CHAPTER 8 DISCUSSION EXERCISE- THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HEALTHY Assignment

CHAPTER 8 DISCUSSION EXERCISE- THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HEALTHY WORKPLACES MODEL - Assignment Example In this context, a healthy workplace is an environment filled with sustainable strategies and resources meant to create and maintain suitable levels of physical, emotional and psychological well-being among the workforce. One of the key underlying principles of WHO workplace health model is leadership involvement. In addressing health issues within a workplace, leaders and managers should be at the forefront. Primarily, subordinate employees work under strict directions provided by leaders. Actually, subordinate employees have limited influence in the formulation and structuring of workplace practices (World Health Organization 21). Contrarily, leaders have the freedom and permission to integrate health objectives in workplace practices. Besides leadership involvement, another paramount core principle in the model is sustainable representation of workers. Technically, employees possess practical knowledge on the depth and breadth of health challenges within their respective workstations. In this case, democratic representation of workers in decision making and policy formulation will enhance the representativeness of healthy workplace practices (World Health Organization 21). Personally, I would inco rporate both principles of leadership engagement, and sustainable representativeness in my future workplace. As a participant in strategies of improving workers’ health, I would actively engage in awareness campaigns, especially charity runs and related community outreach programs. Undeniably, the first step in addressing health problems within a workplace is awareness creation. Most workers and community members may be oblivious of unhealthy workplace practices. In this case, awareness campaigns will not only highlight the presence of undesirable workplace practices, but also elaborate on the probable impacts of those practices. In this context, I would participate in the planning and staging of awareness marathons, and offer any

Technical Managers and the Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Technical Managers and the Law - Assignment Example Act (ADEA) and the American with Disability Act (ADA) also discourages retaliatory and punitive employment practices such as deluging workers with work and transferring older workers into a more intricate working environment among other unfair practices (Hayden 4). The laws also guide and protect the business from being sued by either the employees, the government or other interested stakeholders. They make managers and supervisors to effectively manage their employees. In addition, Customers are attracted to businesses that uphold workplace laws. Workplace laws can have a negative consequence for the employer. For instance, if the employer violates some of these workplace laws, it can lead to fines and penalties that will ultimately reduce business returns (Cihon and Castagnera 673). The employer may also be compelled to incur extra expenses in hiring extra staff that will ensure that the organization policies and practices are in line with workplace laws. No. Since I have never been employed before, I have not been involved or witnessed an unethical or illegal workplace law situation. I am still in school and not attained an age where I can be

The Report On Ecommerce In Tesco Plc Marketing Essay

The Report On Ecommerce In Tesco Plc Marketing Essay The present business environment is characterized by rising cut throat competition amongst competitors, ever increasing consumer demands, technological advancements, regulatory changes etc (Hill Jones, 2007). In such a situation, it becomes critically important for an organization to look for tools and modes of businesses which help them sustain their position and protect their competitive edge while reducing the costs of operations and enhancing profitability. Ecommerce is one such tool which helps organizations to undergo such. Ecommerce has brought revolutions in the mode of operations of organizations, and this has attributed 21st century in being known for its electronic economy (Coundouris, 2012). For the purpose of this assignment, Tesco has been chosen whose present ecommerce activities, and its implication will be looked into. Task 1 About Tesco Plc Tesco Plc is one of the largest global retailers of general merchandise and grocery. The British company, has the present rank of being the 3rd biggest global retailer as per the revenues generated (Reuters, 2011). It has presence, in more than 14 countries and is the market leader in groceries in its home country, United Kingdom, Thailand, Malaysia and Republic of Ireland (Finch, 2010). Tesco plc has present employee strength of more than 5, 00,000 in its global operations dedicated to providing the best choice, value as high quality service to the millions of customers base (Tesco Plc, 2013). 1.1. Business Functions of Tesco Tesco is a leading global retailer having its headquarters in United Kingdom. In order for it to maintain its business efficiency and productivity, it needs its main business functions to operate in an effective fashion. The main business functions of Tesco are Finance, Procurement Purchase, Human Resources, Sales Marketing, Information Technology and Supply Chain Management, business services consultancy etc. Along with this, another critical function of Tesco is the research and development function. 1.2. Tescos aim its relation to stakeholders Tescos main business aim is based on seven strategic pillars (Tesco Plc, 2013). These are as follows; Growth in the United Kingdom markets Being an outstanding retailer both online and real world Achieve a stronghold in the food items Experience a vast growth of the entire range of retail services in their different markets Putting responsibilities in the communities which are served by them and undertaking initiatives for the welfare and overall benefits Creator of a large number of high value brands Aiming to build a manpower team which shall help in creating more value for the organization and its services. Tesco places immense importance on maintaining and improving the stakeholder relations. They value their stakeholders and undertake initiatives to help and strengthen their relationships with them. The following are the lead stakeholders of Tesco Plc; Customers: Tesco places significance on the feedback provided by the customers in developing new products and services to help them serve more efficiently. The program of customer question times is critical, as through this the staff can take the ideas and opinions of the customers. Employees: Tesco is a pro-employee company, and believes that the only way it can sustain its competitive edge over others is by valuing their employees. Tesco management encourages feedback from the staff employees through different programs namely, the Staff Question Time, Viewpoint Staff Surveys, Processes of Staff Forum etc. Suppliers: Supplier relationships are an aspect which is critical for the success of Tesco, and the latter takes an active role in developing the suppliers for meeting their quality criteria and standardizations. Investors/Shareholders: Tesco has in place an efficient Investor Relations team which, maintains the investor relations. Society at large: The society in which Tesco operates is also impacted by the organizations operations, thereby serving as a key stakeholder of the retailer. Non Governmental Organizations: Tesco on a consistent basis meets with the different nongovernmental organizations in order to understand as well as respond to the different areas of concerns. Task 2 Impact of e-commerce 2.1. Impact of E-commerce on Tesco As per market experts, ecommerce is a tool which has revolutionized the relationship of the business and the consumer. As per the opinion of Terry Leary in 2001, the then Chief Executive of Tesco, the company has been able to develop the most efficient and best online system of grocery system in the globe. Tesco has been one of the first organizations to have understood the power of internet and incorporated such in their regular business functions since 1994. It established its online grocery shopping website for the first time in 1996. Finally, in 2000, the online website of Tesco was formally launched. Tesco in the present date has indeed emerged as the largest e-grocer globally (Tesco Plc, 2013). Tesco has played a critical role in changing the habits of purchase of the consumers. No longer, does the consumer feel the need to physically be present at the supermarkets and grocery stores in order to purchase their daily requirements. Presently Tescos website has wide product offeri ngs in categories of fresh food and groceries, clothing items, food, wines, gadgets etc. Tesco, as per recent announcements intend to invest more on the ecommerce aspect in developing a full 3D immersive web store which will take e-shopping into the next level and can be possible due to the rising broadband speeds of the UK users and the popularity of smart TVs (Chapman, 2012). 2.1.1. Risks of ecommerce in Tesco Tescos ecommerce activities have been recently criticized by market experts, namely, Troy Hunt, a Most Valuable Professional of Microsoft. As per him, Tesco overlooks certain basic security measures namely, password storage and protection, unselective encryption, a mixed aspect of the browser warnings as well as content, insecurities originated through different HTTP cookies, mis- configuration of security which act as significant risks for the ecommerce activities of Tesco (Hunt, 2012). 2.2. Global Impact of Ecommerce on society Ecommerce has a thorough impact on the global economy and society. As ecommerce enables people to shop from the comfort of their homes or offices, and ensure access to a wide range of products irrespective of the geographical boundaries, it has gained more competitive momentum and consists of very low barriers of entrance. This has in fact motivated a large number of businesses to adapt ecommerce in their normal modes of operations. Ecommerce has been a part of the large process of social change, constituting the globalization of the economies, transformation towards information and knowledge, increased prominence of different forms of technology etc. Electronic commerce is helping in shaping the entire society as a whole and hence, societal factors have a direct influence on the growth of such phenomenon. There are two societal enabling factors which fuel the growth of ecommerce. These are digital economy and trust confidence (Gibbs, Kraemer, Dedrick, 2003). However, the impact of ecommerce on societies can be explained in the following points; Ecommerce has totally revolutionized the mode of purchasing by consumers. This has resulted in the massive savings of time, which these individuals can now contribute in generating more value. It has significantly helped in strengthening of the social infrastructure by bringing on improvements in health, education, human resource developments, and training and in the overall sense of the communities. The specific technologies which are associated with ecommerce namely, in the automated payment systems, smart cards, e-information etc, play a critical role in the nurturing, delivery and strengthening of these services. Ecommerce has impacted the overall society by bringing in differences in some generalized social effects. Firstly time is an example of such. Ecommerce helps in efficient time management and has brought about a wide change in the concepts of time. Shorter product life cycles, round the clock operations and delivery of products and services are concepts with evolved with the evolution of ecommerce (Lewis Cockrill, 2002). As per studies conducted it has been observed, with the spread of ecommerce, individuals and families using such intend to have a higher than the average household income etc. As ecommerce was initially established more in United States, their native language is more prevalent in the electronic commerce. English and specifically American English has been the predominant language of such internet technology. Ecommerce has achieved a more or less equal familiarity with both its female users and male users. Hence, gender division has become less of a specific issue. As per surveys conducted of different websites, it has been observed that though women are the primary users of websites on shopping, retail, men have been the dominant users of car sites, gadgets etc (Marsden, 2000). Task 3 Designing ecommerce solutions 3.1. Market potential of an ecommerce opportunity in Tesco Tesco presently has more than 6234 stores in over 13 countries of operations and enjoys vast global customer base. It was one of the very first retailers to have started the ecommerce interactive website, and what was once solely used by a small consumer base of 450 has now thrived to become a booming business of ecommerce. Tesco already has in placed a large number of ecommerce activities, which have vast market potential. However, the company is now working on innovative technologies to make the shopping experience of customers from home a more enriching and realistic experience. Tesco is intending to launch a 3 dimensional ecommerce experience to help their consumers derive more value from their online presence. They are focusing on creation of a 3D store, which are now possible due to the prevalence of high speed broadband and a strong web browser (Chapman, 2012). Users can enter such 3D stores through the interface of smart televisions, and can select their products of choice from virtual racks of products as are placed in the brick and mortar stores. This initiative of Tesco takes ecommerce to the next level, and hence such has immense market potential. However, a critical necessity for consumers in order to take active part in such 3-D e-shopping is that, they must have in place smart televisions. This though is prevalent in first world nations, is gradually being adopted by the developing countries. 3.2. Present ecommerce systems used by Tesco Tesco Plc uses a specific interactive model named as the Market Portal Model for all its ecommerce activities. This model helps in integrating the supplier as well as the buyer sides and further ads relevant features and functions which help both the stakeholder groups in conducting business in an efficient fashion. This specific model is also being used by leading retailers namely, Walmart and has high utility in inventory distribution as well as management. This specific model is a transactional model, where it enables the buyers to purchase goods from the Tesco website, the information of which reaches the suppliers as well as Tesco. Suppliers have access to restricted information about such purchase and undertake actions regarding delivery and distribution. Tesco has invested in a heavy fashion in undertaking ecommerce activities, presently offering a specific mobile application along with an overall website for the customers of United Kingdom, the service of which is spread across the 70 + stores situated across Britain. This enables the nationals to purchase from Tesco from their mobile phones, iPad, laptops to collect groceries and other items. Tesco has been intending to expand their online store and purchasing facilities of fresh groceries and food items to other nations where they have based their operations in. Namely, in 2010, the leading retailer had planned to expand in Prague, Poland by October 2012 with further expansion to leading emerging markets of China, India, and Malaysia in the future. It is till date is in tandem with its targets. Instead of building specific and separate platforms of ecommerce for different nations, the British retailer built a common overall template which could be successfully utilized in the different international websites (Cotterill, 2012). The in-house team of Tesco present in India and United Kingdom built such a platform which is designated to work across the borders. Building such a common platform has been associated with a large number of challenges which were managed efficiently by the in house team of professionals of Tesco. 3.3. Financial implications of ecommerce solutions in Tesco Tesco has been identified as the most popular online shopping website amongst the UK buyers as according to a number of surveys (Charlton, 2011). As per the statistics obtained from comScore, Tesco occupied 66% of the total online shopping market in 2006 itself. The retailer accounted for  £ 1 of every  £ 8 spent on the high streets of UK, has been named by a number of market research companies as being the biggest online grocery services (Best, 2006). As per recent surveys, UK consumers spent around 6.4 billion pounds during October, 2012 which was a record rise since the statistics of last year. Also, as per the survey conducted by IMRG and Capgemini, online spending would further increase greatly in the future with Tesco occupying the largest chunk of such (Deatsch, 2012). Alongside, mobile sales have also increased which is leveraged by the mobile app designed by Tesco. The financial implications of such are in higher profitability, and revenue generation for the leading reta iler. 3.4. Design an ecommerce solution With customers becoming more technologically savvy and having high expectations from online retailers Tesco needs to be updated about the future trends of ecommerce and need to adopt such in order to launch innovative offerings to the customers. Tesco has been undertaking heavy investments to focus on ecommerce solutions, the most recent of such being the one billion pound investment strategy of developing the online websites through the Marketplace, which will enable the consumers to purchase other third party products from the website of Tesco. Tesco can undertake options through which, consumers while purchasing items from Tesco, can also aim to sell them to prospective buyers through the website. This will help in generating more interactions between the retailer and the consumers and will popularize it further. Further, Tesco can incorporate click and collect options of online purchases, where consumers can purchase products online, and collect such on their own time from a large number of collection points spread across the nation. Tesco can incorporate these points and design new solutions of ecommerce which will help in enhancing the customer satisfaction further. 3.5. Suitability of an ecommerce application Consumers increasingly provide importance in fast delivery of the products purchased through ecommerce channels. However, this does not signify that they are willing to pay extra shipping costs for such fast deliveries. Rather, it has been observed that, the concept of purchasing goods online, and collecting such by themselves is gaining importance. This is known as the Click and Collect concept. Tesco has already launched click and collect system, and is aiming to establish a large number of collection centers around Britain (Hall, 2012). As the customer feedback to such a system has been immensely positive, hence it can be safely concluded that such an ecommerce application would be suitable in the future. Findings The following are the core findings of this report; Ecommerce is a specific industry where selling and buying of goods and services are conducted through different computer systems and internet. Ecommerce in present times, works on different technologies of mobile commerce, internet marketing, electronic funds transfer and data exchange etc. Tesco, the largest retailer in United Kingdom places immense importance on ecommerce and has the very first retailer to have successfully launched the online website amongst its counterparts. Ecommerce has successfully revolutionized the mode of conducting business and simultaneously has impacted the society in bringing positive change in education, health, communication, other social factors etc. Tesco utilizes the Market Portal Model of ecommerce in its operations and has in place a very effective online shopping website specifically for the UK customers. In 2010, Tesco had targeted to expand its online grocery shopping options in other regions namely, Prague and Poland by 2012 and further into other emerging nations of India and China in future Tesco has invested to build a uniform platform of ecommerce, which will be applicable to different nations instead of building separate country specific channel. Further, Tesco, is focusing on building a 3D market place, through which buyers can have a look at the virtual market place through internet and smart televisions from the comfort of their homes while making purchases. Recommendations In order for Tesco to be successful in their endeavors, the following recommendations should be followed by them; Tesco should give initiative in understanding the different multichannel aspects of ecommerce and in identifying and strengthening the various checkpoints of such multiple channels (Dougall, 2012) Next Tesco should place more importance on the power of the mobile commerce, and build dedicated strategies to manage such effectively The concept of click and collect must be explored and more collection points must be established Aspects of real time bidding should also be looked into Conclusion Ecommerce has gained widespread importance in todays business world and is expected to gain a higher momentum in the future. Tesco Plc, the organization chosen for this report has been placing immense importance on such ecommerce activities, and has in store relevant strategic objectives which will help in enhancing the performance and the profitability of the company. This report would be of significant help to students of business management as they would obtain a comprehensive picture of ecommerce and its implications on a leading organization of today. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™

Effective Communication :: essays research papers

Effective communication is vital in teaching. Fento standards encourage teachers to â€Å"select and organise relevant information clearly and concisely†¦ present information to learners clearly and in an appropriate format†¦Use a range of communication skills and methods appropriate to specific learners and to the subject being studied. (www.fento.org) The necessary information that we as practitioners are trying to impart to our learners needs to be transmitted in such a way as to eliminate as many barriers or elements of interference as possible. However there can be numerous factors which hinder the message that we are trying to convey. This is concisely encapsulated by Petty â€Å"The â€Å"check and correct† phase also provides vital feedback for the teacher. Is learning taking place? Am I teaching too quickly? Are they doing it properly? The importance of this feedback cannot be over-stressed.† (Page 30) Petty here was recognising that a common barrier to learning is that the receiver may interpret the message that we send in their own way, according to their common frames of reference, which may be different from ours as the sender. An easy trap for us as practitioners to fall in is the use of â€Å"jargon†. There may be terms or words that we may use regularly and are comfortable using, however, some of our learners may not have experienced or even understand these terms. To help to minimise this confusion Reece and Walker suggest that â€Å"Non verbal signals – or even verbal signals, from the students should give us valuable feedback on the quality of communications.† (Page 271) Therefore we as practitioners must be vigilant in recognising the subtle or even not so subtle feedback on whether the information that we have imparted to the learners has been received in the context that it was sent. This may even include a question and answer session to determine understanding. The effective design and use of conventional and ICT learning materials. The availability of new types of resources and new types of interaction can satisfy different learning preferences and present alternative ways of accessing the same information. Reece and Walker (page 181) â€Å"A good aid is one which does a particular job to assist in the learning of a particular topic for a particular group of learners. But all learners are different. So, what works for one group does not necessarily work with another.† Therefore, we must continue to evaluate any resources that we may design and create that it is appropriate for the purpose, each student’s learning style, ability and understanding.

Teacher Leadership Does Culture Make a Difference

IntroductionResearch about educational leading theoretical accounts and teacher leading has largely been done in western contexts such as the USA, the U.K and Australia ( Dimmock & A ; Walker, 2000 ) . One job of reassigning educational constructs from the West is undervaluing the impact of civilization on the successful execution of a policy in a context where the civilization is different ( Goh, 2009 ) , because taking an organisation is interwoven with the civilization of those supervised ( Busher, 2006 ) . In some contexts, the organisational construction of an establishment differs from that of the state. In such a instance, pedagogues are most likely to confront challenges when using leading manners that differ from what is considered the norm in that cultural context ( Law & A ; Glover, 2000 ) . Cultural diverseness has been associated with differences in universe positions that have bearing on behavioural differences ( Tajfel & A ; Turner, 1986 ) . These differences manifest themselves into comprehending oneself as a member of one group and the perceptual experience of others as foreigners ( Giles, Wiemann & A ; Coupland, 1991 ) . This necessitates more cross-cultural surveies because most of the surveies about civilization come from the concern field ( Dimmock & A ; Walker, 2000 ) . In educational establishment, leaders ‘ apprehension of their ain cultural background and that of their module is indispensable because many educational establishments now have staff from different civilizations ( Slethaug, 2007 cited in Walker & A ; Riordan, 2010 ) . This is peculiarly true in the field of TESOL in the Arabian Gulf where most module members are non- Arabs and the direction is largely Western. This instance survey purposes to research the interrelatedness between teacher leading and civilization at a multicultural English Department at an establishment of higher instruction in the State of Qatar.Literature Reappraisal:Surveies that examine leading fro m an Arab position have been conducted entirely in the Fieldss of concern and cross-cultural psychological science. There are legion models for analyzing and comparing cultural values at the social degree and their impact on household, instruction, workplace, and province ( Hofstede, 2001 ) . Research refering to the Arabian Gulf derives from either the work of Geert Hofstede ( Dedoussis, 2004 ) or from the Globe Project ( Abdallah & A ; Al-Homoud, 2001 ) . These surveies have been criticized for 1 ) trying to homogenise the different civilizations ( Walker & A ; Dimmock, 2000 ) , 2 ) issues associating to informations aggregation, analysis, and cogency ( Smith et al. , 2007 ) , 3 ) the alteration in values because of economic development ( Inglehart & A ; Baker, 2000 ) , 4 ) and using these findings to a national degree without accounting for single and organisational differences ( Robertson et al. , 2001 ) . In this vena, Theoretical model1.1 Teacher leading:There is no clear cut and agreed upon definition for the term ‘teacher leading ‘ . The deficiency of consensus on a definition for the term can be attributed to the fact that it is wide and includes many facets ( York-Barr & A ; Duke, 2004 ) . The same position is shared by Lord and Miller ( 2000 ) who province that there is deficiency of apprehension of the term teacher leading and how it works. The focal point of the construct instructor leading is based on the capableness of instructors in holding and giving input on issues related to the school, which are non merely associated with decision makers and directors ( Harris & A ; Muijs, 2003 ) . The leading functions assumed by instructors can be formal or informal ( Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ) . Undertaking informal instructor leader functions includes, among other things maps done by the instructor inside the schoolroom such as planning lessons, pass oning ends, oversing the pupils, and making a pleasant acquisition environment ( Berlinger, 1983 cited in Muijs & A ; Harris, 2003 ) . Taking the enterprise and sharing experiences with other instructors are besides illustrations of informal instructor leading. On the other manus, being in a formal instructor leading place involves duties associated with occupation rubrics such as coordinators, supervisors, course of study experts, or caputs of sections ( York- Barr & A ; Duke, 2004 ) . Keeping such occupations normally consequences in traveling off from the schoolroom ( Ash & A ; Persall, 2000 ; Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ) . A teacher leader could hold no teaching responsibilities so that s/he engages to the full in his/her leading place, or learn full-time while executing leading undertakings, or have reduced learning burden to set about the extra leading responsibilities ( Lord & A ; Miller, 2000 ) . Some research workers like Katzenmeyer and Moller ( 2001 ) believe that instructor leaders lead both inside and outside the schoolroom and this leads to lending to the wider community. This will take to betterment in educational patterns. Based on this definition, the function of a teacher leader is non merely confined within the schoolroom context and but goes beyond it in doing a alteration and act uponing others. The range of much of the definitions of the term instructor leader discussed is limited to what instructors do indoors, outside the schoolroom, and the positive results of teacher leading on pupils ‘ accomplishment. A more comprehensive and delineated apprehension of the construct is covered in Leithwood ‘s et. Al ( 2003 ) survey in which they categorized leading. Some of the aspects covered in their survey and did non have as much attending in the literature were: personality, orientation to people, and communicating accomplishments. ( finish ) – from Patricia The inclination in the literature is to associate teacher leading with administrative functions in stead of informal functions performed in the schoolroom. Danielson ( 2006 ) is of the sentiment that formal instructor leading functions designated by disposal do non represent existent leading. True leading is the self-generated response to a demand which is initiated by the instructor. For the intent of this survey, teacher leading refers to instructors ‘ ability to take outside the schoolroom without holding a formal occupation rubric.1.2 Factors act uponing instructor leading1.2.1 Teachers ‘ ain perceptual experiences and those of other co-workers of teacher leadingThe teacher leading literature reveals a figure of hindrances that make exerting teacher leading hard ( Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ) . Barriers to teacher leading can be instructors themselves. Teachers may non see themselves as leaders because they think they are lone instructors ( Lieberman et. Al, 2000 ) . This reflects some instructors ‘ strong belief that being a instructor involves learning merely and the undertaking of a school disposal is to pull off and take ( Barth, 2001 ) . Another related aspect is the premise that it is portion of the instructor ‘s occupation to implement programs devised by others higher up in the school direction ( Boles & A ; Troen, 1996 ) . Colleagues can suppress exerting teacher leading when they are non accepting and supportive of teacher leading enterprises ( Little, 2000 ) by doing teacher leaders feel isolated ( Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ) . However, co-workers can besides be a encouraging factor of teacher leading and this will be discussed in the following subdivision.1.2.2 Collaboration and collegialityCollegiality and coaction have both been identified as factors lending to instructors ‘ authorization and committedness ( Fullan, 1994 ; Jarzabkowski, 2000 ) . A sense of collegiality leads to trueness, trust, and a sens e of community ( Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ) . Collegiality and coaction are used interchangeably in the literature and there is a deficiency of consensus on their specific significance. Hargreaves ( 1994 ) is a good instance of point as he suggests that assorted signifiers of collegiality and coaction exist and each has a different intent. He farther notes that collegiality as a term lacks lucidity. aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦1.2.3 Professional developmentWithin the literature, it is argued that instructors ‘ battle in professional activities support their leading functions. Effective instructor leaders strive to better their instruction accomplishments ( Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ) . These professional development activities should besides concentrate on facets refering to instructors ‘ leading functions ( Harris & A ; Muijs, 2003 ) such as presenting workshops, carry oning action research, and join forcesing with others ( Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ; Sparks, 2002 ) . Formal professional development activities include go toing workshops and conferences whereas informal 1s involve reading about issues related to professional development country of involvement and be aftering with instructors ( Ackerman, Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ) . The principals ‘ function is to recommend instructors ‘ professional development by offering clip and resources ( Muijs & A ; Harris, 2003 ) . Developing instructors ‘ leading accomplishments will enhance/ optimise the likeliness that staff members will be successful when taking on a leading function ( Danielson, 2006 ) .1.2.4 School civilization and the function of the principal1.3 Why should teacher leading be promoted?One statement for advancing teacher leading is affecting instructors in the decision-making procedure will take to doing more informed determinations. Teachers have a deep apprehension due to their day-to-day contact with pupils ( York-Barr & A ; Duke, 2004 ) . Another statement in favour of implementing teacher leading is to increase instructors ‘ feelings of ownership ( ibid ) . This alteration in instructors ‘ function is needed because their feeling of impotence affects their functions and standing ( Moore, 2001 ) . Teachers ‘ engagement in determination devising makes them less disposed to experiencing they are inactive victims ( Barth, 2001 ) . She states that instructors would experience as a consequence of such authorization as â€Å" a excellent citizen in the school house instead than stay the subsidiary in a universe full of superiors † ( ibid, p. 445 ) . Teaching is a lone occupation and making an environment where instructor leading is encouraged will ensue in making a more professional work environment ( ibid ) . Research findings besides show that teacher empowerment encouragements instructors ‘ confidence and sense of fulfilment at work which play a function in better public presentation as a resulted of being extremely motivated ( Katzenmeyer & A ; Moller, 2001 ) .Methodology:Qatar background info The English Department investigated in this survey is multicultural. There are over 120 module members from 25 different states. However, the huge bulk are British and American. The direction squad consists of the Head of Department and five other coordinators, four of whom are westerners. These coordinators assist the Head of Department ( HOD ) on different issues and these five make determinations on all affairs refering to academic, administrative, and forces personal businesss. The following degree of direction includes four degree supervisors ( in-between directors ) – one supervises each degree of the plan. All Faculty service in one of the five commissions and this constitutes 10 – 20 % of their one-year assessment class. The coordinators make determinations in their countries through audience with their commission members. Faculty ‘s engagement in determinations refering to policy is done indirectly through their commission work. Their direct engagement is by finishing studies, being portion of focal point groups, and giving feedback on the different countries of the plan. Decisions and of import intelligence are communicated to Faculty and staff through electronic mail and Blackboard. A instance survey was employed in the survey because it â€Å" involves the survey of an issue explored through one or more instances within a delimited system. † ( Creswell, 2007 ) . Yin ‘s definition- what is the edge system? Theoretical justification – why interpretative paradigm? Why non positivist paradigm? The participants in the survey were 10 Faculty members in an English Department of an Institution of Higher Education in the State of Qatar, a peninsula in the Arabian Gulf. The Western participants were British and American. The Arab Faculty members come from four different Arab states. The little sample size of the survey makes it hard to generalise the findings but should offer penetration into the function of civilization and its interrelatedness with the positions of teacher leading. Informed consent signifiers were sought from the participants. There was no demand to obtain permission from gatekeepers because my ain workplace was studied. To guarantee the privateness of the participants, anonym are used and the nationalities of the participants are non revealed in order for the respondents non to be easy identified. The end of a qualitative enquiry is to understand a phenomenon from the point of position of the participant and this can be achieved by holding a purposeful sample which ( Merriam, 2002 ) defines as pre-determining the indispensable standards for taking who is to be interviewed or sites to be observed ( ibid ) . The survey trying technique is purposeful since participants were chosen harmonizing to their nationalities and cultural backgrounds.Data Collection:I collected informations utilizing interviews because utilizing interviews enable respondents â€Å" to discourse their readings of the universe in which they live and to show how they regard state of affairss from their point of position † ( Cohen et. Al, 2007, p. 267 ) . Another advantage is during the interview, the interviewer can inquire follow-up inquiries to spread out on the issue, to seek elucidation, or to contextualize ( Books, 1997 ) . A semi- structured interview format was employed to â€Å" obtain descript ions of the life universe of the interviewee with regard to construing the significance of the described phenomena. † ( Kvale, 1996, p. 5- 6 ) . The interview had aˆÂ ¦aˆÂ ¦ . points. The instructors were interviewed separately. The interview inquiries were constructed by mentioning to relevant teacher leading literature. Interview inquiries were discussed with Faculty members with cognition and expertness in the country of civilization and educational leading to guarantee the face cogency. The interview was piloted with two participants who had the same features as the research participants. Prior to carry oning the existent interview, all interviewees were sent a screen missive explicating the intent of the survey which stated its wide subjects and included a petition to audio-tape. The single interviews lasted 40 proceedingss. To triangulate the informations, focal point groups were used as the 2nd informations aggregation tool. The intent of carry oning focal point groups is to obtain the corporate position of a group sing an issue ( Morgan, 1997 ) . Two focal point groups were conducted: one with Arabs and the other with Westerners. The written texts of both interviews and concentrate groups were sent to participants for intents of informations proof. The information was analyzed inductively because most qualitative surveies aim to bring forth new theories and accounts instead than get downing with a priori theories or hypotheses to turn out ( Gibbs, 2007 ) . The function of the research worker is really of import in the interpretative paradigm in both informations aggregation and analysis since the research worker is non detached from the subject of probe ( Cohen et. Al, 2007 ) . Social and educational research is viewed as â€Å" a societal activity that it is influenced by factors like political relations and power dealingss within the research context. † The values and motive of the research workers have consequence every bit good ( Blaxter et. Al, 1996, p. 15 ) . This necessitates the research worker to be automatic about his/ her impact on the survey ( Denscombe, 1998 ) . To this extent, I am cognizant of the possible influence of my cultural background on the survey.Research inquiries:Results & A ; Discussion:Leading in category is â€Å" 2nd nature † to instructorsBoth Arab and Western staff members felt that it was normal to take in category and that it is the existent leading function for instructors. Informal lead ing functions identified by the respondents could be categorized into: instructors ‘ function, relationship with the pupils, and teacher personality. Teachers ‘ function in category was the focal point of most of the participants. Leadership facets identified under instructors ‘ function include: being a facilitator, patterning positive behaviour, set uping boundaries and pull offing category, consciousness of latest inventions and theories, accomplishing the ends and aims of the course of study. The function of being a facilitator, a function theoretical account, and successful direction were the lone functions mentioned by two participants. The 2nd class is relationship with the pupils. The survey sample mentioned motive, set uping trust with the pupils, cognizing pupils ‘ civilization and involvement, transfusing regard in the pupils. The personality facet of a teacher leader as accessible was mentioned by one Western participant. One Arab participant prov inces, â€Å" Leading in category is 2nd nature to instructors. † Another Western participant remarks, â€Å" Teachers are in charge in category because they know who they are. †There are chances to take outside category but aˆÂ ¦All participants in the survey irrespective of their cultural background did non tie in teacher leading with prima outside category. Leadership outside category is exercised through giving feedback on different issues associating to curriculum and other issues. Two Western participants expressed the position that â€Å" One of the sarcasms of instruction is that in order to hold a greater leading function you need to travel off from teachingaˆÂ ¦ You need to travel to disposal. † They expressed the sentiment that one time you have a formal leading function you can get down to do a difference outside the schoolroom context. The differences between the Arab and the Western participants emerged when replying this research inquiry . The Western participants ‘ responses focused on different facets associating to organisational civilization, and leaders ‘ personality traits that limit exerting leading in the Departmental degree. One American participant believes that it all depends on the leader of the plan and states â€Å" if instructors are allowed to follow their passion, they can go leaders in their ain countries. † Another British participant touches on the function of co-workers in furthering or hindering teacher leading. In the single interview, she maintains â€Å" with co-workers it is difficult to further some sort of leading because you feel intimidatedaˆÂ ¦ you have no right. † She stated the demand for regard of people ‘s age, gender, experience, place, and how long they have been in the Department. She is of the sentiment that â€Å" In some establishments, some co-workers may resent instructors doing determinations if they do non keep an official leading rub ric. † Harmonizing to the participants, bitterness of co-workers taking on leading functions without holding a formal occupation rubric can be attributed to personality traits instead than social civilization. One British participant was of the sentiment that due to strong hierarchy in the Middle East direction systems teacher leading can non be applied outside the schoolroom. He believes that â€Å" If you try to interrupt into that hierarchy, you are short-circuiting the concatenation of bid. † All Western participants agreed on the demand to separate between stereotype and personal experience. An American respondent contends that â€Å" like any bureaucratic establishment, there are degrees that you can lift to where you wo n't be resented. But one time you start acquiring past a certain degree bitterness will kick in. † The other three participants agreed with him on the demand to understand and cognize how to cover with hierarchies across different civilizations. The American warned that if people insist on making things the same manner they are done in their place states they â€Å" will run into a wall instantly. † The influence of the leader ‘s personality was identified by merely one participant who expressed the demand for leting instructors to â€Å" follow their passion † which will take to making unfastened duologue where people can experience free to show their thoughts. Most of the Arab participants besides believed that leading functions outside category were limited. One ground given was the fact that instructors are supervised by degree supervisors and coordinators and that a instructor ‘s function is to learn in category merely. Another ground identified was instructors felt everything was â€Å" spelled out â€Å" for them which leaves no room for instructors ‘ originative input. Those who believed in holding chances to take outside category maintained that denoting vacant degree supervisor and coordinator places reflected the Administration ‘s position that instructors are capable of taking leading functions. The Arab respondents expressed assorted positions about the function of co-workers in taking on leading functions outside category. While some respondents felt that their co-workers ( Arab transcripts ) .

My use of ICT – iPod (personal)

My iPOD is a 20GB white iPOD. Me and my brother bought it about a year and a half ago to share between us. We decided to get that particular model of iPOD because, although it wasn't cheap, it had a very large memory so that meant we could store both of our music on it as we like very different music. To load the songs onto the iPOD you have to have a computer. With the iPOD comes a program to go on your computer called iTUNES. You load the songs onto this program via the disk drive on your computer. Then you connect up the iPOD to the computer and the iPOD automatically begins to download the songs onto it. Describe how the ICT is being used I use the iPOD mostly to listen to music, tell the time, and occasionally play games when I am extremely bored. My brother uses the iPOD for the same reasons although he likes to play the games on it more than me. I like listening to music, I often listen to it while on my paper round every morning. I have found it invaluable on long journeys, with me and my brother stuck in a car together for many hours. For the occasion when both me and my brother want to listen to at the same time we bought a splitter and an extra pair of headphones. So in that way we listen to music together. We can also, which is very useful too, plug it into the sound system in the car so the whole family can listen. I don't just use my iPOD to store music on though. Because my iPOD has a huge memory I can put on story tapes like the Harry Potter CD's. So we can listen to them in the car as well. I use the iPOD to occasionally tell the time too, it's clock has been useful on several occasions when I haven't had my phone with me. The advantages of using this technology I really like the iPOD. It is a clever design and has many advantages. Firstly, it can be used in so many different ways, plugged into headphones, into the computer speakers, into CD player speakers, into car speakers, it's so easy! In this way it has encouraged the use of more music. Music relaxes many but gives them the freedom of listening to what you want, when you want. I find it useful on the airplane too as its so small and portable. It has a huge memory too so there is a very high limit to the number songs it holds, something like 5,000. Unlike the CD player, it rarely jogs. This is useful in general. However, having a hard disk, it can be damaged by shaking. The disadvantages of using this technology To transfer music onto the iPOD you have to have a computer. If someone doesn't have a computer, the iPOD is pretty useless. We do have a computer, but it is quite heavily used so I find it hard to find enough time for it to sit there and upload music onto it. I think the iPOD also can encourage illegal copying of music. The majority of music recorded on iPOD's are in breach of copyright laws. I personally try not to do this, as the music companies will end up loosing money. However it is very hard to feel sympathetic towards them when you here about them ripping off all these small, new, defenseless bands. I do feel that I could be breaking copyright laws, but I really don't know exactly what constitutes breaking the copyright. I know that you aren't meant to copy CD's between friends but what about if me and my brother have paid half and half for a CD? Are we only allowed to put it on one iPOD? Since I am not sure of the finer points of copyright, I don't really worry that much if I break it. Another bad point of the iPOD is that listening to very loud music played directly into your ears can damage them. I have been told off by my mum many times for playing music too loudly. Because people are listening to music they are not so aware of their surroundings so people are more likely to walk out in front of cars or get mugged. Music that is bought on iTunes cannot be used on any other MP3 players and vice-versa. iPOD's are also iconic. Many people, including me, think of iPOD's to be the main MP3 player this makes them very expensive. The other is that iPOD's get old very quickly. The makers keep bringing out new versions with added things. For example, as soon as we got ours, they brought out the same one with the ability to play videos for the same price. This is annoying but good business for the makers as they make money from us as we keep buying newer versions of their products. If I lived in a time without iPOD's I would have to play my music on a CD player or even on tapes. The tapes get chewed up and CD players just aren't as portable. So in summary, I think that although there are many disadvantages of the iPOD, the advantages out-weigh them. Having an iPOD, or any kind of portable MP3 player gives you freedom and more choice when and what to listen to.