Thursday, December 26, 2019

Environmental fit analysis - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 3097 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Did you like this example? INTRODUCTION: Since organizations are recognizing the importance of managing their human resources as effectively as possible as well analyzing the factors that might affect the organization supply and demand levels and its costs many are devoting more time, attention, skill and effort to have a competitive edge. Therefore, for this essay I have choose Tescos and Waitroses supermarket to look at their grocery industry PEST and SWOT analysis and how this organizations performs the recruitment and selection of personnel. Tesco is a leading retailer in the UK and one of the largest food retailers in the world. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Environmental fit analysis" essay for you Create order Also, is one of the biggest private sector employers in the UK. Around 86% of all sales are from the UK. Tesco also, operates in 12 countries outside the UK, including China, Thailand, Poland, South Korea and Japan and Turkey. On the other hand, Waitrose owned by the John Lewis Partnership, operates 137 stores, mainly in the South-east of the UK and currently employs more than 27.000 staff. Stores are of small to medium size, conveniently located. Waitrose is recognized for its focused differentiation strategy targeting the upmarket with a wide range of quality, fresh and organic products. This document will discuss some areas regarding human resources department in an organization such as basic concepts, implementation and models of recruitment and selection processes. RESEARCH AND METHODOLOGY: In the lack of internal contacts within the organizations chosen, this essay is based on information found via Internet search, books and journals. MAIN FINDINGS: PEST Analysis: A different number of frameworks have been developed to classify the vast number of possible issues that might affect an industry. A PEST analysis is one of the frameworks that categorize environmental influences as political, economic, social and technological forces. For a PEST analysis it is important to identify the factors that might affect a number of variables that are likely to influence the organization supply and demand levels and its costs (Kotter and Schlesinger, 2005). The analysis examines the impact of each of these factors on the business. The results can then be used to take advantage of opportunities and to make contingency plans for threats when preparing business and strategic plans (Lawson, 2006). Based on the results from of the PEST analysis the market grocery is a good industry to be in as can be seen is positive (+76). See appendix table 1 for the grocery industry PEST analysis. The result shows that the food and grocery market is typically very robus t and recession proof. Food sales are at the core of the supermarkets and spending on food has been growing. Non foods sales account for an increasing share of Supermarkets incomes. For example, most of the UK supermarkets are large and carry a complete line of non food products such as cosmetics, non-prescription drugs, kitchen wares, insurances and petrol stations. From the customer point of view, most of the positive factors have been score based on social and technological issues where environmentally friendly strategies and new technological advances benefices both the customer and for the organizations. For example, take away and convenience intended to save resources such as time and energy or frustration. Most of the supermarkets stores such as Tesco have convenience stores like petrol stations where the consumer can save time as he fill the car with petrol or wash it, the customer can do his shopping. From the point of view of the organizations since supermarkets tries to c oncentrate on satisfying consumers needs, they need to have in mind that there are several other factors that could affect them, such as external environments for instance, Legislation. The food and grocery market is subject to many pieces of stringent legislation surrounding food safety and distribution. For example, supermarkets in UK can be affected in several ways because of politicians different law agreements. For example, as it can be seen in media new laws implied that supermarkets have to compare their products with their competitors products or changes made by the government in income taxes, changes on VAT on goods and changes in tobacco and alcohol laws, all this would have a large positive or negative impacts on supermarkets. Tesco SWOT analysis: This international expansion is part of Tescos strategy to diversify and grow the business. Tesco has established itself as the largest organization of the industry within the UK; its position is strong and has a stable trend. But, intense competition in both domestic and international markets could adversely affect its profitability. However, despite the onset of the economic downturn Tesco reveals its 2008 financial results of annual pre-tax profits rise by ten per cent over the last year. The retailer recorded profits of pound;3.13 billion per year as turnover exceeded pound;1 billion per week over the 12-month period. Overall sales were recorded at pound;59.4 billion, the highest on record for a retailer in the UK. Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy attributed the firms success to a commitment to a long-term consistent strategy. For example, the introduction of buy-one-get-one-free-later deals to help shoppers cut down on food waste. Under the offers, consumers will be able to postpone getting their free second promotional product until a later shopping trip. This would avoid perishable items sitting in the fridge or fruit bowl and then being thrown away if they are not eaten on time. Wa itrose SWOT analysis: Waitrose is well positioned the market and very competitive. A difference from Tesco, Waitrose focuses his strategy targeting the upper market with a wide range of quality and fresh products. Waitrose strengths are for instance, the partnership with John Lewis that provides expertise and already familiar and tested supply links. Also, Waitrose was one of the first retailers to develop Own Brands. Own brand lines carry over 16.000 products including sandwiches and fresh meals. Waitrose is promoted for a fresh and healthy lifestyle leading supermarket chain in food quality and range. As in this days society place more pressure on environmental issues; equally customers put more emphasis on healthy eating and organic food and most are opposed to GM-food. Therefore, Waitrose fully serves this trend with its fresh, quality foods and their own label. Furthermore, Waitrose is undertaking a range of activities to maintain their green image like for example, Bag for Life, publishes an Environmental Report and Fair-trade Bananas. Also, a wide range of social programmes are sponsored. Waitrose actively promotes its commitment to providing British products and offers products through partnerships with farms and dairies. Furthermore, mayor threats come from others supermarkets that also positioned their own brand labels targeting the upmarket like for example, Tesco Finest which can offer their products at lower prices. Because consumers will generally buy their groceries at the most convenient place with the lowest price and since the products they buy are identical in every chain they dont mind which shop they buy their goods from. Indeed, Waitrose has a good reputation for stocking quality products but this has led to a perception of being expensive. An additional threat in that Waitrose has concentrated on the food and drinks market, choosing not to diversify as much as Tesco, this can affect grow and incomes. Consequently, their market s hare cannot really be improved unless they build more stores and expand to other brands labels. Recruitment and selection: A study by Rioux and Bernthal (no dated: 1) based on survey results from 162 members of the DDI HR Benchmark Group quote: Better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational outcomes. The more effectively organizations recruit and select candidates, the more likely they are to hire and retain satisfied employees Human resource recruitment is the process of identifying and attracting potential candidates from within and outside an organization to begin evaluating them for future employment. The goal of recruitment is to ensure that when a vacancy occurs, the organization has a number of reasonably qualified applicants to choose from (Armstrong, 2006). The process of staff recruitment and selection is becoming increasingly complex and Human Resource (HR) strategies means that the successful outcome of these processes is vital for job performance. Workforce comprises people who are different and share different attitudes, needs, desires, values and work behaviours (DNetto and Sohal, 1999). Once candidates are identified, an organization can begin the selection process. This includes collecting, measuring and evaluating information about the candidate qualifications for a specified position. Organizations use these processes to increase the probability of hiring individuals who possess the accurate skills and abilities to be successful at their jobs in which managers and other can choose from a pool of applicants most likely person or persons to succeed in the job given management goals and legal requirements (Rioux and Bernthal, no dated). Consequently, Effective recruitment is essential to the successful functioning of an organization. Successful recruitment depends on finding people with the necessary skills, expertise and qualifications to deliver organisational objectives and the ability to make a positive contribution to the values and aims of the organization (Canterbury Christ Church University, 2009). Process: Recruitment is a big investment and is very important that an organization get the process right, fair and consistent to recruit the right person for the job. Getting that right person takes more than simply checking out the technical details of their application in an interview. Of course they need to have the right skills to do the job,but skills and knowledge alone do not necessarily guarantee a positive contribution to the organisation (Canterbury Christ Church University, 2009). For example, for leadership and management roles, in particular, there is a need to know more about candidate interpersonal skills and behaviours, their values and their ability to cope with a range of different situations (Canterbury Christ Church University, 2009). Putting in place a fair and consistent recruitment process is critical in ensuring to make the right decision. It w ill also safeguard and enhance the reputation as a fair and effective employer (Canterbury Christ Church University, 2009). Consequently, recruitment and selection have been always been critical process for organizations (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Attracting and selecting the right employees is a critical strategic human resources management decision in all organizations irrespective of their size, structure or sector (Baker and McKenzie, 2009; Marchington and Wilkinson, 2008). For example, a survey in the UK by the chartered institute of Personnel and Development found that 85 per cent of organizations experience recruitment process difficulties such as, lack of experience and specialist skills being the most frequent factors (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Moreover, other keys of staffing for instance, HR planning, labour, turnover and recruitment are often downplayed because attention is focused on how selection decisions can be improved by using new or sophisticated techniques proce ss (Marchington and Wilkinson, 2008). These techniques to recruitment and selection tend to emphasize the power of employers. Traditional approaches attempt to attract a wide choice of candidates for vacancies before screening of those who do not match the criteria set in job descriptions and personnel specifications (Bratton and Gold, 2007). Figure 1 for example, shows an overall view of the stages of recruitment and selection and the connections of these processes to human resource planning. Recruitment method in Tesco and Waitrose: The number and categories of people required should be specified derived from the human resource plan. For both stores HR planning is vital as the stores are growing. Tesco and Waitrose need people across a wide range of both store based and non store jobs: In stores: Checkout staffs, stock handlers, supervisors as well as many specialists, such as pharmacists and bakers. Distribution: skilled people in stock management and logistics. Head office: human resources, legal services, property management, marketing, accounting and information technology. The superstores need to recruit on a regular basis for both the food and non food parts of the business. Positions become available because jobs are created as the company opens new stores in the UK or expands internationally such the case of Tesco. Also, vacancies arise as employees leave the company when they retire or resign, or get promotion to other positions within store. The companies use a workforce planning tables to establish the likely demand for new staff planning. For example, Tescos process runs each year from the last week in February. There are quarterly reviews in May, August and November. The superstores seek to fill many vacancies from within the company. They recognise the importance of motivating its staff to progress their careers with the company. Tesco for example, practises a talent planning process. This encourages people to work their way through and up the organisation. Through an annual appraisal scheme, individuals can apply for bigger jobs. Employe es identify roles in which they would like to develop their careers with Tesco. Their manager sets out the technical skills, competencies and behaviours necessary for these roles, what training this will require and how long it will take the person to be ready to do the job. This helps Tesco to achieve its business objectives and employees to achieve their personal and career objectives. On the other hand, Waitrose practises The Waitrose Graduate Scheme that offers a range of programmes for well rounded graduates with the potential to become leaders of our unique business. Advertising: The two organizations advertise jobs in different ways. The process varies depending on the job available. They first looks at its internal talent plan to fill a vacancy. For external recruitment, Tesco advertises vacancies via the Tesco website www.tesco-careers.com, Waitrose advertises via www.waitrosejobs.com in partnership with John Lewis. This means that people can increase their chan ces of recruitment in other kind of jobs such as in clothes, furniture, home-wares, electrical and fashion stores. Also, both of them advertise through vacancy boards in stores. The chosen applicants have an interview followed by attendance at an assessment centre for the final stage of the selection process. People interested in store-based jobs can approach stores with their CV or register though Jobcentre Plus. The stores prepare a waiting list of people applying in this way and call them in as jobs become available. Selection process: It involves choosing the most suitable people from those that apply for a vacancy, whilst keeping to employment laws and regulations. Screening candidates is a very important part of the selection process. This ensures that those selected for interview have the best fit with the job requirements. Both organizations use a screening selection process where selectors will look carefully at each applicants CV. A candidate who passes screening pro cess attends an assessment centre. The assessment centres take place in store and are run by managers. They help to provide consistency in the selection process. Applicants are given various exercises, including team working activities or problem solving exercises. These involve examples of problems they might have to deal with at work. Candidates approved by the internal assessment centres then have an interview. Line managers for the job on offer take part in the interview to make sure that the candidate fits the job requirements. CONCLUSION: For both supermarkets growth have been excellent for the business, they have shown an increase in turnover despite the economic downturn. Although, Waitrose has shown steady growth it is important for Waitrose to challenge Tesco either by thinking of international expansion or on price. On the other hand, the growing importance of environmental issues means that supermarkets will have to provide to consumers better green alternatives and also governed by price. This is a sensitive issue as they will have to balance their public stand on environment without losing consumers due to the increase in prices. Waitrose seems to be very well placed on these issues due to its various and recent green initiatives. This presents an opportunity to Tesco where they can improve and have bigger benefits. Treats to these organizations can be legislation with stringent laws on food and drinks. Tesco and Waitrose will have to follow more and more packaging and labelling policies to deal with t hese, which can be an additional financial trouble for the companies. On the other hand, as organizations respond to economic and technological pressures. Jobs change accordingly. Therefore, planning is vital if a business is to meet its future demands for staff. Tesco and Waitrose have many job opportunities, from management to apprentice posts. Both organizations have clear organisational structures, detailed job descriptions and person specifications. It provides user friendly ways of applying for jobs and a consistent approach to recruitment and selection. RECOMMENDATIONS: As one of the downsides of supermarket shopping is the queuing system, supermarkets should increase the self checkout machines; this can help solve this problem. Internet shopping seems to be growing. However, Waitrose should take additional advantage of this way of shopping. A lot of emphasis and pressure has been added to big companies in reducing carbon footprint and increasing energy efficiency. Organizations will have to invest more on green issues, especially Tesco, as Waitrose has more ethical issues, like sale of organic food and the ethical treatment of animals. Unlike Tescos expansion plan, Waitrose is not present in international markets. This can lead to trouble especially if there is some problem within food retailing in the UK. Waitrose should have a source of extra growth. They can see the opportunity of expansion and have international market. Supermarkets need to be able to ensure that the management of human resources contributes to support broad goals and also, building a strong relationship between HR management and employees. REFERENCES: Andidas.com. (2002). Environmental Fit Analysis. Waitrose. Andidas.com (2003). A Guide for Trainee Graduate Retail Managers and Middle-Level Managers. Waitrose. P 1-30. Armstrong, M. (2003). A handbook of human resource management practice. Ninth edition. London: Kohan Page Limited. Armstrong, M. (2006). A handbook of human resource management practice. Tenth edition. London: Kohan Page Limited. Datamonitor (2006). Tesco SWOT Analysis. P 1-10. Bach, S. (2005). Managing Human Resources: Personnel Management in Transition. Fourth edition. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Baker and McKenzie. (2009). Australian Master Human Resources Guide. Seventh edition. Australia: McPherson printing group. Bratton, J and Gold J. (1999). Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. Second edition. Houndmills: Macmillan Press Ltd. Bratton, J and Gold J. (2007). Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. Fourth edition. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan Press Ltd. Canterbury Christ Church University (2009). Recruitment and selection overview. [Internet]. Available at: lt;https://www.canterbury.ac.uk/business-management/CLMD/recruitment-and-selection/Home.aspxgt;. [Accessed, 24 November 2009]. Courtney, R. (2002). Strategic management for voluntary non-profit organizations. London: Routledge. Marchington, M and Wilkinson, A. (2008). Human Resource Management at work: people management and development. Fourth edition. London: Chartered Institution of Personnel and Development. Rioux, S. M and Bernthal, P. (no dated).Recruitment and Selection Practices. Development Dimensions International. P. 1-4. Storey, J. (1992). Developments in the Management of Human Resources. London: Blackwell.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Eating Disorders And Body Image - 1613 Words

Eating disorders and body image Cenia Xu Father Michael Mcgivney Catholic Academy Effects of Eating disorders have on teenagers Every day, teenagers are surrounded by different messages from different sources that impact the way they feel about the way they look. For some, poor body image is a sign of a serious problem: an eating disorder. Eating disorders are not just about food.The eating disorders contain anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, and their variants, all feature serious disturbances in eating behavior and weight regulation. They are often a way to cope with difficult problems or regain a sense of control. They are complicated illnesses that affect a person’s sense of identity, worth, and self-esteem. The risks of eating disorders for teenagers are in physical health, mental health, substance abuse and negative self-esteem/self worth. Physical health Eating disorders can cause a host of serious physical consequences. With anorexia nervosa, the patient is starving her body of essential nutrients that it needs to function. With bulimia, the patient binges and purges, upsetting the digestive system and setting the body up for serious heart and other major organ malfunctions. Including Heart disease. For anorexia nervosa , the heart rate slows and bloodShow MoreRelatedBody Image And Eating Disorders1375 Words   |  6 PagesBody Image and Eating Disorders Females and males are both under pressure to conform to societies idea of beauty. Women feel pressure to be thin, big chested, while men feel the urge to be lean and muscular. Society portrays these images of thinness and muscularity through media, magazines, and even toys. These images can have an impact on peoples body images, which can lead to eating disorders such as Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia nervosa. Body Image is the way you see your body, and how you feelRead MoreEating Disorders And The Body Image1573 Words   |  7 Pagesto maintain a perfect physical body image in hopes of receiving approval, love, and happiness. The need to maintain this perfect image is supported by society and the media with a mirage of messages that you can be happy if you obtain this perfect image. Society s ideals of what the human body should look like have caused numerous people to develop abnormal eating patterns in a contempt to conform and seek society s approval of their body image. An eating disorder is an ailment that causes severeRead MoreBody Image And Eating Disorders Essay1531 Words   |  7 Pagesexpectation, and yet our young women are expected to emulate this image. The result of such pressures can prove to be too much to handle and young women often resort to pathogenic dieting and experience body image and eating disorders. The increase in mental health disorders associated with body image in teen girls attributed to the unrealistic standards set in magazines targeted toward young women, therefore magazines need to use images that reflect the realities of the target audience and should notRead MoreEating Disorders And Body Image Essay1115 Words   |  5 PagesKarlye Weber AMST 3723 Dr. Carreiro 15 November 2016 Typically when covering the topic of eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction athletes and young women are the center of research and are stereotyped to be the only groups of people who suffer from self-image issues. In â€Å"The Hidden Faces of Eating Disorders and Body Image,† authors Justine Reels and Katherine Beals look to breakdown the stereotypes and dig deeper into the issues that cross over the borders of ethnicity, age and genderRead MoreEating Disorders, Body Image Gender Essay1721 Words   |  7 PagesRIGHTS (HE6) ASSIGNMENT EATING DISORDERS, BODY IMAGE GENDER Submitted to: Dr. Sivakami Muthusamy Centre for Health and Social Sciences School of Health Systems Studies, TISS, Mumbai. Submitted by: Pallavi Muraleedharan Enrollment Number: M2015HE018 Master of Health Administration (2015-17) Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai Date: 16/08/2016 INTRODUCTION Eating disorders, body image and gender remain as a very complex interlinked web. Eating disorders affect people from all demographicsRead MoreEating Disorders And Body Image Issues1655 Words   |  7 PagesEating disorders: noun. A group of psychological ailments characterized by intense fear of becoming obese, distorted body image, and prolonged food refusal (anorexia nervosa) and/or binge eating followed by purging through induced vomiting, heavy exercise, or use of laxatives (bulimia nervosa).These ailments are not pretty. In this society, where only the fit and thin bodies are accepted and appreciated, eating disorders are more common than they should be. Children, starting at a young age, seeRead MoreEating Disorders and Negative Body Images662 Words   |  3 Pagesfaced with eating disorders and negative body images everywhere they go. Celebrities promote unrealistic standards and display what the â€Å"acceptable† body is. Because of our stick thin role models we hav e in the media today much of our society holds their own body image to the unobtainable standards of celebrities. People are bombarded with images of what’s â€Å"sexy† instead of what’s healthy (Helmich). In a world based around celebrities and media, shouldn’t they be promoting a healthy body image insteadRead MoreBody Image, Eating Disorders and Advertising3063 Words   |  13 PagesBody Image, Eating Disorders and Advertising Body Image, Eating Disorders and Advertising We have all heard, â€Å"you are what you eat†; however, and maybe more importantly, you want to be what you watch or read. How does today’s advertising impact on your body image? The shaping of our concept of the ideal body image begins at a young age and continues though adulthood. It begins with our toys; that first Barbie you received on your sixth birthday; the one with the long blond flowing hairRead MoreEating Disorders And Body Image Issues2801 Words   |  12 PagesIntroduction Eating disorders (ED) and body image issues are increasingly becoming more and more common among women in Western societies (Stice, 2002). Over the past couple years the prevalence of bulimia nervosa (BN) and has steadily increased, 3 out of 100 women that are now diagnosed with the disorder (Botta, 1999; Hesse-Biber et. al, 2006). This brings into question wether it is in fact BN that is increasing, our awareness or the rising numbers of other comorbid disorders in Western societiesRead MoreTeen s Body Image And Eating Disorders996 Words   |  4 PagesTeen Girls’ Body Image and Eating Disorders In today’s society, many adolescent girls are dissatisfied with their body image due to comparing themselves to the media’s unrealistic ideal thin body. Since they grow up in a world filled with mass media such as television, films, magazines, movies, music, newspaper and the Internet, it is very easy to come across this ideal body image (Morris Katzman, 2003). As teen girls associate with this ideal thinness they tend to be dissatisfied with their

Monday, December 9, 2019

Systems Science and Engineering for Environmental - myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theSystems Science and Engineering for Environmental Practice. Answer: Introduction It is an un-denying fact that good environmental practice mostly is in resonance with good and effective economic practice. Measures for the reduction of the energy consumption and consumption of water will not only have greater benefits for the environment by substantial reduction in the emissions and conservation of the resources but will also lead to the substantial savings in financial costs over the entire lifetime of any building. The cost of water bad energy are most likely to increase at a faster rate than the RPI in the coming years as the resources continue to decrease and there has been increase in the environmental controls regarding utility companies (Ando, Sutou Koike, 2016). In the previous assignment, it was stated that the concept of environment friendly buildings have been continuing to be propagated for many years. It was also observed that many people had misconceptions and wrong believes regarding the environment friendly buildings which are also referred as green buildings. Many people considered green buildings to be surrounded by green trees (Chhabra, Verma Krishna, 2017). It is also true that some people think of green buildings to have no negative impact on the environment. It has been very clearly stated in the assignment regarding the actual definition of environment friendly buildings. The fact that the environment friendly buildings to be built in preserving the natural environment around the buildings and also being able to generate the energy for any purpose of the needs of the buildings. It has been observed that the assignment has stated that the structuring of the building and its operation will not be causing any kind of disruptions in regards to the natural resources such as land, water, and energy along with promoting a very healthy environment for all the individuals who are involved in the project. In the previous assignment, the case of The Crystal which is an environment friendly building has been taken into consideration which is situated in London (Deo, 2017). The building is designed by Siemens. The building that is taken into consideration was open by the Siemens in the year 2012. The prime reason which was observed regarding the construction of the building was to have a debate on the requirement of sustainable development and living. The building was also noted to be functioning as an inter-active museum which facilitated and served as a platform for the provision of education regarding urban living along with the conduction of discussion regarding the ways in which people live in cities and what kind of struggle these people. The building also served as the infrastructure which assisted in the demonstration of the ways in which the green houses help in balancing the quality of life, environment, and economy (Dickerson Mavris, 2016). Preliminary design The phase of preliminary design of any kind of system engineering denotes to the definition and development of the preferred notion of the considered system and the requirements for the construction of environment friendly buildings. It has been observed that the conceptual design for the environmentally friendly buildings tales place after the feasibility studies and appraisals regarding the options and after the briefing of the project. Preliminary design is presented in the previous assignment regarding the environment friendly buildings in aspects of the design for the initiation and completion of the project (Floudas, et al., 2016). The elaboration of the ways and what stages the project will be carried out regarding the completion of the environment friendly buildings. In context to the construction of the environment friendly buildings from the preliminary phase of design begins with the definition of the issue or problem for which the proposal of the project is been laid out. It is a much-known fact that the construction of the building is very common in all cities in the world which is even increasing at an alarming rate. This happens to have many negative implications on the environment. It is noted that a lot of natural resources is being used in the construction of the building which causes severe impact on the environment in a negative way (Groen, et al., 2016). These are the issues which are identified in the preliminary design phase of the construction of environment friendly buildings. In the preliminary phase of design of the construction of environment friendly buildings, it is detected that a large amount of emissions and energy of hazardous chemicals are emitted into the environment which is very lethal for the living and non-living beings on the Earth. It was observed that Siemens had identified such issues and made the decision for the construction of the green building which is otherwise known as environment friendly buildings that can happen to resolve such problems (Haridass, et al., 2017). It is also observed that the costs regarding resolving such issues through the construction of environment friendly buildings are also decided during the preliminary design phase of the entire project. It is also observed that the different aspects and methods of the conceptual design evaluation efforts are integrated into the project. The requirements of the preliminary design phase of the construction of the environment friendly buildings evolve from the requirements of the design of the environment friendly buildings. The specification for the construction of the environment friendly buildings in the preliminary design phase relates to the operational, technical, support and performance characteristics of the project. These aspects generally relate to the phases of design of the project at the sub system level. The merits of the benefits of the project in regards to the impacts on the environment and effectiveness sin the cost of the construction of the building are discussed in the preliminary phase of the construction of the environment friendly buildings (Hasibuan, et al., 2017). The fact that the construction of the environment friendly buildings can have drawbacks during the construction phase has to be also taken into consideration during the preliminary phase. Figure 1: Design Process Source: (Hasibuan, et al., 2017) Detailed design and development The detailed design and development phase of the life cycle of the construction of environment friendly buildings have been analyzed to be a continuation of the repetitive process of the development. It is also observed that the detailed design and development phase of the construction of the environment friendly buildings encompasses the improvement of the requirements of the designs for all the components ate the individual level of the construction (Rousseau, 2017). It also encompasses the required activities that are associated with the technological and biological aspects of the fulfillment of all the aims of the construction of the environment friendly buildings. The activities and elements associated with the integration of the environmental concerns along with the construction science and engineering have been done in the detailed design and development phase of the project. In this stage of the project of construction of green buildings, changes in the format and in various other aspects of the project are incorporated in this section (Salado, Nilchiani Verma, 2017). The evaluation of the system designing phase is conducted in the previous assignment which is basically centered around the analysis of the building Crystal which includes various steps such as outlining of specifications, architecture, planning strategies, preparation of the schedule of the project, estimation of the costs associated with the project, looking for the options related to the procurement and strategies for the completion of various phases. It is observed that specification of the building Crystal was analyzed in respect to the generation of energy by the use of solar panel, natural light, minimization in the carbon emission, regulating the heating of the building and provision of hot water to the entire building by using solar thermal energy and much more. Technical feasibility has also been included in the previous assignment in which various technical features associated with the construction of environment friendly buildings such as storage of rain water by rain water harvesting, optimized use of the natural light, generation of the energy within the building itself (Schwarz, Passmore Reiser, 2017). The features such as integration of the equipment like solar panels for the generation of electricity, construction of underground tanks for storing water, ground source heat pumps and use of a natural source of heat have been mentioned in the paper. It has also been specified that the availability of the equipment that are required in accordance to the objective of the construction of the environment friendly along with the technical specification is very much relevant. Thus, it is very much appropriate to state that construction of environment friendly buildings is very much feasible (Shanks, 2016). In such context, the model of ADDIE Model is found to be very much relevant for the analysis. ADDIE Model can be denoted as the generic process that is very much suitable for the authorities who intend of making environment friendly buildings. The five phases of the model are very much in accordance with the stages in which the construction of the environment friendly buildings is conducted. These stages are analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. The analysis phase is in association to the preliminary or conceptual phase of the construction of the environment friendly buildings (Taylor, 2017). The design phase of the construction of the green buildings would refer to the dealing with the instruments, equipment, and selection of the materials and time of construction of the buildings. The development phase of the model is very much appropriate to the assembling and creation of the equipment required for the construction of the environment friendly buildings (Wagh Walke, 2017). The implementation phase of the construction of the green buildings is relevant to the initiation of the construction. The evaluation phase includes the summative and assessment of the construction which relates to the testing of the building (Zou, et al., 2016). System test, evaluation validation, and optimization The system test, evaluation, and validation along with optimization relates to the assessment of the entire environment friendly buildings in both the terms of technical and environmental aspects. It also encompasses the maintenance of the environment friendly buildings which are stated to be done prior for the long-lasting operation of the green building. The evaluation and testing of the green buildings would include the assessment of the measures of technical performance of the buildings from the perspective of the civil engineering. The validation process of the green buildings denotes to the ensuring of the configuration of technical configuration in the context of meeting the need of the people who are supposed to reside in it along with the environmental concerns (Wang Waltman, 2016). Human factors definitely play a very significant role in the functioning and construction of the green buildings. People need to accept and identify the need and concern of protecting the environment which is going to provide them with a very good place to live in. This would also have positive implications on the nature and the future of the all the generations in return (Wang Waltman, 2016). The complete functionality of the construction of the environment friendly buildings can be accessed through the functional analysis and allocation of the buildings which is very briefly state din the paper. The functional analysis categorizes the system in smaller parts such as functional elements (Zou, et al., 2016). These happen to describe the way in which the individuals elements are required to perform respective work and tasks. These would include using the solar panels for electricity and construction of underground tanks for storage of rain water for the reduction of carbon emission by using natural fuels in place of fossil fuels. The system and function requirements of the environment friendly buildings have been considered to be significant (Wagh Walke, 2017). Conclusion The importance design process and the proper conduction of various stages of design of the project which in this case is the construction of the environment friendly buildings are discussed in the paper. The concept of the green buildings can be the solution to various environmental issues is stated in the assignment. People can save electricity, use rain water and minimize carbon emission along with enhancing the overall health of mankind by the establishment of green buildings. References Ando, D., Sutou, Y. and Koike, J., 2016. Internal microstructure observation of enhanced grain-boundary sliding at room temperature in AZ31 magnesium alloy.Materials Science and Engineering: A,666, pp.94-99. Chhabra, R., Verma, S. and Krishna, C.R., 2017, January. A survey on driver behavior detection techniques for intelligent transportation systems. InCloud Computing, Data Science Engineering-Confluence, 2017 7th International Conference on(pp. 36-41). IEEE. Deo, N., 2017.Graph theory with applications to engineering and computer science. Courier Dover Publications. Dickerson, C. and Mavris, D.N., 2016.Architecture and principles of systems engineering. CRC Press. Floudas, C.A., Niziolek, A.M., Onel, O. and Matthews, L.R., 2016. Multi?scale systems engineering for energy and the environment: Challenges and opportunities.AIChE Journal,62(3), pp.602-623. Groen, N., Guvendiren, M., Rabitz, H., Welsh, W.J., Kohn, J. and de Boer, J., 2016. Stepping into the omics era: opportunities and challenges for biomaterials science and engineering.Acta biomaterialia,34, pp.133-142. Haridass, R., Ramesh, K., Rajeshkumar, T. and Vignesh, E., 2017. Performance Improvement Of Pollution Control Device Used In Small Scale Foundry Industry.International Journal of Research In Science Engineering,3. Hasibuan, N.A., Yusmiarti, K., Waruwu, F.T. and Rahim, R., 2017. Expert Systems With Genetics Probability.International Journal of Research In Science Engineering,3. Rousseau, D., 2017, February. Systems Philosophy and its relevance to Systems Engineering. InProceedings of the 59th Annual Meeting of the ISSS-2015 Berlin, Germany(Vol. 1, No. 1). Salado, A., Nilchiani, R. and Verma, D., 2017. A contribution to the scientific foundations of systems engineering: Solution spaces and requirements.Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering,26(5), pp.549-589. Schwarz, C.V., Passmore, C. and Reiser, B.J., 2017.Helping students make sense of the world using next generation science and engineering practices. NSTA Press. Shanks, M., 2016.European Social Policy, Today and Tomorrow: Pergamon International Library of Science, Technology, Engineering and Social Studies. Elsevier. Taylor, T.S., 2017.Introduction to rocket science and engineering. CRC Press. Wagh, S. and Walke, P.V., 2017. REVIEW ON WIND-SOLAR HYBRID POWER SYSTEM.International Journal of Research In Science Engineering,3. Wang, Q. and Waltman, L., 2016. Large-scale analysis of the accuracy of the journal classification systems of Web of Science and Scopus.Journal of Informetrics,10(2), pp.347-364. Zou, J., Arinez, J., Chang, Q. and Lei, Y., 2016. Opportunity window for energy saving and maintenance in stochastic production systems.Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering,138(12), p.121009.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests

Introduction Basically, assessment is usually confused with and equated to evaluation. However, these binary concepts are apparently very different. As it emanates, assessment could be used in determining what a particular student can do or knows. In fact, assessment data tend to influence students grades, advancements and placements along with the instructional curriculum and strategies.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised and Test of Early Reading Ability, Third Edition specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As an imperative education element therefore, assessment could be used when informing instruction (Wren, 2004). The initial student reading capability assessment requires that a noble reading instruction be implemented. At the moment, various classroom students seem to possess assorted literacy skills and backgrounds. Such features make it indispensable for educators or instructors to have well designed assessment instruments and instruction tools to aid in the provision of suitable curriculum to students. Based on these, the paper purposely aims at comparing and contrasting the renowned binary assessment instruments namely Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised (WRMT-T) and Test of Early Reading Ability, Third Edition (TERA-3) which measure the students reading skills. The strengths and weaknesses as well as the reliability and validity of data collection methods of these assessment instruments will be measured. Thesis Statement Despite the fact that both TERA-3 and WRMT-R are perceived to be of great significance in assessments, the strengths and limitations can suggest that TERA-3 is superior as compared to WRMT-R. Comparing and contrasting TERA-3 and WRMT-R According to Reid, Hresko and Hammill (2001), TERA is essential for those who want to succeed in the contemporary society. The authors believe that to improve the directives for low attaini ng children, experimental tests had to be conducted to help in identifying kids who required primary reading interventions. This measure could assist them economically, socially and in realizing their goals in other educational areas. Within the learning society, TERA-3 is well known as a success test. It was designed to measure what young children learnt and their reading abilities. Instead of assessing kids reading readiness, TERA-3 tends to assess their timely emerging mastery reading skills.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a discretely governed attainment assessment tool, TERA-3 endeavors to perfectly measure each child’s skills in early literacy stages ranging from three and half years to eight and half years. The administration of three TERA-3 subsets could roughly take half an hour to forty five minutes. The subsets include meaning, alphabet and conventions. All subsets have provisional standard scores. To compute the reading quotient, the scores of the three subtests must be used. For all the three subsets, the accruing outcomes should be reported as confidence scores, percentiles, grade equivalents, age, standards scores and raw scores. The score of the compounded reading quotient has a standard deviation equivalent to fifteen and a mean of one hundred. Every subset has a standard deviation and a mean equivalent to three and ten respectively. Non-clinical staff is the requisite qualification for administering TERA-3 test. It is nevertheless required that each test administrator must have formalized assessment training with a better comprehension of test administration, interpretation, statistics testing and scoring (Caldwell, 2002). The WRMT-R is an exclusively administered reading assessment test specifically intended to ascertain children strengths and weaknesses as regards to reading abilities. The information acquired might be use d in the determination of planned target remediation and suitable reading strategies necessary for the improvement of each child’s reading skills. WRMT-R is of two forms namely H and G, both of which incorporate word comprehension such as analogies, antonyms and synonyms, word attack, passage comprehension and word identification. Form G similarly incorporates letter identification and visual-auditory learning. In most cases, WRMT-R is deemed appropriate in the assessment of individuals aged five years through to seventy five years old. Approximately forty five minutes is needed to administer this achievement instrument (Woodcock Johnson, 1977). Methods and formats of administration include individual administration; grade based standard scores, grade or age equivalents, percentiles and yields age.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised and Test of Early Reading Ability, Third Edition specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The differences that exist between these binary assessment instruments are as shown in the table below. Assessment instrument TERA-3 WRMT-R 1. Purpose Measures kids learning and reading abilities Ascertains kids strengths and weaknesses as regards to reading abilities 2. Assessed age Kids aged between 3.5 years to 8.5years Individuals aged between 5 years to 75 years 3. Time for administration Thirty to forty five minutes Forty five minutes 4. Subsets Meaning, alphabet and conventions H – Includes analogies, antonyms and synonyms, word attack, passage comprehension and word identification G – Incorporates letter identification and visual-auditory learning 5. Administration methods/format Confidence scores, percentiles, grade equivalents, age, standards scores and raw scores Individual administration, grade based standard scores, grade or age equivalents, percentiles and yields age Normative Group T ERA-3 is in the third version and has new color versions and normative data. The TERA-3 is averagely referenced and has eight hundred and seventy five subjects in its normative sample group. This is perceived to be very small yet in line with Buros Institute of Mental Measurement. In fact, it corresponds well to the universal school age populace including rural, urban, masculinity, incapacity, ethnicity and race while notably representing every region across the U.S (Reid, Hresko and Hammill, 2001). Conversely, the norming of WRMT-R occurred on a sample of six thousand and eighty nine subjects. This was pronounced as sixty geologically varied populations. The selection of populations took place based on the socioeconomic physiognomies which matched the 1980’s United States census. From the number, one thousand and twenty three subjects were regarded as either college or university students; four thousand two hundred and one subjects appeared to be in grade K-twelve and the re maining eight hundred and sixty five subjects became grouped as age twenty to over eighty (Woodcock Johnson, 1977). The last normative group did not get college enrollment. Reliability and validity TERA-3 seems to possess a significantly higher level of validity and reliability. To assess reliability, various measures were used to provide evidence. In the first case, coefficient alpha was applied for the reading quotient and across each subset interval. The alpha reliability constituent had a sampling coefficient which ranged from 0.83 to 0.95 while interval sampling coefficient ranged from 0.93 to 0.96. The inter-scorer deviation coefficient was 0.99. Construct identification, content description and the criterion prediction validity all fell within the range of 0.81. However, it is worth noting that with respect to all kinds of assessments, validity and reliability are reliant on proper use and administration of TERA-3. All subsets had accepted alpha levels which led to the concl usion that there was no biasness in any subsection.Advertising Looking for research paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Stratified random sampling was used to select subjects. The design regulated for particular subject variables and communities. Half split coefficients formula was used to compute the reliability whereby all tests coefficients fluctuated from a minimum of 0.34 to a maximum of 0.98. The minimum denoted letter grade identification test while the maximum denoted word grade one identification test. Content validity acted as source of WRMT-R validity and depicted a match amid curriculum and test items. Limited validity was also provided as an evidence for WRMT-R validity (Farr Carey, 1986). Strengths and limitations of each assessment instrument After the administration of the achievement test dubbed as TERA-3, it is easier to attest that it has various strengths. This assessment instrument is rapidly administered, highly engages the subjects and much easier to use. Further, it has affordable price points for nearly all district schools while the tests are apparently not devastating with respect to materials and information. These are highly mobile given that they could be pleasantly packed in easy to transport boxes. The manual for examiners offers comprehensible results interpretation, administration and scoring directions besides being helpful and concise (Caldwell, 2002). This makes it to hold an elevated reliability and validity levels. Despite the fact that TERA-3 offers a rapid way of providing children reading abilities snapshot outlooks, it might not be comprehensively applied as an independent assessment tool. The examiners are obligated to surpass the interpretation of TERA-3 results so as to understand the poor performance backgrounds. Calfee (1987) asserts that WRMT-R has strengths related to the newly added subsets which make the comprehension tests much enhanced. There are provisional voluntary Supplemental Letter Checklists, descriptive word attack tests format and current theories that only applies standard letter forms. Further strengths of this a ssessment instrument include examiner trainer provisions, expanded adult students norms, ASSIST minicomputer scoring package and an informatively useful manual for examiners. WRMT-R is associated with weaknesses such as fragmented reading assessments. The feature makes validity to equitably suffer despite allowing for a supplementary reliable testing. In an attempt to serve both old age and kindergarten subjects, it is doubted whether proper service will be offered. Besides, the scoring and administration glitches make tests extremely lengthy and boring to the subjects. Learning examiners frequently experience scoring errors when they use several tables. Finally, there are additional costs associated with ASSIST. Recommended Assessment instrument Drawn from the features, weaknesses and strengths of these two assessment instruments, TERA-3 is the reading instrument I would highly endorse. The recommendation for this instrument follows the fact that it offers decipherable literature r eading assessment which files the significance of emerging mastery skills in meaning, alphabet and convention. It similarly provides the significance of young kids reading assessments. Unlike WRMT-R, TERA-3 resulting measures proffer a wide-ranging children reading capability assessment for educator and teachers alike. WRMT-R appears not to offer the actual reading capability assessment since the novel measures for summary score computation are difficult to deduce yet offer some relationships. References Caldwell, N. (2002). Reading assessment. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Calfee, R. C. (1987). The school as a context for assessment of literacy. The Reading Teacher, 40 (8), 738-743. Farr, R. Carey, R. F. (1986). Reading: What can be measured? Newark, DE: International Reading Association. Reid, D. K., Hresko, W. P. Donald, D. (2001). Test of early reading ability, third edition. Retrieved from Webster University Library Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print. Woodcock, R. W. Johnson, M. B. (1977). Woodcock-Johnson psycho-educational battery. Allen, TX: DLM Teaching Resources. Wren, S. (2004). Descriptions of early reading assessments. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. Web. This research paper on Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised and Test of Early Reading Ability, Third Edition was written and submitted by user Joy Hansen to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.