual Respect in the Discussion Forums An atmosphere of mutual respect and courtesy will be maintained in the discussion forums. The teacher and students will respond politely and civilly to any opinions expresses by any member of the class.Disruptive and disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated. A warning for disruptive behavior will be given. After three warnings a student will be asked to withdraw from the course. Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. Erich From LASSES Tentative Course Calendar: Text Reading Assignments Topics 7/01 The Shallows Rainbows End———- Prologue 1. Hal and Med 2. The Vital Paths 3. Tools of the Mind 4. The Deepening Page 5. A Medium of the Most 1-5 My role as a technology consumer. /08 #2 Smarter Than You Think Rainbows End———– 7.The Juggler's Brain 9. Search, Memory 1. The Rise of the Centaurs 2. We, the Memories 3. Public Thinking 6-10 Communication 7/15 #3 Rainbows End———— 6. The Puzzle-Hungry 7. Digital School 9. The Connected Society 11-15 Education Midterm Assignment due on July 18th 7/22 Plain & Simple Laborer Excrescences Intro, Background & I 16-20 Leisure 7/29 #5 6- epilog 21-25 Vocation 8/05 Rainbows End Finish the book Final Project due on August 5th Grading for The Future of Everything The distribution of the grades will be: Weekly Participation and Discussion x 40 = 240 points 3. Weekly Assignment Questions Midterm and Final Project 120+ 120=240 points Letter Grade Assignments: 100 > A > 92 > 88 84 80 78 74 70 A- > 90 > 88 B > 84 > B- > 80 > C+>78 C > 74 C- > 70 D > 60 Weekly Participation and Discussion: Students will receive up to 40 points per week for completing the opinion poll and posting discussion entries. Students are expected to post at least two entries during the first round of discussion and two entries during the second round of discussion.Discussion entries should reflect an understanding of the texts and media as well offering insight into the topic. In other words, students will be graded in terms of compliance in terms of how many posts are written as well as the quality of participation. Suggested discussion questions will be provided along with assignment packet. The instructor will be monitor the online discussions but will not necessarily respond to every post. The course is designed to be completed in a chronological fashion.Once a new week beings, the previous weeks forums are considered to be closed. Generally, assignments are due at midnight of their due date. Weekly Assignment Questions: Weekly assignments include questions designed to valuate your comprehension of the text and engage you in thinking through the topics introduced in the assigned readings and media. Late work will be penalized in proportion to the delay in submission. Generally, assignments are due at midnight of their due date.Theme Papers/Presentations: The purpose of essays and research papers is to encourage you to do thoughtful independent research on a topic relating to subjects we are addressing in class. The format may vary depending on the nature of the subject and how you wish to communicate it. The famous â€Å"Common Assignment† will be your final project assignment. Late work will be penalized in proportion to the delay in submission. Generally, assignments are due at midnight of their due date. Emails and conversation with instructor: Students are encouraged to email their instructor about any questions and concerns they may have.Freshman Seminar: Dimensions of the Self (100-level) Sophomore Seminar: Diversity, Culture, and Community (200-level) Junior Semi nar: Technology, Work, and Leisure (300-level) Senior Seminar: Virtues and Values (400-level) While LA&S seminars are taught by instructors from various disciplines representing alternative approaches to the general topics, they share several features. As seminars, they are courses in which students, led by an instructor, investigate rorobbersdesign projects, explore resources, share findings.They are, that is, courses in which students learn with and from each other. The seminars are thematic. Building on prior semesters, they take as departure point questions that are both universal and urgent, questions that engage the whole person throughout life. Because all seminars at each class level share a common general topic and a common text or texts, they place at the center of students' Dominican education a shared experience; they embody for students the distinctive community of learners they have Joined.

Is Brutus justified to kill JC Essay

Brutus argued that Caesar should be killed because he was quickly gaining power. They were afraid that this power would corrupt him and lead him to do future harms. Brutus even believed that Caesar at the time of his death had not done anything to warrant his death. Although Brutus killed Julius Caesar for the right reason, it is still unjustified to kill an innocent man for what he had not done. Political assassination is justified depending on the circumstances. If the leader is good to the people, does everything for his country, and fights for the country, even if a potential threat, the assassination would not be justified. But if the leader was harming the people, did not care about the harming the people, did not care about the country, or was just not being a good leader, then it would be necessary. As long as the intentions are good, and the circumstances are right, then it should be ok. It would be different if you were killing a leader out of greed or because you just do n ot like them than if you were doing it for the good of the country. Caesar was an innocent man. He had not done anything wrong but was killed by his friends. He did nothing but help the Romans but they did not trust him. That is why he was killed; he never had a reason to be killed. It was just jealousy and fear. If there was a ruler like Hitler, then it would be necessary because he was killing a bunch of innocent people. Caesar was helping his country, but Hitler was hunting down and killing his people. The conspirators had made no plans for after the assassination of Caesar, they believed that the Republic would just revert back to what it was before. They thought they would be hailed as heroes, but instead had their houses burned down and were forced to flee Rome. Caesar was a benevolent dictator, he made no proscriptions, he forgave his enemies, and he made provisions for the poor, for colonies, for economic reform, legal and judicial reform, and in his will he left the equivalent of two months’ pay to the poorest Romans according to Anth ony’s speech. This is probably the most famous assassination and is the most widely known. John Kennedy Fitzgerald, America’s 35th president was assassinated when he was visiting Dallas with his convertible car. The killer had used a powerful sniper rifle and hide in a safe place waiting for the president to go through and open fire. John F. Kennedy died at the hospital due to his injuries. After this shocking incident, all the forces of the investigation from the FBI to the CIA have in life but death of J.F Kennedy remains a  mystery. He was one of the best president of the United States of America and also the youngest president at the time. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president born in the United States. He came to power between 1861 and 1865, Lincoln was killed by John Wilkes, a man dissatisfied with the policies promulgated by the president. The assassination occurred when Lincoln was sitting in a cinema theater. When the air is crowded, everyone laughed, John Wilkes shot Lincoln and escaped through the back door. President Lincoln died later on the same day. Martin Luther King Jr. is the head of the character of the civil rights movement in the United States. The movement was created for the purpose of elimination of racial discrimination against African Americans. On April 4, 1968, while standing on the second floor of a hotel balcony, King was assassinated. After this incident happened, the ongoing violence increased across the city. The incident forced the incumbent president, Mr. Johnson declared one day of national mourning for King. After the funerals held, police began the investigation and search for the culprit. About two months later, James Earl Ray was arrested and accused of assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. All these men above died from what they believe and were making progress to their countries, now these are the bad guys that get killed or got away. This is Hitler’s assassination and considered the legendary murder in the 2nd World War. The field mission to assassinate Hitler as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, a German nobleman. Stauffenberg is also the chief of the reserve forces in the Nazi army, but thought against Hitler. In fact, the plan to assassinate Hitler is prepared for a long time and is set to perform on July 20, 1944. According to the plan, Colonel Stauffenberg placed the bomb in Hitler’s conference room, near the sitting position of the Nazi bosses. The bomb exploded shortly after when Colonel Stauffenberge leave the room, killing four people, but Hitler unharmed. The reason is, the oak desk where Hitler sat with special structural inadvertently reduce the impact of the bomb, saving Hitler. Immediately, the Nazi bosses conducting sweeps to hunt for mastermind. Colonel Stauffenberg and his hand in the assassination plan are inevitable tragic death. Even their family members were also arrested in the concentration camps and tortured to death. However, if the successful assassination, the Nazis would be overthrown. World War 2 as well so may end earlier than 10 years, saving millions of lives and the European political  landscape will change. Even the dismal picture, the complexity of the Cold War also will change. Hitler was so lucky, he had a second chance and he did not change his ways of ruling. Finally he had to kill himself the next year on April 30, 1945 and Germany surrendered a few days later. Caesar’s death was not justified because he was murdered out of greed and jealousy. The murderers wanted to be powerful and praised for their â€Å"good deed† but never once did they think of the people themselves. Political assassination could be justified only if the leader was a bad person, and in getting rid of that leader, you try to make your country a better place for the citizen. Some men that are good just so unlucky, but when you turn evil, you can dodge bomb. My life plan is going to be evil as Hitler.

Maximization of Shareholder Wealth Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Maximization of Shareholder Wealth - Assignment Example The ethical principles on the other hand are presented by most texts on business ethics to function independently and usually contrary to the financial objectives like maximizing the value of common stock. This is evident in most corporations where there exists a tension between the ethical and the financial ideals. For instance, Halbert and Ingulli (1990) highlight the disparity between ethics and maximization of shareholder wealth by the description of a study, which involved around two thousand MBA students. Beginning as relative idealists, they reported the desire of creating quality goods and services, to be able to serve the customers and at the same time give back to the local communities they belonged. By the graduation time, they were rather much oriented to maximizing the shareholders’ values. This disparity is also observed as the conflict of philosophies, which is there between any serious treatment of ethics and wealth maximizing. Maximization of shareholder wealth is strategies, which will ensure highest possible returns. This may even involve the strategies of laying off some of the organization’s employees to achieve this. Some activities, which are good for the society, may compromise the strategy and may be ignored in this process. The customer and the environment may also not be considered in this process that much since; the customer may not be completely comfortable with the

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration Assignment - 4

Push and pull factors in Syrian migration - Assignment Example About 100  000 refugees have also managed to get asylum in European countries. David Williams also concurs with this by stating that â€Å"An average of almost 5,000 Syrians are fleeing into neighbouring countries every day.† This has resulted in the officials warning of the need for more humanitarian aid to the support communities. Many Syrians have been forced out of their homes and ultimately their country as a result of raging war. There is no peace in this country as a result of the war and it is hardly possible to live in such a place. It can also be seen that homes and other necessary infrastructure have been destroyed as a result of this war. As a result, the Syrians are left with no option but to migrate to other areas that are believed to be safe. Many people who have migrated from the war torn Syria have sought refuge in neighbouring countries as well as other European countries. These people are often forced to seek asylum or refuge as a result of the fact that they are left with nowhere to stay after their homes have been destroyed in the raging civil war in their country. Some people are also encouraged to migrate to other destinations by the favourable conditions thought to exist there. However, not all of them find their lives rosy in these far away destinations such as Europe. Yardly Jim and Planigiani, Gaia aptly state that â€Å"Having risked their lives in hopes of settling in prospering Northern Europe, many Syrians found themselves trapped in the south, living illegally in Italy, hiding from the police, as they tried to sneak past border guards and travel north to apply for asylum.† There are some lucky ones who have successfully applied for refuge and some have found employment. As a result of tough European laws on migration as well as asylum seeking, many people have found themselves trapped in these far off destinations believed to be safe havens. The children as well as the education sector have not been spared by the

Biomechanical Laboratory Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biomechanical Laboratory - Article Example Bioabsorbable interference screws are popular in endoscopic reconstructions of the ACL as there is no need for a second operation for removal and no complicating factor in case of a revision surgery. Pullout studies of metal and bioabsorbable interference screws have yielded similar results. However, a randomized controlled clinical trial comparing patients having metal interference screws with those having bioabsorbable poly-l-lactic acid screws showed subjective knee function to be better in the patients in the metal screw group although no difference in stability was noted between the two groups (Drogset et al., 2005) 3. Bioabsorbable interference screw breakage can be a problem in ACL reconstructive surgery which necessitates burying the screw on graft fixation (MacDonald and Arneja, 2003 ) 4. Partial or non-uniform degradation of bioabsorbable screws could lead to breakage with daily activities (Hall et al., 2009) 5. An in vitro study by Schwach and Vert (1999)6 showed a loss of 50% of compression strength in poly-L-lactic acid screws due to hydrolytic degradation between 2 and 5 months. While the overall complication rate associated with the use of this implant is low, complications involving osteolysis and aseptic effusion of the knee joint have been reported (Baums et al., 2006)7. Other complications that have been reported with bioabsorbable interference screws include cyst formation, tunnel widening, late screw breakage, and intra-articular migration (Appelt et al., 2007; Lembeck et al., 2005) 8, 9 According to Weiler et al. (1998)1, graft fixation close to the ACL insertion site increases anterior knee stability. The authors could do this successfully using a round threaded biodegradable interference screw. Interference screw fixation of bone-patellar tendon-bone grafts is a well-established process in ACL fixation. A study was conducted by Zheng.

Read below. ( college students struggling in writing when they get in Essay

Read below. ( college students struggling in writing when they get in the college. how can we overcome) - Essay Example Therefore, students need to direct their skills and intelligence to a new task in order to cope up with the required standards in college writing. Sometimes meeting the required standards for college writing can be very difficult and challenge, therefore, it is necessary for students to understand themselves and what motivates them to write. This essay provides a very thoughtful discussion on why transitioning from high school to college especially when it comes to writing using support from Rose and Bartholomae’s articles and my experience. More so, the essay will explore what teachers and students should do to help new college students to be successful in their college writing classes. Notably, expectations of writing in high school and college differ, but generally, speaking and writing is very important and are required before learning the skill (Bartholomae 5), and even though college has some features similar with high school, college introduces a new set of rules and ex pectations including writing expectations. Studies reveal that both high school teachers and college instructors agree on the importance of reading and writing skills but college instructors stress more on grammar and usage as opposed to high school teachers. ... More so, college students can sometimes be invited to use writing to react to a reading and speculate about it, or be asked to analyze the reading and make a worthwhile claim with good reasons to support this claim. All these tasks are not done in high school and this shows how writing advances when one joins a college. Actually, in college, an argument is less contentious and more systematic, and it can be described as a set of statements arranged a coherent and thoughtful manner. Usually, students are expected to propose a claim and develop evidence and reasons to back up their claim. More so, they have to ensure that there are limits and objections to their claim. A claim should be reasonably challenged for it to be interesting, and in colleges, students not only write to express what they think but also to show why others might agree with their writing. Moreover, students know that what they write is not the absolute truth and so they consider whatever they write as partial, inco mplete and subjected to challenge. Therefore, college students do write in a way that enables other people to test their reasoning, that is, propose a claim, reasons and responses to the challenges so as to allow the readers to see what the students think and decide whether to agree with their ideas or not. All these form an integral part of college education and for the time covered in college, students are expected to read, conduct research, gather information, analyze and then communicate it to the readers through writing. Some high school English teachers tend to teach skills that they think colleges and universities want from their students, but they may not catch up with the expectations of the

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Sociology - Essay Example â€Å"Social imagination†, Mills submits, â€Å"is the capacity to shift from one perspective to another; the capacity to range from the most impersonal and remote transformations to the most intimate features of the human self—and to the see the relations between the two of them.† (1959: p 3) In simple words, Mills seeks people’s misconception and lack of broad vision where they mistakenly relate their personal problems with their cultural characteristics i.e. public issues, and thus are entrapped in a false imagination consequently. While making a comparative analysis of the Mills’ concept of entrapment, it becomes evident that notion maintains imperative significance even in the contemporary world of 21st century, where though countless changes have been taken place in social norms, cultural values and prevailing laws, yet the individuals have not surrendered this entrapment from their mind. It is therefore, they associate their personal problems with the past traditions and customs and public issues existed in their society many decades ago. The modern society presents various examples of this sociological imagination. Taking the example of renowned feminist writer and lesbian rights activist Dorothy Allison, it appears very accurate when she links the miseries of her childhood with the male dominance in the US society. It is therefore she declares marriage as well as well physical and spiritual relationships of women with men as unnatural and impracticable due to the exploitation of the emotions, feel ings and physical charms of women at the hands of men. She herself had been the victim of paedophilia, child abuse and molestation at the age of five, when her stepfather used to torture her and her mother both physically and sexually. â€Å"Social injustice†, Zaidi (2006: p 31) views, â€Å"serves as the bleakest aspect of not only the contemporary world, but also of the most primitive clans and tribes consisted of cave dwellers of

American individualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Personal statement of character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal statement of character - Essay Example hat the maker of drugs should have the traits that are required to understand the philosophy behind the administration of drugs and their role in healing. When I first considered being a pharmacist, I did not base my decision on my mere aptitude at math and chemistry; it was also my personal qualities that motivated me to pursue a profession which is a crucial cog in the healing process. One of the most important qualities that can be of great assistance to me in my career as a pharmacist is my compassion for others. During my nursing profession, I often found myself empathizing sincerely with the patients and understanding their pain and suffering. My experience as a nurse has made me sensitive to the suffering of the people and the pain that they have to bear due to disturbances in their normal physiological functions. Bearing this in mind, my focus when preparing drugs would be solely to mitigate the pain and affliction of these people. I am a compassionate by nature and my poised and calm personality can be a great asset during my professional practice as a pharmacist. My experience as a nurse has equipped me with the skill of appeasing patients- an attribute that I feel is necessary for satisfying frightened and stressed customers. I am also good at sports and have remained an active sportsperson in tennis and basketball in my school and college years. Being a team member and working with the rest of the team members have equipped me with a very valuable trait- team work. The profession of pharmacy requires that the pharmacist interacts with a number of professionals from the health care field. These include doctors, drug retailers, lab technicians etc. Working in teams for the success of the team and assisting team members to improve their performance has not only made me more helpful but has also made me more goal-driven. My ambition has enabled me to deliver excellent results when working on my own. Table tennis is a sport that requires players to develop

Goyard, Luxury Handbags Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Goyard, Luxury Handbags - Assignment Example This makes the mode of placing orders to the making of payment to be secure as compared to the use of telephones in performing the transactions. Goyard associates with the aristocrats and elite in society who have more money to spend and do less to continue earning a decent living. This defies the Maslow pyramid in which luxury brands to the wealthy has evolved into a necessity (King 2009, pp. 3). For instance, a high number of those placing orders in Goyard stores such as Barneys New York tend to be celebrities in which the current world and entertainment industry view them as the trendsetters for fashion. Most of these orders are hand-made from the workshops in France making the orders to be as per a clients’ specification. On the other hand, Goyard also manufactures wallets, totes, and handbags that target men, women, that are luxury conscious because of the strictness attached to the making of the products. The trunks also attract specification applications in which a trun k maker may design one by working with the specifications given to them for particular trunks meaning that they tend to be different from each other. Goyard has for a long time made use of the serial number and initial placement of the trunks designs, which makes it easy to trace the specific customer orders. Jean Michal Signoles came up with this tracking system when he took up operations at the helm of Goyard where the trunk makers register the serial numbers in the manufacturing resister that is helpful when there is the need to repair the sold goods. As per the company records, the company has at least twenty trunk makers working in Goyard workshops that specialize in sided luggage and made-to-order... Goyard Company began operations in 1792 as a family business and maintained its engagement with its customer base to date. The company’s range of products includes trunks, pet accessories, and an assortment of other leather products while its main client base consists of royalty and celebrities p.Goyard products are luxury brands meaning that the production of its products for sale may be through the placement of orders and not on shop sales. Under the guidance of Morel Maison, Goyard mainly dealt in the production of leather trunks for the Duchess of Berry hence making his products to serve royalty. y.The only criteria that Goyard customers use in making purchase is via email and not on any other avenue. Over the years, many have reported cases of making purchases of fake Goyard products hence losing a lot of money through unscrupulous businesspersons. Unlike other businesses that make sales online through trading websites, Goyard does its online sales in a discrete manner an d allows registered customers to make inquiries regarding the products that they may have for sale. Other details communicated through this medium are the shipping details and the cost for the products hence making any other source of information delivery channel to be unreliable. Goyard also uses a remarkable policy as it makes replies to emails directly from its Paris headquarters through one of its staff members.

Jewish American Literature Essay Example for Free

Jewish American Literature Essay Jewish American Literature holds an essential place in the literary history of the United States. It encompasses traditions of writing in English, primarily, as well as in other languages, the most important of which has been Yiddish. While critics and authors generally acknowledge the notion of a distinctive corpus and practice of writing about Jewishness in America, many writers resist being pigeonholed as Jewish voices. Also, many nominally Jewish writers cannot be considered representative of Jewish American literature, one example being Isaac Asimov. Beginning with the memoirs and petitions composed by the Sephardic immigrants who arrived in America during the mid 17th century, Jewish American writing grew over the subsequent centuries to flourish in other genres as well, including fiction, poetry, and drama. The first notable voice in Jewish- American literature was Emma Lazarus whose poem ‘The New Colossus’ on the Statue of Liberty became the great hymnal of American immigration. Gertrude Stein became one of the most influential prose-stylists of the early 20th century. The early twentieth century saw the appearance of two pioneering American Jewish novels: Abraham Cahans The Rise of David Levinsky and Henry Roth’s Call it Sleep. It reached some of its most mature expression in the 20th century ‘Jewish American novels’ by Saul Bellow, J. D. Salinger, Norman Mailer, Bernard Malamud, Chaim Potok, and Philip Roth. Their work explored the conflicting pulls between secular society and Jewish tradition which were acutely felt by the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island and by their children and grandchildren. More recent authors like Nicole Krauss, Paul Auster, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Safran Foer andArt Spiegelman have continued to examine dilemmas of identity in their work, turning their attention especially to the Holocaust and the trends of both ongoing assimilation and cultural rediscovery exhibited by younger generations of American Jews. Arguably the most influential of all American- Jewish novels was Leon Uris Exodus. Its story of the struggle to create the modern state of Israel translated into Russian became the inspiration for hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants to Israel. Modern Jewish American novels often contain (a few or many) Jewish characters and address issues and themes of importance to Jewish American society such as assimilation, Zionism/Israel, and Anti-Semitism, along with the recent phenomenon known as New Anti-Semitism. Two Jewish- American writers have won the Nobel Prize, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Saul Bellow. Bernard Malamud is considered one of the most prominent figures in Jewish –American literature. BERNARD MALAMUD ( 1914-1986). Malamud’s stories and novels, in which reality and fantasy are frequently interfaced have been compared to parables, myths and analogies and often illustrate the importance of moral obligation. Although he draws upon his Jewish heritage to address the themes of sins, suffering, and redemption, Malamud emphasizes human contact and compassion over orthodox religious dogma. Malamud’s characters, while often awkward and isolated from society, evoke both pity and humor through their attempts at survival and salvation. Sheldon J. Hershinow observed: â€Å"Out of the everyday defeats and indignities of ordinary people, Malamud creates beautiful parables that capture the joy as well as the pain of life; he expresses the dignity of the human spirit searching for freedom and moral growth in the face for hardship, injustice, and the existential anguish of life. BIOGRAPHY Malamud was born on April 28, 1914, in Brooklyn, New York, to Russian Jewish immigrants. His parents, whom he described as â€Å"gentle, honest, kindly people,† were not highly educated and knew very little about literature of the arts: â€Å"There were no books in the house, no records, music, pictures on the wall. † Malamud attended high school in Brooklyn and received his bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York in 1936. After graduation, he worked in a factory and as a clerk at the central bureau in Washington, D. C. Although he wrote in his spare time, Malamud did not begin writing seriously until the advent of the Second World War and the subsequent horrors of the Holocausts. He questioned his religious identity and started reading about Jewish tradition and history . He explained: â€Å"I was concerned with what Jews stood for, with their getting down to the bare  bones of things. I was concerned with their ethnically –how Jews felt for they had to live order to go on living. † In 1949, he began teaching at Oregan State University; he left this post in 1961 to teach creative writing at Bennington College in Vermont. He remained there until shortly before his death in 1986. Starting in 1949, Malamud taught four sections of freshman composition each semester at Oregon State University (OSU), an experience fictionalized in his 1961 novel ‘A New Life’. Because he lacked the Ph. D., he was not allowed to teach literature courses, and for a number of years his rank was that of instructor. In those days, OSU, a land grant university, placed little emphasis on the teaching of humanities or the writing of fiction. While at OSU, he devoted 3 days out of every week to his writing, and gradually emerged as a major American author. In 1961, he left OSU to teach creative writing at Bennington College, a position he held until retirement. In 1967, he was made a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1942, Malamud met Ann De Chiara (November 1, 1917 March 20, 2007), an Italian-American Roman Catholic, and a 1939 Cornell University graduate. They married on November 6, 1945, despite the opposition of their respective parents. Ann typed his manuscripts and reviewed his writing. Ann and Bernard had two children, Paul (b. 1947) and Janna (b. 1952). Janna Malamud Smith is the author of a memoir about her father, titled My Father is a Book. Malamud died in Manhattan in 1986, at the age of 71. WORKS OF MALAMUD Malamud’s first novel, ‘The Natural’ (1952 ) ,is considered one of his most symbolic works . While the novel ostensibly traces the life of Roy Hobbs, an American baseball player , the work has underlying mythic elements and explores such themes as initiation and isolation. For instance, some reviewers cited evidence of the Arthurian legend of the Holy Grail; others applied T. S. Eliot’s ‘wasteland’ myth in their analyses ‘The Natural’ also foreshadows what would become Malamud’s predominant narrative focus: a suffering protagonist struggling to reconcile moral dilemmas, to act according to what is right, and to accept the complexities and hardships of existence. Malamud‘s second novel, ‘The Assistant’ (1957), portrays the life of Morris Bober, a Jewish immigrant who owns a grocery store in Brooklyn. Although he is struggling to survive financially, Bober hires a cynical anti-semitic youth, Frank Aloine after learning that the man is homeless and on the verge of starvation. Through this contact Frank learns to find grace and dignity in his own identity. Described as naturalistic fable, this novel affirms the redemptive value of maintaining faith in the goodness of the human soul. Malamud’s first collection of short stories, ‘The Magic Barrel’, (1958) was awarded the National Book award in 1959. Like ‘The Assistant’, most of the stories in this collection depict the search for hope and meaning within the grim entrapment of poor urban settings and were influenced by Yiddish folktales and Hasidic traditions. Many of Malamud’s best known short stories, including ‘The Last Mohican’, ‘Angel Levine’, and ‘Idiots First’, were republished in ‘The Stories of Bernard Malamud’ in 1983. ‘A New Life’ (1961), considered one of Malamuds most true-to-life novels, is based in part on Malamuds teaching career at Oregon State University. This work focuses on an ex-alcoholic Jew from New York City who becomes a professor at a college in the Pacific Northwest. It examines the main characters search for self-respect, while poking fun at life at a learning institution. Malamuds next novel, ‘The Fixer’ (1966), is one of his most powerful works. The winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, this book is based on the historical account of Mendel Beiliss, a Russian Jew who was accused of murdering a Christian child. With ‘The Tenants’ (1971), Malamud returns to a New York City setting in a contrast between two writers—one Jewish and the other African American—struggling to survive in an urban ghetto. Malamud further addresses the nature of literature and the role of the artist in ‘Dublin’s Lives’ (1979). In this work, the protagonist, William Dublin, attempts to create a sense of worth for himself, both as a man and as a writer. Malamuds last finished novel, ‘Gods Grace’ (1982), studies both the original Holocaust and a new, imagined Holocaust of the future. The novel is a wild, at times brilliant, at times confusing, description of a flood similar to that in the Bible story of Noahs ark. Malamud continued to place stories in top American magazines. Mervyn Rothstein reported in the New York Times that Malamud said at the end of his life, With me, its story, story, story. In Malamuds next-to-last collection, ‘Rembrandts Hat’, only one story, ‘The Silver Crown’, deals with Jewish themes. Malamud is also renowned for his short stories, often oblique allegories set in a dreamlike urban ghetto of immigrant Jews. Of Malamud the short story writer, Flannery OConnor wrote: I have discovered a short-story writer who is better than any of them, including myself. He published his first stories in 1943, ‘Benefit Performance’ in Threshold and ‘The Place Is Different Now’ in American Preface. In the early 1950s, his stories began appearing in Harpers Bazaar, Partisan Review, and Commentary. ‘The Magic Barrel’ was his first published collection of short stories (1958) and his first winner of his first National Book Award for Fiction. Most of the stories depict the search for hope and meaning within the bleak enclosures of poor urban settings. The title story focuses on the unlikely relationship of Leo Finkle, an unmarried rabbinical student, and Pinye Salzman, a colorful marriage broker. Finkle has spent most of life with his nose buried in books and therefore isn’t well-educated in life itself. However, Finkle has a greater interest – the art of romance. He engages the services of Salzman, who shows Finkle a number of potential brides from his magic barrel but with each picture Finkle grows more uninterested. After Salzman convinces him to meet Lily Hirschorn, Finkle realizes his life is truly empty and lacking the passion to love God or humanity. When Finkle discovers a picture of Salzman’s daughter and sees her suffering, he sets out on a new mission to save her. Other well-known stories included in the collection are: ‘The Last Mohican’, ‘Angel Levine’, ‘Idiots First’, and ‘The Mourners’. This last story focuses on Kessler, the defiant old man in need of social security and Gruber, the belligerent landlord who doesnt want Kessler in the tenement anymore. Malamud’s fiction touches lightly upon mythic elements and explores themes like isolation, class, and the conflict between bourgeois and artistic values. His prose, like his settings, is an artful pastiche of Yiddish-English locutions, punctuated by sudden lyricism. Writing in the second half of the twentieth century, Malamud was well aware of the social problems of his day: rootlessness, infidelity, abuse, divorce, and more. But he also depicted love as redemptive and sacrifice as uplifting. In his writings, success often depends on cooperation between antagonists. For example, in The Mourners landlord and tenant learn from each others anguish. In ‘The Magic Barrel’, the matchmaker worries about his fallen daughter, while the daughter and the rabbinic student are drawn together by their need for love and salvation. Malamuds third story ‘Rembrandts Hat’ collection is noteworthy for its consistently pessimistic tone and theme of failed communication in stories such as ‘My Son the Murderer’, ‘The Silver Crown’, and ‘The Letter’. ‘The volume The People’, and ‘Uncollected Stories’ contains an unfinished novel about a Russian Jewish peddler in the American West who becomes a marshal and is kidnapped by Indians. It also includes fourteen stories written between 1943 and 1985. LIST OF OTHER NOTABLE JEWISH AMERICAN WRITERS †¢ Aimee Bender — novelist and short story writer, known for her often fantastic and surreal plots and characters †¢ Saul Bellow, novelist that won the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts †¢ Bernard Cooper, novelist, short story writer †¢ E. L. Doctorow, novelist †¢ Richard Ellmann, literary critic, won National Book Award for Nonfiction †¢ Barthold Fles, literary agent and non-fiction writer †¢ Emma Goldman, anarchist writer †¢ Joseph Heller, author of Catch-22 †¢ Christopher Hitchens, literary critic and political activist †¢ Irving Howe, literary critic †¢ Roger Kahn. The Boys of Summer 1972 †¢ Jerzy Kosinski, author of The Painted Bird †¢ Emma Lazarus, poet and novelist †¢ Fran Lebowitz, author, known for her sardonic social commentary on American life through her New York sensibilities †¢ Seymour Martin Lipset, political sociologist. †¢ Reggie Nadelson, novelist known particularly for her mystery works †¢ Mark Obama Ndesandjo, author, half-brother of President Barack Obama †¢ Cynthia Ozick, short story writer, novelist, and essayist †¢ Jodi Picoult, novelist †¢ Ayn Rand, novelist and founder of Objectivism †¢ Lea Bayers Rapp, non-fiction and childrens fiction writer †¢ Philip Roth, known for autobiographical fiction that explored Jewish and American identity. †¢ Norman Rosten, novelist †¢ J. D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye †¢ Gary Shteyngart (born 1972) Russian-born writer †¢ Isaac Bashevis Singer, leading figure in Yiddish literature, won Nobel Prize †¢ George Steiner (born 1929) literary critic †¢ Daniel Stern, novelist] †¢ Leopold Tyrmand, writer †¢ Judith Viorst (born 1932) author, known for her childrens literature †¢ Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author of 57 books CONCLUSION The situation and the position of the Jewish-American writer have always been different from that of the other ethnicities in America and still remain so until today. One difference is highlighted by a comparison with the African-American writers. The marginal position of black authors has disappeared on the book market in the United States, but the themes of alienation and anger will not vanish as readily from their works. Instead of integration into the Literary and artistic mainstream, black writers and artists wanted, especially since the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, to arrive at their own forms of literary expression which would have direct relevance for their lives. They wished to answer the question of their relationship to white mainstream culture by implementing a multicultural strategy: their literature is not that of assimilation, but in many ways that of establishing difference, separatism, and cultural resistance. While with the African-American writers there is no sense of the success or even desirability of social and cultural integration into the predominantly white mainstream of American society, many Jewish-American authors felt it as necessary and desirable, and as a result even managed to acquire it. Indeed, a great number of contemporary Jewish-American writers such as Norman Mailer, Saul Bellow, Joseph Heller, Bernard Malamud, Arthur Miller, Philip Roth and others have had literary success. The language employed by these writers is standard American English, they are socially accepted, and their works are read by a wide Jewish and non-Jewish audience. For this reason it is widely considered that their texts form part of a recognized literary canon, and belong to the American literary center or mainstream, as far as this may still be defined today. As much as we agreed to this idea we cannot ignore several facts which underline the necessity to view Jewish American literary productions as shaped by strong ethnic forces, and Jewish American literature as both belonging to and standing out in the multicultural American landscape. BIBLOGRAPHY Books Sanford, Sternlicht Masterpieces of Jewish American Literature Cristina, Nilsson Jewish American Literature: Bernard Malamud, Philip Roth and Cynthia Ozick Websites http://en. wikipedia. org http://www. swiftpapers. com http:// Top of Form.

HM Leadership Style An Analysis

HM Leadership Style An Analysis Hennes and Mauritz (H and M) was established in Vasteras, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Persson. H and M offers fashion and quality at the best price and offers fashion for women, men, teenagers and children. The collections are created centrally by around 100 in-house designers together with buyers and pattern makers. HM also sells own-brand cosmetics, accessories and footwear. The stores are refreshed daily with new fashion items. In Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria HM offers fashion by Internet and catalogue sales. HM does not own any factories, but instead buys its goods from around 700 independent suppliers, primarily in Asia and Europe. HM has about 16 production offices around the world, mainly in Asia and Europe. The turnover in 2009 was SEK 118,697 million. HM primarily operates in Europe, North America and Asia, and have around 2,000 stores spread over in 37 countries. The company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and employs approximate ly 68,000 people on a full time basis. HMs strategy is to offer fashion and quality at the best price. HMs annual report (AR1 2008) emphasizes that quality relates to both; HMs products exceeding customer expectations, and also customers being satisfied with the company itself. The report states Taking responsibility for how our operations affect people and the environment is also an essential prerequisite for HMs continued profitability and growth. HM is driven by strong values such as commercial mindset, simplicity, constant improvement, cost consciousness and entrepreneurship (AR1 2008, p.13). Long-term strategic goals of HM In the Annual Report (AR1 2008, p.7), HM, CEO Rolf Ericsson states that the long term goal is to Make fashion available to everyone, give the customer a fashion experience that strengthens HM brand. They also state the goal of a 10-15% increase in the number of stores every year, which would be funded internally (AR1 2008, p.13). The aim to increase sales in existing stores, while focusing on quality and continued profitability. How does HM want to get there? To execute its strategy HM focuses on 3 main aspects of its business concept (AR1 2008): à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Price, which is controlled by limiting the number of middlemen, buying in large volumes, relying on its in-depth, extensive expertise within the design, fashion, and textile industries, buying the right merchandise from the right production markets, being cost-conscious at all levels and maintaining effective distribution procedures (Job advertisement for Buyer on the careers site at). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Design: Products are designed in-house and production is completely outsourced (AR1 2009, p.11). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Quality: Central emphasis on quality with extensive testing and ensuring least environment damage (AR1 2009). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Merger and Acquisitions: Acquisitions (like FaBric Scandinavian, the Swedish design company), and Design Collaborations (collaboration with Mathew Williamson) are adopted (HM press at). In 2009, HM plans to open 225 new stores and recruit 6,000 to 7,000 employees. SWOT Analysis Strengths- One of the main reasons for HMs popularity is because of its trendy items for such a low price. This store offers quality clothing at department store prices which is rare for many retailers today. Strength for this company is their overall delivery time. It only takes 12 weeks to get an item from the design to its retail state which is very impressive for a worldwide, low price retailer. The average for retailers is usually about 6 months which is double the time that HM uses. They also manage to keep the stores brands fresh with guest designers coming in for different lines in the store. Some of these have been Madonna and Robert Cavalli. They also keep the prices affordable by using very few middlemen and buy large volumes cost consciously. But with these strengths come weaknesses as well. Weaknesses- One of the strengths I mentioned above can also be a weakness for this company. Buying large volumes means that there is no real guarantee that all the items will be sold. This means that theyre already low prices may have to be lowered in order to make room for the next collection. This means that if these items are not sold in time, then the company will have to pay more for extra storage for the items not sold. Another weakness could be its wide range of customers this brand provides for. The range is for men between the ages of 18-45. This is not including the childrens clothing and maternity wear and the huge wide range of different styles they provide depending on what store you go into. This can be difficult to manage especially in a vertical company because there is no real focus on a target customer and gets more expensive to provide machinery for all these different groups of people. But with these huge leaps there are many opportunities for this company flouris h. Opportunities- One good opportunity would be for HM is to have matching clothes for mothers and children. I think this would be a good opportunity because there are also maternity wear and childrens clothes and I think that it would appeal to a larger crowd. They would like to dress their children like them in the same styles. Threats- since HM is a brand that is very unique it has very few threats as far as retail chains go. One of these stores would have to be the clothing chain called ZARA. This is a store that also has fairly reasonable prices but is most famous for its rapid delivery time. It only takes two weeks for the design to make it into retail stores. Even with HMs time which is 50% faster than most retailers, cannot even compete with that time. The second threat to HM is Gap just because of their quality at reasonable prices and their wide range of people they reach as well with their vertical company as well. There is a market for babies as well as men and women HUMAN RESOURCE HMs corporate strategy is to expand on a continuing basis, and as a consequence, employee strength also increases continuously. For 2009, HMs Annual report (AR1 2008), forecasts the addition of 6000 to 7000 new jobs. Their staff is spread across approximately 37 countries and come from different cultural backgrounds. Their strategy is to recruit locally whenever a new store opens (AR1 2008). The main area for which HM may have clearly articulated policies are listed below. The policy areas are based on the categorization by Armstrong (Armstrong (2006), pp.148-156): à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Overall Policy and Values: HMs website indicates that their objective is to be a good employer, including in those countries whose laws and regulations fall short of their own requirements. To quote the Head of HR In order to meet peoples expectations of HM as an attractive employer, the company develops global guide lines on diversity, equal rights and against discrimination (AR1 2008, p.34).At HM, HR activities are guided by a fundamental respect for the individual (AR1 2008). This applies to every aspect from fair wages, working hours and freedom of association to the opportunity for growth and development within the company. This also indicates that the company has specific policies for areas such as Equal opportunity, Managing diversity, Employee development, Health and Safety, among others. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Employee Relations and Voice: HM has an open door policy granting all employees the right and the opportunity to discuss any work-related issue directly with management (AR1 2008). They also support their employees right and ability to organize and to decide who should represent them in the workplace (AR1 2008). HM has positive experience of open and constructive dialogue with the trade unions and they welcome such relations wherever they operate. They consider such cooperation to be essential if they are to become even better. Examples of collaboration on staffing issues include their agreement with UNI (Union Network International) and the work they do with the EWC (European Works Council), (AR1, 2008). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Promotion: To quote Mr. Pà ¤r Darj, Head of HR at HM . Internal recruitment and job rotation enable the company to grow quickly (AR1, 2008). This statement indicates that HM has policies related to promotion. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Employee Development: To quote Mr. Pà ¤r Darj, Head of HR at HM . I tell employees, if you do not grow neither will HM (AR1, 2008). This indicates that policies exist for this area. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rewards: HM focuses on rewarding people by providing more opportunities and responsibilities, and not through a promotions and job titles (AR1, 2008). This indicates that HM has policies for this area. Other areas with clearly defined policies might exist, but these are not evident from available sources. ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR HM operates in 37 countries and has a work force belonging to these 37 countries because they recruit locally (AR1 2008, p.34). HMs espoused values are stated to be the foundation for a multinational company in a multi cultural market where great respect is paid to the individual. Interviews with the CEO and Head of HR in the annual report indicate a participative culture where everyone is made to feel like a part of the companys success (AR1 2008). To quote Par Darj,(Head of HR) The key words for continual growth are responsibility and commitment. We have committed employees and we are prepared to delegate responsibility at every level, (AR1 2008, p.34). The company encourages what it calls the The HM spirit; employees committed to their work and prepared to take on new challenges, common sense, hard work and team spirit are encouraged. All their operations are typified by an essential respect for the individual; including reasonable wages, reasonable hours, and opportunity to grow, and develop within the company (AR1 2008, p.34). Quotes from employees about the organizational climate indicate that the values above are values in use. These quotes can be found on the Careers site at. Based on this information, the prevalent culture appears to be primarily task oriented (E H Schein 1985). Such a culture can support HMs HR related strategies and policies (like Open door, job rotation, freedom of association etc.). They also have a significant impact on HR aspects; Recruitment needs to focus on finding candidates with the right fit to the organizational culture irrespective of local culture, facilitating expatriation of experienced staff when new stores are opened, facilitating rewards schemes aligned with organizational culture, enabling HRD that can empower employees to take on new challenges and work in new teams. Motivational issues at HM. HM is a flat organization, which might give the impression that its hard to move up within HM, but actually, the opposite is stated to be true on the careers site(at ). HM as an organization is constantly evolving and is growing fast, thus providing more opportunities to its employees. Employees are motivated by providing new challenges; in another department, another role or, another country. HM encourages employees to try many different roles within their organization (AR1 2008 and AR2 2008). HM recruitment advertisements indicate possibilities like: working abroad, furthering education and learning new things. Their websites promotes that many in management today, actually started on the shop floor. HM also provides a comprehensive benefits package. HM fulfils employee aspirations by providing opportunities to take more responsibilities. (Ref: careers site at ) To quote the Head of HRM at HM, By the same token, if titles and pay structures are what motivate the employee, and then were most definitely not the ideal company for you. As we said at the beginning: a perfect relationship is all about balance and mutual understanding(AR1 2008, p.34). The information above, together with information about HMs HR strategies and policies, resonates with Herzbergs 2 factor model of motivation. Advancement, responsibility and satisfaction gained from the work itself are main motivators, while benefits, fair treatment etc. prevent dissatisfaction (Herzberg and Snyderman, 1957). The main motivational issue and challenge at HM could be: nurturing and maintaining a balanced relationship with employees. Line managers may need good awareness of their reportees aspirations, to enable motivation by providing responsibilities and opportunities aligned to the employees perception of growth. The strategy to motivate using job-rotation (across sites, roles, functions) and promoting learning could be an HRD challenge, especially considering the pace of growth. A potential issue could arise during periods of slow growth, since employees might be frustrated by the lack of opportunities. This could manifest locally too, since travelling abroad might not be feasible for many employees. Individual development versus organisational development HMs annual report (AR1 2008) and website (Careers website), emphasize that working at HM is about commitment, both from the individual and the organization. HMs Head of HR emphasizes that organization can grow only if the individuals grow (AR1 2008, p.34). HM wont make a career plans for its employees, but will provide them with tools to go as far as they possibly can on their own. This indicates that at HM, individuals are expected to drive their own development, within the framework that the organization provides. The organization appears to facilitate and promote cross-functional and cross-boundary development opportunities for individuals, which is aligned with its own development and growth strategies. To quote Pà ¤r Darj, (Head of HR), We have committed employees and we are prepared to delegate responsibility at every level. I tell employees, if you do not grow neither will HM, (AR1 2008 p.34). This indicates that HM treats individual development and organizational development as tightly linked areas. SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT HM values personal qualities much more than formal qualifications. Pà ¤r Darj, Head of HR states that at HM, great grades and all the university credits in the world are no guarantee of a job or a fast-track career. They look for, more than anything, people with the right personality. HMs belief is that people can gather skills as they go along, but personality and attitude cant be taught (AR1 2008, p.34). Since HM is a fast company and the tempo is always high, they need employees who are self-driven and capable of direct communication well (SR 2008). Hence HM recruits people who like responsibility and decision-making. Information from the careers site (at ), and from interviewed candidates ( Ref: Int1, Int2 and Int3) indicates that a love of fashion combined with a focus on sales is perceived as an advantage. These appear to form the basis for HMs recruitment requirements (and person specifications), programmes and drive its selection processes. Feedback from candidates indicates that the selection interview approach is usually face to face and mostly structured situational based (Armstrong (2006), p.447), covering customer service and fashion trends. This is followed by panel interviews and aptitude/work sample tests (as defined by Armstrong (2006), p.447). It appears that candidates are filtered at each stage of the process (Int1, Int2, and Int3). Sources of candidates: Internal Recruitment: This is their first choice for a new job opening. External recruitment is considered only if no internal options are available. External recruitment: Potential recruits (minimum age is 16 years) are encouraged to apply directly to the local store, from the careers website. HM does not offer summer jobs or work experience placements. Buying is centralized in Stockholm, and so is the recruitment for the same. HM recruits locally to its new stores (AR1 2008, p.34). HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Organisational learning and management development issues at HM. The average numbers of training days per employee in 2008 are, 10 for new sales staff, 1 for existing sales staff and 5 for existing management positions. HM usually conducts all training in-house (classroom, stores and one to one), written and produced by HM staff. External training has been considered for some areas like buying. E-learning has also been initiated for a few subjects (SR 2008). However, indications are that HM today focuses more on on-the-job, just- in time, hands on learning. For example, when they opened their first HM store in Japan, locally recruited employees were sent to Norway and Germany for gaining experience in existing operations. Also, during the sales intensive opening phase of a new store, colleagues from other countries are brought in temporarily (SR 2008). To quote the head of HR at HM,As an employee of HM, you can be an entrepreneur and you will be given responsibility early on. HM claims to provide structured opportunities for on-the-job, hands on and work place based training. (AR1 2008 and Careers site). To summarize, it appears that HM focuses on experiential Self-directed learning today ( as defined by Armstrong (2006), p.557) , however, they are moving towards incorporating a blended approach with simulation and e-learning included (Armstrong (2006), 570-582) REWARD MANAGEMENT The reward management process of HM and its potential influence on human resource management. HMs careers website (at )indicates that the company offers a comprehensive benefits package, which includes staff discounts, incentive bonuses, company sick pay, private health care a pension scheme. Share options are not provided. The head of HR, indicates that they do not consider titles and pay structures as motivational tools. Opportunities to fulfill an employees aspirations by wanting more responsibility, as a means of getting on with in the organization quickly, are provided (AR1 2008, p.34). Apart from these, as stated by different categories of employees on the careers site and the annual report, the main reward is the job satisfaction they derive. Thus, HM appears to provide a total reward framework, with greater emphasis on relational rewards even though transactional rewards are provided (Armstrong (2006), pp.639-631). HMs reward management is consistent with other HR areas, including organizational culture, recruitment/selection etc. and is also in sync with the overall HR strategy of open doors, job rotation etc. which is essential to fulfill HMs strategy of fast growth. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTS ROLE IN HMS SUCCESS, AN ANALYSIS. The previous sections illustrate the various HRM practices at HM. This section details how these practices contribute to the success of HM as an organization, in the context of the SHRM course literature. These are categorized under the various aspects of SHRM below: Linking People with strategic business needs H M today is a hugely successful multinational company. The success of HM is primarily based on the business model of entire design being done internally and centrally, manufacturing totally outsourced, but quality ensured and local retailing with hired places, local staff and local shop managers empowered to take decisions. The success, business growth and expansion plans were possible because HM have formatted their HR strategy in line with the corporate strategy. As evident from their Annual Report (Ar1 2008), when they expand into new markets they do not lose sight of their core values. They have succeeded to manage all components of HRM effectively to ensure that core values are upheld in all parts, regardless of country and cultural differences. Their strategic and coherent approach in recognizing that the organizations most valued assets are the people working there is evident from the statement issued by their CEO, It is our employees that make the corporate strategy possible . Our committed employees are essential to HMs ability to grow and continue to be highly profitable. At HM we share the same goals at the same time as we minimize bureaucracy and focus on the individual. We delegate a lot of responsibility to local markets, stores and individual people and we encourage people to take their own initiatives at all levels(AR1 2008). These are in accordance with Armstrongs definition of HRM (Armstrong (2006), p.3). The various elements of HR strategy, (Armstrong (2006), pp.123-146), like improving performance through local recruitment, in house training, and total reward, job rotation (external skill base), increasing commitment (selection based on personality, learning experience, rewards based on core values etc. ) have been built in to the HR Policy and Procedures, and are seen to be practiced, thus proving that the business success of the company has been supported effectively by the HR linkages. Rewards Management HM has implemented the concept of Total Reward Management very successfully. Apart from the financial compensation, job satisfaction as a reward has motivated the employees to perform and contribute their maximum to ensure customer satisfaction and business success through increased sales. This is evident in the statements by the employees from various levels on the Careers site at . As a stated policy, there is more emphasis on personality development through delegated authority in the decision making process and greater autonomy to local elements of the organizational structure. Being a multinational company with employees of different cultures, this decentralized decision making process and empowerment of employees have proven direct impact on the success of HM (AR1 2008) Various techniques associated with Intrinsic Motivation (Armstrong (2006), p.254) have been given more importance and priority than the extrinsic aspects. Work environment related parameters like leadership, empl oyee voice, recognition, achievement etc. have been built in to the HR policy and practiced to leverage the critical business goals of continuing growth and increased profitability. Performance Management HM has adopted a strategic and integrated approach to achieve organizational success through improved performance of its employees (Armstrong (2006), p.115). HM employees have been told that the growth of the employees and the organization are closely linked (AR1 2008, p.34) .The practice of Shop Managers going through a process of reviewing that days business with their subordinates on a daily basis, is part of the performance management activity. This underlines the fact that HM has recognized the importance of such a practice, and built in that process by which managers and their subordinates work together, agree on what needs to be done and how it is done (Armstrong (2006), pp.499-513). They are able to plan, prioritize and develop their sales team in a customer-focused environment (AR1 2008, pp.31-36 and Careers Site). At HM a shop manager is in charge of the daily running of the store; it is like running their own business (AR1 2008, p.34). The HR strategy of delegating authori ty for managing the shops activities is a key factor contributing to the success of the organization. Managing Diversity in teams and groups HM operates in 33 countries and is expanding its business to open new shops in countries where they are currently not present. By their HR policy and procedures, when a new shop is opened the staff are recruited locally. They also have the practice of job rotation and movement of employees from one location to another based on internal recruitment (promotions). This brings together people of different cultural back grounds together in the same team, and successfully managing such a team is crucial to the success of the organization. The HR strategy is, not to have very rigid procedures, and the corporate culture of respect to the individual. As stated in their Annual Report (AR1 2008), the HR strategy ensure the following: 1. In order to meet peoples expectations of HM as an attractive employer, company develops global guide lines on diversity, equal rights and against discrimination. 2. HMs objective is to be a good employer, including in those countries whose laws and regulations fall short of their own requirements. The whole of their activity is shaped by a fundamental respect for the individual. This applies to every aspect from fair wages, working hours and freedom of association to the opportunity for growth and development within the company (AR1, 2008). 3. HM has positive experience of open and constructive dialogue with the trade unions and they welcome such relations wherever they operate. They consider that cooperation is essential if they are to become even better. Examples of collaboration on staffing issues include their agreement with UNI (Union Network International) and the work they do with the EWC (European Works Council). (SR (2008)) HMs success in executing their strategy of continuous international growth and expansion, while maintaining its Swedish organizational culture, indicates that its HR practices have contributed to the successful management of diversity in teams and groups. Planning, Recruitment and Selection The HR strategy, which is closely aligned with the organizational strategy to achieve continuing growth and profitability, envisages recruitment of people every year to run the new stores scheduled to be opened. For example, as per their Annual report (AR1 2008), about 6000 7000 employees are to be recruited during this financial year, to meet the requirements of the 225 new stores being opened worldwide. The planning and recruitment is based on the HR policy to recruit locally when a new store is opened (Armstrong (2006), pp.363-388). Future employees are evaluated and chosen (Armstrong (2006), pp.409-471) according to certain criteria practiced by HM and based on the companys culture. They look for people with personality who can perform well within the culture, growth and motivational framework provided at HM. To quote Pà ¤r Darj, Head of HR, At HM, great grades and all the university credits in the world are no guarantee of a job or a fast-track career. Of course, we do welcome those things, but what we are really looking for, more than anything, is people with the right personality. This is based on the belief that one can always gather skills as you go along, but personality and attitude cant be taught. Either youve got it or you dont. One of the most important things we look for is drive. (AR1 2008, p.5-34). Organisational Behaviour At HM, a lot of importance is given to personality development and for opportunity for the employees to grow within the organization. Various practices empowering the employees; like a Shop Manger being allowed to take independent decisions, and managing the business like an entrepreneur etc. are designed to increase employee loyalty and commitment to the organization and are great motivators (Armstrong (2006), pp.239-316 and AR1 2008). The HR strategy for employee motivation; total reward with emphasis on Intrinsic Motivation (Armstrong (2006), p.254), has been proven, to be directly related to forming the success of the organization. All their operations are typified by an essential respect for the individual; including reasonable wages, reasonable hours, opportunity to grow and develop within the company (AR1, 2008) The prevailing organizational culture at HM encourages team work, supports effective leadership and provides adequate growth opportunity for employees. These HR strate gic initiatives in turn make significant contributions to the organizational goals of continuing growth and profitability. Human Resource Development Ensuring Learning and Development opportunities for its employees is an integral part of the HR strategy at HM (AR1 2008), and these essential ingredients contribute significantly to the success of the organization. Human Resource Development is a continuing process at H&M; the new recruits being sent to already existing shops for gaining valuable experience, experienced employees being brought to new shops to support the new local recruits during the intensive opening period activity etc. This is critical to the process of organizational learning and helps them climb the learning curve faster (Armstrong (2006), p.554). Keeping employees highly motivated is essential to the success of HM, due to the nature of its business of dealing in high fashion consumer goods. The various concepts that can be adopted to increase performance (like job satisfaction as a reward management tool) are very effectively employed and as the employees themselves state, Im happy to be here and every day is a challenge (Careers site at ). Expectancy Theory, which states that if individuals feel that the outcome of learning is likely to benefit them, they will be more inclined to prove it (Armstrong (2006), p.556) has been proven on the shop floors of HM. The HR practice of giving responsibility to the employees early on in their career, treating them as entrepreneurs rather than just employees, (AR1 2008, p.34) is a definite and positive step towards their development. Considering the employees as capable of shaping its results and improving it in big and small ways, is key to HMs approach to learning and development. International HRM HM is a multinational company with operations in 33 countries and new countries being added every year as the organization grows. The strategy of local recruitment when a new shop opens leads to the situation of a collective work force belonging to different nationalities adjusting to a common organizational culture. This is the big HR challenge, which the company has very successfully overcome. The HR strategy of delegation of authority and empowerment of employees has played a very important role in this success. The shop manager runs the business as an entrepreneur and is authorized to take independent decisions with in the overall guide lines. Think globally and act locally, Laurent (1986) (from Armstrong (2006), p.104), has been adapted as the mantra for success at HM. They have identified the core and non core activities (design and manufacturing; being core, done centrally, and distribution; noncore, done locally) , they have built global brand equity while honoring local customs, they share their learning and create new knowledge. Conclusion To conclude, HM has balanced the needs of coordination, control and autonomy and maintained the appropriate balance between them. These are critical to the success of any multinational company ( Bartlett Ghosal (1991) from Armstrong (2006), p.104) . -