Education in the Twisted Military School

Not many of the boys who enter the Carolina Military Institute as freshmen leave the school as graduates. Set in South Carolina, this is a story seen through the eyes of Will McLean, a sensitive, yet rebellious young boy, who aspires to be an â€Å"institiute man†. He is an intelligent, honest, sarcastic and incredibly funny Irish, working class youth who doesn't hide from the truth or his fears. Secondary characters Dante Pignetti, Mark Santoro, and Tradd St. Croix, come into Will's life as he studies at the institute. Tradd is a fragile young man who chooses military training to please his father. He is sensitive, loyal, and caring. Pig and Mark are the â€Å"big men† of the group. Will considers them his protectors because of their size and sense of loyality. 0n the surface, the institute apppears to be just another military school engaged in training fine southern men to defend the country during the Vietnam War. But behind the clean walls of the school and the stern faces of the upperclassmen is a horrifying secret. The Lords Of Dicipline is a book about four young men, Will, Pig, Mark and Tradd, who are trying to recieve an education in this twisted military school. It's a school where â€Å"the system† rules instead of the teachers. The â€Å"system† is run by upperclassmen, obsessed with upholding the school's reputation for turning out the finest men the country has to offer to the war. Will watches as the boys in his class are dismantled and reassembled to become military men. He watches as boys are tortured because of their differences, as they are run out of the school, and even as they are driven to the threshold of sucide. The instutite seems to change everyone who remains there. It seems to harden them, to turn them into the very men they feared as freshmen. Will fears that he too will be corrupt by the brutality that surrounds him. When Will, Tradd, Pig, and Mark discover that there is a secret oragnization called â€Å"The Ten† that upholds and enforces â€Å"The system† Will becomes determined to expose them and bring to justice the students who were their victims. The Lords of Discipline is a wonderfully chilling and realistic book with believable characters and a great story line. It strtesses the fact that one way of thinking isn't always the right way and if you feel that something is wrong, you should stand up for what you believe in. I really liked this book and I reccomend it to everyone.

Plato biography

Greece had given to us many ideas, inventions and genial persons, and now days it is difficult to imagine our world without them. One of the most famous names of that age was Plato. He was philosopher, mathematic and teacher. Never the less, a few persons know why actually he was so famous. So, do you know where words â€Å"Academy' and Ð’Â «BenefitÐ’Â » came from or who created â€Å"Metaphysics† as field of science?Unfortunately, the extant data, which showed dates and place of Plat's definitely were sweep away by wind of history, but sorority of historians and sources indicate what it was in period between 429 to 423 BC in Athens. As well as we know, Athens was city-state in Ancient Greece, also many historians calling it â€Å"Heart of Greece† or â€Å"Cradle of knowledge†. We can conclude that place of born play an important role at formation of Plat's personality, along with his family was rich and very influential.High social status of his family gave to him opportunity to have best education. As Plato said lately: quickness of mind and modesty as a boy, and the â€Å"first fruits of his youth infused with hard work and love of duty†, and he had learned grammar, music, gymnastic and philosophy. Until 409 BC, Plato was studying at his teacher Socrates; moreover Socrates had big influence at his views of life. Plato was loyal follower and disciple of his teacher, also he created all main ideas with Socratic help. From 409 BC to 404 BC, Plato was in military service.In 403 BC, he returned to Athens, and he was trying himself at political career. Unfortunately, In 399 BC his teacher and friend Socrates had died. It was as knife to Palates back. After this tragic event, Plato disappointed In politics, he and there follower of Socrates left Athens and started to travel. As well as we can see from historical sources Plato travel was from 399 BC to 387 BC, during his travel he visited Italy, Libya, Serene and Egypt, while he was writing and exchanging of knowledge with other great scientists and philosopher.In the year 387 BC, then he came back to Athens, Plato founded his school and called Academy. This Academy gave to us a lot of great people, and one of them was Aristotle. In 367 BC, Plato arrived to Syracuse and become a personal tutor of Dionysus II. Furthermore, Plato reamed about state where Philosophers will have reins of government, but not bowl with poison. Unfortunately, the war broke his utopians dreams In 360 BC, after that he came back to Athens and stayed there until his dead In 347 BC.Plato biography By Tossing-Too career. Unfortunately, in 399 BC his teacher and friend Socrates had died. It was as knife to Plat's back. After this tragic event, Plato disappointed in politics, he and In 367 SC, Plato with poison. Unfortunately, the war broke his utopians dreams in 360 BC, after that he came back to Athens and stayed there until his dead in 347 BC.

Chemistry revision notes Essay Example for Free

Chemistry revision notes Essay The oxidation state or oxidation number, is a value assigned to a chemical species which represents its actual or nominal electrical charge. The oxidation number in a free or uncombined element is zero. This means that, metallic magnesium has an oxidation number of zero, and chlorine in Cl2 form has an oxidation state of zero. For simple ionic compounds, the oxidation state of the single atom ions is simply the charge on the ions. In most compounds the oxidation number for hydrogen is +1 and for oxygen is -2. The exceptions include the hydrides (the oxidation state is -1) and the peroxides (the oxidation state for oxygen is -1). In the compounds, halides usually have the oxidation number -1. The sum of all the oxidation numbers in a compound have to be equal to zero. The sum of all the oxidation states in a complex ion is the same as the charge on the ion. Semiconductors A covalent element such as silicon or germanium which has a higher conductivity than that of a typical non-metal but a much lower conductivity than that of a metal is described as a semiconductor. Semiconductors are also referred to as metalloids and they occur at the division between metals and non-metals in the Periodic Table. Key facts : 1. The electrical conductivity of semiconductors increases with increasing temperature. 2: Doping pure crystals of silicon or germanium with certain other elements produces 2 types of semiconductors: n- type and p-type semiconductors. The addition of small quantities of certain substances to pure silicon greatly enhance its conductivity and makes possible the construction of electronic devices. This controlled addition of impurities is called ‘doping’. 1. doping pure silicon with phosphorus or arsenic (group 5 elements) these elements have 5 valence electrons, a few of the silicon atoms are replaced by P, As atoms — 1 electron is left over after the 4 bonds have been formed. The extra electron is free to conduct an electric current and the phosphorus-doped silicon becomes a conductor called n-type. B. doping with boron or aluminium (group 3 elements). By doping with an element having 3 valence electrons some of the silicon atoms are replaced by boron atoms, but because each boron has only 3 electrons, one of the four bonds to each boron atom has only 1 electron in it. We can think of this as a vacancy or hole in the bonding orbital. An electron from a neighbouring atom can move in to occupy this vacancy. As a result of this movement this type of conductor is called p-type. Superconductors 1. Superconductors are a special class of materials that have zero electrical resistance at temperatures near absolute zero. 2. Achieving temperatures near absolute zero is difficult and costly so application of superconduction at these temperatures is impractical. 3. Recently superconductors have been discovered which have zero resistance up to temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen- temperatures which are less costly to attain. 4. Superconductors may have a future applications in power transmission and electrically powered forms of transport. Chemistry revision notes. (2017, Aug 10).

Movie Analysis Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis - Movie Review Example featuring weird, surreal experiences and phenomena which are distortions of reality and which probability of occurring in real life is pegged at almost zero. But then this is a smart and clever, head-trip of a comedy where moviegoers’ disbelief is momentarily suspended throughout the movie as they find themselves unwittingly enraptured by the intensity of the story and the acting of the whole cast as well as the fantastic imagery. Moviegoers soon become enmeshed by the palpable reality of its themes of manipulation, voyeurism, identity and the desire to experience being a matinee idol even for a brief instance. Director Spike Jonze and scriptwriter Charlie Kaufman expertly weaves a bizarrely original, wildly imaginative tale of adventure-seeking people crawling through chutes and transforming themselves into modern Alices in Wonderland or Gullivers except that the fantasy world they have rode into is inside the mind of a celebrity which they try to control and appropriate for themselves for their personal, selfish benefits. The movie functionally begins when Craig Schwartz a puppeteer working as a filing clerk in a low-ceilinged office in the 7 1/2th floor of a New York building, discovered a portal behind a filing cabinet. Crawling into the narrow tunnel, he was suddenly whisked into the brain of actor John Malkovich, experiencing what Malkovich experiences as if these were his own experiences. After 15 minutes, he is spewed out and dumped near the New Jersey Turnpike Social psychology is the science that seeks to understand how people’s behaviors, thoughts and feelings are influenced by other people (Schneider et al 2005,p.2). In this movie, 6 principles of social psychology can be utilized to explain the characters or behaviors of one or more of the dramatis personae in the movie and these are the following: 1. The Looking Glass Self- One forms a self-image of himself from the reflections i.e. the judgments or critiques of others. These make

Marketing Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 70

Marketing Strategies - Essay Example Next success opportunity is the legality of meat importation to the U.S. Apparently, Ruth Chris restaurant model only uses USDA Prime beef and export them to target markets in different countries. The marketing group is currently finding favor in Australia market. Customers from Australia market share a high standard of the US thus becoming a potential market for Ruth’s restaurant. The highly populated urban area serves a better place for business prosperity. High population creates a pool of potential buyers of beef. Disposable income of an extremely populated area facilitates growth and expansion of the market. The marketing team has to ascertain the rate of responsiveness of people towards beef eating. Other criteria Ruth should have considered in conquering new markets include pricing strategies. Affordable and attractive prices may help in hedging out competitors. Embracing product differentiation by improving features, implementing innovations during the manufacturing process will assist in penetrating new markets. The riskiest option is Diversification model. Diversification model involves new kind of restaurants in new markets (Kupetz & Apont, 2006). A new market has various challenges as the products may fail to diffuse. Customers who express utmost loyalty to specific brands may not quickly adapt to new products introduced in new markets. There are series of a cost associated with the development of new products such as promotion and other overhead fees. Initiating a new product in the green market is likely to fail because of competition and more costs. The most risk-averse is penetration model where existing products sell in the same market. Products have loyal buyers thus a reduction of costs such as promotional fees and other marketing related costs.  Ã‚  

Process Analysis Outlining Agricultural Biotechnology Case Study

Process Analysis Outlining Agricultural Biotechnology - Case Study Example   Crop enhancement biotechnology is the commonest form of these procedures amid debate about the safety of crop produce and food that is increasingly penetrating the market. Developing countries have particularly been critical of propagation, dissemination, and consumption of genetically modified foods well as other produce. The world of agriculture has gradually been departing from traditional conventional  breeding  to the simpler and swifter breeding offered by biotechnology. Despite there being massive improvements in output and returns, controversy has emerged from the manner the technology is carried out as well as the effects on natural life systems. The question  remains  since most cynics remain ignorant of the procedure, its intentions and impacts, could the situation change upon outlining the procedure? The general public and agricultural biotechnologists could make a big stride  forward  if a consensus were reached on the basic stages of the procedure.   à ‚   Before any biotechnological breeding begins, a specific trait in a breed or variety of a particular crop is identified and dissatisfaction found. At the current age, biotechnologists assume that desired results from traditional conventional breeding and selection have not been forthcoming. The crop trait is identified at the molecular level, in  the form  of genes. This implies that intensive genetic studies on the crop are done to point at the specific gene on the poor trait (Nair, 749). Very complex biotechnological procedures called genome sequencing are involved. At the same time, studies on another crop or organism with the better version of the gene are carried out and the gene isolated. This second plant or organism acts as the donor of the desired trait gene. Genes are similar to a very large extent such that biotechnologists can successfully, but accurately, remove a gene from a gene donor to a gene recipient provided the gene structure and trait expressed are similar. After isolating the gene, it is kept safely in the biotechnology lab, free from damage or contamination.

Arkansas History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Arkansas History - Essay Example Perhaps all forms of cruelty upon slavery were being done by the white Arkansans towards the slaves of the land back then. Lynching, whipping, burning to death were just some of the major acts to punish the accused slaves with insurrection. Discernibly one motivation that provoked the white Arkansans to do such further cruelty with the black ones was the fear of the notion that blacks someday will take revenge or rebel against them. This was due to the previous account of the African-American's movement in Arkansas to emigrate in Africa during the 1890's, and the notion that such force able to do by the African-American Arkansans that may lead to revolution. Jim Crow law was then issued around 1890's as a solution for this threat through unifying racism (Dillard 2008). Critical period of the African-Americans is at peak between the times of the state's civil war during the 1890's and the crisis of Little Rock Central High School. The crisis in Little Rock somehow resolved some of the issues, as the 9 black students involved in the crisis made a breakthrough by fighting and winning for their civil rights. These diplomatic act from the 9 black students paved way the promotion of segregation that was an ideal resolution of the crisis that period (Dillard 2008). White County in Ar Arkansas History: Great Depression Great depression was the period that Arkansas is known to have its greatest drought throughout the land. The 1929 crash of stock market started the phase of the great depression in the country. White County in Arkansas was the particular place that greatly affected during the depression. Before the depression, the state was doing so well with their businesses especially White County, specifically farm productions (Johnson 2000). Many factors were considered that contributed to the hardship of the state, but one of the main reasons was the drought that happened in 1930. This apparently withered the livelihood of those in farm productions. Naturally, farmers cannot produce any crop as well as merchants were hindered to proceed on their trade due to the lack of capital and development. Data stated that there were about 4,600 unemployed male citizens of county in 1933. Many of the promising states or county were expanding and advancing before the depression, however, when the period hit, it affected many people's lives due to the economic and social suffering. Believing Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal will resolve the economic and social problem, they saw hope from his election as they were longing for the direction and assistance towards recovery (Johnson 2000). Arkansan then were forced to be more self-sufficient especially the women in order to survive the devastating period. They learned sewing, food canning and preservation, home management provided by the home demonstration program under the New Deal. Arkansas: Reconstruction of Education Isaac Murphy (October 16, 1802 - September 8, 1882) was the first Reconstruction Governor of Arkansas, whose administration was intriguingly known for its fiscal constriction. His tenure was the start of the healing of the "war wounds" even the southern part was still dealing with it. When all fled away from the confederacy, Murphy remained alone and continued with his reconstruction philosophy. His reconstruction approach through low key governance

Politics in Pan's Labyrinth and Watchmen Movie Review

Politics in Pan's Labyrinth and Watchmen - Movie Review Example Ofelia's mother ties the knot with another person who is a captain in Franco's army. Ofelia takes a great inspiration from fairy tales and while going to her step father she experiences many strange events which link her as being the lost princess of the underworld. Ofelia's step father is assigned to a remote village where he is designated to throw out all the rebels from the territory. Ofelia gets closely related to the servants working with the captain and she comes to know that the servant Mercedes is linked with the rebels but due to her love for Mercedes she does not tell his father about Mercedes. The rebels try to evacuate the captain from their land and in the end of the movie they even get successful in burning the outpost of the captain and finally killing him. Ofelia gets deeply involved in the fairytales and she is asked to pass some tests to enter the world of the underworld where she is supposedly the princess. In the end one of the test leads to her death in which she has to sacrifice her brother. The captain reaches the spot and kills her to get the posession of the child. Politics is greatly involved in Pan's Labyrinth in the form of war and the actions of people. ... This is because of her defiance to live in the captain's world of brutality. The fantasies of Ofelia from one point of view are also political as she is running away from the captain's world and she figures out that she can live in her own world where the captain does not rule. She tries to find her allies in the rebels and Mercedes and thus she sides up with the rebels. The whole movie portrays a political environment in which everyone is fighting for his own cause i.e. the captain tries to defeat the rebels while Mercedes and Ofelia try to end the tyranny of the captain and run away from his world. The film describes the situation of tyranny and dictatorship and emphasizes on the fact that dictatorship can only be ended through political tactics. In the climax of the movie the captain shoots Ofelia while she is giving a test to be called the lost princess of the underworld. The climax of the movie also portrays a way of how Ofelia fought to get herself released from the world of ca ptain. Pan's Labyrinth is a book which shows both the tactics used by the rebels and the fantasies which were seen by Ofelia in the form of politics as they are both done do get away from the shadow of the captain. There have been many famous comic samples. The chain of keeping comics aside for totally unrealistic matters was broken by Alan Moore, who added political issues in his writings. 'Watchmen' is known to be a great piece of comic work by Alan Moore in 1986-87. Alan Moore is recognized as the best writer in comics after creating such a master piece. His impressive DC series tracks many caparisoned vigilantes, consisting of the inhuman, knowledgeable, crazy, and intelligent but

The Kurdish Struggle to Establish an Autonomous State within Turkey Essay

The Kurdish Struggle to Establish an Autonomous State within Turkey - Essay Example Most of these countries (particularly Turkey) have issues with the formation of an autonomous Kurdish region for several reasons which will be discussed within this paper. The Kurds have their own unique culture, language and religious beliefs that set them apart from the general population of the countries in which Kurdistan is currently politically part of, and have been persecuted by these nations throughout history. One of the main issues in Kurdistan is the struggle to form an autonomous nation that recognizes the rights and rich history of these people. Interestingly, the Iraqi government recognized the state as early as 1970 (Houston, 2008), giving the Kurdish people within Iraq autonomous rule, but the other governments, in particular Turkey, have not recognized the area as separate and autonomous and this is a constant source of tension within the area today. Within Turkey, the Kurds are the largest non-Turkish ethnic group (Barkey & Fuller, 1998), a fact which the Turkish p eople perceive as the main reason why the Kurds are the biggest threat to Turkish national identity and perhaps why these people struggle within Turkey. This essay will focus primarily on the Kurdish people within Turkey and identify some of the key issues and solutions in this situation. Current events will be utilized to show the troubles within the area and highlight the positives and negatives of being a Kurd in modern Turkey. History of Kurdistan To properly understand the struggles of the Kurdish people in Turkey, it is necessary to have a complete historical background of the area and discuss how the language and culture of these people has developed over time. Not only is this an interesting standalone topic, it highlights some of the differences between the people of Kurdistan and the Turkish population, a source of great tension between the two cultures. Kurdish culture can be traced back to ancient history. It has been suggested that the ancient Kingdom of Corduene is ana lagous to the modern-day Kurdistan (Houston, 2008), and may of the ancient districts of this area correspond well to modern district. The first reference to Kurdistan (or Land of the Kurds) is found in a Christian document which describes the Christian Saints of the area, people who were driven out of the area by Pagans (Barkey & Fuller, 1998). The Kurdish language is believed to have developed from a dialect of Iran in the early centuries of the Common Era (Houston, 2008). From here on, there is a clearer history of the area. The Middle Ages saw the development of several Kurdish provinces such as Shaddadid, Marwanid and Rawadid (Meiselas & Bruinessen, 1997), all fairly autonomous regions which can be likened to modern-day emirates. They were under religious and political control of Khalifs, but this was indirect and not particularly forceful, allowing the Kurdish culture to begin to develop into something recognizable today. Islam was first brought to the area in 641CE by an Arab leader known as Utba ibn farqad (Meiselas & Bruinessen, 1997), and was followed by a number of uprisings, revolutions and conquests by Muslim leaders. It was the loss of power from the Byzantine and Sasanian empire by these Muslim caliphates that led to the Kurdish people being allowed to identify mountain administrators and set up independent states in the eastern Taurus mountain ranges, where Kurdish people can still be found today (Meiselas & Bruinessen, 1997). The modern history of Kurdistan is also fascinating. The 16th century brought many wars to the area and eventually the modern area of Kurdistan was split between the Safavid and Ottoman empires. Most Kurds lived in the Ottoman empire until World War I, when the Allied troops tried to split the area into several distinct

Nuclear weapons should be abolished Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuclear weapons should be abolished - Essay Example In addition, other nations have joined the nuclear weapons development bandwagon and are in the process of developing an arsenal of nuclear weapons, which can bring catastrophic losses of high magnitude. While realizing the fact that abolishing nuclear weapons does not fully guarantee a safe, secure, and peaceful world, this expose posits that abolishing nuclear weapons is a positive step towards guaranteeing a secure and safe world. It is crucial to note that, one reason that led to superpowers obtaining and building up their reserves of nuclear weapons was in order to deter their competitors from starting a full-blown nuclear war. According to Parrington, such a strategy in military parlance is the strategy of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). Parrington notes that, the operational doctrine of MAD aims at two nations employing a military strategy in which the two can totally annihilate each other in case of a full-blown war using weapons of mass destruction. Thus, this remains the main reason that the world has witnessed the proliferation of nuclear weapons with new countries building up their reserves preparing for any eventuality. However, there is a growing concern amongst the leaders of the world on the weapons landing in arms in the arms of terrorists and dictators. While the former USSR and USA were the pioneers in nuclear weapons, many countries have stepped up efforts towards building their nuclear m ight. Some of these countries include Iran and North Korea, which form an axis of countries branded as a danger to world peace and stability. Currently, countries have adequate nuclear weapons to annihilate each other, which by extension can result to a total annihilation of the world. Nevertheless, there is no assurance that the Mutually Assured Destruction strategy would work in the modern days since there lacks existence of a balance of power. On the other hand, rogue states may develop nuclear weapons and use them to strike other nations,

Background of Benjamin Franklin Essay Example for Free

Background of Benjamin Franklin Essay â€Å"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin† was thought by himself to be â€Å"the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection†. It refers to when he was in his twenties, around 1726, he found himself jobless; penniless; in debt and suddenly a single father. He was very intelligent and he knew there was definitely something wrong in his life and he was eager to make a change. So he wrote this autobiography not only to tell his son about his life but also to improve his financial situation and to provide a model for self-improvement for anyone interested. In order to achieve his goal, Franklin developed and committed himself to a personal improvement program that consisted of thirteen virtues. Actually, Franklin found twelve virtues out of thirteen in the reading (124). And another one was from the suggestion of his friend (133). Franklin made a list of thirteen virtues as follow: silence; order; resolution; frugality; industry; sincerity ; justice; moderation; cleanliness; tranquility; chastity and humility (125-126). The first eight virtues relate to people’s attitudes towards their daily activities and their challenges, which belongs to personal virtues . The last five virtues that Franklin stated concern one’s attitudes toward people with whom one has to be dealings, which fall into social virtues. Franklin set forth the thirteen virtues in a very practical and rational way. Simultaneously, he gave reasons for the order of these virtues (126). He put temperance at the top of the list, while humility came last. If a person can conquer temperance, such a primal urge for food or drink, he can keep a cool and clean mind to do something more important, thus making self-development in other virtues. Overall, his rational arrangement for the virtues makes each prior virtue help Franklin acquire each following virtue. In order to acquire these thirteen virtues, Franklin charted his daily progress, focusing his attention on one virtue each week, so after thirteen weeks he had completed all the virtues (127-128). Keeping track of his successes and failures in a small book, he kept it with him at all times for many years. Every night before going to bed, he would reflect and evaluate himself on what he had acquired and what he had failed. His goal was to minimize faults in his life, thus indicating he was moving toward living a more virtuous life free of mistakes. Although Franklin tried to follow the virtues himself, he sometimes strayed from his good intentions. The most troublesome virtue he met with was order (130-132). It was partly because Franklins good memory made order not as necessary. When he was young he remembered whenever he left anything. As he grew older, his memory became poorer and poorer, which caused him problems with order. Partly because he was a business man to be interrupted from the public frequently so that he could not focus on something as it was expected. Another troublesome virtue Franklin confronted with was humility (133). Virtually, Franklin was born to be proud, but he had to pretend to be humble in public so that he could establish a good social status. Though Franklin admitted in his autobiography that he often fell short, he believed the process helped make him a better man and contributed to his success and happiness (131-132). For example, temperance contributed to his long life and good health. As for persisting in Industry and Frugality, he accumulated a lot of wealth and gained a large scope of knowledge to do scientific research. All those virtues together had shaped Franklin’s very pleasant personality. Furthermore, the autobiography indicates Franklin was very intelligent. Initially, he could list out these virtues in the reading (124) and the method of virtues was very rational for people to follow(127). In all his life, Franklin had followed his plan of virtues and become a person full of virtuousness. He also set a good model for the descendants to follow and expressed his good will for them (132). As for the autobiography itself, I completely agree with his consents â€Å"the bold and arduous project.† It means that it was not easy for people to follow. But Franklin himself had proved to be very successful in many fields by following his plan of thirteen virtues. Franklin was also a very responsible person because he educated and raised his son on his own. He was passionate about science, that’s why he had made great contribution to our society, making a lot of inventions: lighting rod, Franklin’s stove and odometer, so on and so forth. The autobiography can be of great use to others. If only we descendants can follow his virtues, we can make great self-improvement in our own fields and in moral standards. I have been reckoning how Franklin made his own name? When he was twenty-two years old, he was strikingly impoverished and a single father. But by the age of forty-two, Franklin had achieved all his goals, which were not acquired by accident, but by his strong faith in his virtues. For more than twenty years, six days a week with dirty hands, Franklin had been doing the routine work in the printing house. Every night he constantly made self-criticism on what he had achieved and what he should have to acquire. If only I can follow some of Franklin’s thirteen virtues, I am definitely making great progress in my study overseas and in my future teaching career. Take the virtue order for example, it sounds so minor that we can easily neglect in our daily life, actually, searching for items for class every day is always time-consuming. If I can arrange everything in its place, I would study more efficiently and achieve much higher grades. Of course, the thirteen virtues are a good guide for me to follow. In fact, keeping track of how well I do in maintaining the virtues and having positive character traits, as Franklin did, is worth trying.

Turnaround Strategies Essay Example for Free

Turnaround Strategies Essay Emphasis is on speed of change and rapid cost reduction and/or revenue generation. Managers must prioritise things that give quick and significant improvements. Although used interchangeably, restructure is different from turnaround. ? ? Operational Turnaround The focus is on ways of improving the operation of the business and designed to halt the decline. Strategic Turnaround The focus is on adjusting the strategic focus of the business in terms of its Product/Market profile and halt the decline. ? Cost Reduction Strategies Asset Reduction Strategies Financial Restructuring Strategies Management and Cultural Change Strategies Revenue Increasing Strategies Product/Market Redefinition Strategies Turnaround †¢ Restructure †¢ Restructure is a course before failure to avoid failure An unsuccessful restructure may be followed by a turnaround. Turnaround is a course after failure †¢ 7 steps of Turnaround: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Crises Stabilization Management Changes Gaining stakeholder support Clarifying the target market Re-focusing Financial Restructuring Prioritization of critical improvement areas Aim: Regain control over the deteriorating position Focus: At this time focus remains ? Cost Reduction ? Revenue Increase Turnaround requires proper alignment of causes of decline and the solutions. Changes at top level management is required Reasons: ? Old management may be seen as the cause of the problem by the stakeholder ? Management with experience in turnaround is required ? Different approaches and fresh perspectives may be brought by outsiders ? In a situation of turnaround it is vital that key stakeholders are kept well informed and a clear picture is sent. The main stakeholders involve employees, bank of the organisation, shareholder group Assessment of power of different stakeholder groups is of vital importance. ? ? While turnaround it is very important to clearly segment the target market. This step gains importance due to the following reasons: ? Not identifying targeting the right target market may itself be the reason for turnaround. ? Leads to revenue generation A more focused approach from the management would lead to discontinue of products and services not suitable for the target market. This will lead to discontinue of products returning lower revenues. This will lead to utilizing opportunities more profitable. It is the reorganizing of a business assets and liabilities. Although companies can restructure for any reason, in most cases it is done when there are serious problems with the business, and to avoid bankruptcy liquidation. Financial restructuring would typically involve:? Changing existing capital structure ? Raising additional finance Renegotiating agreements with creditors ? Managers need to identify critical improvement areas ; prioritize them. They need to prioritize things that give immediate and effective improvement. TURNAROUND OF INDIAN BANK IN 2000 Known as the queen of turnaround management, Ms Ranajana Kumar, Chairman ; Managing director took a bleeding public bank out of successive losses. Situation prior of Ms Kumar:

Inclusion of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Inclusion of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine attitudes towards inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and self-efficacy beliefs of preservice teachers. Background factors will be explored in relation to both attitudes towards inclusion and self efficacy beliefs. ASDs are becoming the fastest growing developmental disabilities with 1 out of every 150 births being diagnosed as having one of these disorders. ASDs are typically defined as developmental disorders and can range in symptoms from mild to severe. They are identified by abnormal or impaired development in social interaction and communication combined with a restricted repertoire of activities and interests. As a result, more children with ASDs are in need of educational services. Preservice teachers will be surveyed for their level of efficacy as well as attitudes towards inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorders. Preservice Teachers Efficacy: A Correlate of Attitudes towards Inclusion of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Chapter 1: Introduction This study will focus on self-efficacy beliefs preservice teachers’ and their attitudes towards inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Historically, inclusion studies have broadly focused on students with general disabilities without differentiation of the 13 disability categories as listed in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA). It is necessary to briefly address special education law in order to understand how students with exceptionalities are placed and serviced within the education system (either in special education, general education, or a combination of classes). IDEA is the federal legislation that regulates the education of students with disabilities (Woolfolk, 2010). It was originally enacted by Congress in 1975 to ensure that children with disabilities had the same opportunity as students without disabilities (Woolfolk, 2010). The law has seen many revisions throughout the years. The most recent amendments to IDEA were passed by Congress in December 2004. The final regulations were published in August 2006 and termed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEIA 2004) (Public Law No. 108-446). IDEIA 2004 guides how states and school districts identify and provide special education and related services to children with disabilities (http://www.nichcy.org/idea.htm). IDEIA 2004 specifically addresses where students with disabilities should be educated and also requires schools to provide a free and appropriate education (FAPE) for all students (Woolfolk, 2010). Although the law does not specifically use the terminology inclusion, it does use the term least restrictive environment (LRE) when speaking of placement for students with disabilities (Inzano, 1999). The law regarding placing students within the LRE has generated many questions as to exactly what constitutes an LRE. According to the law, in an LRE, the student is to be placed with non-disabled peers as much as appropriate throughout the school day (IDEIA, 2004). In addition, the student can only be separated from nondisabled peers if the nature or severity of their disability impedes upon their education (IDEIA, 2004; http://www.findcounseling.com/journal/sped/least.html). Based upon this law, there appears to be a push to teach children with disabilities within the regular education classrooms (Villa, Thousand, Nevin, Liston, 2005 Liston, 2005). As a result of this, there will be a paradigm shift moving away from segregation to integration where students with and without disabilities will be taught together (Giddens, 2001). Inclusive education is identified by the integration of all students, including those with disabilities, into the general education classroom (Avramidis Norwich 2002; Woolfolk, 2010). Inclusion is often confused with the notion of mainstreaming. Schnorr (1990) indicated that mainstreaming and inclusion each deal with students with disabilities in the regular classrooms, the responsibilities of the general education teacher is different for both. In mainstreaming, the regular class teacher is responsible for some of the instruction of the student with exceptionalities while the special education teacher is primarily responsible for the student’s instruction (Lipsky Gartner, 1989). This is quite different than inclusion. Through inclusion, the regular class teacher is responsible for nearly all of the instruction of the student with special needs. The special education teacher serves as a support to the regular education teacher (Salisbury et al., 1995). For the purposes of this study, inclusion will be defined as full term placement in mainstream general education classes with appropriate special education support services. By studying disability categories under a broad umbrella, it is difficult to differentiate attitudes towards inclusion of specific disability categories. Inclusion of students based on specific disability categories is limited and has not been fully analyzed in current research studies. Research has largely focused on teacher attitudes towards inclusion of students with learning disabilities (Avramidis, Bayliss, et al 2000; Bender, Vail, et al, 1995; Bradshaw Mundia 2006; Buell, Hallam, et al 1999; Burke Sutherland 2004; Campbell, Gilmore et al 2003; Clough Lindsay 1991; Elhoweris Alsheikh 2006; Hammond Ingalls 2003; Jobe, Rust, et al. 1996; Kadell Wiebe 2001; Kalyva, Gojkovic, et al 2007; Kwapy 2004; Reasons 2005; Romer 2004; Ross-Hill 2007; Sebesta 2002; Shade Stewart 2001; Walpole 2006). There have been some studies focusing on emotional and behavioral difficulties within the general education classrooms (Avramidis, Bayliss, Burden 2000; Clough Lindsay 1991; Hastings Oakford 2003; Soodak et al. 1998; Stoiber et al. 1998); cognitive impairments (Center Ward 1987; Thomas 1985), and mild physical disabilities (Center Ward 1987; Forlin 1995). The remaining special education categories have not been the focus of much research (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Blind or Low Vision; Deaf or Hard of hearing; Deaf-Blind; Developmentally Delayed; Language or Speech impairment; Multiple Disabilities; Other health impairment; Orthopedic impairment; and Traumatic brain injury). This study will investigate the attitudes of pre-service teachers toward inclusion of students with ASDs. ASDs fall within the Pervasive Developmental Disorders based upon the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fourth Edition (DSM-IV, p. 14; 2005). The terms ASDs and Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) are often used synonymously (Pieranagelo Giuliani, 2007). Pervasive Developmental Disorder is a general term that refers to a spectrum of disorders that differ with respect to the number and type of symptoms or age of onset (DSM-IV, pg. 69). Pervasive Developmental Disorders include Autistic Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Asperger’s Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DSM-IV, p. 14; 2005). ASDs are typically defined as developmental disorders in which behavior characteristics range in syndrome expression and the symptoms change as the child develops on a continuum from mild to severe (Volkmar, Paul, Klin, Cohen, 2005). â€Å"They are typically characterized by severe and perva sive impairment in several areas of development that include reciprocal and social interaction skills, communication skills, or the presence of stereotyped behavior, interests, and activities†(DSM-IV, pg 69; 2005). Four million children are born in the United States every year and of these four million children; 560,000 individuals between the ages of 0-21 have an ASD (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/faq_prevalence.htm). Based on prevalence statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2007, one out of every 150 children in the United States has autism (http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis_factsstats). Due to the increase in diagnosis of ASDs, more children are in need of specialized education programs. In 2006, the CDC reported 484,299 individuals between the ages 3 through 21 received services under the ‘autism’ classification for special education services (https://www.ideadata.org/tables30th/ar_1-3.htm). Additional data from the CDC reported the state of Indiana serviced 159,679 students under IDEA in 2006 between the ages of 6 and 21. Of these students, 7,391 were identified as having an ASD (https://www.ideadata.org/tables30th/ar_1-3.htm). Illinois reported serving 289,611 students under IDEA in 2006 between the ages of 6 and 21. Of these students, 9,398 students were identified as having an ASD (https://www.ideadata.org/tables30th/ar_1-3.htm). Michigan reported serving 217,673 under IDEA in 2006 between the ages of 6 and 21. Of these students, 9,723 were identified as having an ASD (https://www.ideadata.org/tables30th/ar_1-3.htm). The needs of students with ASDs vary and should be identified and addressed within their educational programming. As stated earlier, ASDs are a group of developmental disabilities that are defined by significant impairments in social interaction, communication, and unusual behaviors (DSM-IV, pg. 69). This is of particular concern when looking at the best learning environment for students with ASDs. Researchers and educators agree that children with ASDs benefit from early intervention services (National Research Council, 2001; Rapin, 1997; Rogers, 1996; Strain, Wolery Izeman, 1998). It has been found to be beneficial to place students with ASDs in the general education classroom so they have early interventions as well as appropriate role models of social skills (Klinger Dawson, 2005). At the same time, this presents a problem because students with ASDs are often not accepted into the general education class. Rejection increases with the students’ age and severity of their symptoms which increases their tendency to become socially isolated (Burack, Root, Zigler, 1997 as cited in Volkmar, Paul, Klin, Cohen, 2005). Parents, teachers, and students need to work together to determine which educational services are needed and specifically, to afford them with the greatest possibilities for future transitions (Bock Myles, 1999; Crowley, 2000; Bowe, 2005 as cited in Volkmar, Paul, Klin, Cohen, 2005). Educational placement options for students with ASDs need to be a place where they receive the most benefit as well as keeping in accordance with the law requiring LRE. The increase of students with special needs within general education classrooms has spurred changes in attitudes of teachers, parents, and students regarding the appropriate placement for students with disabilities to receive an education. Research has shown that teacher attitudes towards inclusion have a significant impact upon whether or not inclusion is a success or failure within the classroom (Avramidis Norwich 2002; Bacon Schultz 1991; Barton, 1992; Barton Wiczenski 1993; Bishop, 1986; Carroll, Forlin, Jobling 2003; Chow Winzer, 1992; Coates, 1989; Cook, 2001; Cook, Semmel, Gerber 1999; Good Brophy 1997; Hannah Pliner, 1983; Hayes Gunn, 1988; Idol, Nevin Paolucci-Whitcomb 1994; Roa Lim, 1999; Salend 2001; Schumm et al. 1994; Semmel, Abernathy, Butera, Lesar, 1991; Shade Stewart, 2000; Wiczenski, 1993; Van Reusen, Shoho, Barker 2001; William Algozine, 1977; Wood, 1989). Attitude research pertaining to inclusion of students with disabilities has provided widely var ied results (Bennett et al, 1997; Garriott, Miller, Snyder, 2003; Leyser Tappendorf, 2001; Rea et al. 2002; Shier, 2002). Professional groups vary considerably in their perceptions of which children are most likely to be successful with the inclusion process (Bochner Pieterse 1989). There are educators who support the inclusion of students with disabilities and indicate it has positive benefits for students (Avramidis et al, 2000; Chalmers, 1991; Frederickson, Dunsmuir, Lang Monsen 2004; Leyser Tappendorf 2001; Rodgers, 1987; Rojewski Pollard, 1993; Ward et al, 1994; Villa et al, 1996; York, Vandercook, MacDonald, Heise-Neff Caughey, 1992). If teachers’ attitudes toward inclusion are positive, then the experience of their students will also be positive (Anderson, Chitwood, Hayden 1997; Alexander Strain, 1978). Conversely, many educators are not as accepting of inclusion and hold negative attitudes towards inclusion (Alghazo, Dodeen, Algaryouti, 2003; Berryman, 1989; Bradshaw, 2004; Buell, Hallam, Gamel-McCormick, 1999; Center Ward, 1987; Coates, 1989; D’Alonzo, Giordano Cross, 1996; D’Alonzo Ledon 1992; Dixon, 1999; Forlin, Douglas, Hattie, 1996; Gersten, Walker Darch, 1988; Hammond Ingalls 2003; Hayes Gunn, 1988; Horne Ricciardo, 1988; Jamieson, 1984; Jobe, Rust, Brissie, 1996; Larrivee Cook, 1979; Leyser Tappendorf, 2001; Luseno, 2000; Minke et al, 1996; Murphy, 1996; Reiter et al, 1998; Schumm Vaughn 1991; Semmel et al, 1991; Thomas, 1985; Vaughn, Schumm, Jallad, Slusher Saumell, 1996). If the teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion are negative, then the experience of their students will be unsuccessful (Anderson, Chitwood, Hayden 1997; Alexander Strain, 1978). Forlin et al (1999) indicated that teachers’ attitudes towards individuals with disabilities suggest that negative attitudes lead to lower expectations of that student. Research has also shown teachers attitudes toward inclusion were strongly influenced by the nature of the student’s disabilities (Avramidis, Bayliss, Burden, 2000; Bradshaw and Mundia 2006; Center Ward, 1987; Dean, Elrod Blackbourn, 1999; Jobe, Rust Brissie, 1996; Mak, 2003; Scruggs Mastropieri, 1996; Soodak, Podell, Lehman, 1998). Several studies have shown that specific disability areas negatively affected teacher attitudes towards inclusion. Thomas (1985) studied teachers in England and found they opposed integration of students with intellectual difficulties. This opposition has been replicated in several subsequent studies (Avramidis, Bayliss, Burden, 2000; Center Ward, 1987; Clough and Lindsay, 1991; Forlin, 1995; Hayes Gunn, 1988; Kwapy, 2004; Soodak et al., 1998; Stoiber et al., 1998). Research also shows that teachers had difficulty with children who had emotional and behavioral difficulties (Avramidis et al, 2000; Bowman, 1986; Clough Lindsay, 1991; Forlin, 1995; Hastings Oakford, 2003; Hayes Gunn, 1988; Heflin Bullock, 1999; Kwapy, 2004; Soodak et al., 1998; Stoiber et al, 1998). Center and Ward (1987) found that teachers within their research study were reluctant to include students with more severe physical disabilities or students with intellectual disabilities; however, they were willing to accept the inclusion of students with mild physical disabilities. As a result of the mixed results of research on inclusion, it is important to identify attitudes towards inclusion of students, specifically with ASDs, within the general education classroom. To date, there has been a lack of research on ASDs and teacher attitudes towards inclusion. With the movement within the educational system to integrate all students with disabilities into regular education classrooms, it is going to be important to evaluate teacher attitudes toward inclusion of students with ASDs as the prevalence rate for this specific disability is on the rise. Multiple factors have been found to affect teachers’ attitudes (Salend Duhaney, 1999). These factors primarily relate to the child, teacher, and school. Several factors seem to consistently arise in research regarding attitudes towards inclusion of students with disabilities and include teacher efficacy, the type of disability, and the individual’s teacher preparation program. These areas will be the focus of this research study. Teacher efficacy has been a focus in many research studies (Allinder, 1994; Allinder, 1995; Ashton, 1984; Ashton Webb, 1986; Brownell Pajares, 1999; Gibson Dembo, 1984; Pajares, 1992; Soodak, Podell Lehman, 1998). Teacher efficacy is a teacher’s individual beliefs in their capabilities to reach all of their students, regardless of disability and teach all types of students (Armor et al., 1976; Ashton, 1984; Ashton Webb; 1986; Berman McLaughlin, 1977; Coladarci Breton, 1997; Gibson Dembo, 1984; Tschannen-Moran, Woolfolk-Hoy, Hoy, 1998; Woolfolk, 2010). Many studies have noted that a teacher’s sense of efficacy can have a direct positive affect on student achievement (Anderson, Greene, Loewen, 1988; Ashton, 1984; Midgley, Feldlaufer, Eccles, 1989; Woolfolk, 2010) and is a principal factor impacting classroom effectiveness (Allinder, 1993; Ashton Webb, 1986; Brownell Pajares, 1999; Gibson Dembo, 1984; Pajares, 1992). There has been limited research as to the effect teacher efficacy has upon the students with ASDs. Research on general disability areas has shown that as a teacher’s personal efficacy increases, they become less anxious about including students with disabilities into their classrooms (Allinder, 1994; Soodak, Podell Lehman, 1998). Other research studies have found that teachers often lack confidence in their instructional skills when dealing with a student with a disability (Buell, Hallam, Gamel-McCormick, 1999; Center Ward 1987) thus decreasing their self efficacy. By identifying links between teacher efficacy and teacher attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs; more information can be provided to teachers to help them feel confident as well as successful in teaching students with ASDs within their classrooms. Another factor affecting teacher attitudes towards inclusion stems from their teacher preparation programs. Much of the current research on inclusion of students with disabilities has shown that general educators often feel confused when asked to make accommodations for students with disabilities within their classes (Lombard et al., 1998). Educators have indicated that they feel unprepared to implement inclusion as a result of a lack of preparation in education programs (Avramidis, Bayliss Burden, 2000; Bender Ukeje, 1989; Bender, Vail, Scott 1995; Betancourt-Smith 1994; Bruneau-Balderrama, 1997; Buell et al, 1999; Center Ward, 1987; Creal, 2000; Edelen-Smith, Prater, Sileo 1993; Evans, Townsend, Duchnowski, Hocutt, 1996; Ferguson, 1995; Forlin et al. 1999; Garfinkle Schwartz, 2002; Glass 1996; Grbich Sykes, 1992; Hammond Ingalls, 2003; Hastings, Hewes, Lock Witting, 1996; Johnston, Proctor, Corey 1994; King-Sears Cummings, 1996; Kwapy, 2004; Lanier Lanier 1996; Mastrop ieri Scruggs, 2000; Minke, Bear, Deemer Griffin, 1996; Nevin, Cohen, Salazar Marshall, 2007; Olson, 2003; O’Shea O’Shea, 1997; Pugach Seidl, 1995; Reber, Marshak, Glor-Scheib, 1995; Reed Monda-Amaya, 1995; Reitz Kerr, 1991; Salend, 2001; Schumm et al. 1994; Schumm Vaughn, 1992; Schuum Vaughn, 1995; Scruggs Mastropieri, 1996; Shanker, 1994; Sindelar, 1995; Singh, 2001; Slusher Saumell 1996; Snyder, 1990; Soodak, Podell Lehman, 1998; Swoboda, 2000; Tait Purdie 2000; Taylor, Richards, Goldstein, Schilit 1997; Vaughn, Schumm, Jallad, Wang, Reynolds, Walberg, 1994; Vaughn, Schumm, Jallad, Slusher, Saumell, 1996; Wang, Reynolds Walberg, 1994; Wanzenried, 1998). Currently, many educators remain insufficiently informed about the practice and theory of inclusion as well as the effect it has on all students within the classroom. Part of teacher preparation programs includes instilling a sense of knowledge and experience of working with students with disabilities. Those with experience working with students with disabilities tend to have more positive attitudes toward inclusion (Beh-Pajooh, 1991; Forlin, Fogarty Carroll, 1999; Gallagher 1985; Gregory, 1997; Hastings et al., 1996; Hastings Graham, 1995; LeRoy Simpson 1996; Pernell, McIntyre, Bader 1985; Sack 1998; Rees, Spreen Harnadek, 1991; Shoho, Katims, Wilks 1997). If teachers feel as though they are unprepared to accommodate students with disabilities; there needs to be a change in teacher preparation programs to ensure that all teachers feel confident and prepared to teach students with exceptionalities. By changing teacher education programs and adding more required coursework regarding students with exceptionalities, teachers should be better equipped to make accommodations and interventions for exceptional students. It is important to account for preservice teachers’ attitudes and beliefs in order to rectify any ill conceived notions about inclusion of children with ASDs. By identifying attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs, the inclusion process can be improved. By identifying factors that lead to negative attitudes towards inclusion and dispelling any myths associated with inclusion of students with ASDs, these students may be better served within the general education classroom. In addition, the attitudes towards inclusion may pinpoint weaknesses within teacher preparation programs. By identifying weaknesses, teacher education programs may be able to change or revise classes and curriculum to better meet the needs of future educators. Due to the increase in students identified with ASDs, laws mandating students be taught in the LRE, more general education teachers will have to make accommodations for students with ASDs within their classrooms. By identifying teacher attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs, teacher curriculum can be changed and in-services can be added to programming to improve teacher attitudes towards inclusion. Statement of the Problem This study will focus on self-efficacy of preservice teachers and their attitudes towards inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Current research shows a range of attitudes towards inclusion of students with disabilities. There is a lack of research regarding teacher attitudes towards the various disability categories; specifically ASDs. Inclusion of students based on specific disability categories, ASDs, has been limited. With the increase in diagnosis of children with ASDs; there will likely be an increase in the placement of students with ASDs into general education classrooms. As a result, general education teachers will likely be responsible for teaching students with ASDs within their classrooms. By identifying attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs, the inclusion process can be improved. By identifying factors that lead to negative attitudes towards inclusion, such as teacher efficacy beliefs, and dispelling any myths associated with inclusion of students with ASDs, these students may be better served within the general education classroom. In addition, the attitudes towards inclusion may pinpoint weaknesses within teacher training programs. By identifying weaknesses, teacher education programs may be able to use this information to implement changes or revisions to classes and curriculum to better meet the needs of future educators. Purpose of the Study The primary purpose of this study is to investigate preservice teachers’ sense of efficacy and their attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs. Relationships between teacher attitudes towards inclusion, teacher efficacy, the type of student disability, teacher preparation programs, and demographic information will be explored. This study aims to identify preservice teacher attitudes toward inclusion of students with ASDs and their level of teacher efficacy. Additionally, it will explore factors that influence attitudes of preservice teachers toward inclusion of students with ASDs. By understanding the factors that influence preservice teacher attitudes, teacher preparation programs can better prepare teachers for students with exceptionalities, particularly ASDs within the classrooms. Research Questions What are preservice teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs within the general education classroom? Secondary Questions: What is the relationship between teacher efficacy and teacher attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs? What factors are related to preservice teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs? What is the relationship between the amount of college preparation courses and teacher attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs? Is there a relationship between having a special education background and attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs? Is there a relationship between having a special education background and teacher efficacy? Rationale Inclusive education integrates all students, regardless of disability, into the general education classroom. Integration of students with disabilities requires teachers to make accommodations and modifications for students in order for them to be successful within the general education classroom. The teacher’s level of efficacy has been found to affect their willingness to make modifications and accommodations for students with disabilities and thus affect their attitudes toward inclusion. This study will investigate preservice teachers’ sense of efficacy and its correlation with attitudes towards inclusion of students with ASDs. Current studies focus on the integration of students with disabilities without differentiating specific disability categories. This study will allow for differentiation of ASDs from the remaining disability categories. Findings from this study will be beneficial for teacher preparation programs. Bandura (1986, 1994, 1997) suggested that predications about behavior outcomes affect the individual’s goals, effort, and motivation to complete a task. Predications of behavior are highly influenced by a person’s self-efficacy (Woolfolk, 2010). Self-efficacy has been defined as the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the course of action required to manage prospective situations (Bandura, 1995). As a result, people are more likely to engage in behaviors that they believe they are capable of completing successfully. If a person believes they are able to complete an activity with success, they have high self-efficacy; conversely, if they do not feel they are able to complete certain behaviors successfully, they have low self-efficacy. Individuals tend to seek behaviors that they have success with and will put more effort and persistence to activities that they consider to be successful. Self-efficacy is also influenced by a person’s previou s successes or failures with an activity, feedback from others regarding their performance, and success or failure of other people around them (Woolfolk, 2010). For inclusion to be successful, teachers will need to observe a successful implementation of inclusion. In addition, they will have to feel confident in their own abilities to implement inclusion. This confidence will likely come from their teacher education training as well as role models indicating a successful implementation of inclusion. If a teacher does not believe he or she is able to implement inclusion within their classroom, the inclusion process is likely to fail. This has implications for the students within their classrooms. Students without disabilities are likely to model the teacher’s negative attitude towards inclusion and imitate behavior; at the same time, if the teacher has a positive attitude toward inclusion, the children would imitate that behavior. The self-efficacy of the teacher and their resulting actions has a large impact for the successful inclusion of students with ASDs within the general education class. Conceptual Framework This study is rooted in the theories of Albert Bandura, a cognitive theorist. His theories on social learning, social cognition, and self-efficacy have an influence this study. Bandura’s social cognitive theory and his construct of self efficacy (Bandura 1977) help explain how teacher’s attitudes towards inclusion would potentially have an effect upon the students within their classrooms. Bandura’s (1977) theory of self-efficacy is closely tied with teacher sense of efficacy. Teacher sense of efficacy is the belief that a teacher can reach all of his or her students, regardless of disability and teach all types of students (Woolfolk, 2010). Teacher sense of efficacy has a major impact upon the students within a teacher’s classroom. A high sense of teacher efficacy would indicate a teacher believes that he or she is capable to teach their students. Teachers with a high sense of teacher efficacy believe they can teach all of their students, regardless of disability (Woolfolk, 2010). Significance of the Study Due to revisions of federal regulations regarding placement of special education students within the LRE, children with disabilities are spending a majority of their day in the general education classroom. This study is an investigation of preservice teachers’ sense of efficacy and attitudes regarding inclusion of students with ASDs. It is valuable to determine attitudes of preservice teacher regarding the placement of students with ASDs due to research currently citing teacher attitudes strongly effect the success of students (Avramidis Norwich, 2002; Bacon Schultz, 1991; Chow Winzer, 1992; Coates, 1989; Cook, Semmel, Gerber, 1999; Good Brophy, 1997; Hayes Gunn; 1988; Idol, Nevin, Paolucci-Whitcomb, 1994; Roa Lim, 1999; Salend, 2001; Semmel, Abernathy, Butera, Lesar, 1991; Shade Stewart, 2000; Silberman, 1971; Van Reusen, Shoho, Barker, 2001; William Algozine, 1977). Previously, students who needed modifications or adjustments within the classroom were separated from the non-disabled students and placed in special education classrooms. Changes in the law have provided a directive that all students must be educated in the LRE, part of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (PL 94-142). This law states that individuals, regardless of the severity of their disabilities, are entitled to receive services from the public school systems at no cost to the parents (Public Law No. 94-142). With more students being placed in general education classrooms, it is important for future educators to have positive attitudes towards successful inclusion of students with ASDs. The results of this study may help in the development of effective educational curriculum at universities and colleges with teacher education programs. Education programs need to be committed to producing highly qualified and prepared future educators. This means being prepared to teach and understand the unique needs required by students with ASDs within the classroom. Results from this study may help preservice teachers to gain insight into their attitudes towards inclusion and their efficacy beliefs. Definitions and Terminology Accommodation: â€Å"A change in testing materials or procedures that enables students to participate in assessments in ways that reflect their skills and abilities rather than their disabilities† (Salvia, Ysseldyke Bolt, 2007, p. 682). Americans with Disabilities Act (Coladarci Breton): Public Law No. 10-325 (1 January 2009). â€Å"Prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, transportation, public access, local government, and telecommunications† (Woolfolk, 2010, p. 129). Autism: â€Å"Developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3 and ranging from mild to major† (Woolfolk, 2007, p. 613). Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs): A group of five related developmental disorders that share common core deficits or difficulties in social relationships, communication, and ritualistic behaviors; differentiated from one another primarily by the age of onset and severity of various systems; includes autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood

Misery by Stephen King :: Misery Stephen King Book Report

Misery by Stephen King Book Report The stories setting takes place in Western Colorado. In Western Colorado in a home of a retired nurse named Annie is where the whole story takes place. Annie's home is a two story log cabin out in the middle of nowhere. The closest neighbors are miles away. It takes place in the middle of winter snow storms. The story is about Paul Sheldon who is the author of a best-selling series of romance novels featuring its popular character Misery Chastain. Since 1974, he has finished the first drafts of all his books in the Silver Creek Lodge in Colorado. Finishing his new novel, ‘Fast Cars' he drives to L.A. unaware that the Western Slope of Colorado is going to be hit with one of the biggest snowstorms of the year in a few hours. Determined to drive through this, he loses control of his car, and drives off the road, tumbling down the steep hill and falling unconscious. Paul is rescued from the car wreck by a woman named Annie Wilkes, an experienced nurse who lives nearby. As Paul waves in and out of consciousness, he hears a voice telling him that she's his "number one fan". Annie takes him not to a hospital, but to her home, putting him in a spare bedroom. As Paul regains consciousness, he lies there completely helpless, being unable to move anything from his waist down. She feeds and bathes him and splints his broken legs, giving him Novril for his pain. Paul comes to like Annie; even letting her read his new manuscript. Annie doesn't like it. It's around this time that Misery's Child, the latest and final book starring Misery Chastain, hits the shelves.

Essay --

CHAPTER 2 CAUSES OF MENTAL HEALTH AND THE BURDEN ON THE POOR Lack of awareness has made mental illnesses appear mystical. Some people suffer from mental disorders since birth(mental retardation) while some develop the disorders overtime(mental illness).Mental illnesses result from complex interactions between the mind, body and environment. Factors like long-term and acute stress, biological factors such as genetics, chemistry and hormones, use of alcohol, drugs and other substances, cognitive patterns such as constant negative thoughts and low self-esteem, social factors such as isolation, financial problems, family breakdown or violence are the scientific causes of a mental illness. (http://www.mentalhealth-matters.com.au/resources/ID1367819089.pdf) But rural people in India in general and tribal populations in particular, have their own beliefs and practices regarding health. Some tribal groups still believe that a disease is always caused by hostile spirits or by the breach of some taboo. They therefore seek remedies through magico-religious practices. (Current health scenario in rural India, Ashok Vikhe patil, K.V.Somasundaram and R.C. Goyal) This is an inevitable consequence of the barriers in seeking timely and effective treatment for mental illness in rural India: unavailability of mental health services, low level of literacy, socio- cultural barriers, superstition stemming from traditional and religious beliefs, stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. About 75% of health infrastructure, medical professionals and other health resources are localised in urban areas where 27% of the population live. The poor penetration and the basic nature of rural health is also attributed to lack of health litera... ...urden increasing to 15% by Disability Adjusted Life Year( DALY) * (Mental health services in rural India : challenges and prospects by Anant Kumar) Mental illness constitutes nearly one sixth of all health-related disorders. With the population on a rise, altering values, life-style, unemployment and frequent instability in incomes, lack of social support and increasing insecurity, it is predicted that there would be substantial increase in the number of people suffering from mental illness in both urban and rural areas. In order to get rid of the vicious cycle of poverty feeding into mental illness, there is a need to think of mental health as a development priority instead of just a concern of public health and human rights. †¢ * DALY – it is a measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the numbers of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.

Rhetorical Analysis of Martin Luther Kings I Have A Dream Speech

Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech was made to thousands of people at the Washington Monument while facing the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Dr. King called upon Americas to consider all people, both black and white, to be united, undivided and free. His rhetoric harkened back a hundred years past when the Emancipation Proclamation was enacted during Abraham Lincoln’s term as president which abolished slavery and allowed all people living in America to be equal and have equal rights. Unfortunately, in 1963, America had lost sight of this key Constitutional component instilled in the lives of many. For many years, African Americans suffered from persecution and segregation in a class-oriented society. Martin Luther King, a preacher, born in Atlanta, Georgia, tore down racial barriers that blocked effective communication in a society that ultimately led to mistreatment of high-ranking citizens. His speech brought inspiration and hope to not only African Americans, but white communities as well. His precise diction and passionate words reflected a humble and principled demeanor, which led him to deliver a message to the American people, considered as one of the greatest events in history (â€Å"Dream,† n.d.). An ordinary man, Martin Luther King Jr had an extraordinary message in his speech â€Å"I Have A Dream† that called for human equality and changed social justice, that impacted Americans for many generations to come by using Aristotle’s literary devices of ethos, pathos, and logos, historical and literary references, metaphors, and poetic devices. First, Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, â€Å"I Have a Dream† accomplished what the founding fathers in American history could not: a call for all people to receive ... ...cted his message. Since then, segregation in all public places that includes America’s schools and government institutions has been abolished. African Americans commonly receive scholarships and equal opportunity for employment. America also elected the first black president of the United States, Barrack Obama. King’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech fulfilled his vision of human equality. His focus on the ordinary man to achieve extraordinary things is much like the stamp of his own character as a gift to the masses he would never personally know. References King, M.L. Jr. (1963, August 28). I have a dream—address at March on Washington. Martin Luther King Speeches. Retrieved from http://www.mlkonline.net/dream.html Martin Luther King Online (Producer) I have a dream speech video. Retrieved from http://www.mlkonline.net/video-i-have-a-dream-speech.html

MedNet: Confronts Click-Through Competition Essay

It was just 9:30 a.m., and the day was off to a terrible start. Heather Yates, vice president for business development at MedNet, walked at a quick clip down the hall of the company’s modern Birmingham, Alabama, office space, her face clouded with concern. The company, a website delivering health information free to consumers, generated its income through advertising, mostly from pharmaceutical companies. Now, Windham Pharmaceuticals, MedNet’s biggest advertiser, had asked to change the rules by which it had done business for the past four years. Moreover, Mahria Baker, Windham’s CMO, had told Yates that this wasn’t just an exploratory conversation. Windham was seriously considering shifting its MedNet ad dollars to Marvel, a competing website with which Windham already did some business. Yates, who had been with MedNet since just after the company was founded in 2002, felt blindsided and, at the same time, resigned. â€Å"We have some legwork to do,† she thought to herself. â€Å"We can’t afford to say ‘No,’ and just walk away, and we can’t just ask them to stay with us because we’re good people. We have to convince them that our set-up is worth their ad dollars. And we have to move quickly. Our other advertisers won’t be far behind Windham.† She had asked Baker to fax over a copy of the results of Windham’s latest advertising campaign, and had promised to call her back the next day, as both companies needed to finalize their budgets. Then, immediately after they had hung up, Yates had called Bill Bishop, MedNet’s vice president of consumer marketing. â€Å"Can you clear some time for me right now?† she had asked him. â€Å"Windham is thinking of pulling their ad dollars from us and taking them to Marvel.† Now she was on her way up to Bishop’s office, two floors above, with the fax from Baker and notes from her conversation in hand. Industry Background and Company Origins This case, though based on real events, is fictionalized, and any resemblance to actual persons or entities is coincidental. There are occasional references to actual companies in the narration. Copyright  © 2007 by Harvard Business School Publishing. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School Publishing million in profits. (See Exhibit 1 for 2006 income statement.) The accessibly written, easy-tonavigate, and vividly presented content was developed by 24 trained journalists, doctors, designers, and administrators. Additional materials came from the faculty of a prominent medical school, news agencies, a photography service, and an active community of visitors that used social media tools such as blogs, community chat, and virtual reality to communicate medical information. (Visitorgenerated media was reviewed by medically trained journalists.) The award-winning site was considered the best health website for trusted, evidence-based, consumer health information. Advertisements on MedNet proposed specific and immediate solutions to health concerns. MedNet had 4.3 million monthly visitors, but new competitors had flattened its audience growth during the last quarter of 2006. Competitors Now, in the first quarter of 2007, MedNet faced competition both for visitors and advertisers. Nonprofit and governmental websites competed with MedNet for visitors by providing similar content on mainstream medicine. The websites of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and World Health Organization weren’t nearly as easy to navigate as MedNet, but they were comprehensive. In contrast to MedNet, these two websites provided information on alternative therapies as well as on scientifically based solutions, albeit with with carefully worded disclaimers. What’s more, employees of large corporations could increasingly turn to customized health websites on their own company intranets. The theory was that if internal health websites could help workers quickly identify health problems (prompting overdue doctor visits) and promote general good health, the employers could reduce their portion of employee health care costs. For-profit health websites posed different degrees of financial competition for MedNet’s advertising revenue and audience. Recently, so-called condition-specific sites that focused on particular problems, such as Cholesterol.com, had emerged. (Yates was confident that Cholesterol.com was already drawing pharmaceutical advertising dollars away from MedNet.) An indirect competitor, ClinicalTrials.com, marketed only experimental procedures. Its audience was smaller than MedNet’s and the material was difficult for the layperson to understand. ClinicalTrials.com received a fee for each time a visitor it referred enrolled in a clinical trial. Then there was Alternativehealth.com, a long-time, popular player in the â€Å"health space.† It provided information about scientifically â€Å"unproven† therapies and procedures such as herbal remedies, vitamin regimens, and massage. Its audience was larger than MedNet’s and its advertising sales more robust. Due to a recent lawsuit concerning its content, Alternativehealth.com had begun using disclaimers—with no apparent impact on its audience size. Due to the alternative health consumer’s distrust of pharmaceutical companies, the website did not compete with MedNet for advertising dollars. Still, MedNet had to keep Alternativehealth on its radar. Methods Used to Calculate Advertiser Payment Yates’s thoughts raced through the company’s competitive landscape as she waited for the elevator. In her short phone conversation with Bill, he had told her to take a little time to review MedNet’s original value proposition to its advertisers. What they needed to do was re-justify their approach, if it was possible to do so. But, he had cautioned, they were compelled to keep an open mind. â€Å"Think through the facts,† Bill had said. â€Å"Why don’t you come up here in about half an hour. I’ll start to mull over our options as well.† Yates thought back to MedNet’s roots. Back in 2002, MedNet’s founders had made some key choices regarding revenue generation. MedNet could, in theory, sell content to site visitors, like an online magazine, charging a few dollars per article or an annual subscription fee. On the other hand, if the site could draw advertisers, and if advertising revenues were strong enough, the company could provide content free of charge—which is what most web users expected. An advertising revenue model was made possible by sophisticated web analytics: technology that tracked the behavior of each site visitor—pages viewed, links clicked, and so on. This software made it easy for advertisers to calculate their return on advertising investment (ROI). The obvious candidates to buy onscreen advertising space from MedNet were pharmaceutical companies, which for over a decade had promoted their drugs aggressively to consumers. As it happened, MedNet was launched at a time when many other consumer health care websites were going out of business, leaving pharmaceutical firms looking for web promotion outlets. MedNet seized the opportunity to build relationships with these advertisers. In deciding how best to generate revenue from advertisers, MedNet chose traditional banner advertising, charging pharmaceutical advertisers such as Windham Pharmaceuticals on a cost-perthousand impressions (CPM) basis. (One advertising impression meant that one visitor requested from a Web server a page that had a specific advertisement on it.) Measuring impressions was the closest way to estimate the number of people who actually saw an online advertisement. By pursuing an impression business model, MedNet was fully â€Å"monetizing† its available inventory of â€Å"eyeballs† (site visitors). An independent auditor verified the company’s impression counts each month. Marvel’s Challenge Yates reached Bill Bishop’s office and pushed the door open. Bill was on the phone, but he waved her to a seat. â€Å"Two minutes,† he mouthed at her. She nodded, and sat back. She thought about what she knew about Marvel. Marvel was essentially a large search engine that had decided to follow the alternative advertising model: contextual, or pay-per-click, banner advertising. Under these terms, advertisers paid website owners only when visitors actually â€Å"clicked† on an advertisement to learn more about an advertised product. The key metric to measuring this kind of online advertising campaign was the click-through rate (CTR), measured as the number of clicks divided by the number of ad impressions delivered. Advertisers considered website click-throughs (and telephone calls to a call center generated by a newspaper advertisement) to be the equivalent of customers interested in potentially making a purchase. Yates thought back to 2002. No sooner had MedNet’s founders opted for a pay-per-impression model than advertisers began resisting that pricing structure—but mainly from general-interest websites, where the majority of impressions came from visitors uninterested in their products. Advertisers based this perception in part on the percentage of click-throughs that ads yielded; the click-through rate on a general-interest site tended to be half as high as on highly focused â€Å"destination† content sites like MedNet. In 2006, MedNet.com therefore could still command a $100 CPM ($100 for each 1,000 impressions) contract from its advertisers—10 to 20 times what general interest websites might charge. Similarly, Alternativehealth.com’s advertisers paid for impressions only, and not for click-throughs. But Marvel, a hugely successful search engine, turned the table on its competition in the fall of 2006 by declaring it would provide impressions for free and charge advertisers only for clickthroughs. Because Marvel had a vast audience (19 million visitors per month), charging for even a   small percentage of click-throughs would pay off handsomely. If the site sold advertisements in enough categories, including the pharmaceutical market, Marvel could bring in huge revenues. By late 2006, some advertisers began to ask other sites to charge only for click-through â€Å"sales leads† like Marvel did. One drawback to this popular revenue model: reports of increasing â€Å"click frau d.† Advertisers’ competitors were fraudulently clicking on advertisements to drive up advertising costs. Not only was Marvel offering MedNet’s long-standing advertisers like Windham different financial terms, but it also competed for visitors interested in healthcare. Visitors often came to MedNet by way of a search engine such as Marvel, although such search engines served as a starting point of inquiry, not a serious source of trusted medical information. Mahria Baker’s challenge stuck with Yates: â€Å"At Marvel we get all our impressions for free, and we pay $0.54 for each click-through. At MedNet we pay for every impression, and by my calculation we pay $3.33 for each click-through. Granted, we’re not averse to getting impressions—anytime that anyone sees your logo, your slogan, and your product’s name, you are theoretically doing your brand some good. But here at Windham, click-throughs are really what matter. They separate accidental observers of our ads from the serious prospects who proactively seek more product information and may buy our product. I can’t justify paying six times as much for a click-through from one of your visitors.† Baker had paused a moment, then added, â€Å"Heather, help me here. Is there another way of looking at this that I’m missing?† â€Å"Yes, there is,† Yates had replied, â€Å"and if you let me call you back tomorrow I believe I can show you what you are missing.† MedNet’s Audience and Visitor Behavior Bill Bishop hung up the phone and turned to Yates. She spread out a copy of the results of Windham’s latest advertising campaign, and the two of them pored over it. (See Exhibit 2 for Baker’s data.) Many search engines and general-interest websites had large audiences that returned to the sites regularly, in a predictable pattern. By contrast, most visitors to targeted health websites such as MedNet came only when â€Å"in crisis.† However, when they did come, they stayed long and explored avidly, clicking around to clarify symptoms or determine the best course of action for a pressing health problem. They often researched unrelated symptom areas as well, in order to help family members, or out of curiosity. These visitors then returned during the next crisis, although some did become repeat visitors. MedNet visitors clicked on more pages and advertisements than generalinterest web surfers did (see Exhibit 3). In addition, health website visitors tended to buy more products from advertisers when they did decide to purchase. (See Exhibit 4 for a study of results and frequently viewed web pages on MedNet.) If the product advertised was not available over-thecounter, then the visitors would urge their physicians to prescribe the medication that they’d discovered in the advertisements on MedNet. Windham produced Vesselia, a prescription medication that reduced cholesterol and plaque in a patient’s veins with fewer side effects than competitors’ offerings. High cholesterol was one cause of heart disease, and it was attributed to both genetic predisposition and lifestyle choices. Keeping cholesterol low could be a long-term issue for many patients, requiring months, possibly years, of daily medication. Each patient who began a series of treatments would use the medicine for an average of 12 months. To encourage customers to request a prescription for Vesselia from their doctors, Windham provided coupons on its website that customers could print out and redeem at a pharmacy. For instance, when a customer clicked on a Windham ad at MedNet’s website, he was taken to the Windham website. Windham’s computer system could identify that the customer came from MedNet and insert that information into the Windham coupon bar code within fractions of a second. A different coupon code was provided to those web visitors who came to Windham from Marvel Search. (Coupons with yet another barcode were sent by postal mail by the Windham telephone call center to respondents to newspaper advertisements.) When patients redeemed the coupons at a pharmacy, the pharmacy returned them to Windham. Windham could thus attribute drug sales to the relevant advertising venue. On average, patients took three months to redeem coupons for Vesselia after Windham had first placed the advertisements. The current campaign would be considered closed at the end of February 2007.

Transportation Management

In the past, acid instruction was a tactical concern a necessary follow of get hold ofing job, which does non claim much impact on increment margins. Today, rising fuel prices and increased pressures for mend work piddle made transferee focusing a strategic issue. Companies absorb to border and exceed customs dutyer expections if they be to be the preferred work and goods provider. A dose management organisation (TMS) is an remnant- to -end parcel resultant role t lid is a part of add up range management concerning rapture trading operations. It includes formulation and optimization, exertion of instrument, line of reasoning discussion, and freight payment.In addition, it besides supports particular(prenominal) services, such as bid optimization, internet modeling, yard management, benchmarking, and dock scheduling. Inbound and outgoing net whole kit too atomic number 18 supported on a global basis, typic eithery circumstances companies to m ove freight from origin to close be effectively. In this essay, I testament be using Sargento aliments as a case study. The focus of the essay volition be on analysing the existing TMS tooth root adopted by the steadfastly, identifying their beas of weaknesses and recommending strategies that get out t suitcap qualified service to improve the pane trunk to remediate suit the evolving involve of Sargento Foods.Background information Sargento Foods Inc. is a family-owned business, employing approximately 1,300 people at 4 Wisconsin facilities, one in Washington, and one in South Dakota. They ar one of the largest diversifyers of stop in the United States, offering a variety of cheese merchandises marted through quadruple business divisions Consumer Products Division, Food Service Division, Food Ingredients Division and Culinary Solutions. Inadequacies of its existing arrangement before the switch to sterling(prenominal)(prenominal) TMS Sargento was managing th eir diffusion and logistics with a hosted TMS solution which was not adequate to comely their operational requirements.When Sargento Foods planned orders into comm rums, the preceding solution did not forecast the cost, service or directual commitments to toters. It was not commensurate to accurately assign conveyancing cost at the order level. For example, accessorial be were not being eachocated. Recognizing the limitations of their current governing body, Sargento realised the need for a solution that would meet their current operational needs, as strong as any changes they whitethorn brass in the future. Solution adopted by Sargento FoodsSargento and identified IBM to be their provider and went go with superior Transportation Management carcass ( superior TMS) in 2006, delivered on cloud, integrating with 30 carriers, shipping approximately 3,000 orders per month, and transporting 24 one thousand million pounds of Sargento products on average per month. gre atest TMS works with Sargentos existing leave chain coats as well as IBM greatest Information Broker, altogetherowing them to improve logistics competency and guest satisfaction.Customers atomic number 18 placing orders via EDI, which are wherefore fed into Sargentos check out ERP body. SAP feeds inbound purchase orders to superlative TMS as well as Sargentos wareho physical exercise Management System. Sargento uses superior TMS for commitment preparation, transaction and freight payment. They are in a flash able to track the performance of their carriers, allowing them to identify areas where they stack eliminate cost. They are besides utilizing the system for profile purposes and send word now accurately allocate transport be to their clients.With Sterling TMS they back clearly identify where their encumbrances are throughout the crop and confirm the reform rates for the well(p) shipments. They are as well as using freight payment on the back end after th e shipment is completed. Key benefits As Sterling TMS system is delivered on cloud, this results in fewer IT resource requirements, no upgrade costs, configuration rather of installation, faster and easier connectivity, and bring low total cost of ownership using a system that spans the entire process of Planning, Execution, settlement and public presentation analysis.On time delivery Sargento Foods on time delivery has ever so been 99%. With the implementation of Sterling TMS, on time delivery has repair. Lower cost with the implementation of Sterling TMS, Sargento has been able to lower the cost of product shipped per pound by 15 per centum. through much than cost-effective planning, clear identification of carrier costs and formalized contracts within Sterling TMS. 60 percent administrative cost savings by automating freight payment Sargento improved operational efficiencies by eliminating manual processes and non-value added services.In the past, if a carrier charged S argento an in amend shipping cost, Sargento did not perplex the visibility to correct these charges prior to being in vocalizationd for them. Sargento would calculate the rates, still were often in vocalizationd using a divers(prenominal) rate. As a result, Sargento had a grueling time reconciling payments. Since the implementation of Sterling TMS, distri justively carrier has a contract in the Contract Management mental faculty of the system where their rates are locked and gainful consortly with no discrepancies.Not only has the system attend toed Sargento manage costs, the automation has reduced the hands required to reconcile payments from 15 hours per week to six hours per week resulting in a 60 percent reduction in administrative costs for freight payment. ameliorate allocation of costs Accruals are do as soon as the product is loaded at the distribution center. The accusation information is fed to the finance division and the accrual of transportation costs is through in real-time. Accessorials that occur during delivery are captured as part of the invoicing process and are also allocated down to the order level.This helps to verify the real cost of freight is captured for each customer. With Sterling TMS they are now able to evaluate charges during the year to better secure what the customer charges should be the following year, winning in to account the back end fees that each customer was accumulating. This allows Sargento to accurately allocate costs back to their customers and helps ensure Sargento remains profitable. Reduced LTL shipments by 60 percent Prior to the implementation of IBM Sterling TMS, Sargento was doing 10 percent of their shipments via Less than TruckLoad (LTL).With the visibility provided by IBM Sterling TMS, they are able to convert more of their shipments into Full TruckLoads (FTL), with only 4 percent now being shipped as LTL. With enhanced planning capabilities, Sargento advise now plan multi-stop and multi -pickup routes consolidating on average quaternity different customer orders per shipment, for optimal writ of execution and further cost savings. Recommendations to improve transportation management system Improve on wanting operableities and external carrier communicate There is no perfect transportation management system in the market.While IBM sterling TMS is a omnibus(prenominal) solution, however it does have its own inadequacies due to its missing tombstone functional pieces( fleet management, multileg foreign shipment planning/optimization and execution, and multicarrier parcel management). To improve on this, it could partner up with former(a) providers whose strengths complement and have up for its missing functionalities to provide a more comprehensive one stop solution for thickenings homogeneous Sargento Foods. Sterling TMS strength lies only in its North Ameri whoremaster carrier net and its functionality is incomplete for the most multifactorial users.Th e want of a comparable international carrier communicate holds it back in complex global TMS management which could affect clients i. e Sargento Foods should the the needs of the latter evolve with increase complexity, requiring a complex global TMS management. Sterling TMS would have been more competitive in the marketplace if it can replicate the carapace of its carrier network in international markets. Special carrier bustling application Sterling TMS gives its carriers the ability to update shipment status and tender requests using mobile devices.Since the power of a TMS is directly proportional to the expertise of its users, vehicle operators should be adept so that they possess the skills to extract the upper limit value out of the TMS solution. TMS to add affectionate media capabilities. The communities of carriers, shippers, 3PLs, suppliers and customers who are involved in transportation process can be committed via different mediums same facebook, twitter and also google+ by sending short messages and update the status information. Dropbox can be apply for sharing invoices and carrier credential documents. Siri for TMS.Since voice recognition is in use in the warehouse management, Sterling TMS too can also make use of this voice functionality rather than manual execution to conduct a seek faster. However at present there is still means for improvement in voice search yielding precise results. Tapping into big entropy Beyond merely tendering the system, Sterling TMS can also further kick downstairs systems that hire big entropy that is collected during the transportation process and stored in the TMS by imbedding business intelligence into TMS so as to prove the info to identify key trends in the market in order to make informed business finalitys. stage business Intelligence Business Intelligence helps to understand transportation phthisis and allow causes of negative trends in costs and performance to be identified so that corre ctive actions can be taken and enable the opportunity costs betwixt service and cost trade-offs of different transportation strategies and tactics to be evaluated. Sterling TMS makes use of performance dashboards which is useful but does not provide Sargento with any insight on how its performance compares against industry peers or the broader market. The info only reveals information at hat instant in time and is not embedded within the TMS, which limits the ability for users to leverage it. 3PLs and SaaS providers are in the best topographic point to provide this missing link as they have a built-in network of shippers, carriers, and other trading partners that execute millions of transportation transactions annually through their operating(a) platforms. Therefore, Sterling TMS hey can use all of this network datasuch as rates, carrier performance, and transit times to develop a transportation king that gives companies visibility to market-level trends.They can then embed thi s index information within their TMS application and BI dashboard as LeanLogistics did with its LeanDex Transportation indicant. CH Robinson and Transplace too are exploring ways to leverage their network data and TMS business intelligence dashboards in a similar way. as well as Sterling TMS can tap on business intelligence to provide more value add to clients uniform Sargento Foods. TMS vendors go out go beyond execution In its 2011 Transportation Management Report, research firm Capgemini Consulting outlined the various components that make up the execution sideas remote to the planning aspectof a emblematic TMS. One of the biggest trends were seeing right now are TMS that are trying to be more than just execution systems, says Chris Caplice, executive director at mommy Institute of Technologys circle round for Transportation and Logistics. Basically, a TMS gathers the information on a load to be tendered and matches that data to a historical routing guide. Then it commun icates to a carrier and manages the ensuing communication process The more advanced TMS is going beyond that and tapping into other information services and utilizing that data to help the shipper make the best attainable decisions. If Sterling TMS can be connected directly into a market data benchmarking service that funnels data back to the system, this will positioning Sterling TMS to serve as more than just an execution feed. Customised software product program Transportation management systems offered by vendors like Sterling IBM should offer a pliant configuration that adapts to companys unique strategies, network constraints and variables so that it is designed according to a companys particular proposition circumstances. With so many constraints and variables, transportation issues cant be solved with a cookie cutter software that is in general used for all companies.Software designed should be personally customised for individual companies or whitethorn be customizable by users. The transportation management system should support a roomy range of mathematical approaches, allowing the company to discern the problem holistically and then constantly shift those approaches based on its current needs and requirements as the variables change. However, the cost of this may be higher and customisation would require the technological police squad in Sargento Foods to work togther with the software provider to come up with a custom made software specifically designed for Sargento Foods.Also the assumption would be that employees of Sargento Foods would have the technical expertise to handle to complexities of the software. Instead this would increase the cost of implementation. While on necessary solution (self service) is currently very general and is functionality- hunting expeditionn with the ability to deliver on all processes from sourcing to planning to execution to costs auditing to reportage & analysis yet Only a few Transportation Managemen t systems have the ability to execute with some functional depth in all areas.Therefore Sargento Foods would belike need to take into upsetation whether IBM Sterling TMS has the ability and versatility to execute across all diverse functions through continuous freshen of KPIs and performance reviews as well as whether they are able to continuously meet performance targets. As circumstances and stinting conditions are in a unremitting state of flux, a system that may be applicable now may beoutdated very soon unless continual updates and improvements to the systems are made.Sterling TMS has to continually invest in its TMS solution to ensure that it stays ahead of its competitors. Sargento Foods should also constantly monitor and tune its strategies to finish changes in its networks, fork out chain, market and customer demands and adapt its strategies to benefit on market opportunities. Rather than just let Sterling TMS solver run unattended, Sargento Foods moldiness continuo usly look for ways to drive more value for their business by discussing with Sterling TMS should it outgrow its system.Managed TMS Some companies have discovered that investing in SaaS-based TMS reaped initial savings, but subsequent returns were not as rosy. The bordering stage in the development of TMS solutions, is software plus consulting services, using a 3PL model. Should Sargento Foods adopt this new model,,it will be able to tap on the external expertise from the dedicated teams employed by a TMS provider often stationed permanently on-the-scene(prenominal) and acting as an extension of the clients staff.These individuals act as quasi-employees of Sargento Foods, Their kin with Sargento Foods is ongoing and team members represent the client firm in various capacities. For guinea pig , they are involved in customer meetings providing routine analyses and expert advice. The advantage of this is that the service provider( of the Managed TMS) has planners that do not have t o go through a planning uttermost before becoming effective as opposed to the traditional 3PL and secondly shippers like Sargento Foods do not have to flummox about degradation in their planning capabilities if a key employee leaves the company.Some customers recognize that in Managed TMS they have a partner that can provide a totally interconnected transportation management programfrom brokerage house through to execution and optimization in a one- stop solution. Sargento FOods may consider managed TMS solution and outsourcing its transportation management and operations to a dedicated team from a service provide. this would perhaps more effectively optimise the usage of its TMS solution. Conclusion In conclusion, Sargento Foods would better manage its transportation were the to a higher place mentioned functions adopted. For instance, improving on missing unctionalities and international carrier network using special carrier mobile application and amicable media capabilities Siri for TMS, taping into big data, using business intelligence and analytics going beyond execution and tapping into other information services, utilizing that data to help the shipper make the best possible decision peronally customising software design for Sargento Foods constantly monitor and tuning its strategies to address changes in its networks, supply chain, market and customer demands and adapt its strategies to capitalize on market opportunities.Rather than just letting Sterling TMS solver run unattended, Sargento Foods must always look for ways to drive more value for their business by discussing with Sterling TMS should it outgrow its system. Subsequently it could consider switching to managed TMS should it require expertise from supply chain and transportation management to better optimise its operations.