Effective literacy instruction for english learners Essay

Effective literacy instruction for english learners - Essay Example Depending on the needs of the students, instructors can select which recommendation can be used in order to teach English in the most effective way possible. The increase of immigrants in the country also increased the number of students whose first language is not English. Thus is the increase in number of English language learners (ELL’s), or students that must also learn English, aside from learning the K-5 curricula. However, because English is the main language of instruction in schools, ELL’s lag behind in terms of their reading proficiency and in turn, their academics (US Department of Education, n.d.). This called for the Department of Education to create recommendations in order to effectively teach English to ELL’s in an effective way (Gersten, Baker, Shanahan, Linan-Thompson, Collins, & Scarcella, 2007). By the use of such recommendations it is expected that not only can ELL’s learn English properly, but also able to keep their learning pace at par to English speakers as well. Among the five recommendations listed in the guide, the most effective ways to teach English as a second language would be the combination of three: the screening for reading problems and monitoring progress; intensive small-group reading interventions; and regular peer-assisted learning opportunities. First, the importance of screening of problems at the beginning would help instructors focus on what the student needs to learn, since this would be the foundation for higher skills (US Department of Education, n.d.). Second, grouping students based on their or their language skill level would not only create a feeling of empathy for one another, but also they could learn from each other in the process. They can also build teamwork since they would be sharing tasks and working together in order to understand the language a lot better. Third, similar to the second one except grouping the students according to their ethnicity or based on similarities

Text Messaging Essay Example for Free

Text Messaging Essay Texting has become an integral part of our lives; it has developed very rapidly throughout the world. Initial growth of text messaging starts with customers in 1995 sending an average 0.4 messages per GSM (Global System for mobile communications) per customer per month. (Wikipedia, 2009) Today, text messaging is the most widely used mobile data service, with 35% of all mobile phones users worldwide or 4.2 million to 7.3 million phone subscribers at the end of 2003 being active users of SMS. The largest average usage of the service by mobile phone subscribers is the Philippines with an average of 15 texts per day by subscribers. (Wikipedia, 2009) Text messaging is most often used between private mobile users as a substitute for voice calls situations. Popularity has grown to a sufficient extent that the term texting has enticed the people. It is a very powerful tool in the Philippines where the average user sends 10-12 text messages a day. The Philippines ends on the average 400 million test messages per day or approximately 142 billion text messages sent a year. At the end of 2007, four of the top mobile service providers in the country stated that there are 42.78 million mobile subscribers in the Philippines; thus Philippines has become the â€Å"texting capital of the world†. The expanding availability of text messaging has raised questions about the effect of texting on standard literacy. Many have reported unintentional intrusions of abbreviations used in texting called â€Å"textisms†- is inappropriate contexts. (Wood. Et al., 2009) This study aims to determine whether the texting habits of the first year high school students of Aldersgate Science High School should be a concern as it significantly demeaning th eir spelling proficiency. Statement of the Problem This study aims to determine the correlation between the Spelling Proficiencies of Texters and Non – texters of selected students of Aldersgate College Science High School. It also aims to answer the following questions: Respondents of the study, the First Year High School students of AC Science High School 1. What is the profile of the selected students of the AC SHS as to: 1.1 gender 1.2 age 1.3 score in the spelling proficiency test 1.4 monthly income of the family 1.5 text promo availed of 1.6 length of ownership of the cell phone 1.7 amount spent in texting 1.8 frequency of texting 1.9 type of text message sent 1.10 person sent text messages to 2. Is there a significant difference between the spelling proficiency of texters and non – texters. 3. Is there a significant relationship between the spelling proficiency of texters when group according to the following variables: 1.1 gender 1.2 age 1.3 score in the spelling proficiency test 1.4 monthly income of the family 1.5 text promo availed of 1.6 length of ownership of the cell phone 1.7 amount spent in texting 1.8 frequency of texting 1.9 type of text message sent 1.10 person sent text messages to Statement of Hypothesis Null Hypothesis There is no skeptical effect of texting to the spelling proficiency of the first year high school students of Aldersgate College. Alternative Hypothesis There is a negative effect of texting to the spelling proficiency of the first year high school students of Aldersgate College. Scope and Delimitation of the Study The study is confined to determine if there is a negative effect of texting to the spelling proficiency of First year High School students of Aldersgate College through a series of survey conducted, during the first semester, school year 2009-2010. Significance of the Study To get a better idea of the effects of texting on teenagers and how much this technology was actually being used, a survey was conducted in Aldersgate College Science High School Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. Seventy- two First Year high School students were asked questions about their usage of texting and instant messaging. To ensure the honesty of the answers, the surveys were anonymous and the students were told that their answers would not be used against them. Summary After floating questionnaires regarding the effect of texting to the spelling proficiency of first year student of Aldersgate College Science High School, the researchers came up with the following significant data that texting habits had diminished the spelling proficiency of the students. Conclusion The researcher therefore conclude that texting habits affect the declining spelling proficiency of students, text languages often confuse the students with the correct spelling of the words leading to usually misspelled words. Recommendation The researcher would like to recommend that a further study about the effect of texting in the spelling proficiency of students would be done in a longer period of time with a larger number of respondents who should be observed in an adequate period of time. Writing, a linguistically complex skill, draws heavily upon our cognitive abilities. Dr. Mel Levine confirms this in his book, A Mind at a Time, (2002), by stating that â€Å"Writing is one of the largest orchestras a kid’s mind has to conduct.† Does text messaging harm students writing skills? Yes. I believe students are carrying over the writing habits they pick up through text messaging into school assignments. Maybe. Although text messaging may have some impact on how students write, I dont think its a significant problem. No. I believe students can write one way to their friends and another way in class. They can keep the two methods separate. None of the above. (Comment below.) Not only is texting used for person-to-person communication, but a number of groups have jumped onto the craze in recent years. Political campaigns, for example, have used it as a way to keep their supporters up to speed on events as they happen. Protesters and organizers have used text messaging as a way to stay connected during actions, mobilizing large groups of people in real time. Various businesses allow users to sign up for updates via text, or to receive bills this way. It can be used to stay up to speed on stock prices, sports scores, and any number of other small bits of data that change rapidly.

Discuss The Contention That Conflict And Dispute Are Inevitable

Discuss The Contention That Conflict And Dispute Are Inevitable INTRODUCTION Conflicts as well as Dispute are for sure inevitable in most of the commercial projects whether big or small. To be precise, Conflict and Dispute is always there, not only in commercial projects but are a part of our daily life. There is always a conflict going on; on as big as on an international level like ongoing dispute between Israel and Palestine to small issues like a husband and wife having a confrontation as where to go out for dinner. Conflict in simple words can be defined as a disagreement over a situation between two or more parties/individuals where they have there own vested interests. Conflict is short termed and is easy to resolve, while on the other hand, dispute is when it becomes deep-rooted and none of the parties seems to be able to reach an agreement. Conflict can be resolved easily while on the other hand there is a need for a third party intervention to resolve a dispute, which itself is time-consuming, expensive and unpleasant. In other words, we can say that conflict can be managed, but to an extent of preventing it. If not, it leads to dispute. CLASSIFICATION OF CONFLICT Conflict can further be classified as Functional and Dysfunctional, depending on the outcome. Earlier, scholars believed that conflict is a bad thing and should be avoided at all costs, but this was contradicted by Mary Parker Follett (1925), who coined the idea that effective conflict management ought not to conceive conflict as a wasteful outbreak of incompatibilities, but a normal process whereby socially valuable differences register themselves for the enrichment for all concerned. Functional Conflict: It works towards the goal of a project. Mary Parker Follett (1925) called it Constructive Conflict, which increases the information and ideas, encourage innovative thinking, unshackles different point of views and reduces stagnation at any stage of the project. Dysfunctional Conflict: It is destructive in nature and blocks the project from reaching the goal. It brings tension, anxiety and stress for everyone involved. It drives out low conflict tolerant people form the project and reduces the trust for everyone involved, resulting in poor decision making arising due to withheld or distorted information and diversion of resources on the conflict rather than the project. Conflict, in general, can be dealt with by following three methods: Lose-Lose method In this, each side gives up some of its interests. This is done by Avoidance by staying away from the problem or withdrawing but it is not a permanent solution. The other option is Compromise which is done by bargaining and negotiating, in which each side looses something. Win-Lose method Also known as domination, in which there is a victory of one side over other and is done by Dominance where one party overwhelms the other party. Authoritative Command is another aspect where the person with authority rules in favor of one party. Win Win Method: Also known as Integration where each side refocuses there efforts so that neither side loses anything and in fact gains. This is done by finding the root causes of the problem, due to which conflict has arisen and then try to meet the interests of all the parties which in the end leaves everyone happy. TYPES AND LEVELS OF CONFLICT Intra-organization Conflict: As the name suggests, conflicts that occur within an organization, at the interfaces of organizational functions. It can occur along the vertical and horizontal hierarchy of the organizations i.e. between the managers and subordinates or between different departments and workgroups. Intra-group Conflict: It is between the members of a group, and is usually due to ways of doing the tasks or achieving goals. Inter-personal Conflict: It is between two or more people due to differences in opinions and views. This may also be due to differences in orientation to work and time in different parts of an organization. Intra-personal Conflict: It is more of a psychological issue. It occurs within an individual, when a person feels threatened to ones values, has a feeling of unfair treatment. Inter-organizational Conflict: It is between two or more organizations, when they are working together, especially on a project. It is not related to competition. Typical example can be that of a conflict between a supplier and distributor. CONFLICT AND DISPUTES ARE INEVITABLE Conflict and Disputes as mentioned are an unavoidable part of any commercial project by the virtue of the nature of the project. Any commercial project involves a variety of transactions as well as relationships on a local, national as well as international level. Due to the complexity of a commercial project involving client, consultant, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers it becomes inevitable. There can be a number of issues for ambiguity between different parties like project delays, change in scope of work, payment issues, design issues, change in specifications, administrative problems, personal damages, inflation etc to name a few. Managers have to build up, nurture and maintain a network of relationships to make there projects a success. Project Delays: Time management is very crucial for any commercial project. All the activities in a project are lined up one after another and are interlinked. Any kind of delay in this causes the whole project to be delayed, affecting the cash-flow as well as ruining the relationship of all the involved. In many cases financial losses are also incurred by those involved due to delay caused by one of the involved. For example, project handing over got delayed due to delay caused by one sub contractor, and for which the main contractor gets penalized. This penalty he will try to distribute evenly between all his sub contractors, which in turn will not be accepted by those who have finished there scope of work on time, hence leading to conflict. Change in Scope/Specifications: Once everything had been finalized, any change in the scope of work or change in specifications can have a direct impact on the financial as well as the lead time of the project, which can result in the conflict between the parties involved. For example for a project, contractor has already procured some material, or has outsourced a particular job, but when asked to incorporate those changes by the client/consultant, he suffers a financial loss or he has to change the supplier with whom he has placed the order to meet the required specifications. Payments: Conflict can arise due to delay in payments either by one of the parties involved in the project, due to financial crunch or because there has been some delay or there is some defective performance in terms of quality by the other. Whatever the case maybe, it disrupts the cash-flow whole project, affecting parties involved e.g. If a contractor doesnt pays to a sub-contractor, he in turn cannot make the payments to his suppliers as well as employees and defaults, which directly affects the progress of the project leading to conflict between the sub-contractor and the contractor. Administrative Problems: It is another issue for conflict arising due to mismanagement or lack of coordination between different agencies involved, which lead to project delays, cost over-run which in turn results in loss for the project. For example, in a project, scope of work of two sub-contractors is interdependent. If there is no coordination between them, it will result in unnecessary delay for the project. Conclusion: The above mentioned are a few aspects of conflict which are common in any commercial project, whether its a construction, development or an IT project. From here we can infer that conflict is a set of inter-related elements namely: parties, issues, dynamics and context. Since it is very difficult in any commercial project, involving large number of players, to maintain a balance between all these elements, conflict becomes inevitable. Conflict if taken in a positive note, and if resolved appropriately, can leads towards betterment and successful delivery of a project. If not they lead towards dispute which itself is unpleasant, diverts valuable resources from the overall aim, is time consuming, costly and destroys the relationship between those involved which may have taken years to develop. Dispute at all cost should be avoided and should be resolved still when its at a level of conflict. DISPUTE RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES IN A COMMERCIAL CONTRACT In any commercial project, there is always discrepancy/disagreement regarding the scope of work, deadlines, etc which leads to conflicts and when they get out of hand, leads to Dispute. Disputes in general, in a commercial contract are addressed to by the following three methods: Negotiation Mediation Arbitration Negotiation is a tool by which we deal with our differences. These differences may be over the price of everyday grocery, or an automobile or a labor contract or maybe an alliance between the two companies. In general as per the academicians and theorists, there are two types of negotiation theories namely Positional Negotiation and Principled Negotiation. While in positional negotiation, negotiation is done in such a way that the other party looses its faith in its own case and submits to the first demands of the first party, in Principled negotiation, a softer approach is taken to reach a solution. It is based on the following principles: Separate people from Problem, Focus on interests, not positions and Invent options for Mutual Gains. Mediation on the other hand gets the involvement of a third party (neutral) to resolve the outstanding issues and helps them to reach an agreement. Unlike negotiation, it is somewhat semi-formal, with the outcome may or may not be binding to the parties, as per the agreement. In case of Arbitration, it is a formal, private form of an Alternate Dispute Resolution. Here the disputed parties refer to one or more persons (arbitrator or an arbitrator tribunal), who in turn reviews the facts and gives the decision which is legally binding on both the parties. The major difference between Mediation and Arbitration is that mediator always tries to reach a compromise while an arbitrator gives decision which is lawfully binding to both the parties. While Negotiation is very common and is used frequently as compared to Mediation and Arbitration, Mediation is the fastest means to as compared to the other two options. The cost incurred is solving the dispute is highest in Arbitration but depends on number of factors, but still, as compared to Mediation and Negotiation. While Arbitration is recognized by common law and the decision made by an arbitrator will uphold in court of law, this is not true in case of Mediation and Negotiation, but depends on the mutual agreement of the disputing parties. However, if agreed beforehand, the agreement reached via Mediation can also be binding for all the parties involved. Apart from these, Litigation is another dispute resolving technique, to which the disputing parties can resort to. This is a formal process in which the case of the disputing parties is taken to the court and the proceedings are held in public. Compared to Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration, Litigation is a Slow, time consuming and a very expensive process, where the trials are held in public and there is no scope for confidentiality. THE POTENTIAL USE OF PRINCIPLED NEGOTIATION IN THE INDIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY Negotiation is a tool used by means of a dialogue between the two or more parties to resolve issues, bargain or to satisfy ones vested interests which can be broadly classified into needs, aspirations, fears and desires. Negotiation is classified into two types: Positional Negotiation Principled Negotiation Principled Negotiation is a relatively new phenomenon, which was coined in late 70s by Fisher and Ury. They gave four basic principles for the Principled Negotiation which are as under-. Separate people from the Problem Focus in interests and not problems Invent options for mutual gains Select among options by using objective criteria Charles G. Fields has described Principled Negotiation as a 7 elements framework namely Interests, Options, Legitimacy, Communications, Relationships, Commitments and Alternatives. INDIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND PRINCIPLED NEGOTIATION After agriculture, construction sector is the largest industry in India. India being a developing country and estimated to become the third largest economy by 2025, and with an economic growth rate of almost 7%, there is a huge demand for the infrastructure and construction projects. Every year, Billions of US$ are spent, both by public and private sector on construction and infrastructure protects. As the construction market is growing by leaps and bounds, so as the conflict and dispute, which then go to the court of law (litigation) to be resolved. The judicial framework of India moves at a very slow pace and is very expensive, and hence there is a need for an alternative. Principled Negotiation, on the other hand is much less time consuming and expensive as compared to litigation and also the relationships between the parties are also not destroyed and consequently the disputing parties reach to a satisfactory agreement. Due to this, not only Principle Negotiation technique but Alternate Dispute Resolution Techniques have a good potential in India. REFERENCES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: Conflict [online], available: http://webhome.idirect.com/~kehamilt/ipsyconf.html [accessed 10 September 2009] Gray, C. and Larson, E (2008) Project Management: The Managerial Process, 4th ed., Boston: McGraw-Hill. Fisher, R., Ury, W. and Patton, B. (1991) Getting to Yes: Negotiating an Agreement without giving in, Second Edition, Century Business, London. Fenn, P and Gameson, R (Eds) (1992), Construction Conflict: Management and Resolutions, Chapman Hall, London Trust and conflict within virtual inter-organizational alliances: a framework for facilitating knowledge sharing [online], available: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_udi=B6V8S-4CDJKMV-2_user=121749_rdoc=1_fmt=_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1111593104_rerunOrigin=google_acct=C000024058_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=121749md5=5bf1d2dde69eccc5b0f0becb1595c3f9 [accessed 12 September 2009] Rahim, M. Afzalur , Toward a Theory of Managing Organizational Conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, Vol. 13, No. 3, 2002. [online] Available: http://ssrn.com/abstract=437684 [accessed 12 November 2009] Fernandez Jimenez de Cisneros, Inmaculada, Dorado, Miguel à ., Martinez, Ines, Medina, Francisco J. and Munduate Jaca, Lourdes, Types of Conflict and Personal and Organizational Consequences. IACM 15th Annual Conference. [online] Available: http://ssrn.com/abstract=305068 or doi:10.2139/ssrn.305068 [accessed 12 November 2009]

Can Cloning and Christianity Coexist Essay -- Science Religion Papers

Can Cloning and Christianity Coexist Cloning is an exciting and ongoing field of study with many great possibilities, and negative drawbacks; this leaves many Christians wrestling with the idea of cloning, trying to decide where to stand on, for or against it. To follow, in the paper is an explanation of what cloning is and the uses of cloning at the present and projected in the future. After that the focus will be on the problems with cloning from a non-ethical stance. Finally the issue of cloning and Christian’s views on it will be addressed. What is Cloning? DNA Cloning Cloning, upon first hearing the word cloning, the thought of Dolly the sheep pops into the mind. The first and most used type of cloning though is not the type that creates animals, but rather DNA cloning. â€Å"Cloning is an umbrella term that science uses to indicate the duplication of biological material.†(Human Genome Project) Cloning is further broken down into three categories. The first is DNA cloning, which is the replication of DNA strands. DNA cloning is usually the process of getting a cell to replicate a desired gene for us. DNA cloning has been used since the 1970’s and has persisted as an effective cheap means of replicating DNA of interest in a foreign host cell. â€Å"To "clone a gene," a DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is isolated from chromosomal DNA using restriction enzymes and then united with a plasmid that has been cut with the same restriction enzymes.†(Human Genome Project) Plasmids are not part of the chromosome but they rep licate along with the cell when it replicates and divides. Since they are not a part of the chromosome they are easier to isolate and manipulate without affecting the cells function. â€Å"When the f... ...l D. (2002). Researchers Report First Evidence That Nuclear Transplantation (â€Å"Therapeutic Cloning†) Can Eliminate Tissue Rejection. (Advanced Cell Technologies Press Release). Retrieved November 28, 2004, from http://www.advancedcell.com/2002-06-02.htm General References Cameron, Nigel, (2003) Cloning at Christmas: a reflective commentary. The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Retrieved October 3, 2004 from: http://www.thecbc.org/redesigned/research_display.php?id=43 Ham, K., Looy, M., (2004). The scientific and Scriptural case against human cloning. Answers in Genesis. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2001/1127cloning.asp McGee, Glenn, (2001). Primer on Ethics and Human Cloning. ActionBioscience.org. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from: http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/mcgee.html Can Cloning and Christianity Coexist Essay -- Science Religion Papers Can Cloning and Christianity Coexist Cloning is an exciting and ongoing field of study with many great possibilities, and negative drawbacks; this leaves many Christians wrestling with the idea of cloning, trying to decide where to stand on, for or against it. To follow, in the paper is an explanation of what cloning is and the uses of cloning at the present and projected in the future. After that the focus will be on the problems with cloning from a non-ethical stance. Finally the issue of cloning and Christian’s views on it will be addressed. What is Cloning? DNA Cloning Cloning, upon first hearing the word cloning, the thought of Dolly the sheep pops into the mind. The first and most used type of cloning though is not the type that creates animals, but rather DNA cloning. â€Å"Cloning is an umbrella term that science uses to indicate the duplication of biological material.†(Human Genome Project) Cloning is further broken down into three categories. The first is DNA cloning, which is the replication of DNA strands. DNA cloning is usually the process of getting a cell to replicate a desired gene for us. DNA cloning has been used since the 1970’s and has persisted as an effective cheap means of replicating DNA of interest in a foreign host cell. â€Å"To "clone a gene," a DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is isolated from chromosomal DNA using restriction enzymes and then united with a plasmid that has been cut with the same restriction enzymes.†(Human Genome Project) Plasmids are not part of the chromosome but they rep licate along with the cell when it replicates and divides. Since they are not a part of the chromosome they are easier to isolate and manipulate without affecting the cells function. â€Å"When the f... ...l D. (2002). Researchers Report First Evidence That Nuclear Transplantation (â€Å"Therapeutic Cloning†) Can Eliminate Tissue Rejection. (Advanced Cell Technologies Press Release). Retrieved November 28, 2004, from http://www.advancedcell.com/2002-06-02.htm General References Cameron, Nigel, (2003) Cloning at Christmas: a reflective commentary. The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Retrieved October 3, 2004 from: http://www.thecbc.org/redesigned/research_display.php?id=43 Ham, K., Looy, M., (2004). The scientific and Scriptural case against human cloning. Answers in Genesis. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2001/1127cloning.asp McGee, Glenn, (2001). Primer on Ethics and Human Cloning. ActionBioscience.org. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from: http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/mcgee.html Can Cloning and Christianity Coexist Essay -- Science Religion Papers Can Cloning and Christianity Coexist Cloning is an exciting and ongoing field of study with many great possibilities, and negative drawbacks; this leaves many Christians wrestling with the idea of cloning, trying to decide where to stand on, for or against it. To follow, in the paper is an explanation of what cloning is and the uses of cloning at the present and projected in the future. After that the focus will be on the problems with cloning from a non-ethical stance. Finally the issue of cloning and Christian’s views on it will be addressed. What is Cloning? DNA Cloning Cloning, upon first hearing the word cloning, the thought of Dolly the sheep pops into the mind. The first and most used type of cloning though is not the type that creates animals, but rather DNA cloning. â€Å"Cloning is an umbrella term that science uses to indicate the duplication of biological material.†(Human Genome Project) Cloning is further broken down into three categories. The first is DNA cloning, which is the replication of DNA strands. DNA cloning is usually the process of getting a cell to replicate a desired gene for us. DNA cloning has been used since the 1970’s and has persisted as an effective cheap means of replicating DNA of interest in a foreign host cell. â€Å"To "clone a gene," a DNA fragment containing the gene of interest is isolated from chromosomal DNA using restriction enzymes and then united with a plasmid that has been cut with the same restriction enzymes.†(Human Genome Project) Plasmids are not part of the chromosome but they rep licate along with the cell when it replicates and divides. Since they are not a part of the chromosome they are easier to isolate and manipulate without affecting the cells function. â€Å"When the f... ...l D. (2002). Researchers Report First Evidence That Nuclear Transplantation (â€Å"Therapeutic Cloning†) Can Eliminate Tissue Rejection. (Advanced Cell Technologies Press Release). Retrieved November 28, 2004, from http://www.advancedcell.com/2002-06-02.htm General References Cameron, Nigel, (2003) Cloning at Christmas: a reflective commentary. The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Retrieved October 3, 2004 from: http://www.thecbc.org/redesigned/research_display.php?id=43 Ham, K., Looy, M., (2004). The scientific and Scriptural case against human cloning. Answers in Genesis. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2001/1127cloning.asp McGee, Glenn, (2001). Primer on Ethics and Human Cloning. ActionBioscience.org. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from: http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/mcgee.html

Kamote tops Essay

Sweet Potato Leaves (talbos ng kamote) Sweet potato tops (kamote tops or talbos ng kamote) are the shoots and leaves of the sweet potato plant that contains protein, lipids, carbohydrates, calcium, iron, phosphorus and vitamins A and C. It is excellent source of anti-oxidative compounds, mainly polyphenolics, which may protect the human body from oxidative stress that is associated with many diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. It is relatively low in calories and has no fat and has the highest content of total polyphenolics among other commercial vegetables studied. Studies also indicate that it can also be used as a cure for diabetes particularly the purplish form. Research also shows that the nutritional content of kamote tops or sweet potato greens can counter attack the downfall of the platelet count of anyone hit by dengue fever by drinking its juice. It boosts the immune system of our body helping our body’s defenses against this sickness. The juice is also great for people with hemorrhaging problems like internal cervical bleeding and intestinal bleeding. It is prepared by boiling the leaves adding a little salt, sugar, or kalamansi to make it easier to drink. Since it is easy to grow, you can find these leaves anywhere and in the Philippines. In less than a month from planting, you can start harvesting the tops and leaves thus it is usually organic and safe making it more healthy and nutritious. While it is usually added as vegetable to dishes like sinigang, it can be eaten fresh in salads or with shrimp paste or fish sauce. It can be cooked in vinegar and soy sauce and served with fried fish (Adobong talbos ng kamote). It can also be sautà ©ed in place of spinach adding them to stir-fries or a replacement to another well known green in the Philippines called Kangkong.

Customer Perception Towards Mobile Banking

CUSTOMER PERCEPTION TOWARDS MOBILE BANKING WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO INDIAPurpose: The objective of this paper is to study customer perception towards mobile banking and finding important factors in India. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research methodology is largely based on extensive literature review and is based on exploratory research followed by descriptive analysis. The data collected thorough questionnaire, which is based on both open ended and closed ended questions. The questionnaire is based on Likert scale. The data is analyzed through Factor analysis. Findings: The important factors that affect the perception of customers towards mobile banking are convenience, security, faith on traditional banking and awareness. Research limitation/implications: This study is based on the data collected form major metro cities of India. The study is based on customers availing the mobile banking services. The findings of the paper cannot be generalized, as the sampling technique is non-probability sampling. Practical implications: The results of this paper will encourage mobile banking service providers to strengthen the security policy and provide augmented services to attract new customers. Paper Type: Research Paper Key Words: Mobile Banking; Customer Perception; Factor Analysis; India INTRODUCTION In recent years, the technological developments in information technology have lead to the evolution of a new concept in Banking Industry i. e. Mobile banking. Mobile banking is defined as the â€Å"type of execution of financial services in the course of which – within an electronic procedure – the customer uses mobile communication techniques in conjunction with mobile devices† (Pousttchi and Schurig 2004). Moreover, it is defined as â€Å"a channel hereby the customer interacts with a bank via a mobile device, such as a mobile phone or personal digital assistant† (Barnes and Corbitt 2003, Scornavacca and Barnes 2004). The evolution of Mobile banking has fundamentally transformed the way banks traditionally conduct their businesses and the ways consumers perform their banking However the success of Mobile banking is not going smoothly, its full of problems. Firstly the adoption of Mobile banking has not kept pace with that of mobile devices like mobile phones, PDA’S etc. This gap is attributed to the lack of trust among bank customers, particularly between Internet and mobile device users in the age group of 45 and greater than 55. Secondly, customers still have faith on face-to-face interaction while concerned with their money due to reasons such as fear of the online environment and lack of trust in the Internet and mobile devices systems. Recent literature on Mobile banking showed that the formation of trust can help reduce the impact of key inhibiting factors such as fears about using the online service among non Mobile banking customers. The customer perception towards Mobile banking is controlled by variety of factors, few within the firm’s control and few beyond the control of the firm. These days Mobile banking has facilitated the customers to avail any services just by the click of the buttons of mobile phones or PDA’S. But at the same time the customers are concerned about the security of their transactions and other personal information. As more and more customers are making increasing use of Mobile banking services it becomes imperative to examine the factors that affect customer expectation and satisfaction.LITERATURE REVIEWElectronic banking is regarded as on of the most successful business to consumer applications in electronic commerce (Pousttchi and Schuring, 2004). The mobile phone is one of the most integral parts of customers’ lives and its use is growing in the world. The mobile banking offers various kind of services like to request the account balance, latest transactions of the account, transfer fund between accounts, to make buy and sell orders for the stock exchange and to receive portfolio and price information. Various studies indicate that perceived financial cost (Luarn and Lin, 2005) and perceived complexity (Lee et al. , 2003) inhibits he use and adoption of mobile banking services. Security aspects are argued as an important concerns in the adoption of mobile banking (Brown et al. , 2003, Luarn and Lin, 2005). Contrary to previous findings, some studies have argued that security issues are not perceived by customer to be major obstacles in mobile banking transactions (Sournata, 2003; Laukkanen and Lauronen, 2005). These studies state that, mobile baking was found a secure way to conduct banking transactions by the users. However, Suranta (2003) found that mobile services were nit used since they were perceived as impractical and not sufficiently diversified. Gonzalez (2008) stated that M-commerce has many advantages over conventional banking system as it has reduced geographical boundaries and has enabled the customers to avail the services 24*7 hours just by clicking the buttons of their mobile phones and other mobile devices. It enables the users to access their account, get their account information, do transactions and avail other facilities without much delay and efforts. As per prediction of Broadie (2007) the Mobile banking is leading to a paradigm shift in marketing practices resulting in high performance in the banking industry. Delivery of service in banking can be provided efficiently only when the background operations are efficient. An efficient background operation can be conducted only when it is integrated by an electronic system. The components like data, hardware, software, network and people are the essential elements of the system. Banking customers get satisfied with the system when it provides them maximum convenience and comfort while transacting with the bank. Internet enabled electronic system facilitate the operation to fetch these result. But it is very important to maintain the security aspect while customers avail services via mobile devices or wireless network because the customers are very sensitive with their personal information’s and other transaction details, hence the service provider must ensure effective security checks to ensure error free service and safe transactions.PURPOSE OF THE STUDYThe objective of this paper is to study the customer perception towards Mobile banking and finding important factors affecting customer perception in India.ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONDemographic analysis is done to know the perception of mobile banking various age group of people with different occupation (Refer Table. 1). This analysis shows that there is significance difference in the usage of mobile banking between male and female. Age group of 35-45 uses this service quite often. The KMO and Bartlett’s Test indicates the suita bility of the data for factor analysis. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy’s value (Refer Table. 2) is 0. 755 which is greater than 0. 5. This indicates that a factor analysis will be useful with our data. From the above table, we can interpret that there is no error in 75. 5% of the sample and in the remaining 24. 5%, there may occur some sort of error. The value of significance level is 0. 000 that is less than 0. 05. So there is a significant relationship among the variables. About 66. 185% of the total variance in the 16 variables is attributable to the first four components. (Refer Table. 3). It can be seen that Component 1 explains a variance of 6. 230, which is 38. 934% of total variance; Component 2 explains a variance of 1. 718, which is 10. 735% of total variance; Component 3 explains a variance of 1. 23, which is 8. 894% of total variance and Component 4 explains a variance of 1. 220, which is 7. 622% of total variance. From this table we can make the following factor matrix. The rotated component matrix helps to determine what the components represent (Refer Table. 4). The first factor i. e. CONVENIENCE is most highly correlated with V1, V6, V8, V10, V11, V12 and V15. The second factor i. e. SECURITY is most highly correlated with V3, V7, V14 and V15. The third factor i. e. TRADITIONAL BANKINGS is most highly correlated with V2and V16. The fourth factor i. e. AWARENESS is most highly correlated with V4, V5 and V9. Factor Matrix |Factor No. | |Eigen Value | | | | |Factor Name | |Items |Items Loading | | | |Total |% of Variance | | | |1 |CONVENIENCE |6. 230 |38. 934 |Easy to Use |0. 93 | | | | | |Location Free Access to services |0. 785 | | | | | |Real Time Excess to Information |0. 776 | | | | | |Save Time |0. 764 | | | | | |Save Transaction Cost |0. 79 | | | | | |Easy Third Party Transactions |0. 651 | | | | | |Online Bill Payments |0. 489 | |2 |SECURITY |1. 718 |10. 735 |Personal Information Safe |0. 803 | | | | | |Reliable Services |0. 95 | | | | | |Error Free Transactions |0. 644 | | | | | |Cashless Banking |0. 519 | |3 |TRADITIONAL BANKING |1. 220 |8. 894 |On sight Transaction |0. 555 | | | | | |Availability of Mobile banking Services |0. 19 | |4 |AWARENESS |1. 423 |7. 622 |Point Of Presence |0. 874 | | | | | |Advertisements By Banks |0. 772 | | | | | |SMS/Messages Related Mobile banking Services |0. 671 | The above four factors have been explained as under: FACTOR-1: CONVENIENCE | |V10- E asy to Use. | |V8- Location Free Access to services. | |V6- Real Time Excess to Information. | |V1- Save Time. | |V11- Save Transaction Cost. | |V12- Easy Third Party Transactions. | |V13- Online Bill Payments. | |FACTOR-2: SECURITY | |V3- Personal Information Safe. | |V7- Reliable Services. | |V14- Error Free Transaction. | |V15- Cashless Banking. |FACTOR-3: TRADITONAL BANKING | |V2- On sight Transaction. | |V16- Availability of Mobile banking Services. | |FACTOR-4: AWARENESS | |V4- Point Of Presence. | |V5- Advertisements By Banks. | |V9- SMS/Messages Related Mobile banking Services. | CONCLUSION This study was undertaken to know the perception of mobile banking in India. Mobile banking is in very nascent stage in India and very few banks are providing this kind of facility to the customer. The detailed research and field study was carried out with usage of SPSS 16 software. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed on this software. Convenience, security, traditional banking and awareness are factors that measure the perception of mobile banking. The demographic study indicates that the people of greater than 45 years age are not comfortable with the mobile banking this is because of either their faith on onsite transaction and not easily accept the newer technology because of lack of awareness and its advantages. The results of this study suggest that there would be greater challenges for banks and mobile manufacturers to gain the trust among the all age of the people. Proper integration between banks and mobile manufacturers would gain trust by ensuring excellent security through advance reliable technology. This would augment the usage of the mobile banking in India In order to get maximum advantage of the mobile banking following suggestions can utilize to attract bank customers to use mobile banking in the future:First banks should realize the advantage of the mobile banking and provide this services to the customer. The positive belief can be made in the mind of customers by providing sufficient information on the benefits of mobile banking. In order to achieve this objective, banks should provide user manual that contains details on mobile banking, including usefulness and ease of use. This can also be achieved by establishing counter for mobile banking that gives all the information re garding mobile banking. This will influence customers’ decision to use mobile banking.Banks should ensure greater safety by adopting advance newer technology and should give more importance of confidentiality of personal identification number. Banks can organize workshops on mobile commerce applications to increase customers’ familiarity and understanding of mobile banking.LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDYThis study cannot be generalized as the sample has been taken form the major metro cities of India. Mobile banking user’s perception is measured in this paper. So further research can be carried out considering mobile baking user and non-user to get better picture of perception towards mobile banking in India.REFERENCES1. Barnes, S. J. & Corbitt, B. (2003). Mobile banking: concept and potential. International Journal of Mobile Communications, 1 (3), 273-288. 2. Brodie, H Winklhofer. 2007). Is e-marketing Coming of Age? An Examination of the Penetration of e- marketing a nd Firm Performance. J. Innterac. Market, 21:2-21. 3. Brown, I. , Cajee, Z. , Davies, D. , Stroebel, S. (2003), â€Å"Cell phone banking: predictors of adoption in South Africa – an exploratory study†, International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 23 No. 5, pp. 381-94. 4. Gonzalez, M. E. (2008). An Alternative Approach in Service Quality: An E-Banking Case Study. Quality Manage, 15: 41-48. 5. Laukkanen, T. , Lauronen, J. (2005), â€Å"Consumer value creation in mobile banking services†, International Journal of Mobile Communications, Vol. No. 4, pp. 325-38. 6. Lee, M. S. Y. , McGoldrick, P. F. , Keeling, K. A. , Doherty, J. (2003), â€Å"Using ZMET to explore barriers to the adoption of 3G mobile banking services†, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 31 No. 6, pp. 340-8. 7. Luarn, P. , Lin, H. H. (2005), â€Å"Toward an understanding of the behavioral intention to use mobile banking†, Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 21 No. 6, pp. 873-91. 8. Pousttchi, K. & Schurig, M. (2004). Assessment of today’s mobile banking applications from the view of customer requirements. Proceedings of the 37th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Big Island, Hawaii. 9. Scornavacca, E. & Barnes, S. J. (2004). Mobile banking services in Japan: a strategic perspective. International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2 (1), 51-66. 10. Suoranta, M. (2003), â€Å"Adoption of mobile banking in Finland†, Jyvaskyla, Finland, doctoral thesis. ANNEXURE I Table:1 Percentage of Respondents on the basis of Age and Occupation |Age —-> |18-25 |25-35 |35-45 |45-55 |

National Jazz Hall

QSO-640 Midterm Robert Wilson Question 1 The project that Mr. Rutland is trying to manage is establishing maintaining a National Jazz Hall of Fame(NJHF) in Charlottesville, VA. The NHJF was created and has been in existence for about one year. Now, Mr. Rutland has found that the Paramount Theatre in downtown Charlottesville, which shares it’s name with a famous jazz hall from the 1930s and 40s in New York City, is about to be demolished and would like to save and renovate the building as the headquarters for the NJHF.The Paramount Theatre would be where the NJHF would be located and provide a venue for a museum, archives and a concert center. This would also allow the NJHF to sponsor jazz festivals, workshops and scholarships. The museum would be used to remember great jazz artists, serve jazz enthusiasts along with education he public on the importance of jazz in American culture and history. Question 2 The stakeholders in this project begin with Mr. Rutland himself.After tha t, some of the other stakeholders include the board of directors for the NHJF, the City of Charlottesville departments renovating the historic district of downtown Charlottesville, the consultant hired by the board, other tourist attractions in around Charlottesville and in Western Virginia, they include Monticello, James Monroe’s house, and the University of Virginia. Other stakeholders would be the contractors employed to renovate the Paramount, possible donors to the project, they could be private as well as governmental such as the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.The potential jazz performers that are potential members of the NJHF are also very important stakeholders. If this is not a highly recognized and reputable hall of fame, some of these iconic jazz musicians will not want to be members of the organization. Finally, jazz fans as a whole are key stakeholders as well. Without them, there would not be a need for this type of attraction. Question 3 There are three major issues facing Mr. Rutland and the NJHF. They are: 1. Fund raising, 2. Building and leading a professional team to complete the project. 3. Marketing in order to promote the NJHF and gain national recognition.In order to successfully address these issues the following skills will be needed: Good communication skills – Since the PM will be dealing with many different type of people, groups and audiences, they will need to be able to communicate effectively on all of these different levels. They need to communicate with government entities in order to secure the necessary permits and inspections once the theatre is set to be renovated. They will have to speak with philanthropic groups in order to raise private funds for the renovation of the theatre along with donations to run the NJHF.In order to gain public funding, the PM will have to address government agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts. For issue two, the PM will be the team leader and have to communicate well with each group of the project team. They will have to work with the different teams to create the renovation plan. Once that is done, they will have to work with many different contractors to secure bids before deciding on who will complete the renovations. Other groups that the PM will have to communicate would include the finance team, the procurement team and the budget team.As for issue number 3, the PM will have to work with several marketing firms who specialize in the work needed for the NJHF to establish national recognition. They will have to meet with many different firms in order to select the best one for the NJHF. Once that group is selected, the PM will be the interface to that group for the project. Communications with this group will of course be vital to the longevity of the NJHF. Ability to command respect – The PM needs to be to command respect from every group involved in each aspect of the project.With out respect, none of the groups will be â€Å"encouraged† to complete their assigned tasks. Also, without respect the project as a whole will not have any credibility. It is this respect and credibility that will help generate private and government funding. Also, if there is no respect in the project, the NJHF will not gain any respect in the Jazz community. Without that, why would any of the potentials jazz musicians want to be a member of this hall of fame? Conflict Resolution skills – this is a basic skill that every PM must have. Without it, no project would move forward.In this project, the conflicts could be many for all three issues. If the PM cannot resolve the conflicts that will arise from the renovation of the theatre alone, the other two issue will never come to fruition. Good knowledge of project management principles – Of all of the PM principles, risk management is key in this project. If you look at issue two, fundraising, what happens to the pr oject if a major source of funding becomes compromised? One real world example is the Boy Scouts of America. They received almost 40% of their annual budget from a donation by the American United Way.A few years ago, the United Way reduced their donation significantly. The BSA now receives only one percent of its budget from that organization. It was real blow to their ability to maintain their year round projects. In order to recoup this budgetary loss, they established the Friends of Scouting project. They now solicit donations from the parents of Scouts, former Scouts and other companies and non-profit organizations to fulfill the gap. The PM for this project will have to have contingency plans in place like the BSA has done.Be comfortable in an uncertain environment – This is a huge, multifaceted project that a PM can understand every aspect. The PM for this project needs to be able to manage well the pieces they know very well and have the ability to manage the pieces th ey are not so familiar with. They need to put the right people in place for the aspects of the project they are the least familiar. Say the PM is strong in construction but weak in fund raising, they need to find a good fund raiser and someone who is good with marketing. Question 4 I feel that Mr. Rutland does have credibility.He is a professor of History at the University of Virginia. I don’t think that he would have been able to have had jazz greats, Benny Goodman and Chick Corea join the NJHF National Advisory board if they didn’t feel that Mr. Rutland and the board of directors he established were credible. Having two famous jazz musicians like that on the board definitely adds credence and credibility to Mr. Rutland’s plan. Is Mr. Rutland a leader? A leader is defined as â€Å"interpersonal influence, exercised in situations and directed through the communication process, toward the arraignment of a specified goal of goals. † Mr.Rutland has shown tha t ability in the first year of building the NJHF. Mr. Rutland came up with the NJHF and locating it in Charlottesville, VA. He enlisted the help of his fellow jazz enthusiast, and created the board of directors for the hall of fame. After that he found a possible building location that, by name, has ties to the famous jazz era of the 1930s and 19402 in New York City. This would give the NJHF a headquarters with a credible and recognizable name. After establishing the board, Mr. Rutland went out to generate funds for the hall by applying for grants from philanthropic groups along with various government agencies.They were denied for two reasons, inexperience of the board members and the brevity of their existence. This could not be construed negatively toward the board or affect their credibility. Mr. Rutland also understood that the NJHF would need visitors to help generate revenue to continue the hall’s existence. He found that over half a million people visit the Charlottes ville area to see many other attractions. He knew he had to work with the various venues and tourist organization to help promote the NJHF as a viable attraction. Finally Mr.Rutland showed his leadership in hiring a consultant to help answer two questions. One, what is the interest level of the respondents for jazz and the establishment of a National Jazz Hall of Fame. The survey was conducted on a national level and on a local level. This allows Mr. Rutland to find out if people were actually interested in a Jazz Hall of Fame and if they would attend, jazz music as a whole, if people would be willing to donate money to such an organization, what services and events they would expect from the hall and what the average person interested in such a place would be willing to pay for admission.This gave the board an idea of what kind of funding they could expect fromt eh public through donations and admission fees. Question 5 The cultures relevant to this project are the African-American , Cajun, Africans, and American. Jazz was influenced by different cultures and sub-cultures. The music also has roots in the development of other music movements around the world. In the US, Jazz has influenced, the Blues, R&B, Motown, Dixieland, Classical and Country music. Jazz is a melting pot of music as well having its roots in other genres.The project environment for the National Jazz Hall of Fame was a struggle to get off the ground, but was met with great enthusiasm. After the first year, even though they had many setbacks due to difficulties raising contributions from outside sources and finding out they needed at least $600,000 to renovate the theatre, Mr. Rutland and the board felt the project showed promise. Mr. Rutland did not seem to give up, but found other ways to promote and endow the NJHF. He tried to utilized the local tourism outlets, the NJHF promoted concerts to raise money and awareness.Mr. Rutland visited other halls of fame to gain ideas and insights into th eir success. He also commissioned a two surveys to gather information about the viability and interest the public would have for a jazz hall of fame. Question 6 Mr. Rutland should do the following: Budget- Philanthropic organizations – Since they had difficulties raising funds from these types of organizations due to a lack of experience on the part of the board, they need to hire an executive director with fund raising experience.This will give them someone with the proper background that these organization are looking for and a higher level of credibility. This will help solidify them as a true purveyor of a hall of fame for Jazz. Government Agencies – Once they have a qualified executive director and have been established for over two years, they should reapply for government funds from groups like the National Endowment for the Arts. They will be able to get enough funds so that they may even begin to renovate the theatre. Donations – The survey showed that they could receive an average of $23. 0 per donation. They should pursue a low cost way of garnering these donations in order to increase their bottom line. The survey targeted individuals over 35 years old with an income of $50,000+. Perhaps they can target other age and income range along with woman. Memberships – These are an excellent way to raise money. You can usually provide a few low cost incentives to individuals and they will pay a little more of an admission fee to benefit from those perks. However, at this time, without an actually facility for the hall of fame, memberships may be something they should wait on.It was recommended that they pursue Founding Memberships. This would be a more viable option until it is decided on where the actual NJHF will be located. Everyone likes to say that they were the first ones to be involved in a new endeavor. Visitors – The survey found that the average admission fee could be $3. 50. This is a good price considering how many tourists visit the Charlottesville area. Again, until a facility if build and functional, this idea should be set aside. Budget – Expenditures. The Paramount Theatre is the NJHF’s largest expenditure at $600,000.Other expenditures are the cost of the surveys. Future costs will be setting up the Founding Membership accounts, the regular memberships (if any), the salary of the executive director and all of the operational costs of an office for that individual. There will also have to be a budget for correspondence, fliers for concerts and workshops, etc. A Travel budget for the executive director will be required as well. Performance: service/activities The NJHF will have to continue to sponsor concerts and workshops.This will help them promote their mission along with getting their name out there. Offering a scholarship will help as well. This would also help gain credibility with the National Association of Jazz Educators. Competition – The NJHF needs to work with their competition. This will allow them to learn about how they are doing things. What works and what does not. It could also give them an opportunity to create an association with other hall of fames. This would make them appear more established. They could use their competitions success to their advantage.Schedule – First thing would be to hire an experience executive director. I think the NJHF’s first window of opportunity will come when they have been around for over two years so they qualify for government funding. Their first milestone could be signing up their first Founding Member. This would give them a good jumping off point to establish a large group of Members. http://businessmanstar. blogspot. com/2012/01/national-jazz-hall-of-fame-njhf-case. html http://www. expertprogrammanagement. com/2009/06/required-skills-to-be-a-program-manager/