Application of Theory to Student Learning Essay

Application of Theory to Student Learning - Essay Example Students with disabilities get easy and quick knowledge through practical experience of all the situations. In constructivist theory, students are facilitated with practical skill and easy knowledge with the help of which, they are able to learn and act accordingly. Students are not made to memorize all the concepts and details but to go through them practically. Behaviorist theory of teaching students with learning disabilities concerns with direct teaching skills (Lerner, 2003). The students with disabilities are facilitated with direct teaching in which, the tasks that are to be performed are divided into chunks and then students are asked to perform all the tasks line wise (Duhaney and Duhaney, 2000). The reason of dividing the tasks into smaller chunks is to facilitate the students to learn easily and actively. Divided tasks appear easy and accommodating (Duhaney and Duhaney, 2000). The students are informed in understandable and comprehensible words and information about all the tasks after which, they are asked to perform it themselves. The students are not only taught but they are also asked to do practice that accommodates with obtainment of knowledge and information related to a task (Lerner, 2003). Both behaviorist and constructivist theories are supportive and facilitating for the students with disabilities because of their concern to the difficulties that students face while learning and because of the teaching methodologies of the teachers. Due to these theories’ application, the students with disabilities are able to learn with ease and expertise due to which, they appear better than students who are taught with not much supportive skills of teaching. Traditional and non-traditional learning environments for students with disabilities differ from each other to a great extent. In traditional learning environments, students were not facilitated with technological developments which

Pumpkin Patch Was Established Marketing Essay

Pumpkin Patch Was Established Marketing Essay Pumpkin Patch was established in 1990 as a provider of children wear through mail order. Since then it has expanded into 4 countries. The organization works in apparel industry which has favorable conditions to grow with healthy rate as of 2005 except the demographics which are inclined towards developing countries. The industry is also highly competitive. Pumpkin Patch as a player of this industry has great core competencies like its design capabilities and brand recognition of being a niche player. The organization can further maintain its long term profitability if it can expand its logistics capabilities in developed markets and create brand recognition for itself in emerging economies which will help it in long run. Introduction Pumpkin Patch is an organization which is into business of children wear. Pumpkin Patch was established in 1990 in New Zealand and since then has expanded into other countries including Australia, UK and USA by the end of 2005. The organization has established itself as a brand which is known for great designs, large range, good quality and reasonable price of products. Though Pumpkin Patch is a small player if compared to major established players in the business but these features have helped grow at a high rate for all these years. In order to understand the organization, its functioning and the factors leading to it in a better way, this report will try to analyze its external environment, its internal environment, its current strategy. On the basis of the analysis finally the recommendations will be provided which can help it grow further in future. External Analysis The organization is basically into apparel industry but the organization majorly caters to a specific set of customers (children). Thus on more microscopic level, Pumpkin Patch is a part of children wear industry. The industry has been rapidly growing all these years and thus has been attractive to the players in this industry. It is also important to understand the general environment in which the industry works. The economic conditions in 2005 are pretty good which suggest that the industry will see a healthy demand from the customers in coming years and thus the industry will see observe a healthy growth rate in coming future. The global conditions in 2005 suggest that the globalization is further going to increase in the world which presents a very good opportunity for the players of the industry to expand in new markets and increase their revenue as well as profits. The technological conditions tell that though the conventional retail sales are preferred by the customers, the organizations are moving towards online sale as it is easier to maintain the catalogs and cater to the demands of customers who are in remote locations. From the political and legal conditions it can be seen that the import duties are going down in many countries which are helpful for those players of the industry which are not pr esent in these countries but export their products and thus expand their market (Thomas 2006, pp. 13-14). From demographic point of view, the future of children wear industry is not very bright in developed countries in long term, where the average age of population is higher than the emerging economies and this population is soon going to mature. Thus the industry has more opportunities demographically in emerging economies in long term. To understand the industry environment better it is also important to analyze the forces which operate in the environment. The major suppliers of the industry include the manufacturers of apparels in China, India and other Asian countries which manufacture the products on demand from players like Pumpkin Patch. The suppliers dont have significant clout over the industry players as there are many manufacturers who can provide the same products. Due to presence of large number of such manufacturers and the competition between them, their power is less. The competitors include major brands like GAP and discount stores like Wal-Mart. The competitors have captured a large market share across the world in terms of children wear and have a brand loyal customer base. Due to the sheer size and the brand, the competitors have great power over smaller players. The buyers also have a significant clout over the industry players as they have got a lot of choices from different players. With a lot of brands to choose from, the customers can move to some other brand if they are dissatisfied with the quality, price or designs of the apparels of one player. There are no exact substitutes of children wear, though customers who just buy the apparels for fun and not exactly need them can switch to other stuffs which can entertain children like games, etc. Thus there is no significant power for substitutes in the industry. Potential entrants also have a significant influence on the industry as it is lucrative at present and has healthy profit margins, especially on designer ranges. This means that the industry is attractive for new players to enter and make the environment more competitive. (Freeman McVea 2001, pp. 102-108) There are mainly three types of strategic groups in this industry. In the first group competitors like GAP are present. Players in this group compete on the basis of quality and brand recognition. The second group includes players like Mark Spencers and Wal-Mart which compete on price and discounts. The third group includes players like Pumpkin Patch which compete based on the number of designs, variety and quality of the products. The fourth group includes players like JK which compete based on the variety, design and price. Looking at the analysis on the industry it can be seen that the industry has good opportunities in emerging economies and has substantial threat from the competitive players which will eventually pull down the profit margins of the industry. Internal Analysis Pumpkin Patch has had sufficient resources which has enabled it to reach at the point it has reached till 2005. The organization has about 1700 employees who work for it in various departments including its design, warehousing, marketing and selling. Its resources dedicated to come up with new designs have done great job to create brand awareness among the customers (Reichheld 2006, pp. 5-7). As far as warehousing is concerned, the organization has one warehouse at Auckland which supplies the products to various locations. This has also helped it in reducing its inventory costs and channeling the products more smoothly. But organization lacks in having a proper supply chain abroad where still mostly the orders are sent through mail orders directly from Auckland. Further if the financial statements of the organization are observed, it can be seen that the assets of the organization have been increasing. In 2005, the current assets of the organization which determine the liquidity avai lable at hands stands at NZ$ 72 million while the assets related to property and plant stand at NZ$ 35 million which is tiny as compared to its bigger competitors but tell the story of high growth of the organization since its start. The organization has done justification to the capabilities it had and capabilities it developed in order to achieve the growth. For example, Pumpkin Patch gave special emphasis on designs which are liked by the customers. By combining its own capability to prepare attractive designs with buying other good designs from outside made its designs as its core competency. More over focus on majorly children wear gave the organization edge over the others as the whole potential and energy of the organization was directed towards providing the products for children wear. The analysis and research of the market is another capability which has helped improving the profitability of the organization as through it, it could regularly remove the failed designs and promote the successful designs. Similarly product sourcing from quality manufacturers of Asia was one of the major capabilities as it helped in reducing the cost of the product because of cheap labor cost in Asia. However, cheap product sourcing is not a competitive advantage as it is available to every competitor in the market. Pumpkin Patch also has good quality control in its supply chain where there is continuous monitoring of quality at each and every step. This capability also has helped the organization to build a brand for its products. But this is also not a core competency as other manufacturers like GAP and Benetton are known for equal if not better quality control. The organization also lacks in a more coordinated and smoother logistics as all the products have to be sourced from warehouse at Auckland which increases the time to respond and puts constraints on making use of the opportunities which its expanding customer base at abroad provides (Thompson McHugh 2002, pp. 37-43). Also the retailing capability of the organization is limited to New Zealand and Australia and has no significant presence in its other major markets like US. The value chain of the organization includes primary activities like RD for preparing designs for its new products. This activity adds the maximum value to Pumpkin Patchs products. It also includes product sourcing from manufacturers in Asia. This is also an important step as it helps to keep the product price lower and competitive. The quality control is another value addition which is done within the organization and outside organization as well. Here the products are checked for quality at every step. This also helps in adding value to the product as the lower quality of product can severely damage the brand image of Pumpkin Patch. With the current scale of operations, the next value adding activity of warehousing has provided good value to the organization as it has reduced the losses due to higher inventory (Barroso Galan 2006, pp. 54-56). But with increased scale of operations, this warehousing activity will cause a major constraint for the organization. Retailing is another m ajor value adding activity as the stores give an image of the trendiest children wear providers. Retailing also provides substantial value to Pumpkin Patch as it helps to bring more customers for it and also in increasing its brand recognition as the retail stores are designed and prepared in such a way to communicate the brand of the organization. The organization also has some weaknesses such as limited logistics capability to cater to the demands of customers from northern hemisphere, smaller size and financial power to compete with major brands like GAP and Benetton. Looking at the analysis above it can be said that the organization has strengths in its design capabilities and building brand through retail stores. The weaknesses of the organization include the lack of capable logistics to manage higher growth in northern hemisphere and smaller financial resources to compete in other established markets. The organization has more opportunities in expanding itself in Australia, New Zealand where its brand has good recognition and in emerging economies where there is thin presence of its established competitors. The threat to the organization is majorly due to its limited logistics capabilities because its competitors like JK can eat up its markets if Pumpkin Patch fails to act on it. Current Strategy The strategy currently followed by the organization is of differentiation focus. This means that the organization has a select category of customers to which it caters and also provides a differentiated product to the customers (Hoskisson Hitt 2006, pp. 23-27). In this case Pumpkin Patch is mostly catering to the children and pre-teen customers thus it has a focus approach or niche market. Also the organization is providing a great range of designer products to the customers thus it is also differentiating itself from the competitors on the basis of the varieties and range of designs it offers to its customers. The current strategy has been quite successful up till now when the organization has only expanded itself into selected markets. The success of this strategy comes from the fact that there are many players in the apparel market but only few have a complete focus towards children wear which is an all-weather market and provides great opportunity for profitability. By focusing itself towards this niche market, Pumpkin Patch was able to create a brand image of it which has complete focus towards children wear. On top of that the organizations high range of designs keeps it apart from the other players. Even GAP and Benetton dont have so many varieties of designs when it comes to children wear. Recommendations The organization must look into following recommendations and try to implement them in order to remain a profitable organization even in future. Pumpkin Patch must increase its capacity, especially logistics capacity in US and UK where due to these constraints the organization hasnt been able to establish itself in these markets. These two markets are too large and lucrative to be ignored thus it must try to increase its retail presence here. Even if the organization can capture a small share of market of these markets from GAP, Benetton or Wal-Mart, it will be a huge boost to its current revenues. Pumpkin Patch must also look at the markets in emerging economies like China, South Korea and South Africa where the disposable income is increasing for the people and demographically they will have a large number of their population as children. Thus for maintaining long term profitability the organization must also look at ways for entering these markets. Initially the organization can start with online selling and whole selling in departmental stores selling because that will require the least investment. (Jeannet Hennessey 2001, pp. 20-25) Pumpkin Patch must completely abandon its print catalogs as they consume a lot of resources (finances, time and attention). Anyhow the print catalogs are no more relevant with ever decreasing mail order selling. Instead for mail orders organization can have better and more detailed online catalogs. The customers who cant reach the retail stores can go to website and select the product they want. Conclusion Pumpkin Patch is operating in apparel industry but is mostly catering to children wear market. The industry in 2005 is operating in a good external environment but the demographics suggest that the children wear market will shift towards emerging economies in next few years. The environment also sees fierce competition among various players thus it is important for Pumpkin Patch to maintain and extend its presence by use of its competitive advantage of great range of designs and brand associated with children wear. In order to do that organization must strengthen its presence in countries like UK and US which hold lot of potential for its growth. Also it must try to start catering to customers from emerging economies which will help it in long run.

Media Analysis of Coverage of One Event Essay examples -- Compare Cont

Media Analysis of Coverage of One Event In various articles written about Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco’s visit to Cuba, the emphases are placed on different points, as the event is described from various angles. The Cuban newspaper Granma goes into more depth about Blanco and her entourage’s activities during their visit to Cuba, as well as giving a more detailed background of pertinent information about United States-Cuba relations, in the context of the embargo. La Nueva Cuba approaches the event from a different angle by providing more specifics about how this particular transaction will take place. There is also a brief compare and contrast of the ways that the United States and other nations choose to deal with Cuba, especially in matters of financing purchases. The Daily Advertiser chooses yet another facet of the issue to focus on. Because it is a Louisiana paper, it has a more domestically-oriented agenda. As a result, the article centers on Louisiana and Blanco, rather than Cuba and the United States as a whole. None of these reports reflect particularly badly on either Cuba or the United States, though each reporter’s preference is shown by the particular scope through which the respective pieces are written. The title of the Granma report is â€Å"Louisiana se acerca mas a Cuba,† a very curious title which creates a feeling of intimacy between the two entities. A mechanical analysis reveals the purposeful use of a reflexive verb only for Louisiana, rather than for both Louisiana and Cuba (i.e. â€Å"Louisiana y Cuba se acercan†). This depicts Louisiana as the active participant of the two, the one that is taking the initiative to align itself closer to Cuba. This way of describing the situation makes sense conside... ...is a smaller regional paper that is more concerned with domestic affairs than international relations. An examination of three articles from different sources but about the same event reveals the different ways of manifesting what is of great or negligible importance, how an entity chooses to present itself, or how the government prefers to have itself portrayed. The various angles chosen to approach the issue, as well as the use of supporting details illustrates the personal preference of the reporter and his or her reflection of each nation, state, or person featured in the report. Although these three articles from the Lafayette Daily Advertiser, Cuba’s conservative Granma, or the more liberal La Nueva Cuba do not exhibit criticism for either the US or Cuba, they showcase subtle opinions about the newly established trade agreement between Cuba and Louisiana.

Driving While Using Cell Phones

Abstract of Cell phone and drivers research paper This report assesses the risks and benefits associated with cellular phone use while driving. The interest of policymakers in this issue has been heightened by the recent decisions of selected foreign countries and several U. S localities to restrict or prohibit the use of cellular phones while driving. The weight of the scientific evidence to date suggests that use of a cellular phone while driving does create safety risks for the driver and his passengers as well as other road users.The magnitude of these risks is uncertain but appears to be relatively low in probability compared to other risk in daily life. It is not clear whether hands-free cellular phone designs are significantly safer than hand-held designs, since it may be that conversation rather than dialing or handling is responsible for most of the attributable risk due to cellular phone use while driving. The benefits of using this communication device while driving appear to be important.They include benefits to the users, households, social networks, businesses, and communities. Many of these benefits, which include public health and safety considerations, have not yet been recognized or quantified. Simple suggestions that drivers can â€Å"pull over† on the side of the road to make calls from cellular phones are unrealistic and, in certain situations, potentially dangerous. It is not know which of the benefits of cellular phone use would be foregone under various regulatory scenarios.Cellular phone use while driving should be a concern of motorists and policymakers. We conclude that although there is evidence that using a cellular phone while driving poses risks to both the driver and others, it may be premature to enact substantial restrictions at this time. Indecision about whether cellular phone use while driving should be regulated is reasonable due to the limited knowledge of the relative magnitude of risks and benefits.In light of thi s uncertainty, government and industry should endeavor to improve the database for the purpose of informing future decisions of motorists and policymakers. In the interim, industry and government should encourage, through vigorous public education programs, more selective and prudent use of cellular phones while driving in order to enhance transport safety.

BCR Importance of nitrogen Essay

1. Probably they include negatives and, if possible, positive controls. Is your negative control a test plant that is planted in a pot with no legume planted in the pot? Do you have any other negative controls? How about positive controls? Are there some plants which you know will grow well under the conditions that you are specifying? Are you using these as positive controls, while your test plants will be a different type of plant? 2. I suspect they also include a method of checking, periodically, for results â€Å"over time,† meaning either daily, weekly, monthly †¦. 3. Wouldn’t you want all of your test â€Å"subjects† exposed to the same environmental conditions, with the exception of the one element for which you are testing. That means that all get the same amount of light, water and soil and that the light, water and soil are from the same source. So, you will need a way of measuring the amount of light, water and soil. If you are planting in containers, wouldn’t you want all of the containers made of the same substance, instead of having some be of plastic and some of wood? Wouldn’t you want them to all be the same height, width and depth? Wouldn’t you want them all oriented with respect to the sun such that none blocked sunlight from the others? Wouldn’t you want to weed them all frequently and regularly to insure that the presence of weeds did not adversely effect one or the other of your test subjects? I suspect that your instructor wants you to say in your experimental proposal write up how you will orient the containers and what they will be made of and what are their dimensions and how often you will check for weeds and measure light water and soil†¦ 4. Won’t you need to decide what constitutes a positive result and what constitutes a negative result. 5. Probably your instructor wants you to choose an objective measure for your results and state what that will be. For example: If you are growing other plants along with the legumes, will you measure the growth of their stems with a ruler? If they are branched, will you only measure the total height, or will you measure all of the branches separately? If they have fruit, will you weight the fruit? If you weigh it, how will you decide that it is time to pick and weigh it? At the end of the experiment, will you remove the whole plant, roots and all and weigh it? 6. Will you plant the legumes at the same time that you plant the test plant? or will you plant the test plant on day 5, 6, 10†¦ after the legumes have been planted? Will you plant only one legume to each box? If you have them growing at the same time, how will you orient your plants so that neither the legume nor the test plant will overshadow the other but that the roots of the legume are close enough to effect the soil for the test plant? Or, if you don’t think that will work, will you plant the legumes and let them grow and die before you plant your test plant? 7. How will you record what you have done? Will you make a spreadsheet and record that, for example, you have gave all the plants a cup of water per day or a quart of water twice a week? Where will you note the growth of the plant? how many weeds you pulled? Will you note the conditions of the leaves of your test plant or the conditions of the legume plants? Where will you note any unforeseen changes? 8. How will you write up your results? Most scientific papers have 5 sections. Does your instructor wish for you to include this in your proposal? 1) Introduction, 2) Materials and Methods 3) Results, 4) Conclusions and Discussion, 5) References