Nissan USA Free Essays

How to effectively manage new employees at the Ionians Smyrna plant? II. Statement of the Objective To adapt US and Japanese corporate cultures at the Ionians Smyrna plant within 6 months Ill. Areas of Consideration Strengths a. We will write a custom essay sample on Nissan USA or any similar topic only for you Order Now Latest Japanese management techniques and technology for producing vehicles b. Key positions and first line production supervisors are being filled by workers from Tennessee through an agreement with the State c. Hired experienced and native Tenseness that will be have specialized training in Japan for 2 to 4 months d. Participative management or harmonious relationship between management and labor e. Maximize human resources by implementing job enlargement and enrichment. Weaknesses a. Japanese economy Is worst advertisement for free trade b. The company’s top management Is aged between 50 – 65 years old c. Cultural difference in work attitudes are predominant d. Language barrier Opportunities a. Employee screening by Tennessee Department of Employment b. Maximize human resources of Ionians USA bib enlargement and Job enrichment) Threats a. Use of robots that will replace human workers b. Temporary or sub-contract workers are opposed by US unions (AAU) Alternative Courses of Action ACACIA: To unionized the new employees thru AAU participation ACE: To establish strong reward system for workers V. Analysis ACACIA: To unionized the employees thru JAW Advantages: 1 . Promotes Job security and decreases Job attrition rate 2. As Americans tend to be individualistic, management could convey messages thru union organizations 3. Induce harmonious relationship between management and workers 4. Labor cost can be fixed for quite sometime, thus management cod roper plan its cost Disadvantages: 1. If abuse, management may have decrease human resource control 2. May subject companies to tantamount labor disputes induce by the union organization ACE: To implement employee empowerment thru trainings and decision making participation Advantages: 1 . Awareness on the Japanese management style and operations of the business 2. Improves the confidence of workers that increases productivity, efficiency and quality products 3. Develop teamwork open communication among between management and workers 4. Employee satisfaction and welfare 5. Work motivating environment 1. Abuse benefits and familiarity 2. Compromise confidentiality ACE: To establish strong reward and recognition system for workers Advantages: 1 . Improves the confidence of workers that increases productivity, efficiency and quality products 2. Job enrichment/satisfaction 3. Competitiveness of workers 4. Motivated workers 1 . Over-expectations 2. Bias/sub]activity of reward criteria 3. Compromise the quality of output VI. Conclusion Decision Matrix Criteria ACE ACE Cost 3 2 Performance effectiveness Turn-over rate Total 4 9 5 Definition of Criteria Cost – the amount of money needed to pursue the recommended courses of action Performance effectiveness – efficiency of workers resulting to increase quality and productivity Turn-over rate – decrease in turn-over rate of workers Criteria Weights 3 – least costly, most effective, lowest turn-over rate 2 – less costly, more effective, lower turn-over rate 1 – costly, effective, low turn-over rate 0 AC 2 is chosen for the most advantageous plan. Identify/ highlight good cultural corporate traits among workers and promote practice of such in the work place Quality circle members, Department Heads Decorate the plant with posters sharing good US and Japan corporate values John Bryan, HER Department 1 month Send key employees to Japan for training John Bryan, Department Heads, Conduct monthly meetings discussing corporate cultures and corrections if any John Bryan, Quality circle members, Every month Conduct small focus group discussion among workers regarding work and corporate culture HER Department, Department Heads Monitor results John Bryan, HER Department 2 months How to cite Nissan USA, Papers

Economy of Singapore and Policy Debate for GDP- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theEconomy of Singapore and Policy Debate for GDP. Answer: Introduction: The significance of the Singaporean economy rights lies in the developed and free market economy that it has holding 37th position globally in terms of Gross Domestic Product. The country ranks third in terms of per capita GDP estimated as per purchasing power parity. The nation is marked as pro-business encouraging business through adoption of various policies that favor the growth of the business. One of this is lower tax rates which accounts only 14.2% of the GDP. In terms of fairness, the country falls within top 10 and ranks 7th as least corrupt nation. The nation is mostly exporter to the world and connected with various countries through trade. This makes even the smaller economy important globally and the global impacts play greater role in determining the national economic health. The macroeconomic policies of nations play important role not only to ascertain economic growth in the nation over period but also helps the economy move toward stable equilibrium that is optimum (Ghosh,Jonathan and Marcos 2016). Major instruments of such macro policies are monetary policy or changes brought through modified exchange rate system The paper attempts to present an overall snapshot of Singaporean economy and detect its potential as well as lacking. The paper aims to prescribe whether a monetary policy or a exchange rate policy would be better strategy for the nation to solve the recent problems and move toward integrated and more developed economic situation. Snapshot of Singaporean Economy Upon achieving freedom from the shackles of Malaysian rule in 1965, Singapore started its solo journey with presence of small domestic market, higher unemployment and consequently poverty poor standard of living and lack of education and health. The poor condition of the nation showed in the estimated unemployment figure, which reached as high as 14% (Tremewan 2016). Since then the nation focused on making the country attractive destination for investment and capital inflows. The imitative proves its success in the fact that by 2001 the nation has been able to receive foreign investments in the manufacturing production by 75% and in the manufacturing export by 85% (Tremewan 2016). The investment boosted the production to meet increased demand and this further led to capital accumulation. Overtime this led to increased savings and interest rates. This enhanced the capital stock of the nation by 33 times since it was in 1992. The capital-labor ration increased 10 times. With rising wag e shares of GDP and household consumption backed by increased income the standard of living improved and the nation reached middle income level from low income nation Two biggest strategies adopted by the nation was self-reliance and skill development within workforce that took care of the deficiencies the nation had in terms of income and basic amenities of life. Public companies driven by government comprise the major part of the national economy. These companies are held through sovereign wealth funds that buys majority shares in those firms. The nation is biggest financier in terms of foreign direct investment outflow. Positive economic and political climate of the nation has also made it receive capital inflows from global institutions. The policies and strategies brought 8% of GDP growth rate in the nation from 1960 to 1999. The rate fell to 5.4% following Asian Financial Crisis (Rodan 2016). The economy picked up its growth reaching 9.9% in 2001 even though the slumps in the USA, Japan, European countries had negative impact on the growth condition of Singapore. Since 2004 the nation showed remarkable growth rate The economy of the country lies mostly on three broadly visible sectors Banking, Biotechnology and Energy Infrastructure. Apart from these, telecommunication and retail sector also plays significant role in determining the growth of GDP overtime. The manufacturing sector accounts highest almost 21% to GDP followed by retail and whole sale contributing 17%, business by 14, financial services and transportation by 12%, construction by 4% and others 20% (Rodan 2016). Though the nation is dominant in service production, it also pioneers in manufacturing of chemicals and electronics. Current Economic Issues In the recent time period the nation records GDP at US$298.1 billion with current growth rate of 1.7% in 2016 and 2.9%v in 2017 (Tremewan 2016). The increasing trend of the growth trend is due to increasing industrial production as well as export. The industrial production growth rate has been in 1% in 2016 estimation. The open market operation of the nation has allowed it to receive freedom in trade, business, investments and financial operations. The efficient regulation of the economy has led to relaxation in the business operation as well as provided freedom to labor and money market. The country has managed to maintain good fiscal health with lower tax burden and higher level of government spending. Source: (2017 Index of Economic Freedom) The driving reason behind continued growth of Singapore is the stable macroeconomic policies combined with political, legal and financial stable environment. This has led the economy to become more dynamic and adaptive as well as responsive to various global and national events. The growth in business is promoted and consolidated by the strong and secured property rights. Efficient judicial framework, lower level of corruption and sustained rule of law led the economy move toward increasing pattern of growth line. The country is open to the global economies for trade and investment. Moreover the decisions and activities are taken incorporating environmental sustenance that makes the country more attractive globally in terms of efficient production. Even though the nation is mostly consists of public companies held and operated by government, the private sector determines the resilience and the competitiveness of the nation. State ownership in the enterprises as well as key sectors of economy reflects substantial balance in the economic growth. Public housing services, heath care, education and various other programs are administered by the provident fund of central government and statutory authorities. To prescribe suitable policy for growth, the nation needs to indentify its shortcomings and deficiencies. Major issues the nation facing right at this period are: Slow Growth: The recent economic trend of slower growth stems from the massive hit that Global Financial Crisis gave to the world economy. The interconnection of the countries through international trade made the impact of the crisis chronic and spread too many countries (Aggarwal and Shujiro 2013). This had huge impact on economy of Singapore too with lowering the employment stemmed from cut in production due to fall in international demand of export. The world economy is yet under reconstruction and this restructuring creates economic vulnerability for the nation. Almost 3460 lost job and huge amount people got affected facing challenges in employment (Tremewan 2016). Almost 42000 business units could not thrive the economic hit and led toward shut down situation. The recent slump in the national economic output is the combined effect of cyclical fluctuation in short-term and structural concerns of the long run. Key contributors to slower growth are: Slow Global Growth: Growth of largest world economies like USA, China has slumped which had clearer impact in reduced trade, demand and consequent impact on Singapore s falling export and growth respectively. T he trade dependent national economy is greatly affected by the downturn global economy is facing. Slump in Global Oil Price: The oil and gas industry has faced plunging prices that affected their business growth since middle of 2014 continued till recent years. The downturn in prices for long time has led to loss of $35.5 billion revenue from the top oil companies of the country. Shift in Flow of Trade: The international trend of trade has shifted towards consumption and services than industrial and manufactured goods production. This has led to reduction in demand and export has fallen as a result creating a gloom fro economy of Singapore. Disruptions and Changes: Advancement of technology has updated almost every industry of the nation bringing forth both the challenges along with opportunities. This factor has affected the labor market most. On one hand the advent of technology creates room for new jobs in emerging sectors like engineering, IT, healthcare and education. (Aggarwal and Shujiro 2013) On the other hand it creates challenges in terms of loss of employment. Few of the services in which the country aced like aviation and national carriers, has eroded its value due to excessive competition coming from Southeast and East Asia. Problem of higher manufacturing cost, shortage of lands, poor policies that restricts access to foreign workers, weak performance of productivity, required a structural change for the entire economy, which the nation is unable to provide. The health services of the nation are also performing under strain being unable meet the huge demand at low cost even after the central provident fund has been initiated to provide basic health services. Moreover poor stock market performance an retrenchment in banking, oil and gas, electronic and real estate sectors created much more negative vibes for the economic output. Implication of monetary Policy Exchange Rate Policy: The monetary policy of a country is crucial to its economic growth as it stabilizes various economic shortcomings it has. A good monetary policy take s care of the inflationary pressure the nation has. It helps in cash control through open market operation. Moreover, interest rates goes up and down depending upon the mode of monetary policy being expansionary or contractionary (Tan 2012). An expansionary monetary policy would make the interest rates lower and the contractionary one would push the rates to be higher in order to control the supply of money in the market. Moreover to bridge the gap of balance of payment deficit, ensure price stability and manage debt of the nation, well planned monetary policy is unequivocally important. Exchange rate affects price stability and growth of a nation. It determines the prices of goods and services in international trade. Suppose for $1, SGD 1.379 is exchanged. Now if dollar appreciates that is suppose $1 is exchanged for SGD 2 which also implies depreciation of Singaporean dollar, then that makes import cost higher and export brings more revenue for the nation. This leads to more export and less import improving balance of trade (Burle, Gregor, and Daniel 2014). On the other hand, depreciation of the dollar happens when Singaporean dollar appreciates, suppose $1 = SGD 0.98 now. The value of dollar falls and makes US goods become cheaper and more import is encouraged. The exports of Singapore falls as the national product become expensive in international market (Von Mises 2012). As a result, balance of trade runs in deficit. These affect the domestic price as well as national output strongly. Year Exchange Rate of (SGD/$) 2011 1.2573 2012 1.2498 2013 1.2513 2014 1.2671 2015 1.3748 2016 1.379 (Source: Author) The table shows that the exchange rate of the Singapore has been steady over the past 5 years with recent insignificant depreciation in last 2 years. This ensures the country doesnt require exchange rate modification that much but the monetary policy which can enhance the money market operation Suitable Policy for Singapore The major problem Singapore is facing right now is lesser economic growth stemming from recessionary impact of Global Financial Crisis spread worldwide. As a result, volume of international trade has declined due to fall in export demand from big economies like USA, China. This situation can be survived only by expanding and diversifying domestic economy. For this, a suitable monetary policy is best way to boost the domestic consumption. From the national income identity Y = C + I + G + NX , Y the national output or income can be enhanced by boosting the components like C, I or G apart from NX which is well managed by a suitable exchange rate policy (Ghosh,Jonathan and Marcos 2016). The country being mostly trade dependent needs to shift focus toward creating more demand in nation and go for market expansion in various sector. This would require more government expenditure too bring out new projects that would create employment while supplying to meet demand. The country has to remain open to international trade without adopting protectionism as adopted by many developing s well as developed economies in order to save themselves from contagious effect of global downturn. This requires the nation to participate more in trade agreements and partnerships like Trans-Pacific Partnership as member of Asian Economic Community. Conclusion Singapore has left its mark on the global economy through its huge export made to various countries of world. Mostly the big market economies like USA, Japan, and China India created more export demand for Singapore and the recent global financial crisis has hit the Singaporean economy pretty bad that evoked slower growth throughout in the nation in recent time. Since volume of trade and as a result, export of the country has been falling which it can counteract by an expansionary monetary policy that would increase money supply. Increased money supply can call for more demand through more income generation and more investment should be made in sectors and enterprises in order to diversify the production in national economy. The country needs to prepare for the seen as well as unseen challenges to recover the downfall by adopting innovative production to meet the expanded and diversified demand in the domestic market. Re-skilling the labor force can make the enterprises produce more efficiency and productivity. References Aggarwal, Vinod, and Shujiro Urata, eds.Bilateral trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific: Origins, evolution, and implications. Routledge, 2013. Burle, Gregor, and Daniel Kaufmann.Exchange Rate and Price Dynamics in a Small Open Economy: The Role of the Zero Lower Bound and Monetary Policy Regimes. No. 2014-10. Swiss National Bank, 2014. Bruno, Valentina, and Hyun Song Shin. "Capital flows and the risk-taking channel of monetary policy."Journal of Monetary Economics71 (2015): 119-132. Fiore, Fiorella De, and Oreste Tristani. "Optimal monetary policy in a model of the credit channel."The Economic Journal123, no. 571 (2013): 906-931. Gambacorta, Leonardo, Boris Hofmann, and Gert Peersman. "The effectiveness of unconventional monetary policy at the zero lower bound: A cross?country analysis."Journal of Money, Credit and Banking46, no. 4 (2014): 615-642. Ghosh, Atish R., Jonathan D. Ostry, and Marcos Chamon. "Two targets, two instruments: monetary and exchange rate policies in emerging market economies."Journal of International Money and Finance60 (2016): 172-196. Hamilton, James D., and Jing Cynthia Wu. "The effectiveness of alternative monetary policy tools in a zero lower bound environment."Journal of Money, Credit and Banking44, no. s1 (2012): 3-46. Ozga, Jenny, Terri Seddon, and Thomas S. Popkewitz, eds.World Yearbook of Education 2006: Education, Research and Policy: Steering the Knowledge-Based Economy. Routledge, 2013. Pudukudy, Manoj, Zahira Yaakob, Masita Mohammad, Binitha Narayanan, and Kamaruzzaman Sopian. "Renewable hydrogen economy in AsiaOpportunities and challenges: An overview."Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews30 (2014): 743-757. Rodan, Garry.The political economy of Singapore's industrialization: national state and international capital. Springer, 2016. Stein, Jeremy C. "Monetary policy as financial stability regulation."The Quarterly Journal of Economics127, no. 1 (2012): 57-95. Tan, Kenneth Paul. "The ideology of pragmatism: Neo-liberal globalisation and political authoritarianism in Singapore."Journal of Contemporary Asia42, no. 1 (2012): 67-92. Towbin, Pascal, and Sebastian Weber. "Limits of floating exchange rates: The role of foreign currency debt and import structure."Journal of Development Economics101 (2013): 179-194. Tremewan, Christopher.The political economy of social control in Singapore. Springer, 2016. Tsangarides, Charalambos G. "Crisis and recovery: Role of the exchange rate regime in emerging market economies."Journal of Macroeconomics34, no. 2 (2012): 470-488. Von Mises, Ludwig.On the manipulation of money and credit: three treatises on trade-cycle theory. Liberty Fund, 2012.

Suicide Essays (537 words) - Suicide, Assisted Suicide,

Suicide I'm about to take up a position which is going to be deamed by some, if not all, as a terrible stand to take. As a matter of fact, if anyone were to agree with me on ths subject, I'd be surprsed. For you see, rather than arguing from the postion of suicide being an unjustified and inane way to die, I shall argue the other point. That being suicide does have its merits. Before you people start screaming, hear my case out. Most people argue that nothing justifies the taking of someone's life. Yet what makes life so valuable? Why do people cling to it so? All we consist of is a bunch of carbon atoms, bound together to form an exoskeleton, organs, and tissue. In this light, there really is not much to life. Out of the 5 billion who inhabit the planet, very few of them shall emerge to be true world leaders. The rest will just lead a mediocre life of work and little play. The taking of ones life can be argued from a populistic view as well. It makes little sense to preserve life in an over populated world. True, one less person here on there will not make a large dent. Yet if everyone who attempts or had attempted suicide were not stopped, the impact would be noticed. Another popular argument for stoppers, people who want to prevent suicide, is that nothing can be bad enough. Yet how do they know this? They do not have to put up with the same stuff the suicide victim does everyday. How could they possibly know what the potential suicide victim feels. Just as a severely burned victim may wish to be allowed to die in peace, the suicide victim wishes the same. To die in peace with no argument from others. The argument of "look at the people you will hurt" also does not hold. Imidiate family members will be the only ones to suffer any great pain. Friends will go on with thier lives and in time forget about the death. Imidiate family too will forget the lo ss in time. Although it will take most considerably longer for them than it will for friends. Finaly, the argument of suicide being selfish is hard to grasp. Selfish in whose eyes? Certainly not the eyes of the victim. To them, they consider it selfish of others to try and preserve their life. Again, the argument of the stoppers don't know what the victim has to go through. They are not the ones enduring the pain. Religious people also crop up into the debate. Catholics claim that for someone to committ suicide sneds their soul straight to Hell. In many religions, suicide is considered taboo. However why is this so? Why should it be looked upon as disgracefull, when some religions claim death the be the reward for people after their time on earth is done. Suicide is an issue which should be examined at by all angles. Not just from the angle that it is "wrong". End of debate. Rather it should be looked at from the point of view that "yes" for some people, they should be allowed to die in peace.

Quantitative Analysis and Decision Methods Formulas Essay Example

Quantitative Analysis and Decision Methods Formulas Essay Example Quantitative Analysis and Decision Methods Formulas Essay Quantitative Analysis and Decision Methods Formulas Essay Quant Formula Study Guide MISCELLANEOUS, COMMONLY USED FORMULAS Finite population correction factor: Multiply SE of sample mean by fpc to make the correction - Independent samples of same population with same standard deviation (variances are equal). Confidence interval: df for t-multiple is (df1 + df2), or (n1 – 1) + (n2 1) Pooled estimate of common standard deviation: SE of difference between two sample means - Confidence interval for differences in sample means when variance is not equal. df for t-multiple is given by complex formula not shown in book when variance is not equal. Use StatTools. Confidence interval for difference between two proportions. SE for difference between two proportions. - Chapters 2 and 3 Describing the Distribution of a Single Variable and Finding Relationships among variables Mean Formula Excel Function: = AVERAGE Coefficient of Variation: Standard Deviation / Mean Standard Deviation: square root of variance Sample Variance Population Variance Excel Function: Variance = VAR Standard Deviation = STDEV Mean Absolute Deviation Covariance Correlation Excel Function: =CORREL Chapter 4: Probability and Probability Distributions Conditional probability: P(A|B) = P(A and B) / P(B) Multiplication rule: P(A and B) = P(A|B) P(B) If two events are INDEPENDENT: P(A and B) = P(A) P(B) Variance of a Probability Distribution: Standard Deviation of a Probability Distribution: Conditional Mean: * when the mean of a variable depend on an external event Covariance between X and Y: Correlation between X and Y: Joint Probability Formula: P(X = x and Y = y) = P(X = x|Y = y) P(Y = y) Alternative formula: P(X = x and Y = y) = P(Y = y|X = x) P(X = x) Joint probability formula for independent random variables: P(X = x and Y = y) = P(X = x) P(Y = y) Expected value of a weighted sum of random variables: E(Y) = a1E(X1) + a2E(X2) + †¦ + anE(Xn) Chapter 5 Normal, Binomial, Poisson, and Exponential Distributions Normal Density Function Mean Stdev Chapter 7 Sampling and Sampling Distributions Unbiased Property of Sample Mean Standard Error of Sample Mean Approximate Standard Error of Sample Mean Approximate) Confidence Interval for Population Mean Standard Error of Mean with Finite Population Correction Factor Finite Population Correction Factor Chapter 8 Confidence Interval Estimation Typical Form of Confidence Interval Standardized Z-Value Standardized Value Confidence Interval for Population Mean Point Estimate for Population Total Mean and Standard Error of Point Estimate for Population Total Approximate Standard Error of Point Estimate for Population Total Standard Error of Sample Proportion Confidence Interval for a Proportion Upper Limit of a One-Sided Confidence Interval for a Proportion Confidence Interval for Difference Between Means Standard Error of Difference Between Sample Means Confidence Interval for Difference Between Proportions Standard Error of Difference Between Sample Proportions Sample Size Formula for Estimating a Mean Sample Size Formula for Estimating a Proportion Sample Size Formula for Estimating the Difference Between Means Sample Size Formula for Estimating the Difference Between Proportions Chapter 9 Hypothesis Testing Hypothesis Test for a Population Mean: one-sample t-test P(t-valueconst)= ?. Excel functions: TDIST() and TINV() Test statistic for test of proportion: Test statistic for paired samples test of differences between means: Test statistic for independent samples test of difference between means: Standard error for difference between sample proportions: Resulting test statistic for difference between proportions: Chapter 10 Regression Analysis: Estimating Relationships Formula for Correlation: Slope in simple linear regression: Intercept in simple linear regression: Y is the dependent variable, and X1 through Xk are the explanatory variables, then a is the Y-intercept, and b 1 through bk are the slopes. Collectively, a the bs in the equation are called the regression coefficients. Standard Error of Estimate: R squared / R^2 General Linear Regression: Regression line: Sampling distribution of a regression coefficient has a t distribution with n-k-1 degrees of freedom: ANOVA total variation of a variable The part unexplained by the regression equation: The part that is explained: SSR = SST SSE Point Prediction: Standard error of the prediction for a single Y: Standard error of prediction for the mean Y: Chapter 11, Regression Analysis: Statistical Inference Population regression line joining means: ?Y|X1†¦Xk = ? + ? 1X1 + †¦ + ? kXk error a: Y = a + a1X1 + †¦ + akXk + a Regression line : Y = ? + ? 1X1 + †¦ + ? kXk + ? Sampling distribution of a regression coefficient has a t distribution with n-k-1 degrees of freedom: The ANOVA table splits the total variation of a variable: into the part unexplained by the regression equation: Standard error of prediction for a single Y: Standard error of prediction for the mean Y: Chapter 12, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting Mean Absolute Error: Root Mean Square Error: Mean Absolute Percentage Error: All forecasting models have the general form of the equation: Yt = Fitted Value + Residual ?Linear trend model is given by: Yt = a + bt + et Appropriate regression equation contains a multiplicative error term: ut: Yt = cebtut. Equation for the random walk: Yt = Yt-1 + m + et. Simple Exponential Smoothing: ? Formula: Ft+k = Lt = ? Yt + (1 – ? )Lt-1 Formulas for Holt?  ¦s exponential smoothing method: Winters’ Exponential Smoothing Method : Bayes’ Rule: Chapter 13: Introduction to Optimization Modeling No formulas there..

Tesla Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tesla - Research Paper Example The company makes profits by selling of these components to other manufacturers that cannot produce manufacture them. Tesla stores and its galleries is one of the major ways through which the company markets its products. The company also makes use of the internet as one of the major display marketing option for online consumers. This enables the company to sell its products to consumers all over the world. With over 80 stores and galleries distributed all over, the world, specifically in Europe, Asia and North America, the company has managed to amass sales and remain ahead in the competition. This makes it always remain as a fierce competitor in the industry. The paper below discusses the financial performance of company, its value on the market using both intrinsic and market values, the ROIC, WACC and other aspects that relate to the growth and development of the company. Intrinsic value relates to the value that an asset is actually worth besides the market value. The intrinsic value relates to the real value, whereby if a disposal of the asset were to occur at that time, the company would manage to retrieve that value from its sale. What value will the buyer find the asset worth? Market values have many influences that may affect the price. These range from the aspects of inflation, recession, and speculations that surround the market activities. An intrinsic value considers the call and put options. Intrinsic value considers the value of an asset in and of itself without consideration of other external factors. Value investors consider this value of an asset in most occasions because it gives nearly the true value of the asset, thereby making investors more confident in buying the asset. These investors, when seeking a company to invest in, consider this value to give them a better understanding of the asset or company in relation to its true value. Intrinsic value determines the value of the stock in itself. This occurs through a number of ways.

SWOT Analysis Master Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

SWOT Analysis Master - Case Study Example 2005). Since long, A Company known for inventing the personal computer range on this earth is APPLE COMPUTER. This company has begun a revolutionary raid into personal computing with Apple II. It is highly accredited to help people how to use computers with its accomplishment of the graphical user line in Apple Macintosh. Every single product / service is designed in a different way. Product analysis enables us to see the different features of the product, how different it is in appearance, its feature, its price, its demand and other factors which are required to be considered before its production. A critical review of such points helps management in designing and selling products. The Ipod shuffle has distinctive features. It is the world's smallest music player. Ipod shuffle has two amazing features that make it a best device. First the song capacity is 4 minutes per song and 128 Kbps AAC encoding. It has a capacity to save songs up to 500. It has a very small size and easier to use. It dramatically allows the users to control all its functions quickly. The music library of Ipod shuffle can save 1000 songs. And has a plenty of space to store multiple play lists. Ipod Shuffle is also considered a fashionable accessory which is very famous these days. The voice quality of ipod shuffle as per musician is very huge and dramatic. Moreover it has a huge library in 14 different languages. Situation Analysis: As per market share, Apple at present maintains the most minuscule worldwide user base which is merely 2.5% of any operating system. The Microsoft Windows dominate by 92% in this race. What makes Apple exclusive is its capability to offer inventive and dependable hardware along with trend-setting & consumer responsive software. No other company does so. Amazingly this enabled Apple to ingeniously mingle its strengths in these areas to give fresh solutions to users. Market Analysis: i. Management: In order to persistently innovation of Apple Ipod & retaining enough funds, during competitor launching new product, valuable management is needed for the training & development of employees (JWT, 2008). ii. Capital Accessibility: Calamity of cash flow may be happen cause of heavy competition. When competitors capriciously launch their product in the market, adequate funds must be on hand. iii. Adoption of New Technology: In order to progress

Theories of Learning for Classrooms

Theories of Learning for Classrooms Learning is the process that results in a relatively enduring change in a person or persons (Alexander et al, 2009: 186). Learning is a dynamic process whereby the students knowledge and skills are different before to after learning (Winn, 1990). Teaching is by definition the promotion of learning and ought therefore to be informed by the best of our knowledge about learning. Learning and teaching poses a synergistic relationship; that is teachers need to teach with an approach that reinforces how students naturally learn (Muijs brooks book). A number of educational researchers offer learning paradigms to explain how individuals learn. The way students learn can be used to foster effective teaching practices, and ultimately align teaching with positive learning and educational experiences. Understanding how knowledge is developed and comprehended can allow teachers to shape the methodological delivery of their subject content to match the theoretical frameworks, underpinning how knowledge is processed. Attending to the nature of student learning can allow teachers to improve their practice and in turn the quality of the learners experience (Macleod Golby, 2003). The extremes of this learning theory spectrum are represented by the Behaviourist and Constructivist theories of learning. Behaviouristic Theory of Learning Learning, according to behaviourists (Watson, Pavlov), is defined as acquisition of new behaviour. The focus of behaviourism is on the conditioning of observable human behaviour and is based on the principal conception that a reaction is made in response to a specific stimulus. This reaction leads to a consequence. If the consequence is pleasant and positive, the behaviour change becomes reinforced. With consistent reinforcement, the behaviour pattern becomes conditioned and is automatically activated upon stimuli presentation. Physiologically, behaviourist theories propose that learning is achieved through reinforcement of a particular neural pathway, which links the stimuli and response in the brain. This activation and reinforcement results in a faster, smoother implementation of certain reactions and responses. The connections between the stimuli and specific responses are built correctly and then reinforced over time through practise and repetition, which ultimately strengthens the neural pathways, resulting in a more efficient response to the stimuli. (Pritchard). Behaviourists term this form of learning conditioning, whereby with consistent reinforcement the behaviour pattern becomes conditioned. Classical conditioning involves the reinforcement of a natural reflex or behaviours which occur naturally as a response to a specific stimulus. In contrast, operant conditioning involves reinforcing a behaviour by praising it, or discouraging undesirable behaviour with punishment. The rewarding phases of this conditioning processing is known as reinforcement. However, this stimulus-response relationship discounts any mental processes which may be involved in learning. Researchers, including Vygotsky 1962 amongst others, began to criticise the behaviourist approach, as it was seen too teacher centred and directed, void of meaningful learning and the teacher process was focused too much on individual rather than collaborative group work. In addition, the constructivist perspective challenged the implied separation between mental processing and knowledge, which had to be bridged by the role of a teacher. Constructivist Theory The constructivist movement was formed on Piagets (1976) and Vygotsky (1986) work who view learning as the effect of mental construction, whereby learners combine their existing knowledge with new information, to construct meaning and formulate their understanding. The constructivist theory proposes that learning is an active process, a social activity, contextual, centred on constructing meaning and regards the learner as a responsible agent in their knowledge acquisition (Loyens 2007. In constructivist learning, individuals draw in their experience of the world around them and work to make sense of what they perceive in order to build an understanding of what is surrounding them (Harris, 1994). Since constructivism involves learners to interact with their immediate learning environment, learning has been considered to be situation-specific and context-bound activity (McInerney and McInerney, 2002. Constructivism is an umbrella term to encompass the wide range of constructivist perspectives, which can be separated into two branches; cognitive constructivism (Piaget, 1976) and social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1986). Both sub-types believe that knowledge is actively constructed by individuals Birenbaum 2003, however through the use of different mediums; either through a series of internal, intellectual stages (cognitive constructivism), or by social interaction including interactions with world based, external experiences (social constructivism). The numerous perspectives on constructivism within these two sub-types could be essentially grouped around a rooted assumption about learning. That is, knowledge is actively constructed by the learner (Birenbaum 2003; Harris and Alexander 1998) Piagets developmental stages theory, which represents cognitive constructivism, presents four age-referenced development stages which provide a theory of gradual cognitive development up to the age of eleven years old. The stages refer to an explicit age range and characterise the cognitive abilities necessary at each stage to construct meaning of ones environment. Social constructivism emphasises the role of language in the process of intellectual development. Vygotsky considered dialogue, usually but not always with a more knowledgeable other, as a vehicle by which concepts are considered, shared and developed. The dialogue, which is based on learners pre existing and current knowledge (schemas), is then exploited to develop and construct new ideas and understanding. Vygotsky advocates that the process of learning involves moving into and across a zone of proximal development, which is aided by the intervention of another through support. The zone of proximal development is a theoretical space of understanding which is just above the level of an individuals current understanding. The process of giving support to learners at the appropriate time and level of sophistication to meet the individual needs is termed scaffolding. Scaffolding can allow the movement from one zone to another and assists in the passing through the zone of proximal devel opment. From reviewing the literature, educational researchers which employ these constructivist principles select aspects from both strands of this learning theory (Biggs, 1979, Cunningham, 1996), and use constructivist theories as a generalised term. However, as Mathews and Lui highlight, combining the plethora of constructivist variants is questionable, and generalisations made may have less significance and loss of meaning. Therefore, for the purpose of this assignment, the term constructivism will reflect a collaboration of both social and cognitive strands; however specific branches and the implications of these strands are highlighted where necessary. Critique of learning theories and associated implications upon classroom practice A review of the literature suggests that behaviouristic learning does not offer students the chance to develop deep meaning and understanding (Einworth and Collins), but instead has a tendency to promote superficial learning of skills (Fosnot, 1996). Making a correct response and remembering content does not necessarily imply understanding, and consequently the actual understanding achieved through behavioural approaches is challenged. Hounsell, Entwistle, 1997 conclude that the use of rote memorisation represents a learning approach to a surface level of understanding, whilst establishing connections with current knowledge reflects an approach for a deeper level of understanding. In contrast, from a constructivist perspective, the principle of learning using prior experience is beneficial in promoting a deeper and richer understanding (Pressley, Harris Marks, 1992). Demerici advises that information which is connected to a learners prior experiences is more likely to be retained, explaining higher retention rates when a constructivist approach is adopted. (Demirici). According to Fosnot, the focus of attention in constructivist perspective is concept development and deeper understanding. This research suggests that constructivist approaches lead to a great, richer and deeper understanding. It is therefore plausible to suggest that the quality and depth of understanding associated to a constructivist teaching approach is more likely to exceed that of the behaviourist approach. However, as Entwhistle and Smith (2002) identify, the association between memorisation and surface approach may be weak. Kember, 1996; Watkins Biggs, 1996 reported that memorisation can be used to learn unfamiliar terminology, as the first stage to establishing understanding. This concept, where memorisation is part of meaningful learning, is defined as memorising with understanding (Marton, Watkins,Tang, 1997; Meyer, 2000, and has been conducted by students as a successful revision tool (Entwistle Entwistle, 2001) In addition, (Smith, 2001, 2002a) affirms that rote learning can contribute to understanding. Therefore, it appears that behaviouristic learning approaches can be beneficial for certain tasks such as establishing classroom behaviour (Fulton). Teachers could consider deploying beahviorusitlic approaches to the learning of classroom behaviour, especially for pupils who display anxious tendencies and low motivation (Prittard; Fulton). Those of higher academic ability perceive simplistic drill and practice unsatisfying and dull (Prittard). In addition, some students demand understanding, yet adhering to behaviouristic learning approaches does not accommodate this craving. In other situations, the concepts of learning without understanding can fuel frustration, lead to misconceptions and generate a difficult learning environment (Prittard). Controversially, Fox (2001) suggests that the constructivist theory may imply that remembering is not important, and that learning is solely centred on understanding concepts. However, neither of these are true, and being able to remember knowledge is an important prerequisite of learning. In addition, Biggs, (1998) and Jin and Ortazzi, (1998) have reported that constructivist teaching approaches dont consistently guarantee teaching effectiveness. Instead, traditional, more behaviourist approaches to learning in large classes has proven to be successful internationally, such as in China. Fox, 2001, argues that constructivism neglects the role of memorisation and mechanical learning techniques Arguably, due to the varying nature of meaning which is uncontrollably constructed by students, in some cases, rote learning and memorisation may be more useful when teaching factual concepts and where clarity in understanding is required. Rote learning may be used to help students cope better with some aspects of work that they find difficult. However, teachers must consider that rote learning is not an approach to develop understanding and therefore where possible, should be followed by attempts to encourage understanding. Standard school and classroom routines and expectations for behaviour can be learnt through behaviouristic approaches. In the case of behaviour management, a strategy to quieten the class, such as raising of the hand, or counting down from three could be effectively used. In this case, the stimulus, such as the teacher raising their hand or calling out the number three, must be fully explained to the class. In addition, the stimuli must be fully visible and audible to the students, which is possible with a clearly risen hand or an assertive voice. The response desired, such as a student raising of the hand and silence, must be fully understood by students. It is important that the stimulus-response occurrence should be repeated by the teacher and used regularly. The same strategy should be employed every time the teacher wants to quieten the class, establishing consistency of stimuli and behavioural response. This repeated activation strengthens the pathways, affording for a smoother and faster implementation of the response. . Pupils should be made aware of the negative and positive consequences if they do not respond to the stimuli as desired and the consequences need to be kept consistent. Therefore, consistency of behaviour management strategies is crucial and classroom practice must adhere to the same strategise as the same stimuli is presented for a specific response. Behaviourism relies on reinforcement which is employed to condition the behaviour, and therefore is essentially the tool which brings about learning. Therefore rewards and punishments for behaviours must play a crucial role and actively administered within classroom practice. Behaviourism may therefore stimulate and encourage more use of positive reinforcement which has been a long standing effective classroom practice (Elliott and Busse, 1991 fulton book). However teachers must consider that rewarding children who are already highly motivated may not be as effective, and may actually lead to a loss of interest (Fulton) Rewards and praise have been shown to enhance motivation, and serve as an effective behaviour management tool, however, praising students may not come naturally to teachers. However, behaviourist approaches dont take account of mental cognitive processing involved in learning. In contrast, constructivism emphasises that the learners must develop their understanding for themselves and constructivist researchers advocate that mental activity is the lifeblood of learning and the extent of what is learnt (Howe 1999). Teachers cannot assume that the products of learning are solely the teachers effort and thought; instead learning requires effort on the part of the learner. Teachers need to offer scope of activities where the accustomed effort and activity falls on the learners responsibility. Such opportunities would afford learner engagement and optimise the possibility of effective lasting learning taking place (Prittard). A vast array of supportive literature endorses the success of constructive approaches. Research informs that learning through such constructive mediums, like discussion, participation, practice, are successful and associated with learning gains and knowledge retention. Demirci Yavuz (2009). Dericimi also reported a significant difference in post-test grades and retention learning tests grades, with the constructivist approach being more efficient than the conventional, behaviouristic approach. However, the constructivist theory may imply that all individual differences in learning come down to the consequences of each learners history of learning )Loyens, 2008. Furthermore, although we do learn by acquiring knowledge from our environments through interacting with the external world, Fox highlights that the environment also acts upon learners. That is, we act and react and learning can be achieved from both experiences. However, constructivism appears to fail to acknowledge adaptive instinctive responses as reactive forms of learning (Fox, 2001) and the role of talent in cognitive development. Furthermore, Fox (2001) and Bredo, (2000) argues that constructivism discounts the role of innate, motivational and genetic factors in knowledge construction, which have been proven to play a role in cognitive development and ealrning Carey Spelke, 1994). Another assumption refers to an epistemological assumption that students actively seek resources and experiences, which are anchored by their pre-existing knowledge. In addition, it is assumed that learners utilise the construed data to actively construct their knowledge (Renkl). Therefore, this approach to learning relies on students encountering experiences and applying these experiences to their pre-existing knowledge to develop their understanding. However, such experiences and world-based interactions may not be feasible or available to students due to their lifestyle circumstances. Consequently, teachers need to be aware that understanding and meaning is limited to the individual experiences of the students. In accordance with this assumption, the constructivist theory can explain why pupils conceptions and meaning do vary between each other (Taber, 2000). Given that learning is achieved through the constructing activity of the student, the individual can only understand or kno w what he or she has constructed (Dunn and Cunningham, 1996). Therefore, constructivism may be seen as subjective and relative (Duffy and Cunningham, 1996).. This may lead to marking criteria discrepancies, confusion and inconsistency, and student misconceptions, which do not match reality. In addition, Duffy and Cunningham propose that if the constructions and meanings are different amongst students, the little shared understanding may challenge the ease of communication between learners and the class. This may jeopardise the effectiveness of class discussions and social interactions as a tool to enhance learning. Similarly, as construction is activity on part of the learner (Bruner 1966, 1971), what is constructed cannot be controlled by the teacher. Instead the learner has autonomy and self-regulates what understanding is established. Therefore the students constructed understanding may not parallel with other students, with reality or with the teachers construction and understanding. Consequently, teachers must not assume that the construction and understanding of a concept is universal between all students. Instead teachers must actively access and consider the alternative perceptions and understanding of the learners hence why a transmission approach is fruitless. On the other hand, teachers come into the classroom with their own construction and conceptions of subject content, and according to Patrick 1988, are not neutral. Therefore, a teachers understanding can colour the students understanding, and together, Patrick, 1998 and Marton and Booth (1997) suggested that some teachers moulded the students construction of a concept to align with their concept interpretation. Ellisowths review concludes that the form of understanding impressed onto students is largely dependent on the teachers personal interpretation of the subject content. Therefore, although the constructivist theory assumes that the construction of understanding is the product of the learners interpretation exclusively, the constructivist theory does not account for the interplay between teachers and learners comprehension. Importantly, to help progressive learning and avoid developing misconceptions, teachers need to provide a clear focus and goals, with explicit learning objectives, which are rooted within pupils existing knowledge. The clear objectives allow students to construct their ideas using current knowledge and understand the overarching direction and progression oftheir learning. Activating prior knowledge is important to elicit pre-knowledge, allowing teachers to decipher the conceptual frameworks they are operating within. Teachers need to highlight the links between students existing knowledge and the new subject knowledge, to help the learner form bridges and facilitate their mental construction and cognitive processes (REF). By forming these links, students can activate and recall their pre-existing knowledge, and use this foundation to build and integrate new concepts. Teachers should encourage students to relate new knowledge to current knowledge and external experiences, allowing the new subject content to become embedded within the existing knowledge structures, contributing to or amending to the students schema. Since learning constructively is based on the addition of new content to current knowledge, the learner must have sufficient levels of understanding before new content can be used to construct more complex meaning and progress. Teachers and educators need to consider that new content cannot be built up until the foundations, such as current knowledge, is secured. To accommodate these pre-requisites of learning, the individuals knowledge needs to be continually assessed. As a regular classroom practice, formative assessment could be used as a regular approach to assess existing and new understanding, before moving to the next lesson. Formative assessment is a regular, informal mode of assessment, allowing teachers to monitor students progress, gain an appreciation of what has been learnt and adapt their teaching practices to optimise further learning (Black and Wiliam, 1998). Accordingly, given that learning is an active and evolving processes, formative assessment can be used by teachers to assess, monitor, challenge unclear perspectives and adapt classroom practices to accommodate the constructivist principles of learning. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that constructivist approaches to learning favour the use of formative assessment and may prompt its use in the classrooms, which Lamon, 2001 reports as being more valuable. Since formative assessment alone is associated with learning gains, (Black and Wiliam 1998), learning is positively influenced indirectly via adopting teaching strategies which are aligned to learning constructively. Formative assessment may be undertaken through questioning, teacher and pupil discussion, peer assessment and interaction with peers. Formative assessment will also identify pupils individual learning needs, supporting teachers conduct in differentiation to assure pupils are moving forward, across their ZPD and optimise learning gains. Formative assessment can be achieved in the classroom, through discussion, questioning, peer assessment, self-assessment and feedback. However, with behaviourism, the opportunities for feedback are confined to only whether the response desired is correct or not. There is little scope for learning, or how to improve in order to meet the desired response. Therefore, under behaviourist approaches, feedback cannot be used for learning purposes, therefore opportunities for assessment for learning, which have shown to enhance learning, may not be fruitful. Consequently, limited feedback combined with the objective outcomes of behaviourist approaches mean that individual student needs are not necessarily part of the formulae when considering teaching strategies and subject content. The need to consider individual needs is undeniable, therefore such constraints of feedback extent presents a multitude of problems to the teaching and learning of students. When constructing new concepts and developing understanding, reviewing and reflecting on what has already been learnt also helps to establish and secure students previous knowledge. In addition, by asking what students understand before embarking on a new concept would help students form links between new and previous knowledge (Fulton). This reviewing could be done as a starter, but also plays a role at the end of the lesson, forming a plenary. Teachers should consider, incorporate and plan for well managed plenary to consolidate knowledge. Time to reflect upon what has been undertaken, the processes and the content gives the opportunity for internalisation and for a deeper level of understanding to be developed. Similarly, learning is most effective when learners become engaged, which means that teachers need to adopt an active approach to learning and involve engaging tasks to promote learning in the classroom. Learning using authentic tasks, which allow pupils to relate to their own experience inside and outside the classroom (Selinger, 2001) increases the probability of engagement with the task and supports findings that learning in a familiar context is most effective. Authentic tasks are likely to hold the attention and interest of children, and lead to a deeper level of engagement than with non-authentic or less authentic tasks (Fulton). Favourably, the constructivist principles match those fundamentals associated with effective learning. This active perspective of constructive learning (Phillips, 1995) is often contrasted with behaviourist stimulus-response relationship, which has been defined as a passive view in learning. However, reading and listening are included within this constructive approach to teaching, which could be argued to be more passive approaches. Whilst this suggests that all cognition is active, to talking and writing, listening and reading are relatively passive. Traditionalists do not deny the importance of dialogue, and this may be utilised in questioning and answering, it is more that behaviourists place greater emphasis on knowledge and on the teacher as being knowledgeable, rather than learners and their existing knowledge (Fox). A balance is needed between emphasis on the teachers and learners, since too much emphasis on either part can lead to prescriptions for teaching which may ignore the students needs or dismiss the teachers as a significant resource of knowledge. An active learning approach can be achieved by encouraging students to explore concepts and ideas, and to follow their instincts (Wray and Lewis, 1997). Given that exploration can promote sequential development of ideas, it is likely to assist in the construction of new knowledge; the roots to constructivism. Classroom practice could be based on a discovery-based approach Huitt, 2004;, where students can find answers out for themselves, answer their own questions through experimenting with new ideas and discuss their beliefs and thinking patterns with their peers. Importantly, engaging with each other reflects social interactions, which can be a vehicle to develop understanding using social interaction. Unlike behaviourist approaches where the teacher is the primary resources of knowledge and is influenced by their interests and perspective; knowledge construction offers the opportunity of learning to become dynamic and varied, opposed to being static and prescribed (Sudizna). The use of resources promotes more interactive learning and interest, which are both shown to positively influence learning. Behaviourist approaches have been criticised for not addressing this dynamic nature of learning as its theory assumes a static and standardised view of knowledge learning. Supported by Winn 1990, student knowledge is dynamic and changes, that is knowledge and skills are different before learning to after instruction, and behaviourism does not take this into account. In addition, behaviourism theory does not appreciate that students come into classrooms with prior knowledge. Conversely, the constructivist theory acknowledges that pre-existing knowledge is requisite of learning and that students enter classrooms with pre-conceptions, knowledge and beliefs which they deploy in constructing new understanding. (Jones, Carter, Rua, 1999) As already discussed, scaffolding is crucial for the learner to pass through their zone of proximal development, and can be undertaken by the teacher. Scaffolding can be practiced in the classroom in many ways, and teachers need to appreciate that this is fundamental to the educational progression of students and how this may be achieved. Support materials need to be widely available, such as a writing frame to support a particular style of prose, or a list of words to help in the process of completing an exercise, designed to assist understanding The provision of practical apparatus, especially in science, may help to explain the solution to a problem and is an engaging approach. Students can evidence reality and attach a sense of perspective and reality to their learning. Given the exploratory nature of constructivism, classroom practice needs to be supportive and generate an environment where the student feels safe to ask for help and comfortable in approaching the teacher. The teacher must be aware of the different supportive needs of the class, and meet these through differentiation and allowing time for class discussion, misconceptions and any lack of understanding. To help the teacher identify those who need more support than others, formative assessment can be incorporated to highlight the students individual needs that need to be addressed. Ultimately, this will allow tasks to be designed and geared towards the individuals learning ability. Unlike, behaviourism theories, constructivist theory accounts for the role of social learning and potential of interaction and recognises the importance of social interaction (Phillips, 1995). Incorporating social interaction opportunities, using language as a medium to construct ideas in groups of varying sizes, both with and without the teacher are encouraged and popular in classroom practice today (Jones and Brader-anjerie, 2002). Dialouge is proposed to constitue a crucial component of the constructivism paradigm ((Greeno et al. 1996; (Steffe and Gale 1995).Loyens, 2008. Discussion is fundamental and can be used through augmenting, debating, discussing concepts, teacher questioning and pupils presenting. Teachers should encourage students to work collaboratively, in pairs or small groups, and allow them to help each other and construct their own meaning in their own words of a concept. Dialogue with others allows additional and alternative perspectives to be taken into account when developing personal conclusions. Different knowledge, points of view and understanding can be given and considered before moving on. Teachers should listen to pupils, and use their words for explaining concepts and draw on other opinions of class members. Constructivist theory also takes into account that learning is contextual. Evidence suggests that learning occurs in real-life contexts and learning is actually linked to a context, as deduced by Macleod and Goldby 2003. Children working with new ideas in a familiar content are more likely to engage with the ideas, than if the same ideas were present in an alien context. Therefore teachers should strive to include more authentic tasks and set learning concepts which are aligned with students familiar contexts. If a learning activity falls beyond the cultural understanding of the learning, then learning is likely to be less successful than if it had been situated in a more familiar setting. .Meaningful contexts for learning are very important; however, what is meaningful for a teacher is not necessarily meaningful for the student. The association between the concept of learning being situated and the need for authentic learning tasks is evidence (McFarlane, 1997). However, the recommended approach to situation learning in meaningful contexts (e.g. Lave Wenger, 1991) has been argued against. Walkerdine, 1988, for example argued that if school learning became situated solely within the lived world of daily experiences, the opportunities for abstract reasoning and reflective activity, which are all constituents of constructivism, would become limited and sacrificed, whilst confining students to their local xxxxxxx? The exactness of the Piaget stage of development has been criticised, that is to say children may pass through the stage, but it is not clear that they will pass through the stages at specific ages, however, as a developmental trail, this theory is useful in teaching practices. Piagets stage developmental theory offers guidance covering the level of complexity that may be expected in a childs thought processes at approximate stages in their development. Whilst Piagets developmental stage theory influences principally primary school teaching practices, given the ages this theory is related to, the appreciation and awareness that c