Marketing Plan for a new Product in Qatari Market Essay

Marketing Plan for a new Product in Qatari Market - Essay Example The mission statement of automobile firms defines their brand, culture, and customer experience. Since Chevrolet is a brand of the GM, it uses the mission statement of the General Motors Car Company. The mission statement of GM is backed by the following core principles: safety and quality first, create life-long customers, innovate, deliver long-term investment value, and make a positive difference. The unofficial mission statement of Chevrolet brand is â€Å"We win when the customer says we win.† In the Middle East, the Chevrolet-branded cars are a sourced from General Motors in North America, General Motors Korea in South Korea, and General Motors Holden in Australia (Gustin, 2008). Chevrolet has various vehicles. To that effect, the paper will discuss the marketing plan for Chevrolet Cruze car brand in the Qatari market. In the present scenario, the Qatari automobile market segment has now been developing in a considerable manner due to augmented demand for fuel efficient, spacious, affordable, and easy to maintain cars. According to Qatar’s Automobiles Company, by the end of this year, about 90,000 cars had been sold in Qatar with most of the vehicles being from Toyota Company. Furthermore, Rolls-Royce also realized an increase in sales by 37 percent. In the same way, most of the automobile companies recorded an increase in the number of sales. However, Bhaktavatsala (2013) notes that more than 700,000 people drive Chevrolet cars in Qatar. Chevrolet has significant market share in the automobile market. Most of the people who purchase motor vehicles in Qatar have higher disposable incomes. This implies that they have the ability to purchase the vehicles in spite of their higher prices. Most Qataris prefer to purchase vehicles that are technologically advanced, fuel efficient, stylish with modern features, and easy to maintain. Proceeding further, nobody denies that safety is one of the major concerns of customers. Almost all automobile

Managerial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Managerial Economics - Essay Example The major objectives of introducing incentive systems in an organisation are to provide better control over the management as well as to inspire employees to perform operations in a desired manner. Moreover, incentive systems also facilitate in better recruitment as well as management of workforce. Employees of an organisation are provided with various incentive schemes by the organisations that include monetary as well as non-monetary incentives (Magnusson & Nyrenius, 2011). In the financial or banking sector, it has been apparently observed that incentive or compensation system has acquired an important place for the development of these sectors. Moreover, in the financial sectors, employees are required to take extreme risks for acquiring a better compensation schemes. The salaries of employees in these financial sectors have been identified to be low and thus they are offered with more cash bonus facilities through incentive or compensation schemes. The major purpose of this comp ensation system is to motivate employees to take excessive risks in the form of asymmetric rewards as well as penalty system (Murphy, 2009). This discussion intends to analyse the principal-agent theory (PAT) in order to identify the issue of incentive system design in relation to financial sectors. Moreover, the key requirements that an optimal incentive system should possibly meet and the application of the aforementioned theory to the financial sector in order to come up with an efficient compensation contract for bank CEOs will also be portrayed in the discussion. A Brief Study of Principal-Agent Theory (PAT) The significant aspect of PAT principally determines the association between a principal and an agent. The interrelation that exists between principal as well as agent is featured with conflict of objective as well as through asymmetries of information. PAT usually considers the affiliation between principals as well as agents through varied viewpoints as well as interests. Principals are the individuals who are considered to possess certain formal authority as well as are committed to fulfil organisational targets. Moreover, principals are provided with efficient time resources as well as expertises in order to perform business operations in a proficient manner. Whereas, agents are the individuals who are considered to possess specific objectives as well as expertises for conducting business operations in accordance with determined goals of organisations (Smart, 2010). The PAT is mainly formulated in mathematical format that has been recognised to be quite complicated as well as composite. In PAT, when a principal is able to observe the extent of effort made by an agent to perform a work, then the principal is required to provide the agent with a forcing contract. In accordance with forcing contract, the principal is obliged to pay the agent a certain amount of money for performing activities on a specific extent of effort. In case, if the agent is u nable to perform activities at an expected extent of effort, then he or she will not be paid. These are certain incentive policies that are based upon symmetrical information (Bolton & et.al., 2005). The PAT considers certain imperative factors that

How do you understand a functional approach to studying finance-growth Essay

How do you understand a functional approach to studying finance-growth nexus Explain facilitating risk management, exerting cor - Essay Example Joan Robinson however presents a complete perspective when he opines, â€Å"Where enterprise leads finance follows† (1952, 86), thus implicating that it is the nature of the country’s economic growth that creates demands for certain types of financial institutions, and the systems simply respond to these growing demands. Some economists also disregard the theory that places importance on the finance- growth. Robert Lucas in his papers contends that economists tend to â€Å"badly over-stress† the part played by the financial systems (1988, 6), while Chandavarkar (1992) in papers observes that development economists frequently overlook the role played by the financial systems in augmenting economic growth and simply ignore it (Meir and Seers, 1984). ... Financial development is the route through which nations can aim towards furthering the competencies of their present economic systems (comprising of markets and resources), banking sectors, supervising investment projects, and overall strengthening the position of the financial systems within a country. Thus, one can view financial development as a major aspect in affecting a country’s economic growth and welfare (Huang, 2006). Strong empirical evidences reaffirm the theory that finance is at the base of a state’s economic developmental curve. Modern academic scholars are increasingly putting their faith on the efficient, smoothly running financial systems, opining that these systems are essential for processing funds for use in various financial activities, and in apportioning the risks management arena to those who can bear it, thus fostering economic development, enhancing infrastructural growth chances, balanced income distribution, and alleviating poverty (World B ank 2001). While measuring the functional objectives of the financial structures and analysing the process of financial development in a country, focus must be on the financial services, like institutions and markets; understanding the factors that are causing certain sections of the market to remain underdeveloped; and segregating the potential and perceivable barriers within the financial services (Rajan and Zingales, 1998). The dimensions along with the provisions made for the financial developments of a country are assessed are the efficiency, size, and reach of the institutions, services, and markets, along with the quality and cost of the financial services availed for the economic growth of that country (ibid). Thus,

An experiment to obtain Zinc Oxide from Calamine Essay Example for Free

An experiment to obtain Zinc Oxide from Calamine Essay This will be repeated until the weight of the test tube with its contents is identical. E. g. 1st reading= 17. 24g, 2nd reading= 17. 18g, 3rd reading=17. 15g, 4th reading=17. 15g The underlined readings are identical; consequently I would stop and record these readings. I would do it like this because when the readings are the same it means that the reaction has stopped and there is no need to go any further. This is done for every amount. Fair Test There are many things that can be done to keep this experiment a fair one. Firstly the same test tube must be used as all of them have different weights. The amount of time you leave the test tube on the Bunsen burner is also crucial, as it would not be a fair test if you left one test tube in the heat longer than the others. You must measure the amount of mineral wool you put in the test tube so that you can deduct that and the weight of the test tube to get your result. Errors will be kept to a minimum with the use of digital weighing equipment. Preliminary work My preliminary work consists of an experiment titled Obtaining Copper Oxide from Malachite. Malachite is a mineral that contains copper. In the experiment we heated the Malachite in an attempt to obtain Copper Oxide. From the experiment I acknowledged that as the mass of Malachite increased so did the mass of Copper Oxide. The experiment was extremely similar to this experiment, thus I would expect the same to happen in this case. Therefore, in this experiment, the more Calamine that is used the more Zinc Oxide that will be produced. It doesnt take a genius to work that out though. -7- Jack Mariner Chemistry Coursework Results: Chart 1 Reading Amount of Calamine (g) Amount of Zinc Oxide produced (g). Shown above are the results from the experiment and below is a graph plotted from these results. -8- Jack Mariner Chemistry Coursework Graph 1 is a bar chart showing the amount of Calamine used, plotted against the amount of Zinc Oxide produced. Although this graph may look pretty, it is not very useful. From just using these results, it is difficult to explain and understand the graph, so something else is needed: The theoretical amounts. Chart 2. No. of readings Amount of Calamine (g) Theoretical amount of ZnO Predicted (g) Actual amount of ZnO Produced (g). These theoretical amounts have already been calculated. To add these to the graph like on the next page will help us to analyse the results in more detail. -9- Jack Mariner Chemistry Coursework Now this graph is worth looking at. It shows the theoretical amounts of Zinc Oxide produced, plotted against the actual amount of Zinc Oxide produced. So theoretically, in perfect conditions, with a perfectly fair test in practise, the theoretical results would be achieved. My experiment however wasnt done in these conditions, which is why the results do not resemble each other perfectly. -10- Jack Mariner Chemistry Coursework Graph 3 is a line graph, which I feel shows the information more clearly. From it you can see that the theoretical amounts are similar to the actual amounts of Zinc Oxide produced, however there is room for a lot of improvement. For instance, reading 2. This was done using 1. 5g of Calamine. Something definitely went wrong here because it is so out of proportion to the other results. Due to the obvious mistake I took the liberty of requesting a glimpse of another groups results, to compare with mine and to see their result for 1. 5g of Calamine. Chart 3 Reading Amount of Calamine (g). Actual amount of ZnO Produced (g) Other Group Comparison of ZnO Produced (g) From Chart 3, you can see that my results are in fact relatively similar to the other groups results that I have compared with. The reasons for the differences are probably due to spillages or how concentrated the substances were, etc. Analysing the Results To analyse my results I shall look back at them individually. Chart 1 shows only my results. These were very pleasing because they were nearly as I predicted. At this stage I wasnt aware of any anomalous results as the relationship between them looked good. I am still satisfied with my results but would like to redo the test for 1. 5g of Zinc Carbonate. This would give better results to analyse and to draw a conclusion from. The second chart, Chart 2, showed the theoretical amounts. I included these into my experiment so that I could see how accurate my results were. Comparing with another group is good, but their results could also be wrong. Comparing with these theoretical results would show me immediately the accuracy of my results. I have drawn the graph on the next page to demonstrate this. -11- Jack Mariner Chemistry Coursework So the graph is really a way of measuring your accuracy. To do this I worked out the percentage (%) yield. This was done by using the equation; % yield = actual amount theoretical amount From the graph you can see that the majority of my results were very accurate. I have done readings 2 and 4 in a different colour because they are obviously wrong. They both have a percentage yield of over 100%, which is impossible. The reason for this is probably due to contamination and impure Calamine. These two readings are therefore anomalous results. Chart 3 shows that my results are actually fairly similar to those from the other group. Apart from the obvious experiment error in reading 2, the thing that catches my attention most is the fact that my results are all higher than those from the other group. This could be resulted from a number of things, for example the use of different pieces of equipment, or the stopwatch counted seconds at slightly different rates, consequently that group leaving the test tube under the heat for a longer period of time. Or on the other hand these results maybe higher then the compared groups results as a complete coincidence. -12- Jack Mariner Chemistry Coursework Conclusion From graph 3, you can see that my hypothesis is of high quality stating that I predicted a graph with strong positive correlation. This was almost a perfect prediction. My conclusion really for this experiment is that as the amount of Calamine increases so does the amount of Zinc Oxide produced from this. Theoretically this is done proportionately, but actually anomalous results interfere, leaving the results strongly related with strong correlation as apposed to a theoretical graph with perfect correlation. Evaluation I consider this experiment to be a success. The plan was followed very well and the results were of good quality. The measurements were done accurately, and a fair test was achieved. The procedure used was also a very fair and efficient one. Although the experiment was a success, I am still bothered by the fact that anomalous results occured in my experiment. I think that the reasons for these results were because of time limitations. We had very little time to accomplish this task successfully, so mistakes were inevitable. The improvements, which could be made in doing this experiment, are to have a longer time to do the experiment so that isnt done making careless mistake and if mistakes were made, there would be enough time to redo what was needed. Secondly more high tech equipment could be used to get more reliable and accurate results. Also, an essential thing is for the Calamine used to be pure. This is important because impure calamine could react at a different rate to more pure Calamine. This would have a huge bearing on the final result. Lastly, more readings could have been taken. This would lead to averages being taken giving better results.

Architecture and spaces influencing human being to socialize

Architecture and spaces influencing human being to socialize Sociology is the understanding of the human society, which this essay is forcing more towards the sociology among family members. Moving on into studies to explore the various solutions on how things around the context of a family can feed off each other. Things like spatial qualities that will affect the familys social interaction. Exploring into different avenues in the design contexts like the balances between the private and public spaces within a home to solve the issue of bonding and interaction. An in-dept analysis of a few different case studies, local and international will to help understand and broaden the perspective of the various practical techniques on how this few designers explore the spatial quality to prove the point that spatiality do plays a part in the social interaction among family members. Therefore the main objective is to express the point that sociology is the aim and the dream of reviving once more the closeness, warmness and most harmonious type of socia lization bond between family members. The main definition of sociology is a series of development; structure and a functioning of understanding the human society. Therefore from the understanding of the word, looking into the various possibility of the definition, expanding into sub issues that will lead back to sociology. One of them is social problem, problems that occur in society around us no matter being in a big or small society. The reason for this problem to occur is due to the fact that each individual member of a society in this case focusing more into the family circle group, that lives close enough together will have conflicts. It is virtually impossible to avoid having conflicts among close family member who are staying together in the same house. They do not always get along seamlessly as each individual has their own unique character. From this sector it is important to acknowledge that social problems will affect the social interaction within the family society. Hence social interaction is another possibi lity section that will lead back to sociology. The in-depth studies of the importance of social interaction will be illustrated in the next part of this essay. But in the mean time from these two various possible issues in sociology, conclusion can be made that sociology is the aim and the dream of reviving once more the closeness, warmness and most harmonious type of socialization bond between family members. From this conclusion further studies will be made to explore the various solution on how other things around the context of a family can feed off each other. Things like spatial qualities that will affect the familys social interaction. Exploring into different avenues in the design contexts like the balances between the private and public spaces within a home to solve the issue of bonding and interaction. Moving on further into the essay studies will be made on a few different case studies, local and international. These case studies will to help understand and broaden the pe rspective of the various practical techniques on how this few designers explore the spatial quality to prove the point that spatiality do plays a part in the social interaction among family members. Allowing the family to socialize without being intermitted. Theories will be presented to support the study of how spatiality is blend with sociology. Therefore this essay will elaborated the in-depth understanding of a few key points that will help achieve the main objective for a closeness, warmness and harmonious family lifestyle in a home. Sociology The term social interaction refers to particular forms of externalities, in which the actions of the family members affect an individuals preferences. Therefore, the observation of large differences in outcomes is the balance between the interpersonal dynamics and the home environment. It is critical to organize the effectiveness of interaction that happens among the family member. From this many of social interactions exhibit strategic complementarities, which occur when the marginal utility to one person of undertaking an action is increasing with the average amount of the action taken by one family member. Consequently, a change in fundamentals has a direct effect on behavior and an indirect effect of the same sign. The direct effect on behavior will change toward the direct change in fundamentals. Although the family is made up of a group of very like-mindful people, there are still certain ways to control the functionality of the family and the behaviors within them, which make individual family distinguishable from others. In the case the head of the family will of course be the father following with the mother second, as a partner they are to set a good example in their sociality among each other so that the childrens at home will also be influence by their action and behavior, sometime unknowingly. Therefore, the father as the head of the family is the one who keeps order by setting rules and enforcing on them. Hence if a family does not have the sociality quality in their values it will have a chain reaction in their behavior, leading the family to face more sociology problems causing their behavior to influence other society out there being in their working environment or their friends in schools. Social interaction can also seen in the way of which it is an action that will lead up to a reaction. It is not only a one-way traffic but it takes two parties to work holistically together to achieve the successful outcome. There are sustain hierarchy withi n the family society and each family member has his or her societal roles to play. There is some ideal issue that the family should study or know. They should distinguish between the understanding of a correlation of the individual characteristics within the family society, to the influences of the society that occur outside the boundaries of the home allow the family to recognize the key traits that from their own unique family society. Therefore, Bott (1957: 99) argues that the immediate social environment of urban families are best considered, not as the local area in which they live, but rather as the network of actual social relational maintain, regardless of whether these are confined to the local area or run beyond its boundaries. From this argument maintaining an active social interaction within the family help balance a healthy social relationship among individual family members. Hence is will also decrease the tension in the interaction of matters in their socialization b ring together a number of elements such as solidarity, commitment, mutuality and trust. By having this healthy social relationship, no boundaries will be generated, allowing them to have the two-way traffic of interaction. Another point that will help maintain this healthy social relationship is the physical spatial environment. Form the research that was made, physical spatial environment do play a part in determining the interaction with social space that will affect the humans social behaviors and the ability of a social individual to influence others. These spatial elements such as the buffer zones between the private and general space, surveillance within the family and shares the common pathways that affect the social interaction in the house. These buffer zones are flexible to change over the physical function such, as it can be a formal social interaction area or an informal one. On the other hand segregation of spaces can also be a part of a family that from this separation they will function better as a whole. There are some activities that individuals will be far more comfortable performing them in their own space. As Schelling [1978] demonstrated that when an individual can chose the location and the presence of these interactions. Results in segregation across spaces may occur, even in situation where the typical individual would be content to live in integrated space, which in this solution are their own individual rooms. Therefore, to my opinion a statement can be made that spatial quality does influence the social behaviors unknowingly. Design Behavior comes to mind as a recurrent theme in our interests, overlapping concerns such as the architecture expression and their complexity of the relationship that capital and generational change. Hence, it is an attempt to understand the patterns and influence of the transformation of behavior over time. Behavior could also be the central to a hypothesis, which is the understanding of the correlations between the human life, nature and the built environment. Each individual building can be viewed as a sentient creature, endowed with their own unique intelligence and a defining set of living characteristics. Analyzing the input from research, physical design does influence social interaction in a static way by some of these factors. Firstly, is the informal social factor, factor that focus on the social dynamic that is the relationship between individuals and individual in groups. Secondly, is the formal social factor, which is the management of communal spaces that allows interaction to occur. Thirdly, the personal factors that is the pro-community and the pro-socializing attitude with similar values and norms. Lastly, the physical design factors, which is the density of proximity. The division of spaces that has a buffering zone between the private and general spaces, the shared pathways is one for the factor that affects social interaction among family members. Another factor is the communal spaces that have the quality and accessibility to allow family member to come together as one to have common activities together with out feeling intimidated. Therefore, how the family members perceive and understand the physical environment can determine the frequency and quality of their social interaction. The psychosocial buffer zone between individuals and the physical environment plays an important role in determining how the interaction unfolds. The social interaction and the layout of space reciprocally influence each other. The plan is the generator that has order and willfulness; it also holds itself the essence of sensation. The mass and surfaces are elements by which architecture manifests itself. Therefore, the mass and surfaces are determined by the plan. The plan is at its basis. As Le Courbusier quote Without plan there can be neither grandeur of aim and expression, nor rhythm, nor mass, nor coherence. Therefore the plan is calls for the most active imagination and the critical discipline too. What determines everything is the plan as the among of interaction the family will achieve or the social problems that the family will face. Therefore, to make a plan is to determine the main objective and fix ideas. Looking at the Schroeder house for inspiration, it is a house that perfectly demonstrates how spaces could help bring family member together to share and have their social interaction bond. It is a house, which have the plan-less idea that has been a very powerful idea in the development of architecture since modernism. The transformable and plan-less idea allows a logical way of working whereby the members are either all having their private spaces of they are all gathered in to one common space. The study of the plan informed us that is can be achieved by simply having partitions, that can be moved in a manner such that the spaces could only make sense when every family member is having the same kind of privacy level. From this way of planning it will increase the social interaction among member in the family, as they are unknowingly focus to work and interact in a common space. The balance between the common spaces that is open incorporates the focus point of the main house. The expression of openness and closeness can also be achieved through the careful alignment of furniture with the help of openings and walls. Furniture acts as a jig, positioning the human body to react, while sharing the same space together. It supports and encourages social interaction by the arrangement in space to remove barriers between family members. It is also good to have the design element such as blurring the boundaries between the human life, nature and the built environment. Case Studies Local Looking all the back into history on the planning of the traditional kampong houses in Singapore, how they are layout as a community to maximum the social interaction among families living there. The kampong were layout in the way where they will have a common areas in which people gathered, mixed around and spend time with each other. Spaces flow into each other freely with few boundaries or obstructions. The kampong with no physical barriers allows a flexibility in accommodate two or more needs of extending when needed, which is not available in our modern housing estate today. Studying in-depth for the interior layout of a kampong enable us to see that the architecture plays with a lot of voids, opening and have an open plan with minimum partition. This self-drawn diagram is my analysis of a kampong house. The house can be broken down into three sectors. First sector acts as a transition space between the open public and private sectors. It is also the sector where the family will entertain their guests. The second sector will be the private area where all the private family activities happen. The living area is a common open area where family members are able to see the movement of each other. Lastly will the kitchen, the reason of having a bridge that separate the living area and the kitchen is because the kitchen is often used by the womans community as a space where they can chat and socialize therefore the bridge is there to set the boundaries for the public. The kitchen is also a semi-private area because there is a second entrance from the back to access to the house. From this analysis, we can see that the layout of a typical kampong house has a clear hierarchy system that segregates the public zone and the private livi ng area. We can adapt a few key points from this study, the hierarchy system and the open plan that they have. Moving on to the study of our modern HDB flats. HDB was first development to replace the kampong living style in February 1960. The reason for doing so was Singapore was facing an acute housing shortage at that period of time. Therefore, the government decided to build HDB units for the low-income group of people. Through the years residences had to adapt to the emphasis of the housing program, the shifted from quantity of housing to quantity of life. Studying the typical interior layout of a modern HDB allows me to understand better why family now a day space lesser social interaction time with each other. The reason is that the spaces within a house layout is clearly defined by solid walls which break the visual connect that is an important part that allows social interaction to happen. The percentage of the common area in the house is always lower than the percentage compared to the individual private space. But however, common corridor does exist in some HDB units but the functio n of it seems to just be a connector to the private spaces rather then a space where family members interact. Is there a problem with the size of the corridors, giving the prescription as just a path for walkway and not a space to interact? Comparing this two local case studies, the traditional kampong house to our modern HDB flats we can see that the quantity of living is different. As for the modern house, we have family members that are all separated from one another by walls, which discourage interaction and by not interacting family member will lose the healthy socialization values. Compared to the traditional kampong layout where they have an open living and common space where visualization are not broken among family members. International Case Studies The project for a brick country house done by Mies Van de Rohe in 1923 demonstrates the idea of using walls to divide the space but does not go as far as to divide them off into rooms. By doing this it suggests spatial divisions by setting up relationship with the site from within. On the other hand, his Barcelona Pavilion of 1929, uses walls as the element to set up views and suggest spaces but they are not dividing the space as the whole pavilion is open-air. Compared to the Schroder House that as built in 1924, by Gerrit Rietvield. Different method has been used to demonstrate the plan-less theory. In this case, all the main services are positioned on the perimeter of the house and next to them are retracted sliding partitions, which can be pulled out to divide the spaces into rooms. Such as the space acquires more possibilities, compared to when the screens are close, there is no one name to label the spaces. However, these walls provide only a certain amount of prescribed flexib ility. If these walls are completely independent of the structure, the moveable walls will become screens, which is essentially furniture. Therefore, western architecture has various ways and method to tackle the issue of social interaction. The freedom within the layout of the interior allows ways to alter to ones needs hence it is adaptable to the engender bonding between the occupants and the building through continuous physical involvement. By doing this the interaction level within the family can be adjustable to the function that is formed at anytime opening up the partition to allow each family member to remain the visual connect that will allow social interaction to happen. Not knowing focusing them to start a conversation as there is isnt any physical wall. Interestingly enough in Japan, the Japanese traditional house takes on an entirely different attitude to spatial division and living pattern. While planned as the same meaning as the Western architecture, walls do not. In a typical Japanese screened house, the rooms other than the service rooms have on one purpose. Within these the functions takes on the meaning of the activity that is performed and their functions can be changeable with the activities. Quoted from Nishihara explanation of the difference of the Western thinking compared to the Japanese thinking is the Western thinks in terms of function and makes his rooms accordingly, whereas the Japanese simply set up zones. In Japan, when it is time for dining, a portable table and food will be brought out; when its working time a writing desk will be taken out; and when it is time for bed, bedding that are typically stored in the cupboard will be unrolled and rolled back to be stored in the morning. Leaving the space to be purpos eless and multi-purpose at once. From these two case studies, we can see the how two different cultures approach the understanding of an open-less plan concept. Here is an illustration of the comparison diagram between the Japanese concept and the western concept. Image taken from, Works Cited Bibliography Work Cited http://www.helium.com/items/629105-family-values-the-importance-of-strong-family-bonds http://www.doccentre.org/docsweb/urban-issues/hawkers/hawkers13.htm http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/sby/sby02.htm http://www.sageofasheville.com/primary_prevention.html http://www.fashioncentral.pk/living-lifestyle/home-garden/story-25-home-interior-decoration/ http://scienceblogs.com/framing-science/2007/11/au_students_debate_the_interne.php http://www.malaysiasite.nl/kampong.htm http://www.infed.org/community/community.htm http://www.sjsu.edu/people/thomas.leddy/courses/c2/s1/Le_Courbusier.doc

The Sensory Stimulation Theory Education Essay

The Sensory Stimulation Theory Education Essay Chapter 2 Literature Review Learning: Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior with behavior including both observable activity and internal process such as thinking, attitudes and emotion(Burns, 1995) According to Bruner, learning is a social process, whereby students construct new concepts based on current knowledge(Thanasoulas). There are different theories about learning that is how people learn. It is very useful to consider their application and how student learn and how teachers teach in educational programmes(Dunn, 2002). It is also very important to know that every does not learn by the same way. This understanding helps teachers to devise effective strategies for teaching(Sirhan, 2007). Burns definition shows that learning might not manifest itself in observable behavior until some time after the educational programme has taken place. Sensory Stimulation Theory: According to sensory stimulation theory effective learning occurs when the senses are stimulated. According to Laird, research has proved that the majority of knowledge held by adults (75%) is learned through seeing. Hearing is the next most effective (about 13%) and the other senses touch, smell and taste account for 12% of what we know (Laird, 1985). Reinforcement Theory: Reinforcement theory was presented by B.F. Skinner. Skinner viewed that behavior is a function of consequences. The learner will repeat the desired behavior if positive reinforcement (pleasant consequent consequence) follows the behavior. (Laird 1985, Burns 1995). Competency based Training is based on this theory and although it is useful in learning repetitive tasks like multiplication tables and those work skills that require a great deal of practice, higher order of learning is not involved (Burns, 1995). Cognitive-Gestalt approaches This approach emphasizes on the importance of experience, meaning, problem-solving and the development of insights (Burns, 1995, p. 112) Burns notes that this theory has developed the concept that individuals have different needs and concerns at different times, and that they have subjective interpretations in different contexts. Holistic learning theory The basic premise of this theory rests on that for learning to be effective require activation of individual personality which consists of many elements specifically the intellect, emotions, the body impulse (or desire), intuition and imagination (Laird, 1985, p. 121). Facilitation theory (the humanist approach) Laird (1985) discussed this theory and ascertained that learning will occur by the educator acting as a facilitator, that is by establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors. He further characterized this theory by arguing that i) human beings have a natural eagerness to learn ii) there is some resistance to, and unpleasant consequences of, giving up what is currently held to be true and that the most significant learning involves changing ones concept of oneself. Experiential learning Kolb (in McGill Beaty, 1995) proposed an experiential learning model which is a four-stage learning process. In fact, the process can begin at any of the stages and is continuous in that there is no limit to the number of cycles you can make in a learning situation. This theory posits that without reflection one would simply continue to repeat our mistakes. Kolbs research found that people learn in four ways with the likelihood of developing one mode of learning more than another. As shown in the experiential learning cycle model above, learning is i) through concrete experience ii)through observation and reflection iii)through abstract conceptualization iv)through active experimentation. It is worth discussing Kolbs work further Constructivism Constructivism is a theory founded on observation and scientific study about how people learn. It is a method of teaching that encourages the thought process of the student and assumes that prior knowledge, attitude, motivation, and learning style affect the learning process (Spencer, 1999).It is the idea that the learners construct their own knowledge. Constructing of knowledge is a personal process where the student is involved in their own learning by seeking to find meaning to their present and past experiences (Boghassiam, 2006). Constructivism may become an alternative methodology to the traditional teaching method known. The traditional method for teaching science has its roots in what is called behaviorism, which is the belief that an idea can be transferred intact from the mind of the instructor to the mind of the student, or that telling is teaching (Spencer, 1999). Behaviorism views the student as an unreflective responder (Boghassiam, 2006).When implementing the behaviorism method; students are expected to respond to questions in class or on a test. If their answers are correct, they receive a good grade as a way to encourage their good behavior. If the student does not get the answer correct, they will receive a poor grade with the hope to send the message to the student that their behavior is bad and that they need to change it until they get the answer correct. There is no subjective element to learning-either in determining what to study or in how information is interpreted, used, or understood (Boghassiam, 2006). Behaviorism dominated the educational landscape 25 years ago, while the foremo st learning theory today is constructivism (Boghassiam, 2006). Table 1 lists some comparative features of behaviorism and constructivism. Table 1. Comparison of Behaviorism and Constructivism Constructivism Behaviorism Knowledge is constructed. Group work promotes the negotiation of and develops a mutually shared meaning of knowledge. Individual learner is important. The ability to answer with only one answer does not demonstrate student understanding. Truths are independent of the context in which they are observed. Learner observes the order inherent in the world. Aim is to transmit knowledge experts have acquired. Exam questions have one correct answer. (Spencer, 1999). New Directions in Teaching Chemistry: A philosophical and Pedagogical Basis. Journal of Chemical Education, 76(4), 566. Professor Jean Piaget lifes work was based on the study of the nature of knowledge and the childs psychology. Jean Piagets theory on the mental development of children included the concept of cognitive structures, which the child himself constructs in interaction with the environment in a continuous way from birth to adolescence (Schwebel Raph, 1973). Advocates of constructivism agree with Piaget claiming that constructivism is the individuals processing of stimuli from the environment and the resulting cognitive structures that produces adaptive behavior (Kathleen Bahr, 2008)(Brandon, 2010). These structures take the form of schemata, explanations, and experiences that a student uses to understand the world they experience around them (Todd, 2004, p. 12). The philosophy of constructivist education operates by four major assumptions. The first assumption is that previous constructs are the foundation of the learning process in each student. In other words, new information is transformed and interpreted based upon what a student previously learned. Second, assimilation and accommodation processes lead to new constructions. New information may not be able to assimilate with previous knowledge, so the student accommodates the new information resulting in new zones of cognitive development or higher learning. Third, learning is not mechanical, but a process of invention. This is the idea that students hypothesize, predict, manipulate, and construct knowledge, rather than simply memorize facts. Finally, constructivists assume that meaningful knowledge occurs through reflection and the linking of new information to the existing framework of knowledge.(Brandon, 2010) Piaget discusses constructivism by explaining it as intelligence, what it means, where it comes from, and how it is developed. From Jean Piagets point of view, intelligence is the ability to adapt to new situations. In order to adapt to a new situation, a person must comprehend the situation and come up with a solution through their understanding. In order to understand a new situation, one must assimilate it to knowledge that has already been built and brought to the situation. Piaget calls this knowledge that is brought to the new situation as structures. Knowledge is in some way organized or structured for all ages. Structures become more elaborate as a person grows older (Schwebel Raph, 1973, pp. 217-218). An example of this would be adult humor. A 4 year old and their parent can go to the movies and there will be concepts in the movie that the adult will comprehend, that the child will not. Another example of richer structures of knowledge amongst older people can be tested by asking what the first thing that comes to mind when a 4, 10, and 20 year old hear the word mommy. A 4 year old may say she loves me or I love her. A 10 year old may say she stays home and takes care of the house. A 20 year old may respond with motherhood. Piaget would explain that because knowledge is an organized structure, no meaningful concept can exist in isolation (Schwebel Raph, 1973). To the contrary, a behaviorist would expect for each person to have the same answer when thinking of the word mommy. The development of intelligence is a continuous process of constructions from birth to adolescence in a sequence that is the same for all children in all cultures (Schwebel Raph, 1973, p. 222). A behaviorist would state that knowledge is absorbed from the outside, while Piaget would see knowledge as a building of structures from inside. Piaget supports his difference to a behaviorist by explaining that children would not have similar sequences in development if information was simply absorbed. The only major difference in development amongst children has been the rate of development and not the sequence (Schwebel Raph, 1973, p. 222). The four factors of development are: biological factors, experiences with physical objects, social factors of inter-individual coordination and cultural and educational transmission, and factors of equilibration (Schwebel Raph, 1973, p. 223). It is the role of the teacher to teach in such a way that all the factors are at work (Schwebel Raph, 1973, p . 224). Constructivists have shown that the model that is the closest to how students learn is called the learning cycle. A learning cycle is illustrated in Figure. Inductive Deductive E I A Exploration Concept Invention Application à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢What did you do? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢What did you find? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Organizes Information à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Data Aquisition à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Is there any pattern to the data? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Predict, form a hypothesis à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢What does it mean? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Test hypothesis à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Higher level of thinking Figure . The Learning Cycle (Spencer, 1999).New Directions in Teaching Chemistry: A philosophical and Pedagogical Basis. Journal of Chemical Education, 76(4), 566. The constructivist-learning-cycle approach is also called inquiry-based and has been shown to facilitate retention of information and the transfer of thinking skills and content (Spencer, 1999). It is through the constructivist-learning-cycle that students proceed from the concrete to the abstract.(Spencer, 1999). The constructive theory encourages learners to be active creators of their knowledge. The role of the student is to pick out and transform information, build ideas, and make decisions, while relying on cognitive structures. Rather than using the teachers knowledge and textbooks for solving problems, the students comes up with solutions and develops knowledge in the learning process. The student must feel connected to their teacher for constructivist learning to occur. If the student feels disconnected from their teacher, they will go back to the old ways of learning they feel most comfortable with such as rote memorization, algorithmic techniques, and cramming (Todd, 2004, pp. 12-18).The job of the teacher is to design a learning format that is aligned with the students current state of knowledge. The teacher becomes a facilitator of knowledge asking, What do students need to learn? rather than, What do I want to teach? Recognizing students preexisting conceptions, teachers guide act ivities to build students knowledge. As each new activity is taught, the student uses previous knowledge to develop more complex ideas and integrate new information (Brandon All, 2010). The guided inquiry curriculum begins with the assumption that knowledge is not directly transferred from the instructor to the student; that is the constructivist approach is implemented and follows the learning cycle (Spencer, 1999).A closer look at guided inquiry and its practical implication will be discussed in further detail in the next section. Application of Constructivism theory Guided Inquiry Guided-inquiry learning is a process by which students discover basic concepts through active investigation (Jin Bierma, 2011).Guided-inquiry, commonly known as POGIL (for Process Oriented Guided-Inquiry Learning), has been shown to significantly increase student comprehension of difficult-to-understand concepts (Jin Bierma, 2011). Guided-inquiry is an active learning technique that focuses on concept understanding. Recent developments in classroom research results suggest that students generally experience improved learning when they are actively engaged in the classroom and when they construct their own knowledge following a learning cycle paradigm (Farrel, S.Moog, Spence, 1999).Active learning techniques are used by educators who recognize that students learn better by doing rather than listening (Jin Bierma, 2011) Guided-inquiry is commonly used in chemistry labs. The student is guided through questions in their lab assignments until they discover the concepts where the mechanisms at work are too small to observe with the naked eye (Jin Bierma, 2011). The student looks for trends and patterns in the data they collect. At that point they would form a hypothesis and then test their hypothesis. The goal is to make connections between observations and principles. This approach is based on the learning cycle: data collection, concept invention, and application (Farrel, S.Moog, Spence, 1999). Throughout the entire lab the student would be asked guiding questions to require the student to think about the various steps rather than simply following instructions (Farrel, S.Moog, Spence, 1999) With the implication of guided-inquiry methods, students work in teams with specifically designed guided-inquiry materials. The materials will either provide information or guide students through experiments, so they can collect their own information. These materials can be in the form of worksheets that serve as a tutorial to the students. The worksheets can contain questions that help to construct understanding by having the student build on previous knowledge. These guiding questions would be asked for students to discover by their own conclusions (Jin Bierma, 2011).A large part of guided-inquiry is the questions asked of the students. These questions can be referred to as probing questions. Teachers who have incorporated guided-inquiry techniques into their classroom have found that their students grades have improved because of it (Jin Bierma, 2011);(Farrel, S.Moog, Spence, 1999).It is important when implementing guided-inquiry for the students to be given time when working on an answer to a probing question, the teacher should observe, but once they interject their opinion, the benefit of the inquiry-based learning is compromised. The more the students discuss amongst themselves, the more likely they will come to the correct answer and learn the concept in order to retain it. Probing questions need to be constructed in a way that students can come to their predictions before the class time is complete. The downside to guided-inquiry is that it takes more time to create the learning materials and not as much information can be covered in a class period (Jin Bierma, 2011). Because this type of curriculum takes a lot of time for the teacher to prepare, it is very impo rtant that when a teacher finds a lesson that works well, and the students are learning, they must share their lesson with other teachers. Teachers should not be spending time creating guided-inquiry curriculum that has already been created, they should be creating another lesson that has not been formatted into guided-inquiry curriculum (Jin Bierma, 2011) Importance of Mathematics Ibn Khaldun, a great historian, sociologist, philosopher who born in 1332AD, in Tunis,is the Strongest personalities of Arab-Muslim culture in the period of its decline. He stressed the role of mathematics in his book al-Muqaddima as Education should be started with mathematics. For it forms well designed brains that are able to reason right. It is even admitted that those who have studied mathematics during their childhood should be trusted, for they have acquired solid bases for arguing which become to them a sort of second nature. According to the Britannica Concise encyclopedia, mathematics is the science of structure, order and relation that has evolved from counting, measuring and describing the shapes of objects. It deals with logical reasoning and quantitative calculation. Since it involves quantitative calculations this makes it necessary to our everyday life as a day shall not pass without one doing some form of calculation really or abstractly in his or her brain. Imagine how it would be life if there was no mathematics; how were we going to count days, months and years, etc. Mathematics plays an important role in the complex world of science and technology. The scientific and technological development since 1940 emphasized for the first time that we live in scientific age and the disciplines which support this scientific and technologist civilization such as physics, chemistry, engineering, the management sciences, economic, the biological and medical sciences and the behavioral sciences all require Mathematics for their understanding and their further development. The place of mathematics in education must be determined by analysis of the society, the culture and the civilization, which the education is designed to serve. The dominant features of our civilization today are a series of major even revolutionary scientific developments, which have occurred in the twentieth century. Mathematics by virtue of its extensive, practical applications and the aesthetic appeal of its methods and results has long held a prominent place in education. Mathematics occupies a central position in curriculum. It is a compulsory subject from class I X. It is being taught as an integrated subject. It covers various areas like arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry and statistics etc. Mathematics has gained the status of a special and universal language, which enables man to express his ideas about shape, quantity and relationship. Therefore knowledge of Mathematics is essential for successful life. The traditional theories of mathematics have been changed with the advent of the computer. In the past, application of mathematics was limited in extent. It is to be conceived as an integrated study of the learners environment, which contains the element of mathematics. The development of mathematics concept in our children will be best achieved mathematics concepts from concrete situations needs perceptive teaching. Gall and Hicks (1964) described that mathematics has played a key role in science, technology, industry, business, and ag riculture. Its study has been associated with habits of effective thinking, intellectual independence, aesthetic appreciation and creative expression. (Arif, 2011) Mathematics and Science Education in Pakistan Pakistans Education system can be broadly divided into Basic Education (primary, elementary and secondary levels) and Higher Education (post secondary and graduate levels). Both are governed by separate ministries with distinct management and financial systems. Mainstream or government schools offer primary education from class I V (5 to 9) and then middle or elementary schooling, class VI-VIII (10-13) and finally secondary schooling, class IX X (14 15). In classes IX and X students take the secondary school matriculation examination which is conducted by the Boards of Secondary Education. The medium of instruction in primary schools is Urdu, but English is introduced as a second language in class VI. The medium of instruction in the public schools is mainly Urdu, however, most of the teachers use their regional language as the language of instruction. Schools in the Provinces also teach their regional languages as a subject. However, Sindh is an exception where government schools can opt for Sindhi as a medium of instruction. As noted in the white paper and subsequently elaborated in media briefs in line with the curriculum reform to be introduced in 2007, the Ministry of Education has taken a policy decision to change the language of instruction to English in Science and Mathematics classrooms from grade VI and above (HassanAly, 2006). Science is taught as a compulsory subject at primary and elementary level (I-VIII) in an integration of biology, chemistry, physics and earth science. In primary classes (I-V), students study science 12 % of the total school time. At middle school level (VI-VIII) students spend 13-15% of their school time in studying science. At the secondary school level (IX-X) science is optional and those who opt for it study 12-14 % on each science subject physics, chemistry and biology. The content of the teaching in the middle classes revolves around three broad areas: living things, matter and energy, and the earth and the universe.(Halai, Razvi, Rodrigues, 2007) Mathematics is also taught as a compulsory subject for classes I VIII. The curriculum content is organized mainly into five major strands, number and number operations, measurement, geometry, data handling and algebra. At the secondary level (classes IX X) students can opt to take science group or general group. The former includes among other subjects physics, chemistry, biology and advanced mathematics (with a greater focus on algebra, functions, and trigonometry). The latter includes humanities and a course in general mathematics (with greater emphasis on arithmetic and less emphasis on algebra, functions and trigonometry). However, in 1995-96 the policy has changed according to which both groups take the same course in mathematics at the secondary level. A consequence of this policy is that school examination at class VIII serves the role as gate keepers in terms of who gets the science group and who doesnt. Those who perform well in mathematics and science at class VIII level get the opportunity of taking the science group. This bifurcation at an early stage in the academic life has implications for subsequent employment opportunities and poverty reduction. In a historical account of science education in Pakistan, Iqbal Mahmood (2000) maintain that until 1950 science was not taught at primary and middle level. It was the Science Education Commission established in 1959 which recommended that science education be made compulsory for classes VI-VIII. In the early sixties science education was made compulsory for I VIII but its quality was very poor. Iqbal Mahmood (2000) have shown that various education policies (1972, 1979, 1998-2010) have increasingly shifted the emphasis from a general education to science and technology education with a concomitant emphasis on school curriculum reforms both at primary and secondary level, to trigger students curiosity in scientific inquiry and understanding of scientific concepts and processes(Halai, Razvi, Rodrigues, 2007). For example, a recommendation of 1979 policy was to set Science Education Project (SEP) a six years project initiated in 1984 for promotion of science education in Pakistan at elementary and secondary and higher secondary level (6- 12) in collaboration of Asian Development Bank (Hill Tanveer, 1990). Relationship between mathematics and chemistry. In all nations of the world science and mathematics are given first class attention due to numerous benefits derived from them. Chemistry which is believed to be the mother of science equips students with knowledge in areas such as drugs, diseases, pollution, food, chemicals etc which when applied to the society improves man standard of living.(udousoro, 2011) Mathematics has generally been accepted as the foundation of science and technology and it is a very important subject in the secondary school curriculum, therefore, every nation needs it for sustained scientific and technological development.(udousoro, 2011) Also, mathematics is considered as a service tool for the study of sciences especially chemistry. But despite its importance and usefulness, it is a subject that is most feared by students at primary, secondary, even in the tertiary levels of education. Hence student with poor mathematics knowledge cannot solve calculation problems in chemistry (Kramers-pals, Lambrechts, Wolff, 2000). A careful study of the senior secondary chemistry curriculum in Nigeria and West African Senior Certificate syllabus reveal that a proper understanding of the mathematical concepts on Isotopy, formula, equations, solubility, chemical kinetics, quantitative and molar ratio, radioactivity, pH and laws of chemical equilibra etc in chemistry needs a good knowledge of basic mathematics and generally involves a lot of computation which make mathematics an important aspect of it(udousoro, 2011). The potency of mathematics as an anchor that holds the desirable achievement in the physical and biological sciences has been widely acknowledged. For instance, in chemical education, substantial studies have examined the relationship between mathematics and chemistry and found that mathematics forms the basic ingredients to the understanding of chemistry and the establishment of new facts by many researcher like Abdullahi, 1982; Johnstone, 1984; Adesoji, 1985; Carter and Brickhouse, 1989; Bello, 1990; Schmidt, 1992; Kogut, 1993; Axalonu, 1995; Adeyeye, 1999; Olayiwola, 2001; Kehinde, 2005; Adesugba, 2006(Oluwatayo, 2011). Though earlier studies in this area conducted in Nigeria reported that many students find chemistry difficult because of its abstract nature and the mathematical skills required, the bulk of the blame has been placed on the teachers for failing to develop the needed mathematical skills in the students to tackle chemical problems with ease. It is intriguing that many chemistry teachers tactically skip some perceived difficult concepts in chemistry, especially the quantitative aspects of chemical reactions due to their inability to effectively teach them, the factor which has scared many students away from chemistry(Oluwatayo, 2011).

only the heart :: essays research papers

And only the prisoner knows The dream of freedom on his tongue, Sweet foretaste of the summer wind, That blows Across the waving green of the young rice, Across the unchained current of the distant dream, Between the singing strands of taut-stretched barrier-wire, To speak the future freely In guarded whispers Only the prisoner knows these things Only the Heart is a collection of memories, thoughts and feelings both in the past and present, this novel portrays the hardships and struggles that a Vietnamese family endures through the years of approaching communism. Their desperate flea from the only home they have ever known and the loved ones that they may never see again, all in search of a place where freedom and hope are as abundant as the air that you breathe. The life that teens our age go through for freedom, opinions, safety, choices, a future and a new beginning. These are the things we take for granted. This sad but inspiring story written by Brian Caswell and David Phu An Chiem captures every terrifying moment of war, from the time families are torn apart to the refugee camps. Set in Southern Vietnam in the 1970s during the war between Vietnam and America, this book is the truth that was once felt by thousands of Vietnamese families. Imagine one day you wake up and the currency changes, any money you have will turn into only 200 Dong. No money from the old currency is to be accepted. Your parents start packing the valuables that you own. They tell you to quickly get change. The whole house is a mess; the adults are running around like crazy with half open bags. And the next thing you know, you are pushed onto a wooden boat escaping from the war, from Vietnam, from the only home you have ever known. The purpose of this story was to show how meaningless war is and the things it does to people and their families. Some of the effective aspects of this book include the format in which it was written.