Restoration of the Parks Ecosystems Research Proposal

Restoration of the Parks Ecosystems - Research Proposal Example Ecological restoration involves a deliberate move that is initiated to reinstate the lost and existing components of an ecosystem. Restoration of an ecosystem may become necessary if it has been mutilated, altered or destroyed because of direct and indirect human activities or a result of other natural factors Wildfires, flash floods, turbulent storms and volcanic eruptions have destroyed natural habitats of organisms to the point that the natural balance in the system is no longer exist. Although the original state of an ecosystem might be impossible to achieve, restoration should focus on trying to get to that condition. It is very important to note there are several factors hampering restoration efforts to the initial level, these include current constraint and some other factors that may change the restoration path. The initial level of an ecosystem hugely affected by human activity and other factors may be difficult or impossible to determine with accuracy (Maltby, 2008). The be st mechanism to build restoration efforts is by embarking on building of sufficient knowledge of the ecosystem. About the High Park This is a valuable and certainly unique environment in the city of Toronto, as it a host to numerous interactions of different organisms. Besides these organisms, millions of people visit the park every year, some come do jog, walk their dogs, play soccer, cycle and other outdoor activities and others just come to marvel at this beauty (Egan, Hjerpe and Abrams, 2011).  ... Fourth, the park consist of a total of 99 existing significant plant species with 4 provincially rare, 9 regionally rare and 86 locally rare plant species. Fifth, there are 250 migratory bird species and a host of 48 breeding bird species, about 6 butterflies of conservation concern, 19 species of mammals and 8 species of amphibians and reptiles. The park was established in the year 1873, it is one the heartbeat of Toronto life as it is the key to the daily lives of the residents of the city. This is the reason that makes it important to develop sufficient proposal to restore the park to its initial setting for people to use continually and the organisms to be hosted unharmed. This is because human activities in the park have lead to some organisms to be endangered and the degradation of organisms and certain locations of the park such as the ponds, the wetlands, forests and meadows, wildlife and creeks. Therefore, to restore the park for the future generations to benefit from and ma rvel at, it is important that restoration efforts of the park to be taken seriously and further be compliment by proper management and maintenance. This proposal aims at determining strategies and mechanisms that can be effectively applied to restore High Park’s ecosystems. Image 1: An aerial view of High Park showing massive human activities Adopted from http://www.toronto.ca/trees/HP_OakWoodland_Resotration.htm Formation of the High Park The area occupied by the park currently was composed of glaciers in the Ice Age; it owes its topography and soil to this period. Researchers insist that as warming began, the melting glaciers started to move to the north of the country, resulting in the formation of a lake, which is very

Ground Water in Dhaka City Essay Example for Free

Ground Water in Dhaka City Essay Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh which has a population of about 12. 5 millions and its population rate is over 5%. Projected population is about 22 million by 2025. Dhaka is now the 7th largest populated city in the world and it is anticipated that Dhaka will be the 2nd largest city in the world by 2020. This city is full of problem and one of the major problems is water crisis. Although Bangladesh is rich in water resource, but there remains lack of safe water. The cities in Bangladesh are the centre of employment, communications and development. So, people are rapidly migrating in these cities from rural areas place putting additional pressure on the infrastructure and water resources. For this huge population in Dhaka city, water demand is also huge. And maximum portion of this greater demand is fulfilled by ground water. The daily requirement of water in Dhaka city is about 200 crore liters while WASA supplies 180 crore liters, leaving a shortage of 20 crore liters. Out of this 180 crore liters of water, 154. 50 crore liters of water are supplied from ground water. All most 85%-87% of water is supplied from under the ground and of them are from surface water. To supply this massive amount of water we need to extract a lot from the ground. Everyday demand for water is increasing and we are adding new pumps. In 1998, there were only 243 water pumps to lift water in 2004 it was 440 but now it is 560. Each of the pumps lifts 3,000 liters of water in a minute. And this is also making some problems. For this heavy extraction water level is going down rapidly. In some statistics I have found that the level of underground water has dropped down to 61. 18 meters. The average rate of decline of water level varied from 1 m to 2. 50 as the report of DWDB. Ground water depletion situation is severe in the central part of the city compare to the areas close to river bank, says DWDB. If this continue to happen then in future it will be hard to lift up underground water. Moreover, the increasing number of pumps and subsequent depletion of groundwater table increases the risk of disasters like landslide, subsidence and earthquake.

The Character of Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin Es

The Character of Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin In "The story of an Hour," Kate Chopin reveals the complex character, Mrs. Mallard, In a most unusual manner. THe reader is led to believe that her husband has been killed in a railway accident. The other characters in the story are worried about how to break the news to her; they know whe suffers from a heart condition, and they fear for her health. On the surface, the story appears to be about how Mrs. Mallard deals with the news of the death of her husband. On a deeper level, however, the story is about the feeling of intense joy that Mrs. Mallard experiences when she realizes that she is free from the influences of her husband and the consequences of finding out that her new-found freedom is not to be. At First, Mrs. Mallard seems to be genuinely affected by her grief: "She wept ar once, with sudden, wild abandonment....When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. SHe would have no one follow her". At this point in the story, the reader is abl e to look into the mind of Mr...

The Purpose of Food and Beverage Cost Control

THE PURPOSE OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE COST CONTROL 1. The principal purpose of food and beverage planning and control systems is †¢ to avoid excessive costs by reducing waste and other forms of loss to a minimum, without sacrificing the quality or quantity of the food which goes to the customer. 2. An effective control procedure will serve other purposes as well: †¢ aid in developing popular menus †¢ aid in improving the quality of the product †¢ aid in pricing for profit The Flow of Costs Through the Various Food and Beverage Activities 1. Basic Operating activities †¢ Purchasing †¢ Receiving †¢ Storing †¢ Issuing †¢ Pre-preparation (butchering, vegetable cleaning etc. ) †¢ Portioning †¢ Preparation (cooking, baking, salad and sandwich making, etc. ) †¢ Service †¢ Accounting and sales Study Highlights1 ? Food and Beverage costs in the majority of restaurant operations represent the largest single expenditure of the revenue. ? Food and beverage costs are influenced by the way the various activities such as purchasing, receiving, storing, issuing, pre-preparation, preparation and accounting are performed. Food and beverage control procedures should serve as effective â€Å"tools of management† to aid in the control of costs. They should be designed in such a way that the most effective allocation of time is made to the planning, comparing and corrective action phases of control, with the emphasis on planning. ? F&B control systems must be effectively used by management before they can be a valuable aid in the control of costs. ? F&B control systems are supported by various types of â€Å"standards: established by management e. g. , standard purchase specifications, standard portion sizes, standard recipes, etc. F&B control systems should be simple and flexible. ? Management is responsible for cost control, and should make use of every tool and technique at its disposal in order to keep costs in line with what they should be. ? In large, complex F&B operations, management is given cost control assistance in the form of staff specialists such as a food and beverage control office. ? In small F&B operations, the manager and his operating staff must alone maintain the necessary planning and control procedures as part of their day-to-day responsibilities. Four Basic Operating Procedures: 1. Food Purchasing, Receiving, Storing and Issuing The primary objective of each of the basic operating procedures should be kept in mind during this study †¢ Purchasing: to obtain the best quality of merchandise based on established specifications, at the best possible price. †¢ Receiving: to obtain the quality and quantity of merchandise ordered and at the quoted price. †¢ Storing: to maintain adequate stocks of merchandise on hand, and to avoid loss through theft or spoilage. †¢ Issuing: to insure proper authorization for the merchandise to be released and to properly account for each day’s issue. . Standard Purchase Specification †¢ A purchase specification is a concise description of the quality, size, and weight or count factors desired for a particular item †¢ Management establishes standard purchase specifications based upon a thorough study of the menu needs and their merchandising and pricing policies †¢ The purchasing agent, the purve yors of the company, and the company’s receiving clerk should each have a set of the established specifications †¢ ? Purchasing 1. There are 3 basic requisites for effective purchasing; a. a qualified and honest purchaser; . a sound set of standard purchase specifications c. effective buying methods and procedures. 2. Standard purchase specifications are concise descriptions of the quality, size, and weight or count factors desired for a particular item. 3. Copies of the purchase specifications should be in the hands of; a. the purchasing agent, b. the company’s purveyors c. the company’s receiving clerk. 4. Constant follow-up and evaluation procedures are necessary in order to insure the continuous adherence to established policies and procedures. ? Receiving 1. The personnel responsible for receiving should know all aspects of the merchandise they are called upon to evaluate and receive. 2. Food merchandise should be checked from the viewpoint of quality, quantity, specification, and price. 3. All merchandise accepted should be supported by an invoice, and the details of the invoice summarized on a daily receiving sheet. 4. Constant follow-up and evaluation checks are necessary to insure proper performance of the receiving procedures. 1. Definition of Terms †¢ 1. Cost of Food Consumed †¢ 2. Cost of Food Sold †¢ 3. Month-end Actual Cost of Food Consumed †¢ 4. Daily Actual Food Cost 5. Standard Food Cost 2. Basic Formula for Calculating Actual Food Costs †¢ Opening inventory + purchases = cost of merchandise available †¢ Merchandise available – closing inventory = cost of food consumed †¢ Food consumed + or – charges or credits = cost of food sold †¢ The Closing Inventory of the ‘Cur rent ‘ month becomes the opening inventory of the following month. Care and accuracy should be the rule in determining inventory value [pic] Paper prepared by Murage Macharia Lecturer, Mombasa Technical Training Institute P. O. BOX 81220 Mombasa 80100 Mobile: +254 726 604 340 +254 750 604340

Food is Art Essay

According to writer, Albert Camus, â€Å"Great works are often born on a street corner or in a restaurants revolving door. † A good restaurant should contain a luminous environment, delicious food, and have a friendly staff. Benihanas excels in all of these categories, which is what makes it such a great restaurant. Now let me tell you a few reasons why this restaurant is so good. Benihanas has a beautiful environment from the exterior to the interior. When you first walk up you notice that the exterior always is well picked up and the bushes are always trimmed and the paint looks always new. There is a waiter waiting to open the doors for your entrance and direct you to the bar while you wait, that is if you need to be waited. The inside always has wiped down tables, fresh plates, and silverware that are neatly folded in a napkin. There is beautiful Japanese art like Samurai Soldiers, Straight 2 Buddha’s and cherry blossom plants that fill the walls. The restaurant makes you feel like you are relaxed, comfortable, and at peace. In addition to their great art and good environment, they have amazing food. The most interesting fact about Benihanas is that they cook on an amazing hibachi grill. They serve fried rice, filet minion, shrimp, scallops, and calamari all cooked to your taste. Dinner comes with a salad and onion soup as a side dish or sushi rolls if you choose to order them. The chefs, while cooking, perform countless tricks. One is known as the â€Å"egg roll†, which is when they spin the egg and make it roll down the spatula before they break it and add it to the rice. The other is the onion volcano were they stack the onion layers on top of one another and add oil to the inside and then the heat from the grill causes smoke to rise above the onion shaped volcano. Lastly the heart beat rice, they shape the rice into a heart and put their spatula underneath it and pump it as if the rice has a rapid heartbeat. The best part is seeing them cook right in front of you so you know the food is fresh, cooked right, and not tampered with. That being said along with their amazing food they also have an amazing staff. Benihanas staff is wonderful and they have the friendliest individuals with great personalities that make your time there really fun and interesting. When you first walk in depending on what time you go of course, they greet you with the most welcoming of smiles. They have you seated and treat you with the utpmost respect and pay attention Straight 3 to each detail to make sure you get the best satisfaction. The chefs entertain you the whole time by either making jokes or doing funny tricks to make sure everyone is having a good time, so they really interact with their guest to make you feel like you’re at home with a bunch of family and friends. The waitresses and waiters always make sure you are enjoying your meal as well. From a recent experience, I had dropped my pop on the floor, which to my dismay I was as a red as a siracha bottle. She told me it was ok which made me feel safe and less embarrassed. Benihanas is the best Japanese restaurant. Yes there are other hibachi grills but nothing compares to Benihanas. They have a wonderful, fun, and clean environment with amazing food and a wonderful staff. The chefs and waitresses always make sure your well taken care of and that you have a good time. This will always be a restaurant I want to go to, and I will always crave the hibachi grill. and iIf you don’t believe me, thean go see for yourself. Evaluation Essay Grading Rubric ENG 121 Instructor: Kathy Mullins Student: Brittney Outstanding Strong Adequate Limited / Unacceptable Writer’s Approach analysis presents fresh and defensible insights into the topic academic in tone, demonstrating a clear sense of purpose and audience writer’s voice is evident—confident, competent, and sophisticated vocabulary and phrasing are academically appropriate and persuasive writer is clearly engaged with and moved by her/his thinking process Audience The writer clearly conveys through tone, vocabulary, and approach that he/she has identified a specific audience for the essay. Introduction engaging introduces the essay’s general topic and inspires thinking about that topic logically proceeds to thesis (if appropriate) clearly written or revised to reflect thoughts that developed during the writing process Thesis easily identifiable, well-phrased argument that addresses a specific idea to be analyzed and proven in the essay reflects sound critical, analytical thinking entire essay remains focused on this clear thesis Body Paragraphs each paragraph focuses on a single point that is clearly connected to the thesis graceful and logical transitions between ideas within the paragraph and from paragraph to paragraph. Conclusion The conclusion does more than simply summarize the points of each paragraph. In short, it sizzles instead of fizzles. Outside Sources writer makes sophisticated, insightful points and uses concrete details from at least _____ reputable outside sources to support these points and the thesis powerfully chosen evidence is thoroughly examined, explained, and clearly relevant to the thesis ratio of outside sources to writer’s words/ideas does not exceed (roughly) 20/80 Direct quotes, summaries, and paraphrases always include a â€Å"signal phrase† to introduce the source, establish credibility, and provide context for the source Quotes are followed by analysis, explanation, interpretation, examples, etc. Appropriate MLA in-text citations used Paraphrases (or summaries) were clearly written by the student and do not reflect a â€Å"copy-paste-change-a-few-words† approach Not applicable Works Cited appropriately formatted Works Cited page that follows all MLA rules and conventions Works Cited entries match appropriately formatted in-text citations Not applicable Mechanics, Syntax, and Grammar Effective mechanics, syntax, and grammar demonstrate a mastery of writing conventions, do not confuse or distract the reader, and serve the author’s purpose. Other (for specific writing assignments): The writer has identified clear and specific criteria for the evaluation. The essay is between 2 ? and 3 pages long. It is double-spaced, uses 12 point Times New Roman font, and has the appropriate headers. Writing Workshop – The writer brought the assigned number of printed copies of a complete rough draft to the writing workshop(s) and fully participated in the peer review process. WORKSHOP POINTS See D2L Gradebook TOTAL ESSAY POINTS 40/50 Mid-Point Writing Reflection (and Kathy’s response) Here is what you wrote on the D2L Discussion Board as you were in the process of writing this essay. We did not do this with the first essay. This section is for essays 2 – 5. Dear Kathy Letter (and Kathy’s response) Here is what you wrote when you were finished with your essay. Dear Kathy, I think my paper wasn’t necessarily hard but I did think I could have put more similes or more details in there to make it sound a little better. I did struggle a bit knowing exactly how to write an evaluation, but I did read the evaluations in the book but I just couldn’t understand the steps to follow. So I went ahead and printed an evaluation outline which helped a lot and writing the paper ran more smoothly. I would like a lot of feedback in the detail area and I would like it if you could help me find areas in the paper that I can brighten more. I feel that I should use Purdue owl or perhaps read a poem or something to get an idea of how to lighten up my writing. Since my last essay reflection I feel I have gotten better with my grammar and my punctuation. Brittney, your strength in this essay is definitely organization. I’m glad you looked online for an example outline. Way to be resourceful! ? One thing to watch out for is that you stick with the criteria you identify for your evaluation. You tell your reader that a good restaurant should have â€Å"delicious food,† but you never once describe the mouthwatering, savory goodness of Benihanas’ food! I also agree that you could â€Å"lighten up† your writing, but I think you’re making great progress already. I could see good examples of descriptive writing throughout your essay. I think it will just take practice to make it feel more natural. You’re definitely on the right track! I’m looking forward to reading your next essay. Kathy Reflection on Personal Writing Goals (and Kathy’s response) Here is what you wrote about your progress toward your self-identified writing goals. You have not set goals yet. This section is for essays 2 – 5. WRITING PLAN Follow the instructions in each of the sections below. When you are finished, upload the new document to the appropriate D2L Dropbox by the specified due date. Reflection on Feedback Re-read your essay. As you read your words, stop and read the feedback I wrote in the margins of your essay. Also look at the grading rubric and my comments at the end of your essay. In the space below, reflect on this feedback: What feedback made the most sense or was the most helpful? Be specific. (â€Å"When you said, _____, I realized ______. †) Did any of my feedback confuse you? If so, what was it? Again, be specific. Now that you have a fresh perspective on your essay, what do you like best about your writing? Writing Goals and Plans Identify 1 or 2 goals for your next essay. Goals do not have to be related to my feedback. They can be about any part of the writing process, but they should not be about grammar! Goal One: How will you work on this goal? What, specifically, will you do? Goal Two: How will you work on this goal? What, specifically, will you do? Editing Challenge What is your editing challenge for your next essay? (I will identify an â€Å"Editing Challenge† somewhere in your essay. ) Run-on sentences How did you learn about your topic? Highlight all that apply. How to Write Anything textbook Writer’s Help (www. writershelp. com) Video (list video creator/site below) Website (list website below) A friend/parent A teacher Writing Center consultant Writing Center handout Grammar guide/book (list title below) Other (please explain) Tell me, in your own words, about this topic. What are the rules/best practices? Write the original AND the edited version of your highlighted sentence here. (If you did not have a highlighted sentence, just write â€Å"N/A† here. ) Upload this new document to the appropriate D2L Dropbox by 8:35 am on March 3! Grading Rubric Points Criteria 8 – 10 Each section of the Essay Reflection is complete, and the quality of the work reflects obvious care, interest, and a true commitment to improving your writing practice. 6 – 7 Each section of the Essay Reflection is complete, but one or more sections may be overly brief or lacking depth. 1 – 5 Limited responses and/or incomplete sections. 0 Essay Reflection not turned in.

Conceiving and Measuring Managers Performance

Conceiving and Measuring Managers Performance Introduction The success of every organization depends upon its management. The management incorporates the managing director who in most cases is referred to as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the other middle level managers who are the heads of various organizational departments.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Conceiving and Measuring Managers Performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The CEO alone cannot adequately enhance the management of an organization and so the other management staff is equally important in critical decision-making. Successful implementation of company’s various strategies requires total commitment and cooperation on the part of the management of the organization. Almost all organizations have stakeholders who have stakes either directly or indirectly in the organization (Goddard Broad, 2010, p. 64). The manner in which an organization is run will attract varying attitudes from the stakeholders or any other external bodies that may be having direct link to the company. These attitudes will be based on how the managers are running the organizations. It is important to assess managers’ performance t o ascertain how the set goals and objectives are being or likely to be achieved. This will call for an appropriate action against those managers who are not performing accordingly and a different direction can be sought. The following report will try to analyze how the managers’ performance can be measured and the complications involved in the entire process. Performance Management Indicators and Systems There is no reason to retain a manager who cannot deliver. The managers’ goals should be in line with organizations’ functional goals and objectives. Managers must always be achievers and they should focus on getting the organization to the highest possible level. That is why poor performing managers are usually retrenc hed or have their contracts terminated because of non-performance. The overall performance of an organization is the summation of all the individual sections’ performance in that organization. This calls for the people of high integrity, excellent credentials in their fields of management and well devoted to their work in order to achieve organizational goals. This calls for proper performance management in an organization.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Performance management is a tool for evaluating how the company has successfully achieved its goals and objectives and to what extend it has achieved them. This will direct the relevant authority to take the most appropriate corrective measures in time. Groove, Joby Fisk (2006, p. 252) maintained that performance management can be applied based on performance management systems. These systems ca n be used in line with specific consideration of behaviors (the manner in which work is completed) or results (the outcomes realized) or both aspects are used. Management by objectives is part of a performance management system based on measuring the outcomes. Performance management systems can also be based on processes rather than results. These are competencies, intelligence, skills-based or professionalism (Goddard Broad, 2010, p.67). Whichever the approach is adopted, it should give the best evaluation to determine the organization’s position and future potential prospects. Performance management is a perpetual process of managing businesses. An appropriate assessment tool should be used to detect and assess how the managers are propelling the business. Proper monitoring of the performance of employees can yield substantial benefits to the organization. There are factors that can be used to tell whether an organization is under good management. These include customer sa tisfaction, employee retention and profitability of the organization. A well-managed organization will satisfy the customers or clients through meeting their demand and offering high quality services. Employees too are interested in remaining in an organization where their efforts are being appreciated and this can be achieved through ensuring proper communication channels are maintained, proper delegation of duties, specialization and division of labor and motivating them by showing appreciation to them for example promoting them when they deserve it. A company or an organization that fulfils these factors gives a clear indication that the performance of managers is going well.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Conceiving and Measuring Managers Performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The relationship between the employees of an organization and the top management is another critical issue that should be given a priority in measuring the performance management. The managers ought to give feedback to the employees on a regular basis concerning the ongoing of the organization. This is important information since it makes employees aware of how far the organization has gone in achieving the set goals and objectives and how development plans are faring. This information also identifies areas that need to be improved. The employees are able to adjust their efforts based on the feedback they get from their managers. The management team of the organization determines this relationship in most cases. There are some managers who do not give their employees freedom to express themselves or do not involve them in any decision making process of the organization. Such managers are harsh and portray dictatorial style of leadership and they expect things to be done as they direct regardless of whether they are wrong or right. The ultimate outcome in such organizations is poor relationship betwe en the management and the sub-ordinate staff and the employees perform their duties not because of respect but because fear has been instilled in them. Such managers are poor performers and can drive the organization into a bankruptcy position especially if it is a financial entity. Performance Management Process Aguins (2009, p. 75) asserts that performance management is a continuous process that involves a number of stages. The stages take place in a cyclical manner. The first stage entails acquiring information on the company’s strategic goals and mission as well as knowing the work in question well. Performance planning is the actual discussion between the management and the employees and ensuring you come into a consensus on what should be done and how is going to be done. In performance assessment, both employees and the managers are involved and it evaluates the extent to which the desired behaviors have been attended to and whether the anticipated outcomes have been a chieved (Groove, Joby Fisk 2006 p. 255). This is a very important stage as it provides an avenue in which the employee receives feedback on hi/her performance. Re-contracting is the final stage and is very essential to the planning component. It uses the insights gained from all other stages.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The managers’ performance receives varying conceptions depending on the relationship between the organization and the parties with stakes in the company (Jean-Franà §ois, 2004, p.93). A poorly performing company can be criticized from different perspectives or reasons as to why it is being viewed that way. The opinions will depend on the expectations of the interested parties. Let us for example look at the shareholders of a profit making company. The shareholders commit their funds in a company with one main reason and that is to get revenues or profits in terms dividends. A company may decide not to pay dividends for a particular year(s) because of low returns. Subsequently since the shareholders’ expectations have not been met, they raise a complaint and if you go asking their opinions the answers you will get is that the managers of the company are performing poorly and they need to be replaced. On another perspective, we might have the suppliers of goods and othe r materials and other creditors including banks. Delaying their debts will create a problem, as they will perceive that a company that cannot honor dues in time shows declining performance and the blame is laid on the management team of the company (Aguins 2009, p. 75). Finally, the most important person who can destroy the company’s image if his/her expectations are not met is the customer. In the event that customer demands are not met either qualitatively or quantitatively, he/she can be very disappointed and shift the consumption of the products to another potential supplier in a highly competitive market. Moreover, if you want to know who has been blamed in this context ask the customers and all the answers will be same, that they have no confidence with the management of the company in question. These indicators can be used to measure the managers’ performance and instances of different conceptions from different parties. In fact, both the CEO of the company and the other managers must ensure that all the above aspects are adequately addressed. It is important that measures of managers’ performance reflect the total value of work done. The set of behaviors that are relevant to the organizational goals where that person works is referred to as performance domain (Morse Wagner 1978, p. 23). Performance must be measurable in accordance with managers’ contribution towards organizational objectives. This is because failure of the management to achieve certain goals may be caused by an individual manager in a management team. For instance, low profits of a company might have been caused by low sales, which was because of poor marketing strategies by the marketing manager. The other departmental managers might have played their roles well but due to failure of one of their teams, the blame will befall on the entire management team and in particular the overall manager. Therefore, good parameters should be used to assess the individu al’s contribution towards performance of the company. Performance is not a consequence of action. It is the action itself. Performance is different from effectiveness, which is viewed as the total values of the organizational behaviors. Nevertheless, this does not mean effectiveness measures do not have the utility for assessing performance of managers. Valid assessments need that only variation sources in performance and effectiveness controlled by managers’ need to be assessed. Therefore, assessment of managers’ performance should incorporate only those elements that are within their scope of control (Sevastos Hosie 2009, p. 148). Management takes place within the organizational context. Therefore, for the sake of effectiveness, there must be a fit between the performance of managers and goals of an organization. Managers’ performance can be defined as the total value of contribution towards the effectiveness and the goals of organization attained join tly by the managers and people as determined by factors controlled by managers’ in a given environment. Roles and Responsibilities of Managers It is the managers’ responsibility to maintain as well as improve the performance of the people under his control, which in this case may mean the employees. There is a relationship between managers’ performance and the level of achievement of organizational goals together with people (Aguinis, 2009, p.79). Managers should practice the principle of empowering by encouraging the employees. Managers’ roles include policy formulation, strategy development, giving direction, facilitation and extensive monitoring of the performance of others. It is the role of managers to plan, organize, lead and control. T hese roles have been linked to managerial behaviors, which are â€Å"direction setting, problem solving and decision making.† Managers’ behavior can easily be distinguished from that of non- managers: m anagers decide command and coordinate while performers implement, obey and undertake the specialized tasks delegated to them. A manager should manifest his competencies and technical expertise through proper handling of things as well as coordinating them in the most appropriate manner possible (Grove, Joby Fisk, 2006). Minzberg (2004, p. 77) suggested that the managerial role ignores matters related to ownership and power and suggests that contingency factors yield variations in the managerial work characteristics. These characters include environmental factors (physical location, climate and community characteristics), job matters (level of hierarchy, functions and level of supervision), individual variables (tastes, personality, preferences and style) and situational factors (technological advancement and time-related factors). An organized set of behaviors form job role. Managers perform multiple roles to meet the increasing demands of performing their functions (Minzberg 2004 p. 80). Contextual Performance and Organizational effectiveness Many scholars from varying traditions agree that behavioral patterns that are outside formal job task requirements are significant for human performance, effectiveness, and profitability of organizations. Contextual behaviors make a huge contribution in maintaining and enhancing social and psychological environment that facilitates technical production system (Lindberg, Bartholomew Kaiser 2007, p.50). Actually, contextual performance leads to the improvement of effectiveness of departmental units and the entire organization. There is a tentative link between effectiveness of an organization and Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). Therefore, it is advisable to include managers’ contribution towards the effectiveness of an organization when measuring performance of managers. Contextual aspects of managers’ work are very critical and significant as far as the productivity of an organization is concern ed. Operationalizing Managers’ Performance Past studies indicate that sometimes measuring managers’ performance is limited by lack of common metric for assessing the performance. Many different opinions have come up as to which measures are valid for measuring the performance of managers in an organizational context. Measuring managers’ performance to come up with clear comparisons between managers from different domains and organizations is empirically difficult since managers’ work is faced with many complications. Links between managers’ Contextual and Task Performance According to Motowidlo, Borman and Schmits (1997, p. 72), the difference between task and contextual performance is shown by the figure below (Fig. 1.0) Fig. 1.0 Theory of personal differences in contextual and task performance Theory of contextual and task performance stemmed from the literature that was thought to be the best for developing a suitable measurement instrument. Th e theory dimensions make up the performance. Consistence maintenance of contextual behaviors across individuals may contribute to effectiveness in an organization. Contextual behaviors are directly linked to personality while task is linked to cognitive ability. Contextual and task performance depend upon different predictors (Carmeli Tishler, 2006, p. 25). Cognitive ability and personality are mediated by intelligence, skills and job habits. All classifications emphasize that behaviors that entails solidarity and assisting others contribute ultimately to the effectiveness in an organization. The establishment of a good work environment for optimal performance can eradicate pressures on managers resulting from unrealistic performance demands (Lant Shapira 2008, p. 79). This can be attained by reduction of the complexity of practices of organizational and accelerating job security. Negative emotions have been identified as aspects of negative affectivity that lead to the managersâ €™ perception that the environment is posing a threat to them. Too much pressurization in work that is too complex can result to negative or positive affectivity. Evaluations of affective well being and sufficient job satisfaction should be in line with working environment where the manager is operating. Competence, devotion, commitment, and aspiration are some of the behavioral components of mental health associated with positive levels of affective well being and job satisfaction. High performing managers are in most cases exposed to challenging job assignments. This gives them an opportunity to handle the most difficult and complex tasks and they can gain a valuable experience that can enable them work in varying job environments since there is proof they are achievers (Mintzberg, 2004). Managers who spend substantial amounts of their time in jobs with less or no opportunities to gain skills and control mechanisms are likely to become incompetent. Highly motivated managers wh o like challenges may respond to risks in a manner that may raise their anxiety but without affecting their adverse well-being and sufficient job satisfaction (Micari 2007, p.460). One way of enhancing affective well-being in managers is through allowing them a recreational leave after undertaking a highly complex and demanding work assignment. Performance is defined more broadly than just considering whether the managers are completing their tasks and performing their duties accordingly. Additional factors like contextual performance need to be considered when forming an assessment of managers’ performance (Aguinis, 2009). Other tools that can be used to measure managers’ performance Sevastos Hosie (2009, p. 140) pointed out there were other diagnostic tools used to measure managers’ performance. It should also be noted that these measurements must be quantitative, accurate, reliable and proactive to support the corporate culture. These tools are: Foundation information: This refers to organization’s financial documents like profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flows. Thorough inspection and auditing of these documents can indicate the financial position of an organization and tell how the managers have been performing. Productivity information: This focuses on the productivity of key resources, labor in particular. The productivity will determine whether the there is Return on Investment on the part of the company. High productivity shows excellent managers’ performance. Competence information: This is not an easy task. It tries to look at how many innovations a company has made. The more the innovations are, the better the management of the company. Resource allocation information: This shows the manner in which resources are allocated in an organization. Optimal allocation of resources can give an indication of whether the company is under good management. General Mental Ability (GMA) is a good predictor of work performance in general and managers’ performance in particular. From a theoretical perspective, the determining variables in job performance are GMA, work experience and individual trait of conscientiousness. Thus, there is need for incorporating a measure of conscientiousness in any consideration of the performance of the managers. Conclusion Measuring of managers’ performance is an elaborate exercise that goes beyond what managers are achieving within their organizations’ set goals and objectives. Organizational effectiveness alone is not a sufficient measure of the organizational or managers’ performance. The overall performance of a business entity or organization is the contribution of individual managers’ performance. No performance of an organization can be attributed to individual managers’ contribution (Carmeli Tishler, 2006, p. 20). Contextual behavior and organizational efficiency are equally important in assessing the manag ers’ performance and should be taken into consideration whenever any performance of the organization is to be carried out. Many organizations ignore some critical factors that should not be left out while formulating a measurement criterion. It should be also noted that the measurement is a complex thing and as such, it calls for competence, experience and relevant skills to make it a success. References Aguinis, H. (2009) Performance management. 2 Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Carmeli, A. Tishler, A. (2006) The relative importance of the top management teams, managerial skills International Journal of Manpower Vol: 27 Issue: 1 ISSN: 0143-7720 Date: 2006 Pages: 9 36 Goddard, A. Broad, M. (2010) Internal performance management with UK higher education, Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 14(1) pp. 60 –66 Grove, J., Joby, J. Fisk, P. (2006) Improvisation in service performances: Lessons from jazz, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 16(3) pp. 247 268 Jean-Franà §ois, H. (2004) Performance measurement and Organizational Effectiveness: bridging the gap, Managerial Finance, Vol. 30(6) pp. 93 – 123 Lant, T. Shapira, Z. (2008) Managerial reasoning about aspirations and expectations, Journal of Economic Behavior Organization, Vol. 66(1) pp. 60 73 Lindberg, T., Bartholomew, C., Kaiser, R. (2007) Assessing the Flexibility of Managers: A comparison of Methods International, Journal of Selection and Assessment, Vol. 15(1) pp. 40 – 55 Micari, M. (2007) Assessment Beyond Performance: Phenomenography in Education. Evaluation American, Journal of Evaluation, Vol. 28(4) pp. 458 – 476 Mintzberg, H. (2004) Managers not MBAs: A hard look at the soft practice of Managing and Management development. San Francisco, California: Berret-Koehler Morse, J. Wagner, F. (1978) Measuring the process of Managerial effectiveness, Academy of Management Journal, 21(1), pp. 24-35 Motowidlo, S., Borman C. Schmit, J. (1997) A theory of i ndividual difference in task contextual performance, Human Performance, 10(2), pp. 71-83 Sevastos, P. Hosie, J. (2009) Does the â€Å"happy productive worker† thesis apply to managers, International Journal of Workplace Health Management Vol. 2(2) pp. 131 – 160.

Research of an Innovative Hardware Object Essays

Research of an Innovative Hardware Object Essays Research of an Innovative Hardware Object Essay Research of an Innovative Hardware Object Essay After you create your object using your computer assisted software or CAD, he digital AD model is saved as a SST file and sent to the printer. Before you start printing anything you have to add a select amount of the material that you have decided to use (plaster, ballistic, polyurethane, polyester, epoxy, metal etc. ). Then the printer prints out your object on a bed and youre finished. There is another method that you can use to AD print your desired object, this method is called fused deposition modeling or FED. In this method molten polymer is sprayed onto a support layer and the object is built layer by layer until complete. What companies manufacture AD printers? The market for AD printers Is beginning to grow. There are many companies that specialize In producing and selling AD printers but for this assignment Im going to focus on the following. Some of the companies that manufacture industrial AD printers are; Object Geometries founded in 1998, Z Corporation founded in 1994, Strategy founded in 1988, disesteems founded in 1986. Some of the companies that manufacture AD printers for home use are; Makeover Industries founded in 2009, Ultimate founded in 2011, and Potboil founded by disesteems. What are the models that are made by various companies? Models made by: Z Corporation: The Project 3510 SD produces high quality parts perfect for engineering and mechanical design applications. Strategy: The Forts mace system builds durable and accurate parts as large as 914 x 610 x mm. It also has 11 different material options suitable for anything from bulging fixtures and factory tooling to end-use parts and even functional prototypes. disesteems: The Cube X Duo is one of the best and most popular desktop/personal ad printers with the ability to print and object as big as a basketball! Makeover: The Makeover Replicated ZOO is so advanced that you can create and print two objects at the same time. App and cloud enabled so you can connect with wife and USB with no problems at all. Ultimate: The ultimate 2 has the industry leading print to size ratio. It has the smallest footprint and highest build volume among all desktop AD printers. Also, it is an open filament system meaning that the cost of material is very low compared to other ad printers because you can use any filament you choose. Potboil: The Cube X has an advanced settings option that allows you to specialized and personalized the way you print In 8 different colors! Also, It Includes Its own printing sof tware. Strengths of this component Include: Cheap Manufacturing: AD printing is increasingly being used by large companies sun as converse or Ales to replace some AT tenet normal maturating meet This is achieved through lower shipping and packaging costs from overseas parts suppliers, less human work and cheaper and reliable materials. Quicker Production: The speed of AD printing compared to ordering parts from different suppliers all over the world is like comparing the speed of a turtle and the speed of a race car. Why old you want to wait weeks or maybe months for parts to arrive when you could have the entire object built right in front of you in a couple of hours. Also if you dont like the design you have created, you can Just start from scratch or mould your design into something different using the computer program used to print. New Shapes and Structures: Regular manufacturing methods rely on moulds and cutting technologies to make a limited number of shapes but AD printing changes this altogether. The AD printers spray tool can build an infinite number of complex figures limited only by human imagination. Combinations of New Materials: Before AD printing, mixing different raw materials wasnt possible due to their physical and chemical properties but people believe that ad printings potential has not been reached yet so many companies now offer tens of different materials with different finishes giving the look and feel of metal, ceramic or glass with different strengths and melting temperatures. Weaknesses of this component: AD printers use up a large amount of energy even when printing something the size of a necklace. When melting plastic and other materials with heat or lasers, AD printers use up to 50-100 times more electrical energy that injection molding to make n item of the same weight and size meaning that when it comes to industrial AD printing, the time you save might not be worth the money your spending on electric or production fees. One of the materials mostly used in AD printing is plastic. Possibly the biggest environmental movements in recent history has been to reduce the use of plastics, the most popular and cheapest AD printers use plastic filament and wires to print objects. If AD printing starts to become more industrialized then excess plastic from either print beds or scraped projects that werent used needs to e recyclable or biodegradable but until then, AD printing will become a wasteful way of creating parts or any objects. There are many things you can print with a AD printer for example; a toy for small children or a wheel for a bus or bicycle, the problem is you could also print out a gun or weapon of some sort and that could be illegal in the country that you created it. The printer itself is not going to not allow you to print out a weapon because it doesnt know the difference. There is also going to be an issue with printing out counterfeit products. To print an object, all you need s the software the model was created on and the actual file itself. You can also print out credit cards and I. Dos as well as copies of other private belongings. How much does a AD printer cost? There are 3 main types of AD printers, these types include; personal, professional and industrial. Personal AD printers are plainly and simply used for small projects that you can create such as, toys, miniature structures and tools. Professional AD printers are uses In large commercial Dulling Ana companies; teen use ten printers for parts that need to be made with specific detail because shipping from other entries around the world is too expensive. Industrial AD printers are used for creating objects and parts to be sold and manufactured to other large companies, usually for more value.

How to Conjugate the French Verb Craindre (to Fear)

How to Conjugate the French Verb Craindre (to Fear) Craindre  (to fear)  is an  irregular -re verb  thats conjugated like all other  French verbs ending in -aindre,  -eindre, and  -oindre.  This is evident in the conjugation table below that shows the simple conjugations of craindre; compound conjugations that consist of the conjugated auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle craint are not included in the table. Craindre: Conjugated Like all verbs ending in -aindre Irregular -re verbs fall into a few patterns that make memorizing their conjugations a little easier: verbs conjugated like prendre, verbs conjugated like battre, verbs including mettre and all its derivatives, those including rompre and its derivatives, and a fifth group including all verbs that end in -aindre like craindre, -eindre like peindre, and -oindre like joindre. A final group of very irregular verbs, such as dire, à ©crire, faire, have such unusual and unwieldy conjugations that they follow no pattern and need to be memorized in order to use them. The fifth group of verbs ending in -aindre like craindre drops the d in the stem in both singular and plural forms and adds a g in front of the n in plural forms. Other verbs like craindre include:   contraindre   to force, to compel  plaindre  Ã‚  to pity, to feel sorry for Usage and Expressions   Craindre is a transitive verb thats used in numerous idiomatic expressions. It can be translated as to fear, to be frightened of, or to be afraid of. The causative se faire craindre means to intimidate. craindre Dieu  Ã‚  to go in fear of / to fear Godcraindre le pire  (familiar)   to fear the worstNe crains rien.  Ã‚   Have no fear. /  Never fear. / Dont be afraid.Il ny a rien craindre.   Theres no cause for alarm. / Theres nothing to fear.Sa grosse voix le faisait craindre de tous ses à ©là ¨ves.  Ã‚  His booming voice made all his  pupils  afraid of him.Elle sait  se faire craindre de ses subordonnà ©s.   She knows how to intimidate her subordinates.Je ne crains pas les piqà »res.  Ã‚  Im not afraid  of injections.Il y a tout craindre dune intervention militaire.   One can expect the worst from a military intervention.Craignant de la rà ©veiller, il a retirà © ses chaussures. He took off his shoes for fear of waking her up.Je crains de lavoir blessà ©e.   Im afraid Ive hurt her.Je crains fort quil (ne) soit dà ©j trop tard.   Im really afraid its already too late.Je crains que oui / non. Im afraid so / not.Ça craint le froid. Its s ensitive to cold.Ça craint. (very informal) Its a real pain. craindre pour quelquun / quelque chose to fear for somebody or something Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French -re Verb Craindre Present Future Imperfect Present participle je crains craindrai craignais craignant tu crains craindras craignais il craint craindra craignait nous craignons craindrons craignions vous craignez craindrez craigniez ils craignent craindront craignaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle craint Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je craigne craindrais craignis craignisse tu craignes craindrais craignis craignisses il craigne craindrait craignit craignt nous craignions craindrions craignmes craignissions vous craigniez craindriez craigntes craignissiez ils craignent craindraient craignirent craignissent Imperative (tu) crains (nous) craignons (vous) craignez

Marketing Strategies of Goodbar and its Impact on Consumer Behavior Research Paper

Marketing Strategies of Goodbar and its Impact on Consumer Behavior - Research Paper Example This research would help in identifying the areas where mr.Goodbar’s marketing strategies are effective and where they are lacking in order to influence consumer behavior. Research Methods Comparison For this research paper, three different indepth qualitative research techniques were utilized, i.e. focus group interviews, face to face individual interviews and online research interviews. These three qualitative research techniques are discussed in this section along with their difference with each other, effectiveness in achieving the research objectives and goals, difficulties that might arise by using each of these techniques and their effectiveness in achieving the goals and objectives of present research study. Focus Group Focus group interviews enables a Researcher to act as a moderator and present a situation or case in front of limited number of respondents sitting together. Critics are of the view that focus groups are not an interview rather a discussion that provides handy information and point of views from the respondents’ side to the Researcher. It’s a general perception that the information retrieved from focus group interviews can not be used to conclude the study but it can be used for generating more useful ideas that can be utilized for concluding the research study. Majority of the Researchers use focus group interviews to achieve understanding of general ideas and thoughts about a product that is to be launched in the market and how useful respondents think, the product will be in providing solutions to customers’ needs and wants. The biggest advantage of focus group interviews is that they help the Researcher to observe the reaction of the responses under given conditions and make note of high and low points of responses within the group2 (Blankenship, Breen and Dutka 1998). Face to Face Individual Interviews Face to face individual interviews enables the Researcher to communicate personally with the respondents and collect more in-depth information regarding respondents’ personal vies regarding the topic under discussion. The biggest advantage of conducting face to face individual interviews is that it helps the Researcher to collect information in greater detail and allows him or her to ask counter questions in order to create detailed understanding regarding the issues. Face to face interviews also creates easiness for the respondents to share their views in detail and elaborate their responses according to the tone of the discussion shaping up. Researcher also can acquire further information from the body language of the respondents. One of the major disadvantages of face to face interviews is that they are time consuming and requires more money as compare to other methods3 (Muise and Olson 2007). Online Research

Examining the Effectiveness of Bicameralism Essay

Examining the Effectiveness of Bicameralism - Essay Example Bicameralism entails a legislature that is characterized by the division of legislators into two assemblies. This approach tends to have an influence on presidential and parliamentary systems. The presidential system would have the legislators elected directly by the separate chambers. A parliamentary system assumes a different approach as it is characterized by the presence of a lower and an upper chamber. The first chamber has the legislators elected directly while those in the second chamber can be elected directly or indirectly. The effectiveness of a bicameral system has been contended as some see it as a virtue of any constitutional design as another term it as a suggestion of weakness in any legislative system. Citing related literature, we can establish that bicameralism has a unique history and was established with an aim of balancing the needs of the majority and the minority, but the division can make deliberation of legislature slow and laborious. Bicameralism finds its roots in Europe where the likes of Aristotle suggested the need for a multi-chambered legislature. The logic behind Bicameralism was the fact that the society always has people on both extreme ends. The groups have unique features that are distinctively defined such that they should be represented separately. This notion became popular in medieval Europe, and many European countries were inspired to assume this direction (Tsebelis & Money, 2009).

Reflection & Reaction Activity 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflection & Reaction Activity 3 - Essay Example Bearing in mind that we still had a mortgage to pay for, things took a turn for the worst after my father had lost his business, a restaurant. The first stressor that we had to incur was the loss of our status and financial sources of income. However, my father had stashed away some of his income had a sizeable savings account that would facilitate us to survive for another few months before my father got back on his feet. However, the main problem was that my father did not want to be employed, yet he wanted to start another business venture. He had already come to terms with the fact that he had failed as a restaurant owner, but was not willing to give up his freedom and seek employment. This reluctance to get a job, even as friends and family offered many to him, almost led to his divorce with my mother. Mum could not understand why dad was refusing to take the various options that his friends suggested. My father was still adamantly arguing that he is a businessperson and not an employee and he insisted to let things stay that way. Meanwhile, my mother was almost having a breakdown, as she did not know what to do so she went out and started looking for a job as well. My father would always say that we would be back on our feet soon and should not be worried too much. I believed him, but my mother did not see the logic behind his choices. As such, my mother became physically present but psychologically absent. The aspect of being physically present but absent means that one is within the family but is emotionally distant (Lamanna, Riedmann & Stewart, 2014). With her time spent looking for jobs, which was rather hard for her as she had minimum experience, she ended up taking jobs that included being a server at a local eatery and other similar jobs before she would get that corporate job that she thought would be sufficient to keep the family running. Meanwhile my father looked like a depressed person, but he would consistently

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 13

Management - Essay Example Management, during the middle and late 1800s was not a formal field of study. The emergence of early thoughts regarding management, when looked from today’s perspective was a mere response to the problems that had arisen during those times. The start of industrial revolution had prompted management to emerge as a formal course of study over the years to follow. The shift from agriculture to manufacturing during the industrial revolution had resulted in the increase in urbanization and growth in factories. This overall growth in production called for a greater integration and facilitation of efforts of a huge number of people. In order to ensure adequate production, managers were forced to address certain issues. Even when these issues were addressed in an organized field of study back then, there were some ideas that laid down the groundwork for management as a discipline to emerge. These ideas were classified as the pre-classical viewpoint. Robert Owen’s pioneering idea was that he â€Å"advocated concern for the working and living conditions of workers (Bartol 2001, 39).† Being a cotton mill entrepreneur in Scotland, Owen considered providing considerable improvements to the work environment of its workforce. According to Bartol, â€Å"Owen tried to improve the living conditions of the employees by upgrading streets, houses, sanitation, and the educational system in New Lanark, [Scotland] (2001, 39).† Owen’s idea seemed to be relevant today, being the cornerstone of the modern human resource management philosophy. Charles Babbage was known for the first practical mechanical calculator that laid the foundation for the modern calculators and computers. In pursuit of his projects, Babbage was able to find ways to address problems that he faced. These explorations of ways lead Babbage to some ideas such as prediction of work specialization and profit sharing plan, which had been his contribution to management theory.

Prevention of Sepsis in the Clinical Setting Research Paper

Prevention of Sepsis in the Clinical Setting - Research Paper Example Similar treatments are used for the cure of both sepsis and septicemia since both of them are normally associated with the presence of aggressive bacteria in the body system of a patient. This requires treatment using strong antibiotics to fight the infection. Patients may also be admitted in ICU for a while so as to monitor the treatment of the infection. Patients suffering from sepsis may experience multi-organ failure since the inflammation spreads and generates a cascading sequence of medical problems as the body tries to fight off the infection (Brozanski, 2003). Prevention of Sepsis There is a common term people in the medical field love to use and it goes, â€Å"Prevention is better than cure.† This is quite true since curing an infection is expensive both on the hospital and the patient. It requires a use of resources that would otherwise be used for other reasons. This therefore calls for infection control a discipline that targets the prevention of healthcare-related infections. There are a number of factors that may lead to the spread of infections in a clinical setting. The infections maybe from patient to patient, from staff to patient, from patient to staff, and from staff to staff (Dyson & Singer, January 2009). There are a number of ways of preventing sepsis, but the most common and effective way is by ensuring hand hygiene, and this is done by constant hand washing. Hand washing In the clinical setting, hand washing is commonly known as the primary weapon of fighting infections. The main reason for hand washing is to reduce microbial in the healthcare setting so as to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections. Hand hygiene may be a major problem in gigantic health facilities in which several patients are treated and in rapid succession. Infection control is meant to reduce the spread of infection and provide a safe environment for every patient (Riedeman, Guo, & Ward, 2003). This has become extremely necessary due to the emergence of anti biotic resistant organisms. Examples of antibiotic resistant microorganisms include methicilin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). It is vital to note that there is evidence that shows that removal of antibiotic resistant organisms (AROs) from the hands by washing with detergent or soap and water is less effective than by the use of an antiseptic agent. For that reason, an antiseptic agent must be used in high risk areas within the clinic, with high risk patients especially those suffering from immune-deficient diseas

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 13

Management - Essay Example Management, during the middle and late 1800s was not a formal field of study. The emergence of early thoughts regarding management, when looked from today’s perspective was a mere response to the problems that had arisen during those times. The start of industrial revolution had prompted management to emerge as a formal course of study over the years to follow. The shift from agriculture to manufacturing during the industrial revolution had resulted in the increase in urbanization and growth in factories. This overall growth in production called for a greater integration and facilitation of efforts of a huge number of people. In order to ensure adequate production, managers were forced to address certain issues. Even when these issues were addressed in an organized field of study back then, there were some ideas that laid down the groundwork for management as a discipline to emerge. These ideas were classified as the pre-classical viewpoint. Robert Owen’s pioneering idea was that he â€Å"advocated concern for the working and living conditions of workers (Bartol 2001, 39).† Being a cotton mill entrepreneur in Scotland, Owen considered providing considerable improvements to the work environment of its workforce. According to Bartol, â€Å"Owen tried to improve the living conditions of the employees by upgrading streets, houses, sanitation, and the educational system in New Lanark, [Scotland] (2001, 39).† Owen’s idea seemed to be relevant today, being the cornerstone of the modern human resource management philosophy. Charles Babbage was known for the first practical mechanical calculator that laid the foundation for the modern calculators and computers. In pursuit of his projects, Babbage was able to find ways to address problems that he faced. These explorations of ways lead Babbage to some ideas such as prediction of work specialization and profit sharing plan, which had been his contribution to management theory.

Improving Health Care Facilities Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Improving Health Care Facilities - Term Paper Example In some cases, patients paid other people to queue on their behalf as they waited for their long-awaited turn to see a doctor. Later on when my turn came, I realized that the long queues were as a result of mismanagement and disorganization at the reception desk. The facility is still using manual filling and patient allocation system to the relevant doctors. This made the attendants at the reception look exhausted hence disinterested in what was happening. The communication channel in the facility can well be described as inefficient. The receptionist shouted the patient name when their turn came to be attended. Other than triggering noise making in the facility hallway, it caused confusion as everyone tried to enquire the owner of the name. In response to such situations, telecommunication application in this facility can best improve their services for instance, installation of microphone communicators. The communicator effectively ensures that the information passed by the reception attendant systematically flows to all hallways in the facility. Consequently, its application ensures organization at the reception since each individual hears their name from wherever they are without much struggle. In effort to reduce the queues, the health facility needs to appreciate the advancement of technology such as the use of computers. Other than reducing the workload at the reception, it organizes the facility’s data in such a manner that each patient’s data appears by the click of a button (Russell, 1927) . Moreover, most facilities now utilize the resources offered by the digital advancements hence offering better services to the respective clients (Julie, Miller & Horowitz, 2010). On the other hand, application of certain frameworks with the intent of improving the facility’s processes best achieves the improvement objective (Teicholz & Ikeda, 1995).  However, focusing on the management of the Information Technology department (IT), the frameworks call for critical assessment first. As a recommendation, the management can start with adoption of technological advancement to increase the efficiency of their department’s services.  

Christic figure Essay Example for Free

Christic figure Essay The character of Jefferson in Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson before Dying represents a figure upon whom the ridicule and disgraceful lot of his is cast. As a slow witted man, his handicap is treated as typical of his entire race, and this disability as compared to other men is used as a symbol of the inferiority of his whole race. Throughout his experience as an accused and a convict, he comes to realize that his impending death will be of great significance to his race. He realizes that however he chooses to handle this death, whether with dignity or dishonor, will serve to confer this quality upon his entire race. This places Jefferson in a situation that is akin to that in which Christ finds himself during his lifetime, and Jefferson might therefore be considered a Christic figure in the novel. Despite his humanity, Jefferson lays claim to having another nature. When described by his lawyer as being no more able to plot the crime than a hog might have been, Jefferson latches on to this idea and considers himself as not fully human but having the nature of a hog. This connects him to Christ as he too denied the human nature, claiming a more divine one as he walked on earth. Furthermore, just as Jefferson’s â€Å"hog-like† nature precluded his ability to plot and execute the heinous crime of which he is accused and convicted, so was Christ’s divine nature one that prevented him from having the ability to commit the sins of humanity for which he was convicted. Therefore, the connection between Jefferson and Christ might already be seen to be a strong one as they both lay claim to natures that are non-human and that do not admit of the wrongs for which they are falsely accused. Throughout the novel, Jefferson can be seen to reclaim his humanity, after being considered a hog—being called one in the courtroom—and then taking on the nature of the hog in his actions and through his own confessions. He begins to change from his usual dim-wittedness into a more conscious and cognitive being as he is encouraged to think and write the thoughts down in a journal. The reader begins to see his humanity shine through his debased aspect, very much like the humanity of Christ is evident despite his divine nature. Yet, though Jefferson’s humanity represents an elevation (and Christ’s is usually considered a demotion from his deity), Christ’s humanity, like Jefferson’s, might also be seen in a manner of elevation, the way he was elevated on the Cross. Throughout Jefferson’s time in prison, many more people came to visit him—and the visits increased as he neared his execution. This demonstrates his elevation to a place of note and celebrity, akin to that place Christ now has in the world because of his death. Another aspect of his character that connects him to Christ is Jefferson’s admission that he would like to be given a vat of ice-cream. This occurrence, fist of all, points toward the extent to which Jefferson has been denied the pleasures of humanity, as he admits that he has never been granted more than a thimble full of this substance. This might be compared to the way in which Christ denies himself many worldly pleasures in order to maintain his disconnection from the sinful human nature. Secondly, this request might also be compared to one of Christ’s last requests, where on the Cross he asks for some water to quench his thirst. Jefferson’s thirst might here be considered his lifelong deprival of this treat, and in this way both Christ and Jefferson seek to satisfy their thirst before dying. The writer of the novel places Jefferson in the situation of being a representative of his race. As a black man living in the south, Jefferson’s wrongful imprisonment demonstrates the lot of his fellow black persons, who lived in a perpetual state of imprisonment within their black skins and within a system that grants them few freedoms because of the color of this skin. The human race connects him to Christ in that Christ too was human but lay claim to a widely different nature. The Christic comparison continues with Grant’s attitude in Jefferson’s presence, in which at one time Grant repents of his former attitude of reluctance to aid the condition of his race. He also mentions a feeling of being lost, and this too is confessed in the presence of Jefferson. This can be seen as a comparison of Jefferson to Christ, as Christ’s divinity endows him with the power to cause humans to feel their need for a savior—in the same way that Grant feels that Jefferson has the ability to lead him toward salvation. Christ is also the main historical figure that has claimed the ability to elicit repentance, just as Grant has felt the need to repent in the presence of Jefferson. Furthermore, the death which Jefferson is to face is one that is to represent the punishment of his entire black race, and this represents a close comparison to the destiny of Christ, whose death was a representation of the punishment of the sins committed by the entire human race.

Study On The Vocabulary Learning Strategies

Study On The Vocabulary Learning Strategies This chapter deals with the review of the related literature. In the first section, vocabulary learning strategies and its theoretical framework will be reviewed. For the second section the related research both international and national will be presented. 2.2. Vocabulary learning strategies Vocabulary learning strategies can be considered as a part of general learning strategies in second language acquisition. The first development in learning strategies area began in 1970s with research to recognize the characteristics of good language learners (Naiman et al., 1978; Rubin, 1975). OMalley and Chamot define learning strategies as the special thoughts or behaviors that individuals use to help them comprehend, learn or retain new information (1990, p.1). This definition can be seen in Schmitts defining vocabulary learning strategies too. Schmitt says learning is the process by which information is obtained, stored, retrieved and used therefore vocabulary learning strategies could be any which affect this broadly defined process (1997, p.203). This definition brings this question to the mind that whether vocabulary learning is incidental or deliberate, a factor which researchers have discussed in the literature a lot. Nation considers vocabulary learning as a deliberate pro cess which possesses intentional character. He established his description on the properties and qualities of a strategy which fulfills teachers aims. Call for helping learners improves the way they go about learning vocabulary have been made on a number of grounds. Sokmen (1997, p. 225) argues in order to help learners learn how to acquire vocabulary by them self, noting that it is not possible for students to learn all the vocabulary they need in the classroom. Cunningsworth (1995, p. 38) gives a name to helping learners make their own vocabulary learning strategies which is a powerful approach, that can be based on being sensitive to vocabulary systems, encouragement of sound dictionary skills and showing reflection to useful learning techniques. By considering the importance of vocabulary learning strategies, it would be very helpful to study about these strategies and find out what they are and examine how these strategies are going to help learners for building their vocabulary and also what strategies would be useful for the learners to be introduced in the textbooks. Brown and Payne (1994) found these five steps in the process of vocabulary learning in a foreign language: (a) having sources for encountering new words, (b) getting a clear image, either visual or auditory or both, of the forms of the new words, (c) learning the meaning of the words, (d) making a strong memory connection between the forms and the meanings of the words, and (e) using the words.(cited in Gani Hamzah et al., 2009, p.42) Following as a result, all vocabulary learning strategies, totally or partially, should be related to these five steps (Fan, 2003, p. 223). Vocabulary learning strategy can be seen from at least three different views. First, a vocabulary learning strategy, very broadly speaking, could be what ever the learners do to help the new vocabulary learning process. Whenever a learner needs to study words, he/she uses strategy/strategies to do it. Second, a vocabulary learning strategy could be related to actions that help vocabulary learning to work well. Hence, learners may use some actions which do not make any improvement in learning process. Third, there might be a relation between a vocabulary learning strategy and conscious actions that learners take to study new words. Ideally, in order to have a free chance to choose consciously the suitable strategy for ones self, learners should be informed of good, efficient strategies. This fact should be considered that, though, a strategy which is suitable and works well for one student may completely fail with another and that for a particular learning situation one strategy happe ns to be better than another. 2.2.1. Importance of Vocabulary Learning Strategies The main advantage obtained from all learning strategies, as well as vocabulary learning strategies, is that learners are able of taking more control of their own learning so that students will fell more responsible for their studies (Nation, 2001; Scharle Szabà ³, 2000). Consequently, the strategies develop learner autonomy, independence, and self-direction (Oxford Nyikos, 1989, p.291). When the students be equipped with different kind of vocabulary learning strategies they can decide how exactly they would like to come up with unknown words. Having a good knowledge of the existing strategies and the ability to make use of them in suitable situations might considerably make the learning process of new vocabulary simpler for students for instance, when the student selects which words to study him/her self they can remember the words better than when the words are chosen by someone else (Ranalli, 2003, p. 9). (cited in Gani Hamzah et al., 2009) In Nation (2001) view learners are able to acquire a large amount of vocabulary with the help of vocabulary learning strategies and that these strategies are truly useful for students of different language levels. As learning strategies are readily teachable (Oxford Nyikos 1989, p. 291), the time that teachers spend in order to introduce different ways of vocabulary learning and practice to students cannot be considered as wasted. Cameron (2001) believes that children may not be able to make use of vocabulary learning strategies themselves in order to make this happen they need to be trained to use the strategies effectively. A number of linguists have long recognized the importance of learner independence in vocabulary acquisition. Gairns and Redman (1986) believe that students must show more responsibility for their learning and give larger attention to individual needs. The reason is that when the learners past their elementary level, it would be very difficult for teachers to choose vocabulary being useful to all students; thus time spent on teaching may be wasted. Schmitt (2000) sees the need for solving such problems by helping learners acquire the strategies necessary to learn words on their own. Oxford and Scarcella (1994) support the preparation of systematic vocabulary instruction to let learner master specific strategies to acquire words even outside their classes. In Nations view (1990; 2001), the most important way that learners learn vocabulary is when they use strategies independently of their teacher. In his recent publication, Nation suggested strategy training be part of a vocabulary development program. According to Schmitt and Schmitt (1995), the best teaching plan may be to let students decide themselves which strategy or strategies they prefer by introducing a variety of learning strategies. This echoes learners need to advance their strategy knowledge. 2.2.2. Types of Vocabulary Learning Strategies As it is made clear by many vocabulary learning strategy classifications proposed by different researchers, there is a wide range of different vocabulary learning strategies. Most studies in the field of vocabulary learning strategies have focused on investigating a small set of VLSs. For example, some studies point at researching memory strategies or mnemonic techniques and what effect they have on retention (Cohen Aphek, 1980; Pressley et al., 1982; Brown Perry, 1991). Some studies put emphasis on exploring the vocabulary strategies used in reading, such as guessing from context (Huckin, Haynes, and Coady, 1993). In the following part we will take a closer look at the most important category of the strategies. The basement of the strategies below is generally organized on Schmitts (1997) taxonomy, i.e. the names of the broad categories of the strategies come from his classification. Schmitts taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies (cited in Marttinen, 2008) Schmitt (1997, p. 206-208) based his taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies on Oxfords (1990) taxonomy of learning strategies. Since Oxford (1990) created the taxonomy for describing learning strategies as a whole in the first step Schmitt (1997) had to revise it in order to act as a useful tool especially when categorizing vocabulary learning strategies. According to Schmitts (1997) taxonomy, there are two main groups of strategies: discovery strategies and consolidation strategies. Discovery strategies are those strategies which are used in discovering the meaning of a new word whereas consolidating strategies deal with the consolidation a word once it has been encountered. The former consists of determination strategies and social strategies whereas the latter includes social strategies, memory strategies, cognitive strategies and metacognitive strategies. However, Schmitt (1990, p.204) notes that it is very difficult to draw a border line between different strategies and their variations. For example, some strategies, like interacting with native speakers, can be categorized as both social and metecognitive strategy if it is concidered as a part of overall language learning. When facing an unfamiliar word, learners must find out the meaning of the new word. According to Schmitt (1997, p.208), determination strategies which are a part of discovery strategies, include strategies such as guessing the meaning according to structural knowledge, guessing from L1 cognate, guessing from context or using reference material. Since learners can ask help from someone in discovering the meaning of a new word, social strategies can also function as discovery strategies (Schmitt 1997, p.209). Consolidating strategies include several different types of strategy. In Schmitts (1997) taxonomy they include social strategies, since input acts as a key element in acquiring a language, social strategies are very important in language learning. For example, group learning and team working raises active processing and since in such activities instructor does not interrupt the learners much, they have more time to use the language in the classroom (Schmitt 1997, p.211). Schmitt (1997, p.211-13) mentions that another type of consolidation strategies are memory strategies which were traditionally known as mnemonics. Memory strategies usually make a relation between the word and learners previous knowledge, for example, instead of giving the direct definition or making a kind of relation to some familiar L2 words, pictures of the meaning are shown to learners. Using unrelated words or grouping the words according to some categories such as synonyms or common themes are other examples of memory strategies. In addition, one can study the spelling or pronunciation of the word for helping it to stick into memory. Furthermore, using words affixes, roots and word classes can be useful in consolidating word meaning. (Schmitt 1997, p.214) According to Schmitt (1997, p.215), cognitive and memory strategies of his taxonomy are similar and they concentrate on repetition and mechanical means of studying vocabulary rather than manipulative mental processing. Written and verbal repetitions are the traditional and popular examples of these strategies; writing or repeating a word several times. Word lists, flash cards and note taking as well as using study aids such as language textbooks are also classified as cognitive strategies. As mentioned before, the strategies which learners use in order to control and evaluate their learning are called metacognitive strategies and this is the same in Schmitts (1997) taxonomy. Schmitt (1997, p.216) mentions that effective metacognitive strategies can happen when learners are exposed to L2 as much as possible, for example, by reading books, watching movies and interacting with native speakers. Also using the time effectively and knowing when to actively study a new word are useful metacognitive strategies. Most of the studies in this area tried to investigate a small set of vocabulary learning strategies. For example some of the researchers (Cohen Aphek, 1980; Pressely et al., 1982; Brown Perry, 1991) centered their studies on memory strategies or mnemonic techniques and its effect on retention. Some other studies emphasized on the vocabulary learning strategies which are used in reading such as guessing from the context (Huckin, Haynes Coady, 1993). There are a few studies which elaborated on vocabulary learning strategies as a whole and give a broader perspective from them. The table below summarizes the different classification system of VLS. Source Stoffer (1995) Strategy categories 1. strategies involving authentic language use 2. strategies used for self-motivation 3. strategies used to create mental linkages 4. memory strategies 5. strategies used to organize words 6. strategies involving creative activities 7. visual/auditory strategies 8. strategies involving physical action 9. strategies used to overcome anxiety Gu Johnson (1996) 1. metacognitive regulation 2. guessing strategies 3. dictionary strategies 4. note-taking strategies 5. rehearsal strategies 6.encoding strategies 7. activation strategies Schmitt (1997) 1. discovery strategies 1.1 determination strategies (DET) 1.2 social strategies (SOC) 2. consolidation 2.1 social strategies (SOC) strategies 2.2 memory strategies (MEM) 2.3 cognitive strategies (COG) 2.4 metacognitive strategies (MET) Nation (2001) 1. planning 1.1 choosing words 1.2 choosing the aspect of word knowledge 1.3 choosing strategies 1.4 planning repetition 2. sources 2.1 analyzing the word 2.2 using context 2.3 consulting a reference source in L1oe L2 2.4 using parallels in L1 and L2 3. processes 3.1 noticing 3.2 retrieving 3.3 generating As you have became familiar with Schmitts taxonomy earlier in this section, now lets take a look at the other classifications mentioned in the table. (Cited in nccuir.lib.nccu.edu.tw/bitstream/140.119/33390/7/55007107.pdf, 2005) Stoffer (1995) conducted the first investigation of overall vocabulary learning strategies. She fulfilled a vocabulary strategy survey and developed a Vocabulary Learning Strategy Inventory (VOLSI). Using statistical factor analysis which provide a practical basis for category assignment, Stoffer found the 53VOLSI items go under the nine major groups: 1- authentic language use; 2- self-motivation; 3- crating mental linkages; 4- memory strategies; 5- organizing words; 6- creative activities; 7- visual/auditory strategies; 8- physical action; and 9- overcoming anxiety. Gu and Johnson (1996), developed a vocabulary learning questionnaire based on previous quantitative and qualitative research (Ahmed, 1989; Gu, 1994; Oxford, 1990), that its aim is to gather information on students beliefs about vocabulary learning and the vocabulary learning strategies which they use (91individual strategies in total). The strategies were grouped under two general subdivisions: Metacognitive regulation and Cognitive strategies which consists of six subgroups, guessing strategies, dictionary strategies, note-taking strategies, memory strategies (rehearsal), memory strategies(encoding), and activation strategies. In this way, in the taxonomy mentioned seven major dimensions exist which each dimension had several categories for it self. For example, guessing strategy was subdivided into two categories: using background knowledge/ wider context and using linguistic cues/ immediate context. Nation (2001) developed a taxonomy which tries to separate aspects of vocabulary knowledge, and learning processes. In his classification scheme Nation (2001) differentiates between three general classes of strategies. The first major category is planning for vocabulary learning which is concerned about how often learners pay attention and where they focus their attention. Strategies such as choosing words, choosing the aspects of word knowledge, choosing strategies, and planning repetition are included in this category. The second major category refers to sources of vocabulary knowledge which is about finding information of unfamiliar words. The strategies in this category include analyzing the word, using context, consulting a reference source in L1 or L2, and using parallels in L1 and L2. The third and last major category is concerned about learning processes which includes the ways learners establish their vocabulary knowledge and make it available for use. Noticing, retrieving, and generating are three types of strategies of this category. 2.3. Research background There are authors such as Nation (2001) and Coxhead (2006) in the vocabulary literature who believe that there is a difference between general, academic, technical, and low frequency vocabulary, mentioning that technical or specialized words have a quite high frequency in a limited range of texts in each academic discipline (Fraser 2005). Scarcella and Zimmerman (1998) make the same difference, and refer to technical words that are used in specific academic fields (p. 28). Carlson (1999) and Coxhead and Nation (2001) have written about specialized vocabulary lists for specific purposes. This is an important issue because Casanaves (1992) study showed that acquiring the culture of a disciplinary community involves learning that communitys specialized language, and Parry (1991, 1993) in his research revealed the challenges of technical, academic vocabulary learning. Fan (1998) found that Chinese EFL learners have difficulty in recoding technical vocabulary and in writing on strategies and long-term recall, Lawson and Hogben (1996) discussed the importance of VLS in a way that is relevant to learning the technical vocabulary of ones academic field: In the early stages of language learning, when the students do the tasks themselves they are more interested, this is a deliberate processing activity rather than automatic (Hasher Zacks 1979). The deliberate procedures, or strategies, conducted during this period are likely preserved; these strategies should be seen in students behavior as they do a vocabulary learning task (p. 104).(Cited in Lessard-Clouston, 2008) Strategies which learners use in dealing with the technical vocabulary learning in their early stage in the disciplines they have chosen may thus influence both their vocabulary acquisition and their academic socialization. Nation (1993, p.124) stated that broad vocabulary growth depends on vocabulary strategies that are independent of subject matter knowledge, and there are a number of related VLS studies from the literature of the last decade or so. (Cited in Lessard-Clouston, 2008) 2.3.1. Related researches on the field of VLS This part tries to give an overview of research focusing on various vocabulary learning strategies. 2.3.1.1. International researches Sanaoui (1995) in a research among both English and French second language students in Canada came to this conclusion that while a learners proficiency level and type of instruction did not affect his or her results on an individualized vocabulary assessment task, the individual approach to vocabulary study, reflected in the structured use of VLS, did contribute significantly to lexical learning. Sanaoui used a detailed questionnaire to find out which strategies participants use for learning vocabulary, that distinguished two distinct approaches to vocabulary acquisition, structured and unstructured, which are different in five key aspects: a) learners opportunities for learning vocabulary (i.e., independent study vs. reliance on their language course); b) their range of self-initiated vocabulary learning (i.e., extensive vs. restricted); c) their records of the lexical items they were learning (i.e., extensive/systematic vs. minimal/ad hoc); d) how much learners reviewed such words/ records (i.e., extensively vs. little or not at all); and e) whether they practiced such lexical items (i.e., by creating opportunities in and out of class vs. relying on class opportunities alone) (Sanaoui, 1995). (Cited in, Ruutmets, 2005) In a research with 14 ESL students preparing for academic study in Canada, however, Lessard-Clouston (1996) also followed Sanaouis model and used a questionnaire and an individualized vocabulary test. Despite replicating the most important aspects of Sanaouis (1995) research, his results showed that membership in a group, based on a participants VLS, did not predict language proficiency, nor performance on the individualized vocabulary knowledge test. Lessard-Clouston (1996) thus concluded that such findings raise questions about the usefulness of categorizing students in groups according to structured, semi-structured, or unstructured approaches to lexical learning (p. 114).(cited in, Lessard-Clouston, 2008) A study conducted by Gu and Johnson (1996) among 850 non-English major Chinese students in China, a questionnaire and multiple regression analysis revealed two VLS, self-initiation and selective attention, as positive predictors of their participants proficiency, measured by their college English test scores. They also found that the strategies of contextual guessing, skillful dictionary use, paying attention to word formation, contextual encoding, and using newly learnt words had a positive correlation with participants test scores. Using cluster analysis Gu and Johnson found five key approaches to vocabulary learning (encoders, readers, active strategy users, non-encoders, and passive strategy users), and came to this point that strategy combinations, rather than individual VLS, may have a positive effect on their participants learning.(cited in, Xhaferi, 2008) Schmitt (1997) prepared a VLS taxonomy using Oxfords (1990) work, distinguishing two broad types: discovery strategies (for initially learning a words meaning) and consolidation strategies (for remembering and using a word once it has been encountered), there may be some VLS in common for both. Schmitt asked 600 Japanese EFL learners using a survey to say how often they use different VLS, what they fell about the helpfulness of those strategies, and to mention the most helpful ones. Six strategies were common among the VLS rated most used and most helpful, which includes: using a bilingual dictionary, written repetition, verbal repetition, saying a new word aloud, studying a words spelling, and taking notes in class. Evaluating the results of the survey of strategies reported by groups of middle school, high school, university and adult EFL learners, Schmitt (1997) also noted that for some VLS the patterns of strategy use appeared to change over time (p. 224).(cited in, Xhaferi, 2008 ) Kojic-Sabo and Lightbown (1999) have done their research using a questionnaire adapted from Sanaouis work, a Yes/No test of academic vocabulary, and a cloze test for collecting data on the vocabulary learning approaches of 47 EFL and 43 ESL students in Yugoslavia and Canada. Their main findings strongly supported Sanaouis conclusions, which is more frequent and elaborate strategy use is linked to success in language learning, whereas lack of effort on the learners part relates to poor achievement (p. 190). In addition, time and learner independence were found to be the two measures that are closely related to success in vocabulary learning and higher overall English proficiency (p. 176). (cited in, Ruutmets, 2005 ) Fan (2003) conducted a large scale research, studying Chinese EFL learners in Hong Kong, evaluating the vocabulary tests and strategy questionnaires completed by more than 1,000 university students. Fan discovered that the most proficient participants of her study used several different strategies (notably using more sources, dictionaries, guessing, and known word strategies) significantly more often than the less proficient ones (p. 233), and she echoed Sanaouis (1995) view on the importance of review and consolidation in vocabulary learning (p. 234). Fan also noticed that strategy use are very complex and various noticeable differences existed between frequency of use and the reported, perceived usefulness of particular VLS of participants of her study. Fan (2003) thus concluded by emphasizing on the importance of helping EFL students understand the significance of VLS and encouraging them to develop effective strategies of their own.(cited in, Fan, 2003) In contrast with the large-scale studies mentioned earlier, which emphasize learners reported strategy use, Gu (2003) conducted a detailed case studies on the VLS of two successful Chinese EFL students (who were not English majors) using reading tasks, think-aloud protocols, and interviews to document their observed use of VLS. Building on their preferred learning styles (auditory and visual), Gus participants were highly motivated and employed a range of cognitive and metacognitive strategies and approaches in their EFL vocabulary learning. Gu (2003) concluded that the combination of these strategies and approaches created a vocabulary-learning art in which each participant exhibited the flexible and skillful analysis, choice, deployment, execution, and orchestration of all strategies at their disposal in accordance with their own preferred style of learning (p. 99). Gus (2003) study also revealed the value of interviews and case studies for VLS research. (cited in, Lessard-Clouston , 2008) There are some other notable researches. Peacock and Ho (2003) surveyed 1,006 Hong Kong EAP students in eight different disciplines and found that students in different fields use different language learning strategies, some of which correlated more highly with their participants English proficiency. Cognitive and metacognetive were the most frequent strategies used by students, and follow up interviews with 48 participants revealed that students outside of the humanities tended to use fewer strategies and viewed studying English to be of less importance than their disciplines.(cited in, Peacock Ho, 2003) Parks and Reymond (2004) have done a research with 28 Chinese NNES students studying MBA in Canada, they reported that the strategies their participants use varied significantly and changed over time, especially when later in the program for their study NNES students interacted with NES students in regular classes. Parks and Raymond thus concluded: In contrast to the rather simplistic notion evoked in certain portrayals of the good language learner, strategy use as reported herein emerges as a complex, socially situated phenomenon, bound up with issues related to personal identityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (p. 374). (cited in Park Reymond, 2004 ) In a recent, short term study Atay and Ozbulgan (2007) examined the VLS of 50 military ESP learners in Turkey, which its participants took part in a three week period study in two separated classes that each class was held for six hours a day. For comparing the two English Air Traffic Terminology classes Atay and Ozbulgan used a multiple-choice vocabulary test and a strategies questionnaire (p. 42). In their study they had two groups: a control group with no special training and an experimental group which was introduced to VLS and spent one of the six hours in class each day on focused memory strategy instruction (p. 44). On the vocabulary knowledge post-test, learners in the experimental group gained significant higher test scores than the control group (p. 45). The results of the strategies questionnaire among learners in the experimental group also indicated a major increase in the percentage of use and variety of strategies in the post-test (p. 46). (Cited in Atay Ozbulgan, 200 7 ) 2.3.1.2. National researches Eslami Rakhsh and Ranjbary (2003) investigated the metacognitive strategy training effects on the lexical knowledge development of 53 male and female Iranian students taking part in an intensive course of English in Tehran Institute of Technology aged 19 to 25. The results showed no significant difference in the vocabulary knowledge between two groups. However, the result of the post-test showed something different. At the end of the experience the experimental group showed progress in terms of lexical knowledge comparing to control group. Thus, the findings of this study indicate that explicit metacognitive strategies instruction has a positive impact on the lexical knowledge development of EFL students.(cited in, Kafipour et al., 2011 ) Marefat and Ahmadi (2003) studied on 60 Iranian female English language learner between the age of 15 and 17,in this study they wanted to examine the effect of teaching direct learning strategies (memory, cognitive, and compensation) and their subcategories on the vocabulary short term and long term retention. In fact, they are not concern about vocabulary learning strategies in this study; rather they want to examine the impact of learning strategies on vocabulary retention. As the result of the questionnaire showed, memory and cognitive strategies were used more than other strategies; moreover, learners strategy use in short-term retention vocabulary was more effective than in long-term retention. The results also revealed the superiority of memory strategy use both in short and long term retention.(cited in, Kafipour et al., 2011 ) Alavi (2006) in a research with 231 TEFL and non-TEFL undergraduate university students tried to investigate the frequency of use of cognitive and metacognitive vocabulary learning strategies. In order to do this three questionnaires were used, Oxfords (1990) classification of language learning strategies, Wendens (1987) classification of strategies, and Gu and Johnsons (1996) vocabulary learning questionnaire (VLQ). The results indicated that Iranian university students prefer cognitive strategies and they use it more frequently in their vocabulary learning process. The results also revealed that there is a significant relation between students major and their choice of strategies, their major significantly affects their choice. (cited in Alavi, 2006) Akbarys and Tahririans (2009) study can be regarded as one of the recent studies in vocabulary learning strategy area. They investigated vocabulary learning strategies use for specialized and non-specialized learning vocabulary among ESP students in different field of studies. 103medical and paramedical undergraduate Isfahan University of Medical Sciences students from 8 majors participated in this study all of which were passing their ESP course. For data elicitation three different methods were used; observation, interview and questionnaire. The finding of the questionnaire showed that the most frequent strategy was using bilingual dictionaries and the most commonly used learning strategy was oral and written repetition.(cited in, Akbary Tahririan, 2009) Gani Hamzah, Kafipour and Abdullah (2009) conducted a study in order to evaluate undergraduate EFL learners vocabulary learning strategies and its relation to the learners vocabulary size. 125 Iranian TEFL undergraduate students took part in this study. Two instruments were used to collect the data; Nations standardized vocabulary size test and Schmitts vocabulary learning strategy questionnaire adopted from Bennet (2006). The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and multiple regression. The results indicate that Iranian undergraduate EFL learners are medium strategy users and determination strategy