Posts

Consider these real writing samples from preschool/prekindergarten-aged children.Make a clear and specific plan of how to support them, where you see them going next, and how you as their teacher would further their writing development and literacy knowledge.

Paper details:

Consider these real writing samples from preschool/prekindergarten-aged children. Respond to each sample – what does the writing and the context provided tell you about the child’s writing ability, literacy skills, knowledge? Think broadly across a range of writing components and aspects, not just what is obvious. What do you know about the child’s process? What do you know about the child’s interests? Make a clear and specific plan of how to support them, where you see them going next, and how you as their teacher would further their writing development and literacy knowledge. This can take the form of lessons, activities, experiences, environmental supports, connections to other content areas, etc.
This paper should be around 5 pages. Please cite sources (at least 3) to support your thinking.

Evaluate the Creation and Discovery contexts of entrepreneurial opportunities. Explain/define opportunity creation and opportunity discovery.

In its broad conceptualization, entrepreneurship involves the nexus of two phenomenon; (1) sources of opportunities and (2) the presence of enterprising individuals who evaluate and exploit these opportunities. With these descriptions of entrepreneurship in mind;
Question 1a. Evaluate the Creation and Discovery contexts of entrepreneurial opportunities. As part of your evaluation, discuss any three (3) firm-level capabilities/strategies that can be used in the effective exploitation of opportunities. [hint: firm-level capabilities may include; marketing/market orientation, collaborations/alliance formation, networking, technological etc]. (Suggested word count: 1000)

Question 1b. Consider the five (5) dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (see, Lumpkin and Dess, 1996). Reflect on the extent to which your attitudes and behaviours are consistent with any three (3) of these dimensions. (Suggested word count: 500)

Please i would like the questions above to be answered in this format below:
Question 1a; Evaluate the Creation and Discovery contexts of entrepreneurial opportunities. (Suggested word count: 1000)
Explain/define entrepreneurial opportunities
Explain/define opportunity creation and opportunity discovery
Discuss the similarities between opportunity creation and opportunity discovery
e.g. both creation and discovery arise from competitive market imperfections (you can give examples of market imperfections); both creation and discovery undergo evaluation and exploitation process; creation and discovery may have similar dimensions and drivers when developing the opportunity business model etc (you can give examples of these dimensions and drivers)
Discuss the differences between opportunity creation and discovery e.g.
Subjective (creation) versus objective (discovery);
endogenous (creation) versus exogenous(discovery);
depends on the actions and reactions of entrepreneurs(creation) versus independent of the actions of entrepreneurs(discovery);
uncertainty(creation) versus risk(discovery) , etc.
Question 1a Contd.; As part of your evaluation, discuss any three (3) firm-level capabilities/strategies that can be used in the effective exploitation of opportunities. [hint: firm-level capabilities may include; marketing/market orientation, collaborations/alliance formation, networking, technological etc].
Explain opportunity exploitation.
Consider the various forms of opportunity exploitation in your explanation. E.g., registering a business, marketing products/services, testing products, advertising, licensing, customer acquisitions, acquiring other business partners, among others.
Among many others, consider the following entrepreneurial actions/strategies; networking, entrepreneurial marketing/market orientation, legitimacy, customer engagement, alliance formation.
Discuss how any three of these strategies can aid entrepreneurs/firms to effectively exploit opportunities (do not forget how opportunity exploitation is broadly defined).
Question 1b. Consider the five (5) dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (see, Lumpkin and Dess, 1996). Reflect on the extent to which your attitudes and behaviours are consistent with any three (3) of these dimensions. (Suggested word count: 500)
Brief introduction of the five dimensions of EO (autonomy, innovation, risk-taking, proactiveness and competitive aggressiveness)
Select any three of the dimensions and reflect on them. Use of personal examples (e.g. school, work, job search, current and /or previous employment positions) in the reflective writing.

How have your thoughts about your incoming and outgoing money changed? If they haven’t, what insight could you give to others based on your own experience?

Extra Credit Opportunities (Online Learning)
Financial Planning Budget (20 extra credit points)

Find your “goal” job and determine the following: o What is the base level salary or hourly wage?

Do you feel you have experience to earn more than the base level salary? If so, look to the average (or above) salary

Determine the “take home” amount vs. salary, as taxes, health insurance, retirement, etc., are all items that come out of the bi-weekly paychecks before the reach our bank accounts o Does the company provide health insurance? o Is there one location for this position/company, or do you have options?

Find your living environment o Look for what the average apartment/rent costs in the area you’ll be working o Are you sharing an apartment/living spot or living alone? Sharing bills, etc. o What utilities will you need in your apartment/house/condo, etc., that you will need to consider?

Water, Heat, Electricity, Internet, Cable, etc.. o Create a monthly grocery list, understanding that some items will need to be purchased weekly, if they are perishable

Now, create a budget around the above mentioned topics o Every budget will look different. Below is an example table of what it may look like, but please add if you feel you have other items that need to be listed. o You could set this up in a way that lays out an actual month, suggesting the dates to keep track o The money left over is money do with how you choose – Consider saving a majority of it, while allowing yourself to use the rest how you choose something to consider as we complete this activity is that everyone has different experiences with budgeting. Some of you may already budget in this way, some may have never considered laying it all out in writing.
Write up for Financial Planning Budget (1-2 pages):

What was your goal/dream job and location of choice?

What are you taking away from this assignment?

How have your thoughts about your incoming and outgoing money changed? If they haven’t, what insight could you give to others based on your own experience?

How do you perceive saving money? How would you set a goal and meet it for the sake of saving 6 months’ worth of bills – this is recommended by many financial planners
If you have not met with a financial planner, check to see if your bank offers a financial planner you can speak with to make sure you’re on the right track
Example Budget
Item Income (+) Date In Pay Out (-) Date Out Total Bi-Weekly Salary Rent Utilities Credit Card Payments Student Loans Car Payment Car Insurance Phone Payment Health Insurance Groceries Gym Membership
Grocery Shopping on a Budget (10 extra credit points)

Whether you grocery shop once a week or once a month, create what you need and compare it to your current budget.

As we’ve already created a “future” budget, do something similar with your current situation (1 page) o I do not need to see your current budget for this assignment, only your grocery list for the month (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly lists) o We have a PowerPoint on “grocery shopping on a budget”, so now it’s time to put your skills into action. DO NOT GO TO THE STORE FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT – look your items up online for the prices, compare the prices of your budget to what you have available to spend. o This helps us to develop skills around eating healthy while staying within the college student budget

Reflect on how this helps you understand that eating healthy on a college budget is manageable (1 page)

Utilizing the Four Habits of Mind that the university has adopted to help develop our educational programs & clusters, please identify one that is both meaningful to you and relates to the concepts of Health and Wellness.

https://wicked-problem.press.plymouth.edu/chapter/what-are-the-habits-of-mind/ o Tie in different lessons/skills learned or developed through the course of this class o Identify how you can best explain the concept of your chosen Habit of Mind as an elevator pitch to someone

 Explain the following:

 What is it?

 What causes this cancer/disease? What are the risk factors? o Risk factors are biological, psychological, social or environmental impacts that make it more likely for us to develop a behavior, disease, etc.

 In this case, it would be the development of a disease or cancer and could be related to our environment, social settings, or biological factors (genetics)

 What different populations does it impact?

 How can it be treated/cured, if at all?

 What health choices can we make to counteract our chances of developing this cancer/disease?

How can the company improve its learning and development to reduce the number of guest complaints and to improve staff morale?

Learning outcomes

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the key theories and models associated with HRM
2. Understand and evaluate the application of activities and practices involved in people management within organisations
3. Analyse the role of line managers and HR professionals in the application and deployment of Human Resource Management tools and practices.

 

CASE STUDY – Trent Park

Trent Park is a luxury conference and leisure park in central England with 125 en-suite bedrooms, of a 4 star standard, and 50 well-appointed self-catering chalets which each accommodate up to 6 people. The centre has 2 golf courses, a wide range of sports facilities, health/beauty treatments, and extensive recreational facilities.

Trent Park employs various Section Managers for Catering, Site Facilities, Retail Outlets, Security, Grounds & Gardening, Health and Beauty, and Sports’ facilities. Each section Manager controls a staffing brigade of supervisors and operatives. The total number of staff employed at the Trent Park, both full and part-time, is around 230. The Park is open 7 days a week; 52 weeks of the year.

Trent Park is traditionally managed with strong demarcation between the different departments of food and drink, accommodation, leisure and administration (to include Accounts and HR). Trent Park’s local population has a large ethnic population and there is a diverse range of different cultural backgrounds amongst both visitors to Trent Park and the staff who work there. The staff at Trent Park are demotivated and gossip is rife, as is professional jealousy, particularly in terms of professional development. There is a lack of career advancement and outsiders are brought in instead of promoting existing staff.

An independent inspection found that there are problems with the general human resource management and equality issues at Trent Park. The inspection report highlighted the following problems amongst the staff:

  • There is a general feeling from the staff that the management does not motivate them and, instead, regards them as a cheap and available source of labour.
  • Certain ethnic groups form together and do not integrate with the other staff, which causes a lack of cohesion and communication between the staff.
  • Several staff complain that the ‘soft skills’ in the work place are limited and they do not feel they receive sufficient support at work from management. Many of the staff live in deprived areas, so consequently they would benefit from stronger work-place engagement.

Learning and development

Most of the Section Managers at Trent Park have attended college courses but the operative staff are mostly untrained. Due to a strict hierarchical management approach, communication is not good between the various departments. This factor is evident amongst the attitudes and behaviour of the staff towards each other; also, there is a high staff turnover at Trent Park.

There is a lack of career advancement and outsiders are brought in instead of promoting existing staff. The centre requires a lot of financial investment to upgrade its facilities, to make it comparable with other successful luxury conference and leisure resorts. The newly appointed general manager, John Smith, was under pressure both to prove himself and to restore the declining Trent Park into a profitable operation. Taylor classified jobs according to skill levels and the amount of training required to reach competence. The lowest level was classified as ‘straight off the street’, implying that little or no skill was needed, and training was minimal to bring the jobholder to full competence. Consequently, staff motivation and productivity is low and the centre receives many complaints from guests and visitors about poor service.

Employee relations

Besides high staff turnover, there is a general feeling of conflict between staff and management. Staff feel they cannot approach management with problems so, instead, they tend to discuss issues between each other which causes general unrest within Trent Park. There is no official system for raising grievances or where staff can feedback their ideas and suggestions to management. Consequently, communication with management and staff engagement are poor. Taylor was keen to introduce a method of job evaluation to try to establish flexible working styles, like those used in other more successful leisure parks. He felt that not only would this move improve efficiency levels, but that job rotation would increase job satisfaction and communication and consequently improve morale amongst staff and reduce the high employee turnover.

Unfortunately, Taylor decided not to discuss this with the existing workforce and when the new systems were introduced the staff were negative and unsupportive. there was general staff resistance to cooperate with Taylor’s plans.

Many of the staff demanded a meeting with Taylor to which he agreed because he saw it as the opportunity to communicate and assure them that his plans were for the best interests of both staff and Trent Park. However, the meeting was a disaster as staff accused him of not communicating his ideas earlier and failing to provide ‘good management’.

Performance and reward

Regular staff appraisals do not take place and often the only times when a section manager meets with staff are for a disciplinary meeting. Staff do not feel valued; most are paid the minimum wage without any other benefits or rewards. Staff are not allowed to use any of the leisure facilities at Trent Park and frequently many leave to work in the surrounding town areas where conditions are better.

There are public buses from the surrounding towns to Trent Park, but these run infrequently and the operating times do not coincide with the main shift patterns at work. The buses are unreliable so that staff who use them frequently arrive late for work. Trent Park finds it difficult to attract staff to work at the resort, and the existing staff do not seem keen to refer local friends and family to work there. Many of the staff are unproductive and lazy, and this does not appear to be addressed by their line managers which causes further rifts between staff.

Absence and well being

As well as high staff turnover, absenteeism is high and frequently many staff are on sick leave which puts extra pressures on those who are on duty. There is not a proper system for monitoring and dealing with absence. Many staff appear to experience high stress levels from the overall difficulties and problems at Trent Park. Fatigue and stress are the main reported reasons for staff sickness. The general low levels of staff motivation cause underperformance – often, staff will not ‘go the extra mile’ for guests. The resort has good leisure facilities and is a major employer in the area, so it is disappointing that these problems exist. Following the inspection report, Taylor is keen to tackle this area and is keen for suggestions. To help introduce a flexible approach, Taylor planned to change staff uniforms, so staff could work in a variety of jobs during the working day.  Name badges would be changed to first names, instead of surnames to promote democracy and engender feelings of equality. All staff were to be encouraged to take their meal breaks in the staff restaurant – previously they stayed within their own department where they had little social interaction with each other.

As in real life, anomalies may be found in this case study; if in doubt simply state your assumptions based on your understanding of the information given. This is a fictional case study so please do not make assumptions based on any company that may have a similar description or name.

Task

Please answer each in report format each of the 4 numbered questions below. Please answer all 4 questions separately and number each question clearly (Questions 1 – 4).

  1. How can the company improve its learning and development to reduce the number of guest complaints and to improve staff morale?
  2. What measures can the company take to improve its employee relations to increase staff satisfaction, and reduce absenteeism and staff turnover?
  3. What can the company do to give its employees a more attractive performance and reward package?
  4. How can the company tackle absence and well-being amongst staff members?

In presenting your report, please consider realistic and practical recommendation that an organization that Trent Park would be likely to use in a real-life setting. You must support your recommendations with HR theories; analysis; discussion; best HR practice; and academic references – please use the full Harvard referencing system.

Please answer each question in report format. You do not need to write an executive summary, introduction and conclusion – instead, you should only answer the 4 questions.

Word count = 1,500 words (+ or – 10%)

Please remember the assessment criteria for this assignment are:

  • Analyse a case study effectively identifying the key issues
  • Demonstrate an understanding of how to use theories and concepts in a practical setting
  • Produce clear, realistic and practical recommendations that an organisation could use in a real-life setting
  • Communicate effectively to produce a structured and coherent business report, with appropriate referencing

Do you think that you should also address other factors like her age, first time pregnancy, etc.? Use your Nurse/health care-Investigator skills and present the facts to her.

Instructions
For this Check-Up, your patient is a 43-year-old female. She is 4 months pregnant for the first time, and she never expected to get pregnant as she believed herself to be infertile. She has enjoyed 2 glasses of wine each night her entire first trimester because she read a few articles by some renowned international obstetricians who suggested that having a glass of red wine during pregnancy is healthy to maintain normal blood pressure, and to reduce anxiety levels.

Your patient, Claudia, wants to know if it’s important for her to stop drinking her red wine each night, or if the warnings given by her family are just “super strict and overly protective.” Claudia needs facts to change her mind about this topic. As her Nurse/health care investigator, can you explain to her what the risks are for her to continue drinking 2 glasses of wine every night while she is pregnant? Do you think that you should also address other factors like her age, first time pregnancy, etc.? Use your Nurse/health care-Investigator skills and present the facts to her.

What physical features might lead the captain to consider Peggy O to be pretty? How does the captain suggest to mama that he is an appropriate mate choice?

MBE: Extra Credit Assignment: Using Evolutionary Principles to Explain Cultural Products.

Throughout the semester I used cultural products (e.g. movies, tv shows, music) to illustrate key course concepts. Now it’s your turn. For this extra credit assignment I want you to use your knowledge and understanding of evolutionary psychology to tell me exactly how evolutionary principles help you explain/understand the lyrics from three different songs that I have selected. For each song I will give you a course concept and you need to answer a few questions about how the lyrics relate to it. Each song analysis is worth 10 points, so you can earn up to 30 extra credit points toward your final grade.

The three songs I have selected are Peggy O, by The National, Cortez the Killer, by Neil Young, and Time to Pretend, by MGMT. Lyrics for each song are below. I have highlighted (in green) some of the lyrics that you might want to focus on as you answer the questions. Also, I have posted a video for each song in the Moodle block labeled Additional Class Materials. The songs are in a Powerpoint. I think watching the videos enhances the lyrics—the lyrics come alive more as you listen to them as compared to simply reading them.

Course concepts for Peggy O: male/female attraction, parent-offspring conflict over mate choice

  1. What physical features might lead the captain to consider Peggy O to be pretty?
  2. Why might mama disapprove of the Peggy O’s relationship with the captain?
  3. How does the captain suggest to mama that he is an appropriate mate choice?

Course concept for Cortez the Killer: Noble Savage

  1. Do the lyrics reflect belief or disbelief in the Noble Savage?
  2. Based on your answer to the first question, does science support or refute the song’s take on the Noble Savage?

Course concept for Time to Pretend: Life History Theory

  1. What type of life history strategy is the singer portraying?
  2. What specific elements of the lyrics support your answer to the first question?

What was your assumption or opinion about the course topics before you read/experienced them. and what do you believe were the sources of these assumptions?

Before you begin: This is a reflection journal–mostly written in 1st person.

Use Chapters 8-11 to write a 2 page reflection using this as a guide.

Reflective journal writing provides students with a theoretically sound, pragmatic form for process thinking and critical reflection on professional practice and professional development. Reflective journal writing is part of an ongoing process of capacity building for critical reflection on practice in the field of TESOL and Bilingual
education. The subject of the journals will be a response to a course reading, course discussion or fieldwork experience. The journal should include:

– Summary and Highlight(s) – summary of your learning this week, with highlights from a chapter, article or event that pertains to the course this week

– Initial Emotional Response (surprised, embarrassed, sad, inspired, excited, puzzled, etc.) How did you feel about the subjects?

– Learning Process

A) Prior Assumptions or Opinions about the topics

What was your assumption or opinion about the course topics before you read/experienced them. and what do you believe were the sources of these assumptions?

B) Assumption/Opinion Check – Validation/Invalidation

How do the topics/highlights described validate or invalidate your prior assumptions or opinions?

C) Realization/Learnings

What did you learn? How have your views or beliefs been changed? Analyze/reflect on how your ideas have evolved – what was the “Aha!” moment for you?

– Implications for future teaching practice

What specific changes might you intend to make in your teaching or classroom environment?

What was the dispute about?  Provide background information to the factors that precipitated the dispute if necessary and explain how the dispute unfolded.

Subject: Employment Relations

Case Study Instructions

Imagine you are working at the FairWork Commission in the office of the President, Justice Iain Ross AO.  Justice Ross has asked you to conduct an analysis of one key industrial dispute that has shaped Australian Employment Relations.  Your analysis will form the basis of a lecture he is giving a LaTrobe University in three months time.

Justice Ross has asked you to select one of the following workplace disputes:

  • The Qantas lockout of employees in 2011
  • The 1989 Pilot’s strike
  • The 1986 50 day Victorian Nurses strike
  • 1998 Australian Waterfront dispute
  • The CFMEU-Grocon dispute
  • Or another industrial dispute (approved by Dr Nicola McNeil)

You should undertake research from academic journals, books, industry sources and the media about your chosen dispute and write a Report which addresses the following issues and questions:

  1. What was the dispute about?  Provide background information to the factors that precipitated the dispute if necessary and explain how the dispute unfolded;
  2. Did any external business environment factors contribute to the dispute between the parties?  If so, explain the relationship between these factors and the dispute.
  3. Analyse the dispute from the point of view of each relevant stakeholders or actors in the dispute (such as the employer, employees, unions, employer associations and State and Federal Governments).  Consider the goals of each stakeholder in the dispute, and the industrial strategies or tactics used to forward their claim.
  4. How was the dispute resolved?
  5. Do you think the dispute was resolved effectively?  Consider the implications of this dispute on Employment Relations in Australia.

Make sure you cite and correctly reference your sources, using the Academy of Management referencing style.

Also, ensure that you understand the difference between quoting and paraphrasing.  For help with paraphrasing, see the Purdue Online Writing Lab.

Describe how this organization or movement is seeking to care for, protect, and advocate for this population during the pandemic.

Gather information about a population that is particularly vulnerable during the current corona virus
pandemic and efforts that are being made to address them.
Choose one vulnerable population that is suffering during the corona virus pandemic.
Examples could include homeless people, low-wage workers, the elderly, people in
prison, people without access to health care, etc.
Using credible news sources, describe the magnitude of the problem (how many people are affected) and the extent of human suffering caused by this pandemic in this population . See image below to choose your news sources. Only use news sources in the “high quality” “leans right, neutral, or leans left” categories. In other words, nothing from the “mixed quality” or “poor quality” or “hyper-partisan” categories.
Using journalistic, academic, or web sources, identify at least one organization or movement that is addressing this vulnerable population during the corona virus epidemic.
Describe how this organization or movement is seeking to care for, protect, and advocate for this population during the pandemic.
Conclude the paper by assessing whether or not this movement and/or organization fits with your understanding of Jesus’ command to love our neighbors and enemies and the tactics associated with Ghandian application of the Sermon on the Mount.

Grading Criteria
This paper will be assessed using the following criteria:
• Description of vulnerable population: Did the author use convincing evidence to show that this is indeed a particularly vulnerable population during the pandemic.(7 points)
• Description of organization/movement: Did the author identify a non- movement or organization that is caring for, protecting, and advocating for this vulnerable population? Did the author effectively identify its goals, tactics, successes,and failures? (7 points)

Conclusion: Did the author show understanding of Jesus’ love commands and the Ghandian application of the sermon on the mount by evaluating the organization/movement in the extent to which it applied these principles? (7 points)
• Writing: Was the paper written in clear, grammatical prose? (4 points)
Submit your final paper to Canvas on or before May 8. No late papers will be accepted.

Provide an Individual (1650 words) critical evaluation of the organization sustainability and CSR, alongside the financial performance of a major international corporation of your choice.

Assignment

Provide an Individual (1650 words) critical evaluation of the organization sustainability and CSR, alongside the financial performance of a major international corporation of your choice.

Guidance: Refer to the lectures provided in the Strategy component of the module where you covered responsible decision making, considering areas such as the concept of the triple bottom line, expectation of the chosen organization in terms of CSR and how these decisions are underpinned in terms of an  organizational  sustainability  agenda. You should also consider how the  company executes  its  Corporate  Governance.  In terms of financial performance, consider the key financial statements provided by the organization and consider these in absolute terms alongside the use of a manageable number of financial ratios.

12 – 14 Academic References should be used: Remember that all sources cited in the assignment should appear  in  the reference list.

Marks will be deducted for reports that do not conform to the structure above and which fall below the presentation and writing standards expected for a professional report.

Submission of Assessment:

Both assignments should conform to the following specification:

  1. Word-processed in Arial 11p t, 1.5 spacing
  2. Each section should start on a new page
  3. Pages should be numbered